It was a rather busy week, but that didn’t mean progress on “Godspeed, Crazy Mike” stopped; in fact, it was a good week despite the rush of days.
9/5/21 – Sunday
The day saw some good writing progress and reorganizing how some scenes in “Godspeed, Crazy Mike” fit together.
More timelines were made because…well, it’s more involved than the other mystery “short” story I wrote, “Under the Big Top.”
9/6/21 – Monday
It was a three-day weekend in the U.S. because of Labor Day, and that meant — while I didn’t do day job work — I was still productive.
I always try making sure that I accomplish something toward personal goals on Labor Day, and today that meant making a sound blanket tent (my wife figured out the best way to handle this), and recording lines for a friend’s audiodrama. (You can find a trailer, here…not with anything I read, though.)
It was a lot of fun because my wife also recorded lines…and, as always, did a great job. (You can check out the Not About Lumberjacks Talent page and look for Cynthia Griffith for all the stories of mine she’s narrated and acted on.)
9/7/21 – Tuesday
I started a new job today.
It’s sort of an old job…but not really.
An explanation: in 2019, I started contracting with a company, writing online help for a cool group of people. When that ended, there was a need by a group working with my group to bring on a technical writer, but…COVID hit.
I ended up unemployed for almost half of 2020 until landing another contract at the company…with a completely new group. My contract with them was in jeopardy of ending on Friday (9/10/21).
Fortunately, that old position became available as a full-time job, so I’m now back with the first group.
I share all this because I find it nice when writers share how they stay busy writing, even when life gets busy.
At the very least, there are always lunch breaks (I guard them in a big way, even when I’ve been in the office), and that’s enough time to get some writing done. Which is exactly what I did…
Oh yeah, today is also the 12th birthday of The Juggling Writer! (My writing blog.)
9/8/21 – Wednesday
I wrote a bit before work and during lunch break.
I thought about writing more in the evening, but I’d bought the new Iron Maiden album and it had been sitting a few days.
But because my wife was sleeping, I didn’t want to play it in the open, so…my first listen was on YouTube, where the band’s shared all the songs.
While I know I look like a metalhead if I take my glasses off, I’m more likely to be listening to chill background music, classical pieces, brown noise, or even a 30-minute ambient thing I made in my living room of a fan running while the dishwasher chugs away in the kitchen.
But Iron Maiden was a huge part of my life as a teenager! (I could go on about how much they influenced me to get writing, but I’ll spare you that.) Still, the last Iron Maiden album I bought was Somewhere in Time, in 1986.
I figured, with 25-years between that album and this one, why not throw some money their way (because as one of the most successful touring bands in history surely needs the money, right?!), and see what they sound like now.
In much the same way I listened to this after such a long gap, I also like picking up books by writers I’ve not read in a long time. My hope is that what made the writer [or band] appealing to me when I was younger is still there, but…that they also changed over the years.
The writers who influenced me when I was younger always seem to hold up, and Iron Maiden’s new album did as well.
It’s not really the kind of thing I listen to anymore, but I’m glad I picked it up — and if COVID ever ends and they come through town, I might even geek out and see them live. (I only saw them once, in 1984, up in Chicago for the Powerslave tour.)
(I’ll stop geeking out, now…)
9/9/21 – Thursday
The usual bit of lunch break writing has almost brought me to a rough draft of “Godspeed, Crazy Mike.”
The evening saw me hanging out with two of my dearest friends*, playing a weird map-building role-playing game-like thing called Beak, Feather, and Bone.
Players divide factions in a town and draw cards—and the draw determines information about a building in town. Players then claim a building on the map and create a story about it. There’s obviously more to it than that, but it seems like a great way to get a group into role-playing games to create a town in which adventures for the group are based. (Or, you know, creating a location for recurring short stories…if only I had the time!)
Snacks were dehydrated habaneros and [I think] bhut jolokia peppers. I might have eaten too many, but…sooooooooooo good! (Also seen here: one of the 1-12 soft drinks I have in any given year…)
* Speaking of those dearest friends, 2022 will likely see a Not About Lumberjacks tale based on a true story about them…
9/10/21 – Friday
I had to run an errand before lunch, which meant a shorter lunch break.
This was my zero day for writing this week.
(But if you’re watching Ted Lasso, how great was today’s episode?!)
9/11/21 – Saturday
I have what I think I can officially call a rough draft of “Godspeed, Crazy Mike.”
The last several Not About Lumberjacks stories have not gone down as smoothly as most, but…the last couple stories are among some of my favorites.
I don’t know if “Godspeed, Crazy Mike” will join them (just based on what it’s about), but it has the potential to be the Not About Lumberjacks story I’m most proud of.
I can’t wait to get it finalized, even though the urge to contact someone who can read it from the point of view of an actual detective is appealing. I might have to chat with our local police at the very least…
(I’d love to record it next weekend, though…)
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