My writing/reading room is officially complete. The new color fits my inspiration pieces better and is brighter than the dark blue/gray it started out with. So far, it is working as planned.
Category Archives: Musings and Odd Thoughts
On Veteran’s Day 2021
Today, I drink a toast as many do, to those men and women who wrote a blank check to their country and served in the armed forces. I am grateful to each and every one. Veterans within my family. Those I’ve had the pleasure to work with throughout my career. Those that I am honored to still call my friends. Those that continue to serve. I believe that America remains the greatest country in the world because you are ever vigilant on that wall. You will always have my undying respect and gratitude. I salute you. God bless you!
Character’s Arc vs Writer’s Arc
A critical part of any story is the arc of the character’s life as it traverses the plotline. The character must grow and/or change in some way during the course of the story to generate interest and tension. The reader expects and demands that the character to change in response to actions and events that engage with the character.
Some writers carefully plan every aspect of this change for each member of their cast. They develop piles of notes which include every cause and effect, action and reaction, beginning personality profile and end-state profile. They meticulously control each character to ensure that the ending exactly what they imagined it would be when they began the story.
Other writers start off with their basic character idea and let the character develop as the story unfolds, growing and changing based on the environment as it is encountered. At times, the character may act in a way that is unexpected or seemingly irrational. These actions may take the story in a direction the writer did not mean for the story to go.
So, what happens if the character’s arc veers wildly from its original path? The writer may have to make a decision whether to let the character’s arc continue in this new direction, or use a heavy hand and bring the character back in line within the original intention. Allowing the new direction can be exciting and very rewarding. However, the writer must trust the character. This is not always an easy thing to do, especially for new writers or untested characters.
Choosing to use the heavy hand and make major edits can be even more daunting and has caused some writers to start over at the beginning or even scrap a project completely. Character arcs are that important!
What happens then, when a writer reflects on his or her own life arc and is unsatisfied with where it is at? Perhaps they have not reached the goals they set for themselves by the time they reached their current age. Or maybe, their personality has changed due to life experiences and they are no longer the happy go lucky person they once were. Or, an accident or illness has left them unable to live the life they had dreamed of. Does a writer have choices regarding their ability to respond to their own life arc? Of course they do.
Granted, going back and rewriting ones life is not something that is currently possible. At least as far as I am aware. However, a writer can choose to accept their arc as it is, or they can choose to make changes that will alter the course of that arc in the future. Just like any other character, I might add. The choices and possible alternatives may or may not have limits depending on what the change entails and the actions required to affect the change. But as every writer knows, lots of little changes can have a huge impact on a character by the end of a story.
I noticed recently, after watching my wife interacting with several individuals in the grocery store, that I am not as nice a person as I used to be. I rarely smile and say, “Hi” to people I meet on the street. Offering to help someone in need is not automatic like it once was. Cynicism is a major mode of communication for me. When I asked my wife about my observation, we came up with all sorts of great excuses for my “shift” in behavior. Things like: lines of work, work environment, media, politics, social media, toxic personal relationships with family and friends, and lack of adequate stress relievers were just a few. As I said, these are just excuses.
To me it appears that changing my arc is simple, but not easy. It is about making better choices. I choose to smile and say, “Hi” to the cashier when I pay for my gasoline and coffee. I choose to to not watch ABC or CNN news. I choose to adjust my schedule to ensure that I spend more time writing and less time listening to or reading comments from individuals who might push my buttons. In other words, I’m taking the small changes approach to altering my character arc. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Milestone
Three score and a couple years ago, I spewed forth to being upon this continent, to the pure joy of my parents, and the utter chagrin of my older brothers. Since that time, the reviews would be a mixed bag among the other humans that I’ve made contact with. That’s likely not unusual for most people who make it this far. That number is a milestone for a number of reasons. As such, it warrants a few moments and words.
I don’t believe that congratulations are deserved just for living ones life. Each of us has trials and tribulations, obstacles to overcome. Achievements. Pitfalls. Failures. Rebounds. So, what then is the point of a milestone? A review? A reflection? Just replaying ones great achievements seems too narcissistic to me. A sign hanging on the wall in my house speaks of, “the number of breaths you take in life is not as important as the number of moments that take your breath away.” So, as I reflect on the this milestone, what comes to mind are a few of those images, feelings, events, and people that stood out as special.
Some of the moments that have taken my breath away:
Watching bald eagles mating flights over the St Croix River.
Helping a woman bring her new daughter into this world.
Holding the hand of a dying stranger as his spirit left his material body for the last time and travelled to the afterlife.
Swatting my hand and killing eleven mosquitos. Then, after escaping into the safety of a nylon tent with my brother, we attempted to calculate the number of mosquito carcasses it would take to completely fill up the cylinders of a 327 cubic inch engine. (I no longer remember) Then, trying to get to sleep while listening to the buzz of a billion vengeful mosquitos, each yearning for one drop of my blood. What would I look like in the morning if the tent were not between me and them?
Seeing the ocean as flat and still as a mirror, not even a minor blemish as far as the eye could see.
The power of the thunderstorm crashing through a high mountain valley, lightning cracking all around making the air smell of ozone.
Standing and looking down at the actual documents that this country was founded on. Not photocopies or pictures in a book. the actual signed two-hundred year old documents.
Seeing the look of understanding appear in a student’s eyes for the first time after a dozen failed attempts.
