Perfectionism & the Royal Suspension Chain Pier in Brighton

As an aspiring author, I think my biggest weakness is perfectionism. I tend to think that whatever I create should be perfect, that it should appeal to everyone, and that it should be so good that it will last forever. My seeming inability to adopt a more realistic approach has meant that I've finished and submitted few stories and novels.  

As a result, after years of writing, I have nothing to show for my efforts.

At the Brighton Museum, I learned that the city's first pier was called the Royal Suspension Chain Pier.  It was built in 1823, with the intention of helping cross-channel passengers board their ships.

It soon became a place for the fashionable to congregate, to see and be seen.  Or, as the British would say, to promenade.  Landscape painters such as Joseph Turner (an inspiration for Holmfirth-based Ashley Jackson) and John Constable immortalized it in their work.

While I'm sure the builders constructed it as best they could, the Royal Suspension Chain Pier failed the test of time.  By 1896, the pier had already been closed, and was scheduled to be dismantled when a storm struck Brighton.

The remains of the limestone blocks into which the oak piles were rooted can apparently be seen at extremely low tides.  Sadly, that's all that remains of what was a highly useful and impressive structure.  Still, the unexpected appeal of the Royal Suspension Chain Pier led to the construction of the West Pier, which became a popular venue for concerts, shows, and all sorts of entertainment.  It helped make Brighton a better port city, heightened its utility and appeal, and helped it grow.  Even if it wasn't perfect, even if it didn't last forever, it benefitted people in many ways, and was immortalized by two painters who would eventually number among England's greatest artists.

No matter how hard I work, it's likely I can never make my fiction perfect.  It's equally likely that any stories I manage to publish may go out of print.  But if they can entertain readers for a time, and inspire future authors, then that should be enough for me.  Now, to keep that thought before me each day as I sit down to write, and finish, and sell.

Dragon Dave

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The Brighton Museum

Installing a Microwave Oven in 210 Days: Part 6

Ah...a happy sight.

I’ve drawn up a list of resolutions.  Hopefully, on those occasions I break the following resolutions, it will be for sound reasons. 

Rule #1: I pledge to never again believe any of the salespeople’s assurances.  They don’t know about my old appliances, or how they were installed. 

Rule #2: I will research all appliance purchases.  My new microwave’s exhaust fan is much louder than I had anticipated.  (This is not a huge issue, but it’s not like I can return the item now, either).

Rule #3: I will never again buy anything that I’m not going to use immediately.  Whether it’s an art project, installing a microwave, or something else, I pledge not to buy the item (and other associated parts, materials, etc.) and consequently let it clutter up our home until I get around to finishing doing, making, or installing said item.  In other words, don’t plan life too far ahead.  (This may be the hardest rule to follow through on).

Rule #4: I will anticipate problems, and look forward to solving them.  Even when reading the seemingly simple instructions for the wall frame, I felt as if I needed one of those cryptographic decoding machines James Bond was trying to get in “From Russia With Love.”  Or, as Kenneth Johnson said about writing his “Bionic Woman” scripts, obstacles define character.  Hungering for an easy life leads to procrastination and perfectionism.  I want to be more like Terrance Dicks, tough enough to overcome whatever problems that life throws my way.

Rule #5: I refuse to feel ashamed for choosing inelegant fixes.  Increasing the width of the dado on each cabinet, and gluing-in a strip of ¼” Oak below the shelf, might have been more elegant, but that would have taken more effort, precision, and time.  I will remember how ineffective Drax and Dran (or Perfectionism and Procrastination) were in Roger Zelazny’s story “The Slow Kings.”  After all, the brackets were inexpensive (parts and materials only cost us $19.25), and saved us lots of hassle and labor. 

(Note: if the microwave comes crashing down on the stove later, rethink Rule #5).

Well, there you have it: my five resolutions for the future.  As for the current project, I still have to decide whether to raise the doors above the microwave or affix some kind of hardware (such as pull-knobs).  I also need to reposition the upright supports.  This time I’ll drill pilot holes first so as not to bend the shelf unnecessarily.  Completing these last few details will go a long way toward making my project not only look more professional, but more serviceable.  Before, we didn’t use the area above the microwave for anything more than storing the broiler pan we never use in our gas oven.  Hopefully, when I’m finished, I’ll have more storage space above, and use it daily for storing the pans we use most. 

