THE RETURN OF THE SAVAGE...

Well, I'm back. A few of you have been wondering where I've been all this time, so I thought I tell you what's up and where I've been.

I took a break from Blogging for two reasons, one I was getting heavily full time in my writing, AND I thought no one was looking at my blogg site. In an effort to avoid junk mail I didn't want to give any personal info that is asked for when you get a site counter, I have also, unfortunately given up any way of knowing how much site traffic I get. Now I think anyone who has a Blogg site has to admit to a little need for peer gratification. Without the site counter, and because most people don't leave comments I felt like I was putting in a lot of work with no audience, and for an artist the audience is everything. I know it sounds childish, and I'm not denying that, but I'm just being honest. If I’m going to spend time talking, I’d at least like to know people are listening.

So I will just assume people are watching and post more often, since I have had requests from people to post more often.

Okay, now what has happened since the last posting? I went to the Ottawa Swing Dance Association and hung out there. They have a very well run machine, which makes for a lot of fun, even if you're nervous. There is no high school sitting on the sidelines here. They pair you up in a circle that staggers from boy to girl all around, and you switch constantly. This prevents any embarrassment of "oh I don't want to dance with you 'cause you look funny' crap going on, because you HAVE to dance with the next person in line. It was a good thing to do, but ultimately it isn't what I'm looking for. I still intend to go occasionally but with all the loud music and dancing, you never get to know people. All you get to see is what people look like, and if that's all you're interested in, great, go to it. But for me, as much as I like a sexy looking woman as the next guy, it's what the person is like that is most important. It's too important to me to want to know what a person is like before even wanting to date someone. I have a saying; "don't judge a present by the pretty wrapping." What I mean is, you could be the hottest looking person out there, but if you are selfish and insensitive? Trust me, you're ugly. So I will be looking for things to do that will put me in a position to meet girls and TALK to them.

Now what else has happened? Well I am literally days away from finishing my book. Yeah, I said finishing it. It has been a long road, this year, and a lot learned, both about writing and about myself. I have two or three chapters to go, and I will have finished the first draft, then I get to take a break and come back to it. I'm a long way from sending it out to publishers, but it is still no small feat to accomplish, especially since I am on page 452, and I'm not done yet. Yup, it's a big one, but I kinda have the belief that if you smack someone in the face with your book, and it doesn't hurt? Then it's not a book. Yes I like a good, long story, as long as it's good. Hopefully others who read mine will feel the same way about it. One never knows. I have never even published a short story.

I dreamed up the idea for this book in February and started to develop the plot. It wasn't until a month or so after than I thought about writing the ideas as a book. Then I had to write the outlines, because there are three books in the series. Once that was done, I wasn't able to start writing until August. So I'm pretty proud of how fast I have written the thing.

Now, early on, I learned some very hard and obvious lessons on writing that apply to art in general. If you feel you have to wait for inspiration to write, you are going to have a hard time doing it professionally. You need to be able to sit down at any time and work, and get something done. Imagine working at a cash register and find you can't do it until you get inspiration. You'd get fired pretty fast. Professionals need to be able to sit down and perform without hesitation. Now, I’m not putting myself in the company of professional writers because, like I said, I’ve never published even a short story, but I have managed to write a book that is going to be over 450 pages in about 5 or 6 months, so I like to think I have something to say about discipline. If you can't do that, don't worry, because there are many reasons why that have nothing to do with "not having the talent." You probably do, you just need to find ways that make you comfortable enough to write, draw, or whatever it is you do. Now I need to expand on this concept, because even though I have forced myself to sit and write on a daily basis whether I was inspired or not. This is what gets the work done, and every now and then you get your 'inspiration' and do you best work. When you are in the zone, you do your best work, but if you wait for those times, you'll have a hard time getting things accomplished. So don't worry if what you are writing, drawing or doing isn't your best, you are still working! And that is key. You can always come back and fix it later. That's what 2nd, 3rd, and 4th drafts are for.

What did I do when I wasn't in the mood to write? Well I sat out on my deck, weather permitting, and wrote. Or I'd get up and head over to the local Bridghead and grab a tea and a seat and write. It was funny because in my mind I was there to write, and I was able to trick my mind into thinking that people are going to notice I wasn’t' doing what I was there to do, and so I should get to work. The other thing is music. For a lot of people, music is key, and for me it was, is, and will always be paramount. If there is music that makes your mind click into gear and get active (and I don't mean dance, unless that's what you are trying to do), then use it to get motivated. Whatever the answer is for you, be it location, audio, visual, or even olfactory stimulation, these things all get you working, and if you can get into a groove for a full day, what you are doing is tempering yourself to put in a full day's work. You’re learning discipline, and that is crucial if you want to get the job done. You just need to take the time to explore what motivates you to work.

If this book ever gets published I am going to have to say a big thanks to the film composers whose music has inspired this book. For me, film music is like another instrument in the jazz band in my head. I listen to a piece of music, and wonder what could be going on to the sounds (because unlike ALL other form of music, film scores are designed to play alongside images). So I make up stuff, and listening to music has allowed me to imagine key elements to my stories. Hell, I got the ending to all three of the books from listening to three different pieces of music.

But I should probably go now. After rambling about discipline, I have to work, and finish the damn thing. But at any rate, I will try to post more often, and see how it goes.

Later.