Writing Samples, Background Checks, and the movie Psycho

          Ok, so a few months ago, I apply to this copywriting job. They want me to turn in a writing sample titled "How Background Checks Can Save Your Life." So I turn this writing sample in, and I think it's pretty good, but regardless, I didn't get the job. But instead of letting this writing sample go to waste, I'm gonna post it here for you all to read. Doing a background check using an online website isn't a subject matter I usually write about, so I was afraid the sample wouldn't turn out that well. But surprisingly, it turned out well, and maybe even a bit humorous. I liked it. Maybe you will too. Check it out:

How Background Checks Can Save Your Life

Have you ever seen the 1960 horror film Psycho, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, and Janet Leigh? In this movie that received four Academy nominations, a young secretary named Marion Crane goes to an isolated motel after embezzling money from her former boss. What Marion doesn’t realize is that the owner of the motel, Norman Bates, is a mentally unstable man with a split personality, who sometimes assumes the persona of his dead mother. “Mother,” as Norman refers to her, has jealousy issues and tends to kill women whom Norman feels attracted to. While Marion is undressing in her motel room, Norman watches her through a peephole. When she begins showering; Norman, dominated by the Mother persona, stabs Marion to death with a large kitchen knife.

            Had Marion done a background check on the Bates Motel before checking into a room, the story would’ve gone differently. She may have found some disturbing information about his past and decided not to stay the night there. She would’ve driven away to her final destination unharmed, although the movie wouldn’t have gotten the same critical acclaim. This is a perfect example of how background checks can save lives.

            Although Psycho is a fictional story, there are real life scenarios that fit the category of horror. Just look at Ted Bundy; a man that gave the impression of being charismatic, attractive, good-natured, and well-educated. He turned out to be a serial killer that was able to charm women into trusting him before he took them somewhere secluded, and assaulted them. If any of these ladies had done a background check on him before taking a romantic drive into the woods late at night, his body count would’ve been a lot lower, and he would’ve been imprisoned earlier. Then there’s the story about the young woman in South London who went on a date with a “nice” man she met off the dating site Plentyoffish.com. The “nice” man, now known as the convict Peter Ramsey, turned out to be not-so-nice after all. At the end of the date, Ramsey walked the woman home. When he attempted to kiss her, she refused, and he snapped. The woman suffered severe injuries, and much more. But had she done a background check on Ramsey before agreeing to meet up with him, she would’ve seen that he had convictions for shoplifting and assaulting police.

            There are many benefits to background checks. As Ramsey’s date found out, it’s always a plus to check out the past of a potential romantic candidate to make sure they’re not hiding certain character traits that would make them a less than desirable date or mate. Or if a parent needs to find a babysitter for their pride and joy, and couldn’t get a family member or friend to do it; they can rest assured through conducting a background check that their little one is left in good hands. Background checks are useful for both property owners looking for potential renters, and people who are looking for an apartment to rent or a hotel to stay at. When an investor needs to find a reliable investment broker who they can trust with their hard earned money, a background check can help protect their interests and alert them to any issues.

The Birch Aquarium in La Jolla

The Birch Aquarium in La Jolla

The Birch Aquarium in La Jolla is not only fun for the whole family, but educational. Kids of all ages (anywhere from 3 – 90 years of age) will enjoy learning about sharks, whales, seahorses, coral reefs, tide pools, and more than 60 habitats of Pacific marine life! But going to the Birch Aquarium isn’t just about looking at pretty fishes and touching prickly sea creatures (although that’s fun too); but it’s an eye-opening experience that makes you think about huge issues that impact our entire planet. The Birch Aquarium also educates its many visitors about climate change, sustainable energy, and how we can reduce our carbon footprint in order to take care of our planet.

            The first exhibit I encountered was the Tide Pool Plaza; two pools filled with captivating sea creatures consisting of star fishes, lobsters, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers. The volunteers allow you to touch these fascinating creatures. It’s kind of like the petting zoo, but with slimy and prickly things. These creatures are called bottom feeders because they eat whatever’s on the ocean floor, keeping the ocean clean. A little fun fact about the sea cucumber is that it has two sets of intestines. Whenever it feels threatened by a potential predator, it expels one set of intestines, which either drives away the animal due to the horrendous smell, or the predator turns it’s hungry gaze toward the intestines and leaves the sea cucumber alone. The sea cucumber will regrow back another set of intestines.

            The Birch Aquarium does its part to keep the general public in-the-know about one of the hottest topics of today, global warming. All valuable information is provided by one of the world leaders of climate research, Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Human actions have changed the world’s atmosphere, causing temperatures to rise more rapidly than natural. This will have adverse effects on our planet: the melting of ancient glaciers, a rising sea level, the greenhouse effect, and changes we might not even be aware of. Urgent action is needed in order to limit global warming to moderate levels. The Birch Aquarium does a great job at communicating this message to kids by having interactive games and activities for them to engage with.

