books

Typewriters & Libraries

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By: A.B. Timothy

This afternoon, I was able to purchase a typewriter from another man here where I live. We met at the library, where I found a book on King Arthur. You can find a picture of that book on my X page ABTimothyAuthor. It is a very nice book. The typewriter I got, besides being a bit dusty, just needs some ink, and it will work great.

Sometimes what we need is little pieces of encouragement, like finding a great book, to get us through the day. The typewriter will likely only be a vanity piece for me to keep and cherish, but I will keep it as a reminder of how far we have come technologically, even in just the last 50 years.

Let’s talk about technological advancements, good books, and inspiration in the comments below. What keeps you inspired? How does reflecting on the technological progress of your ancestors bring you inspiration? Mention me on X or Facebook with a post talking about your inspiration at one of the social media links below.

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Writing as a Hobby vs. Writing as an Addiction

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By: A.B. Timothy

Sometimes when I get writing, I can’t stop; it’s like I’ve been possessed by the Muse and she is wearing me down until I’m empty. Other times, I can write a few hundred words and call it good. I’ve heard many authors describe writing not as something they get to do, or something that is fun for them, but rather as a compulsion. If they don’t write, they will physically hurt, and I can relate to that. Sometimes when I am away from my keyboard for too long, I can feel my fingers start to itch, my mind begins to race with scene ideas, and my gut fills with the fear of missing out.

What is it like for you? Do you struggle to stop once you’ve started? Or can you manage only a few words per writing session? Do you, as many have expressed, feel compelled as if by a magic spell or curse, to write until your fingers start to cramp?

Let’s talk about our writing habits! Email me at AlfredoTBenedito@gmail.com or mention me in a post at either of the social media linked below.

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Digging for Gold

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By: A.B. Timothy

Have you seen this meme?

Some days, when I’m writing, I feel like the man on top. Banging away at my keys, pushing aside shovel after shovel of dirt and prose that I’m bored by, only to finally reach that scene. Hopefully, you know the one. Every story and its author has that scene. A moment where the hero does something (finally) or a battle takes place or something! Something that makes those 8,000 words of prose that felt like a chore, worth it.

Two days ago, I finally reached that scene in The Shards of Arthur’s Shield. I spent the entire first 9,500 words not really sure, and knowing that I will probably have a lot of editing to do in those first few chapters, all so I could finally write the scene. The moment when my hero grasps the rotten leather wrapped around the hilt of the cursed sword, for the very first time. My fingers click-clacking across the keys when I wrote those 2,000 words was like the most refreshing song I’ve heard in a long time. This was the end of Act 1 and the moment when my hero, Thomas’s life ceased to be just that of a small village farm hand.

Now, however, I dread the next few thousand words. I am not sure how much editing I will have to do over the beginning of Act 2, but I know there will be some, because the next scene I am aiming at is not for at least another chapter or two. But I don’t want to be that bottom guy. I can’t bring myself to throw in the towel on this book. I love this story too much to just give up because the words got tough to write. I’ve got so many more scenes of gold I can’t wait to write: a tournament, a dragon slaying, a tower of madness, a final duel. I’m giddy to climb this mountain even if the trail is long.

That’s where I want to encourage you. Calling back to the heartbeat of this blog and my newfound desire to write, the Keeping the Beacon Lit article, this is only partially about me now. I know that the world needs this book; there are people out there who need heroes in their lives again. There are little boys who need to see what they could achieve, and little girls who need to see what it means to be a man, so they can look for that when they are older. So keep writing, if not for yourself, if the words are getting too hard to slug through, do it for them.

Need encouragement? Send me an email at AlfredoTBenedito@gmail.com, let’s chat about your struggles, and let me encourage you! Want to connect on socials? Follow me @ABTimothyAuthor on X or search for A.B. Timothy, Author, on Facebook. Or click either of the social media icons below!

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The Sword & The Stone

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By: A.B. Timothy

sword in rock
Photo by Zain Abba on Pexels.com

The Sword in the Stone is a well-known image from the Arthurian myth. Dating back to the 13th century, when a French poet penned a prophecy from Merlin, who said that only the true king of Britain could take the sword from an anvil in a churchyard in London.

