I've been blo

gging less frequently because most of my free time has been channeled into novel writing. After a very long hiatus, I finally mustered up the gumption to work on a novel that's been in progress since my senior year in high school when this particular suite of characters made their appearance. When I work on novels or fiction of any sort, I get distracted easily. People say I seem withdrawn. Actually, my attention focuses inward on the imaginary people and worlds I craft...I'm constantly hearing character dialogue in my mind, thinking about what comes next and how to connect the major plot points like stringing beads on a necklace. It's distracting to say the least.
It's also been distracting that this current novel is loosely based not just on the original (and pretty awful) novel I wrote my senior year in high school, but also on some friends, events and places from high school. Nothing major, and nothing anyone reading it will recognize - except perhaps those friends! And nothing specific, either. A random party here. A friend there. Everything cobbled together along with things that happened at other times and places to give life and vitality to an imaginary world.
It's reminded me that this is The Birthdays week. The Birthdays was a special time during high school. You see, we had a very close bunch of friends, and within that bunch, three of us had birthdays within one week of each other! Dan's is today. Happy birthday, Dan. I know he sees this blog through Facebook, but I'm not sure if he reads it at all....anyway, Dan, you are a very special friend to me, with many wonderful memories of our friendship throughout high school. Dan is also a writer now and I wish him much success with his career.
Next came my birthday....enough said. That will happen soon enough.
Lastly was Jen's birthday, a few days after mine. Jen stayed in Floral Park, our home town. She bought the home of one of our childhood friends and is slowly working on it, remodeling it. She leads a quiet life. I also owe her quite the debt of gratitude for all the fun times we had.
When we all turned Sweet Sixteen, our group of friends played a funny trick on us. They planned a group Sweet Sixteen birthday party. They told me it was for Jen and Dan. They told Dan it was for Jen & Jeanne. They told Jen it was for Jeanne & Dan. They kept us going like this. Of course we all sort of half-figured it out (okay, I was clueless but I think the others got the joke way before party day) and then we met at Gina's house where her parents threw us a party. Did I mention we were the most clean cut group of kids ever to grace a public high school?
For our junior prom, we didn't want to go to the official prom. Gina's parents invited us to their home. We got dressed up. Her mom dressed like a maid and her dad like a butler. They put out the fancy china in the dining room and pretended to serve us a gourmet meal. It was so much fun! Gina's parents were so much a part of our lives, like Dan's wonderful mom. Dan's mom would sit with us on Friday nights in the kitchen. We'd play endless games of Uno. I wonder if kids today even know what Uno is, or if they like to sit with their friends moms and dads the way we did?
We were such a clean cut, good group of kids. One of my former high school teachers said, "There never was a group like you guys and I've never seen a group like it since." Sure, we stayed out late until all hours of the night. Once we camped out on Jennifer's living room floor all night long! We dared each other to buy beer at the convenience stores. But mostly we were dreamers. We'd sit around and talk about where we wanted to be someday. We had big dreams. At the time, Danny wanted to be a performer. He had a great tenor voice and was the lead in all the school plays. He also drew wonderful pictures, painted and wrote stories. I was the writer, determined to be a star. Sue wanted to be a dancer. And so on....
We were gonna be someone!
It's funny how it's taken me all these years to recognize: we already ARE someone. We don't have to be super famous rock stars to make a difference.
I've come to realize over time that being a rock star doesn't happen overnight, whether you mean a true rock star or a rock star of writing, medicine, law or whatever it is you do. It comes about one day at a time, each day filled with learning, practicing, and honing one's craft, whatever that may be. Talking to the professional musicians in my life also helps me understand how my writing career is normal, not stalled. I can't tell you how many times it hits me like a brick upside the head when I realize that the musicians in my life, like my cousin who I revere, practice many hours a day. They play commercial gigs, like weddings or act as church organists or teach music lessons to pay the bills. I'm like them in that I write copy for a living, offering SEO articles, magazine articles, and other salable work to make money. But like them, I yearn to produce something truly great - but when I do, I probably won't recognize it, because if I'm a true artist, I'll already be on to the next project.
Today marks the start of The Birthdays and memories of my teen years are fresh in my mind. Happy birthday Dan, happy birthday Jen. I'm raising a virtual glass of champagne, filled with love and gratitude for our safe, wonderful childhoods together.