In Print

I’ve been married for 24 years (this august), and during almost all of that time, we have taken the local paper, likely delivered by a very young person (who hated their job) or their kindhearted (grumbling) parent.

My breakfast routine has revolved around the newspaper. I have fond memories of leaving my apartment, grabbing the paper from the patio, and heading to the University. After my 7:45 class, I’d make my way to the Union Building, where over coffee and a bagel, I’d spend the next hour or so reading. Years later, I’d bring it to the library where I worked, or take it with me to a coffee shop. I’ve read it on my patio that crazy summer we adopted our first dog, and she refused to sleep past 5:30 or be alone outside. Wherever we have lived, It has been a constant fixture.

This morning, I called and cancelled my subscription.

I did this for two reasons-

One- Delivery at my current home sucks. I’ve gone as many as ten days in a row without a paper. Calls to the parent company resolve the issue for a short time, but it never completely fixes it. I know it isn’t the best of jobs, but it really isn’t a difficult one. My address remains constant and my house is the same color, rooted in the same location. It is beyond frustrating.

Two- The diminishing size and quality of the paper in general. Entire sections, features, articles, editorials, comics, staff, have all have been discontinued. Subscriptions continue to decline, and most of the focus has shifted online. I get it. News needs to be delivered in near real time. Waiting until the following morning is not a legitimate option. The print edition is no longer a priority.

The newspaper I used to spend my morning devouring no longer exists. And that is fine, I guess. Things change, the world turns, different ways of doing old things push innovation forward. Fighting against that sort of thing is waste of energy. I certainly can alter something as insignificant as my breakfast routine. I have a desk, a computer. I can peruse the online edition over a bowl of Special K. Fond memories can remain just that.

Besides, the local paper may figure out better ways of creating a print edition. They may restore features or find new ones that appeal to me.

After switching from vinyl to CD, I never thought I would want or buy another record. Things come back round. People read and buy actual books again, and for a time, everyone had me convinced digital was going to be everything everywhere. But books are a different animal. Rarely does their content age itself out of relevancy overnight.

I can’t envision it now, but maybe there will be a time when the immediacy of news won’t be a hindrance to a quality print edition of the newspaper. Perhaps the content will shift and become more feature based, filled with local interest stories, investment and financial advice written by qualified professionals. We might see the return of in depth, hard hitting investigative journalism, shock and awe replaced with thoughtful, informative writing that seeks to inform and enlighten.

If that does happen, I will certainly want to participate and support such an endeavor. Especially if they switch to drone delivery.

 

Under the Influence

Music has always been a very influential part of my life. It is hard for me to remember a day without the presence of some song or other. I’ve talked before about how music (and books) are sacred to me. Musicians are storytellers, and as a storyteller I feel a connection with them that goes beyond just enjoying their talents. Certain music has the ability to reconnect me with my past, transport me places, allow me the opportunity to experience old emotions, people. I’ve been moved to tears by music more times than I can count, and each time I’ve been grateful for the experience.

Music also fuels my writing.

There was a time when I needed silence to work, and any outside distraction was a detriment. I don’t know what changed, but now I cannot compose anything without some music playing. It influences the direction of my writing, the tone, the development. I know certain scenes in my first novel were created in direct response to what was on the stereo at the time I was writing them.

And I have so much  of it.

 

Hundreds of vinyl records. Thousands of compact discs. A few lonely cassette tapes.

I’m always acquiring more as well. The more new stuff that I add to the collection, the more some albums get forgotten. Some albums have not been played in years, maybe decades.

In order to try and remember the lost ones, I determined to listen to each of my CD’s (in reverse alphabetical, reverse chronological order) over a two year period. I call it “The Great CD Listening Adventure. I started in the fall of 2016 and just moved through L and into the letter K this morning (L7 to Kylesa, in case you were wondering).

Because some albums have not aged well, I give myself some outs- I play everything, but if after three songs, I’m not feeling it, the disc gets yanked (set on the pile to take to my local record store where I can get store credit). I can skip live albums and greatest hits collections. Singles are also optional. Otherwise, it’s every album by every artist. It’s been so much fun. I’ve rediscovered some forgotten gems, and realized that I’ve lost interest in some bands completely.

My tastes have always been all over the place, ranging from bubblegum pop to Black Metal and most everything in between. I firmly believe that there is a gem in every genre, and that some of the best music ever made is being created right now. If you’re wondering, disagreeing, curious, I can give you a nice list of artists to consider.

What about you? What sort of role does music play in your life, your writing? When authors use music, does it have any affect on the way you perceive a scene?

Who are some of your favorite artists? Who are you listening to right now? Tell me all about your love of music, please.

 

Old Things

I’ve had a really good week as far as writing goes. A short story idea has been rolling around in my head for months, and I finally sat my rear end in the chair and attacked it. The first few pages came quickly, and for a while I was convinced it would only take three writing days before a draft was complete. I should have known better.

As soon as I’ve nailed down one aspect of the story, something else decides to be a problem. The strange part is, I’m excited that it is being difficult. I want to be pushed and stretched. None of this effort means the story will be any good, but it will be rewarding to finish.

The only real distraction is another idea that popped into my head while I was reading a book called “Slow Boat”, by Hideo Furukawa. I’d written a story more than a decade ago that shared similar elements to one chapter of “Slow Boat”. As soon as I finished the book (it’s wicked short), I went to my computer and opened the file. The story was still in very rough condition, and I remembered I’d only loosely edited it after finishing the first draft. Reading through, I liked the flow of the story, and thought it would only need a few tweaks to be ready for sharing. Four hours later I’d rewritten most of it, changed the overall tone, and given the story an entirely different ending. It was the most fun I’d had with writing in more than a year.

Finding life in one old idea got me thinking about other abandoned work, paragraphs, pages, two or three lines that had promise, but I either lost interest in or wasn’t skilled enough to write at the time. I’m making a list of texts that need attention, and it is a good long one. I’m certain many of them won’t become anything more than they already are, but there are likely three or four that have some serious potential. The prospect is keeping me up at night, pondering.

What about you fine people? Have you ever gone back to an old idea and found it had new life? How did you approach the project? Were you successful?

One other note-

The shelf I was using to display my vinyl was near capacity, and I was not excited about the prospect of using crates or boxes to store things. I dislike clutter. Over the weekend, we picked up this fine shelf from IKEA.

I’ve triple the space now. You should all come over and we can have a listen party. You bring the drinks, I’ll provide the food and music.