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Muses? I don’t have muses…

Posted on by martyjreep in Creative Writing, Thoughts

Muses?  I don’t have muses.  I have screaming tormenters in my head that won’t relent until I put words on a page.  Then, they leave me alone for a while.  That’s the kind of inspiration I have most days.

…Stories that explode inside my head and demand that all parts get typed out or they’ll keep pounding on the doorway of my mind.  Bloody fingers are of no account to them.  All they want is to be written, produced, and recognized.  Sure, they make themselves out to be shiny, bright ideas, but don’t turn your back on them or they’ll chew you to shreds.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather have words lining up to be written down than the other way: blank pages looking back at me like a big, empty mirror on a wall.  That would be hell – having to face that kind of painting every day.

This way, at least there’s something powerful to put on paper.  No doubt about that.

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My new fiction action & adventure story is finished!  Download it here:
http://www.amazon.com/Trevor-Dark-Rider-Assignment-ebook/dp/B00DKYER5M

Your Perspective of Reality?

Posted on by martyjreep in Creative Writing, Thoughts

Recently I wrote a philosophical essay for a contest at FQXi.org:
fqxi.org/community/essay .

I realize that most people never really bother themselves with philosophical discussions or thoughts, but we all live by them.  Also, we each have to “dance with the one what brung ya’ “, meaning we have to work with what we’ve got.

My brain runs deep down the rabbit holes when it comes to philosophical reasoning, planes of reality, etc.  So… I wrote an essay and entered their contest.

I hope you’ll take a moment to read it (link below) and then vote for it when it shows up on their website this month!  Enjoy!

(the essay on my page at http://www.Scribd.com/mjreep)
http://www.scribd.com/doc/150669208/Your-Perspective-of-Reality

Trevor and the Dark Rider – book 1

Posted on by martyjreep in Fiction

My new fiction action & adventure story is finished!  It’s an e-book at Amazon.com.
http://www.amazon.com/Trevor-Dark-Rider-Assignment-ebook/dp/B00DKYER5M

Brief Description:
Trevor, a sophomore in high school, discovers two photos of the same man (D. Walker) that were taken thirty years apart.  The strange part is that the man looks exactly the same in both!  Trevor starts asking questions about the mysterious man, and in the process attracts unwanted attention from some pretty ugly characters. His quest to uncover the truth about the shadowy figure from history leads him on the adventure of a lifetime!

LEND it!     RECOMMEND it!     REVIEW it!
You can share it with a friend via the lending feature (enabled for this book).  Or, you can help other readers find it by recommending it to friends and family, reading groups, discussion groups, forums, or similar.

You can also review it on the site where you purchased it.  If you do write a review, please let me know via email MartyJReep@gmail.com and I’ll thank you with a personal email.

Audience:
It’s aimed at ages 11-adult.  While the main characters in the story are high school students, it’s intended to resonate with readers of all ages.

ENJOY!

Cycles

Posted on by martyjreep in Thoughts

The BOTTOM of the current real estate cycle should be August 2015.
The next TOP should be October 2024.

.. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .

Cycles are such a daily part of our lives that we don’t really say, “Wow!  Oh my gosh!” anymore.

Sure, the big things seem to jump out at us (births, deaths, stock market plunges, hurricanes, soaring heat, bitter cold), but we don’t always realize the subtle (slower or smaller) day-to-day changes of seasons, phases of the moon, weather, and life.

From time to time, I’ll publish some of my research in the Real Estate Market Cycle (18.3 years), the Economic Cycle (84 years), etc.

Hopefully, you’ll benefit from the research and be able to put it to work in your life.

Meaning, if you were able to know when the next TOP or BOTTOM of the real estate market cycle was going to be, do you think you would be able to make or save money for yourself, your family, or your business?

If you could see where things are heading in the next few years and next few decades, would you be able to put things in place to take care of your children and grandchildren?

So many times people say, “If I only knew then what I know now, then I would’ve…”  Well, understanding and utilizing cycles can help you do that.

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Find out more about Marty and get his books here

The Time Is NOW!

Posted on by martyjreep in Motivational

When you set a goal and then continually work toward it, you stand in the gap between failure and success.  The “almost did” in your life changes to “is doing”, which in turn breeds all kinds of other success!

Your mental list of what you never even try AND what you attempt and complete will always be in the back of your mind acting either like an anchor that holds you down or an eagle that soars through the sky.

The time to move forward and accomplish your goal is

NOW!

Whatever is holding you back is most likely a mental perception or mis-perception that you need to change or let go of.

The universe has great things in store for you!  Move forward and accept them!

