Time flies.
Nothing has been posted in these parts since April 10. And the last time before that was on Feb. 17. The infrequency of postings at this little, ole blog has become so pervasive that it’s a challenge just remembering how to run the WordPress machine.
But here I am, stepping up to the Daily Post: Writing 101, Day Nineteen: Don’t Stop the Rockin’.
Today is a free writing day. Write at least four-hundred words, and once you start typing, don’t stop, the WordPress editors said. No self-editing, no trash-talking, and no second guessing: just go. Bonus points if you tackle an idea you’ve been playing with but think is too silly to post about. (Here, as an old editor, I have to ask: What kind of an editor ends a sentence in a preposition?)
So, where have I been in 2014? Well, I got divorced in May. And I’ve been working on a couple of big projects at my day job, where I am responsible for fundraising, development and the like.
But instead of using my next 245 words on those subjects, I’m going to write about Brian Krans, who I saw June 13 for the first time in a decade. It was at a reading in Rock Island, Ill., for the third novel Krans has written and self-published and is touring the country this summer to promote and sell. He quit his job in Oakland, Calif., and hit the road in a 15-year-old pickup loaded with books. Look him up at 1 p.m. Sunday if you’re at Oak City Inline Skate Shop in Raleigh, N.C., But get there early, because the beer — PBR, no doubt — will be free.
A dozen years ago, I hired Krans for his first reporting job at the Daily News in Winona, Minn., while he was still a student at Winona State University. I have to admit to always having a fondness for the kid even though he really isn’t a kid anymore. He can be overly ambitious and a bit obnoxious, but he also has a far bigger heart than he’d ever want anyone to know. And he writes. Every. Day. Even when he was writing full time at a day job. It’s not an easy thing to do. At least it never has been for me. Obviously.
I admire his guts — quitting a good job in order to travel the country in an old truck, selling some books, drinking some beer (only 92 so far on this tour, according to his website, which is questionable) and Rollerblading so far at 12 skate spots. He is doing the things he loves, which makes for a teachable moment with Krans in the teaching role this time around.
After we gave each other a man hug on that Friday night in Rock Island at Icons Martini bar, the first thing Krans said was: Why haven’t you been blogging?
So here I am, Krans. This isn’t a book. It’s not even a chapter. It might almost qualify as a page. Thanks for giving me a polite kick in the ass.
Brome Hill 