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The Myth of the Garret-Bound Writer

Posted by Tim at 21:20 on 2012/01/09
Jan 092012

Note: You can still weigh in on the “Writing for Snob’s” poll. Also, the “We Don’t Need No Editation,” “Publishment Fits The Crime,” and Writing the Wheels Off posts provide some context to this one.

I rarely give advice. However, when I hear what I think is good advice I occasionally pass it along. I wish I could remember where I heard,

“You can get rich as a writer, but you can’t make a living at it.”

Ditto for,

“It’s hard to make a living at something people are willing to do for free.”

I have been unable to locate the source of either one though. [And I may not be quoting them exactly as I heard them.] The former may have referred specifically to writing poetry and the latter might be from my foray into game design. In any case, I think they both describe problems faced by those of us who write. Actually, that’s not quite right. The problems are not obstacles to writing; they are obstacles to getting published or earning money from writing.

Let’s face it, it’s virtually impossible to stop a writer from writing. But when most people talk about being a writer what they really mean is being published. There are a fair number of us who simply must write even if we never earn a penny from it. Is it any wonder then that writing is a fiercely competitive field in which to earn a living? A precious few will be wildly successful, a significant percentage will bring in supplemental income, and the vast majority will toil away in obscurity, richer only in experience.

I think that obscurity is a valid choice. I don’t recall exactly when I started scribbling down the ideas in my head. I know it was completely disorganized — literally on scrap paper — and without any thought of publishing. I blame [and by "blame" I don't, of course, really mean anything disparaging] one of my high school English teachers for putting the notion of publishing in my head. I had brief and moderately successful dalliances with publishing on a small scale for a while and then reverted to keeping all my writing to myself. I spent many years writing in notebooks with no intention of ever sharing the words with anyone.

Remember how I said I rarely give advice? Well, here’s one of those rare instances.

If you want to write and be published, you should approach it like an entrepreneur.

[You're welcome.] You can’t expect to be successful if you ignore the business part of the publishing business. And you should recognize that, while publishing has some unique aspects, you are going to face pretty much the same challenges as any other entrepreneur.

You should have a business plan. You should clearly state your goals and identify strategies to achieve those goals. You should know what your market is and how to market your product. All of these are true whether you are self-publishing, indie-publishing, or pursuing a legacy publishing deal. Or if you were building widgets in your garage. And I know, like a lot of you, I’m not real keen on the marketing side. I don’t really want to be a “brand” and I’m not much more comfortable promoting my work than I am promoting myself. But every business has to divide its time and resources between trying to sell their widgets and actually making the widgets to sell.

Let me tell you what I think hinders more potential writing careers than anything else: the enduring myth that writers work alone. [You're welcome again.] Every writing project is a collaborative project. All that varies is the percentage of the work that you contribute. Well, that and the percentage of any profits you can expect to keep.

Sure, if your goal is to write page after page that no one else will ever read you can absolutely do that in isolation. Anything beyond that you can not do alone. If you want to sign with a legacy publisher, you become a part of their team. They will provide specific services and they will have specific expectations of what you must provide. [And it goes well beyond sitting in a room by yourself churning out words.] They will keep the majority of any profits that are realized. If that’s what you want, go after it knowing what you need to do and more importantly knowing what it is they do. School yourself on the process.

I think self-publishing is a much more exciting prospect and it has never been easier. [By easier I don't mean you won't have to put in a shipload of work, but the potential has never been greater and the resources have never been more plentiful.] Hire your own editor. [I like to edit. Hire me!] Hire your own cover designer. Hire your own video producer to make a trailer. Gather all the resources you need to make your book the best it can be. Enlist the help of your writing community — you are part of a community, aren’t you? I’m telling you, writers do not work alone. [OR: I'm telling you writers, do not work alone.] In fact, I think that should be my final bit of advice:

Writers, do not work alone.

What's that Lassie? Timmy fell down the well?

Posted by Tim at 17:52 on 2011/12/13
Dec 132011

I’ve read two flash pieces in the last week with the same opening line:

Tim is dead.

If this is the universe trying to tell me something, picture me with my hands over my ears going “IIIIiiiii caaaaannnnnn’t heeeeaaarrrrrr yoooouuuuuu La la la la la la la la la …..”

