The Little Engine

28 stories, 60+ songs and the competition

2012-02-10T09:12:00.005-05:00

ooey Savvy, my kids book on financial education, continues to develop at a good clip. I have written first drafts of the book's 28 stories and this week I'm writing 60+ songs to go with them. Once those are finished, I'll give them all a long third look before seeking outside counsel from teachers, parents and kids.

This past fall I read 10-15 books by the competition. From those I took away six flaws that I address in my book. They are:

1) A paucity of kid or animal protagonists for kids to identify with;

2) No songs or rhymes to help understand or remember difficult concepts;

3) Graphic design heavy on AP stock photos from the trading floor, not illustrations that complement the written word;

4) A number of books that try to explain the entire financial system in a single go while reading like a textbook (ie, books difficult to read in one sitting);

5) Few books that bridge the divide between financial street slang which we all know and more formal synonyms which many of us do not; and

6) An introduction to the gray and black markets.

While I await feedback from my editing group, I plan to re-read those books and many more and to review them on this site. In light of the obvious conflict of interest, I will attempt to set up a grading system with which to judge these books so we're talking oranges to oranges and to be as objective as possible.

That should cover the next two weeks or so.

All Aboard

2012-01-30T20:58:00.003-05:00

fter a long hiatus, the Little Engine is pulling out of the station again. I'm particularly excited to announce Hooey Savvy, my primary literary focus the last few months. Hooey is a kids book about financial education. While there's been a lot of talk about what brought about the financial crises of the last few years, too little has been said about education as a means to prevent future crises. I hope Hooey can help in that regard.

It's Coming.

2011-11-04T00:15:00.000-04:00

Wait for it.

In Rainbows

2011-03-21T21:51:00.003-04:00

he second act of my first screenplay came rather easily. The tension and action rose with each page between the characters culminating in a third act finish that I'm proud of. The second act of my second screenplay, 86ed, has stymied me for over a month.

During that time I've had a general idea how the story needed to end, but I didn't know how to get there. That is, till tonight. Tonight I decided to work backwards. If I could decide where I needed the characters and the story to end, I could then draw character and story arcs from the first act to the third.

Knowing where and how everything needs to end also helps me know what I need to establish early on and how to color each rainbow-like arc from first to third act.

Everything But the Oink

2011-03-07T15:40:00.004-05:00

here are two skills I wish to have as a cook; first, I want to open any fridge and see what I can make with what's there (similarly, I'd like to dance with any woman I meet, but that's for another post) and second, I'd like to make a meal with as little waste as possible.

Till then, I may as well get it right on paper. There's no reason to have an idea and to make it solely into a novel or a screenplay. That's like buying a pig only to make bacon. Why not develop ideas in length and depth through different forms? Start as a log line. Sprout into a poem. Grow to a song. Develop into a screenplay. Fill out as a novel. Not a bad way to flesh out a thought and expand one's works simultaneously.

The Incredible Shrinking Screenplay

2011-02-20T20:25:00.005-05:00

elieve it or not, Any Color You Want has lost 47 pages since the last post without exercise, exorcise, diet or extreme surgical procedure. At 98 pages (approximately 1 hour 40 minutes of screen time), it's ready for the beach. Once I focused on some basic questions (is this scene/character/storyline really important to the major dramatic question? REALLY?) it became clear what could stay and what had to go.

Often I didn't cut characters; I just reassigned bits of dialogue between minor characters to major characters. By keeping my cast small I simultaneously kept conflict up whereas with a large cast conflict dissipated making for a longer and slower read. Now it's a quicker and edgier.

I'll Tell You Why

2011-02-07T23:55:00.005-05:00

aking criticism isn't easy, especially after you've worked through several drafts and are simply told to change scenes because. Fortunately, thanks to some solid feedback, I've found it easier to make big changes to ACYW because I was told why to make certain changes.

If I'm a novice and someone with more experience than me tells me to do something, odds on I'm going to listen to them. But if it's a field I think I know a thing or two about, I'm less likely to blindly adhere to their recommendations unless they give me the why. Once I understand their reasoning, I'm more apt to listen and make a change.

In this case I thought I could write Ulysses without ever writing Dubliners or Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man first. Now I see that there's just as much beauty (and challenge) in writing The Dead as there is in Finnegan's Wake. Not only that, but the criticism (and the whys) have steered ACYW closer to where it needs to be; to it's original story, trimmed down to the basics, riding a big idea from beginning to end.

Big Ups

2011-02-03T00:16:00.005-05:00

f Any Color You Want ever makes it to the big screen, there will be a lot of folks to thank. Right now I want to thank Ryan Callahan, Michael Eldridge, George Northy and Elizabeth Ventura for their insightful feedback and encouragement. Thanks to them the screenplay is much tighter, focused and professional. Special thanks to Callahan who has already volunteered to read the next draft.

Order More 86ed

2011-01-17T22:17:00.003-05:00

rough first draft of my latest screenplay's first act is in the books. I'm having fun with the story and really writing it as I go which is a big change from ACYW.

I can also tell where I've learned from class and can see the improvement that it's made on my screenwriting. I'm able to do more with less.

Looking forward to ramping up the action in Act Two...

All Queued Up

2011-01-08T15:11:00.002-05:00

hanks to feedback from a screenwriting classmate, I now have 18 log lines for potential screenplays ready to go. I've also done extended preliminary work (what I call 'pipelining' for whatever reason) on five screenplays - fleshing out characters, subtexts, locations et al. These early notes get me percolating and have lead to longer notes about specific scenes and culminating moments all of which bodes well for nice, tight synopses.

Which of the 18 do you like most? Drop me a line and I'll send 'em over.

Don't Think Twice, It's Alright

2011-01-02T16:29:00.007-05:00

appy New Year! 2010 was a productive year for the Little Engine, but more than anything 2010 sewed seeds for 2011. While I hope to learn about synopsis letters this week, I've already started to work on new projects.

Namely, I've written draft log lines for about a dozen screenplays and for two of them I've already outlined main characters, sub-characters and their subtexts, what each screenplay's major (and minor) dramatic questions are and potential locations for different scenes. All broad strokes, but steps in the right direction. Tonight I'll work on a third. I've also reached out to folks in my class. Hopefully we can continue critiquing each others' work each week as that proved very helpful.

A friend asked me what my New Year's resolution was. I didn't think twice: To write my ass off. It's alright.

The Road Ahead

2010-12-25T23:42:00.003-05:00

ur class ended well. I learned about "the business" and what my next steps are. Namely, to formally pitch ACYW and to prepare to pitch other ideas. While I've learned about the all important log lines - the line or two used to describe one's film idea most succinctly - I still need to learn how to write a synopsis (a 2-3 page overview of the movie in case readers get passed the log line). Once I get a better feel for that, I can really start moving head.

I also got a number of movies for Christmas which I look forward to watching to see how they told their stories. One is Paul Newman's Slap Shot. Within the first 5-8 minutes of the film we have a very good feel for who the main characters are. On the whole, a solid first act. The third act, too, presents a couple great twists. But in the second act the movie slows down.

Thanks to class, I watch movies differently now and have a better feel for what needs to be stronger to keep a viewer's attention. Hopefully I'll apply my new eyes to my own work as well.

The Good News Is...

2010-12-09T20:36:00.004-05:00

ou want the good news or the bad news first? I typically go bad first. For the sake of drama, though, you get good news first.

Good news: The class had no beef with the car alarm symphony. Whew.

Bad news: I have a number of scenes and characters to work on yet. That being said, I am happy that I not only received constructive criticism, but potential solutions as well. Most of which I'll adopt directly or rework in.

If anything, folks in the class wanted more of this or that as opposed to less which, I reckon, means I'm on the right track...

Done...again!

2010-12-07T22:16:00.005-05:00

onsider the second draft of the screenplay complete. I still await feedback from class, but I'm excited. I feel good about it probably because I brought it back to what I originally wanted it to be - a satire about two Africans starting the Peace Corps in the U.S. I even worked in a reverse "The Gods Must Be Crazy" scene, Coke bottle and all.

I get feedback from class tomorrow night which should be interesting. I'm curious if they'll buy the car alarm symphony. If enough people do, I'm good. If they throw my screenplay back at me (literally), I'll rework it.

Anyone want a sneak peek?

Finding Soul in Screenplays

2010-12-04T10:36:00.003-05:00

while back I wrote about how there seemed to be a lack of poetry/soul/beauty in screenplays - dialogue aside. As I spend more time writing and editing my screenplay, though, I'm finding places for soul.

First, where the scene is set. It's easy to go back to the same three or four sets, but a shift in setting can color an entire scene.

Second, the description of that new setting adds even more texture to the image.

Third, if the dialogue presents the foreground activity of a scene, slugs of description between lines can color the background. What I like about this is that it doesn't take away from the main action the first time you watch a scene, but when you watch it a second time it can add to the scene.

