Half the Way
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: Crystal Gale - 'Half the Way'
Topic: Writing
How apropo! half the way... I just thought about that I was wondering what to write. I just passed the 40K word mark on the first draft of 'Curves,' which, by all consideration at this point, is half way to completion. OK... maybe not HALF, but I am closing in on it. Doing about 3K words a week now, which is a fairly respectable clip. If I can maintain, which is a big IF, I will be able to complete another 42K words by my end of June deadline. That will bring me up to about 82K words, give or take, and that will be a fair sized manuscript. Not bad for a skeleton, huh? When I hang some meat on those bones, I expect a good 105 K words to be the final result. That's pretty meaty.

Playing now is "Scorpio" by Grandmaster Flash. Ummm.... I'll have to think of a way to fit that into the theme of 'Half the Way'

Updating like Crazee
Now Playing: Silence
Topic: Web Page Update
I've been updating the web page like crazy these past few days. It's a good break away from writing. Writing rules, but just like anything else, you need to draw away from it for awhile, get your bearings, then get back to work with new drive, enthusiasm and direction. I set a deadline for "...Curves..." to be complete in first draft form, and that is June '06. It's do-able, but I'll have to really put the nose to the grindstone to do it. With the roll I've been on lately, it shouldn't pose much of a challenge to complete, provided that I simply sit down and write and not let other things (web page updating, for instance) distract me.

Transitions
Mood:  down
Now Playing: The Bee Gees - Love So Right
Topic: Web Page Update
Hello, again! I am back with a vengeance after a three week absence. I am just trying to find my way back to stability after my supervisor for the past 18 years at my bills-paying job retired. That's an amazingly long time to work for someone. I was a mere 22 years old when I started working for him. It also means that I've been in the same place for 18 years and that may or may not be good, depending on your point of view. But I, for one, like stability. Still, all things change. It is the universal constant. Adapt or perish is the corollary.

So in the theme of transitions and changes, I decided my web page needed another change. And to take this change thing even farther, I decided to add material that is not yet published. I designed a mock-up book cover for Sweet Lil'one and added it to the site. What's more! I added 2 chapters-worth of excerpts from the book. I think the splash of pink livens things up a bit.

I Must Be Dying
Mood:  chatty
Now Playing: Prince - "The Future"
Topic: The Future
I must be dying. I feel fine, though. I say that I must be dying because I can't stop writing. Perhaps it's been so long since I've written anything of import, but I can't really recall ever being this productive. Therefore, like the man who scribbles out his good-byes before his coming death, I must be trying to put down as many of my thoughts as I can before my demise. I hope it's not the case, but damn! I can't stop!! I mean, poems galore; '...Ampersand...' has increased by 10% in the past half week... holy cow, I simply cannot even type fast enough to get all these thoughts down. It's frightening, exhilarating, frustrating, tiring... ugh. But onward I plug, huntin' and peckin' till the midnight oil runs low. Or the bladder gets full.

I've also just learned that one of my 'cover girls' is now a 'cover mom.' Well, I am happy for her and I wish her and her son all the best in the world. We kind of fell out of touch a few years ago as her life took her into new pursuits 'Oooorah.' Interestingly enough, her name came up this past summer when some MIB types were curious about my research methodology for my fifth novel. That peaked my curiosity and so now I finally got around to finding out about her. Awesome. My other 'cover girls' are doing quite well also, I have taken time to find out: one of whom is racing her little heart out; another of whom is hot on the trail of a career in medicine; another who is ivy league and studying some science major that I can't even pronounce; another who is b-ballin' and, of late, blowin' up on the courts with mad points and boards and blox; another of whom is married and back in her native land workin' hard as always. Awesome. I think one blessing in life--one true blessing--is knowing a diversity of people, from all walks of life, of all pursuasions. Even better is watching them strive for goals, and best yet is watching them achieve those goals.

Welp... back to work!

Monday After
Mood:  don't ask
Now Playing: Journey - "Feeling that Way/Anytime"
Topic: Sports
OK... so I couldn't resist watching the Superbowl. At least parts of it. I'm hopeless, I know, but it IS the last meaningful pro game of the season. I thought the officiating was bad. Bad officiating always arouses my ire and that game was no exception. I am always reminded of certain sporting events of my youth where my team was victimized by bad officiating. It's a part of sports, but it did leave an indellible impression upon me. It also sparked endless debate at work (well, the debate ended when we finally decided to do some work!), regarding missed opportunities and taking advantage of opportunities given. How much like life is the microcosm of sports! I suppose that's one reason why I enjoy sports so much: the stories in them; the strive for perfection; the tenacity required to excel; the dedication to craft; the stories in them!; the reflection of life in them. OK, so that's more than one reason. But man o man... the stories! So if you ever wonder why I like them so much, I suppose that's as good a reason as any: stories. Lots and lots of stories. And for a person who sees stories all around (if I swore, I swear I can write a story about a rusty nail!), it's like a feast! Even if the officiating is bad. Just makes for another story.

