Forcing the Issue

Book Review: Blue Like Jazz

2013-05-29T23:19:00.001-07:00

I enjoyed reading Donald Miller’s Blue Like Jazz and posted a review at Kronicles of KD. In a backwards fashion, I watched the movie before I read the book. The book and movie were cathartic journeys through kaleidoscopic emotions and differed delivery of the source material. Take a moment to check out the review, leave a comment here or checkout the book on Amazon.

Thanks Again~

Remembering the Day

2013-05-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day is here and it is another reminder to honor the days gone by; before they fade into the ocean of the past. Memorial Day is for honoring fallen members of the United States military and paying respect to their memory. I feel that it may also be a time to reflect on the past and remember friends and family through the times shared together.

Miniatures, painted by a friend,
guarding the bookshelf.

Click Here to Read the Full Article...

A Year With No Progress

2013-05-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

Another year, another Mother’s Day, came and went with little impression that I was serious about writing. My intention was to take a few weeks and gather some steam then dive back in boldly. Sadly that was not the case. I looked back at the Forcing The Issue, Doin' Sh*t With Pat, and Kronicles of KD from time to time with feelings of amusement, longing and a dash of shame.

This is a Sunflower that I failed to cultivate
properly in the Three Sisters tradition.

Click Here to Read the Full Article...

Happy Mother's Day... I Need A Vacation

2012-05-08T09:10:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day is coming and there's no big update from me on the writing front. I wrote a half-assed article for Doin' Sh*t With Pat, but fully intent to full-assedly complete it with pictures, calculations and variations on the recipes.

From "Cute Pictures"

Click Here to Read the Full Article...

Motivational Deficit

2012-05-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

From "Must... use POWERS!"

So I've had a little problem with motivation of late that no amount of passion and drive has been able to surmount. I planned on writing about several of the projects I've completed for Doin' Sh*t With Pat, but family, work, prior commitments and a plethora of good movies seem wear my resolve. That might have sounded like a humble-brag, but it was only intended to be the defining variable in this experiment in disciplined writing. (P.S. I am really looking forward to the Avengers and the start of a summer of killer movies!)
Click Here to Read the Full Article...

Completed a DSWP Entry

2012-04-24T07:04:00.000-07:00

"From Men's Body Wash @ Doin' Sh*t With Pat"

Well I finally completed the long overdue entry for my "Doin' Sh*t With Pat" blog. It's not the best article, but it's finished and I am ready to move on. I should not have used the Men's Body Wash project as the first entry, but it was a learning experience.
The hardest part I have had with "Forcing the Issue" and "Doin' Sh*t With Pat" was the editing/formatting. I spent the majority of the time fighting with the Blogger interface trying to format the article in a readable fashion. I did that for each blog entry here as well. It could very well be a 2:1 ratio in favor of format fighting vs. writing.
Click Here to Read the Full Article...

Reading the Weekend Away (Part 3)

2012-04-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

So once again I'm here on Monday evening rushing to meet the deadline. I had a long, relaxing weekend with plenty of time to write an interesting article on time management, connecting with other writers/bloggers or even work on the d20 Adventure. Is this another article all about reading other blogs in place of writing something of substance?

From "Left Field Wander"

Click Here to Read the Full Article...

Reading: The Journey to the Sofa (Part 2)

2012-04-10T08:57:00.000-07:00

From "Palm Springs Savant: Rick Rockhill"

So once again I have done some writing but sidelined my goals to recoup from some busy weeks. This week I again look to connect with and/or read other blogs and see who others are progressing and perfecting their art. Below you will find a link to a blog along with my reflections on the post.

This week I will be looking at "Kim's Craft Blog"

Click Here to Read the Full Article...

Reading: Rediscovering a Past Time (Part 1)

2012-04-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

This week I read through some blogs by writers and rediscovered one of my favorite leisure time activities… Reading! I read articles about movies, articles about writing and some articles reviewing electronics. I really miss sitting down with a book or finding the spare time during the day to read a few blog/magazine/news articles. I commented on a few blogs, checked out some of their ads (that’s how they make a little money) and posted some information here.

From "Cheese Doodles"

Click Here to Read the Full Article...

Nothing: Another Week Failed

2012-03-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

I had a simple task this week, read blogs, post some comments and discuss the experience here. Like the clip above, I cheated and did not read any blogs, post comments or discuss them here; so this week I deliver a post full of nothing! Well, alright... I'll post a little info about my lack of attention and poor time management skills.

Click Here to Read the Full Article...

40 Movies and a Little More Reading

2012-03-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

From "Between Keyboard and Chair"

It's been 78 days since the start of 2012 and thus far I have watched 40+ movies from several different genres. That's about a movie every 0.512820513 or a movie every other day. I've spent more time watching movies than reading or even writing for this blog. I have a viable outlet for review writing at Kronicles of KD and posting my recommendations on my 2012: A Year in Review, yet I have not capitalized on those. I have also tried to boost readership and camaraderie with other writers through this blog, but I have failed to read the works of others.
Click Here to Read the Full Article...

Presently It's the Past

2012-03-13T09:36:00.000-07:00

From "A Liliputian's Journey"

Last week I utterly failed and I came pretty close to missing this week's deadline too. One of these weeks I will focus on the "life of a writer" and see how some people find time to write while others are strapped for time, focus and overall energy. That is a topic for the future, this week I will NOT fail, I will prevail in writing about my struggle with tenses!
Click Here to Read the Full Article...

