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Wednesday, November 29, 2006
I Swear There Was a Creative Process
One of my friends/fans recently blasted me for not writing more about the creative process behind The Handyman's
Dream. Well, as I mentioned in this blog months ago, there's nothing I enjoy more than blathering away about my
inspiration for the book and how I finally arrived at the finished product. However, I have a real hang-up about
spoilers. I hate 'em! I hate it when someone will reveal the surprises in a story, TV show, or movie. Thus,
my reluctance to talk overmuch about the writing and inspiration involved in my work. I want anyone who hasn't read
The Handyman's Dream to enjoy the book without any preconceived notions brought on by something I've revealed
about the story or the characters.
Now, if I KNOW someone has read something I've written, I'll talk that person's ear off, knowing I won't spoil the story
for them. Trust me, if you've read the book and are curious about anything, drop me an email and I'll happily tell
you whatever you want to know.
But I'm hoping new readers will take the imaginary journey to Porterfield with an open mind and lots of anticipation for
a pleasant visit.
HOWEVER, I did write an essay about the book around the time is was published. It can be read at www.writermen.com. Go to the second page, scroll down, and click on the link at Author's Thoughts on The Handyman's Dream.
Okay. Enough about me. Since I've finished the manuscript for the second Ed and Rick book I've
been relaxing my fevered brain with some other people's fiction. So here are four books from Gay Fiction Land that
I've recently read and enjoyed.
Strings Attached by Nick Nolan
A Son Called Gabriel by Damian McNicholl
What Loves Mean To You People by NancyKay Shapiro
Seventy Times Seven by Salvatore Sapienza
Nope. Not gonna comment on any of them. If you wanna know what I think, send me an email and we'll talk in
private!
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Thanksgiving 2006
Thanksgiving Day 2006 began with a surprise. After checking the weather forecast last night I fully expected to
wake up to the kind of Thanksgiving Day morning Tina Balser recounts from her childhood in Diary of a Mad Housewife:
"The day was always clear-skied, too warm for late November, and filled with that gelatinous bright yellow sunlight that makes
you feel ineffably bored and depressed."
When the smell of Blake's coffee and Ivan's meows finally pulled me out of bed I peered through a crack in the blinds.
The first thing I noticed was my newspaper at the very end of the walk. Obviously the two-inch thick stack of Black
Friday ads made the bag too heavy for the carrier to heave any closer to the front door. I stumbled downstairs to retrieve
it, and instead of clear skies I opened the door to a foggy, drippy morning. For the first time I observed Thanksgiving
morning from my new home -- the sunlight suppressed by the low-level fog; the wet leaves piled along the street for next week's
pick-up; the pumpkins on the porch across the street; the wad of cars parked around the house next door (all the kids must
be home for the holiday), and the bare trees absolutely still in the damp, fog-enshrouded morning.
Cool, I thought, and bounced to the kitchen with the soggy newspaper bag, pleased to have such an unexpected
start to the day.
A few other snapshots from Thanksgiving morning 2006:
Blake in the den, happily singing along with the pre-parade entertainment on the television.
Sneaking a look into the bakery box to see the turkey-shaped sugar cookies we're taking to my sister's house today, and
placing a calendar filled with pictures of classic big-finned cars next to the box so I'll remember to give it to
Blake's dad tonight.
Getting up from my seat in the breakfast nook to run to the den to watch the new Snoopy balloon sail through the wet
New York City streets.
Declaring, hands on hips, "I would happily walk in the Macy's parade in the rain if my job was to help guide Snoopy."
Smoking on the back deck and listening to the stillness of the morning, the silence broken only by a far away train's
diesel horn.
Pausing in the den to listen to Julie Andrews sing. Blake saying, "Julie Andrews looks good for seventy."
Me saying, "Julie Andrews will never age. It's unthinkable."
Putting my bread and butter plate in the dishwasher and thinking, The world's still a huge fucking mess, but I
can be grateful my personal world's not rocking this morning. God's in His heaven and all is as it should
be today at Old Spruce Cottage.
Yep, I have a lot to be thankful for today. I love my new home on this pretty street, and I am glad I have such
a good friend and cheerful cat to share it with me. This long-time radio disc jockey is glad he doesn't have to work
today. I've spent a few too many Thanksgiving Days behind a microphone hoping someone saved a piece of turkey for me.
I'm glad I don't have a Thanksgiving Day family feud to dread. Dinner at my sister's should be pleasant and relaxed
-- good food and conversation, and maybe a board game or two.
Most of all I'm grateful for the success of The Handyman's Dream, and to all of the readers who have enjoyed
it. I can't wait to share the next part of Ed and Rick's story with you in 2007. Your support and enthusiastic
response has made this a Thanksgiving I'll always remember, with or without snapshots.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Ed and Rick Have Left the Building
After rough drafts, second drafts, editing, second guessing, rewriting, and a lot of pacing and cigarettes, I'm
happy to report the manuscript for the second Ed and Rick book is finished. It will be on its way to the editor by the
end of this week. If all goes according to plan, everyone who is eager to read more about the guys will have a
new book to read next spring. There are a lot of behind-the-scenes type chores to do between now and then, but the hardest
part, THE WRITING, is done.
It was hard this time. Earlier this afternoon my barber remarked that this one must have been easier than
the first, right? I don't know if he was joking, but I certainly was when I said, "Oh, yeah. Lots easier."
When I was writing The Handyman's Dream I had no real expectations. I was simply doing something I had
always wanted the time and inspiration to do: write a book. Every day I got up and spent most of my waking hours
pounding away at the keyboard, busy creating a story that thoroughly entertained me. I had no clue if it would entertain
anyone else or not, and at that point it didn't matter. I was fulfilling a goal I had set many years before, and that
was enough.
Well, surprise, surprise! Turns out I wasn't the only one who enjoyed the handyman's love story. When
the feedback began to roll in, I was thrilled to find out people wanted to read more. How 'bout that, as Rick
would say. Fortunately I had already begun the second volume, but when I went about turning a rough draft into a second
draft I found it much harder. This time, you see, not only did I have expectations, but readers of the first book had
expectations as well. Although a writer must write what he feels he needs to write, I didn't want to let anyone
down. Therefore, I spent a LOT more time on this one, and I'm still fretting over it a bit. Geez, I
feel like every recording artist I ever admired who had a huge first hit, and then had to come up with a good second
hit. Talk about sophomore slump, I thought as I agonized over the manuscript.
It's done, though. I wrote the continuation of Ed's story pretty much as I originally imagined it, and the thing
I feel best about is knowing I stayed completely true to my original vision of every character in the story. So for
those of you who enjoyed Ed, Rick, Norma, Gordy, Mrs. Penfield, Laurie, and the rest, know they are alive and well in the
next book, and I think they're as ready to share their adventures with you as I am.
So. I need to let it go, and I will. Tonight, for example, I'm letting go of it in favor of Abba. The
road company of Mamma Mia is in town, and Blake and I have tickets for opening night. As I told a radio
listener on the phone yesterday in the studio (she was hoping she had a won a ticket giveway for the show),
I was considered to be a total loser in high school for having every Abba record you could buy in the U.S., but with
the success of this show I finally feel vindicated. So THIS dancing queen is off to the theatre tonight, knowing Ed
and Rick are alive and well in Porterfield, and ready to entertain their fans once again in the spring.
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When I'm Not Writing...
UPDATE: If you are on Facebook I hope you'll join the NICK POFF Author of
the HANDYMAN series group for discussions, updates, and more.
The sad but honest truth is that most writers need to supplement their income with something other than writing.
I've worked in the radio industry since the tender age of sixteen, and for the same two radio stations for the past fourteen
years. We call it The Hotel California -- you can check out but you can never leave! It's amazing how people go,
but then seem to come back at some time, including me. Radio has been good to me, and although there are still times
I regret not sticking with the writing thing at an earlier age, it's been an interesting ride.
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Things I'm Enjoying....
In The Handyman's Dream Ed and Rick spend time at a cabin on a small lake in southern Michigan.
In a weird fiction-meets-non-fiction kind of way, John Sellers writes about just such a place in his latest
book, The Old Man and the Swamp. It is a must-read for anyone who, like me, has been intrigued by that strange part
of the world at the borders of Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio; fears and respects snakes, and has enitrely too much
memory space dedicated to the 70's & 80's.
I enjoyed Joyce Maynard's latest, The Good Daughters.
I still can't believe All My Children is leaving ABC this September. I was a SLAVE to this
soap opera for 27 years. Even though I stopped watching every day back in '01, I've checked in occasionally, and talked with
co-workers about what was going on in Pine Valley. I mean......a world without Erica Kane? That, to me, is scarier
than facing the end of the Mayan calendar! I have, of course, read Susan Lucci's recent memoir, All My Life.
It's a nice, breezy read, but for diehard AMC fans only. Still...Ms. Lucci is on my list of people I hope to meet someday,
if only to say "THANKS!"
The wonderful thing about "All My Children" is that it was, for many years, more than "just a soap
opera." It was a second family of sorts to its most loyal fans. We can thank the amazing Agnes Nixon, the show's creator for
that, but I also think thanks must be given to the entire production staff, and those incredible actors who made those characters
so special to us. Did I learn some basic facts about life from watching this daytime drama? Yes. Did I learn how to write
a good story from watching "All My Children?" You betcha. Anyone who reads and enjoys the HANDYMAN books can be grateful
for the hours I spent in front of the TV, absorbing the finest writing in daytime television.
Just below is the link to the YouTube video from the intro of the 20th
Anniversary special from 1990. It contains some brief clips from the first 20 years of the show. Although AMC soared wonderfully
into the 21st Century, I gotta admit the best stories were from the first 20 years.
This show ain't dead yet, but it will be in September. Yeah, I'll probably be watching those
final episodes. In the meantime, I want to celebrate some of the best creative writing classes I ever attended. Thanks,
"All My Children!"
And I'm truly finding a great deal of joy in producing and broadcasting my little internet radio
show on www.live365.com. I hope you'll tune in some Wednesday evening for some wonderful old music and chat.
It's all RETRO here at the House of Nick. I also love the occasional old game show clip on YouTube.
I'm all about the retro fun stuff. I'd like to think it reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously in the here
and now. I celebrate old pop music on my internet radio show, NICK POFF RADIO 45.
As most writers do, I love word games, so I always enjoyed the game shows dealing with words. I loved the
$10,000 Pyramid (and the $20,000 and the $25,000 Pyramid, etc.). For those with a short attention span, here's Billy Crystal's
record-breaking trip to the top.
"I can't even watch The New Treasure Hunt anymore because you give me so much shit about it!"
(The above line of dialogue was deleted from the final draft of The Handyman's Dream. Ed's enjoyment
of game shows and Rick's dislike of them would continue to be a source of irritation.)
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Meet two potential victims of global warming.
If you want to save the bears as much as I do, vote wisely in each and every election, and check out the link
on my Favorite Links page.
Nick Poff
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