In The Flow
Mood:  surprised
Now Playing: The Jones Girls - "Nights Over Egypt"
Topic: Writing
I must really be in the flow if I forego watching ths Superbowl (or any football) to write! Either that or I am not interested in this year's matchup. Probably a bit of both. Plus I have new incentive to complete "...Ampersand..." by April 1, then perhaps have the edit, re-edit and re-re-edits out of the way by Autumn. I remembered today that I wish to participate in the 2006 NaNoWriMo, the National Novel Writing Month. Since I am always looking for a new creative challenge, that is one I shall rise to. I have a serious backlog of ideas that are just waiting for the chance to be put into some kind of finalized form and this will be a good chance to finally put words to those ideas. For those interested in knowing what it's all about, go here for mo'info: NaNoWriMo My loins are already burning at the thought.

State of Affairs
Mood:  not sure
Now Playing: Basia - Cruising For Brusing
Topic: The World
"...Ampersand..." is flowing smoothly now. I am pounding out pages at a time now. I will have to set a tentative date for the completion of the first draft. I work better when I set goals for myself. So.... Let's say we have the first draft finished by April 1, 2006?? Sound good? Good! Yet I am troubled by the state of affairs in the world today. I will have to investigate whether I have simply grown too sensitive to things in my rapidly advancing age or is the world heading in the wrong direction. I say "wrong direction" because we have climatic shifts occurring (probably caused by human activity, yet the main contributors are thumbing their noses at the repercussions), illegitimate wars being waged for illegitimate reasons, mass killings, oppression, devastation, etc, etc etc, and I would think that we, as a people (Humans) should really be beyond this stuff by now. In IOV, Adrianna says: "All you hear is: terrorism, recession, depression, oppression, famine, plague, death. Things are just a mess. You’d think there’d be more to life than that, but hey! That’s the way it is!" She was young and pragmatic though. I am getting old and idealistic and certainly would like to leave this world having it in better shape than when I came into it. I hope that that is a long time from now, but for now, it doesn't look as though things will improve much by then.

Back in Action
Mood:  don't ask
Now Playing: Shabba Ranks "Mr. Loverman"
Topic: Writing
Well, I am back in action. After the long holiday season (T-G through MLK), not to mention NFL playoffs and the NCAAF Bowl Bonanza, I can finally sit down and work on "...Ampersand..." again! I managed to re-edit "IOV" during that time, hammering out a few wrinkles in the text that I thought I would be able to live with but couldn't. Now that that is finally complete, my focus is 100% "...Ampersand..." At least until the next distraction. Or set thereof.

Of slow computers and writing blogs
Mood:  irritated
Now Playing: Planet P Project "A Letter From the Shelter"
Topic: Writing
Nothing is more frustrating than paying mint for DSL and then having to wait for a page to load so that you can update a blog. That said, I have resumed work on .. Curves of Ampersand at long last. I haven't done a damned thing with it since June. No, I wasn't experiencing writer's block. Laziness, maybe, but not writer's block. I have never experienced writer's block. I don't think it exists. Sometimes I may not like what I have written, but, like diarrhea, the words flow anyway, even if it is sh*t. It is good to be working again. Moreover, it is good to be working on something SF again. Sweet Lil'one, while a great experiment and a good experience, left me wanting. I learned a great deal about a great many things, including the level of my resolve, but the level of creativity that I require to satisfy me wasn't there. I created wonderful characters and situations, but I was restrained by the mundane. I could not reach beyond the normal realm of human experience, vast as those experiences can be, but now that I am working in the SF again, there are no bounds. No more shackles for now. For now, we write.

Capitalist Pig
Mood:  chillin'
Now Playing: "Bring on the Rain" by Jo Dee Messina and Tim McGraw
Topic: Web Page Update
I just never get tired of saying that phrase: "Capitalist Pig."

In any case, I am updating the entries to my poetry page. They were pretty bland and after so many years, I think they needed a facelift. Courier font has its place, but it is pretty ho-hum in the wide-world of fonts. I also added a few new entries, although I would be lying to call them new poems. It would be truthful to call them more recent than the ones that I chose to place on the site when I first created it. It's a grim reminder to myself that I have neglected my poetry. So far, in 2005, I have not written (completed) a single poem. 2004 wasn't exactly a banner year in poem productivity either. I must endeavor not to repeat the Bleak Era of 1992-1994 when not a single poem leaked from my pen. As a matter of fact, in looking back at what I accomplished over the past 2 years, I have to admit that I haven't done very much. I did manage to finish Sweet Lil'one in early 2004 and I did manage to resume some work on What Do the Curves of Ampersand Mean?, but even that has stalled inexplicably. Well, I am sure I could explain it, but I am too lazy to do so now. Could that be the reason for the drop-off in productivity? Hmmm... Lemme sit on the couch, watch some football with a jug of Coke at my left hand a bowl of chip at my right hand and ponder that...