Finally, it’s “published” (Part Two)

August 31, 2005


For those who don’t remember, I wrote a short story that was submitted to a publisher looking for “the worst hotel stay ever.” It’s been about four months, so I’m going to go ahead and assume it wasn’t picked.

With that in mind, though, I thought I’d better let someone see it. So, without further adieu, I present “Hotel Radnor,” a story of a less than appealing hotel in London.

The story is here: “Hotel Radnor”
(click on the link, and if it asks you to save or open, just save it as a Word file)

Also, while it’s big in the news, go ahead and check out my honeymoon recap — “Orleans.” It’s really long, so brace yourself. It’s better to print and read in sections, and you might as well read it before the floods have washed away what’s left of a great city.

“Orleans” (click on the link, and if it asks you to save or open, just save it as a Word file)

Remember, I love feedback, and I love praise. I especially like praise.

Tags: Writing, Travel |

3 Comments

When the levee breaks

August 30, 2005


“New Orleans citizens did not remark the heat, or if they did they relished it. They were habituated to that moist and breathless atmosphere, they thrived on it, they paced their lives in accordance with it”
– Saratoga Trunk
Edna Ferber

The water is rising in New Orleans, in the French Quarter where I fell in love with the city’s debauchery and free spirit, and it’s not subsiding. From where I stand, back on dry land in South Dakota, it’s hard to tell whether it ever will, and it’s even more difficult to think of New Orleans as a city – a thriving, bustling, living city — again.

The levees have been breached, and now there is nothing stopping the water from rushing in. Even more frightening, however, is the fact that there’s little (to no) chance that the water will be able to be spit back out before irreparable damage has taken hold. New Orleans was bracing itself for this disaster for years. I was hoping it wouldn’t come in my lifetime.

This might sound bleak, but from what I’ve seen so far, bleak is putting it lightly. Thankfully the death toll is much lower than it could have been. Still, it’s unfortunate there was a death toll to begin with. An estimated 2.5 billion dollars in repairs along the coast isn’t anything to scoff at, but the loss of tourism, history and the city’s livelihood might be even more costly in the long run.

Eighty percent of the city is underwater, and the water is still rising. We could very well be witnessing the death of a city – a major metropolitan city with it’s own sports teams and suburbs – in our lifetime. We are watching the destruction of a once-indestructible legend, a city that created it’s own niche in a widely varied country. It’s a city that could not be duplicated, regardless of the tools used.

We are watching a great city, one of the greatest I’ve ever stepped foot in, drown while Mother Nature takes back the land that had once belonged to the gulf.

It’s drowning, and we may not be able to pull it out before it’s too late.

AP PHOTO -- The levees have broken, and the water's on its way in.

Tags: Politics |

2 Comments

Louisiana flooding

August 29, 2005


AP PHOTO -- New Orleans under attack

Imagine living eight feet below sea-level in a brick home that is hundreds of years old. There is nothing protecting you from a sudden influx of dirty water but a natural levee that is barely withstanding the force of 125 mile per hour winds. Imagine being asked – no, told – to evacuate the home you have lived in your entire life, a home with more varied history than the centuries old buildings in Boston. Imagine refusing to leave; imagine not having the proper means to evacuate; imagine wanting to stay low, to live out the storm in the only city you’ve ever loved.

Since I have gotten up this morning, my senses have been smashed into reality with pictures and accounts of Hurricane Katrina, the storm that is, as we speak, carving up New Orleans’ levee and flooding one of the greatest cities in the world. Actually, this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone – this type of thing has been predicted for decades. New Orleans, while being on the edge of modern culture as the “bad boy” major city, has been on the edge of flood-caused destruction since it was first settled.

New Orleans was the site of our honeymoon, and in doing voluntary research to write the account of that honeymoon I developed quite an affinity for the city. I love its “I don’t care” attitude, and I love the sheer surprise of the city itself. It’s as if someone took every cultural nomad and threw them to Orleans, letting them settle the city however they wanted.

So, without question, it breaks my heart to see the pictures and film of the near-destruction of the city. Ten thousand people are sitting in the Superdome, a nearly indestructible building that still sustained some roof damage that is causing rain to pour in on the displaced residents. The French Quarter looks like a war zone as rain beats down into the centuries old buildings and wind smashes through every window. The cemeteries, build above ground to help prevent the dead from rising out of the ground during flood weather, are the only thing that seems to be settled, the only thing that looks natural in this setting.

