chase5collins

[chase5collins]

https://youtu.be/ZqNudVd-DNI

Yo check out this video I made! Link 📲🎥🐶

[chase5collins]

Yo check out this video I made! Link 📲🎥🐶

[chase5collins]

Fingers - Chase Collins

Hey! Here is a short film I made yesterday. Give it a watch if you don't mind:) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMk-Ti1204Y&feature=share

[chase5collins]

Orlando - 1 Year Later

Hi. I haven’t posted a blog in a while. In fact, it’s been a little over 1 year. My last blog post was about the Orlando Pulse shooting. Now I am not exactly a part of the LGBTQ+ community, but I am a human being, and the loss of life in any capacity impacts me. It was the same for Sandy Hook. I was only a child then, but as a grown man I still cried when I heard about Orlando.

I have been writing for as long as I can remember. I use writing as a creative outlet that I would like to turn into a career someday. But writing has and always will be a way to express myself and my feelings, a coping mechanism.

When I heard about Orlando I was traveling and I can remember crying on an airplane waiting for it to land so I could run into the arms of my family, thanking God that I was so fortunate. But while I waited the only way to stifle the tears was to write.

What became of those emotional thoughts was a poem. I’m not going to share it, because this blog post isn’t about me. This blog post is about remembering that life is precious and that we can’t forget those who lost theirs at the hands of evil.

Last year, John Green posted a video titled Orlando in which he shared the names of those who were murdered. He said ‘I think we should hear their names as much as possible’ and I think this still holds truth.

I want to end this post the same way I ended my post from a year ago, by sharing the names of the victims. The names to be remembered, not forgotten.

Stanley Almodovar III Age 23

Amanda Alvear Age 25

Oscar Aracena Age 26

Rodolfo Ayala Age 33

Antonio Davon Brown Age 29

Darryl R. Burt II Age 29

Jonathan Camuy Age 24

Angel Luis Candelario-Padro Age 28

Omar Capo Age 20

Simon Carrillo Age 31

Luis Daniel Conde Age 39

Cory James Connell Age 21

Tevin Eugene Crosby Age 25

Anthony Luis Laureano Disla Age 25

Deonka Deidra Drayton Age 32

Leroy Valentin Fernandez Age 25

Mercedez Marisol Flores Age 26

Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz Age 22

Juan Ramon Guerrero Age 22

Paul Terrell Henry Age 41

Frankie Hernandez Age 27

Miguel Angel Honorato Age 30

Jimmy De Jesús Age 50

Javier Jorge-Reyes Age 40

Jason Benjamin Josaphat Age 19

Eddie Jamoldroy Justice Age 30

Christopher Leinonen Age 32

Alejandro Barrios Martinez Age 21

Juan Chavez Martinez Age 25

Brenda Lee Marquez McCool Age 49

Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez Age 25

Kimberly Morris Age 37

Akyra Murray Age 18

Geraldo Ortiz-Jimenez Age 25

Joel Rayon Paniagua Age 31

Jean Carlos Mendez Perez Age 35

Enrique L. Rios Age 25

Eric Ivan Ortiz Rivera Age 36

Jean Carlos Nieves Rodriguez Age 27

Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Age 35

Christopher Sanfeliz Age 24

Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan Age 24

Edward Sotomayor Jr. Age 34

Shane Evan Tomlinson Age 33

Martin Benitez Torres Age 33

Juan Rivera Velazquez Age 37

Luis Vielma Age 22

Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon Age 37

Jerald Arthur Wright Age 31

Stay tuned for more content in the future, but for now;

Till next time,

Chase Collins

[chase5collins]

Omg

Kill yourself

Kill me yourself you fucking pussy

[chase5collins]

!!!

#CPConnect goes live TOMORROW! If you’re in the market for a #critiquepartner he sure to join us! Details on my blog! #writerlife #writing #amwriting

[chase5collins]

Hey everyone! On this up coming Monday (8/15) @kimwritesbooks is hosting an event to help other writers find critique partners at her website www.kimchance.com/blog. She is a wonderful blogger/vlogger who posts weekly vlogs giving helpful writing advice. She also answers questions on her tumblr page! I encourage everyone who is looking for a critique partner to participate this Monday. I know I will be! Visit her website for more information.