When I first saw The Sword in the Stone as a boy in Disney’s movie of the same name, I was inspired. It reminded me that there are good stories to tell, important stories, and western stories. Arthur was a young boy, like I was when I saw that movie, and it reminded me that even the smallest among us can do great things.

I don’t recall who said this (I would quote them directly if I did remember), but someone once said that King Arthur is the King David of Britain. I find that concept fascinating, and I started drawing connections between the two stories. Both are usually young men who are appointed to be king before they are physically ready; they both take swords from impossible situations; they both (in certain versions of the Arthurian myth) receive eyre from the current king; and they both are chosen by God to lead their lands into golden ages.

These similarities are very easily explained as the Anglo-Saxon/European people wanting a hero they can relate to. It must have been hard, I imagine, as a European storyteller, to relate to a hero you’ve read about fighting battles and living life in Israel thousands of years ago. So, what better way to engage yourself and your readers than taking what you know and retelling that heroic tale in the plains of western Europe and the grasslands of England?

Have you considered adding legends and tales of heroism into the world-building of your story? Who did your young protagonist look up to? Who killed the dragon a hundred years ago and received the title “Dragon Slayer”? The Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, does this flawlessly, in my mind. If you are wondering how to create deep world-lore, that series is an excellent case study.

The story of Arthur, the Sword in the Stone, the Lady of the Lake, the Green Knight, the Holy Grail, and the other myths and legends surrounding Britain’s Once and Future King played such a large part in inspiring me as a young reader and eventual writer. What inspired you? Let’s connect and chat about inspiration. You can click on either of the social media links below and leave a comment on the post with this article to continue the conversation, or leave a comment below if you have a WordPress account.

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Mid-October Progress Report!

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Social Media Goals

Novel Goals

> X Growth
██████████▓ 97%
I am at 63 out of 65 followers on X today!
> A Weekly Short Story
██████░░░░░░ 50%
I have edited two new (to the blog) short stories for the weekly newsletters! Two more to go!
> A Weekly Newsletter
██████░░░░░░ 50%
Two Newsletters of the four planned for this month have been sent out! The newsletter currently has 16 subscribers!
> Daily Motivational/Non-fiction blogs
███▒░░░░░░ 35%
I have posted a non-fiction blog every day this month, save this past weekend when I only posted the short story on Saturday. This progress report puts me back on the wagon!		The Shards of Arthur’s Shield <
█████▓░░░░░░░ 44%
~9k Words Written so far!
The Early Years of a Great Mage <
░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 0%
I’ve yet to start working on this goal.
Brothers’ Feud <
░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 0%
I’ve yet to start working on this goal.
Historical Fiction Novel, Under Real Name <
░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 0%
I will continue to work on my Historical Fiction novel, which is written under my real name. (I will, promise!)

How’s it going?

How is it going? Well, it’s going! I am still breathing and, by the grace of God, writing! I am excited about the progress I’ve made on The Shards of Arthur’s Shield this month so far, and the social media progress, while it’s had its ups and downs, has been going up at a steady rate!

It’s all about sticking to it! Feel free to subscribe to this blog to see how my works progress, and also send your email my way so I can get you added to the weekly newsletter.

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A Young Man’s Nightmare

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A Short Story by: A.B. Timothy

Claes ran. The stone walls of Kalmar Castle kept elongating further and further. There, up ahead, was a door, and under the door some light. The sword in Claes’ hand grew heavy and awkward as he also felt his stature shrink. He rammed his shoulder into the door, and after he got through it, he saw, in the torchlight, King Sigismund laughing with a wicked smile on his face as he held a bejeweled dagger over a female. Claes threw his sword in front of him to try and cut down the man, but his blade, like smoke, passed around the man. Claes looked at the woman, no, girl tied up in the chair. It was his beautiful Margaret, “Claes, run!” She screamed even as the bejeweled dagger was plunged into her heart.”

Claes blinked as he fell back in shock, rather than landing on his backside, like he expected to, his back was propped up by the stone wall of the hallway. He straightened and began running again. As fast as he could, his gait returned to normal, and the sword no longer felt awkward in his hands.

Over and over, every door his wife, young, old, how he knew her that day, dying over and over. Each time being killed by that traitor! Immolated, defenestrated, hung, blown to kingdom-come, all by the hand of that… that king who would dare call himself a Swede! All but one. Or so Claes remembers it. The last image he beheld before screaming himself awake, in a peaceful fluttering of eyelids, was this:

Margaret’s lightless eyes stared at him in horror as he held the pike that had run her through. The only evidence of the king’s presence was his wicked laughter somewhere in the distance. Her eyes stared into his, piercing his soul, as he screamed bloody murder.