Here’s the worst part: It’s not getting better. New Orleans has recieved up to ten inches of rain in the past 10 hours. Parts of New Orleans are already under six feet of water. The pumps that help rid the city of excess water have failed. Every street in the French Quarter is flooded. The storm is projected to continue on for another six hours.

All I can say is that I hope beyond hope that New Orleans can weather this storm without too much loss of history. There’s nothing that would make me happier than to know that places like the Napoleon House and Molly’s at the Market, buildings that are as much a part of my own personal history as they are of the city’s, are safe and ready to start serving drinks again as soon as the storms subside.

New Orleans is too important a city to have to endure this. But it’s something that would have happened regardless. There’s nothing more “Orleanesque” than the idea of living on the edge of existence, of knowing that any storm could wipe anything away.

Still, I’m pretty sure that after this storm peters out and the streets are cleaned out, the residents of New Orleans will just continue on living on the edge, awaiting the next disaster, knowing that even though they’re just one more storm from destruction, that they wouldn’t have it any other way.

AP PHOTO -- Katrina in the French Quarter

“We are watching these building deteriorate and break down before our eyes…because the water is so deep, boats are floating up the street. There is extensive damage here. This is essentially right now like hell on earth.” — CNN’s Gary Tuchman

Tags: Politics |

2 Comments

JHC represent

August 26, 2005


In honor of my upcoming camping trip (with the legendary JHC crew) I bring you the following link:

A beer of exceptional quality. A legend of extraordinary stature. Grain Belt Premium beer. There is no other.

If you’re reading this on Friday night, anytime Saturday, or Sunday morning, I may be drunk.

Sorry Mom.

Also, when I return, I could have an important announcement about the next step in my writing career. Or I may not. I may just wait until later, when the time is right.

Feel free to speculate — I always enjoy the feedback.

Tags: Friends |

2 Comments

Guilty conscience

August 25, 2005


I’m not sure if this is something that all “prospective writers” face, but I sometimes feel guilty about the effort I put into pieces that others find to be good. What I mean is – how do I tell someone who likes something I write that I only spent roughly ten minutes throwing it together and that I hardly even thought about it?

Here’s a rough outline of my non-disciplined writing style: I think of an idea and I start typing. I continue to type nearly stream of consciousness type thoughts – stopping only to enter some haphazard punctuation and to spell check certain words. I then post it on this site. Sometimes I’ll read it after it’s been posted and realize I’ve made a mistake in grammar, or in spelling, and I’ll have to edit the post.

Why don’t I edit it before I post it? I’m not sure. I think part of it is that I don’t want it to be boring and horrible, and I fear that if I read it again before it’s posted I might end up having to change everything and start anew. This sounds psychotic, and it is. It’s horrible.

Instead, if you’re lucky, you might have the chance to see the unedited version of the post show up for less than ten minutes, after which time if you reload you’ll see whatever changes I needed to make.

I am wholly undisciplined in my writing, and I really feel that it’s to my disadvantage. Still, I often have people tell me that they like what I write – that they really enjoy what I do. Some even say I have “talent.” How can I tell them that, most of the time, I’m just throwing things together?

Listen, I don’t want this to sound like a pity party. I just don’t understand it. Ultimately, I feel guilty about this. I want to say, “It’s nothing special! I only spent fifteen minutes typing and 34 seconds revising it! Please don’t make me feel any more guilty about it!” It’s as if I feel I need to be some tortured artistic soul, that the things I write will only be good if I suffer in the process and finely craft a piece of writing that will withstand the strengths of time and all of that stuff. I’m not sure if it’s a case where I do not believe enough in myself, or if others believe too much in me.

Weirdly enough, I begin to feel discouraged by it. I feel that I’m not pushing myself to the limits, and therefore I’m not putting anything out that’s worth reading. I know that’s not true – you the reader make comments all the time that reaffirm my love for writing and my desire to do this for the rest of my life. But still, you’ll have to forgive me if I feel guilty about this. I’ve read enough to know that most of the image of the great writer is that they’ve suffered – they’ve thrown themselves to the literary wolves and sacrificed everything they had to write the perfect novel – and it’s because of this they’re greatly renowned.

I’ve got things I’d like to work on. I’d like to improve my vocabulary. I’d like to be able to write fiction convincingly.

Most of all, I’d like to stop feeling guilty about receiving praise.

Tags: Writing |

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