Having a squirrel scamper down a tree, that I was sitting at the base of while deer hunting, and sit on my camouflaged hat/head not realizing that I was not part of that tree. He actually went back up the tree after several minutes without raising the alarm! I still don’t know how I kept from laughing while he sat there eating his acorns, dropping the hulls in my lap.
The Arizona Memorial, Arlington Cemetery, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, The Alamo, Gettysburg Battlefield. Just go to these places. You’ll understand the feeling once you get there.
I can’t begin to talk about the people. Way too many. Oh, how I want to. Even some of you reading this…
That’s some of my moments. Thank you for letting me reflect on them. In one of my favorite movies, “Meet Joe Black,” an a dying woman tells the doctor that, in the end, all life is about is collecting pretty pictures. That is what we take with us. I thought that was an interesting way to look at it. I’ll keep collecting mine and I hope you do too.
Mirage
Retirement has been great! I want to say that first, before you get the wrong idea. In the two months since I walked away from the treadmill of working for someone else, my mind has drifted back to the office three times. In each case it was because a friend called with a question. Otherwise, I have not missed the daily grind…at all.
Now my plans for retirement included making more time to write, more time to blog, more time on the archery, pistol, and rifle ranges, more time fishing, more time working on and driving my radio-controlled trucks, more time reading, and more time traveling with my wife. That was my plan before I actually retired. But plans are like the waves of heat rising from the sun-baked earth, a mirage. They are never quite what we think they will be.
The reality has been: two weeks of pre-planned medical appointments, landscape work, home repairs, landscape work, repair a utility trailer, landscape work, remove diseased trees and buckthorn (black locust), landscape work, a trip to Iowa, a trip to Chippewa Falls, and some more landscape work. Along the way, I did finish the final chapter revisions of my novel, Snake Rattles and start the second book in the series. I also have been able to squeeze in a new truck build that is almost complete. Almost. Oh, And I did make it over to MN for the Father’s Day traditional archery shoot.
As you can see the work and play balance has been a little lopsided in favor of work. I have learned two very important things. One, at sixty-one and a half, I can still work hard and do the things that need to be done physically. Two, my body takes a bit longer to recover from moving a couple tons of rock than it did when I was twenty-three. Thank you OTC anti-inflammatory products.
The good news is the back log of projects is getting smaller and I’m getting more comfortable with the new schedule. By the way, I have been right for the past forty years, a one-hour nap in the afternoon should be mandatory in the workplace. It improves attitude and performance in every worker in my household. Write your Legislators and demand that they make this a law. Hell, they should be able to fit it into one of those otherwise meaningless multi trillion dollar bills they seem to pass every other month. Oops, I broke my own rule. Sorry.
Anyway, I do enjoy my new situation. I believe the work/play balance will improve and my initial plans will become more of a reality. Like a long-range precision shooter, learning to read the mirage is a key skill to becoming successful. I will watch the waves of my plan and make adjustments as necessary until I feel I have achieved the right mix of want tos and have tos.
Advice for 2019 and beyond!
As I drove into work this morning, the first song I heard on the radio was “Live Like You Were Dying” by Tim McGraw. The basic story line is advice given by a man diagnosed with cancer to his friend. It starts as kind of sad song until the true meaning of his advice sinks in. And, that’s how it hit me this morning. My initial thoughts, when I heard the opening chords, went to loved ones and friends who are battling cancer. Then it dawned on me that this was my first day back to work in 2019 and the advice in the song was actually a mantra that would serve me well in 2019 and beyond.
Live life to the fullest every day. Don’t be afraid to take risks. Be the best person you can be. Cherish the ones you love. Don’t put off your dreams just because it’s hard or others wouldn’t understand. Be kind. Be humble. Be true to yourself, the best parts of yourself. Forgive those who may or may not deserve it, regardless. Have faith in your beliefs.
Now, you won’t find me trying to ride a bull named Fu Manchu or sky dive like the guy in the song. Neither of these interest me. But, I do have dreams and a bucket list. And starting today, right now, I will be doing my best to aspire to the ideals listed above. None of us know what tomorrow will bring, or for that matter, what will happen in the next few seconds. I’ve witnessed life changing moments for enough people, and experienced them as well, to know that tomorrow is a gift we may never get to see.
One of my favorite quotes is, “Life is full of choices.” It’s your choice to make. Take responsibility for it and make the best one you can, every time.
Have a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2019.
We Shall See!
Wow! I did not realize how long it has been since I posted anything. For those of you who still are connected to follow me, we need to get you all a life. Ha, ha.
As I sat down and opened up my dashboard I saw that I have 21 unpublished draft posts. I quickly determined that a vast majority of them were the beginnings of rants and angry responses to posts I had read on Facebook or other social media accounts over the past two years. Thankfully, I never clicked “Publish” on them. Unlike much of the unfiltered crap that permeates social media today, I try very hard not to “react”. I think if people would cool off a bit before they fire back, issues could be discussed intelligently without digressing to name calling.
Anyway, my poor site is in need of a good scrubbing. I still like the overall look so that will stay. However, many of the links and contacts I have listed are no longer active. My goal is to clean everything up and start frequent posting by the end of the year. Yes this year! The plan is to continue to mix up my thoughts and adventures in writing, with other interests: archery, maybe some gardening tips, IDPA, radio controlled trucks, and, if I can keep it civil, I’ll add in some philosophical posts about my observations of the world and its inhabitants. It has the potential to be a fun ride. We shall see.
Tales From The Hare 