Ray Bradbury writes in the Afterword of his novel Fahrenheit 451:

“I didn’t know it, but I was literally writing a dime novel. In the spring of 1950 it cost me nine dollars and eighty cents in dimes to write and finish the first draft of The Fire Man which later became Fahrenheit 451.

In all the years from 1941 to that time, I had done most of my typing in the family garages, either in Venice, California, (where we lived because we were poor, not because it was the “in” place to be) or behind the tract house where my wife, Marguerite, and I raised our family. I was driven out of my garage by my loving children, who insisted on coming around to the rear window and singing and tapping on the panes. Father had to choose between finishing a story or playing with the girls. I chose to play, of course, which endangered the family income. An office had to be found. We couldn’t afford one.

Finally, I located just the place, the typing room in the basement of the library at the University of California at Los Angeles. There, in neat rows, were a score of more of old Remington or Underwood typewriters which rented out at a dime a half hour. You thrust your dime in, the clock ticked madly , and you typed wildly, to finish before the half hour ran out. Thus I was twice driven; by children to leave home, and by a typewriter timing device to be a maniac at the keys. Time was indeed money. I finished the first draft in roughly nine days. At 25,000 words, it was half the novel it eventually would become.”

Isn’t that great? Deadlines can be an artist’s best friend. It’s partly why I started the Walbum project. Being a creative person and an employed person doesn’t always go hand in hand. And don’t get me wrong, I am greatly satisfied and blessed by my Teaching & Solo Guitar practices, but when it comes to composing music, I don’t have an outlet. Nobody is asking me to write music, and if I don’t write music, nobody cares. I need to create and make music. This is where the Walbum helps. This project sets me up with a deadline and the blog aspect keeps me accountable & honest with myself.

As I trek through the first week of the Walbum project, I have less ideas that I thought I would. This is my track listing so far:

1. head – vamp – solo – head
2. click – vamp – head – solo – fade or head
3. an Arrangement of another tune (cover)
4. Solo Acoustic Guitar
5. Country Tune
6. Acoustic Percussive Piece
7. Spread Triad Tune

It looks like I’ve got some work ahead of me, doesn’t it?