Earlier this week I posted about the need to write a story in one day, (Yeah, I can Fly.)
Writing is a process. It actually starts well before you put pen to paper. Or fingers to keyboard. It starts with an idea. Some writers outline their story before they start. We call them plotters. Others start with an idea and let the story unfold in the writing. We call them pantsers. (As in writing by the seat of your pants. But, you probably already got that.)
Anyway, after the idea gets a writer started, then the writing part happens. And it’s the most important part, obviously.
But, that’s not the end. Most things I write are not very good. I’m not just being modest. Especially my fiction writing is pretty raw when it’s first written. The next part is editing. There are typically multiple editing passes. And each one has a different purpose.
- Grammar
- Continuity
- KAV (Kinetic, Audio, Visual cues)
- Flow
I write on a computer, of course. But, I edit typically on paper. My story from earlier this week is called “You Can Call Me Dan.” It’s now been written, edited and sent off to the publisher who was gracious enough to accept it even though it was late.
I did skip a step. After the author completes his (or her) portion, the story gets sent out to readers. These are called Beta Readers or sometimes Alpha Readers. They are an important step. But, I had to skip them.
One of the side effects of doing my edits on paper is that I end up with a paper copy of my first draft. If I ever become rich and famous they will likely be only slightly more valuable than they are.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. Order Miscellany II, an anthology including his latest short story, “The Mercy System” here
Follow him on
Twitter (@rodneymbliss)
Facebook (www.facebook.com/rbliss)
LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com/in/rbliss)
or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2022 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
Tell your friends about this!
I did not want to be standing in front of 30 of my neighbors, but here I was. I had been nominated for District Chairperson at our local caucus night. The person who nominated me was the current chair and my good friend Julio. I had nominated him as well. So, we were both standing up to answer questions.
Tonight was Republican caucus night in Utah. At least it was for the Republicans. I attended because it’s important. And because Julio had invited me. I would have taken notes and written it up for the local paper, but I had a story to edit. (See yesterday’s post) My plan was to sit quietly, edit my document and vote for whomever seemed like the least crazy of my neighbors.
Nope. Julio wasn’t having it.
I didn’t get voted in for District chair. I knew I wouldn’t. After you are nominated, people get to ask questions. And I was too honest to get elected. I’m not implying that my fellow candidates were not honest. Not at all. But, I know my neighborhood. There are still fading Trump 2020 signs.
Did you vote for for Mitt Romney for Senator?
It’s technically not an allowed question to ask for how people voted. Didn’t matter. Mitt Romney is not particularly well liked in my neighborhood. (Remember the Trump flags?) The other three candidates each gave measured answers that basically boiled down to
I might have voted for him. . .but I didn’t like it.
And this is where my honesty lost me a chance to be the Precinct 316 Chair for the next four years.
I was happy to vote for Mitt Romney and I’d vote for him again.
A couple of people clapped. Grateful to see a like minded individual. Later they told me they voted for me as well. But, as a comedian would say, “It was at that point I lost the room.”
We elected a very qualified woman as district chair. She’ll do great. I was next up for delegate to the state convention. Again, my honesty was not going to go over well.
What do you think of Critical Race Theory and should it be banned from schools?
Again, my fellow candidates gave variations on a theme. The theme was “absolutely not.”
My children are out of school, so I didn’t follow the CRT discussions as closely as many. However, I can tell you that raising 13 kids, seven of whom are black, the history of America is a history of mixed races and how they interacted with each other. It’s important to my kids to hear that history.
I didn’t get voted a State Delegate either. Julio was on the ballot for that one as well, having lost out on the District chair position. He didn’t get elected either.
The caucus went from 7:00pm to 10:00pm. It was a long night. But, it was an important night. Each person elected WANTS to serve in our political process and they have my admiration and my support.
Julio and I walked out together at the end of the night. Neither one of us had any responsibilities going into the election season.
