#209 Vietnam Vacation

Just got back from Vietnam.  Following are snippets from the trip:

• We arrived in Hanoi, and our first stop was Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum.  Ho Chi Minh died in 1969, and despite his wishes to be cremated, his remains have been professionally embalmed  in Russia and put on display in Hanoi.  A line stretched for more than a mile around the mausoleum and through Independence Square until it led inside a cold, dark chamber lined with military personnel, who urged us to keep moving.  We were in the room less than a minute.  The sight of Ho Chi Minh's body was as eerie and reverent as the sobbing women who had to be dragged away from his remains.
• The Water Puppets.  These were strange puppets in water.  Enough said.
• Hao Lo Prison.  We walked through the remaining sectors of an old prison dating back to the 1800s.  The prison was used primarily for political prisoners in the early 1900s.  But, it was the prison that housed American pilots who were shot down over Hanoi.  This includes John McCain and Butch's dad from Pulp Fiction.
• Drifting through Ha-Long Bay.  We stayed on a boat in a cabin at water level with our door open and the picturesque scenery drifting by.  One of the few places in the world where you simply sit and feel serene.  In the evening time a woman rowed up to our window and screamed at us that she had cheap beer.  She was from one of the nearby floating villages.  I bought a sixer.  When I tried to negotiate, she wouldn't budge.  Those stubborn, floating village people!
• Moped Street Food Tour.  We rode on the back of mopeds through the streets of Saigon, where guides took us to various street corners to try the local cuisine.  The food was interesting, and in some cases disgusting (fertilized duck egg...), but the value of the tour came with the guides. The guides were college students running the tour to make extra money.  They spoke good English and shared much of their personal lives with us as well as their culture.
• Chu Ci Tunnels outside of Saigon.  This was perhaps the most interesting and historically significant part of my vacation.  For nearly 20 years, Vietnamese fighters lived and operated below ground while American forces bombed and sprayed herbicides across the jungle.  Their guerrilla tactics included miles and miles of underground tunnels connecting villages to strategic wartime targets.  L. and I crawled through the tunnels, and it was a unique and terrifying experience.
• Many Vietnamese people we spoke with declared rice was 75% of local population's diet.  But most restaurants and street vendors served 15 different noodle dishes and only one or two rice dishes.
• Dong is the national currency.  So we saw "Dongs" everywhere we went.  
• Buddhist nation with only a handful of buddhist temples.  Not like other nations we visited in southeast asia.

#208 Minnesota Fats

I remember a house in Tyler, TX on the east side of town right off loop 323.  I visited this house several times a year to drink beer and raise hell with old college friends.  It was a bachelor pad, complete with a pool table in the living room, an above-ground pool in the backyard, no doorknob to the bathroom, and an out-of-work fridge in the kitchen.  The house was void of decoration, save one poster that hung on the wall.  It was a poster of Jackie Gleason holding a pool cue.

This poster confused me.  None of us watched Jackie Gleason films, and none of us were great at pool.  I asked my friend why he had the poster, and the answer I received was, "Dude, that's Jackie Gleason!"

That answer didn't mean much to me.  I knew Jackie from Smokey and the Bandit and his role as Tom Hanks' father in Nothing In Common.  That's it.  Jackie was no pool shark to me, and I certainly didn't respect him enough to hang his poster in my living room.

Fast forward 10 years.  Tonight I'm at home and looking for a movie to watch.  I surf through Amazon Fire for a prime movie I've never seen.  I search old and new movies until I stumble upon a 1960's film titled The Hustler, starring Paul Newman.  Not sure why, but I choose this movie.  Not 15 minutes in am I introduced to Minnesota Fats, the most feared pool shark in the country.  Minnesota Fats steps up to the table cue in hand and says, "Fast Eddie, how about we play a game of pool."

