I got a rejection letter yesterday from an agent who said they liked my premise but my writing didn’t draw them in the way they were expecting. Ouch!

That could be their idea of a form letter, but I prefer to think of it as the closest I’ve come to date. It’s certainly the most informative reply I’ve received. I sent out the query in September. Could it be that they moved me into their “Worth Another Look” pile before rejecting me on the second round? And if so, should I keep some of that query letter intact when I rewrite it? I already got rid of the ten pages I sent them, because a writer I’ve been working with in the Four Winds Woodshed  demonstrated to me how long it takes me to get into my story.

I over–complicate things when I write because it keeps me from thinking I’m not doing anything good, or original. I think many writers probably suffer from this. It’s time for me to start ripping away the extraneous stuff so that the reader can see the goodness that lies at the heart.

There. I managed to take all of 2017 off from this blog. It was a time of freedom, a time of whimsy, a time of drunkness. Words for what happened during the last year are everywhere. It might be better if we washed the slate clean. Not that I had a bad year. I don’t use Facebook, and I don’t read Twitter, so I really enjoyed myself. I just feel like I am at a stage where I need to learn more about things that are important to me personally. Here are ten really important things I learned between the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2018.

1. I learned that I love my wife more every day. A stable lifetime relationship is very important to me. (Okay, I knew that. Somehow I know it even more now than I did a year ago.)

2. I learned that I like the Replacements.

3. I learned how to double space a query letter into the body of an e-mail. If you need help with it I can give it to you. If you know more than I do, or are an agent, please share. Actually, if you’re an agent, would you like to take a look at my manuscript? It’s YA Fantasy, 50,000 words.

4. I learned what it’s like to buy a home.

5. I learned that ePub makes my manuscripts look amazing. I’m not sure what to do now. (Except keep telling my stories, of course.)

6. I learned how to mark the buoys on Lake Tahoe with a GPS from my paddleboard.

7. I learned that I really do like a shorter snowboard.

8. I learned how to brush the dogs’ teeth and trim their nails without anyone getting hurt. I can’t offer advice on that one. I imagine that every dog is different.

9. I learned that reading glasses mess with depth perception. Then I learned what it’s like to live with a concussion.

10. I learned that working with someone else on their writing can be helpful to my writing.

I’ve been a proud Minnesota Vikings fan since the fall of 1990, my first year in college. It’s going to be a wild month.

I had to take a break from politics. I wish I could get away from it completely. It is hard at work. There are a lot of very happy people and a lot of very upset people. There are also some people who get it: the votes were counted. The winner won. Life goes on. There will probably be some changes for all of us. Other things will stay the same. It is not the end of times. Trying to predict what’s going to happen, ranting, raving . . . all of this will end, because we all eventually have to get back to keepin’ on keepin’ on.

I do want to kind of figure out what I am. Like most people, I believe in things on both ends of the political spectrum. I believe in letting people make their own decisions. I believe in free trade. I believe in equal acceptance of all people, regardless of race, creed, or gender. I believe that we have moved past an insular society, and that the internet will hasten globalization. I believe that my country had done bad things. I believe that it’s the best country in the world, and that we have a lot to teach as well as learn. I believe in adapting. I believe in the right and the responsibility to defend those I hold dear. I am not a big fan of the Patriot Act, or anything that threatens my freedoms. I believe that George Orwell was prescient when he wrote 1984, and that cameras everywhere are great if you’re looking for photos. Soon you start to realize that the closer we look at things the more contadictory answers there are. If you don’t believe that, take a look at NFL replay. I believe that cameras everywhere become especially bad when you take sides against your government. I believe we have the right to take sides against our goverment, if we feel strongly enough about it. I believe that our founding fathers were pretty smart, and that questioning their ideas or belittling them is unsound. I believe that history repeats, and those who don’t learn from it are doomed to repeat it. I believe in the right to free speech, and I believe that the more that speech bothers me the more it needs to be examined. I believe that people are for the most part good, but that everyone is influenced by their environment.

Our president elect is a populist. He won by telling the people he would give them what they wanted. And I believe in that. I do think we should let the masses decide. However, it becomes important to say who the masses are. Are they the white supremacists? Are they the corporate fat cats? Are they the homosexuals, the Mexicans, or the drug dealers? Are they the bartenders and waitresses? Are they the teachers? Are they the people whose houses and lives are being blown apart somewhere else in the world? Yes. Yes. And yes.

I believe in populism where it relates to the whole. The whole world. Because that is who our future leaders will have to answer to. Sure, you can bomb Iraq and shut them up for a while. You can lock up the blacks. You can starve the Ukranians, and sterilize the Indian poor. But eventually it’s going to come back and bite you in the ass.

Now, it is important to say that, as we move towards globalization, there must be checks and balances for that too. Failure to set a pace and make rules will also result in war and hardship. It is a difficult task. That is why we need strong, intelligent guidance as we move forward. There will always be setbacks and problems, but forcing others to do what we want has repurcussions. Letting laissez-faire work, letting people learn for themselves, has a lot to be said for it. In the long run, it is the quicker path. But, like life, it can also be painful and dangerous.

Of course, if you’re uncomfortable with letting people learn for themselves, you can just go on telling your sons and daughters who they can and can’t date, and how and when they are allowed to have sex. Best of luck with that.

Donald, marginalize anyone you want. Point the finger wherever you want. Build whatever wall you want. You’re the boss. But remember this: life is stronger than you, or anyone. Life finds a way. Learn to make friends with it. Or don’t. We’ll all be watching. And judgement comes in the future.

I finished The Silent and Brave. It ran a lot longer than The Peaceful and Just, by almost a third. I didn’t do a real good job of cutting out rather than adding, but I really like the way it turned out and the characters I discovered and explored. I think it added a lot of depth to my world, my creation of Malvada.

Now, in order to defeat the malaise that generally falls on me after completing a project, I am immediately starting book three, The Prosperous and Malevolent. Hopefully it will be shorter and quicker. One thing I intend to do is go with a straight narrative, keeping all the characters together from beginning to end, so that I can keep one perspective, that of Kavela. That will be unlike the second book, where my point of view jumped between places and characters, following different narratives.

I have a ton of ideas. The champion has conquered two of the wards, but now he must tackle the third, and it will be the most difficult one yet. One of my main characters will be killed. Another will have his love tested. We will meet a scoundrel. A character we thought was good will turn out to be very, very bad. The Narze will return to the narrative, led by Arrik Xermexes, the Other champion.

In order to master the third ward, the champion and his companions will have to quench the river of fire. Don’t worry. I have a plan.

For this to be over. The mood out there is angry, confrontational, divisive. I can feel it at work, where people still turn partisanship into conversation. I have felt that way myself. The feeling now seems to be that there are no good answers, that we are doomed.

My hope is that from these ashes will rise hope. That times will turn good again. That we will remember hope, and faith. Because what this election has tried to teach us is that we are all against one another, but that is not what America is about.

America is about recognizing that our neighbors, our coworkers, and the people we come into contact with every day of our lives are all the same as we are. We are all looking for the same things. Love. Better lives. Hope for the future. America is about government by the people, for the people. It is not what we have been promised these past few months.

On Tuesday all of the provocation will be over, and there will be answers to nothing. But maybe we can begin to look at the positives and live again, rather than use the negatives to fight one another.