About Me
My Work
The image to the left is of Gladys and Lester Woltz and Blanche. I am now compiling data about my family's life in Ohio. In addition, I have been recently contacted by a cousin in California who acquired a manuscript of stories from our mutual (above mentioned) Aunt Blanche. These are stories about her life in New Mexico from 1940 to 1945. She and her husband at the time (she had four) had various adventures while working as a team in the border patrol world. Of course, all this was in contrast to what was going on around the world. World War II. Some of these stories are serious situations and some are hilarious! We plan to put them in book form and publish them some time in 2022 or early 2023.
My Community
If it wasn't for my observation of others and my interaction with them in everyday life, I would have few resources. I do volunteer at races, when I can. It is amazing how people react to the same situation if various ways. Community involvement is the way to do it. Through my life as an athlete/runner and beyond, I have gathered many traits from the people I meet. I've become a keen observer of the public and store those images for future use. I do run the occasional local races, usually the 5k associated with our Houston Marathon, the Bayou City Classic 5k/10k, the Bellaire Trolley Run and various relay races related to the beginning or end of HARRA's season series.
My Journey
One step at a time, I started my writing and journeying twenty three years ago. I have been at it for a while. It was hit or miss for the first few years. I have several short stories stored up and many more poets, yet unpublished, but I am here to stay. I plan on sticking with it. Guess that's why I chose middle and long distance running in the first place.
I find it enriches my memory with past races, relationships developed and places i have trained and raced. I have lots of memories to draw on and write about. Discipline is all that is needed to the mix. You might have similar experiences. You can make comments to me if you like. I will respond and we an make a conversation of it.
More About My Process
Writer Development
I edited "Raymond Carver, a biography" by Carol Sklenicka a while back. He was a short story writer from the 1950's.. I find lots of references on writing skill in these pages and chapters.
He was quite tenacious and stopped at nothing to develop his craft. His health suffered from it, but the main idea is to maintained concentration on your work. Oh, I recommend paying attention to your health and surroundings, as well. He advocated finding a quiet, secluded place one that you can write undisturbed. So I always try to find a similar setting.
Usually, a lot of good things have to fall into place. This can take years, as it did with his writing success. His characters were real to him and he wrote about them convincingly. Raymond gives a lot of great advice, a hard act to follow. Even though it is from a few years ago, I believe you would enjoy Carol's writings.
Ongoing Writing and Reading
I am sharing with my next writing project. I will be about my Great Aunt Blanche, It will be a colorful narrative as she had 4 marriages, the last in her early 80's, before succumbing to old age at 91.
I am always looking for the next character name or quirk in their personality to personify. It is a never ending search that keeps me hungry for the next story line or theme. Whether it is perfecting poem, short story or novella or book chapter.
I am now read a detailed book on Albert Einstein. It is quite lengthy, four hundred plus pages. I'm learning lots of details about him.
Runner Related Activities
I am a Certified Runner Coach per Road
Runner Club of America. So, I do coach
local Greater Houston competitive runners from time to time.
I use the Jack Daniels Running Formula, no, not the booze, the training formula. I have used it in my own training so I know it works. It takes motivation and concentration. Natural skill helps, but what we are born with can be further developed. I look forward to taking your situation, whatever it is, and pointing you in the right direction to reach all your goal.
In The Community
Latest with Ino Cantu
Ino Cantu lives in San Marcus, Texas. He is still running races at 89 years of age. He recently appeared in the HARRA news in Houston. He was one of several HARRA members who competed in the USATF Southwest Masters Track & Field Championship held on Feb. 12
2023 at University of Houston's indoor track. Ino finished the 800m in 4:15:30, just 49 seconds off his own American record of 3:36:42 set in 2020. He should have no problem in December when he turns 90, in capturing new age bracket first's. Not to rest on his laurels, but he still holds the American record in the outdoor 1500m for M85-89.