On a brighter note, the inimitable Michael A. Tate chose my Chances Are for his Best #FridayFlash of the Month for November award. I rose from the dead to give an interview which is up today. Click on over and let me give you a piece of my mind [before it's all gone].

Oh, if you want to read those other ominous bits, they are here and here.

Writing the Wheels Off

Posted by Tim at 18:58 on 2011/11/07
Nov 072011

Note: You can still weigh in on the “Writing for Snob’s” poll. Also, the “We Don’t Need No Editation” and “Publishment Fits The Crime” posts provide some context to this one.

I really am working on what I think is a cogent and coherent post on self-publishing. But my brain, oh it went off on another of its silly tangents. [Granted, while I may need to let my brain ramble, I don't have to post it. And yet, sometimes I do.] So this is another pointless and useless analogy about writing. Unless you find something useful — or, perhaps, entertaining — in which case I totally meant it that way.

Does what you read take you places? I think so. I hope so. I’ve been thinking recently about what kinds of vehicles represent what I like to read and, of course, what kinds of vehicles I write. How efficient are they? How comfortable are they? How user-friendly are they? As a writer, are you designer, manufacturer, and mechanic? How about used car salesman? As a reader, where do you want to go and how do you want to get there?

A jet plane is really fast, but it’s a poor choice if you’re just trying to get around the block. It might be a good choice though for getting a bird’s-eye-view [assuming the bird is flying at about 500mph]. And there are some books I have really enjoyed zipping through at near Mach 1. I suppose non-fiction tends to be like a train — going from A to B pretty directly with room enough for the masses and little opportunity for detours or side-trips.

Poetry, I think, is at once a comfortable pair of shoes [a pleasure in the pathless woods] and a spaceship [we are stardust]. Children’s lit is a little red wagon. Most of the work is done by a teacher, parent, or older sibling pulling the nascent reader through the story. We hope, of course, that the child will in time be the one pulling another sibling or friend and ultimately their own children.

Some stories are bicycles — they can take you almost anywhere [commuter, BMX, mountain, racing, even penny-farthing], but not without a lot of effort on your part. And make sure you wear a helmet. Some stories are the family sedan [or station wagon or mini-van], comfortabe, accessible, and great for getting around your neighborhood or taking an occasional long trip.

But I wonder whether some writers know the difference between a Model T and a Formula One. Or between a car and a skateboard. Can your readers jump in/on and go? Do they need balance? Stamina? Fuel? Driver’s Ed.?

Ultimately, all writers write for an audience of one [ourelves]. Many of us hope that it resonates with a much wider audience, especially if we want to be published. Given that, we need to be mindful of what we offer to our readers and what we expect them to bring with them. And how many of us write such that our readers need to bring a dictionary with them?

Journalists are [supposed to be] aiming for a vocabulary and word-count that is comprehensible to a wide audience. I wonder how many novelists ever run a Flesch reading ease test or Gunning fog index [or anything similar] before publishing? Or if they even know what that is? Or if they would alter what they write based on the results?

What vehicles describe what you prefer to read? If you’re a writer, what vehicles do you think you write? Perhaps more importantly, would your readers agree? And how much time and effort do you spend on the nuts and bolts versus the leather and chrome?

Publishment Fits The Crime

Posted by Tim at 10:19 on 2011/10/25
Oct 252011

Note: You can still weigh in on the “Writing for Snob’s” poll. And the “We Don’t Need No Editation” post provides some context to this one.

Comparing the work and influence of individuals to groups is difficult and, one might argue, unfair. But, every analogy is imperfect. Rather than get bogged down in the strength or weakness of the analogy, stick with me and consider the larger trends.

Are indie-published authors the garage bands of the writing world? Garage bands played music partly for the dream of making the big time and partly for the love of the art. From a technical standpoint, garage bands were often less proficient in their musicianship and had lower quality instruments and recording equipment [although this gap narrowed with improved technology]. Their fans may have been just as dedicated, voracious, and vociferous [or more so] than those of mainstream bands and were very forgiving of those technical deficiencies. In fact, the raw unpolished qualities were often part of the allure.

Garage bands didn’t have a contract with a big recording/publishing company. Some aspired to and eventually did get recording contracts and some remained indies. Some signed with indie labels or even started their own labels, publishing their own work and sometimes the work of others as well. Other garage bands burned out and settled into “real jobs” leaving music behind.

