The Night Writer http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/ Illuminating fun, faith, family and foolishness. en-us 2008-10-05T21:10+00:00 Oh, to be able to put it Blount-ly http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1223243718.shtml ... The Night Writer 2008-10-05T21:10+00:00 What kind of writer do I want to be? My interests are so varied that I'd hate to limit myself to one niche, and in that Roy Blount, Jr. is another writing idol of mine. In a piece on Saturday noting Blount's birthday, The Writer's Almanac included this description:

Roy Blount has been a freelance writer for more than 100 different publications. He has written profiles, essays, sketches, verse, short stories, and reviews. And he's written about politics, sports, music, food, drink, gender issues, books, comedians, language, travel, science, animals, economics, anatomy, and family life.

Wow - sounds like my blog, except no one's ever paid me for my profiles, essays, sketches, verse, short stories and reviews. Yet. The Almanac goes on to name Blount's new book and mention that it comes out this week. The title is 34 words long, with 17 punctuation marks but I'll call it Alphabet Juice for short.

The new book contains the following excerpt:

To me, letters have always been a robust medium of sublimation. … We're in the midst of a bunch of letters, and if you're like me, you feel like a pig in mud. What a great word mud is. And muddle, and muffle, and mumble. … You know the expression "Mum's the word." The word mum is a representation of lips pressed together. … The great majority of languages start the word for "mother" with an m sound. The word mammal comes from the mammary gland. Which comes from baby talk: mama. To sound like a grownup, we refine mama into mother; the Romans made it mater, from which: matter. And matrix. Our word for the kind of animal we are, and our word for the stuff that everything is made of, and our word for a big cult movie all derive from baby talk.

What are we saying when we say mmmm? We are saying yummy. In the pronunciation of which we move our lips the way nursing babies move theirs. The fact that we can spell something that fundamental, and connect it however tenuously to mellifluous and manna and milk and me (see M), strikes me as marvelous.

Mmm-hmmm, that's good stuff.
]]> Re-purposing http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1222121654.shtml ... The Night Writer 2008-09-25T02:09+00:00 I've finally decided to do something that several people have been after me to do since I started this blog nearly four years ago.

No, not "Quit."

The time has come, however, for me to do something different, and it will affect this blog, at least for a while. As the Mall Diva would say, "Here's the dealio:"

I know I'm a good writer. I don't type that in a boastful way because I know there is very little I've had to do with that fact. It was something imparted to me when I was born; to brag about it would be like some 6' 6" guy taking pride in being tall. My grandfather had the gift, my mother, myself. I've seen it in my daughters as well. Some people can sing, some people can paint. I can't do either, but sometimes a song or something I see paints a picture in my mind and it comes out in words that even make me wonder where they came from.

So. I know I'm good. The question that I've put off asking myself, for fear that I'll then have to try and find out the answer, is "How good can I be if I really applied myself?" Good comes naturally, but great takes something else again, and if I don't have what it takes to be great, can I live with it? In a way, by not trying, I was indeed saying that I could live with it.

I mentioned fear in the last paragraph. I've been thinking about fear a lot lately. In the movie class with the boys earlier this month we watched "The Ghost and the Darkness" about the man-eating lions of Tsavo, Kenya. After the movie we talked about courage not being the absence of fear, but the mastery of fear, of acknowledging but ultimately ignoring what would seek to hold you back in order to accomplish something great. Sometimes, however — as I commented on a friend's blog recently — fear isn't a lion roaring in the dark; sometimes it is the sibilant hiss of self-doubt from the shadows of your own heart. Can I tell you what one of my deeper fears is? I am afraid that in my heart I am lazy, that I don't have the will, or intestinal fortitude, to start something and stick with it, and that I'd find it all too easy to take it easy — physically, mentally, spiritually. I sense the coils of slack waiting in my heart, waiting for me to cut it for myself.

I felt like that in the months leading up to February, 2005 when I finally launched this blog. I didn't know what I'd write about, or how often I'd write (or could write) or for how long I would do it. I set a couple of objectives for myself. I would try to post at least once every weekday, and I would do it for at least six months and see where I was at. Blogging would be a test for me to see if I had the discipline to commit to the activity and the chops to make it interesting (both for myself and whatever readers came along). I have been somewhat amazed at how relatively easy it has been, and I've come to enjoy the challenge of waking up every morning without knowing what I was going to write about that night. More than that, I've truly enjoyed and appreciated the community of bloggers that I've come to know (though many I've never actually met in person). I've found a rhythm and a comfort zone in blogging, and that in its own way is kind of scary.

Certain thoughts have been in the back of my mind for some time, and I let them come to the forefront while I was on vacation the last couple of weeks, and I've made a decision. Blogging has been a great exercise ... almost like calisthenics. The thing with calisthenics is that you can develop your muscles but at some point you're going to want to do something with them. As the Anthony Trollope quote in my header this week says, "Three hours a day will produce as much as a man ought to write." I now know I can put two to three hours a day into writing, because I've been doing this and now...I need to break from the familiar and comfortable and see what else I can write.

