Editing...Like Writing A New Book

It's been a long time since I've done any work my NaNoWriMo manuscript. I've heard it's good after you finish the first draft to put it away for a month or so and then start working on it again after that. Of course, editing it right after the first draft is written gets the project done quicker, but whoever said publishing was a quick process?

Not me.

For the first time in a long time, I was able to attend my writing group. I submitted the first five pages of the story and I was anxious to hear how it would be received. And by the end of the night, I had my answer--everyone liked it. It was rough, naturally, but they all had very encouraging things to say and insightful recommendations.

And so, on Friday I began editing. It helps so much to have input that you don't or can't see when you write the words the first time. I spent much of the day editing and to be honest, I'm not sure if I spent more time editing those five pages or writing them in the first place.

I haven't had a lot of experience editing. It's something I want to do more, to get better at making a story the best it can be. I used to think editing was just tweaking something, fixing a typo, changing a punctuation, doing work without making major fixes. And maybe it is, for some. Not for me, not on this story. I found myself considering some big changes. It almost felt like I was writing a new book, mostly because when I originally wrote it, I was trying to get as many words down as possible.

The artwork in the above photo is compliments of Shanna, a writing group member. Through art, she offered some suggestions. It's the kind of personalized help you can get in a writing group. Don't know if I'll use it, but it's nice to have the option.

A Real Time Capsule...

I spotted the large can on the kitchen table and I asked my son what it was.

"It's a time capsule that I made back in scouts."

"That's cool," I said. "It says to open it when you get to college. You opening it now that you're in college?"

"I'm going to open it up tonight."

My son began classes at a local college tonight. He found the time capsule in his room so he thought it was time to open it. I asked him before the grand opening if he remembered anything that he put in there. He said he remembered one thing--a small solarium. 

He put the capsule together in 2004. A lot's happened in the past thirteen years. We had our last child in 2004 so everything in that can was around before he was born. There were little things, a cufflink, a tooth, a magnifying glass, a green minute timer used in games, even a Beanie Baby coin. The coolest thing was a picture of his scout troop (in which he was not one of the scouts--not sure where he was when they took the picture...) and in that picture was his grandmother. He spotted her right off.

His grandmother passed away in 2007 and there's another person in that photo who is no longer with us. It's strange to see things that haven't been seen for more than a decade. I thought about the eclectic collection and wondered why he chose some of the things he put inside. No one knew back then that some things would mean so much while other things wouldn't mean much at all. I suppose that's the fun of a time capsule. It shows us a little about ourselves, or about who we used to be.

Heartbroken...Over Two Lost Soles

Today I looked down while I was talking to a co-worker at work and I saw a line in the side of my shoe. "What's this?" I asked and I took a closer look. It was the first time I saw a crack--no, not just a crack, a complete division--of the sole of my shoe. I checked out the other shoe and sure enough, that one was split open as well.

"Oh, man..." It was all I could think to say.

I know these Dr. Martens aren't the nicest things to look at. They're worker shoes. It must have been at least ten years ago I was shopping at our local thrift store and I spotted not one, but two pairs of Dr. Martens, one pair black, the other brown. I'm thinking someone owned both pairs and I bought them. I've loved them ever since.

They've been very, very good shoes for me.

So much so, I've worn the black pair almost everyday at work for at least a decade. The great thing about them is I can wear them in the summer, and I can wear them if it's raining or snowing. I never had to worry about them.

After I saw the damage, I tried thinking about when the splits happened. It might have been the sub-zero cold we had last week. Or, it could have been the fact that I wore them every work day for years. Whatever the reason, I'm pretty sure they're history. I don't think they're repairable. I do have my trusty brown shoes, but almost everything I wear goes with black shoes (hence, me wearing them daily...).

I have other dress shoes--I've even blogged about them. Most, like the Dr. Martens, came from thrift stores. I was hoping I could wear those shoes until I retire. I've got about a decade left, at least. Looks like my shoes retired first.

Weird Al Yankovic...Is Coming To Town!

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I think he's generally accepted as one of the good people on the planet, even if you don't like his music, his videos, his hair--it's hard to not like the man. He is scandal-free. He doesn't discuss politics in public, and as far as I can tell, he seems like he would be the same person whether or not he was famous. 

We've all heard that no two snowflakes are alike, and even though I believe that snowflake thing has been proven a hoax, it still makes us feel all warm and fuzzy that we are somehow different from the other seven plus billion people out there. But when I think of Mr. Yankovic, I bet there's no one else quite like him.

You might not know it, but Weird Al and myself have a few things in common. We both played the accordion in our youth. We both couldn't wait for Dr. Demento's radio show to come on each week. Okay, that's where the similarities end. Al has amazing hair. I don't. Al kept playing the accordion. I didn't. And not only did he enjoy the Dr. Demento radio show, he did what it took to get on that program. And thus an unlikely star was born.

