Give Me Some Leg Room and Stay Out of My Space

A recent article in USA Today reported on a minor altercation between two passengers on an American Eagle flight over an issue of personal space in the economy section. 

One passenger took offense with a woman seated in front of him reclining her seat. He was so upset that he began punching the back of the seat -- nine times! Watch it here. 

While I understand the man's anger, whacking the seat with fists isn't going to solve the problem. As long as seats can recline, some people are going to use them. Even Delta CEO Ed Bastian believes the woman should have asked before reclining her seat. 

This is NOT an airline seat

I don't recline anymore, even on trans-Atlantic flights when I'm overcome by fatigue. The reason I don't is that I've experienced passengers doing it to me on several occasions. I've had food or drinks on my tray nearly knocked over on me by persistent pushbacks. One time on an Air France flight, the person kept bouncing back and forth before it finally dawned on him that he wasn't sitting in a recliner. 

There's barely enough legroom, and compound that with someone pushing their seat back, if only a few inches, it's almost like they're sitting in your lap. I'm not a tall person, but I can imagine what it must be like for a big person to encounter a seat less than two feet from their nose. 

The only solution is for the airlines to lock the seats in place so folks can't move their seats back. Smarter Travel offers five rules for those who insist or reclining. 

In the meantime, I wish passengers would show respect toward others in those cramped quarters. And that also includes kicking the back of someone's seat (perhaps in retaliation to the recliner), removing shoes and propping up smelly feet on armrests or back of seats, sharing armrests (especially for the person stuck in the middle), and general cleanliness. 

Do you have any gripes?

Until the next time . . .  

Story Songs for Valentine's Day

Since love is in the air this time of the year, I've got a few songs for Valentine's Day, or any day listening for the lovestruck.

It's been four years since I posted music for Valentine's Day. My first was in 2013. 

Here are my love offerings for 2020—five feel-good songs because love should make a person feel good:

The inimitable Sam Cooke released "Cupid," in 1961, a song he penned that reached No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The timeless tune has been covered by many artists through the years such as Johnny Nash (No. 39 in 1969), Tony Orlando and Dawn (No. 22 in 1976), and Amy Winehouse (2007). 

"Cupid draw back your bow

And let your arrow go

Straight to my lover's heart for me, for me"

In 1969, the Spiral Starecase recorded a No. 12 hit with "More Today Than Yesterday." It was written by Pat Upton, the group's lead singer and guitarist. Among the artists who covered the song are Sonny & Cher, Chicago, and Patti Austin. 

"I don't remember what day it was

I didn't notice what time it was

All I know is that I fell in love with you

And if all my dreams come true

I'll be spending time with you"

Another hit from 1969 was the mellow "Everyday with You Girl," a No. 19 song from the Classics IV and lead singer Dennis Yost. It was written by Buddy Buie, a prolific Southern songwriter who was inducted in both the Georgia (1984) and Alabama (1997) music hall of fame. 

"And when I go to sleep at night time

Tomorrow's what I'm praying for

'Cause everyday with you girl

Is sweeter than the day before"

The fourth song on this year's list is "How Deep Is Your Love," written and performed by the legendary Bee Gees—Barry, Robin, and Maurice. The timeless classic that topped the charts in December 1977. 

"I know your eyes in the morning sun

I feel you touch my hand in the pouring rain

And the moment that you wander far from me

I wanna feel you in my arms again"

The fifth song is John Berry's "Your Love Amazes Me," a No. 1 country hit in 1994. The soulful tune was written by Amanda Hunt-Taylor and Chuck Jones. 

"I've seen a sunset that would make you cry

And colors of the rainbow, reaching cross the sky

The moon in all it's phases

Your love amazes me"

I hope you enjoyed this love trip down memory lane. I'll try to remember to do it again next year. 

With love . . .

Five Rewrites and More to Go

It took a while but I finished the fifth rewrite on my work in progress. That's my main excuse for not posting here in more than a month.

I have other reasons but I'm not going to bore you with a list of things that distracted me. If you're a writer, I'm sure we share many rationalizations.