Do you remember lying in bed
With your covers pulled up over your head?
Radio playin’ so no one can see
We need change, we need it fast
Before rock’s just part of the past
‘Cause lately it all sounds the same to me

From “Do You Remember Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio?” by The Ramones

If indie-published authors are like garage bands, are self-published authors the punk rockers of the writing world? Punk rockers thumbed their noses at the music establishment. They reduced rock music to its rawest form — they eschewed [but probably never would have used that word] everything about traditional technique and became the voice of rebellion. Often it was a defining characteristic that they could not play musical instruments or sing. Punk rock was a backlash from the style-over-substance trends of mainstream music. Punk rock was, among other things, penance for disco.

Of course, indie- and self-published authors may be very talented and technically proficient. They may employ beta readers, editors, cover artists, and book designers. The garage and punk movements shook up the world of popular music and the recording industry. They weren’t making gold records, but they arguably were making history. Indie- and self-published writers are shaking up the book publishing industry, although probably not [yet] to the extent of what happened in music. In hindsight though, most people agree that the music industry needed some shaking up and emerged stronger because of it.

Don’t be told what you want
Don’t be told what you need
There’s no future, no future,
No future for you

From “God Save the Queen” by The Sex Pistols

What might have happened though if inexpensive digital recording, MP3 players, MySpace and YouTube had existed before garage and punk bands? What if every kid with a song in his heart and a guitar [or drum or accordion or kazoo] in hand had access to a world-wide market right alongside big-time professional bands? There sure would be a lot of noise, wouldn’t there?

Isn’t there? Now that anyone can digitally record songs relatively inexpensively and offer them [for free or for sale] on line, there sure is a lot of crap diluting [or polluting] the stream of media. How can we possibly find good music if the artist hasn’t been vetted and signed by a major record label? Except, of course, we can and do. And at the risk of sounding like a middle-aged curmudgeonly white guy from the suburbs [which of course, hi... hello... have we met?], I don’t even like most of the stuff being promoted by major record labels.

Which brings us to rap and hip-hop. I would argue that rappers are not musicians [yeah, middle-aged white guy from the suburbs, remember?], but there is no denying that they have transformed the music publishing industry and dominate sales to certain demographics. Rappers routinely and purposely use non-standard English. Who are the rappers of the book publishing world or is such a thing even possible? Is there a new beat generation coming up? Has anyone written a hip-hop epic poem? Does anyone even write epic poems any more?

It might be a trick that you don’t like
Comin’ in the side door then I’m grabbin’ the mike
Walkin’ and talkin’ – fist full in the air
It might seem like that we don’t care

From “Yo! Bumrush The Show” by Public Enemy

Are you an indie- or self-published author? Do you see yourself as a rebel? Are the “rules” of legacy publishing outdated? Next week I’ll have some ideas about the mythos of garret-secluded writer.

We Don't Need No Editation

Posted by Tim at 07:56 on 2011/10/11
Oct 112011

Note: Have you weighed in yet on the “Writing for Snob’s” poll? You still can.

Let’s assume for the purposes of this post that writing — writing fiction in particular — is an art. Let’s also assume that I’m going to be playing devil’s advocate, asking impertinent questions, and making outrageous statements….

Is writing a solo art or a collaborative art? And by collaborative, I don’t necessarily mean two or more writers working together. What about collaboration between a writer and an editor? Is it necessary for a writer to have someone else edit their work before it is published? Do we expect artists in other disciplines to use editors? What about painters? Sculptors? Musicians? Ooh, is writing a performance art?

Editor to Michelangelo re:David — Shorten the hair, give him bigger biceps, and put a fig leaf “down there” so we don’t need a parental advisory.

The genesis of this post lies in three recurring themes I’ve been seeing a lot recently. 1. Surveys about the quality of what we read and how much we are bothered by errors in spelling and grammar. 2. Advice to aspiring authors on the necessity of editing [and other services such as cover art and page layout] especially when self-publishing. 3. Rants about the lack of proper spelling and grammar skills among the general public.

Every one of the surveys I’ve seen about the quality of writing has been posted by a writer, agent, editor, or publisher on sites where the responses come from other writers, agents, editors, or publishers. Not surprisingly, the vast majority of us think accurate spelling and grammar are very important. [Note: I did not actively seek out these surveys; they are on sites I was reading anyway because of my interest in writing. There may very well be similar surveys posted somewhere with replies from a broader cross section of the reading public.] Sometimes these surveys are coupled with a post wondering why some books — self- or indie-published books — that are filled with spelling and grammatical errors sell very well.

