Night Rider

On the 3rd of July I went for a night bike ride through the city. I’ve been wanting to do this for a year ever since I saw some guys tearing through the city at night on their bikes. I wondered how exhilarating it would feel to ride haphazardly through the city at night. So I did it, and it was amazing. The city is a different place at night. It’s quiet, sleepy and peaceful to a certain extent. But there’s an edge to it. It’s the resting heartbeat of an athlete. An uncertainty that isn’t dangerous, but it makes you a little uncomfortable.

The night I went the moon was blood red. Quite the sight.  I could smell it. Hear it. Feel it. Since it was the eve of the 4th, fireworks were being shot off throughout city neighborhoods. I paused for a moment to look a fireworks show on the east side of the city. I saw other night riders and in my mind there was a weird solidarity. Or maybe it was just in my head.

Riding at night slows everything down including yourself. I could feel the noise and clutter in my mind being still with the night. Calming. Clearing. It was just me on my bike, in the middle of the city in the dark. And I wasn't scared.....only curious.

What's over there?

What’s that sound?

What's that smell?

I saw a young brotha skateboarding down Kellogg. Homeless people at the Depot. The cologne and perfume of a couple walking downtown. Mears Park and people having a late dinner outside on a patio. A crowded gas station on 7th street. A packed church on the east side. I rode to the top of the city to Indian Mounds Park and paused to watch the city sparkle. There was a lot going on at night, but yet the city felt still. All in all I rode 20 miles across the city that night. Its funny how you can feel so alive while everyone else is sleeping.

                                                                     City by night via bike

Colors of the DR

Traveling is therapeutic for the soul. I recently traveled to the Dominican Republic to clear my mind.

The colors of the ocean were indescribable. Teal, blue, indigo, navy. The ocean was vast, blue and tropical. Clean tropical breezes. The sun felt more intense than in the Midwest. The intensity of colors seemed to be turned up everywhere I looked. Therapy for the soul.

Missing Fall

It's winter days like this that make me miss those cold fall days. Grey skies bum me out. Its times like this where its nice to reminsice on those nice crisp, colorful fall days....

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PJ Hoffmaster State Park - West Michigan

The Guardian

They don't make civic projects like they used to. I sound like an old man when I say things like that. The Washburn Watertown is right outside my window. I see it every day. Stoic, powerful, monumental. Its 110ft tall and sits atop the highest point in Minneapolis. You can see it for miles in all directions, but oddly you really don’t notice it unless you’re looking for it. I was looking for it and I’m glad I found it…. 

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Look mom I'm published!

It’s good to flex different writing muscles every now and then. I wrote a little piece for the St. Paul Almanac that happened to make it in the 10 year anniversary issue. It’s a short piece……a really short piece, but hey it’s in there! Click below to check it out. The St. Paul Almanac and other publications like this are an invaluable tool to creative folks who need an outlet to express themselves. I feel honored to be a part of this.

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Coldness on Another Level

I suppose living in cold weather is part of the deal, but last weekend is a brutal reminder that Minneapolis takes cold to the next level! The high inched slightly above 0, low of -10. I got caught in a gust of wind and I felt like it blew through my soul. Cold, cold, cold! I wish I had something more clever to say, but that's all I got! Did I mention how cold it was last weekend? 

The Inspiration

I’m back home visiting family in Michigan and every time I’m home I’m reminded of what inspired me to write Watertown Fires. Visiting home is often bitter sweet when I drive around. Michigan, especially west Michigan has really been left in the past. Many parts of the city looked the same, if not worse, as when I was a boy going up here. Very run down, abandoned houses, closed buildings, etc. It’s sad really. On the other side of the state, Detroit is going through somewhat of an art and architectural renaissance. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for the west side of the state for small towns like “Watertown”. But sometimes we find inspiration in the darkest places right? 

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Abandonded school - "Watertown" Michigan

When is Done Done?

I’ve been asked by other writers, “how do you know when you’re done with your book?” The answer is, I’m not sure. Writing the first draft of a book is probably the easiest part of writing. The real work, in my opinion, comes during the editing process. I did about five drafts of Watertown Fires and after the fifth draft I thought I was finished…….until I let an editor get her hands on it! She laid into my poor manuscript, which was a good thing. Some of the things she suggested required extensive rewrites. I believe you could edit a manuscript until the end of time. Truth is eventually you’ll have to be ‘done’ and let your manuscript go. But you owe it to yourself and your manuscript to give it the rigorous editing attention it deserves. 

Writing a book

When I wrote Watertown Fires it started out as a series of shorts stories and grew into a single story. I got my writing bug reignited in college. One of the last classes I took in graduate school was an elective writing class. Turns out it was one the best classes I ever took. If you’re able to take one, I recommend it. Write classes take you out of your comfort zone, they are awkward and scary. But the experience is invaluable. Usually when you get done with a writing class you are left with a pile of terrible stories…which is great! Sometime that is the spark you need to write a novel.

For me, writing a novel was something I did almost daily. It was exciting and new. It took a little bit to get used to writing long form. I highly recommend outlining your book. Stream of conscious method of writing a novel would drive most people insane! Outlining your book is critical and essential. It’s a road map to making sure you get to where you want to go without the ‘sagging middle’. Here’s a few books I found useful while writing Watertown Fires:

The Writer’s Little Help by James V. Smith Jr.

Plot by Ansen Dibell

Intro Blog

What’s a blog? Not sure but people say you should do that when you are trying to promote a book or yourself. Maybe I’ll use it as a random brain dump as well. Anyway, my name is David and I wrote a book called Watertown Fires. Labor of love, it had its ups and downs but I enjoyed the process. I think everyone should write a book…..or just write something. There is something therapeutic about putting your thoughts on paper and reading them back to yourself, not matter how terrible it sounds J Here’s a random picture of a coffee cup I shot while shooting the cover image for Watertown Fires. 

Liquid Inspiration!