30th Jun2008

Say Hello To My Little Friends!

by Aaron

I don’t know how often you guys look over to the right column, but in the past few weeks, I’ve made some fun connections with other bloggers out there who are also trying to get out there with their writing. They are smart, fun and provide great insight to their lives. I wanted to showcase everyone, who you may have seen leave comments in past posts. As I stated in an earlier post, I’m always looking to network and meet new people out there. These writers have been gracious enough to link to me and I sincerely thank them.

If you’re interested in trading links, feel free to e-mail me at the address on the top-right of this blog.

Watch Your Steph

About a month ago, Stephanie from Watch Your Steph sent me an e-mail letting me know about her new writing e-zine called The Oddville Press and asking if I would like to submit some material. I thought that this group of people could use some help getting the word out, so not only did Stephanie and I trade blog links but I also let her have a whole post to herself, putting a call out for submissions. Steph is fun to read and I enjoy having her on-board as a fellow writer.

Colby Marshall

While reading Auria Cortes’ blog I saw a comment from a fellow writer. Upon clicking her link, I was taken to a blog that was not just about writing, but also about her quirky personality and just fun interactions with the world. I was instantly hooked on Colby Marshall’s blog and within a day I had asked if she wanted to trade blogroll links. She accepted my offer and I’ve been reading ever since. Colby has been so kind to visit here and comment, and I greatly appreciate it. Her blog is a great read and makes you LOL for real. This is a great recommendation!

What Am I Doing In Mexico?

In a similar fashion that I found Colby’s blog, I came across Melanie’s site about living in Mexico. The name alone got me interested. This writer and blogger lives in Mexico with her husband and brings a unique perspective to a life that is very different than the one I live here in New York. Along with talking about writing, you can read great posts about the culture, housing and best of all: food. Melanie’s blog is a keeper and I suggest you have a plate ready before you embark into ‘Mexico’!

Creative A’s Headdesk

I finish this post with the whole reason it came to be in the first place. I have heard a lot about the AbsoluteWrite.com forums and decided to check it out. While I wasn’t hooked and visit quite rarely, Creative A saw a thread I posted on and commented here. Upon seeing his blog, I saw we have the same favorite movie: Back To The Future. That was all I needed. Now we both read each other’s blogs and post comments. Just a few hours ago he e-mailed me asking to trade blog links, and I was happy to say yes. His site has some really good stuff on it and I think you should definitely check it out.

So welcome to my updated blogroll. While some people have been there for a bit, I thought everyone deserved a proper introduction. Thanks to everyone who’s trading links. I sincerely appreciate it.

Category : Just me
6 Comm
30th Jun2008

Lyrically Speaking for June 30

by Aaron

Today’s Lyrically Speaking is a day late and a dollar short. I had wanted to get a post up for everyone but just never got around to it. I work on Sunday’s so blogging does interfere at times with that pesky day job. I figure you guys want some new musical inspiration anyway, so with that said, lets dive right on in.

If you’re into 80′s music (as I am) then you know the band Dire Straights. This band came to fame with such hits as Money For Nothing and Brothers In Arms. I wanted to feature a song that has good lyrics but also a good melody. The opening to Walk Of Life is great for setting any mood. The song picks up and carries you through some great words but also some great music. The song is typical 80′s but sometimes that is just what we need. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.

From Dire Straights, this is Walk Of Life:

Here comes johnny singing oldies, goldies
Be-bop-a-lua, baby what I say
Here comes johnny singing I gotta woman
Down in the tunnels, trying to make it pay
He got the action, he got the motion
Yeah, the boy can play
Dedication devotion
Turning all the night time into the day

He do the song about the sweet lovin woman
He do the song about the knife
He do the walk, he do the walk of life

Here comes johnny and hell tell you the story
Hand me down mu walkin shoes
Here come johnny with the power and the glory
Backbeat the talkin blues
He got the action, he got the motion
Yeah, the boy can play
Dedication devotion
Turning all the night time into the day

He do the song about the sweet lovin woman
He do the song about the knife
He do the walk, he do the walk of life

Here comes johnny singing oldies, goldies
Be-bop-a-lula, baby what I say
Here comes johnny singing I gotta woman
Down in the tunnels, trying to make it pay
He got the action, he got the motion
Yeah the boy can play
Decidation devotion
Turning all the night time into the day

And after all the violence and double talk
Theres just a song in the trouble and the strife
You do the walk, you do the walk of life

Category : Ideas
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3 Comm
26th Jun2008

Thursday Thirteen #149

by Aaron

Good Thursday to all Copious Notes readers! Welcome to another Thursday list of thirteen items. For this week, I wanted to bring it back to writing, as the past few weeks have just been fun topics. For today’s list we’re going go with things I like to see in books. This could be plot devices, charactar names, interesting description, or anything else. Just things in books that are cool.