As a reminder, I'm working on the fourth book in the "John Ross Boomer Lit" series. 

First book in series

 What I did after completing the latest rewrite was to print it. I usually do this so it will provide a different view for me for editing. I find it easier to go over the manuscript when it's in my hands; perhaps the reason is that I come from a tradition as a newspaper editor/reporter (remember newspapers?). Anyone else print their manuscript?




Here are a few things that I'll be looking for as I peruse the pages with my red pen:

• The chronology is correct.
• Repeated words and phrases.
• Unnecessary dialogue and description.
• Names and places consistent.
• Expand narrative and dialogue when needed to explain circumstances.
• Anything else that catches my eyes (you'll be surprised by what you can discover).

Second book in series

I do hope the sixth rewrite won't take as long as the fifth.  I will admit that I printed the manuscript several days ago and giving it a rest before delving back into the 72k words. I can go back and rewrite with somewhat fresh eyes. I'll also admit that my eyes aren't what they used to be so the sixth rewrite may take as long as the fifth.   

Third book in series

Speaking of words, I do hope to cut out 10k or so. I've come to believe that most readers prefer shorter works (unless it's Stephen King, George R.R. Martin, Donna Tartt, etc.). Why? People don't have the time for long works because of other things tugging at them and because there are so many books out there now and so little time. Your thoughts?



Anyway, I do have a title for the book that I'll disclose at some other time. The novel should still be on course to be published this year. 

Until the next time . . .

Staying Focused in New Year

It's been a slow process but I finished the second rewrite of my work-in-progress. Whew!

As mentioned in a previous post, there were several distractions during the holidays. But since Christmas, I focused on the manuscript and reached the end.

Along the way, I added about 8,000 words; that's about 12,000 fewer of my guestimate of 20,000 going in. At this point, I have a little over 68k. 

For those new to this blog, the WIP is the fourth installment in my "John Ross Boomer Lit" series. John and Sally Ross have returned from Budapest and are having to deal with a new set of concerns at their Kentucky home.

Here's a simple quote from the great Stephen King about rewriting: "I cannot emphasize the importance of rewriting."

The second rewrite was a learning experience for me: 

• I learned that the manuscript was going off the rails and needed to get back on track (pardon the cliche).
• I took notes and will be slicing and dicing in the third rewrite to make it coherent and focused.
• Even at 68k words, the manuscript is still bloated. I'll trim the fat, tighten the dialogue, and perhaps expand some of the narrative to gain a clearer vision.

Each stage of writing a novel provides joy and despair. I find rewriting to be hard work where I have to deal with all aspects of writing, from grammar to storyline to ending—and everything else (dialogue, characters, scenes, descriptions, etc.). 

Where writing the first draft is kind of a mental free-for-all, the rewriting is getting into the trenches to reach the destination. It's down and dirty work, something I dread going in but relish once I dig into the words.

I still have the goal of completing the manuscript and sending it to my editor by the end of January. If I have any resolutions in this new year, that's the first one. The second is to be more focused on my writing in 2020 (pun intended). And a third is to see this manuscript published.

Until the next time . . .

Slow Progress on New Novel

I have to admit that progress on my latest novel has been painfully slow. 

This novel is the fourth book in the John Ross Boomer Lit series. It's been percolating in my computer for several months. 

I have excuses. Don't most, if not all, writers have excuses when they're dragging their feet on manuscripts and projects? 

Here are a few of mine:

• The holiday season that runs from Thanksgiving (Nov. 28) through New Year's Day. 
• The impeachment hearings that has dominated the news for more than a month. Regardless of which side of the political spectrum you lean, I think it's important as an American citizen to stay informed. I'm glad we have a holiday break from it all.
• Several days I had flu-like symptoms that kept me from working. I don't concentrate well when under the weather. 
• I've discovered that I can't stay focused on my work for more than several hours when I'm not under the weather. My eyes get tired from staring at the screen. That necessitates lying down and resting my eyes for an hour or so.
• I get mentally exhausted from reading and rewriting, much sooner than I did as a younger man. And that also necessitates lying down for a short nap for an hour or so.
• I get distracted by other activities going on in my life. I'm not the multi-tasker I used to be in my younger days.  

