Loaded with chains and sorrows,

I step into many uncertain tomorrows

While storms and tempests convulse the sea,

and sweep away trackless paths that bring you safely to me

I am thus wrecked against the breakers of an unfortunate life,

and relegated to traverse all terraqueous ground in tearful strife

I consult the withered hags of my destiny,

they fail to treasure up aphorisms and maxims of ecstasy

Now deeply tinctured with false beliefs,

I go forth bravely, my heart heavy with griefs

Hoping that planetary influences oppose my fate,

and continue to keep me from my beloved mate

I hold out for smiles abundant and frowns a-few,

and many a year at home, my love, with you

But my future is assigned by a distant celestial orb,

whose grievous infidelity I cannot accept, let alone absorb

I take comfort that centuries will roll over even the meanest of my history,

and flatten it into a beautiful truth of mystery

My dreams now a-glimmer on a distant horizon,

I set sail again, all the more wizened

Now filled with the pleasures of a voluptuous court,

my beliefs never again will I abort

No longer am I filled with the repetition of evil thought,

nor the acidic residue of all that is naught

The great planets, sitting in judgment over me,

lay me to sleep in a field of unfractured glee

I then hum incantations of the ancient and new,

that once again bring me safely home to you

In the still moments before dawn,

when the deep lavender sky

paints with a broad dark-pastel brush,

I invest morning thots on a good wind,

and several noble gases of my breath

displace the coolness of yesterday’s

unfulfilled wishes,

made by false hearts on slow journeys

back through days that promised so much

and delivered frosty sorrow.

My high hopes diffuse into pink clouds

that soon warm and bubble,

pushing morning into afternoon,

flowing solemnly with faith anew

that descends in a cleansing evening rain,

silver drops into rivulets

rivulets into streams

streams into rivers

rivers into the beautiful promise of tomorrow

I’ve only had two formal jobs where I wasn’t my own boss: Airborne Ranger in the US Army and a scientist at various universities.

Otherwise, I’ve been an entrepreneur in several different fields, including writing and editing books.

There was a time when I wrote and edited the work of other people whose books were published by Simon and Schuster, Random House, Harper Collins, etc. And some of them ended up on the New York Times bestseller list. And the “authors” of my work got all the credit and royalties. That’s fine with me, ’cos I prefer to be behind the scenes.

Nowadays, I am published by a small indie publishing firm. The money is less sometimes . . . the liberty to do what I want is off-the-charts more . . . and my life is sooo much more productive and fulfilling.

To say I am struggling is relative: my Dad still thinks I’m broke as hell (he’s a multi-millionaire. My friends envy me because I make all the rules, set my own schedule, take long vacations to places like Africa and Afghanistan . . . and usually I make good money, certainly enough to live on and play with.

And, no, Dad does not support me financially. I take care of myself quite well.

Most people do one thing for many years, get good at it, then retire. Afterward, they may write about it, or try to write about something they love but don’t know much about.

That, to me, is the greatest struggle: trying to write without having had the experience behind it.

...

Look for the full article by prolific Prose Partner, author, and poet Rio Ramirez (@rioramireznovel) later today on The Official Prose. Blog at: blog.theprose.com/blog.

We’ve all had it, that moment when nothing comes to mind.

Our words stare back at us, asking to be fleshed out, continued, fulfilled, and we can do nothing to help them. Our protagonist has gotten herself stuck firmly this time, and is going nowhere fast.

The most important thing about keeping momentum in writing is staying flexible. Sometimes you have to change what happens and add something to the plot you hadn’t foreseen.

Let’s say you introduce a new, secondary character. Who is he, and how does he know your protagonist? Now, as the author, you’ve embarked on a whole new decision tree, if you will, exploring each branch to see which might bear fruit. How exciting!

Of course, a new character means the necessary work of fleshing him out, giving him a viable and plausible life and place in your story. The point is that his new character has opened a door and given you a way forward, if you choose to take it.

