Write When Thumbs Oppose

‘Licity Little Legs 

Our youngest has determined to walk.

On the verge of crawling, F-L-City (that’s her rapper name), scrapped that project in favor of her latest vision: walking. To prepare, she is spending hours in the Johnny Jump Up that hangs from yonder doorframe. Diving off of things, and using her body like a human sled to move about.

Yonder doorframe, indeed.

We just docked from our intergalactic trip to Austin. (You know what I’m about to say… it was like visiting a whole other planet.) That’s where I work in suit and tie, far away from my horde of ducks.

That’s where yonder doorframe saved the day.

You see, I drag my family along with me as often as I can. The Amazing Jillian and Extraordinary Ellia find staying in a different AirBnB every time exhilarating. MomBrain and I find it exhausting.

This last stay was a one bedroom apartment with a pullout couch. Not one to give up easily on the tiny space, MomBrain began scouring resale shops for a solution to baby-under-foot-itis. And lo, there it was, a Johnny Jump Up.

Felicity N. Motormouth

That girl now has a mouth on her. Here’s a Rosetta Stone to translate her 7-month-old vocabulary (yes, she just turned 7 months!):

Mama = Mom

Ba-ba = Everything else

She also makes a lot of other noises, noises I might even call “mystical”…

Write When Thumbs Oppose

I tried to become a writer by reading. But all of the writing books I could find fell into two categories of uselessness:

1. Mystical

2. Mechanical

The books mystical were vague appeals to get in touch with your muse. Clouds and wind but no rain.

The mechanical books were boring lists of writing crimes. They described in great detail how not to write a book.

The more practical the book, the harder it was for me to finish. The more mystical the book, the easier to reach the end — but to what end? Whatever was the conclusion?

You just read the start to a short book I’m writing about writing. I know, another book about writing.

But that’s the point.

There are too many books on writing that don’t get the job done. When you finish reading them you’re no closer to becoming a better writer than when you started.

I never found the book I was looking for. I would have saved eons if I had. In a word, I was looking for something precise.

This isn’t an announcement.

I’m only warning you because you will no doubt see snippets of the book appear in this newsletter from time to time.

Possibly without much context.

Possibly juxtaposed with a scene of ducks eating dog food (did you know ducks love dog food?).

Wanna help write the book?

1. If you read a newsletter issue that helps, send me a reply email with a 👍.

2. If it’s confusing, send me an email that tells me what confused you. (Then I can address the same topic from another angle or in a more precise way… and confuse you more.)

DadFace Directive:

I don’t know how long this book will take, so what are you to do in the meantime?

Besides read Dear DadFace religiously, of course.

Here’s a clue.

Listen less to:

• Novelists

  (Notice I said “less” instead of “never listen to anything a novelist says — ever!”)

Listen more to:

• Copywriters

• Journalists

• Speechmakers

These are the creators who face real-world deadlines. These are the professionals.

Of course you may to write a novel. First learn the process of writing from the professionals, like I mentioned above. Then you will want to understand story structure, but for that look to editors. (For example, I’m exploring the work of Shayne Coyne at StoryGrid.com.)

Our Not-So-Great Pyrenees says “Hi!”

Often.

With rapidity.

The neighbors wish she would stop…

— DadFace