Procrastination Fail

2012-03-06T09:59:00.000-08:00

From "KR Connect"

This week really got away from me and I waited until the very end to write this week's entry and utterly failed! On top of that, I was not even able to complete the Doin' Sh*t With Pat article or comment of other blogs ("p1c3"). In short, I failed to reach my goal from last week and even this measley entry is impeeding future writing.
Click Here to Read the Full Article...

Not Short, Just Otherwise Engaged

2012-02-28T09:00:00.000-08:00

From "Christian's Bangin' Blog"

This week's entry is going to be fairly concise as I will be focusing on other projects and commenting on other blogs (...maybe even promoting the "p1c3" idea!) I STILL need to complete the next article for Doin' Sh*t With Pat and write the inaugural entry for the writing prompt at Monthly Writing Prompt. I also have a half written companion for a movie review of "Midnight in Paris".

Also... I went to a rock show last week that brought back several fond memories of concerts, late night hangouts and record stores (ah... record stores). It was the first time I had a chance to see "The Darkness" in Portland, and they did NOT disappoint!

Check out their new single here: Nothing's Gonna Stop Us

Click Here to Read the Full Article...

Time Log Discussion

2012-02-21T09:15:00.000-08:00

I was sick this weekend so I didn't have much time to write. I recorded my time log over the week and spent time reflective on where the time is spent (and recovering from this cold). That does not mean this week's article is going to be light. I've included the my time log and KD Benji's time log for comparison. Take a look and see how the two compare.

From "Alexa Bourne"

Click Here to Read the Full Article...

Where is the Time Spent?

2012-02-14T09:03:00.000-08:00

From "Spectrum Industries Furniture Blog"

Lately I’ve been running behind on every project, book and family event. Rather than continue the process of completing Forcing The Issue’s posts at 1:00 A.M. Tuesday morning, I’ll be looking at where all my time is spent. I also encourage you to do the same. Keep a time log of your week; see how much time is spent on non-essential, yet relaxing and rewarding activities.

Click Here to Read the Full Article...

Battle: The Return of the Writer

2012-02-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

From "Star Wars Aficionado Magazine"

The final battle commences as the Writer faces off with the "wretched hive of scum and villainy"; Outlines and Free-Writing. Who will emerge the victor? Will the Writer follow through and restore balance to the universe? Will there ever be an end to the constant nerdy Star Wars references? After this post... yes!

Click Here to Read the Full Article...

Battle: Free-Writing Strikes Back

2012-01-31T09:45:00.000-08:00

From "For Aslan…and the Volunteer State"

Brush off the first round of blaster fire, here is the rebuttal to the Outline vs. Free-Writing debate. Free-writing is a good and useful tool, but is it a better path than outlining?
Click Here to Read the Full Article...

Battle: Outline vs. Free-Writing

2012-01-24T09:00:00.000-08:00

From "homestarrunner.com"

Do you prefer to create an outline and fill in the blanks with your prose? Do you love the freedom that free-writing affords? “Do you has five bucks?”

Well this week I will go over some of the merits of each and provide examples in my writing. Feel free to post you own thoughts on the subject.

Click Here to Read the Full Article...

I AM (The Documentary) - Movie Review

2012-01-19T23:41:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update. I posted a review of the documentary I AM on a friend's blog.
Click Here to Read the Full Article...

Monthly Writing Prompt and Drafting

2012-01-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

This week I decided to start posting on Monthly Writing Prompt to better connect with other writers and create a practice space. I will be writing for the other prompts as well and posting them on the Monthly Writing Prompt page.

Click Here to Read the Full Article...

Less Talk, More Rock

2012-01-09T23:38:00.000-08:00

From "All Good Songs" Blog

I’m keeping up with the plans laid out in the last article, but the vibrancy was nowhere to be found this week. It may be the sophomore slump or a post holiday lull, but it’s been difficult to refocus on writing. As the blog title states and this entry proposes; I will be forcing myself to shut-up and write!

Click Here to Read the Full Article...

Laying Down the Law

2012-01-03T09:59:00.000-08:00

I hope you had a happy start to 2012, because it’s going to be a lot of hard work from here on out. I’ve finally recovered from the holiday slump and prepared some new guidelines for this blog (…and writing in general). Some might call them resolutions, but I like to think of them as goals to aspire toward (aw… hell, they are resolutions).
Click Here to Read the Full Article...

Merry Christmas ~ Where has the Time Gone?

2011-12-22T08:19:00.000-08:00

It’s already the week of Christmas and I feel like Thanksgiving was only two weeks ago. Time has slipped away. I’ve been busy with work, family, church and all the other aspects of life that tend to fill the hours of the day.
Click Here to Read the Full Article...

Reaching the Finish Line… and Face Plant!

2011-12-15T08:30:00.000-08:00

I’ve completed the draft of the Christmas Kids’ Book and have moved on to the editing phase. After a few sick days and plenty of family activities for the Holidays, I’m back on track. This project reminds me of several projects; I start out great and work hard but then lose interest. I often tackle activities like an over-enthusiastic skater in a “bail video”
Click Here to Read the Full Article...