These are the areas I've been concentrating on lately as I finish up the screenplay for class.

Perhaps the best way to describe it is that writing fiction is like painting a large mural with long brush strokes while writing a screenplay is like painting with shorter, more poignant strokes. There's art in both, but they're painted in different ways for different audiences and media.

General Update

2010-11-25T23:14:00.003-05:00

t's certainly been a while since I posted an update. My apologies. In general, the screenwriting course has been fantastic. I'm making good progress and getting good, constructive feedback. I'm handing in my second portion of work - the first half of Act II - this coming week and am moving ahead with the rest of the screenplay for full submission the week after. Once that's all done I'll address all the feedback and work on another full draft before considering submitting to contests, agents et al. Needless to say, more work to go.

Enjoying Rehab

2010-10-17T19:27:00.002-04:00

ell, what can I say? Rehab is exactly what I needed. My screenwriting course through the Gotham Writers' Workshop has been great. I have an excellent instructor and have already received positive and even more importantly, constructive criticism on my screenplay's first act from my classmates. They have helped me address a nagging problem: Giving Josaya and Gibson their own voices and building up their characters. Now I have a better view of the way forward. And on that note, it's time to hit the books.

Grinding It Out

2010-09-19T23:59:00.004-04:00

ince my last post, I've registered for an introductory screenwriting course through the Gotham Writer's Workshop, started writing my second screenplay (The Beer Flower Limited) and begun reading the course's textbook which has already given me some good pointers on screenplay structure. I've also landed a new job which will allow me to attend the night course and, hopefully, free up more time to write. I hope to read the textbook once all the way through before starting the course so it's not all brand new and then again in class. I've also requested from the NYPL the movies the textbook refers to so I can get a better feel for them before we discuss them in class.

All in all, I'm feeling good about this fall and the progress I can make. Yeah, I know, all ho-hum to-do list kinda stuff, but that's what it takes. There are a few folks out there who make it overnight, but for the rest of us, we grind it out day after day.

Banging it out

2010-08-31T00:53:00.004-04:00

ith a little more time on my hands lately, I put it into adapting ACYW and on Monday morning I finished. Yeehaw! I can now put it aside for a spell, take a look at it before I start the screenwriting course later in September and for the time being move on to other projects.

I can think of three stories that have been on my mind of late; the story of a meal, a story about searching for one's lost sense of humor and a romantic comedy along financial-political lines. Each story challenges me in different ways and I believe each story holds a lesson for me to learn from simply taking the time to ruminate on the issues they explore.

On to the next...

Rehab

2010-08-18T00:04:00.004-04:00

t the pace I'm on, I'll finish adapting ACYW in about a month; just in time to begin the Gotham Writers' Workshop screenwriting course at the end of September.

I'd like to write more, but to be honest I'm at the point where I feel that taking this course is like checking myself into rehab. I've overdosed on this project and now need to dry out, to see the essentials of it, to boil it down, to finish it up and to move on to other projects which I look forward to thinking about, exploring, developing, getting high on, riding that buzz and then moving on to the next hit.

My lack of productivity has also translated into a change of identity. I'm no longer seen by those who know me as a writer, but as a cook, as a baseball fan, as a softball player, as an alumni coordinator, not as a man of letters and that I miss. I've lost a step, I can feel it. I look forward to getting back in literary shape.

Given Lemons, I'll Make Sorbet

2010-08-03T01:02:00.004-04:00

oly cow! It's been a month since I last wrote. No bueno. Sorry, folks. In general, progress on the screen adaptation of ACYW continues, but just not as fast as I'd like. I've been given a lot of lemons lately to deal with and just the other day figured out how to make lemon sorbet with them (which is particularly good with Prosecco). It's a new project I look forward to starting as it deals with the significant loss of my sense of humor lately. Hopefully in the process of writing, I'll get it back or at least find out where it's been hiding and try to coax it out with some other lemon-based good.

Kickass Reminder

2010-07-04T21:27:00.003-04:00

henever I read some particularly good writing, I jot it down. After entering some particularly good writing from the book Rework today, I came across some old notes I'd taken on The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Specifically, I came across these two bits:

1) “This is Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz of the Galactic Hyperspace Planning Council,” the voice continued. “As you will no doubt be aware, the plans for development of the outlying regions of the Galaxy require the building of a hyperspatial express route through your star system, and regrettably your planet is one of those scheduled for demolition. The process will take slightly less than two of your Earth minutes. Thank you.”

2) “And what’s happened to the Earth?”
“Ah. It’s been demolished.”
“Has it,” said Arthur levelly.
“Yes. It just boiled away into space.”
“Look,” said Arthur, “I’m a bit upset about that.”

This reminded me of two things. First, if you have a kickass idea (setting a book around Earth on the short end of intergalactic eminent domain), make that idea the centerpiece of your work! Second, fully express how big an idea that is through your characters and their reactions ("I'm a bit upset about that.").

I have a kickass idea (setting a book around the U.S. on the short end of the Peace Corps) that I've been shying away from. I need to address it and let it lead the story because it can.

4 A Day

2010-06-28T10:17:00.003-04:00

ust a quick update. I've been adapting four pages of text a day and making good progress. My thinking is also changing to a more screenplay mindset. Rather than drawing something out as I would in a novel, I'm looking for quick bites that get the idea across quickly, clearly and powerfully letting the visuals fill in the blanks that I'd otherwise have to explain in prose detail.

All the king's horses & all the king's men need not apply

2010-06-16T00:39:00.004-04:00

owdy, folks. In our last episode, we found our protagonist up against a wall looking for aplomb. Instead, he's spent the last couple of weeks piecing together adult aspects of life at the expense of his writing. But unlike Humpty Dumpty who put his trust in all the king's horses and all the king's men, all I need to do is string together an hour or two a day to get it together again. Tomorrow will be a good day to get back on track.

Clearing Hurdles with Aplomb

2010-05-31T22:31:00.003-04:00

ot only did I flip through a few screenplays and index the range of terms that I encountered, but I've gotten a better feel for the software, Final Draft, and today I adapted more than half of the first chapter of ACYW.

I've stopped, momentarily, as I've hit a small wall - one that I saw coming and which I believe, with some thought, can be hurdled with aplomb. Throughout ACYW I go into detail about Detroit, Dearborn, Michigan, the local, state and national economies, and then later as we experience the fall of 2008, the stock market. The wall is, how do I present these important figures? Chances are, my characters are not going to have memorized obscure, but important, statistics nor will they be able to recall the level of the Dow on specific dates.

This wall gives me an opportunity to present the information in creative and indirect ways. It can come from a radio in the background. It could be grazed from the covers of newspapers read by people in the background of a scene. Those are a couple simple ways to do it, but I'll need to give this more thought.

Can you run through those cheeses again?

2010-05-29T20:34:00.004-04:00

n the 1983 John Hughes comedy Mr. Mom, Michael Keaton loses his auto job and has to take care of the kids while his wife starts a career in advertising. With his new responsibilities come new decisions to make along with a slew of new choices to choose from. At the supermarket, he asks for cheese. The woman behind the counter quickly runs through about seven different varieties. Overwhelmed, he hems and haws before asking her to go through them again. The line of prepared moms groans behind him.

I received Final Draft, the screenwriting software, the other day. Today I sat down with ACYW and opened up the software. Before me lay a blank canvas. Problem is, despite reading a handful of screenplays, my screenwriting lingo is sparse. I don't know what cheese to order, never mind how much. Fortunately, no one's groaning but me.

I did a quick Internet search for screenwriting vocabulary, but didn't find anything comprehensive. What I'll do now is quickly flip through the five screenplays I have and jot down and index of terms. Then I'll tape them up on my wall for reference.

When it comes to formatting, I want to play by the rules. When it comes to story, I can have more fun.

How to throw a screenplay

2010-05-26T19:59:00.003-04:00

fter finishing the screenplay to Slumdog Millionaire, I'm on to The Shawshank Redemption. I have found there is little to no poetry in screenplays, which saddens me. I'll have to find other outlets for that - probably song. The dialogue is great. It's rich and it runs. The side notes, at times, could be construed as pitches made by the screenwriter to the studio - hyperbole seems to be the norm. At other times, though, they seem like brainstorming sessions between buddies. The best example of this that I've read so far comes from Shawshank as the screenwriter, Frank Darabont, introduces Tommy, the young Presley-like inmate, that Andy Dufresne works with towards his GED:

"DOLLYING Tommy as he struts along, combing his ducktail, cigarette behind his ear. (We definitely need The Coasters or Del Vikings on the soundtrack here. Maybe Jerry Lee Lewis.)"

That thinking out loud, that's fun. I'm glad it's kosher as ACYW has its own soundtrack and I look forward to throwing out tunes to accompany the action.

