Archive for the ‘Piece of Mind’ Category
At times on this blog, I’ve taken liberty with a few names. For example, last week I used the name Valerie to refer to a lead character in a story I told about Ponak’s on Southwest Boulevard. Valerie is a real person, except her name is not Valerie.
I don’t know anyone named Valerie. I chose the name at random in case the subject at hand might be uncomfortable with me writing about her. This probably says something about me. I’m not sure what, but something. I felt I should clarify this in case someone asked me who Valerie was or what she meant to me. My truthful response would have been: “There is no Valerie and we mean nothing to each other. We’re just friends.” That wouldn’t have made sense to anyone but me.
I don’t see any reason why changing a name here or there would impact my credibility as a storyteller. I am writing this blog for me – for further writing practice – and maybe to land a side gig here and there. In this economy, the side gigs are either drying up or going to journalists who have lost their jobs. The pool of freelance talent available write now is pretty deep, so I’m told. I am not sure if the most talented writers out there would use real names or not. Probably so. (more…)
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Tags: Random
As promised, here’s a link to the story about Hope House I wrote for Present. About the beginning: last week, I saw the storm roll up out the back windows and this quaint Thomas Kinkade scene came to me with Hope House’s Lee’s Summit facility in its midst, only in my vision the sky was threatening. Nothing about the setting was serene or would make you want to buy a calendar or a jig-saw puzzle. I thought about the house standing firm – not just the house, but the purpose it stands for, and I thought it might be a decent description to set the tone. So I did some free writing about the storm pressing down on the building and the rain on its way. The night happened to be coming on at the time I started writing. With the storm front, the air thickened suddenly. You could feel it filling space around you. The clouds kept billowing, turning darker and darker gray, and it seemed like the night was heavy. I think I use the phrase “real weight.” There was definitely some weight on the nine o’clock air.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that no matter how much hope it might create, the Hope House deals with dark issues. The sky, say like today, might be blue, but there’s something hanging over the cottage-like setting in Lee’s Summit. The picture of a happy house is a false one. Things are so much better for the women inside and their children, in some cases, but it would be wrong to paint a sunny picture. I took the opposite approach from the outside. (more…)
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Tags: Present Mag.
Backs belonging to the lake houses face the cove and the tree-shaded hills. Backyards with elaborate decks and outdoor furniture and umbrellas look over the boat docks and welcome guests out for strolls along the lake. Long stairways lead down terraced hills to fence gates carved in wood and or set in wrought iron. Around the lake top, light shimmers in patterns as the branches let flashes of sunlight through in sharp, definite cuts. (more…)
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Tags: Family Life
Southwest Boulevard is lined with Mexican restaurants. Painted in Aztec yellows and salmons, they stand out from the metal-sheeted hardware stores and lumber yards, the barbecue pits housed in old gas station shells, and the breweries’ brick production stacks that fit in with the local industry. When the weather is dismal, the Mexican flags hang deflated, but it never does anything to the people who live on the rises in old neighborhoods that used to be resplendent places to live. The people eating in the restaurants aren’t Mexican. They are lighter-skinned, mostly work crews and small families who know where to find authentic food cheap. At 5 o’clock, the workers – almost entirely men – crowd corner tables, boots resting on low window sills and drinking beer. This is how it was at Ponak’s, the closest restaurant to the interstate overpass, on a Wednesday afternoon at happy hour. (more…)
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Tags: Southwest Boulevard
Pete Dulin might be the most patient editor I have worked with – almost comically patient. About a month ago, he assigned me a story for Present involving Hope House, the battered women’s shelters in Lee’s Summit and Independence, Mo. I agreed to the write the article knowing that there would probably be some upheaval in my personal life. But I thought I could throw myself into my work and let all the distractions fade away. So a call was scheduled with the organization’s CEO and another high-ranking staff member immediately after I talked with Pete. I conducted the interview on my lunch hour a few days later. I came back to my desk, set the tape recorder down and thought I’d eventually get to it. Then, a couple of weeks ago, Pete checked in with a brief e-mail: Just want to check in and see how things are going with the Hope House story. Let me know if you need anything. (more…)
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Tags: Present Mag.
