My son, Stuart, returned from being a camp counselor yesterday. He left practically right after graduating from high school and had missed an important piece of mail which came here for him from his step-grandmother. There was a neat little twist to the missive sent by my mother-in-law which Stuart noticed by virtue of a habit of his - a twist probably not noted by my step-son, Warren.
So I told Stuart that it would probably be a good idea if he were to send a note to Mrs./Dr. Patterson as a follow-up to the piece of mail. He came back with the idea that he would rather call because he found it rather difficult to put across a tone in print.
Hmmmm.
Something I tend to do when I'm writing is to sound out what I'm writing so that I can better write in a tone which will convey more of a meaning than just the printed word alone. I understand that human language depends as much on tone, timing and pauses as it does on the actual words... and that proper grammar or certain "standardizations" don't always do the trick.
My understanding drives the grammar police program and my editor mad. "You should reconsider this" or "Sentence Fragment" have popped up so often on my word processing program that I have come to ignore the warnings. I have problems even contracting certain words (contractin' is a no-no), which was fine for certain characters like the girl who played opposite of John Wayne in "True Grit", but when one is writin' 'bout a rough-hewn character who ain't got time fer bein' prim and proper 'bout usin' proper grammar 'n' spellin'. Granted, one of my projects was done from the point-of-view of a journalist (yes, I suppose the character would use nothing but perfect grammar to tell his story), but even with him, not everyone adheres to the so-called "rules" one hundred percent of the time.
Now, to be fair to my editor, I'm not going to complain. We have a symbiotic relationship wherein she likes the stories I write and I generally agree with most of the corrections she makes. One of these days, when I actually sell more than a handful of books, she and I will actually get paid real money for our labors.
But I digress.
In one sense, writing has become a lost art - at least it has with some of the younger people. Back in my day (assume a Walter Brennan type of voice) we didn't have quite the proliferation of telephones we do now, so, we were forced to write! (Drop the Walter Brennan voice). I recall a correspondence I had with a female friend when I was in high school in which I used a scatter-brained approach in the letters I wrote to her. Mis-spellings, you bet! Grammatical errors? Yup... They were printed, too, sometimes with a little bit of my cursive thrown in just for the hell of it. She wrote back in perfect cursive, and in perfect form. Both of us were correct in the way we wrote to each other. My missives were not necessarily as perfectly constructed as hers, but we were at least able to see into each others' personalities in the way we wrote. In the few times we would actually talk with each other on the phone (long distance was such a daunting thing in those days), we instinctively knew the others' voice simply by the tone we had put across in our letters.
The art is disappearing.
Sometime in the next couple of days, my mother-in-law will receive a phone call from my son thanking her for her kindness and generosity, put across in a tone which will be comfortable for him. His inflection will exactly match his intentions, suiting his purpose.
Good for him.
For me, it's back to the grindstone and sounding out whatever I'm writing. If it sounds good, I hit the "enter" button on my computer and keep going on. If it doesn't, well, there's always the "backspace" key.
Be Seeing You
bdharrell
Friday, July 26, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Falling Behind
I received some good news on Monday. Amazon will soon be crediting my checking account with the second royalty check from sales of my first book - "The Legacy of Miss Annie Darden Coggins". Actually, it was a combination of good news and bad news, depending on how $10 and change for the past three months can be interpreted. It's better than the proverbial sharp stick in the eye, but considering the hours I put into the book, I'm netting way less than minimum wage.
Actually, I had decided to shift gears so that I can approach this whole "I'm publishing a book for sale" thing in an entirely different way. And yes, I did it before getting my measly royalty check.
Let me reiterate something before I go any further. I had no pretensions about having an avalanche of money falling into my lap when I put my book into circulation back in January. I'd be happier if I had made more, but, I can't have everything. There were some obvious flaws. The title was way too long, the cover wasn't to even a poor professional standard and the formatting was wrong. Very wrong.
After several conversations, I decided to withdraw the book from Amazon's Kindle Direct program, have it edited, re-title it and commission a decent cover before deciding where I will release it next.
