Whiplash! “E” needs to focus.

Whiplash: An injury to the neck caused by an abrupt jerking motion of the head, either backward or forward; And in the case of writing or speaking, can be caused by a rapid change of topic without prior notice.

Whiplash! – “E” needs to focus.

It had been a long day for Evan. The energy that he needed to complete building that weapon was waning. At the beginning of the day he was filled with enthusiasm and drive. Successful completion of this task and a positive test run would demonstrate that there were better ways to subdue criminals that didn’t risk harming innocent bystanders. It was a simple device. Using a laser targeting sight, quantum traces of DNA could be transferred to the weapon, selecting one person and that person alone. Firing the weapon at that point would send out a pinpoint charge of electricity that would incapacitate its target instantly. It couldn’t fail.

But the day was getting late and Evan’s energy drain made him careless. In his haste to be done he accidentally triggered both the laser and the firing mechanism at the same time. And what does a weapon do, when there is no specific DNA trace? It generates its own and continues to generate new ones at an astronomical rate, finding as many targets as it can. His workspace being across the street from a Mega-Mall wasn’t going to help.

Whiplash!

If you want to maintain your healthy disposition and physical well being you should exercise. Exercise has the benefits of toning up your muscles and revitalizing your spirits so that you can continue to work and play for longer periods of time. Or at least that is what everyone says.

Me personally, I just like sitting and writing. My old FitBit used to have me take at least 250 steps every hour for 9 straight hours. That was always frustrating when I was sitting in a car for a 2-hour drive or at a movie. You might see me driving while moving my arm up and down 250 times, so I wouldn’t lose that consecutive streak. My new watch only wants me to stand up for a minute at least 12 hours during the day, and they don’t have to be consecutive hours. I like that much better and I can do that.

I set my devices to let me know if I’ve made my goal of 6,000 steps in a day. It does feel good if I accomplish that. But whether I do or not, as long as I’m not gaining weight and still feel good about myself, that’s enough exercise for me. Well, it’s really not, but I’d like to convince myself that it is.

Whiplash!

Evan knew that he was in big trouble as screams were heard across the street. He could hear the sirens wailing and the bustle of the crowd below his open window; and then there was silence.

Whiplash!

Sometimes when I am writing a piece the part that is the most difficult to write is the ending. You want the ending to resolve all of the content that you have created within the body of your text. If it is a story, you want it to be a somewhat thought-provoking yet satisfying end. “He woke up and it was all a dream,” just doesn’t make it.

If it is a non-fiction piece you want the readers to leave with a sense of understanding.

Sometimes, however, having the ending thought out first helps guide you in writing the whole piece. One story I’m working on, I started it with a problem, began developing that problem and then got stuck as to where to go so I wrote the ending next. I’m still working on the story, but at least I know where it is headed.

As a reader, I never look at the ending of a story until I get to it. I know there are those of you out there that need to know how mysteries are going to end up before you finish reading, but I like to be surprised. And then there those writers that start a story and leave you with a cliffhanger at the end, leaving things unresolved. That can be really frustrating.

Whiplash!

So what’s going to happen to Evan? Do you use exercise to keep up your energy? Maybe Evan should have. And are you a person that likes to know the ending of a book before you get there? Make sure you let me know.

Till we meet again… “F” it’s not one thing, it’s another.