Akting Out

I got this idea from Jamie Debree, who, well, is just full of good ideas, so I sincerely hope she doesn’t mind if I borrow this one. Cause it’s a good one. Just saying.

I didn’t get as much done last week as I wanted, but then again, I work best under pressure. Plus, I never get as much done in a week as I want to. The holidays are rolling around, which means my two kids are pitching me what they they want for Christmas. BB guns and pet snakes. Not happening, but thanks for playing. Honestly, I’m glad my kids feel cool enough with me to call me, talk to me, and even ask me to get them presents for Christmas. Plus, they’ve been good. Not BB gun good, but gift-certificate good.

I hit the big three-four last week, and Molly really outdid herself. She kept me in the dark for weeks, even when we were disagreeing, which I’m grateful to say isn’t as often as it used to be. She rounded up friends from work, the writer’s group, and what teeny-tiny social life I have and threw the first surprise party I’ve ever had in my life…and I have to say, wow. Talk about humbling. All these people on a Friday night at my house?! I really had no idea.

I’m less than four thousand words into the new Universal Warrior, but at least I have a clear idea as to where I want the story to go. I gave myself a three-week deadline to have the first draft done, another three weeks to get it finalized and in the hands of a professional editor (who, blessedly, I’ve already lined up), and then, well, to the masses. I have four days off in a row coming up, and as long as I stay off the damn 360, I should get loads done.

Getting my health together is proving difficult, although I’ve reduced the amount of medication I take. I haven’t registered a high blood sugar reading in weeks, thank God. I hit the gym three days a week, where I run two miles and hit the weights. I’ve managed to keep off four pounds, and my goal is 220lbs by July 2011. Although I’ve all but eliminated junk food from my routine, come January, I plan to bump the gym up to five days a week and kill pizza and fast food from the diet.

Training feels strange now; all of my techniques are designed for dealing with someone who gets close to me; I hate inside fighting. When I was younger, I could stick and move. Now I feel like I can knock down a building. Guess I have to roll with the changes, right?

So anyway, with the holiday rolling around, here are my goals for the week.

Business
Research distribution methods for Atherean Defenders

Finalize Universal Warrior-related blog for Mark of the Stars

Writing
Complete two chapters of Atherean Defenders

Personal
Complete 15 miles on the treadmill

Increase seated bench press weight to 150

Drop one pound

Get back on the heavy bag

So, that’s it for this week. What’s everyone else doing? Thanks for reading, enjoy your holiday!

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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So that person you’ve been interested in forever finally gave you the time of day. You took them out, spent time getting to know them, and enjoyed the company so much so that you saw them over and over again. Then, when it’s all said and done, and you’re so wound up that you can barely stand it, they push you away, look at you in all sincerity, and say; “I can’t do this now. But next time.”

If you can relate to this story, then you’ve seen “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.”

That isn’t to say it’s a bad movie. It’s just that after sitting through all the films, practically growing up with this character, instead of getting the first half of an epic climax, we instead get a two-and-a-half hour trailer for the second film. In fact, some of the scenes they use in the trailer aren’t even in this film.

Although David Yates continues to demonstrate his expertise directing the Harry Potter movies, this movie feels disjointed at places. Long scenes of dialogue and tension are interspersed with such frenetic scenes that anyone with ADHD will feel right at home. It’s occasionally difficult to keep up with what’s going on, but overall, it comes together well.

It’s a long, long outing, too; I overheard one patron say “I felt like I just sat through a six hour movie.” I’m not a fan of this trend that calls for extensively long films, no matter how good they are. And honestly, as a fan of the series, I can’t say this movie was worth sitting three hours in a theater for.

I expect the final film to be epic; the first installment of Deathly Hallows was the pre-game before the Super Bowl. It’s what you’ll sit through for the main event. Hardcore fans will find something to love, but casual fans may find their money better spent elsewhere.

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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This blog was originally posted on MySpace on December 2, 2007. Just before I left Michigan for good, a cop I had been at odds with decided to mark territory one last time.

I thought I’d share the experience. You can see the original post by clicking here.

So I come to this small town and deal with the small town law enforcement, and while most of the cops I’ve run into are cool, there was this one that made life a little tricky. He is known for his brutality and even choked out a fifteen-year-old girl once. I looked into it to see if there was any truth to it, and there was. I imagine the whole matter was settled the good-old-boy way and that’s why he has still has a badge.

I don’t remember the first time him and I clashed, but the most memorable event was when he approached me at the local store’s ATM and indirectly accused me of trying to hack someone else’s account. He approached me from the rear without warning or identification, and startled me. He struck his hand off of my shoulder, and it would’ve led to a fight had there not been so many people around. I don’t think he was used to anyone standing up to him. I couldn’t fight a uniformed cop…I would’ve been disappeared. I told him that one day, we would catch each other. He would have no gun, no badge, and no witnesses. See how billy-bad-ass you are then.

