The personal pages of
Copyright © 1998–2009
“I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.”
Welcome to Scenic Route
And the proof that the ancient Chinese curse,
“May you lead a interesting life”, really is a curse.
Taken right from their own pages, here’s what some other online journalers have said about Scenic Route:
Sometimes I feel like hiding my eyes when I’m reading Bruce’s journal. He’s bright, articulate and fiercely loyal to his friends. That combination sometimes leads to more heartache than he deserves, but he writes from a survivor’s perspective.
His life is so full of drama and emotion that one gets very involved in it.
Clear, honest and heartfelt writing from a real life in progress.
Bruce’s creation is is truly a compelling story, a story of a struggle against addiction and adversity, and the continuing fight to rise above his demons. I think he’s an incredibly smart, sensitive and insightful human being, and while his road has been a long one, his inner strength is something to be admired. I’m proud to call him a friend, and think his story is most definitely worth your time.
Bruce is dramatic and can make a ride on the bus at daybreak seem like a full course meal. I like the way he paints his world… vividly and color coordinated. He also has insights into everyday behaviors that cause me to pause and reflect. His whole journal (it is a very lengthy and complex story, but well worth the read) is filled with little tidbits of wisdom and knowledge that literally has slapped me in the face with the simplicity and commonsenseness of it all.
For Bruce, life is an odyssey. One that is frequently painful. Admirable courage in revealing the good and bad. Always enjoyable and perceptive.
Pretty much the definition of a Soap Opera Journal.
Bruce is a fortyish, single, gay man who can’t seem to contain the drama in his life; reads better than a soap opera!
Not for the faint of heart. Very insightful.
Bruce runs the gamut from funny to serious to soul-searching, but it’s always interesting reading. Does a great job of writing.
Beginning its seventh year, Scenic Route is the real-time, real-life story of how I’m dealing (or not dealing) with my past and present while I look towards the future. It’s a male mid-life crisis story, only without the red sports car and trophy boyfriend. But it’s not for the feint of heart or the moralistically high-minded.
I’m gay, I’m a recovering alcoholic and crack cocaine addict. I battle depression, anxiety, ADD, Social Phobia and dyslexia daily. The emotions are raw. I write what I think, how I feel, and I do it straight from the heart.
My past includes 20 years of drug and alcohol abuse, followed by six years drug-free, then a three year spiral back into the abyss. My career has included everything from being a radio and club DJ, to pumping gas to being the Vice-President of Information Services for an interstate trucking company.
Currently, I’m in my usual state of good news/bad news. The good news is that with three years clean-time under my belt, I feel I’ve turned the corner on my addiction (again). The bad news is I’m unemployed (still).
Here are a few things to keep in mind as you travel the Scenic Route:
This is my journal. It’s both a collection of my thoughts and it’s where I tell my story. While Scenic Route is not fiction, nor is it fictionalized, I don’t feel bound by the same rules a news reporter uses (or should use) or by the rules of evidence in a courtroom.
Memoir, the style of writing I subscribe to, permits a certain amount of interpretation and embellishment in order to make the story more compelling or easier to tell. I sometimes take “artistic license” to narrow, broaden, emphasize or de-emphasize a point so that the story reads better.
Although I frequently use dialog and quotation to tell a story, remember that it’s usually not a direct transcription of the conversation. There’s “wiggle-room” in memoir-style writing, and I use it.
When I write of the people and events in my life, I’m writing my interpretation of those people and events and my interpretation is colored by my feelings and state of mind when I write. Remember too, that there are always at least two sides to every story and all that can I ever tell here is my side.
For two years from June 1998 to June 2000, during the height of my addiction and codependent relationship with Danger-Boy, the view is decidedly slanted to put me in the most favorable light—which generally also means that view puts him in an unfavorable light. It’s storytelling in the manner common to all addicts—I make no apologies. I also wrote to emphasize the drama and to garner the most sympathy from my readership at the time by minimizing my role in “bad” things, including my drug abuse.
There are no outright lies that I recall, it’s generally done through omission or very careful wording. The artistic license and wiggle-room mentioned above were very wide. When reading entries from that period, keep in mind you’re getting only half-truths.
Finally, I do my best to catch errors and typos before I post an entry. But partly because no-one can fully edit and proofread their own work and partly because of the dyslexia, inevitably some creep through. I never go back and edit an entry once it’s been posted unless there’s a factual error or other events dictate it. When that happens, edits are indicated by green text within square brackets [like this.] In those cases where I intentionally leave out a name or place as I write, that appears within square brackets without a color change [like this].
To get a feel for what’s been happening around here, check out the Plot Summary. The Cast List will introduce you to the people I write about most often. However, neither have been updated since early 2001. Maybe someday I’ll get back to it.
The Journal page is where you can quickly check for when the most recent journal entry was posted. Alternatively, if you join the Notify List I’ll send you e-mail each time the Journal is updated, saving you all the trouble of checking for updates.
For a little diversion after journal reading, from the brucew.com Home Page you might enjoy the Essays by Willie Siu, one of my very best friends.
