John Woodington The official site for the author.

Halfway ThroughPosted by John Woodington on October 9th, 2009

I’m about halfway through reading War and Peace, and it’s got my attention.  It’s no page-turning thriller, but it gives such a vibrant sense of the characters and their situations and dilemmas, that I find myself going back to it daily for more.  Plus, it has Napoleon in it, which is cool.

Coincidentally, I’m also about halfway through the second draft of my new short story “Lawnmower Boy,” and I think the edits are going pretty well.  I’m trimming out as much as I can, all in an attempt to reach my goal of 4000 words for the final draft.

So far it’s at 5353 words.

In Halloween news, I’m currently planning to dress up as the fashionable Don Draper from AMC’s Mad Men.  I just need to find a hat…

Poe Funeral and a Crazy WordPosted by John Woodington on October 6th, 2009

I guess you could call this story relatively Halloween-ish.  Apparently, for the anniversary of his death, some folks out in Baltimore will re-bury Edgar Allen Poe in a major production that will last an entire weekend.  Sounds like fun, right?

Also, halfway through the story, there appears a word I have never seen before: “splashiest”.  Apparently, however, this is a real word.

The Horrible RealizationPosted by John Woodington on October 5th, 2009

I’m beginning the initial edits on my new short story, “Lawnmower Boy,” and so far so good.  I’ve done a read-through, and realized the story is about Making a Fool of Yourself, Owning Up to Consequences, and The Horrible Realization that Your Parents Might Still be Having Sex.

Can you guess which one is the most difficult to deal with?

After I get a good mental grasp of the story, I’ll try to trim it down, and then get it into the hands of my trusty reviewers.  Hopefully they can give me some added insights that will bring this story to publication.

One final thing.  Now that Banned Books Week is over, we can truly focus on what is important these days, and that is Halloween decorations, and Halloween candy, and Halloween costumes.  Here is a scary picture of a cluster of ghosts talking about the upcoming Packers/Vikings football game, or some other Minnesotan thing.  The only thing that would make those ghosts more Minnesotan is if they were each holding a Michelob Golden Light in their ephemeral hands.

A Brief Nerd-OutPosted by John Woodington on October 1st, 2009

So I’m a big fan of AMC’s Mad Men, but I never knew I’d also be a fan of Mad Mad Men, or Sad Men, or Happy Men.  Sesame Street has, apparently, proven me wrong.

Also, since it is officially October, and officially Halloween season, a season which I enjoy more than any other, I had a slight nerd-out when I saw these Star Wars pumpkin carvings.  Check out that Death Star!