How I Burn To Be A Writer!

Writers should burn their own books.

That would save so much wear and tear on the nerves.

Why would I, a writer, think that?

Sunday evening, following the advice about track confirmations from my son-in-law, and advice on pasting into a new Word document from my son, and the helpful instructions in the Word Help Menu (HA!), I solved the problem revealed in the error messages mentioned in last week.

Remember? “A Microsoft Word pop-up box informed me that I have insufficient memory and no further change can be undone… then, another pop-up box said, I’ve made too many edits and my text can not be saved”.

Yeah, that problem—not being able to save or change over 300 pages of text.

It’s infuriating, but I can’t tell which thing I did solved the problem.

Oh well, one of the many things I did finally worked.

Once that I’d solved that, I restructured section breaks, realigned pagination, confirmed the accuracy of and formatted 163 footnotes, created an index, gave the manuscript a final going over—then uploaded the book to the printer for a proof copy.

Joy, Oh Joy—my history of firefighting in Jacksonville is FINISHED!

After working on this manuscript off and on since 1986, and especially concentrating on it for the past two years, it’s finally FINISHED!

Joy. Joy. Joy. Happy. Happy. Happy—then yesterday afternoon, the phone rang.

A source I’d asked for information back on September 9^th (actually, I'd begun seeking this information more than a year ago) Information about heroic acts by local firemen called… He has the additional information.

His additional information looks to cover about another three to six pages to be inserted about two/thirds of the way into the book…

His information involves tales of bravery, courage, risk, dramatic rescues and inspiration… As it stands now, the inspirational highpoint of my text quotes a 1950s newspaper article about how firemen at one station planted petunias all around the entrance to beautify the firehouse.

But, if I add the information provided by my late-calling source, then I’ll need to scrap my proof copy, restructure the section breaks, realign pagination, confirm the accuracy of and formatted 163 footnotes, created an new inde…

Like the rigging of an old clipper ship, in a book manuscript, if you change the tension on one line to one sail, you have to adjust the tension on all the other ropes on every mast. There are no simple changes.

Someone whispers in my ear, “Ignore the additional information; your book will stand without it. You don’t want to do all that work all over again. Who’ll know the difference?”.

The voice in my ear even repeated a famous quote:

“What I have written, I have written”.

That’s a verse from the Bible.

That’s a verse I can live with….

Er, who was it who said that?

Oh, that was Pontius Pilate talking about the sign he had tacked above Jesus’ head on the cross.

Is that a Scripture verse I want to live by?

This Living-For-Jesus thing on a day by day basis, while observing the guidelines of Scripture, can be tricky.

I’ll either have to revise my “finished” manuscript again, or find another portion of Scripture… Oh, here’s a good one:

In Acts 19:19 many former occultists at Ephesus had become Christians and:

“Many that believed came and confessed and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men… So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed”.

Notice—this is important—they did not burn anybody else’s book—only their own books. Never anybody else’s.

I’d against censorship in all forms…

But, I’m beginning to think, when it comes to my own books… Especially this fire history which has plagued me for years and years and years, maybe those ancient Ephesians had a point.

My fire history book in a bonfire…

I see a certain appeal in imagining that.

Sort of a poetic vision.

Calming to the nerves.

Soothing to the mind.

Warming to the heart.

Marshmallows!

I need some marshmallows—and a thin stick.