Play On, Dear Brothers!

"All the world's a stage. And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts..." --William Shakespeare

This was the thought that came to mind upon seeing two recent political figures in prominent television appearances.

One was by Hugo Chavez at the UN, where he had the audacity and the cheek to call Bush "The devil." Sounds familiar to me somehow...hmmm. Oh, I know, wasn't it the left that jumped all over Bush for "demonizing" our enemies in the War on Terror? What could be worse than that? I know! "Devilizing" your enemies! If any one thinks that Chavez has the American peoples' best interest in mind, I'm sorry to inform you you've been duped by a (not so) master thespian. Still, Chavez was just playing his part.

The other appearnce was that of former Prez Bill Clinton, who became positively IRATE (something he would have never done on CNN or ABC, CBS or NBC) at the Fox News reporter when asked about his efforts to fight terrorism during his administration. What he accomplished or did not accomplish aside, his outburst was unbecoming, unwarranted (if he should be irate with anyone it should be ABC for the fictionalizing of the 9/11 events) and in my memory--unheard of. "What caused it?" I asked myself. There was only one answer. While I think he made a mistake in doing so, it became clear to me he could not be seen "cozying up" to "the enemy" that is (in his mind, I think) Fox News.

I must sigh. Over and over and over again.

For the truth eludes us at every turn.
Why? Ask Shakespeare.

Author! Author!

Well, I've done it--at last. After nearly two and a half years of toil I have finally completed my first novel. Of course, it is a first draft and in manuscript form, but after working so hard on it, I think this is a big enough milestone to actually say: "I'm done!" (even though I'm really not).

You see, I still have revisions and editing to do, but the story, at its core, is done. And its giving me such a nice feeling I just thought I'd share. I know this isn't my typical kind of post, but what the hey?

Oh yeah, besides revisions and editing, I still have to create a synopsis, and write a gazillion query letters (99.99% of which will either go unread or be responded to with a resounding NO). Then, if I do find a publisher brave enough to take a chance on a heretofore unpublished author (unless you count pressing the 'publish post' button for my blog posts, which, I'm afraid will not be so favorably looked upon by book publishers) I'll have to start the whole editing and revision process all over again. Whew!

I guess it just never ends.

Then again, I could publish it myself, which of course, costs mucho dinero, which I do not have.

Anyway. I'm taking a short break from writing (a day or two at least) to celebrate.

For those who give a shove, here's a miniscule synopsis of my book, tentatively entitled:

THE HEART OF THE GRAYSTONE
...is the story of a young man (14 when we begin) , orphaned as an infant, who by strange fate comes across a mysterious stone, long guarded by a strong forest spirit. He is swept away on the adventure of a lifetime, as he searches for a way to fulfill the prophecy spoken to him by the forest spirit, and find something like peace once more. Great battles and personal struggles ensue in his long flight toward his destiny. When at last his trail leads him to the final resting place of The Dragon, he must defeat the terrible black beast, a renegade King and conquer his own doubts and fears to win in out in the end.

Imagine the above being read by that guy (you know the one) who overdubs all the movie trailers, and it might sound better. As I said, I don't really have a synopsis yet. Actually, that was my first attempt. Not too awful. Not too good. Way too short. Anyway....you get the general idea.

Wish me luck and say a pray for me, I'm gonna need 'em-- if this is to ever be published.

Peace.