33

A meaningful birthday, I suppose. But I'm focused on other things at the moment. Still trying to move forward and/or upward...

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Forward

The difficult thing seems to be getting started, and then moving forward. Once I find my stride I don't struggle as much. 

A routine is necessary. Elimination of crutches, along with strict oversight of some kind of reward system (perhaps including Coca Cola). I'm trying to re-create the circumstances of my most creative years (14 through 17), where my anxiety was heightened but solved with real-world engagement and action through words and websites. 

That, then, is what I'm trying to achieve again. I would rather fail trying to achieve that goal than succeed through more traditional means. 

So, let's continue on. 

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Fresh Draft

Today I started a fresh draft. Of course, I have everything I’ve already written saved and set aside. But this new draft starts where I think it needs to start. I’ve decided to include more in-line artifacts than I previously imagined, though perhaps this was inevitable. Artifacts are central to how I tell stories — to how I advance the narrative. The artifacts I’ve collected, both physical and digital, represent the Crown Jewels of my writing and publishing career. In this compiled work, they are carefully selected and presented for consideration both in our time and throughout history. The included artifacts are, in part, what sets these stories apart from others, though there are surely more compelling tales than mine. Throughout my work, there will be that unexpected through-line, that uniquely American absurdity that seems to connect them all together: liberty realized. 

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Twitch Launched; Transition to Scrivener

Today I launched the official Sometimes Weekly Twitch channel! Over the next couple weeks, I'll be live while I'm working on my manuscript / daily drafting process. I'm interested to see how it goes -- I had a few interactions tonight but wasn't fully set up yet. This is both an accountability tool and a tool to start interacting more with a live broadcast. We'll see how it goes. 

Follow Sometimes Weekly on Twitch

I've also started the important process of moving AMERICAN MILLENNIAL over to Scrivener (from Google Docs). The only downside to Scrivener is I don't have the iOS application (which costs $25, in addition to the MacOS version that I already paid for). Having to use my laptop might be a good temporary transition, particularly as I'm trying to establish a daily writing routine. As a reward, I'll plan to purchase the iOS version after the completion of my BAD FIRST DRAFT. 

No other major updates. I will have a longer update at the end of this week, but otherwise, I'll see you on Twitch tomorrow. 

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Welcome to Doc Butler's Space Log!

Hello from the Back Row of History! 

Somehow, you've found your way to the very first entry into Doc Butler's Space Log. This space is being established to help me, the author, implement a daily writing routine in my ongoing pursuit to publish a satirical (but true) memoir. More on that later. 

This goal (successfully implementing a daily writing routine) has escaped me for some time, but seems necessary given my current goals and ambition. Now, it certainly doesn't help that back in February 2015 I named this blog's parent publication in such a way that there's a built-in excuse for procrastination. And yes, I've tried and failed in the past to make Sometimes Weekly actually weekly. With these realities in mind, over time the idea powering Sometimes Weekly has been, more or less, that less is more, prioritizing quality over quantity, particularly for the website's homepage and Humor & Political writing.

Regardless of whether or not I'm publicly publishing the words I've written, I'm basically always writing: I'm writing on scrap paper, in journals, with typewriters, laptops, and more -- anywhere I find a blank space and the opportunity to fill it with words, well, I do. This blog, then, will become the new home of my scattered thoughts, my morning pages to be shared daily throughout the compilation and publication of AMERICAN MILLENNIAL. 

I will be writing these entries like a diary to my editor, or to an otherwise overly interested audience,  meaning I will be thinking through and explaining parts of what I'm writing in greater detail than they perhaps deserve. This could get messy. But, ideally, this work will help me jump-start the writing process, and improve my overall output, quality, etc. 

Everything published here will be a mostly unedited first draft. Given we live in the age of emergent artificial generative intelligence and large language models that simulate human communication, I don't particularly mind my poor grammatical skills. Sure, to some extent I'm embarrassed I haven't dedicated sufficient time to memorizing the central tenants¹ of the English language, but honestly, I just don't care. I've always written and spoke with sound and rhythm in mind, rather than syntax and certainty.

I have already completed an outline of the work and feel rather confident about the overall flow. The piece that is currently missing is the ever-elusive VOICE, the characterized version of myself from which the memoir will flow. Interestingly, this should be the part of the memoir I am most prepared to present, particularly given my lifelong affinity for the WWE and its infinite characters, and my own experience creating characterized versions of myself in the past. But I seem to be out of touch with this part of my creative abilities -- I have so squarely put myself inside of the box that creating a characterized version of myself seems as though it may threaten my Very Serious image and career, currently underway. The stakes were much lower when I was a kid -- now, a commitment to the bit could land me in an entirely different reality. I'm ready for that journey. 

SO, THEN these entries will continue. Today my plan is to review the overall structure and outline once more, consolidating the piece I have already written and getting a better understanding of my true progress to date. Soon -- this week -- I need to commit to writing, writing, writing.

I can see the full picture already. The vision is there. Let's get moving. 

Q: Why is this not a Substack?
A: Because this project is styled after the old-school internet, not an email newsletter, which was RSS-based and/or required conscious and affirmative action to engage with the content BY CHOICE. 

_

1. This is a perfect example of the kind of era I make often.

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