His eyes fluttered open to the sound of peaceful birds chirping outside, somewhere in the distant trees, his beautiful wife lying peacefully, in her fullness of child, right next to him. Whole, and more importantly, hundreds of miles from the influence of that traitorous king.

Claes felt the sweat drip down his brow. He still could not escape that kind of dream unscathed. He looked down at his hands and saw blood. The old soldier shoved down a scream of terror, swallowed, blinked, and the blood was gone. “God is my refuge and strength.” He murmured to himself, as a tightly held breath left his lungs.

Poetic Storytelling

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By: A.B. Timothy

When telling modern stories, we can often lose the poetry of a good story. Poetry, many forget, is not just about rhyming cuplets, verse, or meter; it’s about the flow, it’s about the art of telling a captivating story. It’s about having a villain who reflects your character and asks them, “Why aren’t you me?” It’s about fantasy, the small farm boy ascending to become the hero that destiny needs him to be. The girl stuck in a dead-end minimum-wage job who gets swept off her feet by a prince who stumbles into her shop to avoid the paparazzi.

Love, adventure, action, drama, prose, and character, these are poetry. These things form the backbone of a good story and a story that people will talk about forever. We still talk and write stories about King Arthur because his story is so poetic. He is a man who came from nothing (in some tellings), or everything, and chose still to rise to the occasion that destiny had called him to. In some tellings, he is the son of the king who has to overcome the arrogance and pride that come with the station, and in others, he is a farm boy tasked with retrieving a sword, and stumbled upon the sword in the stone.

A poetic story is one that can draw the reader in and ask them, “How can you be like the hero?” Arthur calls us to a higher caliber of manhood.

Cinderella is one for the ladies. She begins the tale as someone who has the world offered to her by her loving father, but then has it all taken away by her evil stepmother. Eventually, she woos the prince, but not with her beauty; she woos him with her heart. She did not take the evil treatment by her step-mother and sisters to heart; instead, she persevered and was rewarded for it by her fairy godmother. This gave her the opportunity to let her true heart shine at the ball.

Growing up, I didn’t know a single boy who did not look up to a hero, or a girl who did not wish for her prince charming. This is because these stories speak to our hearts as poetry should.

When you are writing, either actual poetry or if you’re just trying to tell a poetic story, try to remember what moved your heart, remember whose heart you want to move with this story, and write that story. Because I believe we all have a poem inside us that is begging to be unleashed onto the page.

What do you think?

Do you believe stories should be poetic, or is mindless entertainment good enough for you? Let me know in the comments below, or by tagging me in a post on X @ABTimothyAuthor, or by commenting on my Facebook page, both of which you can find below at the simple click of an icon.

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The Oxford Comma and What’s for Lunch

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By: A.B. Timothy

Have you even heard of the Oxford comma? This piece of grammar goes by many names: the Harvard Comma, the Oxford Comma, or the Final Serial Comma. According to J.T. Bushnell, a senior instructor of English at Oregon State University, the hard rule in English is that every list of items must have a conjoining word between each item, called a conjunction. In papers and in scripts and in books, we need the conjunctions. Did you not like how many times I used “and” in that last sentence? Well, that is where the protagonist of today’s article comes into play. The comma acts as a placeholder for the conjunction until it is stated definitively between the final pair of items. This allows the list to conform to the rule, without overloading on conjunctions.

Originally, this meant that we did not need the final comma before the conjunction, which is why the Declaration of Independence reads “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Even Grammarly does not appreciate the fact that I am quoting the Declaration of Independence correctly. This all changed in 1905, when a printer named Horace Hart put out a style guide for Oxford University Press that required the comma before the conjunction. Because of the prestige of the university and the sway it held, this quickly became standard for academic writing across the country.

This look at the origins of the Oxford comma was inspired by a post I saw earlier today on X by user @NoahRayWrites. He posted a meme that ironically named the Oxford comma as superior and then proceeded to abandon use of the comma in the caption he wrote for the piece, causing me and several others to playfully make fun of his improper usage in the reply section. This all drove engagement, which I have to imagine was his goal; well, goal accomplished!

