Old 09-10-2013, 10:22 PM   #1
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Default So... I made a blog for my writing!

Hi guys!

So as you might have seen recently, I like to write. I've even posted some stuff here. I've been shocked at the amount of good comments that people have sent my way, which I am extremely grateful for. Since posting these things, people have asked for more to read (which is insane!!). I'm truly flabbergasted!

So in order to make it easier for everyone, I made a blog. Yes, I'm a little bit ashamed. (not really)

Anyways, here is the link! Whenever I write something new, I will post it in the blog (and here in this thread too, maybe ). Thanks so much for all the comments again guys, I really appreciate it!
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Old 09-11-2013, 12:12 AM   #2
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Default Re: So... I made a blog for my writing!

This is something that I've started writing. It's still a work in progress and it's rough, and I don't know how to continue just yet. Any thoughts?

Thanks for reading!

Quote:
A man is standing at the edge of a pond on a warm summer’s night. The air is crisp, and has the aroma of sweet pine. He lets a small sigh escape from his lips as he notices mother goose and her ducklings gently caressing the surface of the water, as if caught between the boundary of air and liquid. The water ripples from their movement, and washes over the man’s feet, sending a tingle up his spine. As he stands there, his fragile body sways in the gentle wind, no more than a blade of grass in a field stretching for miles on end. The moon calmly reflects on the water.

In the middle of the pond, a white lily has flowered between the cracks of an oddly shaped rock, which briefly disappears from existence as the water crests over its peak. The man standing at the edge ponders for a moment, and shifts his gaze toward an aging canoe which has been tied off hastily a few feet from where he stands. He moves over to examine it, only to let out another sigh of disappointment as he realizes there are many holes in the bottom of the boat, which renders it useless. The man’s facial expression remains unchanged as he takes off his boots and socks. He takes off his shirt and places them all in a neat pile, along with his other personal items: a silver pocket watch, a set of matches, and a golden necklace.

The man carefully steps into the warm, tranquil water. It feels silky and smooth, as though he is resting in his comfortable, familiar bed again, with her. But he is not resting. And he is not with her. Not anymore.

He wades toward the middle of the pond, not pausing to catch a breath. He can feel his heart beginning to pound ever so much faster as he reaches the cracked rock, stopping a distance away to gaze at the sight. He has not been here in seven years, a thought that brings tears to his eyes. Suddenly, his mind is filled with the lush, beautiful memories of which he had almost forgotten. He can feel the warm touch of her hand resting on his cheek. He lets out a choked laugh, tears beginning to rush down his face. Opening his eyes, the feeling of contentment departs altogether. He runs his cold, ragged hand down his cheek, which has become sallow and colorless. He has not been graced with her touch in over seven years. Seven years of pure anguish, pain, and torture.


The man grasps the sides of the cracked rock, and climbs atop it. He sits down on the edge, his legs dangling, treading the warm, silky water below. He looks at the white lily, and reaches out his hand to feel the petals rub against his skin. They are soft and warm, just like her hands. He continues to caress the lily while looking up into the night sky. The blackness of it is filled by innumerable white and yellow stars, sparkling like glitter. A small smile appears on the man’s lips, and he gives a gentle nod. As he looks back down toward the flower, a large gust of wind knocks him sideways, causing him to dislodge a piece of rock from the crack. Where it lay previously was a small piece of paper, folded ever so elegantly.
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Old 09-11-2013, 12:31 AM   #3
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Default Re: So... I made a blog for my writing!

It has a steady flow to it, in the way it unfolds. I like it so far.
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Old 09-11-2013, 12:33 AM   #4
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Default Re: So... I made a blog for my writing!

Thanks man! I'm trying to make it less rigid in the sense of "he steps onto the sand. he goes over here. Then he does this", that type of thing. I think I'm going to remove some instances of "the man" and try to switch it around so it makes sense.
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Old 09-20-2013, 10:41 PM   #5
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Default Re: So... I made a blog for my writing!

A new entry I did tonight, called Mouse in a Maze. Hope you like it!

