Remodeling!

Well I've had my fun with the fractal and now it's time for a more refined Fictionarium. If I want to generate some respectable freelancing income, I need to have a more professional looking site. So please be patient during my redesign. My HTML book and I are working as fast as we can!

Getting Busy with the Shaking of the Moneymaker

Welp, I've managed to take a step back from the social networking frenzy and just STOP and think for a moment. It's been a slippery slope the past few weeks, starting with Twitter (that's another story in itself), gobbling up some memes and wasting oodles of time with silly discussions on forum boards. This stuff can be entertaining, but I can easily lose focus on my writing goals with new distractions at every turn. Blinders: On.

In my header you can see talk of online freelancing and experiments with being paid to write. I've yet to try anything of that sort. So, game on. Tonight I've joined Socialspark, a writing marketplace with a social aspect and an interface that seems easily navigated. I'm starting with Socialspark because it appears a lot less flooded with bloggers (it's still in beta) and I've read mostly positive things about its writing opportunities and payment process.

I'm totally green about exactly what advertisers are looking for in a site before they contract with the blogger, but I'm eager to learn. The Fictionarium is currently a modest PR 3, but pretty focused on the writing niche and not too cluttered with ads so I have high hopes for it.

Stay tuned for freelancing updates of what's worked and what hasn't for me. You will see some sponsored posts here mixed with my creative writing projects and beloved lists. I hope to nail an assignment from Socialspark by this weekend. Please share your comments if you're involved with it or another pay per post system that's working for you.

Ten Fast Food Trivia Facts No One Can Live Without

I love making lists. It's good practice for sifting through information online and I always learn something. Since I'm a recovering fast food junkie, I researched some industry trivia instead of eating a Big Mac, which is what I'd really like to do. The most interesting little nuggets made the list. Here are 10 trivial fast food facts no one should live without. Brace yourselves:

1. Which chain began in a broom closet? Papa John's Pizza. John Schnatter "remodeled" a broom closet in his father's tavern in 1984, bought about $1500 of used pizza equipment and started cooking up tasty pies which Americans can enjoy today at 3,000 locations nationwide.
2. Which chain aired a commercial with singing robots called Sponge Monkeys? Quizno's
3. Which chain was conceptualized by 17-year-old? Subway Sandwiches, established in Bridgeport, CT, in 1965 by teenager Fred DeLuca to pay for his college education. He opened his shop with a $1,000 loan from a family friend and called it "Pete's Super Submarines". DeLuca still serves as president of the privately held company that owns Subway today.
4. Where was the hamburger first served in America? New Haven, CT, in 1900 at Louis Lunch. It was completely dry - beef and bread only.
5. Which restaurant created the first drive-through window? Wendy's in 1970.
6. Which was established first, In and Out Burger or McDonald's? In and Out by seven years, established in 1948 by Harry and Esther Snyder of Baldwin Park, CA.
7. What's the oldest fast food chain in the U.S.? White Castle
8. Where is The Colonel's secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices for Kentucky Fried Chicken's locked away? In a safe in Louisville, Kentucky, under heavy security measures.
9. Typically, how many fast food advertisements does an American child see in a year? 20,000
10. Which special menu item has taken on a life of its own in comedy and satire, inspiring the fictitious "Boneless Pig Farmers of America"? The McRib sandwich, courtesy of McDonalds.

Man, I'm hungry.

Trying a New Meme: Fiction Friday

This Week’s Theme: Conspinkey

Detective Moss burned a whole in the note with her stare. What could it mean? She took a deep breath and tried to clear her mind. Recalling all the conversations she'd had with Lilo over the last month, she could not remember any occasion where he'd used the word "conspinkey".

She didn't find it in the dictionary. It wasn't a local bar or business; she'd called information and gotten nowhere. But it meant something, and something important. Lilo risked his life to get it to her and it had likely gotten him killed. She still couldn't believe Homicide had rolled to his apartment this morning. Poor Lilo. He was a con, but a pretty harmless one. She'd liked him more than any other informant thus far.

Wait a minute. "Con", conspinkey...conspinkey? Maybe Lilo was just a bad speller. After all, he must have had only seconds to scrawl something on the back of her business card. It was a longshot, but one the detective could not ignore. Moss immediately left headquarters for County. She had a sudden interest in examining a certain prisoner's pinkie finger.

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