Let’s consider that in the light of #3 up there. If most people don’t know or don’t care about spelling and grammar in what they write [one person in a Google + discussion suggested, "Have you been on Facebook?" for evidence of poor language skills] then I have to conclude that they either don’t know enough or don’t care enough to be bothered by poor spelling or grammar in what they read. That would certainly take some of the mystery out of why those books sell well. Presumably those books have very compelling stories or some other quality that attracts the readers.

And if it is true that there are a large number of readers who don’t know or don’t care about proper spelling and grammar, then doesn’t that mean it’s okay to publish work without the services of an editor? If we want to sell books and there is a market for books that include poor spelling and grammar, why bother? By eliminating the editor, you decrease the time and cost of getting your book to market.

Editor to DaVinci re: Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo — The smile is ambiguous and the title is way too long. How about just “Lisa” for the title?

So let’s get back to the question of whether we expect artists in other disciplines to use editors. I think not. When I see a painting, for example, I believe I am seeing the expression of that artist at a particular point in time. I don’t expect someone to have been looking over their shoulder while they paint saying, “What the hell are you doing?” or “You missed a spot.”

We may see an artist’s technique evolve [improve?] over time if we compare several of their works. Some artists get so popular/famous [usually long after they are dead] that even preliminary sketches, studies, and unfinished works become valuable. Beginning painters require training and practice [and might indeed have someone looking over their shoulder], but they still might offer their work for sale while they are learning.

At some point though, we expect them to become “professional” or a “master painter” and produce high quality works without supervision. They might even become a “visionary” and veer far from the mainstream, producing work that critics, the public, even other artists do not understand or appreciate [until long after they are dead]. Still, we usually end up respecting them for following their vision and making those “mistakes” despite the lack of support. Perhaps especially if that meant their work did not sell well [until long after they are dead].

Writers though — even the biggest-selling, most talented, most experienced writers — we expect to consult with an editor before releasing their work to the public. Is writing more complex or more difficult than painting? Is there some fundamental difference between the art of writing and other forms of artistic expression?

Editor to Vermeer re:Girl with a Pearl Earring — Good start. I’d love to see this when it’s finished.

Let’s not forget that, while telling stories is a very old human activity, publishing books is a relatively new activity. And let’s not forget that publishing is a business and, despite all the claims of “gatekeeping” and maintaining high standards, like all businesses it is mostly concerned with making a profit. So, is requiring editing just another way for publishers to justify keeping a percentage of the profits [if a book even makes a profit]? Would an art gallery tell a painter, “We’d like to display your landscape, but first put more blue in the sky and a different shade of green in this foliage.”? Is every written work essentially a work for hire?

How do you think the art of writing compares to other forms of artistic expression? How much of writing should be aimed at creating great art and how much for simply entertaining the masses [and selling lots of books]? Are you a writer and if so do you consider yourself to be an artist? Feel free to tell me what you think in the comments. Next week I’ll compare book publishing to music publishing.

Blowhards

Posted by Tim at 14:26 on 2011/08/30
Aug 302011

My first blog post was on 1 September 2004. [Believe it or not, many people still do not consider that the most significant event of that year. Or even of that day....] Several of my early posts were related to hurricanes, 2004 being one of the most active and devastating Atlantic hurricane seasons on record including three hurricanes that passed pretty much directly over where I lived in central Florida. At the time of that post, we were still cleaning up from hurricane Charley and Frances had us in her sights.

I was relatively lucky as far as storm damage was concerned. I lost some branches from the trees in my yard and I was without electricity [for a week with Charley, a few days with Frances, and a few hours with Jeanne.] Some of my friends and colleagues had significant damage to their homes that took months to repair. Coastal and Caribbean areas were hit even harder and thousands of people lost their lives. By comparison, having the school calendar messed up and sweating through several days of heat and humidity with no electricity was a cakewalk.

In two and a half decades of living in central Florida, only two other years really stand out in my memory as far as hurricanes are concerned. The first is 1992. I was in a brand new high school that year. The way I remember it, the first day of classes was cancelled district-wide. The weather that day was glorious. We started a day late amid torrential rains. The reason? Hurricane Andrew. At the time district officials had to decide whether to delay the start of the school year, it looked like Andrew could pass right over us. We dodged a bullet, but south Florida was hit hard. Andrew was the costliest hurricane in U.S. history. We were inconvenienced. And we knew we were lucky.