There's the shot.  This is the poster that overlooked my friend's living room for years.  I'd not thought of that room in a decade, yet memories upon memories flooded my mind.  I slept beneath that pool table once.  I wrestled my friend's brother (aka Jim Morrison) in that backyard.  I played quarters in that living room with a girl who needed a bowl in order to play the game with us.  I was asked if I loved karaoke, because all Koreans love karaoke.  My brother earned his nickname "Pretty" in that living room.  And all that time I had no idea what this poster referenced.

Now I know.  And I wonder if I'm the only person in the group that has actually seen the movie.  The moral of the story is this: watch old movies.  You never know when you're gonna reveal the essence behind a particular time and place.

#207 Resolutions 2015

Here are my resolutions for 2015:

• Publish 4 novels.  2 in the Exchange Day series and 2 stand alone stories.
• Drink fewer than 167 bottles of wine.
• Get back into soccer.  Been out of the game since I hurt my ankle last summer.  Ankle is better, I think, so its time to get back out there.
• Review at least 12 books on my blog.
• Buy at least one pair of new shoes.  It's been years.
• Watch at least one movie in the theater.  Even if it costs me $48.
• Show doodle plenty of love.  He needs it this year.
• Help guide Cody through writing his stories, comics, and reviews.
• Clean out the garage.
• Do something about the weeds taking over my yard.
• Graduate Polly from the adult crib to stairs.  Pretty sure this isn't going to work.
• Be less reclusive.
• Do more on the Twitter.  Just learned how to use it in 2014, but I'd like to get better at it.  Starting now.
• Practice more Yoda.

#206 Year In Review - 2014

Time for my year in review.  As usual, I like to do these from memory.

