Skip to main content

Episode 1: Getting started.

This is my writing blog.

By that, I mean that I've set my goal on being a full-time writer (primarily science fiction and fantasy, but I have other projects in mind), and I plan to document the trials and tribulations here. So think of the episodes as a soap opera, with humor.

What does the title of the blog mean?

Well, first, it means that I searched the internet and didn't find another blog with that title. Also, No Mongoose in the Mimosa is a short story (sadly as yet unpublished) I wrote, wherein the MC (the Main Character) screws up his romance in Hawaii and then must save his fiance' from a tsunami.

Mimosa's are both a tree and a mixed drink. Mongooses were imported to Hawaii to solve another imported problem: rats. It didn't work. Apparently rats are nocturnal beasts and mongooses prefer the daylight. Interestingly, at least to me, a story in a scientific journal from 1917 suggests that a mongoose uses mimosa leaves to treat itself for snake bites.

Hmm. The blog title may be better than I thought. You can draw your own analogies.

Pretty much that's what I plan to blog about, things I write that don't work out and things I write that seem to succeed; things I plan to try, and hopefully what I learn along the way. I'll also discuss Projects I have in development, and the problems in plotting them. Along the way, I may comment on what other writers have done and how I think they succeeded.

At the risk of self-referential, inadvertent recursion, this blog is a writing experiment in writing, something that I plan to write in and even write about writing in it. I hope that these entries may be cathartic and useful to me , and perhaps interesting to someone else.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2013 Jim Baen Memorial Writing Contest

I was just notified (March 14, 2013) that my 7700 word short story " Intent to Occupy "  placed second in The 2013 Jim Baen Memorial Writing Contest administered by William Ledbetter. Mr. Ledbetter just posted the results on his Facebook page , so I assume the results are now official: The winners of the 2013 Jim Baen Memorial Writing Contest are: GRAND PRIZE "The Lamplighter Legacy" by Patrick O'Sullivan 2nd Place "Intent to Occupy" by Ronald D. Ferguson 3rd Place "Improvising at Branson Six" by Sean Monaghan The annual contest is sponsored by Baen Books and the National Space Society in memory of the founder of Baen Books , Jim Baen. The judges consisted of Baen Books editors Hank Davis, Jim Minz, Tony Daniel and best selling Baen author David Drake. I'm very honored to have such illustrious judges select my story. My first reaction to the email from Bill Ledbetter telling me that I won second place was "Well, I...
2 comments
Read more

Fable for a Political Year

Once there lived a silly goose named, Grover. Grover Goose had not felt well for a while, perhaps a simple malaise rather than a serious illness, perhaps something chronic and more serious. So Grover convinced himself that he was terminal. He consulted with his friend Harry Horse. "I just don't feel well," Grover said. "I have no energy. Everything irritates me. I'm mad all the time. I've alienated most of my friends. You're the only one left who still talks to me." "You should get a check up." Harry flicked his ear and tilted his head. "Better yet, a complete physical. Perhaps even see a specialist." "Healthcare makes me too angry." "Calm down, Grover. Everything makes you too angry. Maybe healthcare just makes you afraid, and that makes you angry." "Okay." Grover gave Harry the eye. Was his old friend conspiring against him too? "Maybe. Do you know a good doctor?" "I have ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Update

I've been writing longer stories recently--a novel ( The Prometheus Proposal ) and several novellas (17,500-40,000 words) and novelettes (7,500-17,500 words). There aren't many markets for fiction longer than a short story (1000-7,500 words) and shorter than a novel (40,000+ words). Although short novels are popular in some genres, most adult science fiction and fantasy novels are more than 100,000 words. Some epics are twice that length. Some of my publications are listed on my Amazon Author's page . All my publications including textbooks are listed on my Website RonaldDFerguson.com . So far the only novella I've published is  The Last Starship from 51 Pegassi D .  A list of my short fiction publications since I started writing short stories follows. Those with asterisks are novelettes: His Brother was an Only Child (Copyright 2011)( Daily Science Fiction Stories - June 2011 ) (Also at 2013 Campbellian Pre-Reading Anthology ) Wake Up and Smell the Moonflowe...
Post a Comment
Read more