Politics, Young People And The Internet

One thing the Internet is changing is politics.  One reason why Obama was elected was because of the Internet.  The Internet brought him voters and money.

I was watching the news on public television and there was a story about a 20-year-old man and his young friends who are players in the politics of Lebanon in the Middle-East because of the website they use to comment on Lebanese politics.

Young people have grown up with the world wide web.  They know how to use it.  They are using it to make their voices heard and to impact the life not only of the United States but of the world.

The Internet is also impacting literature.  If you are a writer be sure to read the short stories in the sidebar on the right under “Great Flash Fiction To Read”.

Blogging On A Grey Day In Pittsburgh

Time to go for my walk.  I don’t know if I’ll stop for a couple of beers or not.  I’m trying to live within my budget.  I can walk down toward the University of Pittsburgh or in the opposite direction toward Bloomfield, Pittsburgh’s “Little Italy”.  Since the sun is not shinning my walking won’t be as much fun but it’s still great exercise.

I found out from the Internet that the Penguins had won game four…The State of Pennsylvania is still over three billion dollars in the red and raising taxes may be the only way out…The Pittsburgh Three Rivers Art Festival starts today down at The Point downtown.

If you are an aspiring writer you will find all kinds of useful articles on writing in the sidebar on the right under “More Flash Articles”.

Flash Fiction For Baby Boomers and Generation X

The Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette is filled with flash fiction about baby boomers and Generation X.  Why?  Because the Old Soldier wrote a lot of the stories and the Old Soldier was born on October 25, 1946.  That makes me a baby boomer and a generation ahead of Generation X.

Mini-skirts, the Vietnam War, rock and roll, Easy Rider, The Pill, free love, the sexual revolution, Andy Warhol, inner city riots, topless bars, and the National Organization of Women: this is the soil from which the stories in the sidebar on the right under “Great Flash Fiction Stories To Read” grew from.

The Excitement Of Pittsburgh In The Spotlight

The City of Pittsburgh is on a roll with the 250th anniversary of the city, the Steelers, the Penguins and now the G-20 coming to Pittsburgh September 24-25.  You know what that means.  The international media will be focusing on Pittsburgh.

A lot of people around the world will be surprised to know that Pittsburgh is no longer The Steel City.  It’s more like the university, medical, business, cultural and finance city. 

And I forgot to mention it is also the home of the Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette which publishes some of the best short stories and articles on writing on the Internet.

How Writing Can Save Your Life

The Old Soldier is blogging away today.  I love my blog.  I’m on Social Security so I have plenty of time to blog.  I look forward to getting up every morning to check on my page views.  My days are filled with the struggle to come up with ideas for new flash fiction stories and new articles to post.  I know people my age who have too much time on their hands and they are miserable.

They have no real interest in anything.  They don’t get excited about anything.  They are slowly giving in to self-imposed isolation and loneliness.

Thank God I have writing.

Advice On Creating A Flash Fiction Story

Although a story may only be 600 words long the writer has to work from a story idea even if he or she has no outline.  All short stories are not equal and the flash fiction, sudden fiction, mini-fiction, postcard fiction and micro-fiction story need a different approach then the regular length short story.  Writing a very short story is more about inspiration rather than planning.  The flash fiction writer should keep the following tips in mind during the first stage of creating a flash fiction story.

What kind of story will it be?  Will it be about male-female relationships?  Or will it be about an obsession with money?

Will the story be mainly exposition or will it be told mainly through dialogue?

Where will the story take place?

Will the protagonist prove the theme of the story by succeeding or by failing?

What is the least number of characters needed in the story to make it work?

And finally, what is the narrowest span of time needed over which the story can take place?

All of these tips were used in the creation of the stories in the sidebar under “Great Flash Fiction Stories To Read”.

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