Industry Standard

2010-05-20T23:03:00.003-04:00

n my own I can accomplish so much. With the help of others, some more. And now, apparently, it seems that software (along with luck) can round out the percentages. After a catch-up lunch with old friend Philip Buiser of Two Penguins Productions, I learned that Final Draft, a screenwriting software application, can make sure that my submissions are properly formatted. While I will continue to read screenplays to get a feel for them, working with an industry approved app should smooth out the process of adapting ACYW and writing future work.

Screenplays Galore

2010-05-18T00:45:00.004-04:00

aving only read one and half screen plays, it's hard to come to conclusions about what makes one. Fortunately, a friend has lent me three more. I should finish "Life Is Beautiful" Wednesday morning before starting the next four: "The Shawshank Redemption", "Slumdog Millionaire", "Thank You For Smoking" and "The Hurt Locker". I'm particularly interested in reading the last which I've never seen. The rest I can visualize because I've seen the films. "The Hurt Locker" will test that and really force me to think about how blank a canvas a screenplay is.

Strand-ed

2010-05-10T23:25:00.003-04:00

he Strand, an institution of a used books store in NYC, is home to 18 miles of books. Of that 18 miles, I'd say screenplays make up about six feet. Though I was able to snag copies of The Shawshank Redemption and Life Is Beautiful, the pickings were slim. While I would expect bookstores in Los Angeles to have more screenplays, you'd think NYC wouldn't be a slouch in this department.

Perhaps there are other spots that have more. Perhaps the Strand's four shelves' worth was their bone thrown to screenwriters. Or maybe, just maybe, people just don't read screenplays. Zeus knows I'm reading my first at 33. Dunno. That being said, the beauty of screenplays is you don't depend on their sales to survive. You just have to sell one.

Of Idioms and Brooklyn

2010-05-10T00:24:00.003-04:00

ust a quick update. I finished reading The Stories Behind 100 Chinese Idioms. Some favorites:

1) Tyranny is fiercer than a tiger.
2) All that is needed is an east wind.
3) Like a crane standing among chickens.

I've now moved on to John Patrick Shanley's screenplay of Moonstruck, a favorite movie, which does a nice job of bringing together the stories of several characters akin to what I try to do. I may try to hit the Strand to see what screenplays they have as the NYPL, for once, doesn't seem to have many (at least not circulating).

People, Events, Ideas - Screenplays?

2010-04-22T23:49:00.004-04:00

few years ago I came across the following saying which one website attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt: "Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people." I'd tweak this a bit and say, "Great minds tend to discuss ideas. Average minds discuss tend to discuss events. Small minds tend to discuss people."

I mention this because the woman who just read ACYW and provided feedback essentially said all I cared about were the ideas driving the plot and not the characters. While I do not subsequently align myself with Roosevelt's "great minds", I do agree with the assessment. While I grew to enjoy my characters after a lot of work, they do come second, if that, to the ideas that drive my writing.

To this end, she recommended I make ACYW a screenplay. I have never read a screenplay, but I requested some from the library and will do my homework.

This brings up some questions. First, why can ACYW afford to be less character driven as a screenplay than as a book? Second, why is it necessary to be intimately familiar with characters to appreciate the ideas at hand? Third, if a majority of the world thinks about events and people how screwed is work driven by ideas? This also, of course, begs a more personal question.

Back in the Groove

2010-04-21T11:01:00.003-04:00

ow that a number of concerns are out of the way, I only have one distraction from writing: baseball. Every year I brace myself for a serious writing hiatus as my mind wanders to the playing field and every year I find a way to make progress nevertheless. Hopefully this year will yield more of the same.

To that end, I picked up The BFL the other day and put pen back to paper. It felt good. Very good. It didn't take long for the story to come back to me, nor for my interest and excitement for the story to do the same.

I have also restarted my research into Chinese language. I picked up The Stories Behind 100 Chinese Idioms at the library and should finish it in the next few days. I'll share some of my favorite idioms and the stories behind them in future posts.

Jinxing Myself

2010-03-23T22:11:00.004-04:00

ork on The Beer Flower Limited (The Girl Who Cried L-v-) has temporarily stalled while I tend to other matters that require attention. Yeah, I'm not happy about it either, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

That being said, a writer/editor is taking a close look at Any Color You Want. We'll then consider how to pitch it to some of the agents and independent publishers that she knows. For as much as I'm trying not to get ahead of myself, it is fun to think about a possible book tour and how I would present myself and my work in an engaging manner. More on this later, like, when it gets closer to being a reality.

Getting Wet

2010-03-16T22:18:00.006-04:00

ow many Chinese holidays or festivals can you name? Well, until very recently I couldn't name any. To correct this, I read a book from the Chinese Classic Cultural Stories Series on traditional Chinese festivals. In some ways, this took me back to Frazer's The Golden Bough, one of the first histories of religions and, by extension, history of festivals.

I read up on Chinese festivals to get a better idea of when in the year I should set my story and what, if any, festival or event, I could set the story around. I have a few festivals in mind, but the winner may be the Water-Splashing Festival which usually takes place around April 12th. According to Traditional Chinese Festivals, "young people are divided into two camps, one of young men and the other of young women, throwing floral bags to each other. If a young man cannot catch the bag from a girl, he has to plug a flower on her coiled peacock bun. If a girl fails to catch the bag from a boy, she has to put a flower on his chest. With the lapse of time, a favorable impression and a tacit mutual understanding will develop between them [that the bag] will always land in each other’s hands, as if it had eyes. This is the unique Dai style of expressing love by young people, romantic and unforgettable."

Cool story, eh? And one I think I could have some fun with.

Mining the calendar

2010-03-10T00:15:00.005-05:00

n Any Color You Want I used the lead-up to and the outcome of a kids' soccer tournament to build tension (along with a historic Election Day, a mammoth financial meltdown and other goodies). In The Beer Flower Limited (The Girl Who Cried L-v-), I have a rivalry between two individuals (Pijiu and Houston), two countries (China and the U.S.), (at least) two media outlets (East and West) and other factors to build tension, but it never hurts to consult the calendar.

In this case, I'm consulting the Chinese calendar, in particular, their calendar and history of cultural festivals as described in Traditional Chinese Festivals (2007) from the Spring Festival to the Harvest Festival. Until I actually get to make the trip to China, this book and others have greatly enlightened me as to Chinese traditions, history, culture and language - all bits that can only make my story richer and more poignant.

Working with a particular festival can also help me time my story as a community/country prepares for a festival, celebrates a festival and then recovers from it essentially providing its own arc which the rest of the story can run parallel to, if I so choose.

Lastly, thanks to Jessica Hische for the capital "I" that lead off this post. She has made such caps available for free through her Daily Drop Cap site.

9 down...11 to go

2010-03-03T22:48:00.002-05:00

Yeah, another one down, another one added. No biggie. It just means that I'm getting into the story more, getting into detail more and making each chapter more defined and tight. I might end up doing some consolidating down the road - needless to say, there's a lot more road to go down if the last book, its multiple drafts and two years of writing are any indication.

Meetcha at the corner!

2010-02-28T20:44:00.003-05:00

"She wrote to him fairly regularly, from a paradise of triple exclamation points and inaccurate observations." I came across this quote in Salinger's Nine Stories, "For Esme - with Love and Squalor". And smiled to myself. And I thought people only over-exclamated with the advent of e-mail and text messages.

8 chapters written, 11 to go. Yes, I added a chapter. Have been looking over a chapter's outline in the morning and making notes, before writing after work at night. Seems to move the process along faster.

Back to Salinger for a moment. In an earlier post I discussed how he wrote without an edge to a certain degree, that is, he didn't use literary handicaps like murder, sex, violence, drugs or the cops to grab a reader's attention. He also wasn't afraid to abandon the traditional arch of a story. The dependence on an arch to guide a reader along is something I also look forward to abandoning as I gain a reader's trust.

I'd like to think that with President Obama in office and his way of speaking without sound-bites, ie, taking the long way around giving us context as well as content, that full-bodied stories will see a bit of a revival. I know, I'm a sucker.

6 down...12 to go

2010-02-25T11:41:00.001-05:00

That's the score, folks. Definitely not on track to make 2/27, but am making progress nonetheless.

Telephone poles, hedgehogs and rigor mortis

2010-02-22T22:09:00.003-05:00

As I did for my African characters in Any Color You Want, I've done some research into Chinese proverbs and idioms for The Beer Flower Limited (The Girl Who Cried L-v-). Some that I've come across include:

Using telephone poles as chopsticks - putting much material to petty use.

A dog snapping at a hedgehog - having nowhere to bite.

A hand stretched from a coffin - asking for money even when dead.

A swarm of ants on a hot oven - milling around in a panic.

These come from 100 Chinese Two-Part Allegorical Sayings.

4 down...14 to go

2010-02-17T00:14:00.002-05:00

Four chapters down, fourteen to go. What's even better is I'm seeing the story and all its various parts come together not only in the chapters I'm working on, but in chapter as yet written. I just have to do a better job of being more productive on days I work, not just the days I have off. Getting my ass out of bed in a timely fashion would be a good start...

