Meridian's Shadow

First of all, I am not a paragon of virtue when it comes to managing my diabetes. I am an old fat guy who has struggled with this !*#!#%#!! disease since 1991. However, I have discovered something that has helped me get my blood sugar under better control.

I sat in my doctor’s office about a year ago, frustrated with my blood sugar numbers. There didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to days when I experienced high glucose levels. My body seemed to respond slowly to insulin and fast to anything I ate. That’s when my doctor said to me, “Dan, there are thirty some odd factors that affect your blood sugar. Food and exercise are just two of them.”

I have found that stress is one of the big factors for me. I take things to heart. I get angry over politics. What can I say? I am 25% Irish. So, during the last year, I have made a commitment to do the things that I love. It has made a difference.

When I was a boy, I loved writing science fiction stories. I read every SF novel in my high school library and penned two notebooks full my own tales. During the last three years, I have turned my attention back to my first love, writing science fiction. I have really immersed myself in the work this last year and I have found that a day spent teasing out a plot line or crafting a few scenes in prose resulted in lower blood sugar levels.

My first novel, Meridian’s Shadow, is a book that looks at people who wrestle with their flaws and scars. It explores how people make questionable decisions and live with the consequences. It follows characters who face life altering injuries. I am sure that my plot has been an echo of my own struggle with diabetes and the other scars I’ve picked up along the way. In fact, the opening scene of the book is a dramatization of an injury I actually received when I was at scout camp eons ago.

My novel is the first in a series. Future books will focus on characters introduced in Meridian’s Shadow and will explore their ongoing struggles. I am sure that my struggle with diabetes will inform my storytelling.

In any event, I have found that reconnecting with my bliss has lowered my stress level. I have experienced better control of my diabetes. My doctor actually used the word “wonderful” twice during my last visit! This past week has been a week of normal blood glucose readings – a rare event for me.

I wish you well in your struggle with this terrible disease. For me, I’m writing my way through it with my science fiction novels. You may find that days where you immerse yourself in your bliss might lower your numbers. So far, it’s working for me!

Moore later…

When I was in college, I learned about “teachable moments.” I became aware of when I was like a fence post, impervious to new ideas and concepts and when I was like a sponge, ready to soak up everything. I was a hard working student, spending my time studying or working as a keypunch operator at the Cornell Campus Store. Most of the time, I muddled through my subjects, especially the ones that didn’t interest me. Nevertheless, there were specific times when a window opened, and I felt the cool breeze of knowledge flowing into my brain with almost no effort on my part. It was a lot like jump rope. I had to get in synch with the rope before I stepped over it. If I lost the rhythm, I got all tangled up. Learning to be in step with the teachable moments was the key to my academic success.

Creativity follows the same rules. She is a fickle mistress who arrives on her own terms, appearing like a puff of air on a hot day and disappearing just as quickly. I am sure you know what it’s like to sit and wait for creativity to show her pretty face. Without her, everything seems pointless and ineffectual. The words lay lifeless on the page. The plot is a tar pit, sucking you down into oblivion. The characters are comatose, the drama contrived and wooden.

When creativity sweeps into my study, everything opens up. The words come alive, dancing on the page. The plot clicks together like an intricate puzzle, each piece serving a precise purpose. My characters rise up and tell me exactly what to write. The drama becomes the natural extension of opposing personalities and motivations. These are the moments I live for as a writer. My slogging becomes singing.

Even so, creativity is fickle, and I never know when she will visit me. Sometimes she comes as I am rummaging through my desk drawer, wondering why I saved a piece of detritus from a long forgotten project. Other times she torments me, allowing me to wallow in a dull mire for hours. I have gained a new appreciation for the ancient mariners who found their grand ships trapped in the doldrums, windless wonders listing back and forth on a tranquil and meaningless sea.

I live in the hope of seeing Lady Creativity from time to time. It is her divine presence that makes me glad to be a storyteller. It is the promise of her return that keeps me from laying down my pen in dispair.

Moore later…

SPOILER ALERT! If you use the following scheme, it may ruin your viewing experience. I have figured out a way to identify the villain WITHOUT KNOWING THE PLOT! I know it sounds crazy, but it works most of the time.


My wife and I watch a lot of episodic TV Drama. We enjoy Castle, The Good Wife, The Mentalist and many more. I think we are in a “golden age” of primetime TV drama. There are a lot of good ones out there these days.

An Example:

Last night, we were watching the season finale of Bones. The opening scene was in a bowling alley. The pins weren’t resetting on lane 12. A woman yells to the guy behind the counter. The actor paying the man is Michael Irby of “The Unit.” I turn to my wife and say, “That’s the killer.” Guess what? He was.

Here’s my theory. You have an episodic TV drama with a known cast. You need a villain for the show. The show casts guest stars into the “throw away” character roles. Follow the money. The most well known guest star (the most expensive one) will almost always be the killer, or wrapped up in the dirty work. I have found it almost never fails. After all, why would they pay all that money for a star with an incidental role?

This works best with “who done it” shows with established casts. All bets are off for movies, since everyone is potentially a villain.

Try it. There are even great clues in the casting!

Moore later…

I grew up on 24 acres of the finest weeds in Schuyler County, New York. It’s nestled in the heart of the Finger Lakes region. My parents were from Long Island. We weren’t country folk, but we landed at the corner of Sirrine and Stilwell Roads in 1957. Our nearest neighbor was a quarter mile away.


I spent a lot of time alone. Don’t feel sorry for me. I enjoyed it. (now you can feel sorry!) I would spend hours walking in the fields behind our house. The big propane tank was a submarine. Mowing the lawn was a battlefield fantasy. The hedgerows between fields were hiding places for snipers. My tree fort was a rocket ship. Our old barn was a labyrinth of mystery and intrigue. I had an imaginary friend. His name was Teko and he lived behind Volume Seven of the Funk and Wagnall’s Encyclopedia in our living room. Those days were fantastic.


I wrote science fiction stories, too. I have two spiral bound notebooks filled with them. My claim to fame was submitting a story to Rod Serling (who lived in the Finger Lakes). The story was terrible, but he took the time to write me a long letter.


Some forty five years later, I have come full circle. I am no longer a child. My parent’s house is gone. But I am still wandering the fields of my imagination. I encounter amazing characters who teach me about courage and forgiveness. I discover impossible places where women and men struggle to survive. I see glimpses of myself in all of them. And I am intoxicated by the wonder that wraps its arms around me and takes me to new worlds.


Writing is a very hard thing. Some days the words flow. Some days are as empty as a blank sheet of paper. But the chance to imagine is worth it all.


Moore later…