Character Development: Vicki and Timmy

Whether you’re working on your next manuscript, or writing something for a school assignment, or simply writing something for your own pleasure, it’s imperative to show some type of growth within your characters. How are your characters different at the end of your story than from the beginning? Have there been any changes in your characters’ lives within the story? As in real life, we all go through changes, good and bad. These changes definitely have an impact on us. In my own personal life, there are some traumatic events that happened while I was in the Air Force that I still have trouble coping with. People going through life-changing events sometimes will have their whole thought patterns drastically rearranged. And this is the same for the characters we create for our stories. It’s vital that you, as the writer, show and tell your readers how your characters have changed due to certain events within your story. In creating the characters Vicki and Timmy for ‘Coreville Park’, it was a challenge for me to show both Vicki’s and Timmy’s reaction after Vicki had revealed to Timmy something so deeply personal, something in which she had never told anyone ever before. After this revelation halfway in the story, I challenged myself as a writer to come up with interesting scenes and interactions between Vicki and Timmy as the story unfolded towards the end. Making sure that your characters don’t all sound the same, and showing interesting character growth have been valuable lessons and tools for me. I hope that whatever writing project you maybe currently working on that these helpful reminders will benefit and make your story stronger. – Randolph Randy Camp Learn more at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

All Teachers Need Our Appreciation and Our Support

Teachers Need Our Appreciation and Support…I owe a lot to all the teachers in Spotsylvania County, Virginia who all had a hand in shaping me. Miss Kelly, Miss Pritchett, Mr. Harrison. We all remember the teachers who made the classroom and our assignments interesting. Great teachers have the unique ability to make their students want to learn. Great teachers bring their unique personalities and life experiences to the classroom. They are human beings, not robots. It bothers me how more restrictions are being placed on our teachers nowadays, whereby some of these restrictions give the teachers less freedom to inject their own uniqueness into the classroom, which ends up hurting the students. Instead of placing hard guidelines upon our teachers, we need to pay them more, and we need to show them more of our appreciation for all of their hard work and dedication they bring into the classroom. In ‘Coreville Park a reggae novel’, the teacher did nothing wrong, but yet, she was unjustly suspended. We need to stand up for our teachers, as they did in Coreville Park. The paperback edition of Coreville Park is now available on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp) – Randolph Randy Camp

Reggae Lovers Supporting School Teachers

The paperback edition of ‘Coreville Park, a reggae novel’ is projected to be released on September 15, 2023.…Rastafarians, reggae music lovers and teachers from around the world converge on a small community in Florida called Coreville to rally around and show their support for an elementary school teacher who was suspended for allowing one of her students to do his oral book report on a book about the Rastafarian culture, which wasn’t approved by the local school district.

Coreville Park, The Back Story

It was the early 1970’s when I first heard reggae music. The Wailers’ songs ‘Put It On’, ‘Small Axe’ and ‘Concrete Jungle’ instantly moved me. Just as I had enjoyed listening to songs by Curtis Mayfield and Bob Dylan during this time period, I equally became a fan of reggae, especially the roots-style reggae, and I’ve been a devoted fan ever since. Over the years, I’ve gotten to know and developed a great deal of respect for the Rastafarian culture. When I was in the Air Force I had the privilege of visiting Jamaica while on leave. Being a writer of mostly contemporary issues and subject matter, I think that it was just a matter of time before I found a creative way to insert the Rastafarian culture into one of my stories. I’ve been a book nerd all of my life, and it pains me to see the widespread book banning going on across America right now. Writing ‘Coreville Park’ is my response to all the unjustified and sometimes discriminatory book banning currently taking place across the nation. As mentioned before, I’ve been loving books ever since I was a little boy. It’s a shame and a disgrace that some politicians and school districts want to ban certain books nowadays. Placing strong restrictions on teachers and controlling how they conduct their classroom hurts the students. The classroom should be a place that nurtures open mindedness, not a place that erases history or attempts to brainwash young minds. I love it when some public libraries and book stores, large chains and small independent ones, proudly display and offer the ‘banned books’ to the general public. The paperback edition of ‘Coreville Park a reggae novel’ is projected to be released in mid-September 2023. – Randolph Randy Camp

