Clearing Hurdles with Aplomb

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.

Last Third To Go; Michigan in the press

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.

Motown Moment

So I was in Jackson, Michigan the other day doing a little work for another campaign office and meeting a friend of a friend. While there, a native Detroiter and I were working when she opened up her iTunes and said, "Bruce Springsteen or Sam Cooke?" I reckon the former was a nod to my neck of the woods; the latter to hers. That's when I knew where I was.

Excuses, excuses

Now that the baseball season is officially over, you'd think I'd have an extra three hours to write, right? Yeah, me too. Then the local campaign folks sunk their teeth into me. I'm pretty much a goner from now through 11/4. Fortunately, one of the guys at the campaign office knows the folks at the bakery where I'd like to work for a couple weeks, so hopefully we can work that out. This would be key. For as much as I've learned about the area since 10/20 (today I had my first Coney Island (a hot dog with chili, mustard and onions) and learned that tonight is Devil's Night in the Detroit area...), I have not made inroads with the local Arab population. The baking gig would, potentially, improve that.

So, basically, editing hasn't gone as fast as I'd like. I'll plug away tonight, but between now and the election may be a wash. I hope not. There is no reason I can't finish editing the prologue tonight. Lord knows I got enough hot chocolate and potato chips to pull it off.

Fortunately, my next distraction doesn't start till 11/17: Davidson hoops. Pre-season #20, baby. That should give me some incentive to bang this shit out so I can enjoy the season.

Mining Suzan; Book Trailers

My new style Dearborn-native friend Suzan continues to be a wealth of information. So far today I've learned more about Dearborn's old mayor, Mayor Hubbard, who was such a fierce racist that blacks from Detroit heading west would intentionally go around Dearborn to avoid him and his police force; that to get a pass (even a day pass) to the local recreation center, you had to be a Dearborn resident and that Hubbard kept blacks out of Dearborn (as did Henry Ford) which means they weren't hanging out at the rec center.

We also drove by the old Montgomery Ward site. I say "old" because, well, they done blown that shit up. Yup, the place where two of my main characters had an office is now dust. RIP Montgomery Ward Dearborn.

I also got to canvass around Dearborn Heights today which I'll do again a few more times before election day.

Lastly, Suzan's family and I went into Detroit to see a film. Before and after the film, Suzan and her sisters pointed out a myriad of local landmarks (the Fisher Building, Hitsville, U.S.A. (the home of Motown), the Fox Theatre, the new casinos and their geneses, the Wayne State University campus and the Detroit Institute of the Arts, to name a few). I'll see them again Friday night and hope to speak to a brother-in-law of Suzan's who used to work for Ford. Needless to say, I've been very fortunate to meet some good, informative people pretty quickly.

In other news, supposedly "book trailers" are all the rage as marketing tools. I kinda like the idea, though it also kind of defeats the purpose of a book (and being a writer) if you still have to sell your idea/work via a visual image/film. Regardless, I came up with about five different ideas for trailers last night. Buiser, if you're reading this, I'm gonna knock on your door, bro.

Off Roading

Why do automakers cease making certain models or go out of business themselves?

-A make or model may fall out of favor with consumers because of style, lack of safety, performance, mileage or accoutrements (8 track player only...)

-Could be recalled for a particular reason.

-Could have an unfortunate name (The old story of Novas not selling in Mexico because they didn't want a car that's name meant "doesn't go.")

-Replaced by a more market-friendly model

What else? Any stories come to mind?

Crazy 8s and the Name Game

A draft of Chapter 8 is done. It includes the quintessential Detroit intersection of Motown and motor oil. Good times. Put together an outline for 9. Will start Sunday.

While reading Buckley's The White House Mess (1986) I got a chuckle out of an accounting firm he named, Dewey, Skruem and Howe. This made me think more about how I name my characters and what potential for humor there might be. I came up with an idea that'll hopefully not only make people laugh, but help them connect with the story and the characters as so many of us Americans have emotional attachments to the automobiles in our lives. I don't even drive anymore, but I cheer inside anytime I get to handle a stick shift. And just the sight of a certain make or model can take my memory back the way songs or scents do. I reckon I'm not alone in that regard.

Return to Dearborn: Highlights

I had a number of questions I wanted to answer on this second trip to Dearborn. In general, this trip filled a lot of knowledge gaps, but many still remain. Here are some of the highlights.

I had already written about a scene that takes place during the playing of a old time baseball game in Greenfield Village...now I've actually seen one. It was pretty cool. The players were dressed in old garb, played by 1867 rules and did a nice job of educating and getting the crowd involved. I can now visualize and hear the scene taking place in my head rather than just assuming how it'd all look and sound like.

