Danielmedley.com

Friday, September 29, 2006

Guerilla Poetics Project

Sometime ago, while sitting and sharing a wee dram of Scotch, Justin told me about an idea that he and some fellow poets had come up with. They call the idea the Guerilla Poetics Project and what a great idea it is. Their mission statement of returning poetry to the people by subversively putting it into their hands is executed in such an ingenious way that I strongly advise you (writers of all types and genres) to check it out. I’m making the heady prediction that this will be a grand success.

I will be making a permanent spot in my links shortly.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Dating My Wife

This weekend my wife and I went on our third date. We’ve known each other for six-plus years and have been married for five and this was date number three. Pathetic, huh?

By date I’m talking about where just the two of us go out together, no child, no friends, just the two of us enjoying each other’s company. In this case we took in the symphony and listened to a performance of Richard Strauss’ Don Juan and Burleske which was followed by Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3.

We had such a good time that we’ve decided to procure the services (babysitting the son) of my wife’s mother a few more times while she’s here and do it again. In fact I’m not against having the mother-in-law change her visit from a couple of months to as long as she wants. This dating thing is kind of fun.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Making Progress

I just finished a first draft of Little Whiskey and the Dancing Cave. Originally, I had it in mind to title it, Little Whiskey and the Cave of Life. Still not sure what the title will ultimately be.

About a week ago I had this idea pop into my head that I couldn’t begin to formulate. At least not verbally or in an outline form. In fact it didn’t take shape until after I started putting the words down. I still can’t explain it, but now that the first draft is down it does, amazingly, make sense.

The drums sounded faintly with an ancient, tribal rhythm, and a chorus of what sounded like thousands chanted distant accompaniment. Errol opened his eyes and saw shadows flitting across the light of the moon that filtered into the cave. He sat up and looked at the glyphs and they began to shift, move, and dance. Oh, how they danced.

It’s a short piece—for me—at only about 1500 words.

Each time I write something I seem to learn something and come up with new questions. I wonder how common it is to have a complete notion of a story in mind yet not be able to verbally formulate it or explain what it is about even after you write it. Although I can’t explain it, it does make since when I read it.

Monday, September 04, 2006

Michael Caine On Modern Film

And it’s not pretty.

FILMS made today pale against cinema classics of the past because they are so lacking in dialogue, character and plot ...

In today’s world, dialogue is anathema and plots that are not designed to quite literally beat you about the head and shoulders are few and far between.

The Oscar-winning star has lost count of the number of times he has seen films such as Casablanca, On the Waterfront and The Third Man, which he never tires of watching. Which is more, he said, than can be said for today’s “banal” films: “I can’t think of one I could see again,” he said.

Bottom line: He’s right.

Friday, September 01, 2006

Failed And Forgotten

Breakable You:

Mr. Morton knows too much to be taken in by the myth of the New York intellectual. His characters are often writers themselves, but they tend to be failed and forgotten — like Leonard Schiller, the aging novelist in “Starting Out in the Evening” — or helplessly exploitative, like Nora in “A Window Across the River,” who describes herself as an emotional cannibal.

Wildhorse

The last few months I’ve been working on a project called, Wildhorse. So far it’s turning into a collection of short stories which are vaguely connected by way of location, and different characters that are loosely connected to each other over a period of four generations.

The stories range anywhere from the 12,000 word range to about 2,000 words.

The first story, which is titled Walking With Rosa, is in a fourth draft and is near completion. You know how it is; you do a draft, let a couple of people read it, get good advice—thanks, Justin—and then you put it away. I’ve put this one away three times now. I will say that I’m comfortable enough to post some excerpts, though.

Other titles that are in various stages of completion are: Wildhorse(third draft), Blue Horizon(second draft), and Little Whiskey And The Cave Of Life(first draft).

Other than posting some excerpts here, I have no idea of what I’ll do with these stories. Right now, I’m concentrating on finishing the damn thing. 

This Blog and That Blog

In the few short days that I’ve had this web site up and running, I’ve already received a few comments and some e-mails. I’m impressed with the warmness of the people I’ve heard from in the writer’s blogosphere. It’s quite a far-cry from my other site—which I will not link to. Not that I’m trying to distance myself from it. Well, actually, I am trying to distance this blog from it. In fact, I’m thinking that this post will be the last reference to my other blog on this site, ever. 

This blog is here for completely different reasons than my other site. Is it work and play, play and work? I don’t know.

Anyway, that’s the way it is.