[chase5collins]

[chase5collins]

Orlando

By now, everyone knows about the attack, so I am not going to go into details. I just want to reiterate what everyone else has been saying: Now is the time for us to unite as citizens of the world. Now is the time for us to stand up for what is right. Now is the time to think of people as people, and treat people as people. Now is the time to mourn, but tomorrow it’s time for progress.

I believe the most important thing we can do when talking about this topic is not using the terrorist’s name or showing his face. Many times those who carryout acts of violence are seeking attention, and when their face is plastered up on every T.V. station and billboard, they are given it. Copycats see this and are taught that if you want to be noticed, then you commit a violent crime. Now, however, there has been a decrease in using their names and faces in the media, and I applaud that. I think now it is most crucial care and show support for those who were affected by this incident. Arguably we all were affected, and I hope a change can come from this.

To end this blog, I will post the names of the victims. Those are the names to be remembered now, not the shooters.

Stanley Almodovar III Age 23

Amanda Alvear Age 25

Oscar Aracena Age 26

Rodolfo Ayala Age 33

Antonio Davon Brown Age 29

Darryl R. Burt II Age 29

Jonathan Camuy Age 24

Angel Luis Candelario-Padro Age 28

Omar Capo Age 20

Simon Carrillo Age 31

Luis Daniel Conde Age 39

Cory James Connell Age 21

Tevin Eugene Crosby Age 25

Anthony Luis Laureano Disla Age 25

Deonka Deidra Drayton Age 32

Leroy Valentin Fernandez Age 25

Mercedez Marisol Flores Age 26

Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz Age 22

Juan Ramon Guerrero Age 22

Paul Terrell Henry Age 41

Frankie Hernandez Age 27

Miguel Angel Honorato Age 30

Jimmy De Jesús Age 50

Javier Jorge-Reyes Age 40

Jason Benjamin Josaphat Age 19

Eddie Jamoldroy Justice Age 30

Christopher Leinonen Age 32

Alejandro Barrios Martinez Age 21

Juan Chavez Martinez Age 25

Brenda Lee Marquez McCool Age 49

Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez Age 25

Kimberly Morris Age 37

Akyra Murray Age 18

Geraldo Ortiz-Jimenez Age 25

Joel Rayon Paniagua Age 31

Jean Carlos Mendez Perez Age 35

Enrique L. Rios Age 25

Eric Ivan Ortiz Rivera Age 36

Jean Carlos Nieves Rodriguez Age 27

Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Age 35

Christopher Sanfeliz Age 24

Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan Age 24

Edward Sotomayor Jr. Age 34

Shane Evan Tomlinson Age 33

Martin Benitez Torres Age 33

Juan Rivera Velazquez Age 37

Luis Vielma Age 22

Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon Age 37

Jerald Arthur Wright Age 31

Till next time.

[chase5collins]

African Praise Poetry

As you have probably already guessed, today I will be writing about my experience with African praise music. For those of you who don’t know, I am in the creative writing club at my university, in fact I am the newly elected treasurer for that club. We meet every Wednesday, and like every other Wednesday, this Wednesday was no different. But what was different about this Wednesday, was that in our meeting the (now former) co-president of the club decided to go over a style of poetry (or genera of music?) called African praise music. And, from what she told me, I learned that African praise music is a type of poem that in Africa. Now I don’t want to be disrespectful by trying to inform others what African praise music is, so I’ll link you to the Wikipedia page HERE. But I will say that generally you want to write a poem that breaks rules and is out there with excitement about yourself. And now, I’m not talking about excitement that is out there outside your window walking your dog, no. what I mean is that this excitement is out there getting on a plane to get out there, out there. Or at least, that’s what I think this poem is about. It’s also supposed to be something like an ice breaker. As if you were introducing yourself to someone through African praise poetry. I’ll include the rules bellow (which I got from this website HERE):

Guidelines:

1st line—an introduction or a salute—begin with a phrase such as “Praise to,” “Here’s to,” or “I am”

Next 2 to 3 lines—refer to yourself by different descriptive names and phrases— Compare or identify yourself with something without using “like” or “as;” For example, a wolf, a storm thundering across the plain; animals and natural occurrences most commonly used

Next to last line—refer to some action or deed

Last line—begin the same way as the 1st line; repeat the idea of the first line, but vary the words

