Zen In The Art Of Writing

A couple of weeks ago during the solar eclipse, I ordered Ray Bradbury's Zen in the Art of the Writing. I hadn't read it in a long time and thought it might have something I needed. Strangely, I found out the next morning that he had died. On Thursday, I received the book which has the best writing advice of any writing book I know. It's all about loving the work, full of pratical advice about working with your material, the things you love, the things you hate. Your passions. I think writers, myself included, tend to fall into thinking that writing is difficult. It is, but that's not all it is. It's exciting, thrilling, joyous, and hopeful. Go out and get this book! I've been in hiding for a few months, working on a new project. But I'm in the revision stretch which is kind of evil, but kind of thrilling. I'll be back soon, but until then, happy summer, the longest day of the year. The days get shorter from here. Thank goodness!

One Foot In The Grave, The Other On A Banana Peel

The day has come for another post -- yes, I have completed a draft of my novel and am finally allowed out of the writer's protection program. First, a mention of Richard Dawson's death -- I always loved him on Hogan's Heroes and Family Feud. I've found when mentioning him, people of a certain generation say, He was on Hogan's Heroes? They only remember him as the lady loving host of the Feud, one of my favorite game shows as a child. He always had such a happy spirit one couldn't help but enjoy him. He will definitely be missed. Second, Mad Men is all kinds of crazy dark depressing this season. We've had our sex for money moment with my favorite character Joan, we've had fights, we've had HoJos, and now a suicide. By hanging. On the coat hook at the office. Oh Lane, why? Why couldn't you see that when you couldn't kill yourself in the Jaguar (it wouldn't start), that was a sign that you needed to stay? But alas, he couldn't see out of his pain and shame (forging a check, losing his job) that he ended it a dramatic way. Existentially, I have no problem with suicide in that I feel you can never gauge how much pain someone feels to get to that point. But the pragmatist in me feels like life is a short movie -- even if it's kind of shitty, why walk out before the credits roll? At any rate, poor Lane! And poor us as the season is almost over -- only one more episode. I will be posting more regularly now that I'm done with a very rough draft of The First Rule of Curses. Happy Monday to all!