Tag Archives: El Paso Herald Post

In the early 90’s I lived in New York City. During that period of my life I was trying to find myself, my voice and my place in this world. It was during this time that I met some amazing people.

There was Geoffrey Owens, of the Cosby Show. I was sitting outside the Lincoln Center one Thursday afternoon, and I met Geoffrey. We began talking, and over time we became friends.

There was the time I met John Cardinal O’Connor. I had been spending a few days at St. Patrick’s, thinking about my life, and writing. That’s when a priest, Fr. Nelson noticed me and asked me if I was doing alright. We began speaking, and I started meeting with him for counseling. It was during those meetings that I met Cardinal O’Connor.

Like Fr. Nelson, Cardinal O’Connor became a friend. As he would read my writings, he would share with me his journey of faith. Both Fr. Nelson and Cardinal O’Connor were amazing men.

Then, I met Doug Simmons, who was then the editor of the Village Voice. We spoke about my desire to be a writer. He gave me some wonderful advice.

“Everyone has a story,” he told me. “Your job is to find the story that people want to tell, that the world wants to ready.”

Shortly after that conversation, I began to look for those stories. In New York City, there is a saying which comes from an old television show, “There are eight million stories in the naked city.” For me, there was no shortage of stories.

I began with the local churches, Masjids, Temples, wherever anyone went to worship.

Where we worship tells a story. It tells a story of a community joined together in a common purpose, a common sense of self. Depending on how old the structure they worship in is, those stories can go back centuries. Communities of faith became one of my two favorite subjects to write about. I’ve gotten away from that, and I don’t know why.

Living in New York, for the longest time, I lived at 124th and Lexington. I was a block away from the famed 125th . In Harlem, there were latterly a million stories. On the weekends, all up and down 125th , people would set up shop on the sidewalks. They would like
sale whatever items they had made by hand.

These were items you would find in the countries they hailed from. Others would sale times they bought for sale to make a little extra cash for their families. It was there that I discovered that everyone has a story. It doesn’t matter who we are, where we are from, or where we’ve been, we all have a story. That is where my love for sharing the stories and experiences for others began.

Now, I want to tell your story. Writing here, for the Herald-Post. I have shared some interesting stories about some interesting people.

There was the story of Sister Maria, of Fr. Yermo School; I ran into her at Target and just had to talk to her. Then there was the week I spent with the El Paso County Search and Rescue. Theirs is a story of helping the community when called upon.

Don’t forget about Yvette Macias of Chewy’s Animal Rescue. It was with them that I say the second half of that bit of advice from Doug Simmons play out. “Always give the person you are interviewing the last word,” Doug said. “By doing that you may discover an entirely different story.” With Yevette, I did find another story.

One of my favorite stories was of Oscar J. Molinar, a local actor who had to overcome a stroke to fulfill his dreams.  Oscar’s story has inspired me to no end!

Of course, I have also shared stories about some of our local churches!

There was the story of the first ever Mormon Chapel in Texas, and that is right here in El Paso. There was one story I did, El Paso’s Churches, Relics, and Faith, that told you about some amazing hidden treasures here in El Paso.

I want to share your story! I do. We have some much here in El Paso, Las Cruces, and Juarez. There is the history, the communities, the people and their personal stories and histories- all of it would fill volumes! I want to share it.

If you have a story you want to share- a personal story, history, family tradition- call me. If you know of someone who has an incredible story to tell, call me.

The El Paso Herald-Post is a local news outlet. We are not based in some far-off city with ninety percent of what we post written by a wire service. We are your hometown “paper.” I hope you will allow me to hear, and share your stores.

You can call/text me at 915-201- 0918, of if you would like to e-mail me, send me a message at Steven@StillGoingSomewhere.com

When I first began writing my first screenplay, I went through what every writer goes through, that dreaded “writer’s block!” It’s an irritating problem for us writers because it doesn’t just hinder your writing, but it keeps you from writing!

When it gets you, it gets you and it causes you to stop and possibly start a new writing project. Well, it did to me. You see how I said, “did?” That’s because it doesn’t happen to me anymore. I’ve found a way around that pesky nuisance. I call it a “loop hole” in the quantum entanglement parallel dimensional torsion field generator collider mechanism we call our brain.

If you are having trouble with writer’s block, I have some great ways to get you around it and finish that book, script or whatever it is that you’re writing. This is what I do. I don’t think of what to write next. You see, that’s the problem. You don’t need to writer what’s going to happen next. You can always come to that later. And trust me, it WILL come to you later. Just begin writing over that bump in the road and come to it later.