• Wrote and published my first two novels.  Exchange Day and Hand In The Dark.  They're awesome.  Go buy them.  Now.
• Polly's operation.  Earlier this year she ruptured a disc in her spine and lost control of her back half.  The operation was a success.  Though she's still a bit wobbly, Polly recovered and is as happy as can be.
• Drinking 167 bottles of wine with L.  
• Fire pit movies at the Whites.  Before the fire pit was installed, we could only watch outdoor movies.  I think the first one we watched was Big Trouble In Little China.
• Listening to Cody read his short story at the Dallas Area Writer's Group meeting.
• Joining our first wine club.  Jessup Cellars.  We received our first case in November.
• Joe's campaign.  He ran for 258th District Court Judge.  Though he didn't win this year, I'm excited for him to run again in the future.
• Meeting Savannah.
• Concerts
• Alt-J: We saw Alt-J again with Liz, Craig, Ceren, Fro, and Lauren.  Love this band and can't wait for them to return.
• 311:  Cody's first concert.  High energy music that brought back lots of memories.  
• Arctic Monkeys: Totally dig this band, though I was not impressed with the venue.  We felt too far removed from the band.  Hopefully next time they play somewhere else.
• BTE:  We see them every year they come to town.  And as always, we enjoyed the show.
• NIN:  I'd been wanting to see them since high school and never got the chance.  Liz and I drove to Houston and saw them at Cynthia Woods.  Trent still gots it.
• The first annual Chicago Fire Festival, though they had trouble lighting the four bonfires.
• Thanksgiving night with Cody and Meyers.  We played high/low and taught Cody how to play the drums.
• Eating L.'s homemade Pad Thai.  3 times.  
• Halloween flip cup with the Tinman.  And Ceren.
• Seeing Steel Water Blue in Houston.  They played at a wine bar and I got in trouble for requesting new glasses of wine.  The ones they served tasted awful.
• Germany with Katrina and Jason
• The quaint hamlet of Rothenberg.
• Holding my hair on the autobahn.
• Watching Germany defeat Brazil in the semi-finals of the World Cup in a German bar.  They went on to defeat Argentina in the finals.  
• Monastery where monks have been brewing beer for hundreds of years.  It's also where I ate a pig knuckle.
• Underground bunkers from WWII.  I got in trouble for taking a picture minutes after the guide said no photos.
• Flat tire on the autobahn.  We cruised on the back of a tow truck, driven by a man smitten with my wife, until we reached Wurtzberg (birthplace to the all-mighty Dirk), where we traded our nice car in for an old van.  It had a standard transmission, and I was the only one on the trip who could drive a standard.  We ate dinner at McDonald's.
• The wine tasting party we hosted.  We drank 10 bottles ranging in price from $3-$89.  L. passed out by 11p.  She woke up at 4a and found me stumbling around the kitchen cleaning.  I'd already broken several dishes and two wine glasses.
• Watching Spaceballs twice in one week.
• Losing horribly to the girls at pictionary.  They're really good.  Also, everyone loses when it's strip pictionary.
• Painting the interior of Suanne with the Codester.  We're not the best painters.
• Playing soccer and basketball with the goofball brothers.  One of them is convinced I owe him $20.
• Alice's Restaurant with L. and Solanki.  Later we played Bocce Ball.  L.'s a Bocce Ball prodigy.
• Meeting Griffin.  
• Discussing astrophysics with Gita and Andrew.  If a flea is on a dog that's running on a treadmill inside a rocketship propelled outside the earth's gravitational pull, how much booster power would the ship need for a course correction of say, 10 yards?  And how come the earth doesn't just travel away from rockets shot outside it's gravitational pull?  The rest of the party fled outside because we were just too interesting.
• Going with Dugat to buy his Les Paul.
• Roy and Dee's wedding.  Thankfully I missed LaBare afterward.
• Feeding Blue beer and wine until he stumbled and snorted his way to his piggy bed.
• Amsterdam with Katrina and Jason
• Anne Frank House
• The red light district after midnight.  It was insane.  There were a bunch of guys trying to jump onto a concrete wall.  They were yelling at people and making me nervous.
• The coffee shops.
• Watching The Netherlands in the World Cup semi-finals.
• Jamming with Meyers, P. Courtney, Ceren and L.  We played Amy Winehouse, Lorde, Michael Stipe and Kelly Clarkson.
• Watching Downton Abbey and The Walking Dead in the adult crib.  
• Playing the mandolin and singing the high-pitched vocal track to No Rain.
• Seeing Louis CK and Sara Silverman with the Ballews.
• Helping Cody create his blog, where he reviews beers and posts his stories.  It's called: Chasing Shadows.
• Meeting Sawyer.
• Napa with L. and Meyers
• Drinking 2 bottles of Giana at dinner.
• Surviving the caves beneath Bremer Von Scary
• Drinking Sintilation at Kate's wedding.
• Visiting Darioush and Orin Swift
• The barrel tasting tour at Del Dotto.
• Cody and I tipping our cats to the US Soccer team.
• Recording Why Can't I Be You.  And Blur.  And Last Dance With Mary Jane.

Book Review: Rosehead By Ksenia Anske

Book:  Rosehead
Author:  Ksenia Anske

This is a difficult novel for me to review because it doesn't fit into a genre I read often.  Rosehead hits the younger end of the Young Adult spectrum.  That is to say it's for readers aged 10-16.   A whimsical story with quirky characters and a strong villain.  I like Lilith and Panther, and I wanted to follow them on their adventure through the Bloom Family garden.  I think younger readers will do the same.  The writing style mimics the quirkiness of the story's characters and does a good job to engage the reader's imagination.

Final word: This book is definitely for the young, imaginative reader.

#205 Record Player Fail

My younger brother visits me every week, and we listen to old records while working on our latest writing projects.  Before Christmas he enthusiastically explained to me how much he wanted a record player.  My brother doesn't make a whole lot of money, and records have become an expensive hobby.  My family has told him (and rightly so) that he shouldn't get a record player and shouldn't start collecting records.  I completely agree.  However, telling him no only fuels his desire to get a record player.  So I decided to explore a different tact.  I decided to show him how expensive record players are so that he could make his own informed decision.