Okay, so you got the guidelines, right? And you know that it’s supposed to be out there with excitement, and about yourself, right? We’ll, here is my poem:

Praise to me for doing the best I can

I yearn to be a cheetah paving the way for the rest of the pact

But, I am a slow moving sloth that no matter how hard he tries is always in the back

Yet, praise to me for doing the best I can

I walk the asphalt looking at my feet for fear I will fall

But, praise to me for doing the best that I can

Yea, not exactly what they wanted. Like, I think I followed all the rules, but I kind of took a self-deprecating take on the whole thing, you feel me? And don’t get me wrong, this wasn’t an accident. I didn’t just read this back, and be like “Well I’m no shrink, but I’d say I’m depressed.” No, that didn’t happen. I literally named this word document “AfricanPraiseMusic_KindaSelfDepricating” because I know that what I wrote is a little sad, and wasn’t really all that exciting.

Having said that, I still think this poem raises a lot of questions. Like, why do I strive to be the best, but always find myself failing? Why do I like metaphors about animals and pavement? Why can’t I look up when I walk? Seriously though, this was supposed to be an exciting poem, and I kinda made it sad. Like I just turned a clown’s frown right side up. But you know what? I’m not upset with my poem. I don’t think it’s good, but I do think it’s good that I got out of my comfort zone. And I do think this exercise bettered me as a write.

 I guess that’s about it. I hope you all have a wonderful day and I hope you try writing outside of your comfort zone sometime. Maybe try some African praise poetry. Don’t forget, you check out the first three chapters of my book right HERE!

Till next time, 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[chase5collins]

Spring Break 2016 pt. 2

Here it is as promised part two to my spring break story!

Our schedule went as such: day one: the departure – on the ship leaving the port; day two: the first beach – at the first beach (Could not tell you the name of it for the life of me); day three: the second beach – I think the name of it begins with a ‘C’; day four: last full day of chilling – on the boat traveling home; day five: packing – we left the ship at nine in the morning. I’d like to sit here and tell you how I spent my first day on the beach in the sun flirting with girls and my nights in the clubs dancing with the same girls, but that wouldn’t be true. Of course, I spent a good amount of my time in the sun and in the water, but a vast majority of my time on the beach was spent drinking (the legal age to drink is 18 in the Bahamas, mom), which I do regret a bit. They had this coconut water and rum deal, and boy was it a deal (tomorrow I'll post a picture of the guy who hooked us up!) I swear I had like five of them and was on my ass. I didn’t think I was inebriated, but looking back, I most definitely was. Now, if you’re familiar with Young Life or how it works, you’ll know that there is typically a type of “club” that meets on trips like this. Well, this trip was no different and I hate myself for the fact that I don’t remember the club of day two. I remember being there and enjoying what the speaker said, but I don’t remember any specifics. This bothered me, and opened my eyes to how much I value my time in a sober mind set. This led me to not drink (much) on the third day.

The third day we were on the second beach, the one that starts with a ‘c’… anyways… this was probably my favorite day on the trip. Not because of the gorgeous beaches or the attractive women, but because I was enjoying myself. I got to hang out with a bunch of the guys who I met on the trip, and have several deep conversations with my friend who brought me along. They helped me realize what I valued as a person.

Now let me talk for a second on my rooming situation. Out of the six of us who drove down together, four were in the same room and two were in completely different rooms than everyone else. As you could probably guess, I was a part of the two, and was rooming with people I didn’t know, but just like the car ride down, everyone was so kind and loving and welcoming. One guy who is a year younger than myself, was the kindest soul I’d ever met. He was very welcoming, and even though he had brought his own friends on the trip, he devoted a significant amount of time to making sure I felt welcome. Fortunately our personalities were compatible and we ended up rolling together for a majority of the trip. I don’t think that would have been the case if he was not so kind and genuine.  

Moving on. The last day on the ship was one of the best. There was no schedule for when we had to be places, no set plan. It was awesome. I didn’t spend my time in the pool and playing games, but I took the day for myself and spent hours laid out on a pool chair writing. For a long while, I had been struggling with a scene in my WIP, The Captains Apprentice (Read the first three chapters at chasecollins.com!), and being on a ship in the middle of the ocean surrounded by water on all fronts, I could not help but be inspired. One of the problems I’d been having was looking at my computer screen and not know how to craft my sentences in a poetic way that I know I was capable of.  As opposed to writing a sentence like “her hair flowed like the soft silk of freshly woven curtains rippling in the wind” I would write “her hair is wavy and soft.”

