Novel progress

Today: 843 words. Special thanks to the Milwaukee County Transit System. I wrote most of these words on the bus. Thanks to Ruth for suggesting I write on the bus.

Follow the Miltown Rag's Blair Rutherford as she reports live from 1929 through the recently developed time-warping Twitter app...

https://twitter.com/#!/miltownragBR

Novel progress

Eight hundred sixty-seven more words today. Thanks to Kristine and Carrie for support.

Novel progress

Wrote 2,024 words today of a scene that I didn't know how it was going to turn out but turned out to have quite a bit of raw, unexpected emotion.

Pretty dang good result for a just few hours' work.

Thanks to Kristine and Ruth for the encouragement.

Murder!

Who killed the Ghost of Christmas Past?...

...And was it because she's a Vikings fan?

Write Your Novel

November has become the month for would-be writers to write their novels--or to surge onward with existing novel projects. Best of luck to all. But, mainly, let us all work hard and work well, for that's what's needed to meet meaningful goals.

In the days ahead, I aim to share more here about my writing progress "paying myself first" as Rochelle Melander advised a crowd at Boswell Books a few weeks ago. Melander was promoting her book, which compares writing a book to preparing for a marathon. In both cases, one needs to train and train well. Paying oneself first for Melander means regularly setting aside the first or best time of day to work on your writing project--no excuses, be they work or life.

Melander's basic advice was sound if simple: "Writers write."

It thus remains to be seen who and what we are by our actions.

Who Killed the Ghost of Christmas Past?

Join us for a fun and exciting evening of entertainment one of the nine show nights of Bay View's own interactive holiday murder mystery from Thursday, Dec. 1 to Saturday, Dec. 17--Are you keen enough to catch a killer?

Tickets $15: www.alchemisttheatre.com

Hamlet verdict: Wow

I just lost my Hamlet virginity as an audience member at Fools for Tragedy's performance of In My Mind's Eye, a production of Shakespeare's most famous tragedy at Bay View's Alchemist Theatre.

I've read the play before and am familiar with it, but never before this have I seen a live production. I was blown away. On another day I might lament how this is a reflection of the emotional impoverishment of my life to this point; but today, now, I will simply state my joy at experiencing the artistic conversion of the darkest of human emotions and direst of relational predicaments into a story that resonates with the core of our humanity.

I was amazed at the pure human emotion channeled.

I write not as a drama critic, but as a human being, that this was a tremendous show.

This edit of the play divides Hamlet's psyche into multiple characters portrayed by actors and actresses who divy up his lines. When multiple fragments of the psyche were present on stage, a balance was achieved that both respected the writer's language and served to multiply Hamlet's power with respect to the other characters. I was most impressed with the actress who portrays Hamlet the Fool, Jennifer Gaul, for her sheer unhingedness. Binding it all together was Jordan Gwiazdowski, Mad Hamlet, who was spellbinding and also directed the performance.

More information about the show is found below.

http://www.alchemisttheatre.com/index.cfm?fuse=viewShow&showId=149
http://fools4tragedy.weebly.com/index.html

More Recent Haiku

0111082011
Mosquitoes exist
to feed hungry dragonflies.
Why does pain exist?

0123072011
Poets and saints know,
Wilder concludes in Our Town,
what life is about.

0221072011
Forty-two summers
since that boot made that print there
we walk no farther.

0119072011
Light that fades away
returns again in morning
penetrating air.

0219072011
Furry fireflies
drum my sweaty bare body
sentinels of dark.

0421072011
I took my shirt off
running a mile in the heat.
Women looked at me.

0124082011
Millipede couple:
double stack locomotion.
Sex, transit, sans love.

0224082011
Bark-hewn initials
record our undying love,
beech scars changed with time.

Link to Lucas in Love

I have my friend Scott to thank for this funny short film spoofing Shakespeare in Love and imagining the genesis of George Lucas' Star Wars saga in the frustration of a lonely male's writer's block.

Lucas in Love
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/81256481/

Best, memorable interchange:

"I'm just beginning to think that Space Oats isn't the answer." --George
"Well, maybe you just weren't meant to write agricultural space tragedies." --Marian

Murder Mystery Cast & Crew Bios Now Online

Who killed the Ghost of Christmas Past?