That’s one of my techniques. Here’s the other, and it may sound crazy to some of you, but hear me out on this one. When I began writing, I was just trying to write what I’ve either read in books, heard on the radio or saw on TV. You’re only trying to copy that structure. STOP! You don’t have to try to match someone else’s storyline.

When I write, my characters actually come to life. They have their own lives, talk their own talk, walk their own walk and run freely. I just follow ‘suit. I run with whatever my characters do. That sounds crazy, doesn’t it?

Think of it as Dr. Frankenstein creating his monster. He finds the parts, puts the pieces together and at the end, he gives his creation LIFE! IT’S ALIVE! IT’S ALIVE! IT’S ALIVE!

If you have fun with your writing, the possibilities are endless on overcoming that writer’s block, which is just a silly bump in the road. Put an “X” on it and come back to it later. The best way of coming up with a way to resolve your block is simply not thinking about . How many times have you forgotten someone’s name only to remember it when you’re not even thinking about it? It COMES TO YOU! Like Karma; in a good way.

Don’t follow structure. Forget about following the rules, Think outside the box. If you’re still having problems. Just get up, stretch, have some food, go outside and take in the outside world to clear your mind, then go back in and sit down and just simply begin writing. The words will pour out of you like sweat on a horse. Wait… Well, you know what I mean. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Just clear your mind and write.

I find it that listening to music clears my head. Especially music that deals with what I’m writing. Let’s say I’m going to write a 1930s detective noir. I listen to music from that era. Or if I’m writing a story about baseball, I listen to baseball on the radio or on TV if it’s playing or listen to old Harry Caray (RIP) sing “Take Me Out To The Ball Game.”

Do what you must, but don’t think too much or that dreaded Writer’s Block will surely make a mess of you.

If you have any questions about writing, filmmaking, writing, television, writing, movies, or anything paranormal, yes, paranormal; I’m a ghost investigator as well, just leave a comment and I will try to answer them “asbestos” I can. 🙂

Hola, Amigos.  It’s a new day in the Borderland.  A day full of the unknown, both good and bad.  And we’re back to help El Paso focus on the good, amplify that energy and build on the long, proud tradition of reporting and journalism that the Herald-Post always stood for.

But, why bring the Herald-Post back?

The Herald-Post cared about El Paso. You looked forward to getting the afternoon paper, because things had happened in your city since the morning paper was printed at 2am.  The news you read in its pages had a connection to you and your family.

In those pages, you cared about what you read, and your opinions mattered. It was neither gratuitous nor unnecessarily invasive in mindless detail.

It all went away in 1997. And we began to drift, pushed by the currents of breaking news, normal weather now branded as ‘dangerous’ and ‘look-at-this’ reporting.

Then 9/11 happens, live on TV, and that type of coverage is cemented into our brains, a new template for all to follow – like it or not. News has to be BEYOND immediate, and you need to see this thing right now. All of it a visual competition, with each bit attempting to outdo the previous story/link/video.

Planes into buildings not enough for you? How about this traffic cam footage of a drunk driver plowing into the back of a cheerleader’s car, killing her?  Ok, now look at this, here’s a rollover, and another. Do you have a picture of a wreck? Send it in! Tell us what you think about it!

We all got caught up in the visual aspect, following it up with obvious reporting (“How do you feel now that your brother-sister-relative-friend is dead?) rather than asking the larger question: how does reporting on a negative make things better?

Opinion has fared no better, being reduced to 144 characters or a meme involving a Minion or some other cartoon character.

And in the shadows of the towers of useless data streams and the cacophony of non-stop videos, El Paso has soldiered along. Much in the same way it has for the last 400 years:  periods of genuine progress, hampered by the more-than-occasional abdication of vision to others, both locals and out-of-towners.

Hence, the return to the past; dusting off a familiar name, and re-tooling it for the 21^st Century.  We need informed opinion on events that matter, not just someone screaming at the top of their keyboard lungs “CONSPIRACY.”

While TV news has only a minute, ten seconds to give you a story, the Herald-Post will have all day to tell you a story about the news – and start a conversation. It will be news when you want it, not holding back details until the early evening.

When it comes to Lifestyle, we’ll have people talking about subjects that take you to new places – be they on the movie screen, the rest area right up the road that you never stop at or that restaurant around the corner you’ve never been in.

Our Sports coverage will bring you the most vivid pictures our crews get, putting you right at ringside or on the sidelines.  You’ll not just hear about who won, but about the person that helped get that win.  And our coverage will be local first, not national.

The Herald-Post is local people, covering local news, asking you to consider their opinion and politely asking for your view. Because informed opinion leads to discussion, which leads to action and change.

That’s why the Herald-Post is back. So, what do you think? I look forward to the conversation.

Regards,

Chris Babcock

Editor-In-Chief

El Paso Herald-Post.com

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