What in the actual **** was that?

Not my best, that’s what. So I came to the conclusion that my computer screen was the problem. Which led me to the open deck with a pen and note book. Sometimes living in a world where you are surrounded by technology twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, you can get bored and uninspired. So I threw it back to old school and wrote about three pages in my note book, and you know what? Those were the best three pages I had written in weeks. Sometimes you can craft wonderful sentences with a pin and paper better than a computer. I think it has to do with taking the actual time to write out long hand what you want to say, as opposed to typing one hundred words per minute.

Anyways, that was my trip. And it was awesome. I know I probably strayed off topic pretty hard, but I hope it wasn’t too hard to follow, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it half as much as I enjoyed it. I hope your spring break was just as good. And I hope summer break turns out just as awesome!

Till next time

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[chase5collins]

The second half of this blog coming tomorrow!!

Spring Break 2016

Hey everyone! So first things first: I am so sorry that I didn’t post a blog last week. I was very busy with travel and did not have the time. So as a bonus for me not posting last week, I will post two blogs this week! That’s right. So the next one will be released on Friday. Now, on to what today’s blog is about. 

As you can guess from the title, this blog will talk about my spring break of 2016. I wrote this blog right after spring break ended and was planing on releasing it then, but I didn’t post it cause I’m a loser. But without further a do, here is my spring break. BTW this blog is in two parts, the next part will come out Friday. The reason for this is because it is long for a blog. 

Spring break 2016 has ended just as every other spring break does: too soon. But fortunately for me, I had a wonderful spring break and am perfectly satisfied with it ending. It was like finishing a meal at a five star restaurant where you didn’t eat too much, only just enough. That was all I could ask for: a wonderful break filled with great company and great experiences. Of course I don’t want it to end, who would? But it would be selfish to ask for more. So I won’t. I will be satisfied with the time that I had and will go back to school well rested and ready to work.

Now for the question you’ve all been wondering: what did I do over spring break? And I will tell you in just a second. Okay. Ready? Here we go: I went to the Bahamas, and it was fantastic. To be more specific, I went on a cruise to the Bahamas, and it was also fantastic. But before I get too far into the actual cruise, let me give you some back story.  

I attend university in Virginia, and one of my good friends here at school organized a cruise through Young Life College, and he invited me to go. I was hesitant at first, because I thought I would have other plans come spring break, but as most plans formed between two college students tend to do, they fell through. So, my schedule was open, and I came to the conclusion that there probably wouldn’t be another opportunity for me to go on a cruise with one of my best friends here at school. I went to my friend and said, in a very James Franco fashion, “Spranggg breaaak.”

From that moment on, to be honest, I hardly thought about the trip until the Monday before we were supposed to leave. I quickly realized how unprepared I was, and as a result I had to have my parent priority mail my passport to me so I could actually get on the cruise, buy a bathing suit cause I didn’t bring one to university, and pack for a week-long trip in about an hour. That is only a taste of how wildly unprepared I was, but I think you get the idea: I was not ready. This was the first time I was going on a trip essentially on my own. I had been on trips out of the country before (Italy and South Korea), but this was the first time I was travelling without any parental advisement or supervision. In many ways this was my first taste of adulthood in which I truly could be seen as a responsible adult, and I failed miserably.

Anyways, moving on. Come Friday, I was all packed and ready, so five other dudes and I piled in my friends Honda Pilot at 7:30 pm then proceeded to drive through the night to Florida. I’d like to take a moment to explain how much I appreciated this car ride. I only knew one of the five individuals in the car and as a shy person by nature I was pretty nervous about how this would all go down. Would I be the award quiet kid in the backseat constantly contemplating how much of my sarcastic personality I should reveal? Or would I be the asshole who takes over the aux cord and plays my favorite genres of music for everyone to hate on? Or would everyone’s different personality’s mesh to form a badass group of individuals whose chill factor could only be compared to the Avengers (pre-Civil War, of course)? As you can probably guess, the latter was the result and I had nothing to worry about. I don’t treat the word “friend” lightly, and use it seldom, but after this thirteen hour car ride, I can honestly say that these guys are my friends, and would gladly hang out with them any day of the week. That road trip was one of my favorite experiences of the trip, and I almost regret, no I definitely regret, not joining them on the car ride back.  