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Sometimes, I feel like I am just a mouse in a maze. It is a labyrinth of my own physiological creation – something that encapsulates all of my worst fears. Every turn I make faces me with the manifestation of the things that I do not dare search out for as I live my life. I see visions of my past, moments that I do not wish to feel once more – embarrassing moments, moments which make me want to curl up into a little ball and cry, moments that make me feel like there is no good left in the world, no matter how hard I search for it. I feel lost in this maze, as if there is just infinite darkness.

But I know, deep down in my soul, that there is a light at the end of this nightmare. There IS an ending to this misery and trouble, and it is up to me to find it. Not anyone else, but me and me alone. While I may be reminded of times that I didn't quite measure up to expectations, or have felt that I “let myself down”, I take these things in stride! I know that regardless of my past follies, the future is always bright. I take each corner of this confusing maze with increased optimism, as if I know the way to the finish line. I see my friends, family, and loved ones cheering me on, as if I am competing in a marathon. This marathon, that I have struggled through but am finally becoming comfortable with, is life.

Life is what you make of it. While you may have dark times, there will always be light. The light will always be waiting for you. So go! Go out and get it! Do not care what others think and ignore them if they put you down. Believe in yourself, because you can accomplish wonders. You may feel like you are simply a “mouse in a maze”, but if you truly believe that you can succeed, you will make the maze’s walls lower. They will lower, and the end will become clear to you. You can step over the obstacles that previously blocked your way, and venture towards your goals and dreams with pride and happiness.

So what are you waiting for? Go out and lower those walls! Go out and find the light at the end of the darkness!
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Old 09-21-2013, 01:12 PM   #6
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Default Re: So... I made a blog for my writing!

dude, it's awesome that you're sharing all this stuff. subbed, looking forward to reading your stuff

will offer feedback when it's not 3AM where I'm at
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Old 10-29-2013, 03:47 PM   #7
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Default Re: So... I made a blog for my writing!

Since the site was down for a while yesterday I couldn't post this. I made another entry, which is my longest yet and focuses on procrastination. Enjoy!

(The formatting is messed up here, so visit http://mitchswritings.blogspot.ca/20...-oh-irony.html for italics and stuff~)

Quote:
Procrastination. I’m literally staring at a blank white screen on Microsoft Word, trying to think of what to write in order to describe this. But even as I stare at it, I have that all-too-familiar tugging sensation, trying to pull me away from being productive and attempting to throw me back into the depths of distraction – Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, Vine, and countless other websites that I “waste” my time on. But why do I feel such a strong urge to kick my studies, and more importantly, I guess, my goals to the metaphorical curb like garbage?

Everyone gets the urge to procrastinate. Hell, you might as well say that everyone procrastinates, in one form or another. Be it leaving a huge term paper to the night before, or leaving a writing passage you’ve started weeks ago to collect dust, or in some extreme cases, even not bothering to get up off your ass to go get groceries, even if you risk starving. Yeah, that’s a pretty extreme case, but hey, it does happen. Procrastination affects everyone, but it affects some way more than others.

Okay, let’s start this whole thing by trying to “formally” (more or less) define this monstrosity of a term. Procrastination. Procrastination. Procrast… Sorry, just got a message on Facebook that I simply had to answer. Now then, if we use our trusty source the Internet, we find that Merriam-Webster defines procrastination as the following:
pro·cras·ti·nate
verb \prə-ˈkras-tə-ˌnāt, prō-\
: To be slow or late about doing something that should be done: to delay doing something until a later time because you do not want to do it, because you are lazy, etc.

The obvious point here is that we’re slow or late (but not always late) to do or perform a task. It might not be essential (however it is a lot of the time), but it should be done. The most important part comes next – “… until a later time because you do not want to do it, because you are lazy”. You don’t want to do it, huh? You feel lazy, eh? Don’t want to drag your sorry butt off of your computer chair to do it? Or if it’s on the computer, don’t feel like closing down Facebook, Twitter and the like? I know that feeling.

I’m a heavy procrastinator myself. I like to refer to people like me as “procrastiknights”, as we are chivalrous beings who, while sworn to defend our goals at all costs, can never really get up and give a damn. Many of us say that we’re too lazy to do something, or simply “don’t want to do it”. The underlying problem to these claims is this – in today’s society, technology has become king. Social media, crowdsourcing, all of that jazz and fun post-modern lingo, has become of top importance. While it’s not necessarily a bad thing, the amount of distractions present for us is pretty substantial.

