There is No Finish Line, Only Check Points

From Transitions to Reconciliations

I’ve been working on my first book for 10 years! Really?? Yep. A memoir. Sort of. I sent the 14th draft off to my editor a couple of weeks ago. I’m here to share thoughts and ideas about writing and life itself. I appreciate the diversity Substack provides, and I hope to be able to contribute as well as receive.

This is my first rodeo at this level. I was semi-retired until I got serious about finishing and publishing my book. Turns out this whole “Be a published author!” thing is a lot of work! I’ll hope to post weekly, likely on Thursdays, mainly about my journey from “Hey, this is a great idea!” to maybe actually getting published.

Most of my story is about leaving home at age 14 through high school graduation at age 17 in Austin, Texas in the early 1970s. Experiences from the period that began and defined the Austin Scene. Restaurants, clubs, bars, and hangouts. Progressive country music. Sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

I was a teenage boy who intentionally put himself into situations that no 14-to-17-year-old should be in. Ever. Took huge risks with mostly incredibly lucky outcomes, like living on the streets from 14 to 16, and hitchhiking from Austin to Seattle and back at age 15. The confusion, betrayals, pain, loss, and grief along the way that I “put in a box, and put the box on a shelf in the back of my mind.” And have finally started unpacking it. I hope some of it is humorous. I know some of it is explicit and raw.

The shortest—and most important and insightful—part is covered in only the last few chapters as I try to capture one of the most critical times in my life: the amazing reconciliation with my father twenty-five years later, who passed away in our home.

I’ll focus mainly on writing-to-getting-published, with some side trips along the way. Some adventures, funny stories, philosophy, serious shit—and no politics, please. Some of what I’ll put out here is serious, and hope some of it brings at least a smile if not some laughter. I’ve also restarted my blog, so weekly updates there, too at https://raysbuzz.com.

Thanks to everyone for reading this far, and looking forward to interesting times!

Ray