Writing

I couldn't let it go! Yesterday, I added three pages to the end of my book. It is an improvement, I think. Joan will tell me.

Maybe this is all about avoiding the rewriting process. I'll have to think about that.

"Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday"

~~ Don Marquis, American novelist, playwright and poet -- 1878-1937

I have completed the principal writing of my third book. It was difficult sleeping last night as I had nothing to resolve about the book. Today, I am having trouble focusing or even getting the energy to organize myself for reading and revising. It is printed out waiting for me to put it into my three ring binder, but the idea of picking it up is not appealing. I liked the story very much -- was even moved to tears several times in writing it -- but this phase is hardly my favorite. After I make the revisions, I need to get it to an editor to do what editors do. But right now, I need to get started. Maybe after I take a nap!

There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.

~~ Ernest Hemingway

Writing

Writing, writing, writing -- sleep -- eat. Writing, writing, writing. Almostattheend. Then revise, revise, revise ...

Writing: Chapter 4

From 800 AD to 1400 AD, a Global Warming period struck the Northern Hemisphere. During this time, the Vikings discovered and settled "Greenland", naming it Green because it was warm enough then to be green and to grow agricultural crops. Today, of course, Greenland is mostly ice-covered and its name a contemporary misnomer.

In my third book, the Native Americans present around the year 1000 are living through this warming cycle and are, in fact, having to deal with the results Mr. Gore alludes to as "man-made." (No, I am not making a political statement.)

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This is the reportage on a scene from Chapter 4 which is setting up a later physical conflict over food -- one tribe against thieves who want their food reserves.

The heat and the lack of rain, has been very hard on the Tribe because the food has not been as plentiful. The plantings have produced pitiful results, even with planting fish skins and water from the springs.

The dry and the heat have increased the amount of insects and have made them more vicious towards humans and more ravenous towards vegetables. New insects seemed to have emerged from the cracked soil while the hoppers prosper and multiply, bringing large white birds who take our fish before we can.

From the cave, I could see the winds whip around in circles, causing dust to rise and be blown away from our fields. Even I as one person, could notice that the coyote were becoming more plentiful and were beginning to hunt young deer in packs, causing the deer to be less plentiful and those who were there were more cautious.

I could also see from the cave the shallow depths of the two rivers. Their banks were never full and many times in the Great Heat, their waters would be reduced to small flows in their main channels. The fish would be jammed together in the small space and the otters, fox and hawks would take more than they should, causing the fish to be fewer and fewer.

All of this was worrisome and there seemed to be nothing that we could do. Some of our villagers had left us, to wander the river banks in search of a better place. Most of us who remained behind, thought it best to stay together as a group, but taking up the wandering life did have its appeal, as our ancients had practiced it many years earlier.

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

~~ Dr. Seuss

Writing: Chapter 4

Consumed with writing, I have finished Chapter 3, a transitional chapter, and now turn to Chapter 4, a critical chapter. It opens with our main character, Young Heron, curious about the activity in his estranged village that he is witnessing from above:

Word had quickly spread through my Village of some important event; the people were running from hut to hut, meeting in the Plaza. Even from my high lookout, I could tell that they were excited.

I left my cave and climbed to the Sentinel’s camp on top, but he was not there—probably hunting, I thought. From my vantage point, I saw my son of twenty seasons, Heron, climbing the hill without regard of being spotted. He must be coming to tell me of the event, but he should be more careful. Heron arrived, just as the Sentinel emerged from the trees on the ridge, carrying a gourd that was sloshing water. Neither of them seemed concerned about the other’s presence; it was confusing to me.

“Father,” Heron said excitedly, “the old Chief of Chiefs has died. Grandfather says you are free!”

The sense of what Heron said did not immediately set in. The Sentinel arrived. I turned to him. “Is it true that the Chief in Chi’cotha has died?” I asked him.

“Yes,” the Sentinel replied flatly. “The Council has named White Eagle from Nurk as the new Chief.”

They could have named Father, but for my mistake twenty seasons earlier. The Sentinel seemed to be making preparations to leave, but it was not time for a new Sentinel – not till the next moon. What did this mean?

Ink and paper are sometimes passionate lovers, oftentimes brother and sister, and occasionally mortal enemies.

~~Terri Guillemets, Anthologist

A 5% Pay Cut for Congress

Meet Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Arizona. She represents the First Congressional District of Arizona, an area that, if it were a state, would be the 25th largest state

Her website indicates that she was "born and raised in Greater Arizona. Representative Ann Kirkpatrick’s first words were in Apache, and she has spent her whole life serving her home state - as a mom, as a prosecutor, a teacher, a small business owner, a community leader, a state legislator and now as a Member of Congress."

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She is a first term Congresswoman, having been elected in 2008. She has proposed that members of Congress take a 5% pay cut, or about $8,000. Congress has not taken a pay cut since 1933, the height of the Great Depression. Twenty other members of Congress have signed on to support her bill, despite the fact that Congress is considering a pay raise for themselves.

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I spend a lot of time in this column railing against the offenses of Congress, but here is an idea from them that I support. If you do also, then I suggest you call your Representative and ask them to get behind Rep. Kirkpatrick's idea.

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Currently, Rep. Kirkpatrick already gives 5% of her salary back to help pay off the National Debt.

"It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself." ~~ Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady, 1933-1945

The Consent of the Governed

A January, 2010, Rasmussen poll of US citizens found that 45 % of us believe that randomly selected citizens from the phone book could do a better job of legislation than the current bunch in Congress. One wonders what the percentage would be today, given the accusations or revelations of Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY).