Well, that night came on my last day of work, the Wednesday prior to last.
It’s a dark, cold night, the onset of winter in Michigan, and it’s only about thirty degrees out. I’m walking along the road and the lights and sirens are on me so fast that I nearly leap out of my skin. When I realize who it is, I release my iPod and brace myself for what I’m thinking is the fight of my life. I’ve never taken on a cop before and my mind is already racing through a million ways to get out of town after beating the holy shit out of him.

He storms out of his car and approaches me from the front and demands my ID. Still in shock, I give it to him. He immediately returns to his car and I wonder if I’m going to Ionia tonight…but he returns shortly and I smile. The judge was true to his word.
He hands me my ID and demands to know what I’m doing out so late (it’s about seven, so you know). I tell him plainly I’m just walking. He asks me where I’m coming from. Work.
He tells me that he heard I was leaving town. How the hell….?!
He asks me if there’s any reason why I see a need to leave after all this time.
You smug son of a bitch…
Just personal business, I tell him.
He now invades my personal space and neither of us say anything for a minute.
He tells me, he doesn’t know how I stayed out of trouble all this time, but I should mind my P’s and Q’s these last few days. It would be a shame if I missed my flight out of town.
Okay, you prick.
I took a step back. I told him that I know he was used to dealing with all the common people who just bowed down and took his bullshit, but I’m not the common folk, I’m not from around here, and if you have beef to settle with me, let’s do it. There’s no one else here besides you and me.

Nothing happens for a second. I realize that if he goes for his gun, I’m in trouble; if he’s any good, I can’t get to him before he draws and at least raises. I might take one getting to him, and one is all it takes. Getting shot is like setting your insides on fire and having a weight at the center of that fire. You never forget it.
Me, an enemy, a road under the night sky. How many times have I seen this…

He walks up to me and smiles a smile of victory, like this is his town and he has finally run me out, like I’m leaving because of him. He extends his hand and tells me “Take care, Mr. Tingle.”
I hesitate for a second before shaking his hand. “You too, officer.”
He gets back into his car and pulls out. The chill inside me makes the weather looks like summer. I continue walking as he pulls right around the corner.

I think to myself that the situation could’ve gone a million different ways, none of them have positive outcomes for me. I could’ve been left for dead right then and there. I could’ve disappeared for months only to be turned up in next year’s hunting season.
I weigh all this out with the need to stand up for myself. You can’t…I mean you just can’t let people think than can run you, or that’s all they’ll do. I’ve grown up to the point where I don’t need to beat something down to prove myself. I can fight in other ways now, and that’s part of why God is letting me leave.

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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The downside to a quiet life is that very few local people share my interests, plus football season can be a pain in the tail since all I get is regional coverage (although Kansas City has been fun to watch this year). This is why I spend a lot of time social networking; thanks to the thousands of connections I’ve made around the world, I get play-by-play coverage of the Ravens, early tips on when my favorite titles are coming out, and most importantly, I get to advance my writing.

I started using social networking seven years ago; publishing blogs on myspace that dealt with my childhood and life on the street earned me a small following. I’ve since managed to build that into a following of over eleven hundred people that includes people who share my faith, work in the games industry, good friends across the globe, people who found me through my writing, literary agents and bestselling authors.

While I don’t consider myself an authority on the subject, I know there are certain things one can do to become known is social networking circles. This is how I do it.

1). Be Genuine.
Fake people suck, and the internet is no exception. You won’t please everyone, but you’ll get a lot further by being yourself. The beauty of social networking is that it brings people together who otherwise might never meet. Your chances of meeting someone who shares your interests are pretty high; don’t waste time pretending to be someone you’re not. It’s a quick way to rub people the wrong way.

2). Be Patient.
No one (except Ashton Kutcher) gets to a million followers/friends/fans overnight. It took me two years to get eleven hundred people following me on twitter. It won’t happen immediately; you have to invest time and effort into it, and build your network over time. Which leads me to my next point…

3). Treat It Like A Job.
This may depend on what you want to get out of your network, but if you’re hoping to use it to advance yourself somehow, then you’re going to have to block off some part of the day for it (this is especially true for writers). It doesn’t have to be much, and if you’re really good at multitasking, you can do two things at once, but if you’re looking for any type of advancement, you’re going to have to sink serious time into it.

4). Get To Know People.
This is the final, and maybe the most important part. I cannot emphasize enough the wealth of knowledge that awaits you when you get to know thousands of people across the world. If I am successful at social networking, it’s because I’m genuinely interested in what people have to say. The more interest you show in people, the more you will find that interest reciprocated. The more you engage people, the more you find that they’ll be willing to donate their knowledge and even their time to help you succeed.

Social networking can be a blast; keeping in touch with old friends and family, it can be an invaluable aid in advancing your career, and when used in certain ways, it can be a weapon. This is just what works for me. I hope you find something you can use. Best of luck to you.

Thanks for reading.

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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