The Importance of Tangible Nouns

2010-02-16T14:05:00.002-05:00

I got a little excited the other day about beer truck murals, beer bottle labels and chapstick. Here's why. These tangible nouns give me flexibility. First, they can change over time. Murals change with ad campaigns, personal choice or simply the seasons. Labels start on bottles, but can be peeled off. Their designs also change. Chapstick is new one day and all used up later on. They also allow me to convey an idea without saying it directly.

Edgar Watson Howe once said, "A good scare is worth more to a man than good advice." I'd wager that most of us don't take advice unless we ask for it. In this case, no one has asked for my advice. No one has asked me to write this book (or any book) providing advice or counsel on anything. But I've got a story to tell and some would say it has a moral. How then do I give advice to those who haven't asked for it? Well, I could take Howe's advice and provide a good scare. To a certain extent, I see that happening in The Beer Flower Limited (The Girl Who Cried L-v-). But more traditionally, in fiction circles, writers use symbols. In this case, I've got my tangible nouns.

That being said, what I may wish to be a symbol for failure or l-v- may be understood for something completely different, if it's understood at all.

Of Beer Trucks, Bottle Labels and Chapstick

2010-02-15T17:59:00.004-05:00

While I'm still working on the broad strokes of The Beer Flower Limited (The Girl Who Cried L-v-), I have already come up with two to three touches that I look forward to working into the greater picture. In Any Color You Want, it was the Car Alarm Symphony. This time I'm going to play with beer truck murals, beer bottle labels and chapstick.

And for those of you familiar with A Midas Spring, yes, that chapstick.

2 down...16 to go

2010-02-15T00:04:00.004-05:00

I've put together two chapters so far and have the next two days off so I should be able to pick up some ground.

The more I think about this story, the more versions I think of, each with varying levels of detail or complexity. I could see writing two versions - the one I'm currently working on and one more akin to The Boy Who Cried Wolf. The second version could be done relatively quickly - a few sentences a page, more broadly defined characters and setting. Hmm...

18 chapters in 18 days

2010-02-09T22:39:00.003-05:00

That's the challenge I'm presenting myself. I'm already pissed off for not introducing myself to a girl tonight at Amy Bloom's reading so I'm going to take it out on The BFL. 18 2-4 page chapters in 18 days. Mark it down. February 27. It's on.

In other news, I submitted ACYW to a contest and started research on small presses.

A Dahl Version

2010-02-07T22:51:00.004-05:00

I spent a lot of time this week refining The BFL's outline which now calls for eighteen chapters. I also considered how to write the story. Going with the subtitle, The Girl Who Cried L-v-, I could write it akin to a Grimm fairytale, or in a more modern vein, akin to a Roald Dahl story. While he wrote with greater detail in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a number of his books find ways to make the most of the little description that he provided. To this end, I'm considering writing a rough Dahl version of The BFL, ie, starting with 2-4 page write-ups for each chapter, concentrating first on moving the story along and second, working in key details that appeal to the five senses.

Once I have that broad version done, I could then review and consider what parts of the story to expand on and what needs greater descriptive detail.

The end

2010-02-02T23:50:00.007-05:00

After staring at my computer screen for the last three days, taking innumerable breaks to nap, to run errands, to listen to reggae, the Gym Class Heroes, Holly Miranda and Hall & Oates, to track down Chinese drinking songs and attempt to make dark Muscovado brownies (failed, but succeeded in making a tasty potato casserole with gouda, garlic and thyme), I have come up with the framework for an ending to The Beer Flower Limited. It needs work - no doubt - but I like it. It works. Or it will with some jigging.

After a little more cleaning up of the outline, I should be ready to race ahead.

What happened to that kid?

2010-02-02T21:30:00.003-05:00

The boy who cried wolf. What happened to him? Sure, the wolf ate the flock he was guarding when no one responded to his final call of, "Wolf! Wolf!" But what happened to the kid? Anyone know? I've come up empty other than pure speculation.

Chinese Drinking Songs

2010-02-02T14:33:00.004-05:00

I figured if I'm going to write a book about beer in China, I should look into Chinese drinking songs. Thankfully Jerome P. Seaton edited just such a book, The Wine of Endless of Life: Taoist Drinking Songs from the Yuan Dynasty (1985). Most notably, I enjoyed the songs of Yun-K'an Tzu:

who envies you
oh high and mighty
all done up in purple
and dangling your badge of rank
my heart's at peace
I'm satisfied with me
there aren't many in the world today
to match this
crafty rascal.

*

when I'm drunk I sleep
and even when I'm not
I loll my head and
stagger east and west completely
shameless
there is no spring
there is no fall
toot-toot, woo-woo
this music
keeps me young.

Of course, there are at least caveats to Seaton's work. One, it's Taoist, not Phi Delt. Two, it's approximately 700 years old. Unfortunately, at the moment, I have little else to choose from, but I like Tzu's work.

Possible subtitle

2010-02-01T23:29:00.001-05:00

The Girl Who Cried L-v- (a play on the boy who cried wolf).

Learning from the past

2010-01-31T22:22:00.003-05:00

After a year and a half of writing Any Color You Want, friends suggested that I cut the first 70 pages and get to the action. Before doing so, I noted what bits from those first 70 pages I really needed and then found homes for them later in the book. Tonight I've taken pre-emptive steps to making the same mistake with The Beer Flower Limited.

Until tonight, my outline consisted of 7 chapters. Earlier this week I hit the point where the little engine ran out of track. Over the last few days I've gone back to flesh out the outline more. So far I've more than doubled the number of chapters, adding depth to the story and characters. I've also rejigged the order of things so that the reader hits the ground running instead of being hit over the head with slow moving background info upfront.

All this being said, I'm still not sure where the story will end up. Back to work on the outline...

RIP J.D. Salinger

2010-01-28T21:10:00.003-05:00

J.D. Salinger passed away today. Fortunately, he will live on through his work. Here's a selection of his that has been on my mind lately from Raise High The Roof Beam, Carpenters:

"One night some twenty years ago, during a siege of umps in our enormous family, my youngest sister, Franny, was moved, crib and al, into the ostensibly germ-free room I shared with my eldest brother, Seymour. I was fifteen, Seymour was seventeen. Along about two in the morning, the new roommate's crying wakened me. I lay in a still, neutral position for a few minutes listening to the racket, till I heard, or felt, Seymour stir in the bed next to mine. In those days, we kept a flashlight on the night table between us, for emergencies that, as far as I remember, never arose. Seymour turned it on and got out of bed. 'The bottle's on the stove, Mother said,' I told him. 'She isn't hungry.' He went over in the dark to the bookcase and beamed the flashlight slowly back and forth along the stacks. I sat up in bed. 'What are you going to do?' I said. 'I thought maybe I'd read something to her,' Seymour said, and took down a book. 'She's ten months old, for God's sake,' I said. 'I know,' Seymour said. 'They have ears. They can hear.'

The story Seymour read to Franny that night, by flashlight, was a favorite of his, a Taoist tale. To this day, Franny swears that she remembers Seymour reading it to her:

Duke Mu of Chin said to Po Lo: 'You are now advanced in years. Is there any member of your family whom I could employ to look for horses in your stead?' Po Lo replied: 'A good horse can be picked out by its general build and appearance. But the superlative horse - one that raises no dust and leaves no tracks - is something evanescent and fleeting, elusive as thin air. The talents of my sons lie on a lower plane altogether; they can tell a good horse when they see one, but they cannot tell a superlative one. I have a friend, however, one Chiu-fang Kao, a hawker of fuel and vegetables, who in things appertaining to horses is nowise my inferior. Pray see him.'

Duke Mu did so, and subsequently dispatched him on the quest for a steed. Three months later, he returned with the news that he had found one. 'It is now in Shach'iu,' he added. 'What kind of a horse is it/" asked the Duke. 'Oh, it is a dun-colored mare,' was the reply. However, someone being sent to fetch it, the animal turned out to be a coal-black stallion! Much displeased, the Duke sent for Po Lo. 'That friend of yours,' he said, 'whom I commissioned to look for a horse, has made a fine mess of it. Why, he cannot even distinguish a beast's color or sex! What on earth can he know about horses?' Po Lo heaved a sigh of satisfaction. 'Has he really got as far as that?' he cried. 'Ah, then he is worth ten thousand of me put together. There is no comparison between us. What Kao keeps in view is the spiritual mechanism. In making sure of the essential, he forgets the homely details; intent on the inward qualities, he loses isght of the external. He sees what he wants to see, and not what he does not want to see. He looks at the things he ought to look at, and neglects those that need not be looked at. So clever a judge of horses is Kao, that he has it in him to judge something better than horses.'

When the horse arrived, it turned out indeed to be a superlative animal.'

