today, again, as yesterday...

I expect to be stuck at my desk for most of the day, as I write the text and captions for another chapter. I did one yesterday and plan to do one more today with this one being the last in the book.

Writing step-by-step is vastly different from the writing in which you just make stuff up. Parts of things actually do have to fit without suspension of disbelief. Readers have to be able to take what I've written and apply it in their own lives and in their own workshops. And so while it may not be necessary to trust the author of fiction, there is real trust involved in how-to writing.

We've all read fiction that leads us to a point of disbelief, and some authors do a good job of engaging us in fantasy and imagination, carrying us beyond credibility.  How-to writers engage readers in creative imagination, not fantasy, and the real object is not to engage readers in what will never be, but in what can be, and in what we each can be and do, as the makers of real, beautiful and useful things.

There is nothing fictional about the hands and no fiction in what I've told you about them. The use of the hands in the crafting of beautiful and useful objects is the foundation of human intelligence and human culture. You can take my word for it, or do something to test these principles by taking matters into your own hands.

You may wonder how to get started and to change your modus operandi from that of consumer to maker. It is actually easy.

American Workshop near Minneapolis is planning a "honey-do weekend" in which aspiring wood workers can bring project ideas and get professional help in bringing their plans to fulfillment. October 24 is the planning day, and then October 25-27 are available to get you started (and maybe finished if your creative notions are not too difficult or complex).

Make, fix and create...