Michael Pickell

  Song mood: Zoo Station by U2. Things I need to do: 1.) cary around an idea journal. 2.) set some time to do some serious free-writing. 3.) collect ideas that will move the story. Some weeks I find it harder to write, or more specifically work on my projects. I have no problem sitting down and writing this blog for instance. It may be that I put a lot of pressure on myself to produce stuff. Even with the pulp fiction method. I have this need to have perfect writing and that is what stops me.  Sometime I should just set up my own writer’s retreat. Some place where I just sit down and write for a couple of days. Ideally a in cabin by mountains or ocean. So that I could gaze out at the scenery and then type. It’s been a week since I actually wrote a scene.  I end up doing more reading. Like I’m finishing Maigret Sets a Trap by Georges Simenon. The Rowan Atkinson (aka Mr Bean) version of the film adaptation of the book follows it close. There were some differences, like the type of w

Free Comic Book Day, in the past has been my favorite day of the year. This year, it’s on 14 August. Which has changed my birthday plans. I really didn’t have plans for my birthday yet. FCBD near my birthday will have a completely different feel than the nostalgia that I have had of the day. And that’s a good thing because change is a good thing. Free donut day would fall on the same day. Or maybe that was a Krispy Kreme thing. In the past, I would hang out with friends. We would meet at Starbucks starting at 7:30am and drink the largest cup of coffee. Then we would hang out at Dragon’s Lair comic books, wait in line for when they opened up. We would get our free comics and I’d buy a Doctor Who or Dirk Gently comic book to go with all the free comic books. Then we would head over to Krispy Kreme and get our free donut, and buy a few others to go with that. Then we would go to Krypton Comics and wait in line for an hour for their free comics. After that was lunch and then an Avenger’s m

  Song mood: Royals by Lorde. It’s been a lazy day. Mainly because I woke up around 5:30ish this morning. I should have taken an Ibuprofen PM and slept past seven, but I didn’t. I’m reading books on how to write pulp fiction. I’m going through websites that talk about prewriting exercises. I think I may put together a manual of exercises to do to become productive in writing. Currently I’m listening to The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves, the first Vera Stanhope mystery. The detective series on Britbox and Accorn is Vera . The book is very good. I love the descriptions the author uses. I went to Dragon’s Lair comic bookstore and bought a comicbook called American Vampire 1976 . More importantly, I found out that Free Comic Book Day is on August 14 th . Normally FCBD is on the first Saturday in May, but due to the pandemic, the last one was cancelled. I think I will dress up as the either the 11 th Doctor or a casual Ironman. I have time to put something together. Which, will be a m

  Song mood: Mr. Brightside by The Killers. Woke up early this morning. Not that it matters. It’s where my thoughts dwell in the morning that bothers me most about waking up early. This morning I wrote down a list of how I can tell if a woman is interested in me. 1. Does she say hello or goodbye? Does she talk with you? 2. Does she follow you or follow you back on social media like Instagram? 3. Does she respond to your messages or send you messages? The list goes on. That doesn’t matter. I could use parts of this list for another list, will another artist or writer like to work with me? The list starts out as a kind of feeler. Like following someone on Instagram, does that writer or artist follow you back. If yes, great. If they have the same kind interest, like a type of sci-fi or fantasy, ask them if they would like to do a collaboration. Although, it is usually best if you met that person first, at say, a convention or writer’s group or book fair. All of which we couldn’t

Song mood: Fly by Sugar Ray. I’ve been low energy for the past few days.  Yesterday everything tasted like pumpkin seeds, or bile. Tonight I was able to get a file from my computer put on phone through dropbox.  However, I’m not yet able to get the changes I made on the phone to sync up on the Scrivener on the computer.  If anything I can export or import the file, which I can do after I made all the changes.  The file is the fantasy novella I wrote last year.   I figure on some nights when I feel drained of energy, I can just edit.  Which is to say that I read every day anyway.  Editing is just reading and correcting the mistakes.  It’s a process, but this way I can do something even if it isn’t writing.  Though, the more I edit, the easier it will be to generate more ideas and is a task that needs to get done anyway.  I am in the process of refining my process of writing. I’m also looking through stuff the I’ve written before that wasn’t bad that I can just polish and publish.  Like

