*Spoiler alert for Chapter 6: Junk
We interrupt this program...
This is a relatively short chapter, so I am taking a moment to check-in with you all. How do you like the blog so far? What would you like to read more of? Did you read the entire book already, or are you trying one chapter a week with me as I post the blog?
Everyone is so busy these days. It is very difficult to get someone to take a few minutes and drop a comment or even click a 'like' button. I truly love the feedback though, and I love writing about my story. So please, don't be shy! Drop a Comment or Like below, hit me up on Twitter, Facebook, or Goodreads too!
Your feedback matters, and I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate it.
More deep cuts
Last time, I rambled on about going to concerts, and you may remember that I mentioned seeing Collective Soul many many times. Another great opening band I saw at one of their shows is The Tories. The album they were touring for at the time is named "Wonderful Life", and I highly recommend you check it out. I'll come back to the point of this in a bit though.
This chapter begins with a short scene of Dustin going to meet with a general contractor about a job. Being that he and Damon are in this new and unfamiliar place, I figure Damon would feel a bit uneasy with his dad leaving him with this old lady stranger (Dora) while he goes interview for a job. Of course, the dog is the reason we assume Damon isn't more worried. He's obviously preoccupied with it.
Even so, the song by The Tories, "Don't be Long" jumped to mind. It's just a sweet little song about attachment. I figure Damon is sitting there with this dog, understanding the need for his father to get a job, but also thinking, "don't be long, dad!"
Being an adoptive father, I had to learn a lot about attachment, and attachment disorders. This also applies to pet adoption. The way creatures, animal and human, will connect with each other to form lifelong bonds is truly amazing. I am sure there are biological and physiological reasons why this happens, but it feels magical to those of us who aren't biologists!
Whether falling in love, becoming attached to a person we've adopted, or bringing a pet into our lives, we're meant to connect. This story, at it's core, is about attachment. Dustin's attachment to his wife is shaken right now. Is it possible he's throwing his attention to Damon and this broken dog to avoid addressing his relationship? Maybe.
Tinker
A small feature of this chapter is Damon's interest in making things. I am pulling this directly from my experiences with my son. He has an incredible talent for sculpting, which is fun for me because I've always been terrible in the visual arts.
He's also taken a liking to making his own costumes. He'll use whatever materials he can find around the house, and make a custom Mandalorian costume or Predator mask. This is very exciting for me as a major comic geek who enjoys comic conventions. The costuming (cosplay) that people do at those events in unbelievable. I hope my son is brave enough to give this a try someday, because it will mean he continues to develop this talent.
The Talk
Again, this is a short chapter, but there is a pivotal scene here where Dustin clumsily tries to explain to Damon why they are separated from his mom. In my initial draft of the story, this was missing. Adding this scene solved two problems:
A gaping plot hole where Dustin never talks to Damon about this, even though I foreshadow it in the first chapter.
I needed Dora to have more interaction with Dustin where her wisdom helps guide him.
What is also interesting about this scene is that writing it caused me to change the name of Dustin's wife, Holly. Originally, she was named Hope, but my editor suggested the dog and the mom having the same name might be confusing for readers. I agreed, and made the switch, but wanted to maintain the dog's name as Hope.
A silly side note: with this name change, Dustin's wife is now named Holly Hope Harris. Of course this makes her Triple-H! Shout-out to all you pro-wrestling fans out there! LOL
And with that, this blog post is done. Only one song, but I hope these last two posts have led you to some obscure bands and songs you wouldn't otherwise know about.
See you next week at the movies.
Soundtrack (thus far):
Bonus Track: Interstate Love Song - Stone Temple Pilots
Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town - Pearl Jam
Bonus Track: Rockin' Chair - Oasis
Follow as we build the soundtrack on Spotify!
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