More notes...

In re-reading my book ideas I ran across some notes that I can actually read.

One is from about eight years ago, to me it still sounds interesting. I may pick it up and work on it a little later. If anyone likes it please steal it and list me in the acknowledgments if it turns into a book.

Whenever I go to the library I mostly wander around and grab whatever catches my eye. Sometimes I find after several pages that the book seems a little familiar and later I realize that I’ve already read it.

In Hayward I was on friendly terms with one of the librarians and she showed me a little trick- after you read a book, on the inside back or front covers some readers put a little mark- initials or symbol that they will recognize that tells the reader ‘I’ve already read this one’. Never big enough to vandalize the book, just a small scribble. I thought this was a great idea and began the practice.

Over time, I noticed that many of the same books I read and enjoyed were also read by various other folks whose initials or symbols I began to recognize. I found myself looking in books and if I saw an initial I recognized, I would sort of use that as a book review. If they liked it, maybe I would too.

So here’s the plot. Granted it’s rough but I think it has potential- small town guy, avid reader, loves a good murder mystery. A series of murders (3, 4- ?) in his and surrounding towns begins to sound familiar and it occurs to him that the murders seem to be mimicking murders he’s read about in novels.

He goes to the library and starts at the A’s in the mystery section and finds a book he’s read. Very similar to the first crime. The B’s- another novel, mimics crime #2- this goes on through the first few letters of the alphabet and he notices the initials on the books include his and a few others on all the covers. The police have also followed this line of thought.

The letters in the alphabet may or may not work- instead maybe the books are a series from the same author being copied by the killer- I haven’t worked that out yet. So far this was just a few pieces of scratch paper I found in an old notebook.

But the idea of the main character being a suspect, and the only clues being these anonymous symbols, and him trying to find the killer before the cops- or possibly him bringing this idea to the cops- How about if it is a series of books being copied and he knows who the next victim is or how the next victim will be killed? The police thinking maybe he’s the killer, needing to telegraph his crime?

Tracking the check out records for the books would be too easy, and the killer could always read the books in the library instead of checking them out- many more details to figure out- maybe that’s why it’s still scratch paper.

Anyway, the thought of me and several other readers all enjoying the same books, the same authors- sort of like a book club where you never meet the other members struck me as an interesting concept.

I am They

I’ve been trying to get a hold of my old buddy Bob with no success- He’s a guy that I’ve known for over 30 years- we had the same 2nd grade teacher and became fast and longtime friends, but in recent years we’ve only seen each other a handful of times, traded voice and e-mails mostly.

But there was a time when we were insep- unsep- we were always together. We worked together, went into businesses together (both legal and otherwise) and generally got into a lot of trouble together.

I was telling a guy about the adventures of Bob and Pops recently and I remembered a night in Hayward, CA at a local watering hole, Casa Carlitas- a Mexican restaurant and bar we went in every once in a while- we were there so much they engraved our names on stools.

This was also a local haunt of a few reporters we knew from our local newspaper, one of which was the SF 49’s beat reporter. I think this was the 86 season- for a few years Bob and I would manage to get field passes to shoot local teams- niners, A’s, Warriors and we got to know the reporters pretty well.

The niners reporter was sitting with Bob and me at Carlitas and we were all getting pretty trashed- he was commenting on the fact that Joe Montana, the niners star quarterback-who had been knocked out of action in the first game or two of the season, went through back surgery, was told by doctors that his career could be over, and was now back on the field after only 2 months of rest.

Bob laughed and said “yeah, back surgery”.
”What’s that mean?” asked the reporter.

I picked up the ball and ran with it “he didn’t have surgery- didn’t you hear?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Man, he was in rehab- Joe’s got the same problem his cuz Tony has- you know, from Scarface? Joe’s a big time coke head- everyone knows that”.

I know- stupid move- complete lie- we were bad guys and worse drunks. But at the time we thought it was funny- we were just shooting the bull over a few dozen drinks.

Now, ordinarily this would have been laughed away and conversation would have switched over to the little waitress at the other end of the bar- but like I said, Bob and I had, well, been in “business” together and that’s all I’m really going to say about that. So this reporter figured we had an inside track.

Anyway, a few days later, I’m reading the local paper and I run across a story on the niners and there’s a quote in there, I don’t remember exactly how it went but it was something like “reports of substance abuse by Montana were categorically denied by the organization”.

Thinking about this instance got me wondering- some lame reporter believed, or at least thought about, what two idiot drunks said in a bar and attempted to base a story on it- even went as far as asking the team spokes person about something I said in an alcohol hazed moment.

You hear stuff all the time- “They say…” whatever- in this case “they say Montana’s got a dope problem”. Totally false. What about all the other stuff THEY say?

THEY say don’t go swimming after you eat. Why?

THEY say coffee’s bad for you.

THEY say coffee’s good for you.

THEY say wine is bad for you unless it’s on a day when THEY say it’s good for you.

