Monday, February 18, 2013

Not The First Blog Today

You will be proud to know, last night I wrote late into the night. I'm quite proud of this because I didn't know if I would get any writing in yesterday. One thing I found interesting was that I was having problems with the timeline of the story (I'm in chapter 17). I realized I had totally deviated from the outline that I wrote...years ago. Because I started with an outline of this story, I still depend on the outline for the structure, even though I have lots of notes to integrate into the storyline, too.

Well, not much to blog about today because I decided against posting my initial blog (I included the info in my personal journal instead). I really want to maintin the professional relationship with the person that was the impetus for today's orginal blog, even though I'm very unhappy, disappointed, and confused. That's all I'll say about that.

Now, I'm going to organize the tax info for my mother and myself, so that it's ready to drop in the mail tomorrow (two months earlier than last year); I'm also going to organize notes and other legal documents for a friend; I'm going to finish looking over someone else's photo-journal; and I'm going to work on one of my stories. A day off is always a test in maintaining a rigorous schedule (I'm also going to workout and, at some point, probably after Ellen goes off, I'm going to run to WalMart).

Happy Monday to everyone!

Simply TRB 

Monday, February 11, 2013

I Cried Today (written 02/09/13)

Every so often I transcribe interviews for these social workers/counselors and their juvenile, male clients. To tell you that I am left breathless by the interviews is an understatement. I would never divulge the nature or details of the information I transcribe, but, I will say, just a moment ago I broke down in tears (it’s not the first time). Even as I type these words I’m crying. To hear a young man, 17 years old, say, “Bad things happen to bad people,” in the context of what I've already heard, helped me to appreciate how lost and helpless an entire generation is. Particularly if you understand what he was saying was he was a “bad person.” Without some form of encouragement he would never understand that he’s just a young man who has merely made some “bad choices,” but he still has an opportunity to make different and better decisions.   

There have been times in my life when I also felt absolutely helpless: when my mom’s house almost went into foreclosure, along with millions of other homes; when my uncle was found dead a week after my dad and I looked for him; when I wrote my first book and it ended up becoming a legal fiasco, and I could go on. Each time I cried first, prayed, and then received the strength to get through each and every situation. Young people are so ill-equipped to deal with life as it’s dealt to them. Not that they can’t; they’re just ill-equipped and they often choose to listen to others who are just as badly prepared as they are.

Anybody who knows me knows that that I lean towards males because I have four brothers and four nephews. It wasn't so much that the client was a young man, but that he was a young person. I look at the plight of young people today, young men and young women, and it’s one of the most unfortunate situations in modern society. From a spiritual standpoint, I get it; from a purely intellectual standpoint, not so much. Spiritually speaking, it’s the stream of time we’re living in and no one is immune to what’s going on with society or with the world. Intellectually speaking, I don’t get it because we’re, seemingly, more advanced in every area of life than we have ever been.

Anyway, I listen to these interviews of all of these lost young men and my heart goes out to them, to any young person that's out there lost. It's apparent that they have no idea what's going on. I'm not sure what I'm trying to say. I just know, today I cried for a young man who has probably said many times, "I'm a man," even though he's really just a boy, and he may be getting ready to find out, the hard way, what it really means to be a man.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Pretty Good Day

Reading two books right now: "Captain Blood" by Rafael Sabatini and "Outcast" by Lewis Ericson. I'll tell you about them after I finish reading them.

Nope, didn't work on a single manuscript today. Well, not really true. I did read over ETICME again today. I'm still waiting on the cover, but I'm going to put it completely to the side after Friday. At some point you have to do that, stop reading over a manuscript that you've read several times (Disclaimer: Reading over a manuscript many times, several times, or even a lot may never feel like enough). I promise you, every time you read it you're going to find something to change. That's just how it is.

Oh, I did work on two other projects today, though. One of them belongs to a photographer friend who is going to release a wonderful photo journal, probably by the end of the month. The second project is also a photo journal, but I'm co-authoring this book with another photorgrapher friend of mine. Her book release is planned for later this year.

I did pretty good today. I'm pleased.

Simply TRB  

Monday, February 4, 2013

Today Is The First Day of The Rest of My Blogs

Today is Monday, February 4, 2013, and I am not feeling it. This should have been a vacation day or, at a minimum, a day at home writing. Though, I'm very excited about this, my first blog. Actually, this isn't my first time blogging. Apparently I made an attempt, way back in February 2010 (that's when I created my blog account--did you know you couldn't delete the title of old blogs). This time I'm actually going to let people know I have a blog. That will probably be very helpful...if I want people to read it, huh? This blog is going to serve a two-fold purpose: 1.) I'm really hoping this will create and maintain interest in my writing; and 2.) I will be able to meet my goal of writing every day (i.e., stories, personal journal, or, now, blog).

I think, as a writer I should write daily (that's what some of the great writers say). I've fought this idea for years. I used to tell people, "I write when the feeling hits me." The truth is, I'm a writer and the feeling should hit me every day. I should write "something" every single day. Having said that, I should let you know, I'm about to re-release my first book, "Every Time I Close My Eyes" (ETICME), first published in 2003. I revised it and edited it myself. I know, I know...a writer should not edit his/her own work. Do you want to know a secret? After my book was published in 2003, I never opened it to read it. The first time I actually read the story, as a book, was February 2012. Yeah, crazy, right? It was really like seeing it with brand new eyes.

Anyway, I tried to stay true to the original writing of ETICME because I was in a very different place when I wrote it. I want to show the distinction between my writing then and my writing now. To improve my craft, I've taken all kinds of classes and even joined a couple of writer groups. I hope my growth is reflected in my writing. I had no idea how to write back then. Didn't invest any time in doing anything except making sure words were spelled correctly (I thought an editor would take care of the rest). Well, I learned that I should invest much more in my writing, than I did, if I'm going to be taken seriously.

My plan is to have my second book, "Daddy's Big Girl," published by the end of February. At least, that's the plan, and then to have a third book published in August 2013. I don't know about you, but I'm excited about getting back out there.

So, thank you and welcome to my blog! 

(Thanks Monika Mitchell, 556 Book Chicks, for telling me I needed a blog.)

Taya R. Baker aka Simply TRB