Welcome To Reggae Town: Coreville Park, a reggae novel

‘Coreville Park, a reggae novel’ is dedicated to all teachers, librarians, and educators who speak, encourage and teach the whole truth to our youth. ‘Coreville Park, a reggae novel’ is projected to be released in mid-September 2023. Here’s a little teaser…Rastafarians and reggae music lovers from around the world converge on a small community in Florida called Coreville to rally around and show their support for an elementary school teacher who was suspended for allowing one of her students to do his oral book report on a book about the Rastafarian culture, which wasn’t approved by the local school district. When reggae came to town, it changed Coreville forever. If you already know reggae, enjoy the ride. If you’re new to reggae, come along and enjoy this entertaining ride to Coreville Park. – Randolph Randy Camp ‘Coreville Park, a reggae novel’ consists of twelve chapters, including 1. Morning Walk, 2. Rasta Winds, 3. Livity, 4. Calling All Rastas, 5. Reggae Town, 6. Danny’s Plan, 7. Young Flowers, 8. The Priceless Gift, 9. Reggae In You, 10. Come With It, 11. The Garden, 12. Brighter Days.

Always Learning, always

Growing up and learning from life lessons ain’t always easy. It’s 2023 now, and I’m still learning. Quite a few of my readers had asked me about the Snack Shack and the original piece I’d written entitled ‘MY SPOTSYLVANIA NIGHTS’ about one of my early dating experiences. Here it is again… Last night my mind drifted back to the fall of 1978 when I was 17 years old anxiously diving into manhood. I definitely went through a lot of changes during my last year of high school. I seriously think that 1978 and 1979 were the years that gave me a glimpse of the real world and helped to shape my views and attitude toward women and dating. As in countless towns throughout America, Friday night high school games in Spotsylvania County was the place to be, especially when the Spotsylvania Knights was playing their greatest rivalry, the James Monroe Yellow Jackets, from Fredericksburg, Virginia. During these Friday night games, many of us had our first experiences with the opposite sex and got a bitter taste of reality as we tried to shed our juvenile skin. During my senior year at Spotsylvania High, I would leave school and sometimes go directly to work at the Howard Johnson’s Restaurant in Fredericksburg. While working as a busboy and dishwasher, I’d worked up enough nerve to ask a fairly new waitress out for a date. The first time I saw her I wanted to be with her. During our lunch breaks we would chat and laugh about our high school lives. We made a date to meet up Friday night at the Snack Shack just before the big game between the James Monroe Yellow Jackets and the Spotsylvania Knights. I arrived early at the Snack Shack nervous as hell but looking sharp. This was going to be a big night for me because I truly thought that one of my mannish dreams would be realized. As this particular night unfolded however, I slowly became aware that our hopes and dreams come in many shapes and sizes and that we have to prepare ourselves for the different angles in which things present themselves to us. What I’d initially viewed as an awful experience actually was my most valuable lesson. After waiting for twenty minutes for my date to arrive, the lady behind the Snack Shack service window gave me a look of concern. I instantly looked away, pretending not to notice her look because I was too embarrassed that my date hadn’t showed up yet. The Snack Shack was quiet briefly because the football game a short distance away had started already. From a distance, we could see the bright stadium lights illuminating the dark Spotsylvania sky and we could faintly hear the stadium cheers of the fans. The lady at the counter knew that I was hurting and instinctively knew why I was hurting. She motioned me towards the service window and kindly said, ” You want to eat some fries with me? It’s my break and it’s on the house.” Shame-faced, I shook my head ‘no’ and slowly stepped away. About fifteen minutes later my date still hadn’t arrived. Once again, the lady behind the counter approached the service window with a large order of fries in her hand. She tapped on the window to get my attention. She could easily read the obvious frustration and embarrassment on my face as I repeatedly sighed at the side patio table. She motioned me to come to the window. This time I accepted her offer as she tried her best to cheer me up with stories of her school days and all of the boys who’d stood her up. When it comes to dating, still today, without even realizing it sometimes, I will make my judgments and opinions about potential women in my life not based upon the young lady who’d stood me up, but instead, based upon the beautiful qualities of that wonderful warmhearted lady at the Snack Shack that cool September night. After all these years, I still think about that kind-hearted lady at the Snack Shack and all the changes I went through during my young Spotsylvania nights. – Randolph Randy Camp

Free Books! A Win-Win for Everyone!

