Writing and exercise are two of my favorite and most important activities, and unfortunately, they happen to be two of the activities that have been squashed into limited supply with the addition of the ol' baby boy to my daily life, as was detailed in the previous post. In said post, I wrote about my decision to dedicate my lunch times to squeezing in whatever writing I could. And while I have been doing so, and quite successfully, I might add, I've been frustrated overall with the time limits this has imposed. So, I'm kicking this garbage up to the next level -- as of today, I am waking up at just after 5:00 each morning and forcing in either a short workout or a quick writing session, depending on the day, before I ready myself for work. How long this will last, I honestly don't know -- I can tell you based on one day's experience that it's a plan easier said than accomplished. However, I did manage to get my sleepy self out of bed and whip out a little over 200 words, so maybe there's a future after all. And I have a cousin dedicated enough to wake up and write between 3 and 4 in the morning before catching a little sleep and then heading off to teach elementary students, so if I can't pull off a loss of just a little sleep, what kind of a writer could I ever hope to be? Again, I'm doing my best to look at the whole situation as an opportunity to rise above a challenge, and I'm just hoping against hope I'm as tough and determined as I think I am. Wish me luck.

With the addition of a bouncing baby boy to the ol' DeGreeff household, I've found that the time I'd previously been able to set aside for writing in the evening and on weekends has been otherwise occupied, mostly by matters concerning crying and infant-produced bodily waste. I'm not complaining about the way my time is now being spent, but in my experience, it's at least somewhat important for a writer to be able to, you know, write. So I've been forced to get creative.
In pre-baby times, my daily lunch time was a short chunk of relaxation, an hour when I could turn off my brain while leisurely munching away. But as the saying goes, desperate times call for highly organized time usage plans, and I've struck upon a simple solution: while I eat, I read a book, generally something within the genre of whatever project I'm working on. After the food is gone, I pour another cup of coffee down my gullet and get cracking on whatever writing I can fit into the remaining time.
So far it's been pretty successful. In a change of pace that was shocking to me, I've decided to try my hand at writing a picture book, and I've made great use of the limited time to study books from the library and a number of different online resources relating to technique and structure. I've always been good at approaching challenges not as roadblocks but as opportunities, and I think that's made a big difference in keeping myself motivated during a time I usually like to use to recharge the sponge between my ears.
Of course, to this point it hasn't even been a week, but I'm still excited for what's to come. Every great accomplishment is made better by the sacrifices it took to achieve it, right? So hopefully skipping a little lunch-time Hulu will serve as just enough sacrifice to get me by.

I haven't been able to do a ton of writing-related things for the past week, so let's give this video blog thing a try, eh?

Yessirree, after a comfortable four-month break, I've decided to slip back into the blogging game. What brought about my return? Quite a bit, actually, and those updates to vida de Davy (I made that up, does it sound legitimately Spanish-ish?) are what I'm going to cover in this here post.


I've found myself at a very interesting point my life, on a precipice of sorts, on the verge of my life changing in three extremely profound ways -- and the changes are coming in, really, the three largest aspects of my life. In the very immediate future I will be promoted within the functions of my day job, my middle-grade book will be placed before the mercy of real big-time editors through the able care of my agent, and my wife will be delivering our first baby.


The first two are absolutely massive -- I've worked very hard at my day job for a few years now, and it's great to see those efforts rewarded with new and bigger responsibilities and benefits. I have a team I've loved working with on a trial basis of sorts for the past year, and I can't wait to actually, officially be on board. For a young professional like myself, it's a very real feeling of true accomplishment, and I can't think of many other emotions I'd rather feel.


And to have my book placed in the hands of real editors who might actually consider working with me on future publication? I mean, just let me repeat that -- THERE ARE PROFESSIONAL EDITORS WHO ACTUALLY THINK OF ME AS SOMETHING MORE THAN JUST A PRETEND WRITER WHOSE BRAIN IS LOST OFF IN LA-LA LAND SOMEWHERE, DREAMING UP RIDICULOUS STORIES AND PUTTING THEM ON PAPER! THESE PEOPLE THINK MY BOOK IS ACTUALLY WORTH THE TIME IT TAKES TO READ! -- it's sometimes hard to really wrap my brain around how cool that is. And I'm so excited that I've reached this particular stage with this book, because, I mean, it's a middle-grade story about a twelve-year-old investigator to the world's biggest celebrities who just so happens to also be a prodigal mustache-grower! How could you not love that? The story is so fun, and I've had so much fun working on it, it just gets my blood pumping to think that I might actually get to share it with a large audience some day. To be inches away from a dream coming true like this just sort of blows my mind.


But to be honest, neither of those accomplishments comes even close to the idea that I could become a dad at any given moment over the next couple of weeks. My wife is without a doubt the coolest person I've ever met, and I'm the second coolest, so just by the math that basically means this kid is guaranteed to be the most incredible thing the world has ever seen. My wife and I both love kids to the extreme, so to realize that we will soon be given the amazing opportunity to raise a child, and to really work at it, and to make sure he becomes not just a good person but one who truly gives back to the world around him -- honestly, words fail me, which is a terrible trait for a writer. I've never been so excited for anything in my entire life. 


And so, it goes without saying that I'm going to be a pretty busy guy for the next little stretch. Thankfully the Vikings have realized this and graciously decided to turn in a horribly unproductive season so as not to distract me -- thanks guys, I really appreciate it. 


