Category: FYI

Friday Morning FYI – 4/8/2016

Ron Delaney JrLeave a comment

Welcome to your Friday Morning FYI – my chance to share observations/wisdom/rants in short, easily consumed form.

I’m not the sensitive type, but I notice things to which others may be sensitive. Everyday, in an attempt to entertain commuters, the PATH runs a ‘Guess the word’ (among other things) on the in-train monitors. Today’s word was eeoxpdl – explode.

Yes, explode. On a train.

Obviously the person who’d put that up didn’t think anything of it, but in recognizing the unintended impression it could make, I reflected on something I wrote yesterday. No, it didn’t contain an explosion, but it did contain Chupacabras (stick with me, here). I’d outlined a monster story for an upcoming anthology submission, where the main monsters are threatened by encroaching Chupacabras. Without delving into every scenario my mind considered (read – panicked over), I arrived at the question:

Had I written something someone might consider racist?

If you know the origin locale for Chpacabras (if not, click the link above, silly), and consider the current political climate, you can see where that thought came from. There was no racial motive involved; I’d selected Chupacabras because they’re cool and scary. That they are from non-European folklore is a bonus, or so I thought before seeing that stupid eeoxpdl.

In the end I came to the conclusion I was being a paranoid nut (like that’s new for a writer). That brings us to this week’s FYI:

Writers should just write. Forget everything else and finish your story, then listen to your beta readers, agent, and editor after. Simple.

 

Thanks for reading,

{RDj}

PS – After my initial hand-to-forehead reaction to that word scramble, I realized it might not be a person who selected it. Software may have been responsible, pulling a random term from the dictionary using some algorithm based on length, popular letters, google searches (sad), etc. *shrug*

Friday Morning FYI – 4/1/2016

Ron Delaney JrLeave a comment

Welcome to your Friday Morning FYI  (yes, I know it’s Saturday evening) – my chance to share observations/wisdom/rants in short, easily consumed form.

Man, it’s been a tough few weeks for people I care about. As I posted last week, several friends recently lost their jobs. This week, I got some rough news about two other friends. Being the nigh-insufferable know-it-all I am, I sat down to right something profound here, but all words are failing. That’s this week’s FYI:

When life has gone all pear-shaped for loved ones, we seek words to comfort or encourage or sympathize, but these words may be meaningless. Not that we shouldn’t try to help, or remind our people they’re our people and we’re there for them, just that, ultimately, without proper perspective, our effort brings no healing. So, perhaps, just listen to those who need to talk, provide understanding distance to those seeking space, and be a friend to a friend in the same way you always would.

 

Thanks for reading,

{RDj}

Friday Morning FYI – 3/25/2016

Ron Delaney Jr2 Comments

Welcome to your Friday Morning FYI  (in under the wire edition) – my chance to share observations/wisdom/rants in short, easily consumed form.

A few friends recently lost their jobs. The one who knew it was coming had a choice. He could have kicked his feet up on his desk and thrown a middle finger at the company he felt betrayed him, or do what he did, which is go to work everyday and keep his responsibilitiesand team tight until the hammer fell. That brings us to this week’s FYI:

Life is really just a long series of choices. Some are generally unimportant, while others directly determine how you’re viewed by both your peers and yourself. Faced with adversity, make decisions you can most easily live with, and won’t keep you up at night worrying about the kind of person you are.

 

Thanks for reading,

{RDj}

Friday Morning FYI – 3/4/2016

Ron Delaney JrLeave a comment

Welcome to your Friday Morning FYI  – my chance to share observations/wisdom/rants in short, easily consumed form.

It’s snowing this morning in NJ. Not the fun easy-to-enjoy snow, the tiny, frozen, feels-like-darts-to-your-eyes sideways snow. It’s hate snow, really. I love winter, but no one loves hate snow. When I got into my office, a coworker looked up and said, “You must love this weather.” That leads us to this week’s FYI:

When you love something (or someone), you need to accept the worst with the best. This is not new information, of course, but I’m seeing it all around me more and more, especially when writing/reviewing/reading. Also with friends, coworkers, people on the train, etc. In the moment, it’s easy to rage at something bad that’s happened, but when you take the time to sit quietly and reflect, everything is part of a process, or cycle, or series, and everything teaches you something. Except Fuller House. That sh!t’s useless on every level.

 

Thanks for reading,

{RDj}

Friday Morning FYI – 2/26/2016

Ron Delaney JrLeave a comment

Welcome to your Friday Morning FYI  – my chance to share observations/wisdom/rants in short, easily consumed form.

A few weeks ago, I FYI’ed about cobwebs. This morning, heading to the coffee shop near the train station, I noticed a massive shadow shifting and swaying under the train bridge. Turns out it was being cast by the same cobweb on which I’d previously reflected, blowing in the bullying morning wind. That leads us to this week’s FYI:

The smallest thing/word/event can cast an enormous shadow. Be mindful and take nothing for granted, but also accept you will not always see how the small things (or what seem to be small things) have huge impacts somewhere down the line.

And to my writer friends, don’t forget this when building your worlds. Not everything needs to be grand and obvious. In fact, the tiny things are often the most interesting.

 

Thanks for reading,

{RDj}