In today’s Journal
* Quotes of the Day
* Kenneth Flowers
* Yarmulkes and Tattoos
* Wrote an opening
* The Numbers
Kenneth Flowers
A couple of days ago I was talking a bit about titles. Apropos of nothing, I wanted to remember my friend since high school, Kenneth Flowers. Kenneth was easily the kindest person I’ve ever known and among the most intelligent. He was one of those folks whom I wish everyone could have known. We lost Kenneth to COPD a few of years ago.
Anyway, Kenneth came up with one of the best titles I’ve ever heard, though it’s a little long: “I Told My Friend I Was Struck by Lightning, and He Said ‘Of Course You Were’.”
By the way, Kenneth wrote a book about his struggles with COPD. See BREATHE: Living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. In Kenneth’s memory, the ebook edition is free.
Yarmulkes and Tattoos
Reversing The Passive Guy’s own technique for blogging on him, today I wanted also to share an excerpt from one of PG’s posts, primarily because it’s a beautiful bit of writing:
“PG remembers the nice guy who always wore a yarmulke in the shop where he took his dress shirts and dry-cleaning in Chicago a long time ago who also had blue numbers tattooed on his forearm that showed on warm days when he had his shirtsleeves rolled up.
“PG never commented on the numbers since he knew what they represented and thought the nice guy might not want to talk about the experience. The nice guy never made any attempt to hide the blue numbers and had certainly earned the right to show them or cover them a million times over without anyone questioning his choice.
“Some other guys who had fought in World War II or Korea also had tattoos that identified them with their experiences as well and some of them were detailed and colorful and said things like “Iwo” or “Chosin” but seeing those tattoos never effected PG as much as the tattoo that the nice guy in the yarmulke showed on warm days. That’s the one PG remembers vividly.”
I wrote an opening yesterday for he Journey Home: Part 7, but I didn’t like it so I pitched it. So I’m starting at zero again today. I might even set aside the FOH series for another novel and write something else.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
See “Smith’s Monthly #46 Out Tomorrow” at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/smiths-monthly-46-out-tomorrow/. He talks about writing a novel in 10 days.
See “Branding. It’s Not Just for Cows.” at https://killzoneblog.com/2021/02/branding-its-not-just-for-cows.html.
See “Update on Comments Issue” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/update-on-comments-issue/.
See “The Garden” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/the-garden/. PG’s take is the excerpt above.
The Numbers
The Journal…………………………………… 540 words
Writing of (novel)
Day 1…… XXXX words. Total words to date…… XXXXX
Total fiction words for February……… 61803
Total fiction words for the year………… 159170
Total nonfiction words for February… 12320
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 37650
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 196929
Calendar Year 2021 Novels to Date…………………… 3
Calendar Year 2021 Novellas to Date……………… X
Calendar Year 2021 Short Stories to Date… 1
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………………………………… 57
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)………………………………… 8
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………… 215
Short story collections……………………………………………… 31