My brother came over last night and I showed him my set up.  I explained that a home entertainment system like mine required a record player, an amp, a receiver, speakers and enough speaker wire to suspend Batman from the Empire State Building (my brother loves comics).  He traced his finger through the dust that collected on top of each component and said, "Man, that's a lot of stuff.  Maybe I shouldn't get one just yet."  A satisfied smile spread across my face.  I was making progress.

Today I took him to half-priced books.  We scoured the clearance section for Stephen King books and fantasy novels written by Piers Anthony.  The entire time I explained to my brother that he shouldn't buy a book for more than $3.  I said it over and over.  I stressed value.  I said, "Books are entertainment.  Why buy a book for $12.99 when you could find one for $2.99?"

My brother found a couple of gems and made his way proudly to the front of the store.  He found 2 books, each on sale for $1.  Progress continued.  My brother was learning.

Near the checkout counter stood a behemoth display of record players stacked on top of each other.  The sign claimed each record player to be a portable device with built in speakers that needed nothing more than a power outlet and a record to start a party.  The record player was on sale for $50 + 20% off.  My brother's eyes lit up.  "Look," he said.  "I can get a record player for less than $50!"

"Hold on," I said, eyeing the display skeptically.  "We need to hear what this thing sounds like before we consider buying one."

A record player sat in the center of the display begging customers to "try me."  I grabbed a Van Halen vinyl and placed it on the turntable.  I powered the machine and dropped the needle into the appropriate groove.  The record began to crackle through a small, round speaker built into the side of the player.  

I turned the volume knob to max and my brother nodded along to the music.  Though he could barely hear David Lee Roth's vocals, he said, "This sounds pretty good."

"Does it?" I asked.  "Does it sound better than your mp3 player in your apartment?"

"Well, no," he answered.  "But it sounds better than nothing."

"But you don't have 'nothing,'" I said.  "You have an mp3 player that sounds better than this.  And you have tons of songs on your iPod.  Wouldn't you rather listen to your mp3 player than this rickety record player that you can barely hear?  You need to wait on getting a record player until you can afford all the pieces that make it sound good.  Okay?"

"Yeah, maybe you're right.  This one doesn't sound too good."  His tone reflected his dejection.  But I was happy to see him once again come to the proper conclusion.

My brother grabbed his two books and headed for the checkout line.  He rounded the corner of the record player display and his eyes lit up again.  He pointed to a pile of 311 albums positioned enticingly on the end cap.  "Look," he said.  "311 on vinyl!"

"You already have that album on your iPod.  You don't need it on vinyl."

"Yeah, but I want to listen to it on a record."

"But it' sounds better on your mp3 player."

"But still," he interjected.  "I want to get a good record player."

I pushed him past the 311 display and directed him toward the check out counter.  "No," I said.  "You CAN'T get a record player.  And that's final."

#204 Sick Days

Growing up, I rarely got sick.  I missed so little of school that my mom would let me take one sick day per semester to use how I pleased.  I dedicated these days to horror movies, macaroni and cheese and 4 hour-long games of Risk, when my friends were able to join me.

As an adult, things haven't changed much.  In 12 years at various advertising agencies, I would take 2-3 sick days a year (out of 10 that were given), though I was rarely sick enough to warrant using an entire day to get better.  If I was unfortunate enough to get sick, I would throw my hands up in the air, send a mass email, and set up a cozy pallet on the couch so that I could watch a day's worth of movies.  I'd order pizza, toss thousands of snot rags in the general vicinity of the nearest trashcan, and nap whenever I felt like it.  I didn't feel great, but I didn't let that spoil the good time.  Being sick was like taking a pit stop.  The race was still going on around me, but I was allowed to take a break.

Now that I write full-time, illness has become something different.  It has become a gigantic hurdle, a real pain in the ass.  My head doesn't feel right, my nose won't stop running, and I have too much writing to be done to simply sit on the couch and watch a movie.  I can't concentrate well, but I can't ignore the story either.  The resulting emotion is pure frustration.  I want to work but can't.  It's the exact opposite of when I was in advertising.  Back then, I was glad to take a break, even if it meant I was a little under the weather.  Now, I truly hate it.  I don't have time to be sick.  I have stories to write!

