Important Roots

From the Speakers: ANA NG by They Might Be Giants
Just Read: THE PARSIFAL MOSAIC by Robert Ludlum--Everything you expect from a Ludlum book: exciting suspense, intrigue, and some badass secret agents!
Reading Now: SOVAY by Celia Rees

Spent the day with my brother's kids--it's good to go back to your strongest roots when you've been away for a long time. It's like coming ashore.

Hanging out with three kids on the last day of their summer didn't leave much time for writing. There's a lot going on in my head right now, story-wise. I have a much longer piece I'm working on regularly, and these ideas for short stories keep popping up before my eyes like weeds, but usually I ignore them to work on the longer piece. Before I knew it, though, my lawn got covered in dandelions. When I get to a good part--and when I KNOW what's going to happen next (an important caveat)--I'm going to break from the longer work and write them all and clear my head. The blank page is a lot like a Pensieve.

One thing about babysitting kids in your family: they can bring you back your writing roots, too. Tonight I read my niece one of my all time favorite books, ONE FISH TWO FISH RED FISH BLUE FISH. I swear Dr. Seuss was possessed of divine stuff. Stumbling through one rhyming, galloping, deceptively deep book of his (so much for adults in there), he somehow made me feel sad and mad and glad.

Why was I sad and mad and glad? I do not know.

Go ask your dad.

PS--http://www.raygunrevival.com/good-business-with-guns-devin-miller/