William K. Wolfrum Chronicles

One of the things that made Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood” such a charming film was how Burton captured a real sense of the gloriously eclectic camaraderie with Wood and his gloriously eclectic followers. That sense of community made a delicious backdrop to an already irresistible protagonist.

It is with this in mind that we announce the Grand Opening of ShakesQuill. As the sign says, it will be a place for “poetry, prose, vim, vinegar, whatever we want.”

ShakesQuill will be a place where those of us who aspire to fiction or other forms of writing can go and feel at home. And a place where literary lovers can love. And a place poetry, errr, practicers can practice. And such.

For myself, please note the above paragraph for the work I need as I pursue the first real challenge of my writing career. Just know that I enter this completely dedicated to making the first sustained effort of writing fiction and learning how to write in my life. And I will show the same dedication to the running of the site. Melissa McEwan has set a high standard for Shakesville and we plan on striving to maintain the spirit of community that thrives among Shakers.

The QCoFM herself will be a contributor, and Melissa has a short story there now which currently makes up our entire story inventory, But soon, soon, I say you will be seeing the short stories, poems, screenplays and novels in various stages of production, advice, questions, book reviews, and other weekly and daily features from our other current contributors: Maurinsky, Chet Scoville, Mustang Bobby, Portly Dyke and Space Cowboy. With more sure to come.

Because everyone is encouraged to get involved at ShakesQuill. Anyone not interested in being a full-time contributor can submit items to me at wkwolfrum@gmail(dot)com. There is also a link available on the Front-page of ShakesQuill.

As for commenting at ShakesQuill, we will be using Disqus as we use at Shakesville. Should anyone have any trouble commenting, please let me know.

Right now at ShakesQuill we have up a daily and a weekly feature. First, “The Word of the Day” which will feature a new word, either real or slang, with a definition and usage. And, wow, let me tell you, if someone wanted to take charge of that, I’d be pretty excited. The first one can be found here.

We also have our first Reader-Created Story up. This will be a weekly feature that I think should catch on and become the greatest thing since sliced bread. And sliced bread was a pretty great thing, let me add. Find out the stringent (not) rules and regulations by clicking here, and then lets see if you put enough Shakers in a thread if they can produce Hamlet.

We also will have grammar posts. Chet Scoville will share some of his skills with us any if any of you have a love of grammar, let me know. If we had 10 people posting about grammar, that would be wonderful. But, you know, two or three will do, if need be.

Basically, anything under the literary sun will shine at ShakesQuill. We’re open to all types of forms of expression, and I hope it will attract a wide array of different attitudes and writing styles and opinions. And I hope there will be more writers like me. Writers that are ready to take that next step but need a little push. ShakesQuill.com will be that push, I believe.

Finally, what I want from ShakesQuill is this - for it to be a safe place to share ideas, thoughts and more with other writers, with all of us at varying stages and interest levels. Trolls getting through will be deleted without comment. I want ShakesQuill to be a place where everyone can get the opportunity to learn, and to become dedicated or re-dedicated to fiction or other creative mediums.

So take a break from the political debate and indulge in a good read over at Shakesquill, which is at http://shakesquill.blogspot.com.

Feel free to leave any questions you have in comments.

Each step we take is one closer to tragedy. And usually simultaneously a step away from a tragedy. For Jerry White, a single step threw his world into turmoil, but also sent him on a road that would lead to helping thousands who’ve seen their lives shattered by tragedy.

Whether it is the death of a loved one, a serious injury, or any other type of tragic event, we will all be faced with times in our lives where all that matters to us is reduced to a single moment of tragedy. For White, that moment came in 1984, when hiking with friends in Israel, where he was attending school. White stepped on a landmine, losing a leg and nearly his life.

The experience was a turning point in White’s life, but not just in the obvious ways. From tragedy came tenacity, and White has spent his years since working to ease the emotional and physical pain of others. co-founder of Survivor Corps and a leader of the International Campaign to ban landmines, White has been a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

In his new book “I Will Not Be Broken: 5 Steps to Overcoming a Life Crisis” (2008, St. Martin’s Press), White expresses his philosophies on how to both survive and thrive when life’s dark side comes calling. Using interviews from countless survivors he’s worked with over the years, White has put together a tome that is part self-help book, part inspirational story, and all positivity. It is at once the story of his own survival, as well as how we all have a choice when crisis takes over our lives.

There is little that is groundbreaking in “I Will Not Be Broken,” but that is not the point. The five steps White gives are basic in premise, but with White’s experience both as a survivor and a friend to survivors, each step has a poignancy and depth that matches the author’s spirit. When combined with the thoughts of others who have endured everything on the spectrum from the loss of family, the loss of body parts, depression and overcoming disease, “I Will Not Be Broken” becomes a mesmerizing guidebook of how to overcome life’s trials.

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