What Young Life cruise trip to the Bahamas would be complete without a quick act of community service? Not this one. That’s right, on our trip to the Bahamas, we stopped at a camp ground and worked for about five hours doing trivial yard work and maintenance. My group scrubbed wooded rocking chairs and rain gutters of their grime. It was work, not hard work, but work, and it was fun. I got to interact with a ton of individuals who I did not know and learn how to work together. It was so gratifying seeing the kids at the camp run around playing games of volley ball and Frisbees and more, having the time of their lives. During that time I envied how innocent they were. How filled with glee, so ignorant to the world around them. Really fascinating (“The world to a child is like a dream to an adult”). That’s probably more than enough back story, so let’s get on with the vacation.

After our “service project” we camped out for a night, and then we drove another hour to the port where we disembarked, and then it was spring break *James Franco voice*. From that moment on, it was sun and bathing suits and women in bikinis. This was arguably the best spring break I had ever had.

Okay! so that was the first half of my spring break, and I hope you enjoyed reading it! The second half is coming Friday:)

Till next time 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[chase5collins]

Spring Break 2016

Hey everyone! So first things first: I am so sorry that I didn’t post a blog last week. I was very busy with travel and did not have the time. So as a bonus for me not posting last week, I will post two blogs this week! That’s right. So the next one will be released on Friday. Now, on to what today’s blog is about. 

As you can guess from the title, this blog will talk about my spring break of 2016. I wrote this blog right after spring break ended and was planing on releasing it then, but I didn’t post it cause I’m a loser. But without further a do, here is my spring break. BTW this blog is in two parts, the next part will come out Friday. The reason for this is because it is long for a blog. 

Spring break 2016 has ended just as every other spring break does: too soon. But fortunately for me, I had a wonderful spring break and am perfectly satisfied with it ending. It was like finishing a meal at a five star restaurant where you didn’t eat too much, only just enough. That was all I could ask for: a wonderful break filled with great company and great experiences. Of course I don’t want it to end, who would? But it would be selfish to ask for more. So I won’t. I will be satisfied with the time that I had and will go back to school well rested and ready to work.

Now for the question you’ve all been wondering: what did I do over spring break? And I will tell you in just a second. Okay. Ready? Here we go: I went to the Bahamas, and it was fantastic. To be more specific, I went on a cruise to the Bahamas, and it was also fantastic. But before I get too far into the actual cruise, let me give you some back story.  

I attend university in Virginia, and one of my good friends here at school organized a cruise through Young Life College, and he invited me to go. I was hesitant at first, because I thought I would have other plans come spring break, but as most plans formed between two college students tend to do, they fell through. So, my schedule was open, and I came to the conclusion that there probably wouldn’t be another opportunity for me to go on a cruise with one of my best friends here at school. I went to my friend and said, in a very James Franco fashion, “Spranggg breaaak.”

From that moment on, to be honest, I hardly thought about the trip until the Monday before we were supposed to leave. I quickly realized how unprepared I was, and as a result I had to have my parent priority mail my passport to me so I could actually get on the cruise, buy a bathing suit cause I didn’t bring one to university, and pack for a week-long trip in about an hour. That is only a taste of how wildly unprepared I was, but I think you get the idea: I was not ready. This was the first time I was going on a trip essentially on my own. I had been on trips out of the country before (Italy and South Korea), but this was the first time I was travelling without any parental advisement or supervision. In many ways this was my first taste of adulthood in which I truly could be seen as a responsible adult, and I failed miserably.

Anyways, moving on. Come Friday, I was all packed and ready, so five other dudes and I piled in my friends Honda Pilot at 7:30 pm then proceeded to drive through the night to Florida. I’d like to take a moment to explain how much I appreciated this car ride. I only knew one of the five individuals in the car and as a shy person by nature I was pretty nervous about how this would all go down. Would I be the award quiet kid in the backseat constantly contemplating how much of my sarcastic personality I should reveal? Or would I be the asshole who takes over the aux cord and plays my favorite genres of music for everyone to hate on? Or would everyone’s different personality’s mesh to form a badass group of individuals whose chill factor could only be compared to the Avengers (pre-Civil War, of course)? As you can probably guess, the latter was the result and I had nothing to worry about. I don’t treat the word “friend” lightly, and use it seldom, but after this thirteen hour car ride, I can honestly say that these guys are my friends, and would gladly hang out with them any day of the week. That road trip was one of my favorite experiences of the trip, and I almost regret, no I definitely regret, not joining them on the car ride back.  