Maybe it’s not a new person that your story needs, but a new place. Your protagonist takes a trip. Is it for business, or pleasure? Has she been there before? What happens to her understanding of her situation while she’s away?

...

Tune in to The Official Prose. Blog for the full article by Seattle author Anne Leigh Parrish at: blog.theprose.com/blog.

We are pleased to introduce you all to one of the newest members of the Prose. community, Mr. Peter D'Hollander, who we have come to know as "The Dragon."

He currently lives in Mechelen, Belgium - "that small country that holds the word record on forming a government."

Working as a Technical Author, he says that he sometimes wonders where he left "the Author part." And, although he speaks fluent Dutch, he writes in English as you'll note the more work he shares with us here.

P: What is your relationship with writing and how has it evolved?

PD'H: It all started with an injury. I wasn't allowed to do sports for a couple of months and so I had some spare time on my hands. I was thirteen, so you start with doing your homework until that, too, isn't fun anymore. To keep myself busy I started to write and I never stopped since.

My relationship with writing is an intense one. I started when I was thirteen and imagined I would be writing novel after novel after novel. It quietly turned out differently and by the time I started my professional career I wrote articles for some Belgian and Dutch IT-magazines. Because I wanted to publish a book I wrote 45 IT-related non-fiction books for local publishing houses such as of which one was translated in Italian. I've been told it was quite some goal to reach because only few manage it. It probably was the 'highlight' of my own writing career so far.

I still vividly remember that day I stood in front of a class, teaching a group of adults something about computers (I no longer remember what). When I introduced myself that first day I proudly told them about my many books and one of them quietly asked me: 'did you already publish a real book?'

I didn't and so that is my next goal: publish a 'real' book. Actually, I already published a few short stories on a local website, but I'm still aiming for that book. And if possible, one in English. To be precise: a Young Adult Fantasy or Science Fiction story. That would literally make my day.

P: Briefly discuss the value that reading adds to both your personal and professional life.

PD'H: For my professional life the answer is easy: I search for the techniques used in non-fiction (and fiction) books to add them to my technical writing. My ultimate goal? To write the technical manual the Germans wrote during the Second World War for their tanks. Even the Russians loved to read them.

For my personal life: they teach me about the way other authors create characters, their world and their story. I have the tendency to write down too much, so it teaches me how to cut as well.

P: How would you describe your current literary ventures and what can we look forward to in future posts?

PD'H: I love originality. Not in the kind of stories I choose, but in the way I dress them. I often take a subject everyone has written about and then add that quirky part that makes it original. Or at least, that's what I keep telling myself. I presently wrote one short story, but I'm working on a longer one I hope to be able to publish on Prose so people can tell me what can be made better.

P: What does Prose. mean to you? What, if any, suggestions would you make that might improve or enhance your experience?

PD'H: Prose is a way to find out what I can do better. I don't really like the kind of responses that tell me how awesome my stories are (unless they explain me what they find awesome), but I rather like it when people explain me what can be made better. I take criticism for what it is: your point of view.

And I use it for what it's worth to me: what can I make better?

P: Where else can we find you and your writing?

PD'H: You can find me all over the internet in Belgium and the Netherlands. And in books as well, of course. Sadly enough, they are all in Dutch.

My website is http://computertaal.info, an IT blog (in Dutch) that has been around for ten years and counts almost 10,000 articles. However, my main goal is to help you find me in a local bookstore. Of course, I first will have to persuade a publishing house and that, my friends, is not always such an easy feat.

Still, I don't despair. One day I knock them off their feet. If not in reality, then at least in fantasy.

You can follow Peter here @AuthorTheDragon and be on the lookout for more of his work.

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This #FridayFeature blog series is designed to help you get to know your fellow community members better. Would you like to nominate someone for interview? Have a question you’re dying to ask of someone on the platform? Send us a private message here or visit our contact page to get in touch: theprose.com/p/contact.