My passion for writing has turned sickness into... well, sickness.  I no longer shrug my shoulders and jump on the couch.  Instead, I frantically take medicine so that I can get better.  That's how I know I'm going in the right direction in life.  So I'll take more medicine, try and clear my head, and write a couple of pages today.  And I hope that all of you out there view sickness as sickness.  Cause if you do, it means you like what you do, and you don't want sickness to take you away from what you like.

#203 My First Year As A Writer

In November of last year, I began writing full-time.  I woke up on a Monday morning, and instead of going to work, I started writing.  There is such a difference between sneaking pages in between work and family on a project over the course of years and waking up every morning with the sole purpose of publishing novels.  Following is a list of what I've learned and experienced during my first year as an Indie Writer.

• Trouble with identity.  I've struggled all year when talking with people about this adventure.  It wasn't easy for me to call myself a writer.  If you want to be a writer, you must call yourself a writer.  You must feel like a writer.  Without embracing the adventure in full, you're only holding yourself back.
• Writing everyday.  A writer must produce pages every day.  I've met several aspiring writers this year who write when they can.  I know it isn't easy to write when you have another career.  But when you devote yourself to this life, you must write every day.  Without exception.  It really helps when you develop a schedule and stick to it.  
• Finish what you start.  If you quit a day job to write, you must produce finished products.  This isn't easy, as it takes months, even years, to complete a project.  But you must have stories for people to read.  You cannot get bogged down and simply move on.  A writer must power through the difficult days.  And trust me, there will be plenty of difficult days.
• Must get physical exercise.  I work out and run.  It's good for the mind, and it helps with focus.
• Animals can be super annoying.  I cannot afford an office.  So I write at home.  I have two cats and a dog, and they do everything they can to interrupt my flow.  You must figure out how to deal with this.  I have two places in my home where I can write without my animals getting in the way.
• I've written roughly 311,000 words (not including blog posts), which translates to about 865 pages.  This equals 2 published novels and 2 novels that will be published soon.  But I've sold fewer than 200 copies.  This is not enough to sustain a living.  I have a lot of work to do to get my novels in front of readers. 
• Continue to improve your craft.  It's not enough to just write.  It is important to strive for better writing.  There are dozens of books on writing.  It's important to read these, find the ones that make sense to you as a writer, and follow the advice.  Implement what you learn and continue to get better.
• Finally, remember this is a marathon.  Don't get discouraged.  You will find little day-to-day support.  You will encounter self-doubt.  You will worry about money, and you will wonder if your writing is good enough.  Push through the doubt and keep working.  Remember to enjoy the process.  If you cannot enjoy the process, then you should consider another career.

The last year's been challenging and fun.  I've made real progress with my writing and with my life as a writer.  But I still have a long way to go.  Year one has come to an end.  Year two begins now.  As always, I will document my progress as I journey toward making a living with my writing.

#202 The Idea Factory

A friend asked me how I came up with story ideas.  What was my process?  She said, "Do you have a secret notebook somewhere full of great ideas?"  No.  I don't have a notebook.  I have a password protected word document.  And yes, it's full of dozens of future award-winning ideas!

So how do I fill that word document?  Where do my ideas come from?  As generic as it sounds, most of my ideas come from random moments in everyday life.  I'm usually minding my own business, thinking of nothing in particular, when I notice something strange and then I try to figure out the story surrounding what I just saw.  For example, the other day I saw a car stop in the middle of the intersection and a young man jumped out.  He sprinted into the middle of the intersection, waving his arms madly about so that cars wouldn't run him over.  "What the hell are you doing?" I said to myself.  Well, turns out he saw an old pair of shoes in the middle of the street and he wanted them.