Now, this isn’t to say that older generations weren’t distracted – there were other ways for them as technology wasn’t at the stage that it’s at today. Technology has simply become the “new thing” for people to use, overuse, and finally overindulge on. You see so many teenagers today opening up their iPhones (and I guess Android phones which are on the rise too… yay for competition between overpriced plastic boxes with sound and video!), snapping a picture and posting it on Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat (this one’s especially fun as a time-waster), Instagram and more. Distractions are taking us over!

Alright, I’m not even going to explain why this ties in to procrastination – it’s pretty obvious. What, it’s not? Ok then, well here it is in short: let’s say you’re working on a report for your high school English class (or if you’re an adult out of school, a report that needs to be submitted to your supervisor for review). It’s due in a week and a half. You’re happily brainstorming away, when you notice someone tweeted at you. Oh, how nice of them! You HAVE to reply back, or else it’s not nice! That conversation continues on for about a half hour. Once that’s over with, you start to get back to brainstorming. Oh wait, your iPhone buzzed and you have three new messages on BBM (Blackberry Instant Messenger for those uninformed)! Again, you have to respond, because they can see when you have read the messages! Now, a lot of the time you aren’t 100% focused on just chatting, and are still brainstorming for your report. However, the quality is suffering, and you’re going to need to spend extra time hammering out these details. This report’s pretty important, as you realize. Ten minutes after you begin to work again, one of your close friends sends you a link to a funny Vine they saw. Here we go, you say to yourself. You watch the vine, and have a laugh attack! It’s so hilarious that you have to watch it ten more times, and even then it’s still funny. At this point, you’re caught in a hilarity loop – you’re laughing so hard that your mind tells you “I want more funny!” You gladly comply, and spend the next half an hour watching funny Vines. Afterwards, it’s too late to even focus on your brainstorming notes, so you go to sleep, hoping that tomorrow is a better day.

Unfortunately, this process has been shown to repeat multiple times, so there’s a pretty decent chance that while you’ve taken the initiative to start early, you might find yourself using those precious last minutes, the night before it’s due in, to work on it. You stay up until the wee hours of the morning, but it’s finally finished – albeit maybe at a lesser quality than you’d like, but its’ done. It’s a good feeling of accomplishment, which boosts your morale. However, what this does is it creates a mental note in your head that says “Ok, so that worked! I can leave a lot of it to the last minute and just stay up really late to finish it, no problem”. So, your mind convinces you to continue this process for future projects, which is absolutely what you’re trying to avoid!

Okay, I lied. That wasn’t that short. But do you get the point? By getting distracted by current technologies it’s enabling you to put yourself in unproductive loops, thereby making throwing your time management skills out the window. Now, obviously technology isn’t the only distraction – you might have a girlfriend, or plans with friends, or a job you work at to make money. These are all contributing factors! Some are avoidable, some aren’t. Well, in reality all of them are avoidable, but it’s all about how you manage your time, as well as making sure your planning and scheduling for everything you do fits with what you want to accomplish and how you want to live.

I’m not going to pretend that I’m a master of time management, because I’m not. I won’t say “never in a million years”, but probably pretty close to that definition. Like me, many of you have probably scoured libraries and the web, looking for better ways to manage your time. I can’t count how many YouTube videos on motivation and time management I’ve watched on my two hands, and I’m still in this pickle. So, my fellow procrastiknights (is it catching on?), how can we work towards fixing this problem? How can we crush the Procrastination Epidemic?

Well, I’ll tell you something. I just realized it as I wrote the words “Procrastination Epidemic” on this paper. I went an entire almost ten minutes without getting distracted while writing this. It’s only three pages (I’m not a literary wizard, you know!) but it’s a revelation! I never even checked my phone or Facebook, which is a feat in itself. I definitely don’t have a reliable statistic, but I’d imagine that the average person (either with their computer or phone) checks Facebook alone around every two to three minutes, give or take a little. I’d go as far to say that the average person uses social media, or their phone, or any other distracting online or electronic activity around every twenty to thirty seconds. This might be a completely BS statement, but for me at least, this statistic is true. Even when I’m working on a written assignment, I find myself going on Reddit or twitter many times in a minute, even if to just check for updates. It’s become like an impulse, like my body needs its’ electronic thirst quenched, or something.

