The Journal of Michael Merriam

careswen made a post here, and I just want to add it on my blog as well:

mmerriam and I have agreed that all we want for Christmas is (1) less anxiety and (2) more quality time with our friends.

The tradition of gift-giving at the holidays can be a lovely thing, but it also can be stressful. So in lieu of buying each other gifts, let's buy each other a nice dinner and share the gift of friendship for an evening.

We wanted to let folks know early enough (Black Friday Eve?), but what if you already have that perfect gift picked out? We don't want to spoil your thoughtful plans, so we'll love it even more as a birthday gift in a few months. Likewise, we have a few early-bird items we're saving for some of you. We know that some folks enjoy gift-shopping, so we sincerely hope that our wish doesn't offend or detract for anyone.

If you would like to celebrate the holidays with us, please email me about setting up a dinner date in the coming months. We are honored by your kind understanding, and we look forward to sharing together the holiday fun.
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I've started working on what conventions I'm going to next year. So far we have picked three: Con of the North, Minicon, and CONvergence.

I'm still thinking about going to 4th Street Fantasy, but haven't made up my mind yet. There were good things about the convention last year, but there were also things that angered, annoyed, and bothered me, more so than at any convention I've ever attended, so I'm on the fence about it.

I'm also thinking about picking up Diversicon, because it seems to me that a guy who is a disabled SF/F/H writer who sometimes writes about disable people and their issues really should go to a convention focused on diversity in SF/F/H.

I'm not going to World Fantasy Convention in 2009, but plan to attend the 2010 WFC in Columbus, OH.
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I'm still making progress on the Rija novel. I think if I get through this next section--which is dead in the middle of the novel--then I should be at a turning point and it should start going quicker. I'm starting to actually develop a plot, here at the halfway point, and Rija is starting to grow as a character. I'm enjoying writing it, but it is slow going.

Rija's Tale

The street sounds to the soldiers' tread,
     And out we troop to see:
A single redcoat turns his head,
     He turns and looks at me.

My man, from sky to sky's so far,
    We never crossed before;
Such leagues apart the world's ends are,
    We're like to meet no more;

What thoughts at heart have you and I
    We cannot stop to tell;
But dead or living, drunk or dry,
    Soldier, I wish you well.

-- A. E. Housman

For Christmas this year careswen gave me a session in Nancy Donoval's Storytelling Workshop. Yesterday was the day it happened.

Best Present Ever.

It was one of the fastest eight hours I've ever experienced, and I think learned more about the function of story and how to construct it in that eight hours than I ever learned from reading a book or being in a writing group. Seriously, I walked out of there with a much stronger grasp of plot and theme and tone and images and how they all connect to make a story, no matter what medium you use to tell it. Recommended.

It was bedside_trauma's birthday party Saturday night. Much Rock Band. was played, as was a round of Zombie Flux. A good time was had by all.

careswen and I worked more on Shimmers & Shadows today. I'm going to try and get a little work done on Last Car to Annwn Station before I fall on my nose and pass out.

Peace

I am very nearly finished with restructuring the main part (i.e. the Mae and Jill part) of the novel. One more scene to write and that part is done. Next I will need to work Fay's diary entries on the wall, rewriting them to match the new direction of the plot and add some more insight into the antagonists. Create a new dénouement, and it's all done. You'd think I'd be sick of this novel and these characters by now, but I'm not.

I will, however, be happy to finish this novel and move on the other projects.

We are still trying to come up with a title for the short story collection. I suspect careswen and I will brainstorm this over the weekend. I might try to get some input from the people who are providing blurbs, and the cover artist as well.

I took the Christmas tree down today. I like to put the tree up with a group of people to help. It's good to laugh and talk while we work on decorating and setting up, but when it comes to the take down, I prefer to do it myself. I find the act of taking the decorations down and disassembling the tree to be relaxing and meditative. Unfortunately it took all my energy to take the tree down, so I may not get around to unpacking the new cookware (it arrived last night) until tomorrow.

The Reverend Selena was given a Furminator for Christmas. Dudes, if you are owned by a cat, get one of these things. She loves to be groomed and we've pulled off at least four more cats worth of hair from her body since starting to using it. The Reverend is sleek and plush and not hacking hairballs.

careswen received The Burning Crusade expansion for World of Warcraft, and a gig of ram for her PC. I'm going to miss her.

Luckily I was gifted with some exceedingly cool books by people whose taste in books I trust, so I'll have something to do during those lonely nights while my wife is off killing orcs and trolls and such. (Actually, she doesn't play a whole lot. Once, maybe twice a week, so don't worry, I'm not going to be a video game widower!)

The ick is firmly entrenched in my lungs now. I'm hacking and coughing and wheezing. It is...unattractive. I need another zinc tab and some Dayquil.

We bought some mixed nuts in the shell for the holidays, mostly to see if careswen's squirrel nutcrackers actually worked (they do, but not very well). Today the real live squirrels are out and about, so I tossed some nuts out the door to see what they would make of them. You get a real sense of how sharp their little teeth are when you see one shred a brazil nut in seconds.

Okay. I'm worn out. I'm going to nap for a bit and then try and finish that last scene.

Peace,
Michael

I think the reason I have a hard time going into the New Year with a positive attitude is that I start every New Year:

1: Exhausted from the annual Christmas holidaze trip,
B: Sick from whatever disease I caught in Oklahoma, and
Thirdly: Stressed about the impending income tax season.

It would be nice if at least one of those would skip a year.