I spent the rest of my morning wondering why those shoes were so important.  Were they an old gift from a past girlfriend?  Had a new girlfriend thrown them out the car window because she discovered a secret text on his phone?  Or had those shoes once belonged to Mickey Mantle?  He'd found them in his attic along with other sports paraphernalia, and those shoes were to be sold to the Baseball Hall of Fame for $25,000 so that his daughter could receive proper treatment for her asthma.

I play around with the idea in this manner for hours.  Sometimes days.  These mental exercises entertain me while I'm waiting in line at the grocery store or stuck in traffic.  Or when my brother makes me watch the latest Ironman movie.  Occasionally I'll stumble upon an idea that is truly unique and interesting.  A spark ignites.  At this point I write it into my word document so that it's waiting for me when I'm ready to transform the interesting premise into a vision.

Every writer has an idea factory.  Unfortunately, I've not spoken to anyone else about their own factory.  I would love to know how other writers do it.  The one thing I know about my own process is that it should not be forced.  If I MUST come up with an idea on a deadline, then usually it feels forced.  If I'm having fun and spouting off nonsense, I'll accidentally find something I like.  I know real life is not one big playground, and writers don't have all the time in the world.  But, for idea generation, I find that fun is more productive.  Try and have fun with this part of the process. And understand that not all ideas are meant to be explored until completion.  It's okay to scrap an idea and move on.  You never know when today's bad idea will fit in perfectly with tomorrow's good one.

#201 Dachshund Paintings

Which dachshund painting is better?  Which one is worth more?  If you liked dachshunds, how much would you pay to hang either of these in your home?

One of the biggest complaints I read concerning indie writers v traditionally published writers is the degradation of literature and the accompanying loss of culture.  People worry that if anyone can publish a book, the entire medium suffers.  I can make many parallels to other art forms.  Youtube allows anyone to post videos of any length.  Have the millions of videos uploaded to the internet affected the quality of films coming out of Hollywood or TV sitcoms airing on the major networks?  How about the thousands of bands who upload their music to bandmix or bandcamp?  Have they affected the music coming out each year?

Publishers argue that they are necessary to the industry because they weed out the books that are not fit to be published.  These would be the books that have no place in our culture and society.  They feel it is an important service that should be embraced by readers and writers alike.  Without publishers, the market would be so flooded with trashy writing, that our culture would suffer.  Readers wouldn't know how to discern good writing from the bad.  The worthy stories from the filth.

I completely disagree with this notion.  I've read several traditionally published works that were poorly written.  Likewise, I've read indie published works that were well written and worth my time as a reader.  The idea that there are people in the publishing industry with superior knowledge about culture and value of the written word is flawed.  Readers are qualified to decide what they like and what they would be willing to spend money on.  The market is strong enough and wise enough to police content without the assistance of an all-knowing gate keeper.

Does this mean that I think publishers should go away?  No.  Right now, there is room in the industry for publishers.  But I also believe there is room for the indie writer.  Art is art.  Some of it appeals to the masses.  Some of it appeals only to a small percentage of people.  Some of it doesn't appeal to anyone.  All artists struggle to find an audience.  All artists struggle to make a living.  Dismissing a viable avenue to get work out is a mistake.  Dismissing indie writers because they aren't backed by a traditional publishing house only limits the industry, and as a result, stifles creativity and culture.  If someone tells you a youtube video is worth your time, you watch it.  If someone shows you a good song recorded by a no-name band, you listen to it.  If someone reads an indie published book and tells you it's good, then read it.  

And if you like dachshund art, don't limit yourself to only artists you've heard of.  If the art works, if it looks good, if it enhances a room, then hang it up proudly no matter whose name appears on the bottom.  BTW, the second work is a dachshund painting I did myself.  And I promise, I'm no Picasso.  But my dining room looks pretty damn awesome!

 

#200 From Interesting Premise To Vision

In my last post I mention aspiring writers beginning with an interesting premise and then bogging down in the writing process, potentially due to a lack in an overall vision.  What's the difference between an interesting premise and a vision?  That's a good question.  My definitions are as follows:

Interesting Premise:  An idea.  A spark.  An example might be, "Let's write a movie about a plant that eats people.