However, my goal is to complete this second rewrite by the end of the year (2019, that is). And I want to finish revisions and send the manuscript off to my Wings ePress editor by the end of January so it will be published in 2020. That's my plan and I intend to stick to it! 

When finished with that goal, I want to begin work on the fifth book in the John Ross Boomer Lit series. Only time will tell.

Until the next time . . . 

Bluegrass Writers Coalition: From Pen to Page

I'm a founding member of the Bluegrass Writers Coalition, formed about 18 months ago in Frankfort, Ky., to discuss everything related to reading and writing. 

We get together the second Thursday of each month at the local Panera Bread Co. and share our thoughts about poetry, fiction, nonfiction, promotion, marketing, or whatever anyone cares to discuss in the one-hour meeting (we set the alarm to ring one hour after our 5:30 p.m. start). We also have brief readings and share our work as we build the writing community.

We have about 20 members but usually around 12 to 15 show up for meetings since many of them work full-time jobs. Our ages range from the 20s to the 70s. We have newbies and published authors. No dues. No commitments. Just show up when you can.

It's an eclectic group of interesting men and women from  various backgrounds and vocations who simply enjoy writing and reading. And on top of that, we seem to like each other so you might say we're a social group as well. 

This past summer we decided to publish an anthology, with members submitting novel excerpts, short stories, poems, essays, and creative nonfiction works. The result was the 154-page "From Pen to Page: a selection of writings from  the Bluegrass Writers Coalition," published in late October. It's available in print and ebook (and just in time for Christmas gift-giving). 

The book is dedicated to Mark Kinnaird, a founding member who passed away unexpectedly last summer at age 59.  Besides an insightful poet, Mark was a staffer at the Paul Sawyer Public Library in Frankfort, involved in book clubs and the annual Gathering of Authors" event as well as other responsibilities. He loved the written word.

Our group has other plans such as book signings and public readings. Other activities may develop in the coming months.

Feel free to join us at our next meeting on Dec. 12 (or any meeting on the second Thursday of the month). We also have a Facebook page if you want to learn more about BWC.

Until the next time . . .  

More for Boomers -- OK Boomer

An interesting story I read this week compared the generation label "boomer" to the "N" word. 

According to news reports, Rochester, N.Y., radio host Bob Lonsberry tweeted that boomer was the "... n-word for ageism." Lonsberry is 60.

USA Today reported the phrase "'OK, boomer,' has been used on the video-sharing app TikTok by Generation Z and millennials (also known as Generation Y) to show their resentment toward baby boomers."

The Independent's story  noted that Lonsberry criticized the phrase because it was "typically used to jab older folks for espousing seemingly outdated views."

I've heard boomer all my life and never considered it a derogatory term. I'm a boomer and proud to wear the badge. I've seen and experienced a lot of things in my boomer life. And perhaps I'm too old to care. That's another thing that comes with growing older.


Lonsberry, who has since deleted the tweet, apparently faced an avalanche of criticism for making the word comparison, according to the USA Today story. 

From the "The Mo'Kelly Show" host: "Just because something is insulting, it doesn't make the N-word sporto. Nobody died connected with it. Nobody was enslaved or segregated in conjunction with it. Just stop."

Actor John Mulaney, quoted by a Twitter user, said, "If you're comparing the badness of two words and you won't even say one of them, that's the worse word."

I'm not going to castigate Mr. Lonsberry. Maybe he was feeling down since reaching the big six-oh. Since he deleted the tweet, my guess is that he probably wishes he had used a different word, such as old, elderly, or senior. And there are plenty of other words that have been used to describe my generation.

Yep, words do matter, so choose wisely. 

Your thoughts?

~*~

If you're looking for information on the Internet about boomers, check out the "Top 100 Baby Boomer Blogs & Websites to Follow in 2019."

The blogs and websites cover a wide array of topics such as health, finances, careers, relationships, travel, grandparenting, and more. You can also subscribe to those that pique your interest. 

Until the next time . . .