Damien Riley HQ

Writers revise. It’s part of the writing process. It takes your breath away when you go back and scan your own work to find errors. Revision is also a mindset.

In response to: Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “vis.” Use a word, or tie your post’s theme around a word, that contains the letters VIS, in that order.

You would have been so embarrassed if they had been published and you are so glad you caught them and changed them. Revision is the opposite of dogma or stream of consciousness. While all have their part in writing, revision is what gives writing its smart look and cohesive form. The animal in us blurts out whatever it wants without few filters, revision reins it in and makes it more palatable for the reader.

Young men finding their way in the world would do well to revise their goals along the way. They way have lofty ideals to be in the movies or become a real estate mogul when a happier goal is to pay one mortgage and work a job he loves all of his life. These types of goals are like pruning trees. They are called goal revision. Whenever I get a big creative idea I want to try, I have learned to keep it open to revision. The truck is to not become lazy and lose the spur of the moment dream but keeping it alive and ope to revision. It gets easier with practice.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Shoulda Woulda Coulda.”

If I know a lot about a topic and am comfortable with it, I feel no pressure to but sometimes work is work.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “The Heat is On.” “Do you thrive under pressure or crumble at the thought of it? Does your best stuff surface as the deadline approaches or do you need to iterate, day after day to achieve something you’re proud of? Tell us how you work best.”

When it comes to projects at work or in my personal life, I follow the phrase “Desperate times call for desperate measures.” Another one that applies is “When you have a why, you’ll make it happen with any how.” I’m a believer in good stress. When I am under the gun on a project, it often forces me to do some of my most creative and innovative work. We like in a stressful world and much of it can be toxic but we shouldn’t forget that stress compels us to find solutions sometimes we were never able to see in a relaxed state.

I watched a documentary the other day about movie making and the set manager was bragging about how the studio forced him to create a set in record time. He might just as well be thankful for that time constraint because the movie went on to be a huge success. I am also a firm opponent to toxic stress. For example, I discovered last year I have been grinding my teeth. My research into this malady called “bruxism” has told me it is most often due to stress. I’ve actually had to start wearing a mouth guard at night to save my teeth. All that stress and I’m only 46! This has been another wake-up call to not take everything so seriously and to practice relaxation techniques. I share that to show that stress can also be toxic as well and productive.

I heard a song recently that really summarizes what I’m saying here in this post. The words went something like, it was a new song to me so I can’t recall the name, “If you have to think about it, it isn’t for you.” What a refreshing thought. If you have to consider something, it isn’t worth doing. It isn’t for you. Wouldn’t life be awesome if we could live it this way? In conclusion, I’ seeing two concerts this weekend. Tonight it’s Willie Nelson and Saturday Imagine Dragons. The Dragons are in their twenties and making decisions on projects based on a long term goal. They have to think, it’s clear from reading their interviews. I think they got too famous too soon for their own good but I sure love their music. On the other hand, Willie is just doing his thing. Now in his 80’s, I assume, he just plays to play. There’s no need for a fancy show or sets etc. Less stress I think too. We should all hope to achieve a place one day where we can “just be” the good old Willie. Until then it’s about doing the stuff we know and going easy on ourselves as we prepare to create and innovate projects about stuff we’re still learning about. In between it all, pay attention to the stove of stress before it’s hot. In the end it’s a;; about balance and knowing ones own limits.

I always wanted to be able to play the sax. There’s a killer solo in Chris Deburgh’s Fatal Hesitation that I’d love to rip through alone in my room. Guitar has been my instrument of choice all my life.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Practice Makes Perfect?.”

I’ve messed with some wind instruments like flute and harmonica. They just come as naturally to me as the guitar, my chosen instrument. Baker Street by Dan Rafferty has that signature sound and melody. I’d also love to play that one. It’s such an emotional sound, the sax adds so much to a band. Another amazing sax tune in in The heat is On by Glen Frey. I’m quite sure it’s too late for me to start sax lessons, I barely practice my guitar anymore. Still, when you hear someone talented play, you feel like you’re playing it yourself.

I always wanted to be able to play the sax. There’s a killer solo in Chris Deburgh’s Fatal Hesitation that I’d love to rip through alone in my room. Guitar has been my instrument of choice all my life.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Practice Makes Perfect?.”

I’ve messed with some wind instruments like flute and harmonica. They just come as naturally to me as the guitar, my chosen instrument. Baker Street by Dan Rafferty has that signature sound and melody. I’d also love to play that one. It’s such an emotional sound, the sax adds so much to a band. Another amazing sax tune in in The heat is On by Glen Frey. I’m quite sure it’s too late for me to start sax lessons, I barely practice my guitar anymore. Still, when you hear someone talented play, you feel like you’re playing it yourself.

I’m not too happy with some of the misconceptions about 4th of July out there on social media. America was formed because an unruly, righteously driven group of colonists would not accept taxation from Great Britain. My whole concept of being a proud American stems from this basic knowledge.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Familial Feasts.”

I’d like to have a holiday honoring the Irish immigrants. They were killed in the streets just because of their ethnicity. They were drive to America by the potato famine and were not prosperous at first. My Riley ancestors went through a lot of crap and struggle so I could enjoy the freedom of education and career I enjoy today. I’m grateful to them for that. But back to the 4th of July. I’m also not too happy with WordPress Daily Post for not creating a 4thn of July prompt. I hope that was not intentional. WordPress is right up there on my “proud to be” list along with being an American. I get most of that from how it was and still is largely an open source technology by the people and for the people. I am eternally grateful for the revolutionary rebel soldiers who won the war and enabled the writing of the Declaration of Independence.

Moment of silence.

Onward and upward … the ribs, corn on the cob, and swimming in the 88 degree weather is calling me. As a teacher, I thought it proper to post for you these 3 minute videos to help your kids and other curious folks understand what the 4th of July means. Schoolhouse Rock says it better than I! Happy 4th of July proud Americans!

Since I tend to worry a lot, even subliminally and out of my control, I truly appreciate it when a stranger I run across in my life urges me to “not worry about it.” I need to be that way with strangers from my end as well.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “The Kindness of Strangers.”

It can be as small as being short a few cents when checking out at a store. “Don’t worry about it” is like music to my ears. I actually had a checker once spot me one dollar when I was short. I told her I’d come back and repay her which I did. When I said thank you the second time, she said those magic words. If I’m nervous at the doctor or dentist, those words are so helpful. If I’m being evaluated at work, they are like a million dollars. To have an evaluator use them is heartening.

Stress is necessary in life. When a runner goes off at the gun, he needs to stress his muscles to win the race. In making a presentation with hopes of landing an account, a salesman must stress himself. Butterflies in the stomach are unavoidable sometimes but when you learn to not worry about it, you get those butterflies “flying in formation” and you can do great things. Would you like more people to tell you to not worry about it? I recommend you start telling others that. That’s my plan. We’ll see what karma can do for my struggle with worry.