FACT: An Open Letter

Dear Kennedy Space Center,

Lets talk about this. Now I now that I don’t just speak for my Self in this matter,  but I know for certain I speak for every dog within a mile radius of my house, and thier owners who was just woken by the cascading sonic booms that was created when you shuttle, Endeavor flew over.

Seriously? 2:30 in the morning? Now I know that you have no way of knowing that I have a history of insomnia, and you are just trying bring those seven brave souls back home to earth, but why do you feel compelled to always send the shuttle over my house when I am sleeping?

This happened five years ago too and, and humorously, that time I had had no idea what the sound was, just that I was sound asleep. and then I am woken up by two booms and my house shaking. That time I though the clawed bathtub I have had fallen through the floor (silly, I know), but several weeks later, when I had finally been told by someone that it had just been one of the shuttles landing, I gave it a pass, thinking: “Cool.” Then it was a novelty.

Well, this time, it’s not cool.

At this point, it’s 3 am and the dogs are finally calming down, save for the two next door that seem to celebrate any excuse to bark for hours on end.

It’s too bad really, that this is more than likely the final time I will hear that sound, and it’s when I’m sleeping. Because this would have gotten an “Awesome” with a hoot and a holler had it been at a decent time of day.

I have always considered myself a big supporter, and I have allways thought of us as freinds (I follow you on Twitter), but I am just annoyed with you that you would be as rude as that to wake people up in the middle of thp night.

All this after all the visits I have made over the years to both Kennedy Space Center and the Merit Island preserve. I thought we had an understanding?

Anyways, I’m glad that we were able to have this talk… Just please, don’t. wake me up like this again. At this point at night, it just be comes annoying, especially to a.writer who’s an insomniac like myself.

Respectfully,

Kelly-Shawn “Kesh” Beall, Lakeland, FL

FACT: Frustration Mounts

After what seems like many, many months with little to no personal internet access, it has finally happened that my husband and I have finally found a phone plan that is in our budget and gives us internet on demand. For me, this has become both a blessing and a curse. Both the phone, and the internet have been somewhat distracting, along with just the normal stresses that life has a tendency to throw at us.

For about the past month, I have been dilligently pecking away at the keyboard on my computer to finish what. I feel are the final edits to the  manuscript of my first novel. The reason I have been doing this is so that I could print out the entire thing and mail it to a publisher I have decided to attempt a direct submission to. I’m pretty proud of myself, because I have manged to do this amongst all my various other responsabilities – keeping house, entertaining my husbands best friend for two weeks, and then caring for my step-daughter on top of maniging my still fledgling manicuring business – and resisting the urge to be online 24/7 after such a long period of time with only a cell phone and an unlimited data and texting plan coupled with infrequent trips to either Starbucks or the local library to hop on for an hour or two with my laptop to pimp my writing. Now, with a Droid smart phone and way to tether my unlimited data to my computer, I feel like I have a much more flexable control over how and when I make blog posts, post stories, and any other thing I might happen to need to do to further my career as a writer.

All that being said, I became incredibly frustrated over the submission process I have been going through reccently.

Here’s the situation: before my family got our new phones, I had a very basic, messaging phone that had limited internet, and I did a search on the site for the publisher I have chosen, finding their guidelines called for a printed copy of the full manuscript with a queery letter. When I went back to the publishers site to double check that I had everything I needed together before I hit print, I discoverd their guidelines had changed – now, instead of the entire manuscript and a queery letter, they want the first three chapters or 10,000 words accompanied by a detailed synopisis of the book – which I probably should had expected in hindsight – It’s more along industry standards. At this point, I’m pretty sure a tree somewhere in the world was thankful I had yet to print out the almost five hundred pages of my manuscript – on a side note, my husband was very appreciative off this too once I informed him of the change -  but this left me incredibly frustrated, if only because of the fact that a synopisis is nothing more than a detailed outline. Problem is I just wrote what came to me. I HAVE NO OUTLINE WHAT SO EVER FOR MY FIRST BOOK. Oops, my bad. Time to fix this.

Now, I have a somewhat detailed outline for the rest of the series, but not for my first book. So now I have to back it all up to the beginning, and outline my book. A task I failed miserbaly at when I had to write synopsis for my literature classes in high school and college. I’m finding myself not only frustrated by this task, but also very intimidated by it.

I am over the initial shock though, I have to pick myself up off the floor, brush off my knees and get back to work… I am not going to become an award winning author by sittting around and letting ever little stumbling block that crosses my path get me down.

I will succeed at this.

FACT: A Quotation

“According to Greek Mythology, humans were orginally created with 4 arms, 4 legs, and head with two faces. Fearing their power, Zeus split them into seperate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves.” – PLATO’S THE SYMPOSIUM

~KESH
http://promethiandeath.wordpress.com
http://www.etsy.com/store/KeshBeall
http://www.twitter.com/keshbutler
http://www.facebook.com/keshbutler

FACT: A Square Peg in A Round Hole

Okay, I think I missed something somewhere along the line. I do everything in my power to fit in at wherever my place of emplyment happens to be, yet I still never am able to quite fit in. I take a great amount of effort in my apperance, I spend copious amounts of money on clothing I would never wear if I didn’t have to work with the general population, and where has it gotten me? NO WHERE. I stay quiet, don’t talk too much about myself (or specifically, the music I listen to and the life style that seems to center around it), and I never discuss to much personal information with my boss and co-workers. Yet some how I always seem to not fit in with people who are not metal heads or very open minded. Maybe I’m just too liberal minded, or travel too far off the beaten path for people who are in the main stream of culture. I just really don’t get it… I show up to work early, take pride in my work. I’m polite, curtious and helpful, and I ALWAYS watch myself for vulgar language when I am away from my home. So why is it I always end up the unfavarable one? Especially when it it over a snotty, spoiled 19 year old kid that steals? Life is incredibly too clickish for me, and I am starting to think that this “stay-at-home-wife” business myself and my husband are trying might just be better for me. I can wear what I want, discuss what I want and write when I want.

