Recent News, Time Out, Tomorrow Off

Recent Events:

I have been away from the keyboard for a while, but still managed to get some writing done. I have been cranking a little bit at a time on the third scenario for Everytown, which is fairly short relative to the last one. I even got a whole paragraph written for the novel yesterday.

My daughter has started her second season of soccer, and I am her team's coach. We had our first game on Saturday, and she has some great girls on her team. My girl played well, the team performed exceptionally, and everyone seemed have fun. There is but one parent that puts my teeth on edge. Hopefully it was just a one-time thing, and a product of the stress I was feeling rather than something more.

Last night I spoke with an officer I hadn't had opportunity to speak with in some time. I told him what has happened with my writing. He congratulated me and in the subsequent conversation, revealed that he had given up being a struggling artist for the job. We talked some more, and I felt a sadness and an anger in him. I asked about it and he told me that he'd been burned as a younger man by an unscrupulous partner on a comic.

I told him that I am happier now than ever before because I am doing what I want, and what I am driven, to do. Further, I told him that I can work out some portion of my demons by writing them out and making the situations happen to my poor characters.

We talked about other things for a bit, mostly my fiction, and then we were leaving. As we did so, I couldn't help but meddle, and said, "I would think that someone as visual as an artist or illustrator would have clear recall of the shit we see, and relive it at odd times. Maybe getting that pen out will let you work some of that shit out. And if, as I suspect, you are driven to do it, you will just be happier drawing than not."

He gave a thoughtful nod, but didn't say anything. I hope he does pick it up again.

Future Plans:

I have tomorrow off, thanks to that venerable hero of California, Cesar Chavez.

I hope to get much writing done tomorrow and even a bit today. The weather is foul outside and if I can keep the damn TV off tomorrow I should hammer quite a bit out, and excercise those of my own demons.