GIVING IS BEAUTIFUL… Giving someone the tools to expand their knowledge and imagination is a beautiful thing, and that’s what #freebooksaturday is all about. Simply take your used books and freely offer them to your neighbors. Touch someone’s soul this Easter weekend by participating in your own Free Book Saturday event. Learn more at https://randy0312.wordpress.com Nowadays in 2023, there seems to be a Little Free Library or a neighborhood Book Exchange practically everywhere. If you can, please consider dropping off a used book or two at your nearest Free Library this weekend. This is a win-win for everyone. (And a Special thank you to EVERYONE who have supported RANDIE’S FREE LIBRARY in Des Moines, Iowa, and the LITTLE FREE LIBRARY located in Ames, Iowa, honoring Dr. Randie Danielle Camp)

Let's Talk About Heaven

When I was little I would just walk into the store, walk right pass Ms. Chewning and go straight to the penny candy aisle. Ms. Chewning was busy at the register but I think she knew who I was and instinctively knew where I was going. As I got a little older, Ms. Chewning would speak to me the moment I entered the store. The first time she spoke to me it kind of took me by surprise because I didn’t remember ever telling her my name. During my high school years I made sure that I stop by and say hello to her, even if I wasn’t buying anything. Ms. Chewning had a heart of gold and she was genuinely interested in my future goals and plans. Recently I was with a group of teenagers. The teacher asked the class, “What story would you guys like to discuss first?” Excitedly, one of the students blurted, “Let’s talk about HEAVEN!” From the feedback I’d received since MONICA was released, the short story Heaven seems to be the favorite among the teens, as it touches on coming-of-age stuff. Personally, I get a kick out of this whole experience because during these book talk sessions someone always ask me what was the thing that first inspired you to write a particular story. I absolutely enjoy this part because I get a chance to tell everyone something uniquely special about my grandson Anthony, my daughter Randie, my cousin Pamela, and Ms. Chewning. During this session I told the class how Ms. Chewning had asked me what was I going to do over the weekend and when I told her that I was going to Service Town she responded, “Randy, aren’t you a little too young for that kind of crowd?” Ms. Chewning knew that I was a book nerd and had goals of seeing Japan and Australia one day so over time she had developed a little concern whenever we would chat. During that weekend there was a big dance party at one of the hotel ballrooms near the truck stop at Service Town. I’ll never ever forget that hot Saturday night because it was the very first time I’d ever heard the term ‘lot lizard’ and saw the wild side of a truck stop. When I saw Ms. Chewning the following week I tried to dodge her curiosity about my weekend by awkwardly talking about KC and the Sunshine Band’s new song. She read right through my trick and gave me a look…that kind of look a loved one gives you to keep you in line and grounded. Ms. Chewning will always have a special place in my heart. – Randolph Randy Camp More at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

Flipping Procrastination: Creating Monica

Along with losing focus at times, one of my dreadful faults is procrastination. But in a strange twist of fate I was able to flip procrastination on its head and make it work for me. You see, I’m constantly writing and simultaneously coming up with new story ideas. As you can tell, this creates a big problem whereby I temporarily lose focus on my current writing project because of the steady flow of fresh incoming story ideas. In an effort to organize and keep track of my numerous story ideas, I jot down notes about each one and then I stick them in a pile in which I tell myself that I’ll get to them sometime in the near future. Sometimes this method works for me but for the most part it simply doesn’t. One day I looked at my ever-growing pile of story ideas and the lightbulb in my brain suddenly came on. It hit me, sift through the pile and create a short story collection, and that was the initial work to bring my latest project ‘MONICA a Short Story Collection’ to fruition. Whatever your goals are, don’t let procrastination stop you completely. For sure, it may slow us down a bit but keep moving on and never let it defeat you. Learn more at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp