OLD BEATNIK, CZESLAW MILOSZ & F. SCOTT FITZGERALD

Nearly midnight, 7th of August. Thanks to all who have

Black Virgin at Rocamadour

been checking in, but what little is there to relate? Knocking off a chapter a weekday of 10th rewrite of Ghoul World. Sometimes two or one and a half chapters. I'd like to get the word count down near 100,000 words, but that is still a long way to go. I'm cutting out many of my favorite tales and thoughts, but who says main character Charley Manning must spill everything I know? I'm leaving in his romance with Misty Frampton and his sexual dalliance with Beaunita (if that's her real name) though they could go and boy would that shorten the novel.

Roc Amadour

Finished at last 20th Century American Poetry, Vol. I. I think I renewed it about 5 times during two different check out periods. Quickly finished Great Gatsby and have returned to reading poetry of Czeslaw Milosz in Selected And Last Poems 1931-2004. Powerful poem The Rising Of The Sun that imaginatively constructs his leaving naturalism to become a poet, inspired by a visit to Roc Amadour, a legendary religious center. Will I ever be able to remember how to spell his name w/o cheating? Watching DVDs of "Hinterland" and "Garrow's Law" with my dear wife after she comes home from work. So lovely to share so much.

BEATNIK'S BIG TOE, F. SCOTT FITZGERALD & J.D. SALINGER

Wow! 118 people took a look at this blog today, and I've not got much to report except a big toe that is infected with cellulitis which "is a potentially dangerous bacterial infection that affects the deeper layers of the skin, including the dermis, or second layer of the skin." Soaking in Epson Salt and using antibacterial unguent and swallowing antibacterial pills. Lesson learned? "Do not pull hangnails off of toes". 

Rewrite of Ghoul World is proceeding apace. Came upon a scifi publisher attached to Penguin that is accepting unagented manuscripts. Rare. Very rare. I must hurry to finish the current rewrite of the novel and send it in to that publisher before the window closes again. I keep seeing the book as a movie. The cinematic effects will be really fascinating. A world of workaday zombies who call themselves "ghouls". 

Current reading? Poetry and  The Great Gatsby for the 4th or so time. Fitzgerald and Salinger—I never tire of them.

A BOOMER'S VIDEO CONTAINS A LITTLE WHITE LIE

Truth is, I actually found a tiny room inside day three of The Days of Dayquil and Runny Noses into which I squeezed my consciousness and a computer keyboard and did accomplish a bit of rewrite on Angie's Choice. That literary feat occurred when I slipped out of the clutches of Dayquil long enough to realize that the medication I was taking to kill off the cold symptoms was doing more to alter consciousness than the cold symptoms themselves. Despite cold symptoms, advancing age and the dark force of Dayquil itself, I'm part way into the rewrite of Chapter Eleven of Angie's Choice. Hurrah for the Silent Beat Boomer wherever he's disappeared to! 

To recap the last couple of busy months: beside the steady rewriting of Angie's Choice, I've had a couple of poems accepted into literary magazines, and I've entered two contests (one poetry and one short fiction) about which I'm awaiting results. I'm also anticipating  responses from two query letters to very intelligent and discerning literary agents. How can I lose? It's been a busy period, not counting that I finished my autographed copy of Richard Dawkin's The Greatest Show On Earth and a couple of chapbooks of poetry by Michael G. of Portland, some poetry by Gary Snyder and All Our Brownskinned Angels by Raul Sanchez. I intend to reread The Great Gatsby. Mertie and I watched the non-3D version of that new film last week. F. Scott was for the longest time my favorite writer, back when the world was young, full of champagne and I was too.