I've reproduced the tale here not just because I invariably go out of my way to recommend a good prose pacifier to parents or older brothers of ten-month-old babies but for quite another reason. What directly follows is an account of a wedding day in 1942. It is, in my opinion, a self-contained account, with a beginning and an end, and a mortality, all its own. Yet, because I'm in possession of the fact, I feel I must mention that the bridegroom is now, in 1955, no longer living. He committed suicide in 1948, while he was on vacation in Florida with his wife...Undoubtedly, though, what I'm really getting at is this: Since the bridegroom's permanent retirement from the scene, I haven't been able to think of anybody whom I'd care to send out to look for horses in his stead."

Mutual Fund L-v-?

2010-01-24T22:36:00.002-05:00

In The Beer Flower Limited, a woman believes in the mass market when it comes to l-v-, but not when it comes to her homemade beer while a man believes in mass market beer, but not mass market l-v-.

Question: Could she say to him that his view on l-v- is like shunning mutual funds for single stocks? Or are they apples and oranges? If so, discuss.

Double shot

2010-01-17T23:24:00.003-05:00

That's right, two posts in one night. Can you handle it? Good.

I recently finished re-reading Salinger's Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters which, along with Franny & Zooey, are my favorite works of his. Salinger, of course, caught the literary world's attention with A Catcher in the Rye, a book that had an edge. These other two works, though, don't. There is some rising action in F&Z and there is certainly some tension in Carpenters, but nothing like the edge of Catcher.

While this blog primarily exists to shame myself into writing, it is also a place where I consider the practice of writing. To this end, I highly respect Salinger in F&Z and Carpenters especially, because he writes with a handicap. He refuses to play to the readers' baser desires. Sex. Violence. Explosions. Aliens/Vampires. Not here. If there's a cop, it's because a character needs to know how much longer a parade is going to hold up traffic. Amen.

By today's standards, I doubt he could have started his career with anything but Catcher. It grabbed peoples' attention and built him a following. After that, he slyly worked Eastern philosophy and detachment into Western literature, moving away from Holden Caulfield to Seymour Glass.

Neither of my first two books eschew edge. I'm not at the point where I can do that. I do, though, look forward to that book.

Joke's on me

2010-01-17T22:56:00.003-05:00

One of the reasons I write is to explore questions that I have more fully. This is certainly the case with The BFL, where I am exploring the merits and demerits of rationing l-v- versus the merits and demerits of deluging the world with it. What I have already learned, having scribbled in small blue font for nine pages thus far, is that no matter what I conclude, in order to produce a work that I am proud of, that is beautiful, I am going to have to l-v- my characters. The joke, therefore, is already on me as I cannot afford to ration here. I've discussed this before, but considering this story, the irony is particularly apt.

In other news, I've decided to start submitting ACYW to various contests to see where that may lead.

Going Global & The BFL

2010-01-10T21:55:00.003-05:00

I don't know how long this trend will last, but I've noticed that my first two novels are both global in scope. While the first takes place in Dearborn, Michigan, it reaches around the state, the country and then off to the Arab Middle East among other places. The novel I'm working on now takes place in China, between a native and a New Yorker and it too will have people putting their equivalent of two cents in through global governing bodies, international corporations, various media outlets and beer houses and halls the world over.

I like this. I like showing how there are repercussions (globally) to our actions. These actions range from judgments passed on blogs and in pubs to violence incited over cartoons or a lack of good beer.

While I did not explore this much in the first book, this time I will have more opportunities for the protagonists to see and react to the waves of responses they stoke.

Lastly, my new working title for the book is, The Beer Flower Limited (BFL). I have Brittany Morford to thank for this. Thank you, Brittany.

It's about...Mr. More.

2010-01-03T22:57:00.004-05:00

As I learned with my last book, it's important to prepare a succinct answer to the question, "So, what's your book about?" In short, I've come up with, "Love, quality versus quantity...starring a Chinese beer-ess and a Wall Street banker." Intriguing or just weird?

Speaking of quality versus quantity, the Economist ran an interesting article recently entitled, "Hi there" with the subtitle, "Life is getting friendlier but less interesting. Blame technology, globalisation and feminism." Among other things, the article discussed greeting etiquette and how the old Dear Mrs. Post has quickly become, Yo Fanny!

Along that line, I always enjoyed the formality of Russian names in the works of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. While some found all the long names confusing, I liked how you could tell how close two people were according to how they addressed each other. Today, the Economist article argues, everyone is on a first name basis. That being so, intimacy seems to be assumed, not earned.

To this end, my love-everything female protagonist is on a first name basis with the entire world while my love-few male protagonist's first name is, at least early on, barely known. I look forward to playing with this.

The story continues to move along, a little each day. And that time I spend working on it every day is the greatest release I get. Amen.

It begins again.

2009-12-27T22:16:00.002-05:00

And so yesterday I put pen to paper and began writing the first chapter of what I'll call for now, Not for Nothing. It felt good. Very good. I accomplished the basic goals I had and made up some other stuff on the fly which I can flesh out more later if I choose. I then moved on to the second chapter today. If I can do a little a day I can a very simple draft done rather soon.

It's good to be back at it.

Family Man

2009-12-14T23:06:00.002-05:00

So I skipped the apple crepes and went with pumpkin-filled donuts instead. I then followed that up with cinnamon raisin twists. I am now thinking of doing pancakes every Thursday and an alternating dish every Friday. Not only has this been fun, but it's become a point of pride. On top of that, I'm getting good feedback and learning more about what it takes to prepare family meal and how the restaurant is run. This is all good news for the book - the outline for which I continue to flesh out.

I also continue to work on the outline for the revamped Not for Nothing.

There's a voice in my head that says if I can put together detailed outlines for these books, Family in particular, that I could bang out first drafts in good time. With baseball and softball over, the onset of winter upon us and the major holidays almost out of the way, I should be able to ramp up productivity between January 1st and Opening Day (April 4th). That's the plan. I plan to set goals for 2010 over Christmas and to put myself in a position to attain those goals as well. It should be a good year.

Marco Polo Pancaked

2009-11-29T22:03:00.002-05:00

As I mentioned earlier, I was considering the idea of drawing on the travels of Marco Polo to China as a parallel to one of the main characters in Not for Nothing. Thanks to a good friend in academia, I just finished reading "Marco Polo and his 'Travels'", an academic essay by Peter Jackson of Keele University.

For several reasons given by Jackson, I have decided it best to drop the idea of a parallel with Polo. What I may consider in his stead, though, is a broader idea that I've considered from time to time over the years. That being, the commercial sun's dawning and dusking on the port powers of Venice, New York (Chinatown & Little Italy conveniently being neighboring 'hoods) and Beijing over time. Some, of course, could argue that before Venice there was Beijing and I will consider that. Along these lines the story may be told with pasta, not beer, playing the role of local product - that being debatable. I will have to talk to my chef about that one as we make our own pasta by hand in Manhattan when the same process could be done in Queens, in Iowa or in Antarctica.

This added element of empire, on the one hand, risks spreading the main story of quality versus quantity too thin. At the same time, it may add depth if done right. If I can't make it work, then I can spin off the empire theme into its own story, one that moves from a bowl of pasta to one of noodles over three continents and a 1,000 years.

In other news, I'm enjoying Jonathan Fenby's Modern China: The Fall and Rise of a Great Power, 1850 to the Present.

I have also made progress in fleshing out the non-research based story, but many questions remain.

Lastly, I made another batch of pancakes this past Friday for family meal at work. I tried a different recipe and will continue to tinker. I'm thinking of apple crepes next.

Putting Pen to Paper

2009-11-22T21:12:00.002-05:00

As I've learned, writing a book doesn't always include writing everyday. That's where I am right now with both Family and Not for Nothing (which may undergo a name change) as I gather research for both. Pancakes on Friday went well and I've started reading modern histories of China. I'll pick up a couple Akwid CDs from the NYPL tomorrow. While this is all progress, I'm itching to write in the same way that I itch to escape the city every few months.

Part of me just wants to write silly songs, but another part has an idea I'd like to explore which I don't think would need much research, just imagination. I'll probably go with the latter as it's hot in my head and throw in the occasional tune when the spirit moves me.

Marco Polo & Pancakes

2009-11-15T19:15:00.003-05:00

I've been able to make a little progress with both Family and Not for Nothing (NfN) this week. For Family, I've started re-reading Michael Ruhlman's The Elements of Cooking to brush up on my technical kitchen terminology. I have also told the chef de cuisine at work that I want to help prepare family meal once a week. This first hand experience should serve me well and help me improve my cooking. This Friday we're shooting for pancakes.

I've also requested a couple CDs from the library by Akwid, a Mexican hip hop group that we occasionally listen to at work in the mornings. These boys are tight. They've got a nice flow, but what I like most is how they sample classic Mexican beats into their music. In each song they celebrate their past while embracing their future. Pretty cool.