The difference between us was that he was slightly disappointed, I was not.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. Order Miscellany II, an anthology including his latest short story, “The Mercy System” here
Follow him on
Twitter (@rodneymbliss)
Facebook (www.facebook.com/rbliss)
LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com/in/rbliss)
or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2022 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
Tell your friends about this!
My quote would more accurately be, “Yeah, I can write.”
I missed a deadline. I didn’t mean to miss it. But an anthology I’m planning to submit a story for had a deadline of March 1st.
Oops.
I quick call to my editor and I got a (slight) reprieve, “Sure, Rodney, if you have something I’ll add it to the stack.”
Did I have something?
Of course!
Absolutely not.
I had an idea. I’ve been planning to write for this anthology for months. I had the story, the characters, the conflict, the resolution. I had it all. . .in my head. I needed it on paper.
I found out this morning that I’d missed the deadline. Unfortunately I couldn’t skip work. Or therapy. But, the rest of the time, I could write.
Writers write. It’s what we do. But, writers have been known to develop excellent distraction skills. Show me a writer with a deadline and I’ll show you a writer with a VERY clean house.
But, what about when it really counts? Can you write? (Can I?) My two favorite quotes on writing.
I could write with my typewriter propped up on my knees in the middle of Santa Monica Blvd.
– Louis L’Amore
I never had writers block. . .I couldn’t afford it.
– Ben Bova
Every year the NaMoWriMo organization encourages people to write a 50,000 word book in the month of November. You have 30 days.
Well, today I had to write. It was time to put up or shut up. Fish or cut bait. Pick your favorite metaphor. And I curried out 6,000 words this evening.
They are really rough. Halfway through the story I changed the scene from summer to winter. My main character has an arc that I’ve stretched so far it nearly breaks. But, the story? Yeah, the story is done. The rest is just polish.
I’ve never written 6,000 words in a day. And if I could do that daily, I could write three or four books a year. I’m not to the point that I can do that.
But, remember Iron Man? The quote that I started with “Yeah, I can fly.” He said that when he had proved that he’d done the engineering good enough to fly a little. Days like today convince me that yeah, I can write.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. Order Miscellany II, an anthology including his latest short story, “The Mercy System” here
Follow him on
Twitter (@rodneymbliss)
Facebook (www.facebook.com/rbliss)
LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com/in/rbliss)
or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2022 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
Tell your friends about this!
It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.
– Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius is a car. Oh sure, he was a roman emperor, but he’s been dead for a very long time. He did say some really useful things. But, Marcus Aurelius is also a car. And old car; 1994. And it has a lot of miles. Like A LOT. 298,000.
Marcus Aurelius hit the triple zeroes a couple of days a go. I was coming back from a very significant meeting. The final meeting for Masonic Story Lodge #4 in the lodge building we had been in for 50 years. Story Lodge #4 will continue, just not in that building.
Marcus Aurelius was stuffed to the roof with bins and boxes. The ledgers, Tyler registries, membership lists, and correspondence from 150 years. I’m on the historic committee the lodge decided the records should come to my house. It will find a spot in my basement in some custom built bookshelves.
The exact spot that I crossed the 298,000 milestone was northbound on State Street in Orem, Utah. It was about 10:30 pm.
Every spin of the odometer is a unique milestone. A number that will never be repeated. And it seemed somewhat fitting that on this night I was also leaving another place and event never to be repeated.
This is picture of the lodge room.
Ultimate: The last one
Penultimate: The one before the last one
Antepenultimate: The one before the one before the last one.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. Order Miscellany II, an anthology including his latest short story, “The Mercy System” here
Follow him on
Twitter (@rodneymbliss)
Facebook (www.facebook.com/rbliss)
LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com/in/rbliss)
or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2022 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
Tell your friends about this!
Today was the end of an era for my Masonic Lodge, Story Lodge #4. It was the last business meeting we will hold in our building. The building, built in 1973 has been home to Story Lodge and Damascus Lodge for the past 50 years.