In the meantime, being emboldened by favorable remarks from various quarters, I have moved apace on two other projects which I want to release at the same time as the re-release of my first book.
One of the projects is a follow-up book with the working title "The Magnolia Chronicles". I am in the process of melding story elements into a single narrative. I got lost for a while over the past couple of months, but now I'm to the point where I can actually say that I can see light at the end of the tunnel. I'm sprinting ahead on the deal.
The other project I'm calling "Brushes with Fame". It will consist of two novellas. One, "Whatever Happened to Suddsy Watters?" is 95% ready for publication. The story is locked, edited and ready to go. The other part of the novella, "Goodbye to All That" is coming along nicely. "Suddsy" is a salute to those kiddie show hosts many of us grew up with back in the '60's and the '70's - "Goodbye" involves an over-enthusiastic fan quite accidentally meeting and dating a former television personality. The story, so far, works.
Anyhoo, I have lots to do now that I've taken care of some personal business and can free up the time to get these projects completed. I did notice today that I have spent waaaayyyy too much time on that internet back fence called Facebook these past couple of days and so have decided to take a short hiatus from that particular channel. I'll wrap up the word games I have going, but that will be about it for the next couple of weeks. I'll deal with personal messages which seep over onto my regular e-mail account, but, that'll be about it. No insults intended - I hope none taken.
I will blog now and again.
Be Seeing You!
bdharrell
Actually, I had decided to shift gears so that I can approach this whole "I'm publishing a book for sale" thing in an entirely different way. And yes, I did it before getting my measly royalty check.
Let me reiterate something before I go any further. I had no pretensions about having an avalanche of money falling into my lap when I put my book into circulation back in January. I'd be happier if I had made more, but, I can't have everything. There were some obvious flaws. The title was way too long, the cover wasn't to even a poor professional standard and the formatting was wrong. Very wrong.
After several conversations, I decided to withdraw the book from Amazon's Kindle Direct program, have it edited, re-title it and commission a decent cover before deciding where I will release it next.
In the meantime, being emboldened by favorable remarks from various quarters, I have moved apace on two other projects which I want to release at the same time as the re-release of my first book.
One of the projects is a follow-up book with the working title "The Magnolia Chronicles". I am in the process of melding story elements into a single narrative. I got lost for a while over the past couple of months, but now I'm to the point where I can actually say that I can see light at the end of the tunnel. I'm sprinting ahead on the deal.
The other project I'm calling "Brushes with Fame". It will consist of two novellas. One, "Whatever Happened to Suddsy Watters?" is 95% ready for publication. The story is locked, edited and ready to go. The other part of the novella, "Goodbye to All That" is coming along nicely. "Suddsy" is a salute to those kiddie show hosts many of us grew up with back in the '60's and the '70's - "Goodbye" involves an over-enthusiastic fan quite accidentally meeting and dating a former television personality. The story, so far, works.
Anyhoo, I have lots to do now that I've taken care of some personal business and can free up the time to get these projects completed. I did notice today that I have spent waaaayyyy too much time on that internet back fence called Facebook these past couple of days and so have decided to take a short hiatus from that particular channel. I'll wrap up the word games I have going, but that will be about it for the next couple of weeks. I'll deal with personal messages which seep over onto my regular e-mail account, but, that'll be about it. No insults intended - I hope none taken.
I will blog now and again.
Be Seeing You!
bdharrell
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Trip Log
Some of you may be aware that I took a trip to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania over what could be termed as a loooonggg weekend so that I could attend a memorial for my good friend Norm Shor. It was a hectic five and a half days, covering nearly 2700 miles and more orange construction barrels than I care to recall.
Day 1-Thursday the 11th. Started from Allen at 5:55 in the morning, otherwise known as 0:dark thirty, reaching Effingham, Illinois 745 miles and eleven and a half hours later. Literally flew through Texas, at least after getting on I-30 in Greenville where the speed limit was 75. Hit the welcome centers on either end of Arkansas. I-30 roughly parallels US 67 until I-30 disappears in Little Rock. I stayed on US 67 from Little Rock to Popular Bluff, Missouri. From there, I took US 60 east which evolved into I-57 which went into Effingham.