~KESH
http://promethiandeath.wordpress.com
http://www.etsy.com/store/KeshBeall
http://www.twitter.com/keshbutler
http://www.facebook.com/keshbutler

FICTION: Microfictions

Another re-post from my blog on MySpace.

http://promethiandeath.wordpress.com/short-story-microfictions/

 

FACT: I’m becoming the thing I never wanted to be…

So… I’ve noticed that my trips to Starbucks are becoming more and more frequent. This is due to the fact that I have no internet connection at home, and to succeed with my push to find a publisher and/or agent, I need to be online with a real computer as much as possible.

This leads to the following conundrum for me: I’m becoming a Starbucks writer!

While I don’t actually work on my actual writing at the coffee-house near my home, I do a lot of my business online (it seems to be the only real way to conduct business anymore), and it’s the one thing I swore to myself I would never do, which is go to Starbucks and write, which I’m doing now.

As far as the agent search is going, so far I’m hitting walls. Both that I have attempted to contact are no longer employed with their agencies, and I have to research the agencies to see if they can handle my needs. I’m seriously thinking on just trying to submit directly to publishers and cut out the middle man. But I’ve also been strongly advised to find an agent first too. So I’m torn which  is actually the best course of action for me at the current time.

So that’s where I’m at currently. I’m sure that it doesn’t seem like it would be such a monumental decision, but when you sit down and think about it, it’s a life-changing decision. Deciding the difference to whether or not I go from writer to published author.

I will never give up though, and I will continue to work on the series and other projects as I go along.

I’m also pretty excited, due to the fact that I think I’ve broken my writer’s block with the series: I wrote a full chapter last night, being the first time I’ve written in the world since shortly after the car accident I was in this past April. It has been a continual source of frustration, and I hope that the flood gates are reopened and this wasn’t just a fluke.

I think that’s about it at the time being.

FACT: Things I’m Curently Working On

I’ve been pretty busy working on multiple projects at the same time. Balancing it has been a bit tough at times, but others it seems pretty easy. Here are some of the things I’ve been working on.

Project 1 – Agent Search
This has become a some what tedious task that is really trying my nerves and patience. The main problem is that most agencies won’t accept simultaneous submissions, meaning I can only contact one agent at a time, waiting two months between each contact. I’m trying to stay hopeful that I will get someone’s attention eventually.

Project 2 – Short Stories
In the mean time. I’m writing short stories for submission to different magazines. The first one is another submission to MORPHEUS TALES magazine a second time, and I am also developing a science fiction story that I am hoping to send to either ASAMOV’S or one of two or three others I’ve looked into that might like the tale. We’ll see what happens.

Project 3 – Vlogging
Started a YouTube channel under the name of “promethiandeath.” I’m still trying to get into the habit of taking, editing and posting my vlogs, but there are more in the works to add to what is already there. I do forget.

Project 4 – New Job
This one I’m really excited for because I’m finally going to be getting into a Nail Salon where I can practice my craft and get better at what I do.

That’s what’s going on. Watch for more.

~KESH
http://promethiandeath.wordpress.com
http://www.etsy.com/store/KeshBeall
http://www.twitter.com/keshbutler
http://www.facebook.com/keshbutler

FACT: Thoughts on Life

As I sit here, in the middle of the night, sleepless and tired (but unable to sleep). I begin to wonder, what if any talent I do have. I am filled with self-doubt at my abilities, wether it be my writing, my manicuring business, or any thing else I do in my life.
They say “time is money,” yet, dispite my best efforts, I seem to be unable to get money for my hard work and lost time. my impaitence grows with both myself, and with others, as I finish my final draft of my Query Letter that I am going to again, send out to Agencies in hopes that someone will find the idea for my first novel just interesting enough to pick up and help me shop it to publishers.
I think, I need to re-evaluate my focus of what I have been doing with my life, and refocus my attention on my writing. Currently, I am working on three short stories, all which I hope to submit to short form fiction Magazines, all of different genres. Horror, Sci-fi and Fantasy are all represented in my writing, and I hope will display my diverse and varied talent for writing. I don’t want to be confined by a single label, and write what I feel at any given moment.
I’m also going to make an effort to ubdate my blog at least once a week, like I am now. Even if it means I make spelling errors (I’m blogging via email, on my phone, which is a not-so-smart phone, and thus, no spell check). At least I’m writing.

~KESH
http://promethiandeath.wordpress.com
http://www.etsy.com/store/KeshBeall
http://www.twitter.com/keshbutler
http://www.facebook.com/keshbutler

FACT: It was THIS BIG!!!

OMG. So I went over to my boyfriend’s brother’s house for a cookout – food was delicious, open pit steaks and corn always is; and when it was time for the s’mores to come out, he whipped out marshmallows as big as my hands! These things were huge!
They are called “Big Roasters,” and I guess you find them at Wal-Mart. I know what’s on my shopping list this weekend.
I just wish I hadn’t been so overwhelmed by the size, I forgot to get a picture to share. If I’m able to pick up a bag this weekend, I’ll definatly get a shot and post it! You can return to your reguarly sheduled blog.

~KESH
http://promethiandeath.wordpress.com
http://www.etsy.com/store/KeshBeall
http://www.twitter.com/keshbutler
http://www.facebook.com/keshbutler

FICTION: Vanity (Short Story)

My Short story, VANITY is posted:

http://promethiandeath.wordpress.com/short-story-vanity/

Gonna get these things posted.