Mish Mash

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.

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.

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.

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.