As when I started this blog, I have no idea what I'm going to write about, or what form it will take. I think I'd like to try a novel, but I don't have a vision for a story yet. It may be short stories at first, as the next step in my process. What I do know is that I'm going to take those two to three hours a night to work it out, and that means not writing as often here.

I'm leaving the lights on, however. I'd like to post snippets from whatever I'm working on or finished pieces as they come to me from time to time, and there may be current events that I just cannot keep from commenting upon, especially if I can do so quickly. If so they'll be cross-posted on True North as well. And I definitely plan to keep reading (and commenting on) other blogs. I will not be a recluse. In addition the Mall Diva, Tiger Lilly and even the Reverend Mother are by no means finished. My invitation to regular readers is to sign up for the RSS feed in the right hand sidebar so you will automatically be tipped off when something new is posted.

It's been surprisingly hard to change direction even though so little is really at stake. While I was on vacation, however, I started re-reading Mark Helprin's exquisite, achingly beautiful collection of short stories compiled in The Pacific. Sometimes it felt as if I could barely breathe as I read, so perfect is the prose and so great my desire to try and create something similar, even as insurmountable as that may be. I also came across a reviewer who both shared my appreciation for the book and also set a target for me to pursue.

I’m not saying that Helprin’s stories always have happy endings. But they are filled with purposeful action, sharp with clear intent. The Pacific features women that are really beautiful, battles that are actually worth fighting, and melodies that can break your heart. Helprin’s prose shines because his genius has a moral compass, and it comes as a relief to read stories that do not end in existential anticlimax.

In this moment, my purpose is clear. I'm going for it.

]]> Day 2 http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1219981836.shtml ... The Night Writer 2008-08-29T03:08+00:00


You can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs...and I'm going to feel like an omelet if I don't take a short break. I'll be back after the holiday weekend, but the Mall Diva and Tiger Lilly are going to the fair again on Friday and they may do an update on last week's 2-year-old post — if they get on the stick!

Meanwhile, a fun bunch of guys are tail-gating over at Savvy Daddy for this week's Manival. Check it out, Tony's got food!
]]> Sssssssssss.... http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1219894343.shtml ... The Night Writer 2008-08-28T03:08+00:00

Sheesh, what a week. It's budget time at work, which means I have to forecast how much money my department will need next year, how much I'd actually be willing to live with, and how much of a bite the levels above me are going to take just to show they're serious. And it all has to be turned in the day after Labor Day. Fortunately, the instruction manual for this year's budget process has been cut down to 236 pages ... in a PDF file.

Oh, and someone had the bright idea to move our offices AND install new telephones all at the same time back on Monday. Never fear, the instruction booklet that comes with the phone is 10% of the size of the budget manual and is printed in 16 languages, none of which I understand. So far I've unpacked my calculator and my coffee cup; the rest can wait. WHY does that red light keep flashing at me?

I'm thinking it's high time for a Keegan's run Thursday night. Who's with me?]]> This and that http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1219288950.shtml It's been a hectic week already and I've had little time to ponder blog-postings even if there's a lot of material just laying around, what with the Mall Diva's birthday, the... The Night Writer 2008-08-21T03:08+00:00
This is a picture of the bike we bought the Mall Diva for her birthday.


It's very similar to Hayden's new bike, who didn't find it so amusing that the Diva and I referred to this style as a "Grandma Bike." I thought it was amusing, until I discovered that you don't mess with grandma.

This is the time of year when Beloit college comes out with its annual "Mindset" list for faculty describing the things that happened before the incoming freshman class members were born. I had penciled in doing a post about this, but Mr. Dilettante beat me to it. I guess I can cut him some slack since he's a Beloit alumnus and he did a great job of dissecting the Academic "mindset" that came up with this year's list. Currently my mindset is "waste not, want not", so here are a few things that Beloit left off the list that I added to Mr. D's comment section:
For the class of 2012...
  • ...There has never been a Soviet Union (yet).
  • ...There has always been one Germany.
  • ...Nelson Mandela has never been in prison.
  • ...Salman Rushdie has always been under a death sentence.
  • ..."Imelda" has always been the nickname of someone with a lot of shoes.
  • ...Ronald Reagan has never been president.
  • ...Pete Rose has always been banned from baseball.
  • ...There has always been a Sega Genesis.
  • ...Bart Simpson has always been 10 years old.
  • ...Iran has always been pissed off.

Last year at the end of the season I announced on this blog and to my Fantasy Football league that I was stepping down as Commissioner and retiring from the game. Yesterday I learned that my old league is disbanding because no one else wants to step up and be the Commish. I guess that makes me the MVP...

Finally, I was blessed and surprised to get a link from Mitch at Shot in the Dark for the "Man in the Street" post the other day. In the three-plus years I've been blogging, two things have always amazed me. The first is that I'm still doing it (which set in at about the 6-month mark), and the second is how hard it is to predict when a post will get someone's attention and suddenly drive a lot of traffic to your blog. Certainly there have been "masterpieces" I've written and then sat back waiting for a book offer and never even scored a comment, and then something I almost didn't post doubles my average traffic in one day. It's moments like that that help explain amazing item #1. Thanks, Mitch, and to everyone who commented!

