HONORING BANNED BOOKS WEEK: SEPTEMBER 18-24, 2022

While I do not normally step upon my soap box here instead of discussing my writing, the subject is too important to ignore.

THE FOLLOWING IS AN EDITORIAL.

September 18-24 is 2022's National Banned Books Week here in the United States.

While an ongoing subject since practically the start of the printed word, those who want to "edit" what others read has been in the news a lot lately.

Some of the more RECENT incidents were reported on The Free Choice E-zine's "The Week In Review" here, here, and here.

Now it's a given that not everyone is going to like everything.

That's why there are so many different genres, authors working within them, etc.

There's something for everyone and if you don't like a specific book then just don't read it.

That's both your choice and right to do so.

While parents must and hopefully have some say over what their young children read, that does NOT give anyone the right to dictate what others can read.

Your personal opinion is just that.

PERSONAL!

You want to share it? Fine, if done so politely. That's why there are reviewers and critics in the world.

But you canNOT force that opinion upon another individual, let alone a public intuition like a public library!

One state's "Concerns"

Some people have even gone as far as to BURN BOOKS! 😱

THAT IS TOO EXTREME!

Some books may be outdated and past their "prime".

After all, hopefully the Human race has evolved beyond the days of Uncle Tom's Cabin and Huckleberry Finn.

But for those who still want to read them, you can just put a Historical Footnote about the times and the way society was back then at the beginning of the book without destroying Harriet Becher Stowe's or Mark Twain's original prose.

And some of the reasons for wanting to ban or destroy books today just make me shudder.

After all, if you don't know something and are afraid to publicly ask the questions, how else are you going to figure out the answers?

As a writer myself, I know not everything I create is going to be liked by everyone.

Such is life.

But under no circumstances does one adult person have the "right" or "privilege" to dictate what another adult reads.

After all, doing so DOES violate the First Amendment to the United States Constitution!

Lee Houston, Junior

18 September, 2022

THE ABOVE WAS AN EDITORIAL.

All links were active at the time this article was posted.

Writing Progress Reports should resume next weekend.

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 10, 2022

 Just wanted to keep everyone informed but I'm still wearing my Editor's Cap at the moment honoring the
commitments I made under the belief I should be available in case My Friendly Neighborhood Beta-Proofreader needed help after her hip surgery.

Yet as everyone interested should know by now, complication(s) arose so Nancy Hansen had to postpone that, but I'm a man of my word.

So other than taking care of The Free Choice E-zine, hopefully I'll be back to writing by next weekend.

Until then, take care.

STAY SAFE! 😷

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

11 September, 2022

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 3, 2022

 WELL...

My Editor's Hat

I'm still on Chapter 10 of SOLITAIRE 2: THE AGENDA. I did make it past the 16,000+ word point before I stopped everything thinking it would be better to do some Editing in case My Friendly Neighborhood Beta Proofreader needed any help while she recovers from hip surgery.

HOWEVER...

While she knows all the details far better than I do, the short version is that some complication(s?) was/were encountered, which forced Nancy Hansen to postpone the operation until sometime next year at the earliest.

BUT—

I still have to honor the editing commitments I made thinking that would be all I might have a chance to do right now before I can get back to writing.

So back to the computer!

Hope your Labor Day weekend is going well.

Take care.

STAY SAFE!😷

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

4 September, 2022

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING AUGUST 27, 2022

 Currently I am 15,000+ words and on the tenth chapter of SOLITAIRE 2: THE AGENDA.

Our Secretive Samaritan is still in Cancun at the moment, but the action is far from over.

HOWEVER—

As of Wednesday I will be switching from my Writing Cap to my Editor's Hat to keep a couple of promises I made for September when I heard that My Friendly Neighborhood Beta-Proofreader will be having hip surgery on August 31.

Besides being the above, Nancy Hansen has seen me through two heart💔 surgeries💖 and I want to be available in case she needs me to return the favor.

I figured it be quicker to secure and leave my computer in Editing mode than it would in Writing mode because with the latter, you always want to finish a stray thought/sentence/paragraph, etc. before you go elsewhere.

Now don't worry though folks.

I won't be away from writing forever.

Just at least the first couple of weeks of September or until I honor my commitments. Whichever comes second.

Either way, I'll still be keeping up with The Free Choice E-zine in my capacity as Editor-In-Chief during that time.

In any event I better get back to "work" now.

Take care.

STAY SAFE! 😷

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

28 August, 2022

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING AUGUST 20, 2022

GOOD NEWS FIRST. 😀

I have finished both Chapter 8 and the Cancun Car Chase in SOLITAIRE 2: THE AGENDA.

The action and thrills are far from over though because write right now I'm in the middle of Chapter 9 and 14,500+ words into the overall manuscript.

There's still plenty of events to cover in that Tropical resort area before going on to...?

Tune in to future PROGRESS REPORTS to find out what the COVERT CRUSADER is up to.

Well, that's the good news.

The "bad" news, such as it is, is that I will be spending at least the beginning of September wearing my Editor's Hat again taking care of a few projects for friends and fellow writers, so I have no idea at the moment how much of my own writing I will manage to accomplish during that time.

With that said, I better see what else I can accomplish between now and the end of August.

Take care.

STAY SAFE! 😷

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

21 August, 2022

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING AUGUST 13, 2022

 As I post this, I have broken the 13,000+ word mark on SOLITAIRE 2: THE AGENDA, but am still on
Chapter 8 trying to figure out how to successfully end a car chase in Cancun.

As previously mentioned in past posts, staging any action scene in a non-visual medium is a challenge, having to rely only upon words to convey what's going on.

Not that it can't be done. A lot of authors have accomplished this task before me and I am persevering on the matter but, having never let the Continental United States—let alone the pleasure of visiting Cancun—it's taken a lot of research.

Drivers there do use the right side of the road and have the normal traffic lights: red, yellow and green.

But did you know those same lights were also used as COVID alert warnings during the height of the pandemic?

Also speed limits, and many other rules and regulations, are strictly enforced with the local authorities taking a dim view of lawbreakers.

So you can see the work that I've already accomplished and still have to complete this chapter.

In any event, I better get back to writing now.

Take care.

STAY SAFE!😷

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

14 August, 2022

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING AUGUST 6, 2022

Okay, let's run through this.

Still on Chapter 8 to SOLITAIRE 2: THE AGENDA.

Still working on the big action scene of the chapter, but only somewhere between a third to near the halfway point of the sequence at best.

Have gotten over 12,000+ words though.

While I'll admit that doesn't seem like a lot compared to last week, on the other hand I've never been to Cancun in my life, so I'm working blindly except for whatever I can find on the Internet.

At least I should be finished with heart rehab sometime this week so next week will hopefully have a lot more writing time and be closer to "normal" than the last couple of months.

In any event I better get back to writing now.

Take care.

STAY SAFE!😷

And I'll see you around the Internet.

Lee Houston, Junior

7 August, 2022