I have had a pet project 15 years in the making that never seems to go past first base.
As down-in-the-dumps as Detroit has been for generations, it perhaps hit its lowest point in the early 1990s, when the controversial Coleman Young was at his worst; provoking combat with virtually anyone that didn't share his narrow-minded views on how the city should be run. He was more antagonistic than usual because much dirt was being dug on him at this time.
Having laughed for years about the micro-mismanagement of Detroit politics, I set out to write a book about how, with a few more wrong moves mixed in, Young could completely destroy the city and make it a laughingstock. The book was mostly fact, but part fiction, as it saw Young from an even more exaggerated standpoint than he was in real life.
Most Detroiters would recognize where my point of origin was in this book: the year he appeared on ABC's "Prime Time Live" and proceeded to lose his temper on the air when tough questions were posed (1991). That was also the year some good parody columns appeared in the newspaper, fantasizing about a conversation between Young and the big names in Detroit at the time.
So, with nothing but humor and self-satisfaction in mind, I set out to do the book. Fifteen years later, it still lays unfinished; having been largely untouched since I attempted a complete rewrite in 2004. Alas, unfinished it remains, as some of the events I listed happened at different times and some of the people were not identified properly.
I mentioned the book to Sheila as a throwaway comment, but she picked up on it immediately and said it would be a life's goal for me to finish it. Perhaps she might be right.
I've been known as a creative writer for several years and have always enjoyed writing books & articles. But for some reason, this book in progress keeps me from trying out new material. In contrast, I'll leave four or five household projects in limbo to start on a sixth; yet the creative process won't work that way for me.
Perhaps now would be a good time for me to dust off the gray matter in my head and get plugging away at it. If the process only works one way, it will be the only way to see what else I can pen and enjoy, either on my own or with others.