Generate excitement
Running isn't just good for the body. It's also an exercise for the mind and soul, said Thomas Woltz, a Houston running coach and 75-year-old-life-long runner. " You just should feel better. You should feel mentally satisfied,"
Woltz said, adding this activity or some other repetitive one can improve a person's ability to set and
reach goals in their everyday lives. Woltz is coauthor of Finding My Road, a biography that details the life and times of Ino Cantu, a Victoria College grad and All-American runner.
Now you can buy my eBook
Well, I hope most of you are sitting down. I finally created an eBook to go along with my paperback. It is available at:
AMAZON.COM/AUTHOR/THOMASWOLTZ.
It's at a reduced price ($3.99) so its easy on the budget. I had been wanting to do this for a long time, but things, life kept getting in my way. Oh, you don't have to use upper case on entering it in your browser. Send me a note if you buy a copy and give me a review.
Thoughts & Suggestions
Journaling and Other!
One should get a journal, Why, you say? Well, I have found it quite helpful to gather my thoughts together in one place. Put them down on paper, in a soft or hard back book. At 75, or any age, anyone can get a little scatter brained. I know I can. Why miss out on some great idea(s) just because you didn't take the time to write them down.
If your book or journal is big enough, you could even buy some peel off tabs or use your handy dandy label maker and set up sections. Like one for overnight dreams you have, as opposed to thoughts you might come up
with once you are awake.
Photo Care:
Sometimes I combine ideas. Like one of my other hobbies, family genealogy research. I do split my time on a number of different projects. I try to utilize writing/journaling with gathering facts, ideas or content toward creating sections of my upcoming book(s) or story. I also create stories, in my many writings to utilizing family events, fictitious and actual events of my past.
Here's some tips that one can use that assist you to carry over, picture placement in your book, blog or website. These tips come from Family Tree Magazine, April, 2023:
“ WRITING ON OLD PHOTO’S”, SAFELY”
By: Family Tree Magazine
A. Write on the back using a soft-led pencil.
B. Put on it: name of all included, birth & death dates, when photo taken, where photo found or located (custody chain).
C. Or use soft-tipped markers: purchase odorless, waterproof, soft- tip markers, let dry first.
D. On damaged photos: scan photos to preserve & use digital repair to remove possible ink smudges.
Site Content
Detail your services
1. Fitness Consultant: Advise on injuries, first aid, other runner related.
2. Runner Coach: I am certified by RRCA (Road Runner Company of America) to coach individuals or groups to reach their short or long term goals.
3. Expert advise on Harris County (Texas) residents protesting their taxes.
4. Writer: collaborate with other writers on anthologies, short story compilations and books of poetry.
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LATEST: Future, what, there is one?
UNCERTAIN FUTURE?
Here is another area of uncertainty, confusion as to where we are going? Now, I took another jump into new electronics and upgraded to an iPhone 12, my technical life has taken another dive. But, yes, I did take a tutorial, live, at the Geek Squad/Best Buy store. Appears they have an agreement with Apple Stores to also provide support.
So, I went in at the appointed time and received a very cordial greeting from the "Man".
He was a millennial, no offense to those in my daughter's generation. Lev, I'll call him, was exceptionally pleasant, even when he discovered I was, let's say, not quite savvy.
"Savvy"! Now there's a word not recognized by most of your retail establishment.
Any who, he was very understanding about my lack of those skills necessary to handle this new product. We went through as many features as I could handle, then he left me to do some practice. He was multitasking, also waiting on ongoing customers at the Geek Squad booth while helping me. We eventually set another appointment.
Long story short, we ended up with about three appointments and an assurance from him (he gave me his private cell number) I could just call and then drop by almost any time he was working. What a nice guy. My image of "that" generation is some what restored. Now, if I could just get those I call on my "phone" to answer or return my calls instead of playing phone tag or watching scenes on "Tiktok, (he talked me into add that app). What is to become of us, anyway?