Articles written by Jim Bessey - Page 2

What is Helium

About me - Jim Bessey

Helium is home, plain and simple. I've lived here now for more than two years, and cannot imagine a day without Helium. Over the months I've met a large and diverse group of talented writers. I'm proud to call many of them friends, and all them peers.

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Home & Garden > Weeds & Pests True gardening stories: The worst pest experience: 10 of 66
Spring has officially arrived here in upstate NY. We had a very dicey April, with some nagging snowfalls and sagging temperatures. Until about one week ago, the trees were bare. However, since we lost nearly two full months from the '06-'07 ski season back around the New Year, we had to expect winter to hang on longer than us... More..
Home & Garden > Home Repair (Other) Tips for organizing your tool shed: 1 of 6
Keeping your tool shed organized is one of life's baffling challenges. An outbuilding for tool storage can quickly become an unmanageable shelter for all sorts of useless junk, unless you start out with a system. Two problems contribute to the ill-repute of tool sheds: (one) they are usually too far from your house for conven... More..
Arts & Humanities > Writing Tips Writing tips: How to grab readers with great introductory paragraphs: 1 of 5
Grab your readers by the eyeballs. Your introductory paragraph must deliver your best punch in the first two sentences, or the rest will hardly count. Readers are fickle, and nearly infinite content begs their attention. Whether you are writing an inspiring essay, a twisting mystery story, or a hard-boiled how-to article you ... More..
Creative Writing > Reflections Reflections: Small-town living: 7 of 32
Something got us talking the other night, and suddenly my wife and I were rambling down memory lane together. Though we grew up hundreds of miles apart, we found lots of common ground as we dredged up old images from our respective childhoods. Both of us lived in small towns. Our kids have so many choices today, whether it's ... More..
Creative Writing > Reflections Reflections: Sunday morning at home: 2 of 8
It's a beautiful and gray Sunday morning here at home. Just now eight am. My wife is still sleeping, a soft smile on her face. This is my favorite day of the week, and my favorite time of that day. I have a hot cup of coffee beside me on the desk. It's very quiet here, almost no traffic on my usually-busy street. This is when... More..
Home & Garden > Landscaping Tips for constructing a concrete walkway: 1 of 4
You love your new home, but the tiny sidewalk your builder left you is all wrong, and now you need some ideas for constructing a new concrete walkway. You could call a mason, but they hate small jobs and charge tons of money for doing you a "favor." You could use those cute little pre-cast pavers, but those add up even faster... More..
Arts & Humanities > Writing Tips How to edit your work to take out run-on sentences: 1 of 4
We've all witnessed the disaster that results when sentences run into each other. Each thought, unhindered by punctuation, smashes into the one that follows. Readers will point and cringe, but walk away from the accident without trying to untangle the mess. If your articles are filled with run-on sentences, you'll end up with... More..
Home & Garden > Landscaping Blending decks into yards and landscapes: 1 of 4
The past twenty-five years has witnessed a phenomenal boom in the construction of big outdoor decks. Most of them are downright ugly. Many are unimaginative rectangles built with now-graying green lumber in a dull array of parallel lines. In an era of eight-foot privacy fences, plenty of homeowners don't care how ordinary the... More..
Arts & Humanities > Writing Tips Fiction writing: The importance of creating multidimensional characters: 1 of 4
Stories are not about plots or places. They are about people. Your readers don't actually care about that spooky old house on the hill until you put the mysterious Mrs.Fillibuster on the front porch every evening precisely at seven pm. The writer's development of memorable characters is crucial to the success of every story a... More..
Sports & Recreation > Auto Racing (Other) Reflecting on the death of NHRA driver Scott Kalitta: 1 of 4
ENGLISHTOWN, NJ - Veteran NHRA driver Scott Kalitta died here Saturday, June 21 in a terrifying crash. Kalitta was 46 years old, and had been driving professionally since 1982. Scott did not survive the injuries he suffered when his Toyota Solara Funny Car, racing at over 300 mph, burst into flames during final round qualifyi... More..