The other year that stands out is 2005. Two major hurricanes hit Florida that year, but that’s not really what I remember most. It was the most active season on record with storms continuing into January of 2006 and it included Wilma, the most intense hurricane on record, and Katrina, which replaced Andrew as the costliest. Katrina was the real game-changer. With Katrina, hurricanes became political or, depending on your point-of-view, more political than ever.

I have always been dismayed at news agencies that send reporters into evacuated areas to stand amid wind and rain to tell us how windy and rainy it is and how no one should be out there. And I am doubly dismayed when they interview people who have ignored evacuation orders, especially when they declare they were “right” rather than just lucky. I didn’t understand how people could complain last year that the anniversary of Katrina was in the news even though the damage is still being repaired. And I was completely mystified this weekend when I saw people claiming that the threat of Irene was exaggerated even while the storm was knocking out electricity to millions of people, destroying property, and taking lives. I happen to think the preparations, the evacuations, shutting down airports and subways, etc. was completely rational and proportional to the potential that Irene represented. It could have been much worse. And I dare anyone to tell the people who lost their homes and business or especially the families of the 40+ people who lost their lives that it wasn’t that bad….

This blog is my playground.

I make mistakes here. That’s part of the fun.

I am inconsistent in my schedule. I am inconsistent in the quality and content of my posts. I know that these things reduce traffic to my site.

I will not claim that your visits and comments do not matter to me. If they really didn’t matter, I would still be scribbling exclusively in journals, on scraps of paper, and on the occasional cocktail napkin or slightly used paper bag.

I actually like your visits and comments quite a lot. In fact, I would go so far as to say I love comments. But I will not be a comment whore. [I'm cheap, but I'm not easy.]

I like looking at site stats and seeing visitors from around the globe. That is one of the coolest things ever. I want to travel all over and see where you live. Not in a stalkerish way. I mean, I’m not going to show up at your house one day. [But, just so I know, if I hypothetically were to show up, could I stay the night on your couch?]

Also, I like seeing that some of my posts rank high in certain searches. Actually, this post started out as one of those posts about some of the crazy search terms that have brought people here. And the few posts that have consistently brought in traffic because of certain words and/or pop-culture references. But those pretty much always bring in one-time visitors. Besides, my life has drifted too far outside the pop-culture mainstream for me to be one of those bloggers all the time. Even if I wanted to. Which I don’t.

Oh, and this blog got a visit last week from a U.S. Government agency. But unless I can find out whether they’re checking on me or it was just someone screwing around during a coffee break, probably the less said about that the better. In fact, let’s just forget that I mentioned it.

So, um, for now I plan to keep posting flash fiction of questionable taste, poetry of questionable quality, and personal experiences of questionable relevance. Any questions?

If you’re wondering about the title of this post:

3SP: Dog Days

Posted by Tim at 04:10 on 2011/08/16
Aug 162011

I’m seeking inspiration in the dog days of summer, and I’m cheating a little bit. This 3-song playlist isn’t songs, but it is three opportunities to laugh. And can’t we all use more laughter?

I first saw this video a few years ago. I always knew dogs were smart!

I first saw this video a couple months ago. It still cracks me up every time I watch it.

And what do we want to do most on those lazy, hazy days of summer? Sleep!

The Lovely Hat

Posted by Tim at 00:06 on 2011/08/09
Aug 092011

Spoiler alert: In this post I discuss specific details of the book The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. If you haven’t read it or if violence and gore bother you, I suggest you read one of my humor posts instead.

The hat ruined this book for me. Well, the hat and the elbow and the hole. But mostly the hat. And, yes, I know how silly that sounds.

Let me preface this by repeating something I’ve said many times. I am not normal. Some of you will point out that my problems with this book are incredibly picky and miss the point of the story. I will not dispute that. But here’s the thing, my suspension of disbelief faltered and I don’t think it needed to. Because I willingly accepted that the story was being told by a dead girl. I found the description of her heaven unique and sometimes even charming. And while I think some of the paranormal aspects stretched beyond credibility for dramatic effect, none of them ruined the story for me.

