MediocreMan

Editing Is Never Done · 11 January 2025

Editing a book is never done. Ever.

One nice thing about print-on-demand books is that when you find errors in your books, you can just correct them and update the book. Nobody will be the wiser. It is slick. Of course, that does mean that you need to read your own books. Something that I do not always want to do.

I already wrote about reading the book Wired For Story. And one of the lessons that I came away with is that writing is rewriting. Which means that you are never done. Which is fine, at least when you publish print-on-demand books. Just keep rewriting those stories. The books will get better and better. And maybe somebody will even read them. Someday. Hopefully. Maybe.

I know that I need to edit and update my books, not just because of Wired For Story, but because I actually started reading a couple of them. I actually knew that I needed to do read them even before I read Wired For Story. But I wanted to stay in bliss. I wanted to be ignorant of all the mistakes that I had made. Which, I suppose, means that I wanted other people to just ignore those mistakes and enjoy the stories. Which could happen. Hopefully. Maybe.

I do notice all the mistake that I have made in the writing that I have done. Okay. Obviously not. If I did, I would not have any mistakes anymore. I would notice them on first reading. Something I actually do. I actually read my books before I release them to the wild. Before I let them take those first baby steps. But apparently, I do not read well enough. I could not get beyond a couple pages in one of my books before I noticed two or three egregious errors. Oh the horror.

(By the way, I do not know that I have ever used egregious in a sentence. I have heard it many times. And when I have heard it, I have known that it meant terrible. Or as the internet says, shocking. I just never found a use for the word until today. So I thought I would remind myself what it actually means.)

At any rate.

If you are wondering if I ever go back and edit my blogs, the answer is no. I do not even read them once I post them. Okay. Not entirely true. I have gone back and read some of my posts. I have even fixed an error or two. But usually, I leave well enough alone. Even though a blog post may not be well enough. Although, if I put together any more collections of blog posts, I will probably need to do some editing.

Well, I have strayed from the original path, but that is okay.

I know that I need to do more editing of my books. Especially those that I have already released. But that is okay. After all, nobody reads them. And those who have read them have been gracious enough to ignore the errors. But I need to go back and fix them. And fix them. And fix them some more. Which is a nice thing about print-on-demand. You can always fix those errors and only those who have the unfixed copies will ever know. And that is a good thing. Especially since writing really is rewriting and editing is never done.

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Happy New Year 2025! · 1 January 2025

Happy New Year! It is 2025!
Oh what a great day, to be so alive.
The old year has gone, it is time for the new
But before we celebrate, let us review.

The old year did bring, days numbered 366
Yes, leap year it seems, did bring its old tricks.
That one extra day, to live a bit more
Or to be down in the dumps, or be a little bit sore.

I suppose we could dwell, on the bad things of the year
Of disasters and happenings, that caused us much fear
Of wars and destruction, we bring one another
Even though we are all, sisters and brothers.

But good happened too, you just need open your eyes
You woke up each day, with or without the sunrise
Whether clouds muted the sun, or blocked it completely
It was there to give light, oh ever so neatly.

And the moon and the stars, were there in the night
Comets and auroras, oh what a beautiful sight.
Yes, God gives us nature and beauty and love
To show us His gifts, all come from above.

God also sent people, who were a sight for sore eyes
The people who smiled, who made their own sun rise.
The people who cared, who brought you up with a smile
The people who shared, who went the extra mile.

Yes, the old year it brought, the good times and bad
We went through the emotions, both happy and sad.
But that happens each year, that we live on this earth
We take the good with the bad, each day since our birth.

So I am happy to live, in the year 2025
It will be such a great year, to be so alive.
Because on my journey, I have family and friends
People who love me, until our time ends.

I hope that you too, are equipped for your trek
If not, just grab friends, and say, “What the heck.”
For it is a great day, to be so alive.
Happy New Year! It is 2025!

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Christmas 2024 · 25 December 2024

Merry Christmas to all.

I hope that you, dear reader, are having a wonderful Christmas. I decided that I would put out a blog post on Christmas day instead of my normal Saturday because… Well, because it is Christmas. And Christmas is a most blessed day.

Now some would say that Christmas is THE most blessed day. I would argue against that a bit. After all, who does not want to have a little argument at Christmas? Okay. Not that kind of argument. I mean it could devolve into that, but that is not the point.

The point is that without Good Friday and Easter, Christmas is just somebody’s birthday. Somebody who was nobody. Think about it. If Jesus did not die on the cross (Good Friday) and rise again from the dead (Easter), then nobody would know about Him. He would have just been a Palestinian Jew who lived in the first century and nobody would have known about him except his disciples. And they would have dispersed if the Roman or Jewish officials had found a body in the grave. Or if they had produced Jesus’ dead body. “Nothing to see here, folks. Just a dead guy who caused a ruckus for a time.” And that would have been it. No Christianity. No Christmas. (No first century either, by the way. Think about it.)

Paul said that Christians are to be the most pitied if Jesus had not risen from the grave. (1 Corinthians 15:12-19) And I agree. Why would I want to follow the teachings of some dead guy who said he was going to rise again, if his body was still in the grave? Where is the logic in that?

Now before I talk too much about logic and reason, I must say that people do not put much store in those things today. Instead, people talk a lot about their feelings. They want to be satisfied emotionally. Which is understandable and good. And there are many religions and philosophies and worldviews where you can satisfy your emotions for a time. Maybe even for a lifetime. But many of those worldviews (dare I say all) are not also intellectually satisfying. They might hold a little water, but the bucket has holes. And so we are left just satisfying our feelings. At least for a time.

Following Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords is not like that. Following Jesus in all that He says in the Bible is both emotionally and intellectually satisfying. You can be comforted by His words. Jesus will strengthen you. He will help you lift your head when you are down. He will give you strength when you are sick. He will love you when nobody else does. Jesus satisfies all your emotional needs.

Jesus also satisfies all your intellectual needs. You can question all you want. You can doubt. You can dig and dig and dig to your heart’s content. You can even look at the cynics and critics. Even they cannot deny that Jesus lived, died, and that His grave was empty. They might not agree as to why the tomb had no body, but they all know that He was gone. And so they are left with a choice. Ignore the evidence or explain it away or follow it where it leads. That is the power of the cross and the empty tomb. You can be intellectually consistent when you follow Jesus.

It might seem that I have strayed from wishing you a merry Christmas, but I have not. I am just pointing out the main points of why Jesus is the reason for the season. No cross. No empty grave. No Christmas. Think about it. Truly think. The deeper you dig, the more you will realize that Jesus truly is King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus truly is the reason for the season.

And that is why I can wish you all a Merry Christmas indeed.

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