Sorry, drifting a bit off point. Here’s that big revelation I’m talking about: Filling your time with things that you’re actually interested in and would be more or less content with doing can help you to get less distracted. Now, this is probably insanely cliché, and it’s probably so vague you want to stop reading right now (just kidding… please don’t, or else the unread words will be sad).

But for everyone, for everything, there’s a point where doing a task gets so boring, so routine, or so overbearing that we resort to distracting ourselves with mediums that give us little bursts of satisfaction. Like “ooh, I got a like!”, or “A verified account just followed me on Twitter, ohmygod!” These little bursts are treated in our minds as a sort of replacement for that large feeling of satisfaction that comes with doing the work you’re actually supposed to be doing. It’s not just that feeling when you finish though – as cliché is it gets, it actually is also about the journey. If you’re working on a project, and you’re actually getting some enjoyment out of it (maybe not the laughing kind, but a gratifying feeling of getting informed or gaining experience), your mind will pick up on this. It will sense that you’re feeling that sense of satisfaction, even if the project might at first bore you to tears! These intrinsic rewards or general feelings of self-appreciation and “psychological gold stars”, as I like to say, help to motivate you further to achieving what you set out to do. In this case, it’s doing a project. In someone else’s case, it might be losing 50 pounds. Or in another, climbing mount Everest! While these objectives are hugely different, they all have the same underlying principle: The goal might seem monstrous, and the journey might seem even worse to have to go through, but if you spin it in a perspective that you can use to actually get enjoyment out of it, you can push through with insane willingness you may have never seen yourself have!

Alright, now at this point you’re maybe thinking to yourself, “Wow, this is pretty motivational. I want to go conquer my dreams!” But wait, just stop for a second. I know that this might be very helpful information, but just stop, and think: you might have read or this exact same information many times before. Now, you shouldn’t be asking things like “well, what’s different this time then?” because I’ll tell you that nothing is different this time. Absolutely NOTHING. I dare say that some of what I’ve written for you is motivational fluff, but there’s a purpose. Without stuffing, a stuffed animal is just a shell of what it can be. Right? I think that makes sense. But what I’m saying is that all of this is very informational, but without a solid action plan, it all goes to the dumpster. You have to work with yourself to transform what you’ve learned into concrete steps to success. This is the hardest part, because while your head may be full of thoughts, like goals, dreams, aspirations and general ideas of how to get there, putting these thoughts into coherent processes on paper takes time and effort. Luckily for you, as a Procrastiknight, you can make this your first challenge against procrastination!

What I want you to do RIGHT NOW is this: Write down your goals and dreams. Okay, wait a minute. Wait just one second. Let me clear this up – when you do this, don’t think. There’s a little thing in psychology called stream of consciousness, which is the basic principle that the mind is always spouting things out, even if you’re not specifically trying to think of it. For example, if someone came up to you and said, “Quick, say the first five words that come to your head!” your responses might be completely random: broccoli, mouse, skyscraper, plant, esophagus! That’s stream of consciousness.

So what I want you to do now for me is a variation on your stream of consciousness. I want you to think of two words separately. The first word is goals. Goals can mean anything to you, be they short-term or long-term, but for these goals I want you to try to be as realistic as you can. Finish this week’s paper? Good one. Become the first astronaut on Mars? It’s an okay one, not super realistic but passable. Write all of these down on a single piece of paper, with the word “Goals” in big letters at the top. Good! Now then, the second word I want you to think of is dreams. Similar to goals, dreams are the things that you wish to aspire to. Be elected President or Prime Minister? Awesome! Be your high school class’ Valedictorian? Fantastic! Write these down on another sheet, titled “Dreams” in big letters at the top.

I bet you might notice something. Do your sheets have similar words or sentences? I thought that they might. For many, goals and dreams are very similar, rather than unique. Whereas dreams are things many only wish they could fulfill, goals, for many people, are things that they are willing to put the effort into to accomplish. If you noticed that your goals and dreams sheets have similarities, I would start smiling right about now, because by having your goals and dreams align, it means that subconsciously (or knowingly) you are willing to put the effort in to reach your dreams.