What do *you* like to see in books? I’d love for you to let me know in the comments.

Thursday 13
Thirteen things I like to see in books by Aaron Crocco.

1. Stories that takes place in New York because I live here and can better visualize the settings.

2. Any use of technology.

3. Good flow (I think everyone would agree with this one).

4. The feeling of wanting more when the last page is before your eyes.

5. A use of words that doesn’t make me look up a definition every few minutes.

6. A clever phrase that is only used a couple of times to keep it special.

7. The return of a great charactar in another book by the same author.

8. The hope that it will never be made into a movie, since that always sucks more than the book.

9. A quick start that gets me sucked in within the first few pages.

10. A good length but isn’t too long.

11. A subject that is at least somewhat believeable.

12. Doesn’t try anything cute.

13. Has a satisfying ending.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

Category : Just me
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5 Comm
25th Jun2008

Why I Write

by Aaron

I was thinking the other day that I have come into contact with some great people in the writing blogosphere within the past few months and I’ve been graced with their comments and visits here. It got me thinking that I believe I have engrossed myself pretty deep into the writing universe and I think I keep up fairly well given that I have a full-time job I go to every day. I wonder though: What am I? Am I a writer? What exactly is a writer? Even more importantly, why do I write?

These questions are all pretty powerful and I think that most people can’t answer them too easily or without a story of an encounter with a book or a great class they took at a school somewhere. I don’t have much of an answer either. I’ve written a novel. Does that make me a writer or just someone who’s written a book? Is there a ‘requirement’ to getting a certain status? Perhaps I need to be published or work a full-time job in the writing industry in order to earn that label.

I think of why I write and I don’t have a clear answer. I remember as a kid I read a whole bunch and was really interested in reading. I guess this is how every writer starts out. Unfortunately that is where it stopped for me. Required books for grade-school classes turned me off because I hated the stories so much. I pretty much stopped reading books at the 4th grade. For whatever reason, I began writing and finding a muse around the time of high school and I thought it was interesting that I was someone who showed some writing ability but didn’t read. Many people I told this to were baffled as well.

You would think that most people who write are bookworms and I didn’t fit that mold as well. Growing up I was into sci-fi, hockey and music. Computers fit in there as well and I did spend many days knee-deep in MS Word getting stories down on ‘paper’. All through high school and most of college, I read only required books, and even then I skimmed them or hit up Yahoo (there was no Google yet) for summaries.

Looking back now, I think that I think I write because I have something to say. I have ideas that seem like they would interest others. They get me excited and I want to share that. I’m sure my lack of reading history does affect my writing skill. I don’t know many tecniques and I don’t know different plot devices, but I do believe that a good story is a good story.

Why do you write? What makes you spend huge amounts of time in front of a computer or notebook and get words down on the page? I’d love to know.

Category : Just me
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7 Comm
24th Jun2008

Capacious Kindle for June 24

by Aaron

Welcome everyone to the second edition of Capacious Kindle! As I stated last week, I’m hoping to let you all in on the fun of having an Amazon Kindle. I also hope you guys enjoy this new weekly segment.

This week I want to focus on the first read. This is the first book or item to be read on a Kindle and I also believe that is a ‘make or break’ situation. When trying anything new, regardless of if it’s a new piece of technology, new TV show, new anything, it’s important to make sure the experience is as perfect as can be. I think this is especially true if you have high hopes for what is to come. This is important because if your first encounter with a new product is less than stellar, it’s a lost cause. Keeping all this in mind, I decided to take it a little to the extreme on that faithful day UPS was to deliver my Kindle.

Click here to keep on reading!

Category : Just me
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1 Comm
24th Jun2008

Double The Meme, Double The Fun

by Aaron

The past few days in the writing blogosphere seem to have been busy with my fellow writers. It seems that the ever insightful Auria Cortes and the always interesting Stephanie from Watch Your Steph tagged me in two seperate memes. I had a pretty busy day at work yesterday and so I was unable to get these posted quickly. I also gave you guys two posts as is and I figured “how much can these people take of me in one day?!?” and I figured you all have an Aaron-tolerance. :-)

So without any further delay, here’s my two memes:

We’ll begin with Stephanie’s:

The Rules:

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your spring summer. Post these instructions in your blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re listening to.

1. Relient K- This Week The Trend. This group sings ‘christian rock’ but they don’t really. I don’t know how to explain them, but I would classify it as more spiritual. Regardless (since I’m not religious) the group has great punk-style songs. This is a common entry on my recent playlists.

2. U2- Orignal Of The Species. This song was featured on Apple’s commercial for the first video iPod. Just another gem from one of the best bands ever.