I've also started a preliminary outline for NfN and have requested a couple books from the library which I look forward to reading. One is a modern history of China since 1850. I'm thinking of setting the story there. To that end, I see a potential parallel with the story of Marco Polo. The other book I've requested is about him.

You're speaking too loud, I can't hear you

2009-11-11T08:54:00.002-05:00

In high school I played left bench on the varsity basketball team. We had an assistant coach who was a good player, but had a hard time getting his point across. He once told a player that his passes were too crisp. Maybe he wanted the kid to slow the pass down a bit to entice a defender into committing. He also told someone once that they were speaking too loud and that he couldn't hear them.

To that end, sometimes I come up with ideas that are either so obvious or so intricately convoluted that no matter how loud I make them, no one can hear them. For as much as I adore the premise of Not for Nothing, the story was too loud. Last night, though, I think I found a way to deliver the story without making anyone deaf.

Am I giving up on Family? Hells no. If anything, I'll probably work on both. I can't wait another two years to start another project.

Done...again.

2009-11-10T21:39:00.002-05:00

I just put the finishing touches on Any Color You Want. I also sent it to a writer I know and an old friend who is an agent. It's in their hands for now. If any of you want to read it, holler.

I now look forward to moving onto new projects. Amen. Hopefully I can make significant progress before Spring Training starts in 90+ days. ;)

Final Read (11/09 edition)

2009-11-02T08:43:00.003-05:00

Just because it's been a couple weeks and because a certain team from the Bronx continues to play ball into November doesn't mean I'm slacking over here. No, sir. I successfully got the new printer cartridge before the rain, printed the fucker out and have re-read it all making notes along the way. I am now making the corrections and hope to have it tied up by week's end. Then I'll pass it along to some folks and start the next project.

That's a Smith and Wesson and you've had your six.

2009-10-18T12:55:00.003-04:00

Once the pen I'm using runs out of ink I put it in a drawer with all the others I've used up. Along with various notebooks, I take pride in the pens I've gone through and the ink I've poured over the last 11 years or so. I take an empty pen as a sign of accomplishment.

An empty printer cartridge, on the other hand, drives me fucking bonkers. Such is the case today. I have finished all the latest corrections and just want to print the fucker out so I can read it over again. But nine pages into printing there goes that blinking light signaling a trip to the store. Wish me luck making it there and back before the rain hits...

Mush

2009-10-11T16:39:00.003-04:00

I've made good progress in typing up the latest round of corrections and edits, but figure even once that's done that I'll give the whole thing another read from start to finish to make sure 2+2= something around 4. While the furniture I assemble at home routinely ends up with a bunch of extra screws and pieces laying around, I need to make sure that the moving pieces of the novel all jive. Because frankly, the more I think about this book the more my brain turns to mush.

It ain't over till it's...

2009-10-05T23:19:00.003-04:00

There are a few words I refuse to use in writing; always, never, perfect and my own personal tetragrammaton, l-v-, among others. Why? Because I sincerely doubt the first three exist. And the fourth? Well, Robert Frost once said that a poet should never use the word "beautiful" more than three times...and that he now had two opportunities left. Well, Bob, I'm Italian and we can't get enough of beauty. (I truly believe that Italians' morality hinges on that which is beautiful versus that which is ugly as opposed to the old good versus evil dichotomy.) Rather, as Yehuda Amichai described in his poem, Stewardess (below for good measure), I more often than not vote with the conservative party of l-v-rs and I pretty much refuse to dole the word out like it might feed the starving. But that is all material for another book.

As for this blog and this book, I'm tempted to add "done" to this list of words. Yes, I edited the final 8 pages and smoothed out the ending, but there are many ts to cross, is to dot and many more eyes to read it all before anything is "done."

Stewardess by Yehuda Amichai

A stewardess told us to extinguish all smoking materials

And did not detail, cigarette, cigar, or pipe.

I answered her in my heart: You have beautiful love material,

And I did not detail either.

And she told me to buckle up, bind myself

To the chair, and I answered her:

I want all the buckles in my life to have the shape of your mouth.

And she said: You want coffee now or later,

Or never. And she passed by me

Tall to the sky.

The small scar at the top of her arm

Testified that she will never be touched by smallpox

And her eyes testified that she’ll never fall in love again:

She belongs to the conservative party

Of lovers of one great love in their life.

Thank you, Twins & Tigers!

2009-10-04T18:14:00.002-04:00

Thanks to the Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Tigers, the regular season and my deadline get one more day which should work out perfectly as I have 8 more pages to edit. I can do that before work manana. Then I just need to type the shit up, iron out a couple small items and decide on an ending before the playoffs which start Wednesday in the Bronx at the earliest. While I tell myself I'm just going to relax and veg out on the playoffs for the rest of the month, I reckon that won't happen.

ACYW's old ending segued into Not for Nothing which was to be my next book, starring a couple characters (Mack Brown & Houston More, dudes I first wrote about 5 years ago) who had cameos in ACYW. But now that I'll work on Family next, there is no longer a need to retain that ending. Continuity is nice, but not necessary. I'll catch up with Mack and Tony when the time is right.

Once I'm done with ACYW, I'm sending it off to an agent and a writer who have vowed to read it and work with me on it. The writer's already read it and in some ways I'm going to try to slip a fastball by him. I've taken most of his advice, but rather than completely 86ing one aspect of the story that I find pivotal and he does not, I've tried to bring it in through the back door, if you will. I won't fool him with this approach, but hopefully I can make the aspect more palatable to him.

Lastly, because so much of the story is car-driven, I figured it might be cool to publish ACYW in the form of a Ford car manual. Either that or a hybrid marketing pamphlet-manual. A little Arabic-looking font over other traditional U.S. images could also work. But that's waaaaaay down the road.

Grazie tutti

2009-09-27T19:00:00.002-04:00

The chip on my shoulder typically provides enough motivation. Recently, though, a few friends have stepped up in small ways to show their support which has meant more than I thought it would.

On three separate occasions at work lately, I've mentioned "meetings" I had after work without going into much detail. In each case, independent of each other, three talented and sweet co-workers with far more on their plates than an underling's side project, have asked, "About the book?" "Unfortunately, no," I'd reply, but the fact that they remembered and perhaps hoped that for me, was very cool.

And just the other day an old friend (howdy, Kurt!) told me that he followed this blog. I had no idea. This made me wonder who else looked on from afar.

While this blog originated to shame myself into writing consistently and into completing the projects I started, the added bonus of support, of people rooting for you, certainly helps and is greatly appreciated.

Thank you all.

Now back to editing.

Progress Report, Writer's Cut

2009-09-23T23:57:00.003-04:00

I'm now over half way through editing the latest draft. I've done a better job of bringing the lead female character, Besat El-Reeh, to the fore. The rest is hard to tell. Fucking with any of it is kind of like handling melted chocolate. It's sticky, it's gloppy, it can make a mess quickly and for all to see, but if you get it right, it's delicious.

What I know if nothing else is, the next time I meet a published author the one question I want to ask him or her will be, "So, how much did you have to compromise to get published?" Never mind the understood follow up question, "And how does that make you feel?"

May there one day be a writer's version of the "editor's cut."

Plugging Along

2009-09-13T20:24:00.002-04:00

Just a quick update. I'm getting up an hour earlier than usual to edit. Am making progress little by little, day after day. There are no quick fixes here, just gotta stick with it and see it through.

September Call Up

2009-09-01T23:13:00.002-04:00

Assuming the Yankees avoid a Mets-like collapse in September (...), they should be headed for the playoffs in October. While I will continue to keep tabs on my team, I figure setting an October 4th (last day of the regular season) deadline for the next draft of ACYW is doable.

I've identified all the editing I need to do and have already knocked off the small stuff. The big stuff remains. Most notably, I've decided to tell the story from the point of view of Besat El-Reeh, the young Arab American reporter, more. It'll still be third person omniscient, but with a good helping of Besat.

For Family, I've written two versions of the first paragraph and continue to jot down notes about characters, voice and scenes. I reckon, in general, though, that the project will get pushed to the back burner while I focus on ACYW.

Taking the Fork in the Road

2009-08-23T16:11:00.003-04:00

As I had hoped, Dr. Z has spoken and I have listened. It seems that for all the folks that think there are two distinct stories in ACYW, there is still a vocal minority that believe the two can and should be reconciled. I agree with the minority.

So what of my last post? I think the conclusions I drew are still sound, but I also see the reconciliation option which I will explore first as I think it will take less time than researching all things Brazil and then re-editing.

That being said, I picked up all things Brazil at the library yesterday and will continue to read, listen, watch and experience the culture and language for shits and giggles if nothing else.

Tonight, between pitches and innings in Boston, I'll continue to flesh out Family a story I'm eager to start simply for the fact that I'll get to write a food fight scene.

