Memory Trigger Train

Yes, I know it's Monday. Consider this a special edition!

So last night, I was scrolling Facebook and Brian Littrell shared a video someone had of him doing "You Alone." (His Instagram and Facebook are linked, so I didn't get to actually listen until I saw his Instagram a few minutes later.) This gave me all the feels.

I used to have all his solo stuff. I had it all digitally and most of the physical albums they were on. This post of his made me cry. Because I remembered literally the day before the fire picking up his Welcome Home album, holding it in my hand, and then putting it back on the nightstand. I was debating putting it in my car. I opted not to. Oh, how I should have! The next day, it was gone! I have been trying and trying to find this album, new in package for months now. It's not in my price point. I don't want to drop mad cash for someone's used. I want it new. Amazon is just not my friend right now. Neither is eBay.

Anyway, this morning, I see a second post from him where he seems to be indicating someone was post-jacking or making his post more than what it was. It was simply him saying he got what he needed at that moment from his own song. Yeah, got that. Well, that brought back another memory. Yet another one that makes me cry.

This is back in 2007. I saw Brian solo when he was the main act with ONE album out. Yeah, record execs are funny like that, but I didn't care. I also got to see Brandon Heath. The show seriously wasn't that long. But no one cared. I was in the THIRD ROW! He was literally close enough for me to throw something at. (I didn't.) It was so moving that night. There's one moment that sticks in my mind. He sang a cover. (Yeah, rare, I know.) But more so than that, was the fact that he was overcome during that song. So much so he couldn't get the words out. Now if you've been following this man as long as I have, you know that just DOES NOT HAPPEN. Even in 2013 when he was struggling with his voice, he still got the words out, even if it wasn't the way he wanted. This was a moment. One of those moments that happen because there's a tug at your heart. So what was the song: Tim McGraw's "Don't Take the Girl." Go Google the lyrics if you don't know the song and I think you can figure out the moment he lost it.

I can't listen to that song now. Not because of that. But because I BECAME that moment that Brian lost it in that song, almost six years ago. Six years ago on Thursday, my daughter was born at 28 weeks. Six years ago on Thursday, I had lost half my blood volume. Six years ago on Thursday, had we waited another ten minutes, we both probably wouldn't be here.

So why this memory trigger train? I don't know. All I know is that God obviously knew I needed that. And He KNEW, as he always has.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

-- Jeremiah 29:11

WriYe Blog Circle: Editing

Theme: Editing

It's March. That means in the writing circles I run, it's usually NaNoEdMo or Editing Month! For me, it usually doesn't mean anything. Except for this year, I guess.

Describe your editing process. What is your biggest challenge in editing?

My editing process doesn't usually exist. I don't edit. I don't ever really intend to publish, so what's the point? For the most part, I'm a pretty good speller and spell check does reasonably well. The biggest thing I have been doing lately is revising. I've either been digging up old ideas and either completely redoing them or pulling the "good stuff" out and filling in the rest.

But, there is one thing I have been doing just this past week. I found a story I really wanted to work on. It is a BSB/CSI crossover I did back oh something like eight or nine years ago. I found it in my email as a verification file. The only problem was that I had scrambled it. Thankfully it was a very simple letter-to-letter code to crack. I took things like the letter "e" and turned them into "x" and the letter "t" and turned them into "z" and such. There was only one problem with unscrambling it: sometimes there really was a letter x or z or whatever other letters I used that needed to be there. So it made things a little strange. On top of that, when I spell checked the whole thing, it missed some words. Thankfully where I stopped decoding and decided to call it a day, I am pretty much able to figure out what was being said. Also on the first page, I have like three huge holes of where I have partial scenes written. Like they were literally just pieces. So what I decided to do was print out all 14 pages and just go line by line. I'm about 2 pages in, so that's not bad for the first day! And I've still got some time to figure out the timeline, the outline and more. I've actually got to refigure who the killer is and the whole plot as I basically just have the first act figured out for ONE of the stories. Usually, these CSI things have two or three stories running through them.

So that is basically my editing/revision process. It usually doesn't exist, except when it has to. This BSB/CSI crossover I am hoping to use for CampNaNo in April.

Fans

So this FanGirl Friday is about the latest video that the Backstreet Boys dropped. They are doing these minute long videos. They've done each of the guys and this week, they did one about the fans.

At about :38, Brian starts talking. He mentions how when a fan waves a certain way, he does it back so that they know he sees them. I about cried when I heard that. He did that to me on the Black and Blue tour. In fact, it'll be 18 years ago this weekend. I saw that tour three times. For the third night, I knew exactly where I wanted my seats to be: the first-row balcony. I managed to secure I think third-row balcony. During the three songs they did on the mini-stage at the back, literally right in front of me it seemed, I got tired of what I was doing and started applauding in sign language. And low and behold, Brian did it back! It was the best moment of my life, up to that point. It's about as close as I've gotten to meet him. I've seen him up close: the third row at a solo show. I've seen him on the floor of the casino. But him "seeing" me was incredible. It's something I'll never forget.