Regardless of distractions though, real or otherwise, I am going to try to make this blogging thing a regular weekly kind of deal. Maybe things will be a little sketchy for the first few weeks the baby is here, but after that, I'll be back on board, jotting down whatever crosses my mind, giving updates on whatever else the future brings, and convincing myself that some number of faceless, random people are actually reading it. It should be fun.

So, what happens when you're so forgetful about your blog that it takes you two weeks to finally make a post saying you won't be cracking out any new post material for a while? In my case, likely nothing, because I'm faaaaaairly certain no one is reading this, but just in case, here is fair warning for the random readers out there in space: I'm going to take a while off from the ol' blogoverse.


How long? Not sure. 


But I do know that the main reason for the break is a fantastic one: my wife is five months along with a baby boy that I can't wait to hang unfair vicarious dreams upon, which means I just don't have time for blogging to hang in the mix with my other writing responsibilities, as you can tell from the recent lack of new posts. 


Now, this doesn't mean I won't be posting at all. Sometimes I read a book or see a movie or accomplish something so great that I have no choice but to rant about it here, but for now, I'm abstaining from the whole scheduled posting thing (which is something I happen to be quite good at abstaining from). 

Have no fears, though, I will absolutely return at some point, and I'll be sure to come back with more baby pictures and anecdotes than you could ever hope to see or hear. 

For anyone out there who has ever wanted to know what I do for my day job, what my voice sounds like, or what the back of my head looks like, this is your lucky day! http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/05/30/students-jobs-social-networking/

The late Blake Snyder wrote an excellent book on the basics of writing an exciting screenplay called SAVE THE CAT, which has been a great help to me as I try to navigate the scary world of plotting stories. However, if taken too literally, the book becomes an easy template for creating a story that hits all the necessary structure keys, but does little else, which was apparently the approach taken by the writers of the new THOR movie. 


Because Acura is sponsoring THOR (seriously, look for the ridiculous number of Acuras that pop up on screen -- they make more appearances than racism in an old Disney film), my brother scooped us a couple early screening passes when he recently bought a new car. It was a fun time out, with free popcorn, soda, and swag, but the movie left a little something to be desired. 


THOR limited itself by achieving only the highlights of a summer blockbuster -- a charismatic breakthrough star (Chris Hemsworth was as cool as he was jacked), a beautiful co-star, special effects, a big-name director, explosions -- everything you would expect, but less than you would hope for. The jokes were easy and cheesy, the characters were little more than cut-outs, and it was easy to guess where the plot was going at least a half hour beforehand. As a whole, because the structure was sound, it didn't feel like the time invested was a complete waste, but it did feel like more could have been accomplished. It demonstrated that cornerstones are cornerstones for a reason, but it takes more than hitting just the highlights to make something that truly satisfies. Buy yourself a ticket if you want to turn your brain off and watch some ridiculous biceps for a couple hours, but expect to be disappointed if 

Because, as every online writing FAQ will tell you, "reading is writing", I try to read as much as I can, and thankfully this is a task I enjoy quite a bit. And because I have a big-boy job with a big-boy commute, I have the benefit of extra time in my car to read through my ears, via audio books.

Unfortunately, I have found that while the voice talent can be spectacularly impressive, a good chunk of it sucks so hard it's amazing those recording studios weren't immediately transformed into black holes.

So, acting on the same "hell, I can do that" path that got me started in writing, I recently called up my former acting agent and asked her how one goes about integrating into the sparkly world of audio book voice work. Within minutes, my dreams and my heart were smashed, as she told me that it's a tough gig to get, taken up as it is mostly by authors, their friends, and their friend's friend's cousin's friend.

So I sulked a bit.

And then within weeks, Neil Gaiman came to my rescue, as he is wont to do.

Senor Gaiman is holding a contest to celebrate the anniversary of the publication of his book, AMERICAN GODS, in which lucky little scoundrels like myself are allowed to submit recordings of ourselves reading a chunk of the story as a type of audition in order to win an opportunity to be a part of a new audio version of the book, which is to be recorded during an expenses-paid trip to New York City! Plus the winner gets a private phone call with Mr. Gaiman, so all in all, it's a pretty sweet deal, and basically right up my alley.

"But Davy, do you have a chance to win?" you say. And I respond, "With this silky sweet voice and these more-than-slightly-rusty-acting-chops? Of course I do. But only with your help!"

Because I need your votes, people!

The first round of the contest is entirely conducted using votes from the little people, just like you! So please, please, please visit http://bit.ly/iaFyRw and lend me the favor of your precious vote. You can even listen to my reading if you like, if you're feeling crazy. But the vote is what really matters. And the best part? Are you ready for the best part? You aren't just limited to one vote! You're only limited to one vote per day! So if that doesn't get you excited, I don't know what will.

Come on friends, patriots, and high-five enthusiasts, make me proud by making me a winner. I know you've got it in you.

...oooorrrr maybe I'll just update the header picture and call it a day?

This website was set up from the beginning to be a temporary holding spot, and almost a year later, I think it's time to lower it into the ground. I'm taking a look at switching things over to Wordpress, which I'm hoping will result in a simpler, sharper look and function. Whether or not all the things I've done on here will transfer, I have no idea, because I'm a straight-up dumb dumb when it comes to this stuff. So when (all three of) you come back here at some point, you may be looking at a completely different site, assuming I can pull it off. Sound good? Great!