Catching Idle Butterflies

Next up

I’ve discovered if editing and rewriting a particular sentence or paragraph over and over and it still doesn’t work, remove it. More often than not, the story or article improves without it.

I compare it to mixing a sauce, continually adding different spices because it simply isn’t the flavor I’m looking for, then it reaches a point it cannot be made to taste good. It’s time to toss it out and start over.

I’ve been looking at my blog the same way the past week or so. It’s not that I think it’s bad, but with only 55 more entries, I’m thinking about what my new one will look like, and what I want to do differently. I’m eager to make those changes now, not wait two months to implement them. Sure, I could do it now with this blog, but one of the changes prevents me from doing so.

For a long time I had it set for registered authors and above and a few days ago changed it to registered users and above. I limited my readers because I discuss my family, friends, co-workers, and specific publishers. Setting it to allow all readers may have caused me a bit of trouble, both professionally and personally. Change it now, and they may see those entries. I don’t want to take any chances.

My new blog I want to set to all readers, and that requires me to refrain from discussing certain people – except in a positive light. Friends and family have asked me how things are going, and I’ve had to repeat verbatim what I wrote in here. How convenient if they could read those entries for themselves. Then again, I could always change specific entries to registered users and above or higher if I can’t help but talk about people sometimes.

The other changes are more obvious such as the title and the look. I’m still hooked on “The Undiscovered Country”. I haven’t come up with any graphic yet, though, nor an introduction. Those will come when they come, I suppose.

I plan on not reining in my opinions like I have with this one. Even from the beginning of this book, I wrote a slew of entries I thought were too incendiary (another word I love) for public consumption. I gave into Chicken Fever and never added them. I need to start exercising more courage. I feel my latter entries have become watery and tasteless (maybe that’s another reason why comments here have dropped?). The times I have been courageous has never been a disappointment, even when people disagreed. Sure it was difficult when the discussions heated up, but looking back, always worth it in the end. I’ve been too shy of late to face confrontation. That has to end, because I feel God leading me in a direction where I will face more of it. How better to strengthen me and my ability to discuss, even argue, the things I’m passionate about than through the instantaneous feedback of a blog?

Hmm. Makes me wonder if I should title my new one “Brave New World” instead.

Hey, didn’t Shakespeare write something with the phrase “brave new world”? Gimme a sec. I’m gonna look it up . . .

I was right (Go memory! Woohoo!). According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brave_New_World the phrase came from Miranda's speech in Shakespeare's “The Tempest”, Act V, Scene I:

         "O wonder!
         How many goodly creatures are there here!
         How beautious mankind is!
         O brave new world,
         That has such people in't!"

Although, Huxley’s book didn’t portray the Brave New World as one we should look forward to. Perhaps naming my new book with that title isn’t such a good idea after all.

Kicks out chicken.

That doesn’t mean I will take the attitude of ‘I’m right and you’re wrong, so there’ because to me that’s as bad as staying silent when I should be speaking up (nor will that increase the number of readers – at least not long-term). I want to learn above all, and I will likely more often be wrong than right. I expect you to set me straight, because so many of you know oodles more than I do on almost every subject. That doesn’t mean I won’t argue with you, though, because there will be times when I know I’m right (well, I can dream anyway) and you’ll have to convince me otherwise.

I can think more about this some other time. I have other writing to do. Lots of it!

Work is getting busy also. That time of year again, so don't 'spect me around much.

Oh, and if I do decide to write an entry, it likely won't be as long as these last ones. I know you're busy as well, and shouldn't waste too much time sluffing through my verbosity (is that a word?).