Well, I was once upon a time THEY so here’s a whole new list that THEY- and when I say THEY I mean ME- have for your consideration:

• Red meat is good for you- and red meat will include any meat covered in ketchup or barbecue sauce.

• Anyone who spells ketchup catsup is to be ridiculed.

• One strawberry margarita is now considered a serving of fruit.

• Beer or “grain” alcohol will now be listed on the food pyramid next to bread.

• 14 hours of sleep will now be the recommended daily allowance.

• Charts that determine an individual’s ideal weight will no longer be determined by height- it will now be by shoe size. I wear a 13.

• Ugly Hawaiian print shirts with mustard stains on the front are now considered “chic”.

• That odd smell coming from under the back seat of my truck is now considered an aphrodisiac.

• Lounging on the couch watching the all day Law and Order marathon is considered preparing for a career in law enforcement.
  

Well, that’s what they say anyway.

A Novel Idea

I did it- I started a book. I’ve attempted this before, but kept losing my crayons.

Just kidding, couldn’t pass that up.

Seriously though,November is National Write a Novel Month. This is a program developed by a guy in Oakland, CA- near my old stomping grounds.

The purpose is to get people writing- about anything. To put what’s in your head down on paper.

I think this is a great idea. I feel that most everybody has a story in them. It could be a biography, humor, romance, or horror story.

The problem isn’t if the story’s there, but how to get it out of your head and onto the page.

That’s where the big problem is for most, and why I feel that this National Write a Novel Month is such a good idea.

Even if no one ever reads what you write, the process of developing an idea, character, or event into a story, transforming that story into a coherent piece and taking the time to put it to paper is a great exercise.

I started to write this blog thing as an exercise to help me be a better communicator- My friend Steve (Lunatic Fringe Report) and I would talk for hours about story ideas, books we’ve read, movies we’ve seen and would often say “we could have done better” or “if I wrote that I would have..” and many times our ideas were actually better.

I know what your thinking- everyone thinks they have a good sense of humor, everyone thinks that they can dance, their dog is the cutest, their children are the smartest, and everyone thinks they can write a novel.

Well, I know I can’t dance and I have no kids, but Chuck is the cutest dog ever and how will I ever know if I can write unless I try?

Two years ago if somebody told me that people would log onto my blog and actually read what I wrote, I would have laughed in their face.

But I have gotten comments and e-mails from people I’ve never met, who live all over the world, who actually read what I type- and I in turn, have read some really interesting stories, thoughts, and some hilarious rants from people in various parts of this and other counties-I’ve seen some amazing photography and heard some great music from people like me who are expressing themselves and stretching their creative wings.

So I started it. Will I finish it in a month? Probably not. Will it be any good? Who knows- but I won’t know unless I try.

Like I said, I’ve tried this before. I have several collections of short stories, a partial screen play, and a couple of would be novels on my hard drive.

I have tried several different approaches to writing.

The first consisted of getting the creative juices flowing- this was done by having many other juices, primarily bourbon, flowing first.

I’m pretty confident that if I were to find, then decipher my lost collection of bar napkins, I could give Hemingway a run for his money. I have no idea what they were, but remember some very profound words written on coasters as well.

Many long and fuzzy nights later, I realized that ideas came to me even when not accompanied by ice cubes, so I decided to carry a little tape recorder with me every where I went. That way, when these little pearls of creativity popped into my head, usually while stuck in traffic, I could simply turn on the recorder and let the words flow.

Unfortunately I would sometimes forget to turn it off- one tape I remember started out “it was 9 am when I walked into the bar, my eyes slowly adjusting to the smoke and darkness inside. There she was- alone in a corner booth, nursing what I’d bet wasn’t her first of the day. I approached her slowly and…..hey this is a cool song” followed by what I must admit was a terrific rendition of Livin’ La Vita Loca.

I do a mean Ricky Martin.

I would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night with a great idea or a phrase running through my head that I know would lead to a good story. But in the morning I had no memory of what it was- so I put a notebook on my night stand so I could write these ideas down, and type them up later. Sounds like a good idea right?

Well, here’s one of my notebook pages.


It was maybe an idea for a mystery involving an antique dealer who is murdered for what he finds in an old desk, and some how Soupy Sales and Groucho Marx were involved.

Or someone was killed over, or by, an old dish.

Or maybe someone was killed by soup made out of handle bars.

Whatever it was it was great- that much is clear by the 2 exclamation marks.

This time I’m trying a new approach. I will actually make time to sit at the computer and write.

I will attempt to write for at least 1 to 2 hours a day.

If it seems to be shaping up OK, I’ll think about posting a work in progress here. I’m still a little gun shy over that idea, we’ll see.

Regardless of how it turns out or what kind if any feedback I get, I know it will be a good exercise for me.

After reading some other blogs lately, I know there are some folks out there who should give this idea a shot.

So if your reading this and you have a story in you, get writing.

It’ll be good for you.