But the hat… actually, I’ll come back to that. Let me talk about the elbow. First, I’ll admit I have little experience with butchering beyond what one normally finds in a kitchen or on a dinner plate. But cutting through bone using just a knife is exceedingly difficult. Even separating bones at the joints, the most practical method, can be a challenge. How then does one wind up with an elbow? And why? Why not a hand or a foot? Why not a radius or ulna? And perhaps less important but just as puzzling to me, how do an elbow and a corn husk — and nothing else — fall together out of a cloth bag half-way between the murder site and the killer’s house?

Then there’s the scene of the crime. We have to believe first of all that a man working alone can dig a hole “the size of a small room, the mudroom in our house, say, where we kept our boots and slickers and where Mom had managed to fit a washer and dryer, one on top of the other.” He digs this hole in an open cornfield in the wintertime. It has a chimney and a wooden cover over the entrance. Yet no one sees him constructing it and it is so well hidden that Susie is practically on top of it and doesn’t see it. And then, “In the hours after I was murdered… Mr. Harvey had collapsed the hole in the corn field….” But did that leave a depression where it had collapsed? Apparently not because when the police began searching the cornfield they didn’t find a big hole, they found “there was an obvious area where the earth had been freshly manipulated.” And “In places, the lab later found, there was a dense concentration of my blood mixed with the dirt….” Her blood would have been on the floor of the room and that would have been about six feet deep. This just doesn’t present a realistic scenario to me.

My first inkling though that my suspension of disbelief was inadequate for this book came in this sentence: “He reached into the pocket of my parka and balled up the hat my mother had made me, smashing it into my mouth.” Here’s why that bothered me so much. How did he know the hat was there? Susie had complained of her ears freezing a few pages earlier and explained that she “wouldn’t wear the multicolored cap with the pompom and jingle bells that my mother made me one Christmas. I had shoved it in the pocket of my parka instead.” Perhaps more incredible, he is attacking this girl, holding her down on the ground, and when “he grew tired of hearing me plead” he doesn’t just grab the closest thing at hand. He doesn’t, for example, use the sleeve or the hood of the parka to gag her. Nope. He reaches into the pocket and pulls out a hat she hadn’t even been wearing.

I’ll be honest. As much as that bothered me I figured that the author really wanted the scene where the police return the hat to the parents. The hat was an important symbol. I don’t think it was ever revealed how the hat was separated from the rest of the remains or where it was found. I was continuing at a fair clip when the hat came back to haunt me. Susie recalls a day that was two weeks before she was killed. She was late to school and entered near the stage. And then, “I paused near some scaffolding and put down my book bag to brush my hair. I’d taken to leaving the house in the jingle bell cap and then switching, as soon as I gained cover behind the O’Dwyers’ house, to an old black watch cap of my father’s.” Wait a minute. If she had another cap, where was it on the day she was killed? Why were her ears freezing so much that she tells us about the cap in her pocket?

There’s a quote from Tom Clancy that echoes sentiments going back to Mark Twain, Lord Byron and others. “The difference between reality and fiction? Fiction has to make sense.” The hat, or I should say hats, don’t make sense to me. Neither does the way the body was dismembered. Neither does the underground bunker. Neither do a handful of other, less important details. My failure to connect is not unique to this book; I’m the same with a lot of the fiction I read. Maybe I’m overly critical. I know some people love this book and there are parts that I liked quite a lot. I just don’t believe it.

On Loss

Posted by Tim at 22:30 on 2011/05/24
May 242011

I have lost a friend. But it doesn’t feel real. Saying it out loud [or writing it here] does not make it feel real. And yet it is.

I have lost a friend. But the literal part of my brain [which is often -- and particularly, for better or worse, in personal relationships-- the dominant part] complains about semantics. It’s not like I set him down somewhere and forgot to pick him up. He left this world suddenly and unexpectedly.

I have lost a friend. But I understand. As much as our friends and family are a part of us, their passing leaves an empty space in us. That is our loss.

I have lost a friend. By coincidence it happened almost exactly a year after the loss of another friend. But it occurs to me that at my age, pretty much everything happens within a few days of the anniversary of some significant event.

I have lost a friend. And as much as I love all my online friends [and I really do] blogging and emailing and tweeting and such seemed far less important than my 3D world the last couple weeks.

I have lost a friend. And I hate when that happens.

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