Effingham is at the intersection of I-57 and I-70. There was a giant cross set up by one of the local Christian groups which was supposedly lit up at night. I didn't venture out of my hotel room except to eat at a Culvers just down the street. With the piped in Christian music and the box soliciting donations to keep the cross lit, I came away with the impression that the owners of the franchise were committed.
Day 2 - Friday the 12th. Another early start in order to rendezvous with my sister at a restaurant in Carmel, Indiana, just north of Indianapolis. I actually made it to the assigned place within 3 minutes of the time agreed upon and was delighted that my sister's husband came to share lunch with us as well. After leaving Indianapolis, I pretty much headed straight to Chillicothe (after calling a friend in Dayton who could not make a rendezvous) to see my mother and my brother to stay the night. My first hour there was spent listening to my mother rationalize not making a trip overseas the next day - her traveling companion had canceled and Mom would rather have had the company. Dinner at Bob Evans, followed by a trip to the supermarket to get my favorite chips. Four bags of Herr's Salt and Vinegar, or as we always called them, "juicy chips".
After dinner, a bit of relaxation. A friend dropped by for an hour or so to catch up on things in general. After introducing her to my mother, we came to find out that they worked in different buildings at the VA hospital in Chillicothe at some of the same times. I may have started a nice little friendship, there.
Day 3 - Saturday the 13th. Still yet another early start, this time due to a long-standing appointment to have breakfast with a couple of friends who have met most Saturday mornings at the same place since before I left Chillicothe to live in Texas. I then proceeded to Pittsburgh by way of Columbus, where I stopped to see more family.
I arrived in Pittsburgh early enough (so I thought) to take a ride downtown on the transit system. The ticketing/fare system caused me to miss two connections and the first few minutes of the dinner which was part of the memorial. The evening went well, otherwise. I was able to recall parts of my trip as part of my presentation - one which was well received. Afterwards, I had a word or two with my editor before calling it a night.
Day 4 - I scooted out of Pittsburgh, early again, so that I could make it to Lexington, Kentucky at a decent time. I made a point to head to Fairview, West Virginia to spend a little bit of time in quiet contemplation at the cemetery where my maternal grandparents are buried. It had been at least fifteen years since heading up that particular road. It was a great setting with perfect weather. I'm glad I took the time to stop.
Lexington was easily attained - the hotel where I had a reservation was a bit more difficult. Construction on the road in front of the hotel meant that I couldn't get there without making a U-Turn a mile up the road. Add to that the frustration of an Innkeeper who didn't have good command of the English language and a room which wasn't ready when I arrived... well, let's just say that the best time I had there was the time spent with a long-time friend and his wife on his farm just outside of town. I'm staying at his place the next time I'm headed in that general direction.
Day 5 - Early again. Not much to note other than watching the crop dusters in action while coming down US 67 through Arkansas. I planned to stop in Cairo, Illinois to spend a little bit of time on the spit of land where the Ohio and the Mississippi rivers intersect. I was disappointed that the access road was blocked.
I stopped in Little Rock instead of making the rest of the way to the Dallas area. The hotel was next door to a Hooters. I ended up eating at a Chinese place, instead.
Day 6 - Today. The last early start. Made it to Allen just after noon. I think I'll stay put for a while.
Be Seeing You!
bdharrell
Day 1-Thursday the 11th. Started from Allen at 5:55 in the morning, otherwise known as 0:dark thirty, reaching Effingham, Illinois 745 miles and eleven and a half hours later. Literally flew through Texas, at least after getting on I-30 in Greenville where the speed limit was 75. Hit the welcome centers on either end of Arkansas. I-30 roughly parallels US 67 until I-30 disappears in Little Rock. I stayed on US 67 from Little Rock to Popular Bluff, Missouri. From there, I took US 60 east which evolved into I-57 which went into Effingham.