What Young Life cruise trip to the Bahamas would be complete without a quick act of community service? Not this one. That’s right, on our trip to the Bahamas, we stopped at a camp ground and worked for about five hours doing trivial yard work and maintenance. My group scrubbed wooded rocking chairs and rain gutters of their grime. It was work, not hard work, but work, and it was fun. I got to interact with a ton of individuals who I did not know and learn how to work together. It was so gratifying seeing the kids at the camp run around playing games of volley ball and Frisbees and more, having the time of their lives. During that time I envied how innocent they were. How filled with glee, so ignorant to the world around them. Really fascinating (“The world to a child is like a dream to an adult”). That’s probably more than enough back story, so let’s get on with the vacation.

After our “service project” we camped out for a night, and then we drove another hour to the port where we disembarked, and then it was spring break *James Franco voice*. From that moment on, it was sun and bathing suits and women in bikinis. This was arguably the best spring break I had ever had.

Okay! so that was the first half of my spring break, and I hope you enjoyed reading it! The second half is coming Friday:)

Till next time 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[chase5collins]

New blog tomorrow. Look for it!

Maintaining A Blog

Well, here I am again, writing words on a blank word doc listening to Drake and hating myself. Why am I hating myself, you ask? No? You didn’t? Well I am and here’s why. I did not keep up with my blog. Not even a little bit. If you read my first post (you didn’t but that’s fine, I forgive you), then you know that I told myself, and you, that I would post here once a week for the rest of forever. And as I have already told you, I did not do that. Not even a little bit. I posted the first time about three months ago (maybe less, maybe more, I can’t remember it’s been so long, but we’ll go with three), and I haven’t posted again since. To give myself the benefit of the doubt, I was incredibly busy this semester with joining a fraternity, keeping my grades up, and working on my book. So, I was busy. But big deal. Like I said in my first blog post, I will always be busy, and if I don’t make time for what’s important to me, it will never get done. For example: my book. That is important to me, so I make time for it. Another example: my family. Those people are important to me, so I make time for them.

One thing that’s important to me that I don’t make time for is my blog. Now by saying, “this thing is important to me,” while simultaneously not making time for that thing is a little ironic. An Oxymoron? Hypocritical? Who cares. It’s messed up. It’s like that jerk who asks you out, but then never calls to schedule the actual date. It says, “I want you to know that I care about you, but that’s all I want.” And apparently I’m that jerk. But no more. I declare from here on out that I will post to this blog once a—nope too much commitment. Let’s start small. How about I will post this blog before the end of the week. There we go. That’s better. I can handle that.

As you can see, I’m scared to post my work. That’s one of the reasons why I haven’t posted here much. The other reason is I didn’t have time. But now, I have tons of time. So the only excuse I have is fear, and ya boi aint no puss so I’ve come up with a few rules for me to follow that will hold me accountable to this blog.

Rule one: stop caring what people think of your blog posts. They don’t have to be perfect, and they don’t have to be serious. Have fun with it.

Rule two: you don’t have to post once a week, but how about 3 times a month? That way it’s not a once a week thing, but you still have to do it. And btw, that (^^^) is not a question—you have to do it. The question mark is just there so people think I’m polite.

Rule three: — actually never mind, we’re starting small. Two rules is good.

So… yea. Those are the new rules, and I promise to stick to them, and to this blog. I haven’t figured out what I want to post on this blog yet, so feel free to give me some suggestions about topics and stuff. I have a few ideas, but what would you like to read? I’m doing this for you, after all.  

