I have but a few friends who read my blog. That's fine. Mostly, I write this all for myself so I've incorporated a variety of topics.... news, controversial, opinion, fun and nonsense, memories, travelogues, and so on. I'm fairly scatterbrained for the most part, so I also usually write whatever pops into my head.
I know people who have a preference for each type of writing.
If I have completed a travelogue about a place, and I think I might want to go back there, or someone asks me about it, I can simply refresh my memory by looking at an old blog. I can even print it off if they prefer. I try to add helpful travel hints.
When I have expressed an opinion, usually unpopular, I can go back and decide whether I still feel that way years later. Perhaps my perspective has changed. Usually it hasn't.
When I have a memory, it's nice to share that too.
Of late, I have been writing, although not always in this format. I have completed a number of projects including letters of complaint. For a variety of reasons, most of them airborne, I have been housebound and have kept busy indoors. My captivity has forced me to further downsize and clean things that I've always wanted to. For example, I've finally been working on the dreaded boxes of photos that I've been threatening to organize for years. As I do that, I can't help but think that we might be among the last generation of people to have actual physical photos. I find that sad.
I've been completing a chapter by chapter summary of a book and sharing thoughts about it with a friend who is reading the same grouping of short stories. It's called "60 Things to Do When You Turn Sixty." I don't recommend the book, although working through it with a friend has been rewarding.
Another one of my efforts has been some upholstered chairs. I have re-covered two of four of my dining room chairs. I think I might need a whole blog just for that topic. At the moment, I'm taking a break from the chairs, remembering why I gave up on an upholstery course many years ago. They will be completed but not necessarily before November. We will be having company during September and October, so I don't want deconstructed chair guts lying around.
Currently, I am editing a book...a challenge which I greatly enjoy. It's not an easy task. The most important thing is to retain the person's "voice". Resisting temptations to change words and structure to something that sounds like it's written by me and not by them is tough. If it's not part of the person's normal vocabulary, I can't use it. Similarly, if it's not an idiom they're familiar with, I can't add it.
I have read a few books for pleasure lately. I like a good mystery and have been fortunate to come across some that have been well constructed surprises. At the same time, I cannot tell you how often I've started on a novel, gotten through a chapter or two, and hoisted it unceremoniously across my bedroom in frustration. I've probably written that before. Are New York Times best selling authors all writing in the style of fifth grade girls? Perhaps fifth grade girls are the editors of some of those books.
So that's it. My current status. Tomorrow, I get a lung function test which I know will now go well. Depending on the results, I should be off to new adventures by next week. Will report back.
