Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Revisiting the Abandoned

As some of you will know (maybe most of you?), back in April, I did Abandoned Places as my A-to-Z theme. Alex wanted to know more about what went into that whole thing: where the idea came from, how I found the places, what kind of research was involved; so he asked me a bunch of questions about it. Because I'm (mostly) a nice guy (depending upon what day of the week it is (or whether you're asking my kids)), I answered them. You can see the whole thing over at the Blogging from A to Z Challenge blog, so you should probably hop over there and read that.

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A while back I announced that I have a new thing coming out... um... I want to say soon, but my kids and back-to-school have completely derailed my process these past few weeks and, although I have finished writing it, it is mostly still only written in pen. None of which is the important part. As I said back when I announced this, I'm looking for a backup short story to go along with it. While I've had a few people express interest, I've had no one give me a firm commitment, as in "Hey! I have something written, and I would love for it to appear with your story!" So... If you have something written and you'd like for it to appear at the back of my vague and undescribed story, let me know. [If you're interested, I will tell you what the project is, but, otherwise, it's a secret until it's ready to go.

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Speaking of new things, the new issue, the August issue, of Indie Writers Monthly is out!
There's tons of good stuff in each issue. Unless you're actually trying to weigh it, in which case, you'll find it's a bit hard to grasp being virtual and all that. My article in this issue is all about editing and softball. You should definitely check it out!

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Just a reminder: My two sons have started up their own blog. It's called Aim for the Cat! Yes, there is a reference involved; no, I'm not going to tell you what it is. I'm assuming one of them will get around to explaining it at some point, but, hey, they are teenagers, so who can tell? Also, who can tell what they're going to talk about? So far the posts have been movie reviews, reflections on the state of the universe (or something like that), and Spore. If you don't know what Spore is, I suppose you'll just have to go over and find out. Oh, and while you're there, leave them an encouraging word or three.

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And the last thing...
Well, I don't even know where to begin with the last thing. Most of you, being the people of the Internet that you are, will have heard or seen that Robin Williams is dead. I'm not one to get gushy over celebrities, but a few of them have been part of things (usually movies) that have been significant in my life. If you click my "Of Significance..." tab at the top of the page, you'll see that Dead Poets Society 

is (and has been) listed as one of my pieces of significance. That movie had a profound impact on me, and I have a sense of loss with passing of Williams. It's also very saddening that he had no one around him that could reach out and help.
I'm going to leave it at that.

14 comments:

  1. Hey there! Very cool that your kids are blogging, nice to see younger kids getting acclimated to writing.

    I'm sad about Robin Williams too. I almost feel disproportionately sad, as I didn't know him, but the fact that he was funny and bright and cheerful... yet succumbed to his depression (supposedly)saddens me. I wish depression was a curable disease we could see and know it was gone from the mind. Today is just a dark day. Good to see you blogging again! The A-Z style sounds fun, but time consuming. Was it?

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  2. So sad about Robin Williams. He always made me laugh. Dead Poet's Society was a great movie, and one that touched a lot of us.

    All my shorts (well, the ones that are done) are out in submissions right now, otherwise, I might have taken you up on that.

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  3. I have a story written, but it's in another anthology, so probably not what you want.
    Mork and Mindy came out when I was a teen, and I'd never seen anyone like Williams. Feel like part of my youth is gone.

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  4. Robin Williams is such a terrible loss. =(

    I love how you described your story - vague and undescribed. I don't have a darn thing to contribute to you. Best of luck!

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  5. Jean Marie: Good to see me blogging again? But I've been blogging. Three times a week.

    Jean Davis: Ah, well. maybe next time. Or let me know if you hear about any of them before I get this thing finished.

    Alex: Yeah, I don't want something that's been pubbed somewhere else first.

    Mork was when I was a kid. I used to try that sitting my head thing, but it wasn't very comfortable.

    Elsie: Well, you know, vague to all of you.

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  6. It was a cool theme.

    I wish I had a story. I love hearing things early. Can't wait to see what it is.

    Robin Williams is one of those guys who effected pretty much everyone. We're all grieving a little today.

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  7. Jeanne: Well, I guess you'll have to wait.

    And, um, I just have to say it must be a jeans kind of day.

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  8. Abandoned Places is an interesting theme. Netflix Streaming has a show about abandoned places. I've watched a couple of episodes. It's interesting to see houses that were left behind, sometimes quite suddenly because of an emergency. Nature takes over. Trees grow in windows. Sand blows in and builds up. It's strange and fascinating.

    Love,
    Janie

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  9. My husband and I were very sad to hear about Robin Williams's passing. We watched Dead Poets Society last night. It's one of those special movies that we watch over and over. Had a different feeling this time, knowing that the actor playing one of our favorite characters is now gone.

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  10. Janie: I may have to just look that up. Thanks!

    Jessica: I'm going to have to watch it again soon.

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  11. Good luck with the new project! And to your boys on their blog. I don't think I've seen such a response on social media for anyone who has died in the last year, but R.W. is everywhere. He touched a lot of people.

    And the show mentioned above about abandoned places is interesting. Still working my way through it on Netflix. That, and After There Were People, or something along those lines. Great research for filling in details on a post-apocalyptic.

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  12. Shannon: He did touch a lot of people, and he was a great talent.

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  13. I am so sad about Robin Williams. He was such a huge talent. If only talent alone were enough to keep someone alive.

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  14. Eva: That's true, because then some very important people may have created more.

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