My position in our lodge is as chaplain. My duties include saying prayers at the opening and closing of the lodge meeting. The prayers are written and are addressed to the non-denominational “Great Architect of The Universe.”
These are the prayers I offered tonight:
Opening
Great Architect of the Universe, we meet at the end and at the beginning. At the beginning of this meeting help us remember the principles of Masonry in our discussions and in our votes. We are reminded of brothers not able to meet through time, distance or circumstance. We also remember the thousands of brothers before us who called Story their home.
We recognize the ending. The ending of our time in this building and the many happy memories. Watch over our proceedings. Let us enjoy our time together as we work for the good of Masonry and each other.
Amen
Closing
Great Architect of the Universe we come before you at the end as at the beginning. As we end this gathering and end our sojourn in this place. Send us away with happy memories and renewed bonds of friendship.
And as we commence at the beginning, the beginning of our time as a traveling lodge, help us remember the ties that bind us as brothers and friends are stronger than stones and timbers. Our ties transcend time and space. As we take our lodge from this place of familiarity to a place of unfamiliarity, a place of history to a bright uncharted future bind our hearts and minds ever closer together. That we may continue to enjoy our fellowship and fidelity wherever we may meet
Amen
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. Order Miscellany II, an anthology including his latest short story, “The Mercy System” here
Follow him on
Twitter (@rodneymbliss)
Facebook (www.facebook.com/rbliss)
LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com/in/rbliss)
or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2022 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
Tell your friends about this!
It was an odd week.
Singing in church was different.
I frequent a business regularly. But today was. . .different. In fact, the employees didn’t recognize me.
Recently I watched a video of a comedy show. The show was interrupted because one woman handed another woman a bandaid and an alcohol swab. The comedian interrupted the show.
What just happened here?
She needed a bandaid.
How convenient she sat next to a nurse! (The crowd laughed)
Actually, I am a nurse.
Really?
Yeah. I have a mask in my purse. (The crowd laughed again.)
The show was from 2018. The mask joke was funny then. I mean, who carries a mask in their purse?
I have a mask in my coat pocket.
And the center console in my car.
And the glove box.
And, of course, a bunch of them in my house.
I mean, who doesn’t have a mask?
If you don’t have one, just about every store has them. You can pick them up on your way in.
Except not today. And not Sunday.
We quit using them this week.
I love to sing. Have you ever tried to sing with a mask on? It takes some getting used to. It’s not the singing out, it’s the breathing in. But, you get used to it.
Until it’s gone. Sunday was the first Sunday without a mask in years. That’s strange to think of, let alone say. It took me a minute to figure out what sounded different. Turns out it was me, hearing my own voice.
And the shop I go to every week? They literally didn’t recognize me without a mask.
Is the pandemic really over? The news media has already moved on to covering the war.
For now, I’m getting used to not wearing a mask. And not expecting others to.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. Order Miscellany II, an anthology including his latest short story, “The Mercy System” here
Follow him on
Twitter (@rodneymbliss)
Facebook (www.facebook.com/rbliss)
LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com/in/rbliss)
or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2022 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
Tell your friends about this!
“It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great. ”
– Jimmy Doogan talking about baseball in A League Of Their Own
“That which we obtain too easily we esteem too lightly.”
– Thomas Paine
“What’s easy for you can still be hard on your clients.”
– Maxim 38 Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries
“I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it.”
– Mae West
“No thank you. I don’t get them dents buffed, pulled, filled or painted by nobody. They’s way too valuable.”
– Mater Cars
I had lots of interesting words to use today talking about how we value things we have to work for. And then, I started going through the quotes that say it much more succinctly than I could.
When I first asked my lovely wife to marry me, she said no. Fortunately, she was still willing to date me. She just didn’t want to marry me. . .despite me wanting to marry her. It was months later that she finally agreed to say “I do.” Even now, 34 years later, I appreciate that I had to work at it.
The things I’ve really appreciated are the things I had to work and sacrifice for.