Our Declaration of Independence says that the National Government "derives their just powers from the consent of the governed." (That's you and me, Dear Reader.)

A new Rasmussen poll shows that just 21% of American citizens believe that our current government has that public consent.

How do you feel? Do you give your consent to this group? Are they representing your will the majority of the time?

Rasmussen then went on to survey the Politicians about their estimate of ratings on having the public consent.

61% of the political class believe that they have the consent of the governed! A big disconnect between their estimate of consent and the public's actual consent, would you agree?

Why the disparity? Well, if most of your waking moments are spent talking to those in the bubble around our nation's Capital, you develop that attitude, while on the other side of the Potomac River, the nation is simmering in discontent with the amateurish antics of the political class, their out-of-touch legislative agenda, and the disrespect they have for the American Public.

Vote them out -- all of them.

"Politicians are like diapers; they need to be changed often and for the same reason." ~~ Mark Twain

Writing: Chapter Three

So far, my discipline for writing has held. I am sure that the cold weather has something to do with it as the distractions are limited to things inside the house. Chapter three is now 12 pages (about 18 book pages) and 5000 words.

In this chapter, our hero is 28 years old, and despite being banished from his village for an indiscretion with an older woman, he and his "one," (wife) Lone Bird, have managed to create another child, a three year old daughter, Little Fawn, whom he has not seen since she was an infant.

The scene below takes place in the woods, near a spring -- a familiar meeting place. Although he does not know who might be coming to meet him today, our hero, Young Heron, has arrived early, eagerly awaiting whomever might appear:

From my hiding place in the woods above the rocks where the springs flowed, I waited. Then I heard the sounds of a little girl crying and I knew Lone Bird and my daughter were coming. But the first person I saw, was my son, Third Heron, who came cautiously creeping into the opening around the small pool of the spring’s waters, as if to see if any animals were drinking there.

Then running into the opening came Little Fawn, cuter than I could have imagined. I had not seen her since she was a baby, but now she could walk and run and was beginning to talk to her brother, when her mother, my One appeared, trotting after Little Fawn. My breath was taken away by seeing all three of them there. And, following Lone Bird was Mother. What a gathering this would be!

I whistled the call of the redbird—“purdy, purdy, purdy, wheet,” to let them know that I was nearby. Third Heron looked back at his mother, and she nodded ‘yes’ to him. My son then answered my call with his whistle—“piddy, piddy, piddy, wheet.”

I was thrilled; tears of joy and pride welled in my eyes, as I bounded out of my hiding place and ran down the hill. Little Fawn was frightened by me and hid behind her grandmother. Third Heron ran to me and hugged me strongly. He was ten years old and getting big.

“Aiyee,” I shouted happily. Mother returned, “Aiyee, my son.” Little Fawn stepped halfway out from behind her grandmother and stood with her fingers touching her lips.

Lone Bird looked back at Little Fawn smiling and said in an encouraging tone, “Aiyee,” with her voice rising at the end. She and Little Fawn had practiced this greeting for me, but Little Fawn was unsure. “Come on my Fawn, you can say it, with me. “Aiyee, Father.”

And shortly, alone by herself, Little Fawn ventured softly, saying “Awee, Faver.” It was precious. “Aiyee, my pretty daughter,” I said gently, and she smiled and turned her head in embarrassment.

"A grownup is a child with layers on."

~~ Woody Harrelson, American Actor, b. 1961

Reconciliation in the Senate?

"The misuse of the arcane process of reconciliation—a process intended for deficit reduction—to enact substantive policy changes is an undemocratic disservice to our people and to the Senate's institutional role." ~~ Sen. Robert Byrd, D-West Virginia.

Senator Byrd has written a four volume set on the rules and procedures of the Senate and is not just "an" expert, but is "the" expert on the use of Senate rules. When he states that the process of "Reconciliation" is only for deficit reduction, then the authority on the matter has spoken. End. 30-30.

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Yet the Obama Administration continues to push for Health Care reform, despite the fact that the American Public does not want it. The populace may want parts of it, but not the whole enchilada that consumed all of the 2009 legislative year. Why is President Obama persisting on making this controversial and destructive push again?

The Wall Street Journal has suggested a reason for the President's determination that seems plausible to me: "he's volunteering Democrats in Congress to march into the fixed bayonets so he can claim an LBJ-level legacy like the Great Society that will be nearly impossible to repeal."

Obama's legacy as President? Is this what this unpopular, unwanted exercise of power by the President is all about? Ego? All other reasons seem to pale next to this one. And if so, is this a proper use, or attempted use, of the Presidential powers? The Wall Street Journal's article is entitled "Abuse of Power." A serious charge for a serious matter, n'est-ce pas?

"Whom the Gods would destroy, they first make mad with power."

Writing: Chapter Three

I am continuing to write daily, averaging about a page a day. Our now 28 year old hero has been sentenced to spend his lifetime in seclusion -- in a cave -- and Chapter Three is about what has taken place in the first ten years of his supposed isolation. He and his "One," Lone Bird, now have a three year old daughter, so I leave it to you, Dear Reader, to surmise how that might have happened in his decade of imposed loneliness.

When a man looks across a street, sees a pretty girl, and waves at her, that's not a rendezvous, that's a passing acquaintance. When he walks across the street and nibbles on her ear, that's a rendezvous!

~~ Wally Schirra, 1923-2007, US Astronaut and Navy Pilot with 267 Carrier landings