           Till next time   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[chase5collins]

Maintaining A Blog

Well, here I am again, writing words on a blank word doc listening to Drake and hating myself. Why am I hating myself, you ask? No? You didn’t? Well I am and here’s why. I did not keep up with my blog. Not even a little bit. If you read my first post (you didn’t but that’s fine, I forgive you), then you know that I told myself, and you, that I would post here once a week for the rest of forever. And as I have already told you, I did not do that. Not even a little bit. I posted the first time about three months ago (maybe less, maybe more, I can’t remember it’s been so long, but we’ll go with three), and I haven’t posted again since. To give myself the benefit of the doubt, I was incredibly busy this semester with joining a fraternity, keeping my grades up, and working on my book. So, I was busy. But big deal. Like I said in my first blog post, I will always be busy, and if I don’t make time for what’s important to me, it will never get done. For example: my book. That is important to me, so I make time for it. Another example: my family. Those people are important to me, so I make time for them.

One thing that’s important to me that I don’t make time for is my blog. Now by saying, “this thing is important to me,” while simultaneously not making time for that thing is a little ironic. An Oxymoron? Hypocritical? Who cares. It’s messed up. It’s like that jerk who asks you out, but then never calls to schedule the actual date. It says, “I want you to know that I care about you, but that’s all I want.” And apparently I’m that jerk. But no more. I declare from here on out that I will post to this blog once a—nope too much commitment. Let’s start small. How about I will post this blog before the end of the week. There we go. That’s better. I can handle that.

As you can see, I’m scared to post my work. That’s one of the reasons why I haven’t posted here much. The other reason is I didn’t have time. But now, I have tons of time. So the only excuse I have is fear, and ya boi aint no puss so I’ve come up with a few rules for me to follow that will hold me accountable to this blog.

Rule one: stop caring what people think of your blog posts. They don’t have to be perfect, and they don’t have to be serious. Have fun with it.

Rule two: you don’t have to post once a week, but how about 3 times a month? That way it’s not a once a week thing, but you still have to do it. And btw, that (^^^) is not a question—you have to do it. The question mark is just there so people think I’m polite.

Rule three: — actually never mind, we’re starting small. Two rules is good.

So… yea. Those are the new rules, and I promise to stick to them, and to this blog. I haven’t figured out what I want to post on this blog yet, so feel free to give me some suggestions about topics and stuff. I have a few ideas, but what would you like to read? I’m doing this for you, after all.  

           Till next time   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[chase5collins]

Starting A Blog

So I just spent the past two weeks creating my website, which will be linked to at the bottom of this post. Now, given that these past two weeks were also the first two weeks of my spring semester, you might not think that was the best idea, and to be perfectly honest, I agree with you. I am now behind in classes (don’t worry, mom, I’ll keep my grades up), anxious all the time (because of the site), and am scrambling to keep my website going. I really don’t know why I thought this would be a good idea, and after pondering that question for a while, I came up with a number of reasons.

Reason one: I’m always going to be busy, and if I wait until I’m not busy, I’m never going to make this thing. So I got off my lazy ass and spent several hours learning the ins-and-outs of squarspace and created the website.

Reason two: I made a promise to myself that I would post a blog to my tumblr page (@chase5collins [shameless plug]) once a week for the rest of forever. As I so desperately wanted to do that, I also knew that if I wanted to take my self seriously as a writer I would need another page to where my followers (all none of you) could connect on a more personal basis. I thought a website would be the best way to do that, so here we are.

Well, that’s why I started a blog. And that’s why I will continue writing this blog until the rest of forever. Check out more info about me at chasecollins.com and read the first three chapters of my book there too!

~ ~ ~

So I wrote this about two months ago, and as you can probably guess, I have yet to post it. Two months ago, after I finished writing this, I said “I’ll come back to it in a while, edit it, and then post it.” And that was the honest reason, if I was lying to you. The real reason was because I was scared, and still am. I haven’t posted any of my writing that I didn’t spend a minimum of two years working on, and I am still unsatisfied with my work (but I like to think all writers feel that way).

Well, now that it has been a while (a long while), I finally came back and edited the text above, and to tell you the truth: it wasn’t half bad. I laughed at the parts I wanted to laugh at, I think my point was made without it being too dense. And now I am going to stop making up excuses and post this damn thing. Once again you can check out my website at chasecollins.com for an extended version of this blog as well as a link to the first three chapters of my WIP The Captain’s Apprentice.

[chase5collins]

AFYW - 2

Research your topic. Writing from the imagination is great, but writing from a knowledge base is even better and will make your writing seem realistic and believe able.