Effingham is at the intersection of I-57 and I-70. There was a giant cross set up by one of the local Christian groups which was supposedly lit up at night. I didn't venture out of my hotel room except to eat at a Culvers just down the street. With the piped in Christian music and the box soliciting donations to keep the cross lit, I came away with the impression that the owners of the franchise were committed.
Day 2 - Friday the 12th. Another early start in order to rendezvous with my sister at a restaurant in Carmel, Indiana, just north of Indianapolis. I actually made it to the assigned place within 3 minutes of the time agreed upon and was delighted that my sister's husband came to share lunch with us as well. After leaving Indianapolis, I pretty much headed straight to Chillicothe (after calling a friend in Dayton who could not make a rendezvous) to see my mother and my brother to stay the night. My first hour there was spent listening to my mother rationalize not making a trip overseas the next day - her traveling companion had canceled and Mom would rather have had the company. Dinner at Bob Evans, followed by a trip to the supermarket to get my favorite chips. Four bags of Herr's Salt and Vinegar, or as we always called them, "juicy chips".
After dinner, a bit of relaxation. A friend dropped by for an hour or so to catch up on things in general. After introducing her to my mother, we came to find out that they worked in different buildings at the VA hospital in Chillicothe at some of the same times. I may have started a nice little friendship, there.
Day 3 - Saturday the 13th. Still yet another early start, this time due to a long-standing appointment to have breakfast with a couple of friends who have met most Saturday mornings at the same place since before I left Chillicothe to live in Texas. I then proceeded to Pittsburgh by way of Columbus, where I stopped to see more family.
I arrived in Pittsburgh early enough (so I thought) to take a ride downtown on the transit system. The ticketing/fare system caused me to miss two connections and the first few minutes of the dinner which was part of the memorial. The evening went well, otherwise. I was able to recall parts of my trip as part of my presentation - one which was well received. Afterwards, I had a word or two with my editor before calling it a night.
Day 4 - I scooted out of Pittsburgh, early again, so that I could make it to Lexington, Kentucky at a decent time. I made a point to head to Fairview, West Virginia to spend a little bit of time in quiet contemplation at the cemetery where my maternal grandparents are buried. It had been at least fifteen years since heading up that particular road. It was a great setting with perfect weather. I'm glad I took the time to stop.
Lexington was easily attained - the hotel where I had a reservation was a bit more difficult. Construction on the road in front of the hotel meant that I couldn't get there without making a U-Turn a mile up the road. Add to that the frustration of an Innkeeper who didn't have good command of the English language and a room which wasn't ready when I arrived... well, let's just say that the best time I had there was the time spent with a long-time friend and his wife on his farm just outside of town. I'm staying at his place the next time I'm headed in that general direction.
Day 5 - Early again. Not much to note other than watching the crop dusters in action while coming down US 67 through Arkansas. I planned to stop in Cairo, Illinois to spend a little bit of time on the spit of land where the Ohio and the Mississippi rivers intersect. I was disappointed that the access road was blocked.
I stopped in Little Rock instead of making the rest of the way to the Dallas area. The hotel was next door to a Hooters. I ended up eating at a Chinese place, instead.
Day 6 - Today. The last early start. Made it to Allen just after noon. I think I'll stay put for a while.
Be Seeing You!
bdharrell
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Too Many Decisions
I took a drive with my step son this afternoon. He has an appointment with the driver's license examiner in little less than a month and needs more practice behind the wheel before he can solo and I get to see my car insurance rates rocket sky high. It will be a good thing, though. He's out of high school and ready to head to the community college down the road.
I have a good feeling about Warren. That's his name. Warren. Warren has every reason to be the angry young man. He was close to his father, a man of declining health when I first met him. Warren's dad died not long after Warren's mother and I got him settled into the 8th grade. Warren was 13 - an awkward age to be certain - and he showed a certain amount belligerence to his situation which thankfully dissolved over time. Warren is showing promise despite his young age.
Back to the drive.
While I was observing Warren driving this afternoon, I was struck by the number of decisions a person driving has to make when piloting a car at 60 miles per hour down a busy highway... and that's not even counting the various distractions on the side of the road.
