I write like…

One of the things that took a big hit with the death of my wife was my writing. Now that I’ve finished up the estate, got the taxes done, and have the kids back in school, I’m dusting off some of the work that has been relegated to the back burner.

One of the things that I did was submit some of my ‘completed‘ short stories to the “I write like” website.  Imagine my surprise when my writing style came back as similar to one of my faves.

I write like
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I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

What really entertains me is the notion that my stories about a Vulcan who tries to experience his emotions is written in a similar style that is as much comedy as it is science fiction.  I feel somewhat honored.

Anyway, I’m getting back into the saddle.  I’ve got a really nice story in the works.  However I thought it’d be nice to provide a little bit of a Stev primer.  As well as a chronological listing of the stories I’ve finished.

Stev is a Vulcan who served in Starfleet aboard the USS Intrepid before becoming an agent of October (a loosely veiled reference to Section 31).  He has a pet tribble named Phread (rhymes with bread)

Stev has logically deduced that the complete suppression of emotions is contrary to the teachings of Surak.  He believes that Surak taught that emotions should be mastered.  Looking at the success of Spock (a Vulcan with insight into the human emotional spectrum) as Kirk’s second-in-command, Stev decided that he should experience his emotions.

Stev was then exiled by the Vulcan High Command for this “radical” belief.

Stev served onboard the USS Intrepid for a number of years before a mission that brought him to the attention of October (Section 31).  While on board the USS Intrepid he met and fell in love with T’Aiya Llire, a Vulcan/Romulan/Antosian.  The two were bonded and served aboard the Intrepid until Stev left to become an Agent of Section 31.

T’Aiya underwent mental conditioning to believe that Stev had died.  She suffered some severe emotional problems due to the unexpected depth of their bond.

Stev and his tribble underwent some genetic modifications.  Phread was given some technological improvements and during the procedure it was discovered that tribbles are sentient creatures.  Phread is now able to communicate using a computer interface.

After 10 years, one of Stev’s missions ended badly.  His superior officer broke protocol and ordered the USS Thunderchild into the area to rescue his officer. Unknown to the Section Chief of Station, T’Aiya was now serving aboard the Thunderchild.

Unwilling to put his wife through the pain and suffering of leaving her again, Stev worked out a compromise with his superiors.  Stev now serves both the Thunderchild as one of her intelligence officers and uses the ship as a base for his continued activities as an agent of Section 31.

Completed Steve stories: (in chronological order)

Return to Glory: Stev meets for the first time the officer who will later recruit him as a Section 31 agent

Shore Leave: Stev proposes to T’Aiya

The Stitch: Stev undertakes a mission into the past to clean up someone else’s mess.  This story introduces Stev’s protege

Found!: Stev is rescued by the USS Thunderchild

Blindsided: Just as Stev begins to settle into his new life, the Breen attack

Down Time: While the Thunderchild is docked at Starbase Earhart, Stev remembers his ‘shuttle accident’

Top Secret: Why I haven’t been updating this summer

Please pardon me in advance if I ramble through this post.  My thoughts are jumbled and I’m trying to make some coherent sense of everything that is running through my brain.

My wife of twenty-years passed away in May.  I’ve been dealing with the aftermath of her passing.  Paying off the debts left by her passing, coming to terms with being a single parent, and realizing just how big a gaping hole in my life was left by her passing.

I went back to work two-weeks after her passing.  The small-town paper where I work was entering its busy season with local fairs, the local high school softball team winning a second-straight state championship.  Needless to say I was running into a lot of working late.

With PIT #3 playing summer baseball, my schedule was even more fragmented.  I finally got the last bill related to Virginia paid off in late July.  I began to work on my 2009 taxes.  All this while I began to realize that my social circle did not include any single females that I might consider dating once I was ready to start dating again.  I’ve covered this all in my I’m not fishing post, so I won’t rehash that all here.

I began asking God where I should go to find single women who shared my faith and my call.  Two days after I began praying in earnest about what to do, a friend of long acquaintance sent me an e-mail.  We graduated from the same high school and went to the same church 25 years ago.

She had a question about my involvement in Role Playing Games and Renaissance Faires.  At this point I was thinking all about answering her questions as honestly and openly as I could.  I was not thinking about my recent prayer request.  After 200+ text messages, 50+ e-mails, and a phone call or two, I began thinking about my recent prayer request.  Sometime into our fourth or fifth day of talking with each other we began to realize just how similar our faith, calls, and geeky interests were.

I have promised her that I will not change my facebook status, or mention her name until I have met her parents and informed them of my intention to date their daughter.  Am I old-fashioned? yes.  Am I being a gentlemen?  yes.  Does she appreciate this aspect of my personality? in her own words, yes.  Are there other reasons for this requirement? yes, but I’m not at liberty to spill those beans.

So to sum up, spring and early summer were spent working and dealing with Virginia’s estate, mid-summer I spent finishing up my 2009 taxes, late summer through now I have been communicating with my girlfriend.  I have been living life and accomplishing things that need to be done.

Will I be introducing her to my friends and readers here.  Yes but, I need to introduce myself to her parents.

She’s been teasing me because I’ve been wanting to write about this for some time.  Every time I sit to write I get writer’s block because all I can think about is her.  I’m heading to her part of the country over Labor Day weekend to introduce myself to her family

I’ve got more original demotivational posters in the works, some rpg related posts, and some movie stuff that I haven’t been able to wrap my brain around.  Now that work is back to normal, I’ve finished off taxes and the estate, and the PITs are back in school, I should be getting some writing done.

Demotivational Poster: Eenny Meenny Miny Mo…

Yes, I am still here.  Things are happening behind the scenes. Stay tuned to this blog for more details