Untied Shoelaces of the Mind

Terry in a Hat

There are two stories in the “Fiction” category.  One is not typical of things I write.  One is one of the first stories I wrote and it has developed into an arc of stories that include a con man (Boogity), a theft (The Disappearance of Caylid Cholg – partially written), a murder (not written yet), and at least two stories of revenge (both are light-hearted – Instant Message and Beauty Wears a Gun).

The “Fiction” section is also about getting published as a creative (fiction) writer in a professional market.

A flash fiction story of mine (just under 1000 words), “One Soldier’s Reason,” was selected for online publication by an ezine, Untied Shoelaces of the Mind.  Duotrope.com, a website for writers and frustrated writers,  reports that registered users have submitted 212 stories to Untied Shoelaces of the Mind over the last 12 months.  The ezine has accepted 3.77% of submissions.

I like the name Untied Shoelaces of the Mind.

I have my reasons.

What do I write?  Some humorous stories, stories that were inspired by dreams and nightmares, some tales thought up in brainstorming sessions, others come from notes I write in a book when I’m not near a computer, and…

…I write about soldiers.

People have asked why I put stories about soldiers in a science fiction universe.  It has something to do with my general unwillingness (with some exceptions) to read “real” or “mainstream” fiction about soldiers in the field.

By putting the military in a science fiction setting, the action is not quite as real – and I need to be “removed” just a tad.  It really isn’t the fight or the procedures that interest me, though.  It’s the personality of the people that fight.  In a science fiction setting, I like to write about men and women in a military environment and how they try to deal with a civilian environment.

That’s what “One Soldier’s Reason” is about – one aspect of a man’s personality that results in being in harm’s way.