Was I nervous sitting in the passenger seat, my life in the hands of a seventeen year old not related to me by blood? Well, hell yes I was nervous. Who wouldn't be? On the other hand, though, we made it back in one piece with no tickets, no drama.
Just because I was nervous does not mean that Warren didn't do an excellent job. "He done good," as we used to say in southern Ohio. If he keeps the level head he seems to have on his shoulder, he'll do his mother and his step father proud.
=====
Something to note on practically the same page, Car and Driver magazine has a series of articles in their latest issue regarding advances in automotive technology in the past few years. One of the technologies mentioned is the development of self-driving cars. We're almost there, it seems. C&D was telling of one system which is being worked on which almost has the capability of making the number of decisions a driver has to make to safely pilot an automobile from point A to point B without incident.
The working word here is almost.
Apparently the developers need to work on a couple of things. For one, the system is still well short of what it would need to pilot a car for any appreciable distance. For another, the system itself would run about $40k, and that's not counting the car it would be driving. Still, there is that possibility that we would one day have a robotic chauffeur taking care of the task of driving for us.
Then what would teenagers have to look forward to as a rite of passage?
=====
Anyhoo, those are the thoughts running through my head as I look forward to a long drive over the next week to get to Pittsburgh and back. There are billions upon billions of decisions which need to be made between now and when I get back.
Kind of astounding, isn't it?
Be Seeing You!
bdharrell
I have a good feeling about Warren. That's his name. Warren. Warren has every reason to be the angry young man. He was close to his father, a man of declining health when I first met him. Warren's dad died not long after Warren's mother and I got him settled into the 8th grade. Warren was 13 - an awkward age to be certain - and he showed a certain amount belligerence to his situation which thankfully dissolved over time. Warren is showing promise despite his young age.
Back to the drive.
While I was observing Warren driving this afternoon, I was struck by the number of decisions a person driving has to make when piloting a car at 60 miles per hour down a busy highway... and that's not even counting the various distractions on the side of the road.
Was I nervous sitting in the passenger seat, my life in the hands of a seventeen year old not related to me by blood? Well, hell yes I was nervous. Who wouldn't be? On the other hand, though, we made it back in one piece with no tickets, no drama.
Just because I was nervous does not mean that Warren didn't do an excellent job. "He done good," as we used to say in southern Ohio. If he keeps the level head he seems to have on his shoulder, he'll do his mother and his step father proud.
=====
Something to note on practically the same page, Car and Driver magazine has a series of articles in their latest issue regarding advances in automotive technology in the past few years. One of the technologies mentioned is the development of self-driving cars. We're almost there, it seems. C&D was telling of one system which is being worked on which almost has the capability of making the number of decisions a driver has to make to safely pilot an automobile from point A to point B without incident.
The working word here is almost.
Apparently the developers need to work on a couple of things. For one, the system is still well short of what it would need to pilot a car for any appreciable distance. For another, the system itself would run about $40k, and that's not counting the car it would be driving. Still, there is that possibility that we would one day have a robotic chauffeur taking care of the task of driving for us.
Then what would teenagers have to look forward to as a rite of passage?
=====
Anyhoo, those are the thoughts running through my head as I look forward to a long drive over the next week to get to Pittsburgh and back. There are billions upon billions of decisions which need to be made between now and when I get back.
Kind of astounding, isn't it?
Be Seeing You!
bdharrell
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Where I am going from here
Something I've learned about goals over the years is that they may not necessarily be reached as they were initially stated. Such is the case with the goals I set for myself a little over three months ago when I separated from my employer of the previous twelve years. The goals I had then had to be adjusted to account for various roadblocks challenges which have come up in the space of those three months.
My original plan is pretty much still on track.
I have commenced my quest for a Real Estate license here in the state of Texas. The course is on-line and for the most part (so far) a good deal of common sense is dictated as well as an ability to dance around certain legal nuances. After getting an orientation from someone connected with a large Real Estate company and getting involved in the educational process, I have talked with several other people who have been involved in the business in one form or another who have helped me cut through the obvious hyperbole of the first someone I talked with. Within the fortnight, I will commence working with a mentor who will help me with the course work and provide me with practice within a framework. I'm still not certain as to where I will spend most of my time in the selling process, but I'm getting there.