His joke was along the lines of how a lack of Oxfordian commas can lead to unintended interpretations of the sentence. For example, if I text you and ask, “Hey, what’s for lunch?” and you respond with, “Borritos, tacos and hot dogs.” I will assume you meant the three individually listed items. However, another, equally valid (at least grammatically speaking) interpretation is burritos that are made of tacos and hot dogs. The first item is the dish, and the following two items are descriptions of the dish.

Thank you to T.J. Bushnell for the information used in this article. Please visit the original article.

Make sure you use that last comma; it may seem like a small thing, but it can make a big difference.

What do you think?

Tell me in the comments below, or @ mention me on X or Facebook in a post responding to the idea of Oxford commas, I’d love to chat. Be sure to follow me on social media (see icons below) and sign up for the Weekly Newsletter (also below).

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The Spectrum of Description

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By: A.B. Timothy

Allow me to write for you, two scenes. I want you to tell me which you enjoy more.

Scene 1

The crisp late-summer, early-autumn breeze brushed across the elf’s nose as she crouched in the fields of grain. The forest had been left behind, but the waving limbs of timber beckoned her back into their kind embrace. She couldn’t return, now that the sea of amber grain enveloped her hunt. She had jumped from the protection and comfort of the woods to the danger and anxiety of the grain. These fields were unnatural, human, but her prey had fled into them, so she had to pursue it.

Scene 2

The elven hunter felt a breeze blow the hair out of her face as she crouched in the grain field. Her hunt had brought her out of the safety of the forest and into the danger of the grain. She would have done all she could to stay in the woods, but this is where her prey was; thus, it was where she must be.

What did you think?

Both scenes convey the same story, right? An elven hunter leaves the comfort of the woods for the danger of the grain fields, so that she might pursue her prey. But one is more vivid, true? But which do you prefer? Do you prefer the vivid world of the first? Or do you like the more concise detail-less rendition of the second, which lets you fill in the details for yourself?

Description, like many things in life, is not black and white. While I have only provided two choices here, there are many potential ways to write this moment, this snapshot into the life of this fantastical huntress. Description is really a spectrum; sometimes you will need more detail than example #2, but less than #1, or less than 1 but more than 2 (which may sound like the same thing, but I promise you it is not).

There is no right answer; that is true, it is all about preference and situation. As an author, I prefer and would write the first scene where allowed, but if I am working within a word limit, such as a short story competition, I might go for the second scene, allowing the readers to do more of the heavy lifting for me.

You have to understand pacing to really understand which one would work in your work. If you have the time (word count) go for more detail. If you are working in a genre or age group that has less longevity to their attention spans, you might go for less detail.

Conclusion

Tell me, which scene spoke to you more, which rendition kept you engaged, or which one made you want to read on? Let’s talk about pacing and the Spectrum of Description in the comments below this post or over on my X @ABTimothyAuthor.

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Newsletter and Growing Pains

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By: A.B. Timothy

This weekend, I spent a great deal of time talking with my friends in real life about subscribing to my Weekly Newsletter, the one I talked about in the October Goals post. So far, about 15 people are subscribed, which is awesome! However, some of my friends did not respond when I asked them, and even went on to unsubscribe from the newsletter when they received it. I was saddened by this, as the one who unsubscribed always seemed so supportive of my writing endeavors. This is just part of it, however. I imagine, as I grow and continue building a following, I will find more and more of my friends will unsubscribe or get sick of my content, but that’s okay. I have faith that I will eventually find my people and they will find me.

The newsletter, other than this one hiccup, had a pretty stellar start and opening weekend. The Battle of Johanna Valley was enjoyed by many who read it, and I am excited to continue writing new/editing old short stories for the weekly newsletter. Have you signed up for the newsletter yet? If not, you can do so at the box below, all I need is your email!

At the end of the day, we have to press on. That “we” includes you! No matter what happens, no matter who walks with us or abandons us, and no matter what happens in life, we have to keep the beacon lit. How might we do that? Well, if you are in need of inspiration, check out my article on the matter here. Keep writing that book, keep drawing those works of art, and keep pursuing the dream God has given you.

What were some growing pains you experienced as you grew in your creative endeavors? Let me know in the comments below or mention me in a post on X @ ABTimothyAuthor

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