That's the mystery you get to solve this December at Bay View's Alchemist Theatre in an original murder mystery set on Christmas Eve of 1929.

Check out the recently updated FAQ page along with our cast/crew bios.

http://www.bayviewlounge.com/christmasmurdermystery.htm

And go to www.alchemisttheatre.com to order your tickets today. The show runs for the first three weekends (Thursday through Saturday) of December.

Coming Soon: Original Bumper Stickers

Check back in September for original bumper stickers.

Recent Original Haiku

0116082011
Geese do not obey
lot lines, fence lines, marks of man,
No Trespassing signs.

0216082011
Splitting the atom
not nearly as powerful
as breaking the heart.

0316082011
Bioretention
pond heron stalks murkily
into concrete shade.

0119082011
Cormorant beats wings
black low over the water
flying into wind.

0219082011
Japanese beetle
gold green black and ravenous
consumes leaves on trees.

0319082011
Sulfur streaked cloud line
the cost of A/C and heat
Faustian bargain.

Now Offering Custom Poetry

Can't find the words to express your feelings to that special someone?

Want to give her a unique, creative gift that says you care--but you slept through English class?

You could pay $5 for a greeting card that she'll throw away tomorrow; you could just stew in unarticulated angst while she decides to go out with that other guy; or you can contact me. Together we'll discuss your unique situation and then I'll draft a poem that meets your needs.

The best part is I'm not joking.

Of course, there's no guarantee my words will solve your romantic or emotional problems. But you will leave with a document that expresses how you feel.

More expensive than a greeting card? Yes. Because you're paying for my time, creativity, and discretion. Custom poetry is not for everyone--and if you're inspired to write your own poem and give it to her, terrific. But, guys, think of what I'm offering as a bouquet of words instead of roses, only your custom poem is something that will not dry up and die. If it flops, you can both laugh about how silly it was and move on. Mission accomplished: she knows you care. But if it really works, then you've just earned your way into the heart of the one you love. And who can put a price on that?

Please plan well in advance if you want to give your poem as a holiday gift, especially for Christmas, New Year's, or Valentine's Day.

In order to meet in person for your initial consultation, this offer is limited to persons in southeastern Wisconsin.

Serious inquiries only, please.

Robertson-Ryan: A History available to the public

Robertson-Ryan: A History by Michael Timm is now available for public purchase here.

Founded in 1960 when A.D. “Robbie” Robertson and Jack T. Ryan left the prestigious Roberts Company and struck out on their own, Milwaukee's Robertson-Ryan & Associates stands alone in its philosophy that the producer is king.

Producers own their books of business, but share profits, experience, and support staff. It’s a unique—and successful—model, which producers attribute to Jack Ryan’s fairness and foresight. He attributes it to the Golden Rule.

Starting out with three producers and $1.8 million in premiums, the agency has expanded and continues to expand into the 21st century. In 2010, the agency counted 185 producers and employees across seven Wisconsin offices and handled $220 million in premiums, earning Robertson-Ryan recognition as the 85th largest American insurance broker and 58th largest privately-held independent agency.

This book tells the story of Ryan, a former FBI-agent, and Robertson, a who trained as a electrical engineer at Allis-Chalmers, and how the agency they built evolved into a powerhouse.



One footnote here that the buyer should beware. Most of the copies printed for my client were of good quality; however, my proofs were initially misbound and at least two of the final books had missing pages. I regret I cannot here ensure the printing quality of the consumer's final product. The printer does vow to replace any damaged merchandise at no charge, however.

Robertson-Ryan: A History published

Robertson-Ryan: A History, my book on the history of the Robertson-Ryan & Associates insurance agency, was completed in December 2010 and delivered to my client in January 2011.

I plan to make the book available for purchase by the general public once a few more details have been worked out with the print-on-demand publisher, Lulu.com.

Check back here for updates or email me if you would like to request a copy. The 80-page casewrap hardcover is $31 plus shipping and handling. I am in the process of determining what to charge for soft-copy PDF downloads.

Thanks to all my sources and supporters.