Tag: thoughts

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Where I Create

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“My one saving grace as a writer is that, if I’m having trouble with the novel I’m writing, I write something else, a poem or a short story. I try to avoid writer’s block by always writing something.” ~Jess Walter

That’s me in a nutshell. When someone asks me, “What are you writing?” I can honestly tell them something new every day, at least these days, because while I have two novels that are pretty far along, I am also writing so much else. I take the craft of writing seriously, meaning that I spend as much energy on a one sentence character profile as I do on what I hope is the end to the great American novel I’m currently working on.

And I’ve never had writer’s block (knock on wood).

But where do I do all of this writing? On my computer I’ve christened the “Black Lab,” after one of my favorite bands. I’m often listening to them while I write so it’s also fitting that it is labeled as such. Someone asked me the other day why my handwriting is so atrocious, and I’ll admit that my handwriting wasn’t ever a gem, but I just don’t do enough straight “writing” anymore to keep up any pretense of being able to put pen to paper. And yes, I’m old school about a lot of things, but when it comes to writing, whatever works is my mantra.

So I type everything, and I back up everything (usually multiple ways and in multiple locations). I learned the hard way that sometimes words get lost in the ether when there aren’t enough failsafes, so I have several flash drives, and several external hard drives, and a lovely space in something called a cloud where I store and re-store my writings. I even built my own laptop using the Dell site to maximize hard drive space on the unit itself. Yeah, I’m taking no chances this time. Continue reading “Where I Create”

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Chatting With Lexi: New York

new-york-skyline-in-ink-lee-ann-adendorffWe’re taking the girls to New York this fall, and from the moment my wife told Lexi that it was happening all we’ve heard around here is how much fun she’s going to have, how many sights she’s going to see, and how amazing it’s all going to be. Now, if you knew Lexi, you would know that she’s like a dog with a bone, especially when it’s something she wants, and somehow New York — the big city of dreams — has blazed like fire inside of her ever since she first heard of it.

This week we had another conversation about what she feels the trip will entail…

Lexi: I want to see the Statue of Liberty first. Do you think we’ll be able to get inside the crown?

Me: I don’t see why not, but it’s been a long time since I visited the Statue.

Lexi: Maybe you can get on your computer and find out.

Me: Now?

Lexi: Well, yeah. Oh, but I have my iPad and it’s got Safari so maybe I can find out myself.

Me: I’ll look for you.

Lexi: Great. And we have to go to the Empire State Building.

Me: You know I’m afraid of heights, right?

Lexi [with an incredulous look on her face]: What?

Me: I’m scared of heights. I don’t think I’m going to the top with you.

Lexi: YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE TOP!

Me: Okay, but I just won’t look down.

Lexi: That’s just silly, daddy.

Me: No sillier than you freaking out over an ant on the windowsill.

Lexi [laughing]: That’s not the same thing, daddy! Continue reading “Chatting With Lexi: New York”

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Summer Memories

296153_269495529727793_2072100_nWhen we were kids my sister and I would have all kinds of fun during our summers. First off, they started earlier than the public school kids because we went to a private school that was always done the first week of June instead of near its end. That sometimes made for issues when we would go to the Gallery downtown and the guards would want to kick us out for skipping school. It was hard to get across that it was cool, that we were legal so chill out.

Then there was the library. Our nearest public library was down on Baltimore Avenue, which was about 12 blocks away from our street, with the building itself directly across the avenue, so it was fun trying to get over there during heavy traffic. With our mom working every day, though, we had to make the trek on our own once we got old enough to do so. I remember the graffiti on the building more than anything else. It stood out like a beacon, and it wasn’t until much later that I realized it was planned and organized graffiti. Well, most of it anyway.

I recall trips to Dutch Wonderland when we would pile into the old Chevy Nova and rattle our way down the turnpike to a place that in retrospect wasn’t much larger than the block we lived on. But it was like magic, seeing Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble, going on all those rides and getting to spend time with our dad. Those are the few memories we actually have with him before the divorce.

Then there were all the mishaps. I broke my wrist one year and my sister spent most of the time it was healing laughing at me. To top it off I got a blue cast that was incredibly difficult to sign with marker, so I didn’t even get to have it decorated like most others I saw. The time I busted my head falling down the stairs at Nana’s house ranks up there too, which also found my sister laughing at me. It seemed like that’s what she spent a lot of the summertime doing, but really it was only those two times, and the laughing was good-natured. At least I thought it was. Continue reading “Summer Memories”