What have you worked at? What didn’t come easy to you?
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. Order Miscellany II, an anthology including his latest short story, “The Mercy System” here
Follow him on
Twitter (@rodneymbliss)
Facebook (www.facebook.com/rbliss)
LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com/in/rbliss)
or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2022 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
Tell your friends about this!
Shaq recently bought a Ford F-150 and donated it to a worthy family. It’s not unusual for the former NBA player. He does that often. He tries to share the incredible wealth that he’s earned. He feels it’s his responsibility.
Pretty great deal, right? A free $50,000 truck. Don’t you kind of wish it was you?
I thought about that last week when I was reading the story of his largess.
And I decided I wouldn’t want it.
Oh sure, it’s a nice truck. Best truck I ever owned was a 1978 F250. Who wouldn’t want a new truck?
But, I thought about what the truck was for. Shaq is trying to help people who need it. Do I need a new truck? No. No, I don’t. If it meant keeping a truck from a deserving family, a truck that I don’t need, would I want to do that?
No, I want to help those less fortunate, not take away a benefit that would make a huge difference in someone’s life.
Several years ago, a family that I know had an unfortunate house fire. The fire department put the fire out quickly and fortunately no one was hurt. The house needed some remodeling, of course. But, that’s where the problems started.
The house was very large. And over the years, the previous owner had made many improvements and additions. None of which were according to code. The cost of repairs had to include bringing everything up to code. It was more than the family could afford
This family was a large family and many of the children were adopted from all over the world. They were not unlike our own family. Although they had more children than our 13.
The community rallied behind the family. A local television company organized a home makeover. Not just home repairs, but improvements. Their large lot was landscaped. Furniture stores donated new furnishings for the entire house. It was a major undertaking. The big reveal was carried live on television.
My family at the time was renting a house. Not many years later we ended up homeless for a time living in my brother-in-law’s barn, my lovely wife, myself and 12 kids. We didn’t get our house made over because we didn’t have a house. I’ve often thought about the blessing it was for our friends that they had a chance to save their home.
But, I couldn’t help but think about my own family’s situation. Would I have liked a new home? Of course. But, would I really? Even if it didn’t mean denying my friends a new house. But, in general, would I want a new house? An upgraded house?
Why?
My house fits me and my family. I don’t need a new house.
Did you know that most lottery winners, the big ones, are broke in less than 5 years? And the ones who won really big typically regret their winning. It destroys their lives.
I won a radio contest once. I think you had to call in and sing a song or something. Anyway, I won some book. It was around Christmas time. The radio station was giving boxes of food to the less fortunate.
Why don’t you put the book into one of the Christmas boxes. They can use it more than I can.
There have been times when my children were fed solely by the kindness of strangers. And I was grateful for the food and the help. But, I’ve also had times when all my needs were met. In that condition how could I take that generosity? Simply to make my life a little easier?
No. There are times I’d rather not rely on the kindness of strangers. Let someone else have the blessings.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. Order Miscellany II, an anthology including his latest short story, “The Mercy System” here
Follow him on
Twitter (@rodneymbliss)
Facebook (www.facebook.com/rbliss)
LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com/in/rbliss)
or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2022 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
Tell your friends about this!
I’m a writer. I don’t like the idea that things cannot be written. Oh sure, some stuff can’t be written. The sound of a violin, for example. You can write,
the violin concerto was divine.
But, it’s impossible to write so that someone could tell the difference between a violin and a viola.
But, words? Yeah, words should be writeable. And yet, there are sentences that can be spoken without ambiguity and cannot accurately be written.
Read the following sentences out loud.
You can spell two three different ways.
You can spell too three different ways.
You can spell to three different ways.
You said the exact same sentence three times and every one of the sentences I typed was incorrect in it’s written form.
Of course we could do the same with any homophones.
- Right/Write
- Ring/wring
- Rain/rein/reign
- Road/Rode
And there are even more if you use words that start with letters other than ‘R.’
Likewise there are words that can be written but not spoken.