This is HUGELY related to procrastination, because it is a barrier that you must overcome in your pursuit of your goals and dreams. This barrier will definitely pop up many times and may feel almost impossible at times to overcome. But it’s doable every time. You just have to make the work you do enjoyable, relatable, and exciting so you can kick procrastination right in the butt. You are a Procrastiknight! With real goals, and amazing dreams and aspirations!

Alright, cool down time. I’m feeling pretty pumped up right now, don’t know about you! Let’s quickly recap what you’ve read: Firstly, procrastination sucks. It’s a pain in the ass. We all get it, and we all struggle with it. I do too, usually more than others. Technology has become a big part in our distraction. While it may seem like a mortal enemy, we can use it to our advantage! Like I’ve said, one of the keys to defeating procrastination is warping your work into enjoyable, relatable and exciting work that you actually WANT to do. It will make the entire process that much easier. You can even incorporate your distractions into your work, to give procrastination another kick in the butt. Use social media to get personal insights into the material you’re researching or writing. Get feedback and ask for tips on how to improve, and see if there are things that people would see a benefit from being included in your work. While things like texting and SnapChat might not be useful for your task at hand (if you’re really creative, it could be somehow!) by using other distractions in your work, you will have much more interest in fulfilling your objectives and will not even be enticed to text other people.

As a general conclusion, I can’t believe that I just wrote this much in forty minutes. I have class early tomorrow, so I should actually read this again to get myself away from procrastination. Anyways, I hope that you found this mess of an experience insightful and that you can go on and form a concrete, solid action plan that caters to your needs for the future! You are a Procrastiknight, and you are ready to conquer the world!

… One paper at a time. It’s a start, anyways!
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Old 10-29-2013, 03:59 PM   #8
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Default Re: So... I made a blog for my writing!

Fantastic. This is going in my reference folder.
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Old 10-29-2013, 06:24 PM   #9
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Default Re: So... I made a blog for my writing!

Thank you! Glad you liked it Adam
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Old 10-29-2013, 10:32 PM   #10
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Default Re: So... I made a blog for my writing!

Random question for anyone who reads this thread at all: Is there anything that you'd want me to write about? I'd be happy to take suggestions
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Old 03-17-2014, 01:08 AM   #11
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Default Re: So... I made a blog for my writing!

Quote:
Some nights, I wish I could just go somewhere far away, where I can escape the troubles of the present. It would be a place where I can let my mind be at ease – a cool forest on a cloudless night, or an endless field on a mid-summer’s day. These troubles leave my head, as if being melted away by the burning sun, or being whisked away by the cool night’s wind. Lying down on the ground and closing my eyes, I sense a feeling of pure serenity washing over my body and soul. A breeze carries the soft sounds of crickets and creatures through the air, overshadowing the light trickle of a small stream close by. The soft breeze brushes my cheek and softly ruffles my hair, sending a chill down my spine in sweet sensation. In this place, I am truly at peace.
Haven't written in months. This was very cleansing for my mind to write.
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Old 11-5-2014, 01:46 AM   #12
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Default Re: So... I made a blog for my writing!

Started something for nanowrimo. Hope whoever reads it enjoys.

Quote:
An Honest Journey

Back when my father was still alive, he told me something that would stick with me for a long time. We were working to clear some brush and the remnants of a fallen oak from a wild storm the night before, him rigging his old red tractor to the base of the wooden behemoth that lay before us. Down in Wyoming, seeing other people around that area was almost a rare sight – back in 1964 there were barely three hundred thousand in the entire state, let alone Weston County; so when you had a mess to clean up, you were usually left to your own device. As we hauled the remains of the Oak out of the ground and toward the wood shed, father began to whistle a familiar tune. It was the old nursery rhyme my mother used to sing to me when I cried on some cold nights, her way of trying to soothe my discomfort. See, back in those times we weren’t quite what you would call “lower class”, but if there was a solid line to represent it we would have been so close that you could almost taste it from where you stood.

My father tried his hardest to provide for me and my mother, boy he did. But the industry in Wyoming wasn’t quite what it used to be – starting during the Prohibition era, America’s dependence on Wyoming crops began to wane, as more populated and richer states like Iowa and Nebraska brought bigger technology and processes to harvest their crops quicker and for cheaper. Since then, farmers like my father had trouble staying afloat in such a competitive industry.