]]> A way that seems right unto a Manival http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1218920465.shtml ... The Night Writer 2008-08-16T21:08+00:00 After a brief vacation (every man needs one from time to time), the Manival returned this week with edition #15, hosted by Discovering Dad. I didn't notice it was up right away, but once I did I read through the week's selections. Here are some of my faves:

A couple of decades ago I wrote some advertising and catalog copy for a mail-order steak business. I learned the ins and outs of great cuts of meat and what each cut was best suited for. After a morning of that exposure I was ready to throw down a couple of bacon-wrapped filet mignon, even though my budget could barely handle a quarter-pounder with cheese. Reading Know Thine Bovine at Primer Magazine brought back happy memories of those days, though.

The Reader Challenge: David post at I Am Husband was already familiar to me as I had read it (and commented) during a regular visit to that blog. It deals with the common issue of wives disliking their bodies and the effect this has on the relationship.

More happy memories were stirred by Dad of Divas' Teaching Your Child Entrepreneurship as I recalled the early development of Tiger Lilly's head for business. And if you're going to teach your children how to succeed at business then you should also help them learn the important lessons about debt offered by The Common Man in his post, In Your Debt.

Finally, you know I'm going to be partial to posts by Tom at Being Michael's Daddy — Levels of Understanding — and by Kevin at Return to Manliness — Never Use Eight Words When Four Will Do — because they are in a similar vein as my Fundamentals in Film series and my Manival #1 post on three-word sentences that will endear you to your wife.

I'm sure you'll find your own favorites when you browse the rest of the submissions for yourself.

]]> Why I should be paid to blog http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1217946628.shtml ... The Night Writer 2008-08-05T14:08+00:00
I am 11% Idiot.
Friggin Genius
I am not annoying at all. In fact most people come to me for advice. Of course they annoy the hell out of me. But what can I do? I am smarter than most people.
Take the
Idiot Test
@ FualiDotCom


I think I got dinged a little on my score because I answered "yes" to the question about whether I'm a manager. I was much smarter before that happened.

HT: Mr. Dilletante, by way of Anti-Strib.

]]> "Just Manny being Manny" -- but how about "Manly"? http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1217371826.shtml ... The Night Writer 2008-07-29T22:07+00:00 Manny Ramirez of the Boston Team Manny has one laudatory skill: being able to hit a baseball. Perhaps he would benefit by checking out
Manival #14. It's back "home" this week at the blog that launched the Manival carnival, The Art of Manliness. As usual there's lots of good stuff and several different categories to explore, especially if you're Manny Ramirez.

For example, check out Dr. Awesome for valuable advice and important rulings on what is or isn't manly: this week's topic concerns long hair. In addition, as the summer winds down and the play-offs draw near there's still time to review a list of "Top 10 Summer Activites for Dad & Kids" from Discovering Dad. And if you're into naming the "best" and "worst" of anything you'll probably like "The Best Foods for Men" at Fat Man Unleashed (oh, Manny!) and "The Worst Karate Move I Ever Learned" at Martial Development (I wonder if this involves knocking down the club's 60-year-old Traveling Secretary?).

There are also plenty of good posts for those of us non-All Stars who might still like to take our game to another level. This week I want to call special attention to two Manival articles: Seven Proverbs for Skilled Living from Cameron at Schaefer's Blog; and Cory's challenge to make it a point to schedule doing something special for your wife each week in Monday Morning Amour over at A Good Husband. You should definitely read the other Manival entries as well, or — as Twins' announcer John Gordon would say — "Touch 'em all!"
]]> Developing... http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1217271670.shtml I'm still tired after spending the weekend trying to recover from the annual Millard Fillmore Memorial golf tournament (aka "The MILF") last Friday where I was in the woods so much... The Night Writer 2008-07-28T19:07+00:00
Then there was my stepping up at the last minute at the post-MILF party to serve as a replacement "Master of Sausages" without first being able to perform the standard three day meditation and purification regimen that goes along with that. Fortunately I was able to pass through the flames without injury, but it was a very close thing and that will take something out of you.

I've also been devoting time to preparing the second lecture and homework assignment for this week's "Are You Marriageable" class that I'm teaching, set for Wednesday night. Speaking of which, here's an interesting link to a post over at The Art of Manliness on How to Ask a Woman's Father For Her Hand in Marriage.

Maybe I'll have enough energy to post something tonight after I finally get home. I first have to stop off and see Ben; he said there's something he wanted to talk to me about.


Update:
Developing further...

]]> Manival #12 at Miserere http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1216088186.shtml ... The Night Writer 2008-07-15T02:07+00:00

Miserere got an early jump in launching this week's Manival, but that just gives you more time to read this week's selections. In addition to post from your favorite writer in the night, there is a great 3-part series from this week's host on Child-Rearing in a Culture of Death/Discipline and Responsibility/Character Training. There are tips on how to add spice to a ho-hum marriage and an article on the "tipping" point in a marriage. You can also find out about going "man-camping", which sounds like a step up from your "man cave", but you should read both and find out for yourself. In fact, read them all!



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