I've been fortunate enough to attend the Salt Lake Comic Cons. I hope I've been able to contribute to the overall enjoyment of the patrons. One thing I've not done is spent a lot of time around the celebrities. it's not that I don't like them or wouldn't want to spend time in their presence. It's just I'm usually doing other things. Sure, I'd love to interview the man, spend time with him and ask him questions. But I know that thousands of people will be able to do that this coming March. If you want information on dates and ticket prices, click: HERE. 

Yes, Weird Al is coming to town--it's a St. Patricks Day miracle!

*Photo used without permission from: http://saltlakecomiccon.com/portfolio-item/weird-al-yankovic/?cc=WEIRDALTW

D.J. Butler's "Witchy Eye"...Is Coming!

I've heard about this book for months, not in a nagging or overbearing way, but I'd see a post on social media here, a tweet there. Today I checked Amazon and it's available for pre-order. Its official release is March 7. You can access the Amazon information: HERE.

That's really close, well, when compared to Leap Years.

I think I've written more about Dave Butler's books than any other author. There's a reason for that. He, perhaps more than any other author, has helped me in my writing goals and writing aspirations. When I first met Dave, first Salt Lake Comic Con in 2013, I saw in him a talented and driven artist. He had self-published several novels, several short stories, and was featured in several anthologies.

I, on the other hand, had done hardly any of those things. I watched as Dave kept writing, kept marketing not only his books, but himself in front of crowds. By seeing what he's been able to accomplish, I see a hope for me.

Dave's latest, Witchy Eye is (as taken from its Amazon website...): 

A STUNNING BAEN BOOKS DEBUT. A brilliant Americana flintlock fantasy novel set in a world of Appalachian magic that works.

Dave's also got good endorsements from some heavy literary hitters. Sounds amazing.

Over the years I've seen Dave work his butt off, write like the wind, and find success. You could say that all this hard work culminates in the release of his latest book. Then again, you could say the same thing about the release of the previous book last year. And hopefully, after the first week of March, as many people as possible will be able to enjoy the fruits of all that hard work, too.

Green Room Greatness...

I've spent a lot of time in this one particular theater over the past couple of years, done a lot of shows, seen a lot of things, met a lot of wonderful people. Many of those wonderful people you will see on stage as the curtain rises and the players walk on and break the legs of the stage, as it were.

But there are many people you miss when you pay for your ticket and sit in your seat. They're working behind the scenes and unless you're in a show or involved with the theater in some other way, you never see them.

One such person is Holly, and part of what she loves to do at the theater is dress up the Green Room. In the past four months I've seen the room transform from a ode to the Addams Family, an ode to George Bailey and Bedford Falls, and finally an ode to 1930s Long Island.

Our current show runs until the beginning of February and then Mary Poppins takes over. I'm sure Holly's already thinking of how she can Poppin-ize the space. I don't know what she'll come up with, but I'm sure it will dazzle.

I don't know if other theaters do this--this one obviously doesn't have to. A green room is important for the performers and techs, but decorating it to match the theme of a show, that's just a labor of love. Thanks Holly and CPT for going above and beyond!

Snow Day...Church Canceled...Not Your Average Sunday

The text message hit just after 9am. Had this happened two weeks ago, we'd have been sitting in the chapel at our usual spot on the back row. But, since we have changed church starting times with the changing of the new year, all of us at our home were sleeping in.

Turns out we could have slept in a lot longer.

Growing up in the Rocky Mountains we've seen some extreme winters. One thing we haven't seen a lot is freezing rain. Maybe it happened growing up--I just don't remember. Thinking back, I remember that when it snowed, the snowplows weren't as efficient as they seem to be today and everyone drove slower when it snowed. At least, that's the way I remember it. If I could travel back in time, I'm sure I'd see snowplow operators doing excellent jobs and people being just as insane behind the wheel as they are now.

Canceling church--that's something that never happened.

Wait, I take that back. A few years ago we were hit with a monster wind storm. Hurricane-strength winds ripped through out neighborhood so instead of going to church, we were asked to don our bluejeans, grab our working gloves and chainsaws and do a little service. Today was different; we weren't asked to do anything but spread the word (I suppose when we go to church we're asked to spread the good word, but today, it was just the word...). I'm sure if people needed us to engage in physical labor, we'd come out in force with snow boots, gloves, and show shovels.

We stayed home and celebrated my wife's, Elvis's, and David Bowie's birthdays (actually, just my wife's, officially...). I wonder if this canceling church thing is something we'll get more of in the future. Time will tell.