Work on my writing continues apace, but at a slower pace than I have anticipated. On the other hand, I had a marvelous chat with an entrepreneur regarding my already published book and plans for the next several rounds. One of the topics which came up was that creativity cannot necessarily be pushed to a deadline or to a business plan. While I was able to complete one novel, Whatever Happened to Suddsy Watters, in an extremely short period of time, I've been struggling with The Magnolia Chronicles. After tossing out Suddsy, my initial plan was to have 'Chronicles' ready to go on Amazon no later than the middle of July with Suddsy being released some time in September.
Well, the 'Chronicles' stalled. I was having trouble with one of the characters. I thought I had a good handle on the woman, but she just didn't fit completely. There were elements which fit quite nicely, she just didn't have the right motivation to make the overall story work. I've spent parts of the last couple of weeks giving that character a make-over which seems to work out a little better than what I had originally written.
So much for making The Magnolia Chronicles available in July. Even if I complete the story in the next fortnight, I still have to have the story edited and a decent cover to put on the book.
A step I've taken has been to pull my original book off of Amazon in order to re-title, re-format and re-cover the thing. It should be history as far as Amazon is concerned at some point before the first of August. My revised plan is to bundle three books for sale all at the same time at some point this autumn - hopefully in time to catch the Christmas season.
Stay tuned for further developments.
In any event, I'm still hanging in there. I'll be out for a couple of days this week - I will be at Norm Shor's memorial service in Pittsburgh (see the blog "Who's Norm Shor?") on Saturday and using the opportunity to stop and visit a few friends and family on the way up and on the way back. Until then...
Be Seeing You!
bdharrell
My original plan is pretty much still on track.
I have commenced my quest for a Real Estate license here in the state of Texas. The course is on-line and for the most part (so far) a good deal of common sense is dictated as well as an ability to dance around certain legal nuances. After getting an orientation from someone connected with a large Real Estate company and getting involved in the educational process, I have talked with several other people who have been involved in the business in one form or another who have helped me cut through the obvious hyperbole of the first someone I talked with. Within the fortnight, I will commence working with a mentor who will help me with the course work and provide me with practice within a framework. I'm still not certain as to where I will spend most of my time in the selling process, but I'm getting there.
Work on my writing continues apace, but at a slower pace than I have anticipated. On the other hand, I had a marvelous chat with an entrepreneur regarding my already published book and plans for the next several rounds. One of the topics which came up was that creativity cannot necessarily be pushed to a deadline or to a business plan. While I was able to complete one novel, Whatever Happened to Suddsy Watters, in an extremely short period of time, I've been struggling with The Magnolia Chronicles. After tossing out Suddsy, my initial plan was to have 'Chronicles' ready to go on Amazon no later than the middle of July with Suddsy being released some time in September.
Well, the 'Chronicles' stalled. I was having trouble with one of the characters. I thought I had a good handle on the woman, but she just didn't fit completely. There were elements which fit quite nicely, she just didn't have the right motivation to make the overall story work. I've spent parts of the last couple of weeks giving that character a make-over which seems to work out a little better than what I had originally written.
So much for making The Magnolia Chronicles available in July. Even if I complete the story in the next fortnight, I still have to have the story edited and a decent cover to put on the book.
A step I've taken has been to pull my original book off of Amazon in order to re-title, re-format and re-cover the thing. It should be history as far as Amazon is concerned at some point before the first of August. My revised plan is to bundle three books for sale all at the same time at some point this autumn - hopefully in time to catch the Christmas season.
Stay tuned for further developments.
In any event, I'm still hanging in there. I'll be out for a couple of days this week - I will be at Norm Shor's memorial service in Pittsburgh (see the blog "Who's Norm Shor?") on Saturday and using the opportunity to stop and visit a few friends and family on the way up and on the way back. Until then...
Be Seeing You!
bdharrell
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