Next Steps? So Danco Samba

2009-08-21T08:22:00.004-04:00

While I would like to just jump into fresh edits of ACYW, I need to learn more about Brazil, its culture, its people and its language first. I have a slew of books, CDs (Gilberto, Jobim et al) and DVDs (the World Cup's greatest moments) waiting for pickup at the NYPL this Saturday. On recommendation from a friend, I have also joined a local Meetup group for Brazilians (or those interested in Brazil, its culture and language) in NYC. They watch movies (Orfeu on 8/31), they give rudimentary Portuguese classes and set up dance classes. All sound good to me! Needless to say, it may be a month before I put pen to paper on this project.

That being said, I'm going to start Family in the meantime. Not writing is making me cranky, even with the Yankees playing beautiful baseball.

The Rejigging of ACYW

2009-08-20T18:55:00.003-04:00

I finished re-reading and making notes on ACYW this morning before work. I have made some decisions, others loom.

Decisions Made
1) I have decided to change the names and nationalities of two of the main characters. Rather than being from Botswana, they will be from Brazil.

2) I have decided to focus on the story of the soccer team of Arab American kids in Dearborn, Michigan rather than the story of two Batswana bringing the Peace Corps to the U.S. This helps explain #1. Who would you rather have for a soccer coach, a Brazilian or a Botswana?

While the idea of the "reverse Peace Corps" may disappear, it will not in spirit. Part of the beauty of Brazilian characters is the history of Brazil, its multiethnic/racialness, its auto industry and the greenness of its auto industry. All these attributes jive better with Dearborn and its challenges than two entrepreneurs from Africa who made their money off of diamonds.

Decisions Ahead
1) Do I continue to tell the story from the third person, or do I focus on the perspective of the young female journalist, Besat El-Reeh, who people seem to like?

2) How much of the story do I hand over to the team and how much rests with Besat and the Brazilians? I'd like to think I can make it all work, but I've already been told once that it doesn't.

Those are the broad strokes.

Funny enough, there's a scene in the book where Besat tells an AP reporter that this is the story of a team and their community, not the Batswana because people wouldn't get them. And now here I am, finally listening to my character's advice.

One reader was not happy with my proposed changes. He thought I had made my case and that the two stories worked well together. God bless him. Hopefully I can do the same for the next version. Any thoughts from other readers? Dr. Z, perhaps?

Back to the drawing board

2009-08-13T08:11:00.002-04:00

While I continue to draw up an outline and do research for Family, I have recently received additional feedback on Any Color You Want that has given me pause. What was once the opinion of one person, then two, has become three or four which I can no longer ignore. The consensus has become that ACYW is two stories, not one and that one of those stories is far better than the other. To this end, I have decided to lop off the weaker story and to concentrate on the stronger one. This means a lot of work and time, but I believe it's worth it in the long run.

I have started re-reading ACYW with an eye for what to keep and what to cut. I have also started to do research in the areas that will change (the nationalities of the two main characters, for one). While this is all a bit frustrating - having thought I was so close to completion - as I go along and see new opportunities I become more excited about the new version's prospects.

When I have a better feel for the better defined and new focus of ACYW, I will share it. Till then, it's back to the drawing board.

Now Serving Family

2009-08-01T23:23:00.003-04:00

For the second time in the past two years, I've decided to put Not for Nothing on hold to work on another project. I had a bit of an epiphany the other day about a new novel and tonight I fleshed out its broad outline. I'm excited about the new project, Family, a reference to the meal a restaurant's kitchen staff prepares for itself before lunch and dinner service. Unlike NfN, I can see how Family develops clearly. I look forward to picking up a new journal on Monday and filling it shortly thereafter with daily helpings of Family.

Meanwhile...

2009-07-12T22:42:00.002-04:00

Howdy folks, been a while. As literary agents review my query letter for Any Color You Want, I figured I'd start the next project, Not For Nothing, a Wall Street romantic comedy. I wrote a novella version of NfN years ago, but I'm going to start fresh and flesh it out more. I wrote the first half of the introductory chapter Saturday night and tonight I'm going to tighten up the broader outline and hopefully, finish the intro.

I will get into the premise of NfN in the coming weeks. Just wanted to post an update tonight before putting pen to paper.

Done

2009-03-09T11:17:00.002-04:00

The latest draft is now done. Hallelujah.

Big thanks to all those who read earlier drafts and provided criticism. This final draft responds to many of your comments and is much more readable than before.

I will now review a cover letter I drafted a few months ago regarding the book to potential agents and get that ball rolling.

Amen.

The last 3%

2009-03-08T23:22:00.001-04:00

223 pages down, 7 to go. Tomorrow's the day. Amen.

Gunning for the last 19%

2009-03-04T22:05:00.001-05:00

81% percent done with a new projected completion date of Monday, March 9, the morning of the 10th at the latest. I swear to god.

You see where this is going.

2009-03-01T00:15:00.002-05:00

61% done editing. 135 pages of what is now 220. Projected completion: 3/10/09. Projected length: 230 pages.

G'night.

About 44% Done

2009-02-23T18:54:00.002-05:00

Editing of version 4 continues. I'm through 85 of the first 200 pages and have already added 15 pages. Thanks to great editing suggestions from friends and family, I have concentrated on adding a sense of place and visuals to the story. As I do this, I find ways to play with the visuals/details to make the story richer throughout.

That's the latest. Back to the grind.

Rejection #1

2009-02-11T20:22:00.002-05:00

Well, I just got off the phone with a friend who is a long time literary agent. He has turned down the book saying that he didn't get it and that it wasn't for him. I've been waiting for this.

This is not only the book's first rejection, but is its first out and out negative review. Other folks have given it broad positive reviews before providing various criticisms. While I've worked hard to make this book accessible short of holding the reader's hand, I knew not everyone would like it and not everyone would get it. Now I have proof. Things were going a little too well there for a while. At least that's out of the way. But as my Mom likes to remind me, "Dr. Seuss was rejected 80 times before he got published." Thanks, Ma!

In other news, editing of version #4 is going well and I'm on track for a March 1st completion. I typically work best with a chip on my shoulder and well, now I've got one.

Picking Up The Pen

2009-02-06T12:36:00.002-05:00

Thanks to several friends, I have now received enough feedback to build a consensus on what improvements the book needs most. While I look forward to receiving more feedback from others (I'm looking at you, Brittany), I'm ready to pick the pen up again.

Next steps:

1) Ideally, I'd like to finish the next draft by March 1st. This will mean editing 8-9 pages a day.

2) Read the book aloud. One of the great ways to edit one's material is to read it aloud. While my eyes have read the book over and over, I haven't heard it, I haven't pronounced it. Reading aloud should expose me to mistakes I've made (grammatical and story-wise) and help me see gaps to fill.

3) Embrace criticism as opportunity. Reviewers have noted various short-comings and have cut my work out for me. What I have to do is see these short-comings as challenges and opportunities to prove that I'm not just good at dialogue or just good at word-play, but good. Period.

That's the plan.

Back to school

2009-01-12T08:24:00.004-05:00

Since my last post in late December, three people have read Any Color You Want and have provided excellent feedback. While I wait to hear from more readers to get a more well-rounded and consistent view of the book, a couple booboos in particular have become apparent. I have decided not to start editing again until February 1st (to give other readers time to respond), but I am going to pick up a couple classics to see how the pros addressed the mistakes I'm making. In particular, I'm going to read Vladimir Nabokov's Pnin and bits of Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote (Edith Grossman's translation).

Yeehaw!

2008-12-23T00:28:00.003-05:00

A little over a year ago I started this blog with the goal of finishing a book. Tonight, I put the 73,026th word on the book's 200th page. Other than some basic housekeeping and the retitling of the 19 chapters, I am done with the book's second draft.

For as happy as I am, I am just as excited about the next project which will begin soon.

Till then, I will continue to post regarding the progress of ACYW so stay tuned.

Thank all of you who have checked in over the last year to cheer me on, provide comments and kick me in the ass. It all paid off.

G'night!

Light at the end of the tunnel

2008-12-19T11:21:00.003-05:00

Tuesday, December 23, 2008. The book will be done (or, at least, the second draft will). I have 14 pages to edit and then I'll take a day to give each chapter a name. Looks like I'll clock in at around 195-196 pages and a little over 70,000 words.

It's snowing in New York today and when not editing or sipping hot chocolate, the Counting Crows and I sing A Long December. And I have many reasons to believe this year has been better than the last, if not one of the best.

33 to go and blessing SUVs

2008-12-14T10:49:00.007-05:00

Despite distractions (Davidson beating NC State & West Virginia at MSG; the Yanks signing CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett; sugar, booze, birthdays and the beautiful women of NYC), I have only 33 pages of editing to go. 156 of 189 done.

The following appeared in this week's Economist:

'INVEST IN AMERICA', screamed the front page of the Detroit Free Press on December 4th. Copies of the newspaper were sent to Congress, begging for a bailout for General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. 'You can help them,' the paper urged, warning: 'And if you don't, make no mistake: there will be bleeding throughout the land.' The prospect of a collapsed car industry was so terrifying that a church in Detroit placed three hybrid SUVs on its altar and prayed for divine intervention."