Installing our new over-the-counter microwave may have taken us 210 days, but no doubt saved us several hundred dollars in labor.  We can put that money toward our next vacation.  (Even if, unlike Phileas Fogg in Jules Verne’s classic novel, we only travel halfway around the world). 

Exhausted, but satisfied,

Dragon Dave

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Terrance Dicks: Don’t Let the Screen Go Dark

Terrance Dicks: Don’t Let the Screen Go Dark

One journey ends.  Another begins.

Saturday proved an unusual day for me.  It had been a hard week, and my wife and I were feeling, well, “narky.”   Like the collar of a favorite shirt, we were afraid if we did much more, our emotions would start to fray.  So, after breakfast, we abandoned plans to “make Saturday count” and did something we’ve done with decreasing regularity in recent years: we spent most of the day relaxing, and a good portion of it reading. 

This proved a happy and healing process for us.  I finished Foreigner by C. J. Cherryh, a novel I’ve been chipping away at for some time.  My wife finished The Stainless Steel Rat Returns by Harry Harrison.  I also started Time of the Great Freeze by Robert Silverberg, a 1964 novel written for young readers.  (Believe it or not, J. K. Rowling didn’t invent the Young Adult market).  But more on those books later.

In his story “The Great Slow Kings,” Roger Zelazny introduces us to two aliens, Drax and Dran, who plan to build a society around two examples of a lesser species whom their robot Zindrome brings to their planet Glan.  While Drax and Dran reenact their version of the conversation between Socrates and others in Plato’s Republic, these newcomers live life at a frantic pace, and populate Glan.  Lacking direction from the Slow Kings, they build their own societies.  Thus, by their inaction, Drax and Dran become irrelevant.

In “Roger Zelazny is in My Head,” I discussed the battle I wage every day in my writing.  My Slow Kings are named Procrastination and Perfectionism.  Like Zindrome, I’m often caught in the crossfire between these two.  Sometimes I’ve listened to Procrastination, and opted not to write because I “wasn’t in the mood.”  Or I’ve listened to Perfectionism and abandoned promising stories because they “weren’t good enough.”  I may never dethrone my Slow Kings, but each time I complete a new post, I’m publishing a message that may prove meaningful to someone.  Writing this blog comes with a price tag, however.  During the week, I can’t write this blog until I’ve first met my daily target for my novel.  On the weekend, other priorities make themselves known.

After yesterday’s rest, I found myself with no blog post prepared.  So my thoughts returned to Drax and Dran, but they also returned to Terrance Dicks, who worked as the Script Editor for the TV series “Doctor Who” from 1970 to ’75.  In 1977, producer Graham Williams needed a script yesterday.  So, working at a frantic pace, Terrance Dicks created a four-part story called “Horror of Fang Rock.”  On his DVD commentary, Dicks shared this insight: his goal wasn’t to write a great (or perfect) story, it was about not having the TV screens in Britain go dark those four nights.

Terrance Dicks' legacy is well-guarded.

I know most who stumble across The Dragon’s Cache won’t return.  But if I am to make this blog a dependable source of encouragement and inspiration, I must provide something new on a regular basis.  Otherwise, those who look to me for some thoughts to power their day will grow disenchanted, and search out more dependable sources. 

In Roger Zelazny’s story, Drax and Dran contribute nothing to their world.  Certainly Procrastination has never contributed a single thing to mine.  Ironically, the blog posts I thought most perfect often attract little interest, while those that have proven most popular almost always took me by surprise.  This suggests that Perfectionism isn’t a perfect guide either.  (This realization also suggests that when I finish my dragon novel, I should revisit my older manuscripts.  Perhaps Perfectionism judged some of those stories too harshly).

Yes, I need time to work on my novels.  Yes, I need time to relax and recharge.  But now I recognize the truth: Procrastination and Perfectionism’s arguments cannot be trusted.  With my apologizes to the great Roger Zelazny, I must model myself on Terrance Dicks, and do my best to never, ever, let your screen go dark.

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