favorite quotes of the moment:
“In
10 years you won’t have the same friends, but you’ll still have the same
teeth.” –My
son’s orthodontist talking to a young lady sitting next to him who wanted her
braces off because her friends said they looked ugly
“I
eventually got her all tuned up and purring like a meth-addled, two-stroke
mountain lion…” –Ezra
Dyer talking about an outboard motor (Dyer Consequences, Automobile Magazine,
Sept. 2008)
y now you must either be sincerely interested, or it’s a
slow day at the office. Either way, welcome to my world. This section is my own
pixelated corner office on the top floor with huge windows and a great view.
Nice. Here you’ll find a few thoughts on the wonderful world of writing and
publishing along with a few other astoundingly insightful dissertations. Please
note that I don’t pay my editorial staff nearly enough to find every mistake,
so be gentle.
10.21.08
As my wife grumbles about a waning summer, I think about
firing-up Mr. Snow Blower and making 20-foot plumes into the crisp winter air.
I sold my trusty Ford Explorer years ago (along with practically everything
else) so now all I have of plowing through freshly snow-covered parking lots,
where mere cars fear to tread, are distant memories. Alas.
The next story is underway. However, it wasn’t on my list.
The next work in line was a mystery/thriller already outlined and ready to go.
Several more are on the back burners as well. But as seems to be my course,
inspiration has once again steered me a different direction.
My wife would sometimes relate stories of a friend of hers
that are pretty incredible. This friend escaped from Vietnam with her adopted
mother at the end of the war on one of the last helicopters out of Saigon. Her
experiences after reaching U.S. soil were no less incredible. One day at lunch
my wife was relating to one of our sons a few of the experiences that her
friend had shared with her. Even though I had heard bits and pieces of the
stories before, their images were so powerful that I knew I had to tell her
story next. Mine would just have to wait.
After a meeting to discuss the idea with its details, an
agreement was made, a digital voice recorder was delivered and my first
non-fiction work began. This will be another new experience in the writing
perspective.
Until next time, here’s to orchestrated chaos… –Ranse