Ironically, a character in ACYW is a staunchly pro-American reporter for the...Detroit Free Press. So, thank you, DFP, to playing up to my stereotype.

At the same time, I question the "bleeding throughout the land" bit. As I noted before, there have been more casualties from Black Friday (1) this year than from all the financial carnage of September and October's financial meltdown (0). Maybe this fall was too early for people to really comprehend the damage done and the need to revolt or at least protest. Maybe it'll come a little further down the road if things become more dire. I hope not, but right now it's Violent Consumers 1 Public Outrage 0.

Last Third To Go; Michigan in the press

2008-12-05T23:28:00.006-05:00

I'm now about two thirds of the way through editing. I've found a good rhythm lately and hope to keep it up while in the boonies the next few days. Keeping it up when back in the city will require particular fortitude as New York in December is nothing but sugar and booze, at least, usually. This year may be more subdued. Then there's the Hot Stove and Davidson b-ball (big games against NC State, West Virginia & Purdue) that beckon. Whatever, I gotta bang this puppy out. The hardest parts are over, I'm in the home stretch and hey, have you noticed how much press Michigan's got lately?

The performance of the Big Three on Capitol Hill and on Wall Street only justified a scene in the book where bored Ford execs prank call the guys from Botswana looking for business tips. The Batswana turn around and tell them to short Ford stock. I wrote that this past winter. If only I had taken my own advice...Fuhgedaboutit.

Where the riots at?

2008-12-02T08:36:00.003-05:00

Here's a question, why were there no riots during the onset of the financial crisis (let's say September 7th through October of 2008)?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but there have been more casualties over the nascent holiday shopping period (the Walmart temp who got trampled by discount hungry shoppers) than there have been during the financial meltdown.

Where's the outrage?

The Halfway House

2008-11-28T22:30:00.003-05:00

I've officially hit the halfway mark in editing. This feels good, but there's plenty of work ahead. I'm definitely filling in blanks that previously existed.

Working at my Mom's (aka, the igloo) for the holidays will do me well. My sister will be leaving town soon so even fewer distractions although I have taken to hitting the gym once a day to shoot hoops. The local college students are currently out of town and the court's all mine. It's a beautiful thing.

I'm also getting some good background reading done. I finished Muslim Women in America by Haddad, Smith and Moore. Did you know there's an Arab doll called the Razanne? Good stuff. I'm now working on Douglas Brinkley's Wheels for the World about Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company.

To Be Or Not To Be

2008-11-22T15:39:00.003-05:00

One of the things I believe separates amateur writers from professionals is word choice. I'm not talking about impressing folks with unnecessary polysyllabic nonsense. I'm talking about choosing words rather than simply using the first ones that come to mind. While I have a list of about 7 words I try to avoid at all times (always, forever, perfect and my own personal tetragrammaton, l-v-, come to mind), the verb "to be" is right up there.

Substituting was, were, is, being, been and the like with other verbs or by rearranging the sentence typically adds strength to one's writing. Take the first sentence of this post:

"One of the things I believe separates amateur writers from professionals is word choice."

Let's take out the "is" and rework the sentence.

"I believe word choice separates amateur writers from professionals." Or, more definitively, "Word choice separates amateur writers from professionals." I've also omitted "things" which was an example of me being a lazy writer and "I believe" which has an element of weakness to it as it's only one person's opinion.

Are there times "to be"? Sure. I typically give "to be" a reprieve in dialogue because that's how a lot of people talk. If you have a particularly weak, passive or uncertain character or situation, the passive voice that the verb "to be" engenders also works well.

The idea of "choosing words" is a big topic. Substituting "to be" is but a small piece of that pie.

Mish Mash

2008-11-16T22:22:00.004-05:00

The editing of Chapter Two is nigh complete. Maybe even tonight! After that, the chapters get shorter and editing should be smoother. I'm shooting for 6 pages a day and finishing up on December 9th.

What happened to Thanksgiving, you say? Well, it's just not going to happen. I start a part-time pastry gig after the 9th and then there's the holidays which'll be a blur.

I've also put together a list of about 100 friends who I'll request provide criticism. I'll give 'em a month (till Feb. 1, 2009) to read and comment.

As I edit I think about a soundtrack to the lives of the characters and what they might be listening to as they work, drive, play. Motown and African artists are in the mix, but being the 21st Century, I'm tempted to work in Anthony Hamilton, Raphael Saadiq and Sharon Jones and Dap Kings. Props to Peel.

An Eyeful

2008-11-10T21:12:00.003-05:00

While I typically leave all photography to my sister, who I will credit here with the photo on this blog's home page, I thought I'd give you an idea of where I am right now.

This is the first page of Chapter Two. The pen work in the margins and elsewhere represent changes I need to make and issues I need to keep in mind or tackle straight away.

So for all of you who have received edited work back from me in the past and gulped at such a sight, well, at least I'm consistently a stinker.

That's a pizza stain at the bottom.

Checked out

2008-11-07T21:16:00.006-05:00

Now that I've decided to return to New York on Sunday, my mind has already checked out. I've edited the prologue, the first chapter and outlined changes for chapter two which will need a lot of work. But it's work I'd like to tackle back home.

Till then, I'm doing things in the area that I haven't been able to yet. I spent today in Ann Arbor. Tomorrow I'm going to tour Henry Ford's estate and, hopefully, go to a hookah bar. Yesterday I went to a local Arab restaurant. All in all, I've met good people who have done an excellent job of answering my questions and helping me better understand the area, its history and its people.

Unfortunately, I never got to work for a local Arab bakery which would have been a lot of fun and educational. Business locally's been slow and the bakeries I inquired at didn't need any extra part-time help.

There will be no shortage of distractions at home, but I've got into a good editing rhythm lately, working hours at a time unlike the first draft where I'd bang out some copy in an hour or so and call it a day. Plus, being this close to the end with so many people asking me how it's coming along, is only more incentive to wrap it up strong.

Adapting to the paradigm shift

2008-11-05T11:14:00.004-05:00

Obama's victory last night has shifted realities, realities that I have to consider for the book. I've edited the prologue and should finish editing chapter one today, but as I go forward I will have to consider how to adapt to last night's events.

Do I forge ahead because, in general, people associate Washington politicians as being out of touch, above it all and out for themselves no matter what year it is? This approach, in light of recent events, I reckon would only go to show that I am the one out of touch.

Do I eliminate the element of national politics altogether because Obama is the opposite of the characters I have and because he represents a new paradigm? That would be naive, especially since he hasn't even taken office yet. That being said, I could eliminate the national perspective and simply make it a more local story. This is a viable option, but it is not a cure-all as it presents its own problems/questions.

The 2008 U.S. presidential campaign was historic for specific reasons. And while still freshly minted, the mere mention of the 2008 campaign will evoke specific memories for people. I now fear that setting the story in that year during that campaign without those players or players like them would jeopardize a certain credibility.

Now that I think about the totality of the book and how much the presidential candidates make up, I realize that when the story comes to its climax, they are on the sidelines. It is the local officials that are more front and center. So here's what I'll do: I'll keep the presidential candidates a part of the story, but I'll keep them on the sidelines. This is do-able and realistic. Cool.

That's what I like about this blog. Not only does it force me to keep making progress, but it allows me to think things through outloud, if you will, while also taking in feedback from friends and others.

Good. And now back to editing!

Amen

2008-11-05T01:47:00.003-05:00

This blog is about the writing of a book. Last night, though, something tremendous happened. I sang the national anthem with my hand on my heart for the first time in 8 years. I also felt proud to be am American again for the first time in a looooooong time. Why? Because U.S. voters affirmed what the world wanted: Barack Obama as president. And if his presidency and the new paradigm it presents means Any Color You Want doesn't get published because its message is now dated or no longer true, well, then, I'll make that trade every single time.

To change a line from the movie Head of State, "God bless America and everywhere else." Hallelujah.

African Proverbs

2008-10-31T21:30:00.004-04:00

Earlier in the year I did research regarding African proverbs (and those particular to Botswana) which I could pepper my main characters' speech with. Tonight I'm going through the proverbs and making notes about where best to use them. In some cases, I'd like to use them as chapter titles to get away from the old "Chapter One", "Chapter Two" business. A chapter with its own title sets it apart and also gives the reader something to look forward to. How many times have you looked over a book's table of contents at the chapter titles?

Here are a few choice proverbs:

When the elephants fight, the grass suffers.

You send a wise person on an important mission, not a long-legged person.

One should not ignore an elephant and throw stones at a small bird.

The result of continually chasing a chicken is that your hand touches some dirty ground.

When the drumbeat changes, the dance changes.

Too much haste splits the yam.

When a bird gets tired, it will land on any tree.

The shoe doesn't need a sock. (ie, Nothing closer to the truth.)