Some months, we couldn’t quite afford to keep the lights on, or the water running. I wasn’t old enough to understand why but I was at the age where curiosity was a new and exciting idea – to me, definitely not my parents. On those nights, I would crawl up against my mother, who would be sitting on our sofa in the main living room knitting a hand-made sweater for me. Being at home she liked to keep herself busy by taking up new hobbies, knitting being one of them. I would have to keep myself from laughing when she forgot to make a hole for my head, or made it longer than even my father’s entire body. This time, however, when she slipped my head and arms through the holes, it seemed to fit just right. She would rub my head for a while, tousling my short brown hair with her nimble fingers. And then she would whistle that familiar tune.

I don’t think there was ever a name for it, but whenever that song was whistled the hairs on the back of my neck would stand up on end, as if a cool wind had brushed my skin ever so gently. With that tune, I could feel my mother’s emotion seeping into my skin, gently caressing my soul until I fell into a deep slumber. As my father began to whistle this tune on his old red tractor, all I could feel was coldness. My mother died giving birth to my little brother three years ago; neither of them made it.
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Old 11-25-2014, 04:09 PM   #13
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Default Re: So... I made a blog for my writing!

Quote:
"Control, we're getting some strange signals up here".

Colonel Richardson had his co-pilot double check the radar on his side of the craft, and sure enough he obtained the same result. The Colony Six was on its final approach to the Martian surface, its fourth journey in the past three months.

The Colony program had truly been a great success for the International Space Federation, though it had had its faults. The first iteration of their shuttle craft fleet, the Colony One, had been lost during space transit about four and a half years ago. Colonel Richardson's best friend and previous co-pilot, Mike Johnson, had been chosen by the ISF President upon the program's inception. Richardson was truly proud of his friend, who he'd known since they were little boys. His fondest memories as a child were of him and Mike playing with rocket ships in grade school, where they promised each other that they'd be astronauts together when they grew up. And did they ever. But now, it was all becoming a collection of distant memories.

"Colonel, can you transmit the approximate origin of the signal from your craft's systems please," buzzed an all-too-familiar voice from the Martian soil. Since the program's inception significant innovations had been made on the Colony fleet, which allowed for the ISF to construct an advanced landing-zone that served as the main base-camp for the Martian research ground. The voice belonged to Richardson's younger brother, Lieutenant Rory Richardson. He'd always aspired to follow in his older brother's footsteps, though he couldn't quite hit the aptitude marks to get a pilot position back on Earth. Nevertheless, he took his position as the head of Martian Control with stride, maintaining the highest levels of professionalism and effectiveness for shuttle departures and landings.

"Sure thing, Lieutenant," replied Colonel Richardson. He was truly proud of his brother for getting to where he was in the organization. He had mentored him through his studies as much as possible, but because he was a busy man himself he could not spare time too often. Luckily, between trips on the Six he could spend at least a few weeks with him. After all, flying between planets limited his visits with any family, and his parents had died in the drought of 2056. The whole reason that they were doing the Colony program was because of overpopulation on Earth. Entire cities and regions had been wiped out as the agriculture industry failed, sending prices of wheat, corn and other foods skyrocketing. Not many were surprised however, as the UN reported that global population levels hit 12 billion just a year before. Now, that level was closer to 8 billion.

Richardson sent the coordinates over to Martian control, and waited for the results. It was odd to get a signal so close to the surface, as all satellites that were around were tagged and listed on their system with individual identities. Richardson figured it was probably a decommissioned satellite that was launched before the new identification system was implemented. However, he knew that it was something different judging by the silence from Martian Control.

"Lieutenant, what is it?" he inquired. "Is it hostile?" A few more seconds of silence, and then a response.
"No, Colonel. Upon sending a transmission to the unknown object, we received a faint response." As the Lieutenant finished his transmission, Richardson had him repeat it five times. He must be wrong. It can't be.

It was Colony One. And the voice was Mike's.
Enjoy!
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RIP Steve Van Ness <3

Last edited by Netjet!; 11-25-2014 at 04:09 PM..
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Old 02-4-2015, 10:36 AM   #14
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Default Re: So... I made a blog for my writing!

Nice work! Very interesting, kept me hooked! Nice writing style.
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