  Song mood: (I’d Go The) Whole Wide World by Wreckless Eric.   Just because I’m thinking of the movie Stranger Than Fiction , which I haven’t seen in a while. I haven’t been watching as much television lately.  I read more.  I write more.  I’m learning Tai Chi.  I’m working on core strength and upper body strength. When I walk the lake, I do my modified path so that I have more time to do other stuff.  Getting x amount of steps isn’t my real goal when I’m working on a few other things.  I’ve been having back problems after doing planking and push ups, so I may have to do modified push ups. Currently I’m listening to Christine Falls by Benjamine Black, a Quirke Mystery.  Read by Timothy Dalton.  Who is my least favorite Bond, but is doing a great job with this audio program.  Just like in the movie, the character Andy is a terrible person.  When you watch him in the movie or read him in the book, you instantly think of how terrible he is and wonder why women fall for him.  Your c

  Song mood: Electric Blue by Icehouse.  A song I heard today on the radio. Spent the day hanging out with my mum and sister.  My sister wanted to visit an uncle who lives in a Veteran's home, but found out that we would need to contact his case worker in order to set up an appointment to visit him.  So we went to see the world's largest Pelican instead; and then went a Viking museum.  The replica of the Norse church is probably the coolest part of the museum.  Sure the replica Viking ship that actually was used to make a trip to Norway was cool.  But the church tour has a historian talking about the architecture of the church. This morning, my shoulders hurt bad as I went for my walk and felt better after a couple of miles.  It was rough sleeping last night.  I couldn't stop thinking.  Which is I need to work on meditation, so I can learn to shut off my mind. Tonight I watched one my favorite movies of all time: North by Northwest .  With the beautiful Eva Saint Marie

  Song mood: Eternal Flame by the Bangles. A band I wanted to see before this whole pandemic thing hit. I was checking their website for tour dates. It would have meant me going to Southern California. Northern California is way cool, but I’m not a huge fan of Southern. Anyway that song pops into my head in a way that the wedding march pops into my head. Day two after the COVID shot. I’m still experiencing shortness of breath. Which in turn feeds my anxieties. Which is why I need to work on my breathing exercises/meditation. My joints are a bit sore and the headaches have been worse these last two days. The first day after the shot, I felt like I got hit by a bus. The joint pain was great and even worse in the arm I got the shot it. I’m heading to Fargo tomorrow. The drive is going to kill my back and one of my knees. Which is why I carry a cane with me. I imagine that I will be a bit crippled come Sunday after I return to Omaha.  I have written the poems for the next three days i

  Song mood: Animal by Def Leppard. Good old 80's British rock.  I saw them in concert once, at a state fair in South Dakota. I got my first COVID shot, and it's kicking my ass.  I hurt all over and the arm I got the shot in hurts way more.  Not nearly as bad real COVID, but still. So, it is a good thing I did my arm work out last night.  After doing exercises last night, I was out of breath.  I thought to myself that recovering my strength will be a long process. I started the Taoist Breathing online course last night.  I needed to work on my breathing.  It has been rather shallow for a while.  The course also helps the meditation process, which in turn will help with focusing issues. So tonight is watching mysteries, or reading mysteries, or both. I'll probably visit my mum in Fargo this weekend.  A six to seven hour drive may be rough.  I used to do those all the time when I was younger. I will continue to work my projects, just not tonight.

  Song mood: I Melt with You by Modern English. It took me three days, but I was able to set up my appointment to get my first vaccination.  I’m excited to get the shot.  Mainly because full on COVID is terrible.  I hated it and the side effects lasted for months.  Though, nothing is going to be the same as it was before.  Like I will more than likely do take out and drive throughs for the foreseeable future.  Nor do I really plan to hang out at bars.  Coffee shops on the other hand, most likely when they open up again.  Libraries too. I finished The Martian Chronicles today.  I liked it.  I knew I would.  Even though they were short stories, there was an overal story arc.  As I was listening to this, I could see that Neil Gaiman was heavily influenced by Ray Bradbury. Currently I’m listening to The Jewel that was Ours by Colin Dexter.  An Inspector Morse novel written after the author finished working on the screen play for the BBC/Masterpiece Theater. After that will be The M