It’s already been five days since I last posted. That’s a strange feeling considering I published a blog here almost every single day for the last decade. It’s growing less strange with each day that goes by. I realized that I was in a rut, not producing much new long-form writing and decided to free up some mindspace and try something different. Change can be a wonderful renewal.
I’m finding a new rhythm to my day and this first week has been super productive. I think my new goal will be to post a blog once or twice a week until my new novel is finished but I’ll still be commenting and using my voting power every day.
The plot sketch for my the new book, Portraits from the Hearthhold has been completed and revised. I’ve come up with the plot-twist for the ending and will begin work drafting the chapters next week. I haven’t been this excited about a project since Alarm Clock Dawn. To me, there’s no greater feeling of satisfaction than building a world, the characters to fill it, and feeling the satisfaction of seeing completed pages at the end of the day. So far, so good! I can’t wait to share this story with you. For this one I may try to get a literary agent and a proper book deal.
All Work and No Play…
We all know what they say about that. Last night my friend Romeo and I met for a drink at the St. Paul Hotel before seeing a concert by a great local band called, The Big Wu perform a tribute to The Grateful Dead’s founder Bob Weir at The Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul.
I have to admit I’ve never really gotten into The Grateful Dead’s music until recently.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been out on the town like that and it was a lot of fun.
I have to admit, as I was getting ready, a quiet night at home on the couch watching television was sounding very appealing. As we get older our couches seem to take on a greater level of gravity but it's important to resist. I’m glad I made it out the door to meet new people and have a new experience. This was a nice reminder of how important it is to make the conscious decision to keep having new experiences and to live life to the fullest.
A Different (four-legged) Romeo
Over the summer my wife and I have befriended our neighbor's dog, whose name also happens to be Romeo.
This little guy is usually tied up in our neighbor’s front yard and we have to pay the “puppy tax” and give him some attention every time we come back from our walk if he’s outside—if we don't he protests, loudly. This morning was no different. The puppy tax is one tax I don't mind paying.
What Did I Just Witness?
By now most of you have heard the news about Tesla's October 15th debut of their new Roadster. As I was watching the product demo Thursday night my brain didn't register that what I was watching was real. It's a good thing there was a live audience at the event because if there wasn't no one would believe parts of the demo weren't computer generated.
The Roadster using SpaceX rocket thrusters to do a kick-flip in the mid air over the entire line-up of their current vehicles? What!? To say the demo exceeded my expectations is an understatement. I have no idea how Tesla managed to keep so many of the details of this project secret for two years. These times we find ourselves living in are exciting and frightening in equal measure. Seeing a company push the limits of physics to such a degree is definitely one of the more exciting aspects of our times.
Top Gear did a decent job in this video reporting on some of the design and techinical aspects of the car that weren't mentioned at the unveiling.
All for now. I hope you're all well and you enjoy your weekend! Make this a wonderful day.
Hi Eric,
The writing process is intereesting —I saw myself as a poet until I begain writing short stories based on daily prompts on a site called Storypraxis. I wrote one each day for a year and built up my first fiction archive. Then, I tried longer stories, proceeding to novellas and finally to A Familiar Rain. Long form writing is more about commitment but I managed it for several months while still continuing on Storypraxis and after that died. posting daily on Steemit and finally on Hive. The purpose of recounting this was to support what you are currently doing by encouraging you to continue on your project. It's not a case of Either/Or, the more you write, the more you get inspired and the more you post. I can see like me you're very associative in your thinking, hence,the theatre, the dog and the Tesla. I get that—that's how you can do it. I'm like the character in Leacock who got on his horse and rode off in all directions. It all comes together in the end. And if you back off, inspiration dies off, at least it does for me. (Don't try that—it's scary). Write till you die, lol.
Hi John! Writing short fiction is a wonderful way to build those neural pathways that make it possible to create something larger. In some ways, short stories are really just like chapters of a novel. I don't ever see myself quitting. For me, right now, posting less on Hive is more a matter of freeing up more of my available time and mind-space to focus on creating the longer fiction.
Definitely not a prolific writer like you and never have been a regular blog poster. But I understand, and no worries. We all have to shift gears. Had to do the same recently. Not nearly as active as I once was.
It would be shameful if you didn't stop and spend some puppy tax and time with that cute little thing. He is adorable.
Somewhere along the line it went from being fun to feeling as if I didn't post every day that I'd lose my audience (the latter seemed to happen anyway due to shifting tastes and people leaving the platform.) I still love it here and will keep posting weekly. There are still enough friends left to keep me here.
Yes! We must pay that puppy tax. We actually get a whole lot in return, unlike most of the other taxes we pay. Lol. Unfortunately Romeo (the dog) will be moving to Florida soon but I think we're nearly ready to get another dog ourselves—probably another beagle.
Ten years of daily posts is wild so stepping back to focus on the novel makes total sense. Good luck with getting an agent for Portraits from the Hearthhold once it is finished.
It feels right. Thank you! I'm going to start reaching out to agents soon.
I think the hardest part of doing difficult things is often getting started and staying consistent when the initial motivation fades.
Definitely!
Can't wait to see the next chapter
Thank you!
#hive #posh
Wishing you all the best with the drafting of your new book! Your writing journey and updates always inspire us so much.