I also took a lot of photos. I took photos of all the places where scenes take place (thus far) and of key points around town which may see action in the future.

I also got a better feel for the difference between Dearborn and Detroit. The outskirts of Detroit along Michigan Avenue were rather desolate. A lot of buildings were vacant and there weren't many folks around. Dearborn seemed to have more going on. It looked like a number of new restaurants had either opened or were about to open, but that a number of buildings remained empty and free to lease.

Downtown Detroit, though, wasn't as clear cut. I attended a Tigers game at Comerica Park (Detroit beat Baltimore 5-3, Verlander pitched great, Miguel Cabrera and Carlos Guillen homered) which is located right downtown. I liked the stadium and the Tiger fans, but from my seat in the left field bleachers I could see long empty buildings. While discussing the old Tiger Stadium which stands abandoned off Michigan Avenue no wrecking ball in sight (nor any other plans) with another fan during the game he provided me with a telling quote, "I don't know what it is, but Detroit likes to keep its crap."

That being said, I took a close look at the Montgomery Ward building in downtown Dearborn. There is a lot of talk that it'll be razed very soon, but from the look of it, it just appears that nothing is happening. If anything there are scary signs pertaining to asbestos within its entrances.

I had reached out to a local reporter/blogger before visiting, but didn't hear from him until my return. Nevertheless, I look forward to picking his brain and learning more about what's going on on the street. If all goes well I'd like to return in October for a few days as that's about when the story wraps up.

Chapter 6 continues to roll along. Hopefully I can finish it up this week. Events are starting to mount and the stakes are getting higher. While I have certain events in mind, others are sprouting here and there which have provided extra flavor and, hopefully, fun to the story.

Booked

I made plans to return to Dearborn in August today. Specifically, I'm going to watch a historic baseball match and then off to Comerica Park to see the Tigers take on the Orioles in Detroit. I also need to peek into the Montgomery Ward and find out more about it's current status. This visit will give me a better idea of what the characters would see and feel as the story takes places between August and early November. My February visit gave me a good overview, but was a bit out of context as I froze my balls off.

Preliminary Detroit Area Research

Chapter two takes our protagonists into the Detroit area to begin their work. In preparation for this chapter, I've been studying up on the area and thinking about the existing sources out there that are set around Detroit. More specifically, I'm looking at demographic statistics and popular culture.

I've learned a couple key things about the Detroit area in the last couple weeks. First, Dearborn, Michigan is considered the United States' Muslim capitol. Second, Grosse Pointe Blank, set in nearby Grosse Pointe, Michigan, appears to have one African-American interloper (an NSA agent) who eventually gets blown away by John Cusack and Dan Aykroyd, professional killers impeccably adept at dialog.

Needless to say, the juxtaposition of these images (real and imagined) potentially supplies ample comic fodder: the reality of a full-blown immigrant city (Muslim at that! beginning in the 1950s) versus a Hollywood comedy/action film in a presumably affluent and Caucasian town. If the writers of Grosse Pointe Blank thought they were playing up the comedy by setting a professional hit in a sleepy town during a high school reunion, in a post- 9/11 world, the last laugh may be on them. Plus, when discussing the idea of American pride, it will be curious to see how the two groups respond. Will they try to out-American each other and if so, to what ludicrous end? And who will actually take up the Batswana's offer of business development assistance?

That being said, I also look forward to watching Gung Ho and seeing how that may or may not play a part in the story. If nothing else, it's a chance to watch Michael Keaton in action. Hell, Mr. Mom took place around Detroit. Classic.

Constructive Criticism

Thanks to some good friends, I'm happy to report that the book's first chapter has garnered some good feedback and one sucker actually said he wanted to read more. More importantly, those who provided criticism where clear about what didn't make sense and what could be improved.

While you can't please or make sense to everyone, it's worth a try as long as it's not detrimental to the story's flow and feel. I look forward to addressing the criticisms and then submitting the first chapter to a few upcoming short story contests to get that ball rolling.

Chapter Two takes our African protagonists to the Detroit area where they begin to set up shop with only 90 days to bear fruit. To get better acquainted with Motown, I'm going to watch Beverly Hills Cop tonight (old school Eddie Murphy is gonna be all over this joint) and then hopefully make a trip in the next month or so. While Flint has gotten press for its demise, it seems that the town of Monroe may have an even worse case. Hopefully a trip out there will give me a better feel for the area and the people, especially if I'm able to sit down with local leaders.