3. The Smashing Pumpkins- Summer. A B-side song that no one knows really knows about. This is a rare song where James Iha sings instead of Billy Corgan and it’s a mellow song.

4. Barenaked Ladies- If I Had $1,000,000. You may know this from the older NY Lottery commercials. I know it as the song I’ve been waking up to for the past two weeks. (I use my iPod for my alarm clock)

5. Tom Cochrane- Life Is A Highway. Classic 90′s one-hit-wonder track that I love to listen to when I’m driving my weekend sports car. It just gets you into a driving mood.

6. Men Without Hats- Safety Dance. See above but replace 90′s with 80′s.

7. Coldplay- Viva La Viva. You may have heard this on the new iTunes commercial. Coldplay is just one of those bands that throws good songs out there when you think you won’t like them. This single has a great beat and is just overall a lot of fun to listen to.

Alright, now the hard part: who I’m going to tag on this. I pick….. Melanie (What Am I Doing In Mexico and also Colby Marshall!

Meme #2 (A-Z) from Auria:

A-Attached or Single? Does this count for ‘A’ since I’m married? lol

B-Best Friend? My college freshman roomate.

C-Cake or Pie? Cake. Chocolate please with tons of icing or buttercream. I have a mega-sweet tooth.

D-Day of Choice? I’ll go with Saturday. That’s kind of a no-brainer.

E-Essential Items? Wow, how long can this answer be? hehe. Here’s the absolute minimum: My Mac, iPhone, iPod, TiVo, Kindle.

F-Favorite Color? Grey. Yeah I know people tell me that isn’t a real color but I love it.

G-Gummy Bears or Worms? Doesn’t really matter to me. I’d go with bears but both are good.

H-Hometown? I never understood this question because does it mean the town I grew up in or the town I live in now? I always say the town I grew up in, which is East Meadow, NY.

I-Indulgence? This is tough but I’ll go with a toss-up between technology and ice cream.

J-January or July? Eh, both are overrated. I’ll pick January because I hate the heat.

K-Kids? None that I know of! *ZING!* LOL. Those are still a few years off for me.

L-Life isn’t complete without…happiness. Everything is replaceable except people and people who care.

M-Marriage Date? I don’t even know what this means.

N-Number of Siblings? Z-E-R-O.

O-Oranges or Apples? Apples. They’re a great portable snack.

P-Phobias or Fears? Needles. Don’t come near me asking to take my blood!

Q-Quote? There’s a few: “Knowledge equals power”, “If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything” and “If you’re going to do it, do it right”.

R-Reason to Smile? Knowing my life has some stability when others are in complete chaos.

S-Superman or Wonder Woman? First off, it’s Super-Girl. Second they’re both lame attempts to get women into comic books.

T-Tag 5 people. I don’t even know five people! lol. I’m gonna cheat and just put down Stephanie from Watch Your Steph.

V-Vegetables? Peas & carrots. Yum.

W-Worst Habit? Biting my nails.

X-Ray or Ultrasound? You can’t compare the two and I don’t want to be in a situation where I’d need either of them.

Y-Your Favorite Food? Ice cream or anything with chocolate. Even….. chocolate ice cream!

Z-Zodiac Sign? Fishes.

Category : Just me
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7 Comm
23rd Jun2008

Goodbye To A Legend

by Aaron

George Carlin

Holy crap, I just read that George Carlin died. He apparently died of heart failure and was 71. This is truly a sad day as Carlin was a comedy legend and I believe he was someone who had a very interesting perspective on life. I know I’ll miss him.

Category : Just me
1 Comm
23rd Jun2008

Nothing To Brag About

by Aaron

Good Monday to everyone out there. With the beginning of this week, I wanted to brag post my progress on Spirit Hackers. I worked on this the other night and decided not to post right away because it interfered with my other posts and I didn’t want to give you guys too much hotness (AKA I was lazy) in one day. :-)

Anyhow, I’m still really feeling this book but as always it’s not so easy to find the time to write. I decided to get my butt into the chair tonight and bang out a few more pages. So far, here’s where we stand:

Before the other night: 6 pages, 2,393 words.
Before tonight: 8 pages, 3,330 words.

And………… after tonight: 11 pages, 4,541 words.

Woohoo!

I am actually interested in the fact that each time I sit and write, I’m getting at minimum 1,200 words out there. The fact that this book is at 11 pages also means it has officially surpassed Mars in length (which isn’t saying much since that book was quite the struggle).

I know this post is pretty much tooting my own horn, but I am exited that I do get the time to put words on the page and work towards getting a second book written in my lifetime. I also like seeing my organic writing process at work, since I think and talk about it more than I use it.

Thanks for letting me brag, everyone! I promise more useful posts shortly.

PS- I did try to make this post bearable by using a great LOLCat as the included image, if that’s any consolation.

Category : Spirit Hackers
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