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Another Few Things

I couple of days ago I became re-acquainted with a customer. There were some issues with the computer that she had bought in my store and since she and her husband are virtually neighbors of mine, I stopped by to have a look. I cleared up a few things and hopefully I fixed the problem. Working on a Windows machine takes patience sometimes.

If I could have afforded an Apple in 1994, I would have perhaps never learned as much as I have about computers. The fact that someone owns a PC with Windows on it forces the end user to learn how to maintain the operating system. Well, over the years I think I have confronted just about everything either on my system at home or in the process of trying to effect a repair.

So I am ambivolent about whether it was a good thing to start out on a PC. It led me toward another career. It perhaps even led me to writing the books. That might not have turned out in the same way had I bought an Apple.

I am tempted by the impending release of the Mac Mini's, though. $500 might be affordable for me. We'll see.

I digress.

I used to hate that expression: 'I digress'. I really haven't seen it much since college. I tried never to use it even then. The fact that I used it in this Blog disturbs me a little but it sort of fit.

Then again, how else do you return to the point after going off on some tangent without subjecting the reader mental whiplash?

Mental whiplash is how one reader expressed their emotional state while reading From the Inside To The Closer. It is not an 'Elgonism', though I may use it in the future. For those that have never known me I come up with expressions that are entirely mine and mine alone. Those are Elgonisms.

'Productive procrastination' is an example of an Elgonism. If you ever see that anywhere else you will know its source and that it has been hijacked in this electronically connected world. 'Productive procrastination' is continuing to work at accomplishing the overall task while having slipped into a much lower gear so as to regain strength or determination - as in you are moving between houses and have to unload three refigerators, a washer, dryer and a piano all on one load. After the piano and before the refigerators, you pick up a small box or two and carry those into the house. That is productive procrastination.

Anyway.

As synchronicity would have it, when I was out at the customer's condo I learned that her husband, Craig is a fellow writer and also a very talented illustrator. He gave me a couple of his stories to read and showed me many examples of his skills as an illustrator. Upon seeing his art and reading his text I suddenly feel so one dimensional.

I have to confess that I have been busy getting my truck repaired and taking care of everything else so just today I made the time to read the two examples of his work. I really do not read as much as I used to. I am busy with my own things, my stories and such and sometimes my publisher asks me to give him an opinion on a submission. So I am out of touch when it comes to contempoary literature except for the improptu reviews I get from my daughters on books that they have read.

One of Craig's stories is intended for children. It is quite interesting even for an adult reader. I find that it has a good deal of detail and shows a keen insight and wealth of knowledge regarding wild animals and their behavior. Even so most of it is written on a level that most 3rd or 4th grade children could read and enjoy. I would only suggest one change to it as it is a bit graphic in a medical way at one point regarding the sorts of things that come up from a Gorilla's stomach. I don't know maybe kids would be okay with that though. When they were younger my kids would think it was cool. My issue with it is that it does nothing to advance the plot and therefore by that simple rule, it could be eliminated.

Does it advance the plot? What a powerful editing tool to keep a writer's personal agenda in check! My undying thanks to my publisher and his friend the English professor at Yale for pointing that out to me.

Craig, in all seriousness, as delighted as I was with the quality of the first story I was blown-away by the second story, which was addressed toward a more adult audience. It shows a great deal of reasearch and for those of us that have had occasion to study some of the physical sciences, and have had to wrestle with the inconsistencies of our religious upbringings it is particularly apt. It is a short piece, 8 pages but I could see it as the foundation of an off-beat sort of movie. I think you are building on it, though. I think you have the makings of a great short story without too much modification.

Having been told that everything that I write is a little weird, I am not going to toss that label out lightly. The second story was well-written and I especially liked the dilemma for the main character Galileo, and how we are not quite certain of his choice at the even although we know that he found peace.

As I do not have your emails but I know you are going to check this Blog, you now have my opinion. There are some typos and some edits needed but generally the text was very clean. You have a keen eye for detail that comes through in your writing as well as your art work.

Honestly, you need to publish a collection of your ink drawing of animals. From what you showed me, you have a rare and perhaps singular gift in this age that rivals even the great John Audubon. Like him your love for wild animals comes through in your artwork.

E

posted by Unknown @ 5:37 PM