Another Monday

As you probably have noticed, these posts are getting kind of sporadic. I've started a new project and am putting most of my energy there. My goal is to have a finished MS off to a publisher in less than seven months. I've got a lot of responsibilities right now but still feel that I'll never transition to full-time unless I can get two novels done in a year.

Wish me luck.

In the meantime, I was driving down a moonlit highway the other day and my iPod decided "Ghostriders in the Sky" would be apropos. I always loved that song as a kid. When I learned to play the saxophone, I dug out a piano book shortly after and belted it out whenever I got the chance.

Of course, it's most potent when it's sung. The melody is great but the lyrics are downright awesome. The more I write, the more I find myself paying attention to lyrics and these are great lyrics. Songs are like haikus in that you must choose what absolutely matters instead of just cluttering up your art with everything that fits. You can see this in "Ghostriders"--they don't mention the usual cowboy getup or anything, but instead mention the sweat which makes their shirts stick to their backs, underscoring how this is difficult work.

I could go on, but it would be awful to spend more time talking about a song than it is long.

They've got a bunch of versions on Youtube. Go check some out.

update

Sorry about the lack of updates. In the universe of my mind, stars have spun wildly off-tilt and exploded, their scattered remains condensing into balls of rock and water, germinating on their thin surfaces the delicate business of empires and history, growing the love and hate and sacrifice that make a planet a world.

Also, I've been thinking about pirates and wizards...