I read a lot of great books.
Exactly how do you pronounce that second word? Like reed or like red?
I’m fluent in American Sign Language. Someone once developed a written form of ASL, but it wasn’t really effective. I did a lot of translating sign language. We don’t really call translate sign language. It’s called interpreting. I’m not sure why ASL is the only language we “interpret” instead of translating.
ASL is a combination of signs, body language and expression. I was a really good interpreter. But, there are signs that have no accurate word to describe them. For example, there’s a sign that you make by using two fingers and flicking the end of your nose and then forming the sign of a zero with your hand. The most literal translation would be “funny-zero.” Or “funny-no.” It mostly means “That’s not funny.” But, it’s more than that. It can be annoyed. It can be dismissive. It can be stern. It all depends on your expression.
How do you interpret that?
Some things don’t translate well.
Do you read the Bible? You’ve probably heard of Jacob and Esau. Or, maybe not. They were brothers. Esau was the older brother and heir. Jacob got him to sell his birthright for a bowl of pottage. It’s recorded in Genesis Chapter 25 verse 30
30And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
Edom means red, by the way.
But, that’s not really what the verse says. Here’s a picture of the verse from a copy of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible.
Notice anything different about the picture from the typed text? The words pottage and am are italicized. If you are not a regular reader of the Bible, you may not have noticed. Even if you do regularly read the Bible, you may not have ever noticed.
When King James hired translators to translate the Bible into English, they were very careful. Not everything in Greek translated perfectly to English. But, they were writing the Word of God. They couldn’t add to it. But, they also needed to make it understandable. So, they added words, but put them in italics.
In verse 30, the original Greek didn’t have pottage or am. Instead it was,
30And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red; for I faint: therefore was his named called Edom.
Language is a funny thing. You’d think after thousands of years we’d be better at using it.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. Order Miscellany II, an anthology including his latest short story, “The Mercy System” here
Follow him on
Twitter (@rodneymbliss)
Facebook (www.facebook.com/rbliss)
LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com/in/rbliss)
or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2022 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
Tell your friends about this!
It was 5 MPH. Stop and go traffic. Bumper to bumper. Not the funniest thing in a manual transmission car.
It snowed in Utah yesterday. And the snow screwed up the commute. My commute takes 30 minutes on a typical day. Yesterday it was almost double that. I drive a 1994 Toyota Corolla named Marcus Aurelius. It’s (he’s?) front wheel drive, but very light. And I have summer tires.
I’m a good driver. But, it was still a harrowing commute.
But, I was thankful for it.
When I got home from work, my driveway was buried under 6″ of the white stuff. My kids used to ask why we didn’t buy a snow blower.
I don’t need a snow blower. I have a lots of shovels. . .and plenty of kids.
I still have the shovels, but the kids are mostly gone now. Off to college, or missions, or just living their own lives. My lovely wife was gone. I was the only one home. So, I got one of the shovels and and I shoveled my 50 foot long driveway.
And I was thankful for it.
And then, I shoveled the driveway of the widow that lives across the street.
And I was thankful for it.
And then, I shoveled the 16 steps that lead up to my front door.
And I was thankful for it.
A neighbor uses his four wheeler with a blade to plow the sidewalk, so I was spared that chore.
And, of course I was thankful for that, too.
Utah is a desert. Which is kind of strange for a state that relies on skiing to bring in tourism. We get snow in the winter, but not a lot of rain in the summer.
Utahans have the same response any time someone mentions precipitation:
Well, we can certainly use the moisture.
I think it might even be a law that we are supposed to appreciate any precipitation.
So, as nerve wracking as today’s commute was I’m thankful for it. And hope we get a bunch more of them.
We can certainly use the moisture.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. Order Miscellany II, an anthology including his latest short story, “The Mercy System” here
Follow him on
Twitter (@rodneymbliss)
Facebook (www.facebook.com/rbliss)
LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com/in/rbliss)
or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2022 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved