In Pursuit of Focus
Focus is always the problem. Years ago a songwriter friend of mine sat across a Sunday afternoon dinner table and lectured me sternly on the need for focus. I knew he was right, and I just couldn't do it. Well, it's time.
And the winner is...writing. I told Taproot Theatre I would need to turn them down about a couple of shows in their upcoming season so I could focus on the writing. The first priorities will be finishing and publishing Hunting Grace, and then the completion of the first major draft of the as yet unnamed third book from the world of Cyrus Manning.
So let's talk about blogging. This time around (yes, I know there have many of these pauses in blogging over the years) I'm simply wondering what I'm doing with this bit of cyberspace. Am I trying to be a cultural critic? Am I working on a particular philosophical approach to art and beauty? Am I providing some kind of ministry to anyone? What is, in short, my intention?
And I'm not blogging because I can't answer those questions with any definition. Which sucks, I know, but there it is.
So for the moment, let me just offer a brief report of recent doings. A couple of weeks ago, I got stranded in Abilene, Texas, where I had gone to teach my annual January Class at Abilene Christian University. The class is called The Arts and Culture: A Christian Aesthetic, and it mostly gives me a chance to wax on about my various curious notions concerning beauty, imagination, and pop culture. It was a great class this year: the students were engaged in the material, we screened three episodes of Friday Night Lights, the films Whalerider and The Station Agent, and in the end, we all left with a greater sense of responsibility about the use of our imaginations. Even though I got stuck in Abilene for two extra days due to the icy weather there (the airport was closed for two days), it gave me a chance to beat my Mom (one game only) in gin rummy.
I'm back in the saddle here in Seattle now, working again on the rewrite of the second novel concerning Cyrus Manning. Early feedback on the book is that it's strong writing, but again, the story may be a bit slow, especially since the content is going to be on the heavy side. So I'm looking at the character actions again, looking at how to pick up the pace, keep the pages turning. At the same time, I'm going to be looking for an agent this year. Any prayers would be appreciated.
On other fronts, Amy continues to do well at the University of Cincinnati, where she is studying acting. Daniel just finished a Thespian competition in which he received very high marks in various solo and duet competitions, both in musical theatre as well as straight acting. And my time is split between the book, the arts ministry at the Northwest Church, and trying to figure out just what to do with this blog.
One thing I'm thinking of is moving the blog to Typepad, where the various pieces of technology there will be much easier than doing all this formatting with Radio. I'll leave this one up for a while, but after a couple of months, I'll close it up and you can find at a new address.
I'll let you know when the move comes.
...for the moment, just reporting...
11:01:37 AM 
