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An excerpt from the first chapter of Waiting for the Train, by John MacDonald: “That Depression was one of those depressions that hit everybody, so that made it still more difficult to get at least enough work to eke out a mere existence.There was only one consolation in regards to the whole situation, and that was [that] you yourself were not the only one up against it.  In my own case, I was perhaps not

(The first entry of this blog series is located here) Robert L. MacDonald, known as Bob or Mac, worked as an English teacher and non-profit educator up until his death in 2014. His relationship with his father, as the youngest son of three, was a source of great pain for Bob. His focus on his father’s journal lasted most of his adult life, although years would intervene between efforts to organize and publish it. At

While editing the manuscript for Waiting for the Train, a depression-era journal written by my great grandfather, I ran into an unexpected problem; one not seen very often.  John MacDonald, the original author of the journal, often switches between past tense and present tense without warning. Sometimes he uses both in the same paragraph. Sometimes it’s in the middle of a single sentence.  Take a look at the following excerpt: “And now I am, or

Photo by Robert Warner at Out of Africa Wildlife Park, 2019. Cypress the bear sat on her haunches and stared out a criss-crossing metal grille at the ursine figure opposite her.  The other bear’s expression remained as it always was: Wooden. It was looking right at her. Unblinking. Peering with those deep brown eyes.  Pointing with that rosy brown nose. She moved her head to one side curiously.  The other bear didn’t follow. She bared

After nearly three decades of on and off again preparation, we are ready to finally tackle the behemoth that is John MacDonald’s journal.  His son, Robert (Bob) MacDonald, tried and failed several times to get the journal published. His efforts to put the journal into a publication-ready state were incomplete and faltering, despite years of work.  The reasons become quickly evident – John’s writing is difficult to decipher and contains run on paragraphs, mangled grammar,