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Find out more about Marty and get his books here

Teaching Is More Than…

Posted on by martyjreep in Teaching / Education

Teaching is more than just delivering curriculum.  It involves sharing life principles with the students in your classroom.  Yes, when students come to your classroom, they expect you to deliver information about your subject area.  They also hope that in the process you’ll share your experiences and help them connect the subject area information in practical ways to their real-time worlds.

All of your students can read theories and ideas about math, literature, and history on their own.  But… all of them are hoping that you’ll go beyond that and connect tangibility to those ideas.  Your life stories do just that – they put meat on bones and add flavor to bland material.  Without helping them to create personal connections to curriculum, subject area material is inert.  It means very little in and of itself.  When they make personal connections, the material becomes real…it has meaning.

Your purpose as a teacher has to be more than just a deliveryman.  Anyone can do that.  An impersonal, mechanical device can do that.  Your human perspective, your history, your interactions with the past and present are what help make all of the difference in the world to the people you’re responsible for in that classroom.

When you look beyond yourself and into the hearts and minds of your students, you will begin to make a positive, lasting impact that will reach far beyond the walls of your room – it will be carried forward in generations to come.  The ideas, attitudes, respect, and patience will be remembered and passed on to their children, their friends, and the people they lead years from now.  As a teacher, you have the ability to help your students touch the infinite, or you can simply present information in a dry and meaningless manner.  Either way, it’s up to you.

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Find out more about Marty and get his books here

Published online at
www.MartyReep.com
www.scribd.com/mjreep

 

Damon’s Door (poetry)

Posted on by martyjreep in Poetry

Standings pass on languished days
And shadow Damon’s door.
They pause to check if sights are seen
And seek to know the more.

In troubled past do standings walk
And leave behind in trail
The markings of a well-worn way
Where history prevails.

They form the shapes that lead the charge
Of glancing side-to-side
And curse upon the daily draw
All that they take in stride

The standings form; the standings leave
What they touch – they keep
But tucked behind that shadowed door,
Damon’s fast asleep.

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Find out more about Marty and get his books here

Genevieve’s Well (poetry)

Posted on by martyjreep in Poetry

Waltzing in the dreams that surround us
We look into the well that was dug
And see faces looking back up at us
Wondering who we are
And why we’re staring down at them
In their watery home.
Therein lies the truth –
That unreachable root of realization
That Genevieve put on the wall
And blasted to the world.
It now drips through my fingers
Back into the hole of water.
The droplets fall far
As they blend into
The rest of the contained.
Lost in the stare
I forget where she went.
Then,
She pulls my hand
And we run back up the hill
To the house.

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Find out more about Marty and get his books here

Deciding to Send Help (chapter snippet)

Posted on by martyjreep in Creative Writing

“Containment within the realm does not constitute the lack of necessity in reality.  Just because you have lost the ability to reason with purpose and determination, you are still under obligation to provide for the subjects who you rule,” the advisor said.

The young king stared out the window.

The advisor continued, “You have the obligation, and you have the means. “

“But what if I don’t want to?” the young king asked, rhetorically.

“Then you no longer deserve to reign.”

The young monarch quickly turned his head – “What?!”

“…and neither of those two ideas are valid options.”

The king turned his head back toward the window and said irritatedly, “Sometimes you are too harsh.”

“You asked me a question, and I answered…as your friend.”

There was another long silence.

“Thank you,” said the king.

“You’re welcome…so what are you going to do?”

“Send them help.  Pull six men from the south wall and send them out through the north tunnel an hour after nightfall.  When they reach Winterhaven, have them report to Anni-is.  He will direct them from there.”

“Yes, sire.  Oh, and yes – the view is beautiful, today.”

“Yes.  Yes, it is.”

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Find out more about Marty and get his books here

Perspectives, Cars, Books, and Muses

Posted on by martyjreep in Thoughts

Fixing family cars for the past few months has given me a different perspective on things in general.  It’s helped me to appreciate mechanics and their work.  It’s also helped me to approach problems and problem-solving from different angles than I’ve been used to with writing, publishing, and teaching.

While I’ve felt like I’ve neglected the publishing part of my life and my readers/fans, I’ve realized that (as with most things) balance is important.  Meaning – when I was pumping out a book a month, I wasn’t necessarily taking care of every other part of life that needed tending to… so, I’m making up for it now!  🙂

That’s fine – once the pendulum swings back toward the middle of the road, more books will come out of the mind and go online.  For now though, writing blog entries will perhaps satisfy the muses and readers’ requests for more content.

Let me know what you think… Marty

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Find out more about Marty and get his books here