My Story "Mysteriously Clean Apartment" was Published on Amazon

I recently published a story of mine on Amazon. It's called Mysteriously Clean Apartment. It's about a young, gothic woman with an affinity for combat boots who lives in an apartment with stray gothic boys crashing at her place. Then one day, someone starts breaking into her apartment.........and cleaning the place. She can't figure out who it is, but the place has never looked better. The downside is the mysterious cleaner isn't super effficient: they break glasses when washing them, throw her whites in with her colored clothes while doing the laundry, and overflow the toilet. Oh! And they steal a pair of her beloved combat boots every time they come over to clean. So before Sarah loses her sanity, she's got to reflect upon her life to figure out who the mystery cleaner is before she loses her mind and runs out of combat boots.

Check it out. It's on Kindle but you don't need a Kindle to read Kindle books - you can download the free Kindle app and read on your PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and a range of Android devices.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007OMB26S/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_alp_uV9Bpb1JQXYPH

Delaney on Arapahoe

Samuel Delaney

stands on Arapahoe

side of the street in front of

Naropa University

Like big amiable bear

With long Santa Claus beard

Close enough for him

To see me wave goodbye

As Sarah and I drive by.

He pauses briefly,

As if to wonder who?

Before raising his own to make the same gesture

The Wonder"verse"

Wonderland of imagination and words,

Multi-colored pens,

A hundred half pages of prose,

and Lewis Carroll…

Safe Haven…..

Echoes…..

into the blackness of space…..

edging the “verse” to find

the key of Apollo

undamaged…

amidst the ruins

“What is the meaning of the seven-line song?”

The lotus

grows and blooms in the mud

emerges pure and clean

The pen and paper prevail

where tongue and speech fail

And then….

P’s musty old typewriter

glows with vitality

Precision of the arrow

Guided by its bow

Awareness of every………..day LIFE

peacocks, and Lamas,

Josslings, and fireflies

Exploration of the essential

The root

and the heart

Poetic Medley

What happens
in my living space
when I turn on the lights?


Dakota's howl awakens
that which is found within.
It's not the wolf we fear,
it's the wilderness.


Tree trunks and roots,
immoveable
unwavering
and still....
in the midst of torrential rains.


This door
leads to a dew drop
that has no name
no blame
no need for retort


Still I yearn
to have a way
or a word
to be known by


Years fade
like memories
cascade....


Leaves fall prey
to gusty mayhem
wilt away
on top
olive blades of grass

Honorable mention

As a writer trying to expose my work to the public eye, I receive my share of rejection letters. A couple weeks ago, I got this 8 x 11 sized envelope in the mail from the Writer's Digest. Last spring, I had submitted two short stories and three poems to their 78th Annual Writing Contest. I hadn't thought about it much lately, until I saw the envelope. I didn't expect to be one of the winners. They must get thousands upon thousands of applicants per each category of their contest. In fact, I had received two notifications of rejection within the month from other publications, so I assumed another rejection was what was inside this envelope. I opened it anyhow. I read the first couple sentences. Funny, I thought... I've never read a rejection notice that started it's first few sentences with "One of the most enjoyable tasks as editor of Writer's Digest is passing along good news to writers. This is one of those fun occasions."

About the time I finished reading these sentences, my mind broke into two. Part 1 of my mind couldn't quite process the data it was just given, and was stuck on the theory "rejection notice." However, the new data created a glitch in the system, and Mind Part 1 tried to reason how a rejection notice could begin with the prophecy of good news.

Luckily Part 2 of my Mind was able to process the information and was excited to continue reading the letter. However, it was in such a hurry to read further that my eyes almost couldn't keep up. They tripped over words, scraping their knees, but Mind Part 2 grabbed their hands and dragged them across the next sentence. "It is my pleasure to tell you that your manuscript, Indulgence, has been awarded Honorable Mention in the Mainstream/Literary Short Story category of the 78th Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition."

So as a part of my blog entry this week, I am including an excerpt from my short story Indulgence, which was Honorable Mentioned in the 78th Writer's Digest Writing Competition:



Indulgence

Blaze added another coat of cover up to the wrinkles around her eyes, touched up her mascara, and repainted her lips a crimson red. She examined herself naked in front of the dressing room mirror; average height and weight, long, dark hair, and large, full lips. She saw the sagging of her breasts, the wrinkles around her eyes, the flabbiness of her stomach, and how her pale thighs jiggled when she moved. She was accustomed to hiding her flaws through make up and costume.

Blaze took out a black nightie that covered her belly. She always wore lingerie that covered her stomach since it was no longer tight and slim as the stomach of the young girl who stood next to her, applying pink lip gloss. The young girl couldn’t have been more than twenty-one years old. She was pixie like, with slightly pointed ears that poked through her blond hair.