Bestest Christmas Present Evah: careswen registered me for a storytellers workshop.

I've hit a dead stop in the rewrite. I need a scene, or a similar scene, from the earlier drafts to happen, but the new draft, while stronger in all other ways, doesn't really support this scene, or a variation thereof. Once I figure out what to do about this, I should be able to slam the rest of the rewrite out in short order.

I saw the panel proposals for Minicon. Nothing really tripped my trigger. There are a couple of panels I wouldn't mind being on, but nothing jumped out at me. I might just sign up for a reading this year and leave it at that.

As she watches out the window for eight tiny reindeer, The Reverend Selena would like to wish you "Happy Whatever You're Having!" this holiday season.



For her part, The Reverend is thinking about having a delightful and tasty serving of tiny reindeer...






(This picture is actually from our old place. I don't have any current pictures of Selena looking out onto a snowy world from the new place.)

We went to see the premier of Mr. Marmalade last night. This play is...entertaining, humorous, and damned disturbing. And it's more disturbing the next morning, after the brain has had a chance to sort out all the subtext, which is frighteningly subtle and horrifying, while being wrapped up in humor and unsubtle antics. You may laugh in all the right places, but something inside you is squirming at the same time. If you live in or near the Twin Cities, I recommend it.

I opened up Last Car to Annwn Station yesterday. I was afraid I might be completely out of the flow of the story, but no, all I had to do was read the opening line and I was right back in it. I made some notes about the changed ending and outlined a little on how to get there. I need to check the library for a book I could use to help with some detail in the last scene, but I think I'm ready to start.

I need to read and critique a friend's book in the next couple of days. I printed a copy of the manuscript this week, and plan on reading it this Wednesday. I'll do my usual and let it sink in for a few days before I start giving feedback.

Tonight at Merriam Manor we are hosting a little post-Thanksgiving get together and game night with friends. There shall be turkey, and Munchkin, and dressing, and a Magic: The Gathering tournament, and cranberry sauce, and chess, and dinner rolls, and Kill Dr. Lucky, and apple pie, and perhaps Apples to Apples, and I shall make coffee with Bailey's and whipped cream and perhaps just a pinch of nutmeg, and it will be good.

I have a job interview on Monday. It's a customer service position with a company that sells anesthesia, respiratory, veterinary equipment. The good news it that it would be about a 15 minute walk. It's part-time and days, so it wouldn't cut into the writing too much. I would just have to find a new rhythm is all.

Our package with our Christmas presents still has not arrived, though UPS swears it is on a truck and out for delivery. I am watching you, UPS. Do not anger me, for I am wise to your ways and systems.

1000 words today. I'm still struggling to get into the swing of things, but I know I'll pick up the pace sooner or later. I'm tying up loose ends and sub-plots in anticipation of the finale. There's about to be bloodshed in the moonlit snow between Jill and a party of Fae warriors. Mentally, I'm making notes of which characters numbers are up, and how it's going to go down. Death is coming for some of the characters, and it's not going to be a gentle, die-in-your-sleep kind of climax.

The Harrison/Merriam/Myers/Wilcox family gathering went off with only some minor hitches, mostly being that the Harrison part of the family had car trouble and did not make the gathering.

I'm not sure what the exact count was, 24 or so adults and children. It was a good crowd and it was good to have us all in the same place for the first time in years. We met in the gym of my Aunt and Uncles church, who were both crazy enough and thoughtful enough to put this gathering together. It gave us plenty of room for the small children to roam and play and just be kids in Christmas day, while giving the adults plenty of space to rest, talk and just be adults on Christmas day.

Food was served buffet style. We had all the usual holiday food suspects, including a couple of dishes I haven't seen in a few years. It was all tasty.

I spent time with cousins I haven't spoken to much, played with kids, and generally enjoyed myself. Everyone took a ton of pictures.

It was the first time I'd seen my mother in over four years.

Good food. Good people. It was a good day.

Words cannot express how thankful I am to have these people in my life.

Today we will descend on my brother and his family. careswen and I are picking up cold cuts and some soda, then calling my sons, and we are all meeting at my brother's farm house for food and games and talk.

How crappy is it? It has neither an iron nor a coffee maker in the room. I'm going to have to get dressed and go hunt down coffee. On Christmas morning. Blergh.

However, it does have wireless access. Go figure.

Grandbabies! Oh my, there were grandbabies all over the place last night. The two oldest, Ember and Michel, jumped up and down on the bed and played and ate cookies and were fun to behold. The youngest, Derrick, is of course only a few weeks old, so it was all eat, poo, burp, spit, drool, eat, but that's the way they all start out.

Number One Son was let go at the oil rig he worked for, but has a couple of things lined up. He's waiting to hear from one by Wednesday, and if he doesn't get this job (Oil and gas well service work, a natural and safer extension of drilling), then he has something else (I think at a factory) apparently locked down.

Daughter-in-Law cut her hair and dyed it orange. It's cute. It seems like the longer I know her and the more children she has, the more zen she becomes. Though she was quite clear last night that the plan is to have no more children, thank you.

Number Two Son has almost completed his course at Job Corp, and then it's off to peace officer training. I don't know if he's planning to be a police officer or a security guard, or work at a correctional facility. I'm going to question him more today.

Today is the huge Harrison/Merriam/Myers/Wilcox family gathering. I'm looking forward to it, even if I don't do well in crowds and chaos.

So it may be Christmas morning in a crappy hotel, but it's by choice and the day is looking up!

Happy Whatever Winter Holiday You're Having!

In Peace,
Michael