Vision:  The idea grows and takes shape that includes developed characters, key plot points, established conflict and resolution.  A complete fire.  An example might be, "Let's write a musical that follows a lonely plant store employee who discovers a mysterious plant from outer space.  He discovers, to his horror, that the plant drinks blood.  He begins feeding it his own blood, but eventually commits murder to keep his plant alive.  As the plant grows, its need for blood increases until it grows too large for the plant store guy to control.  There will be a love story, a wicked boyfriend, the best Bill Murray cameo in history, and many catchy songs that people will love.  At the end of the movie, the plant spawns baby blood suckers and it is up to the plant store guy to destroy them all.  Or planet Earth is doomed.

So how can an aspiring writer get from an Interesting Premise to a Vision?  What are the magical steps needed to take a spark of an idea and make it flourish into a well developed fire?  Following are things that I do to help flesh out my ideas.

• Understand Your Genre
• What are the basic conventions of the genre?
• How does your story conform to the conventions?  How does it break convention?
• Does your story cross genres?
• How does your story differ from other stories in the genre?
• Understand Your Characters
• I use sticky notes and brainstorm how each character would react in mundane/unrelated situations.  Like, 
• What would she do if she showed up to work late to avoid trouble?
• What's the last thing she does before going to bed?
• Where would she eat lunch on her birthday?
• And many more...
• Think about the relationships between your characters.  Do you see similar relationships in real life?
• Print pics of your characters.  Can use advertisements or your FB friends.  Be careful using FB friends.
• Understand primary character arc- how does she grow/change?
• Understand Primary and Secondary Conflicts
• Without conflict, your readers will tire of reading.
• Think of conflict in terms of origin and resolution.
• Trace the overall vision in terms of conflict.  The story should move forward and make sense.
• Find Your Climax
• What is the story building to?  You must know this so that you know where you are leading the reader.  This will allow you to make decisions on how best to develop the story throughout.
• How will you get to the climax from the beginning?  What key elements are necessary along the way?

If you have any thoughts to add, by all means, leave them in the comments.  Any information is good when helping a writer turn an interesting premise into a fleshed out vision.

#199 Painting The Picture

This last weekend my brother drove with me to Tyler, TX to help me paint the inside of a house I lived in several years ago and now rent out.  We removed old nails, taped the base boards, cleaned the walls, and laid down paper and canvas to protect the cheap laminate that covers the bedroom floors.  Then the painting began.

This was my brother's first time to paint.  He stood at the wall with a dripping roll brush and said, "Is that good?"  I looked at the cream-colored streak of paint slashed across the wall.  I compared it to the smooth and organized strokes on my side that covered 1/4 of the wall.  I said, "We're trying to paint the whole wall evenly.  So take a look at your streak, and make it look even and clean."  He scratched his head and eyed his brush.  He rolled over the messy streak a second time and said, "How about now?  Is that good?"

My brother recently finished college and is interested in becoming a working writer.  We talk every week about our stories, and our conversations inspire many of my posts on writing.  He wants to write comic books, movies, and short stories.  This last weekend, while we drove lonely 2-lane highways through East Texas, he asked me, "What's a novella."  After hearing my basic and underwhelming definition (amounting pretty much to "it's like a novel...only shorter") he said, "I want to write one of those!"

But my brother has one problem.  He rarely finishes what he starts.  He has dozens of half-written comic books, a handful of short stories and he is working on a novella.  But none of them are finished.  None of them are ready to be released into the world.

I used to think this was a problem of persistence.  I envisioned fleeting moments of inspiration that led him to his computer for an hour or so, where he would pound out a page here or some thoughts on a new comic book there.  I thought he lacked the conviction to finish his projects because one flash of inspiration could only take him so far.

I'm not sure that's true anymore.  When he stood at the unpainted wall, he had no idea what the finished product was to look like.  He hadn't thought it through.  He was not invested.  For him, he was helping his brother paint a house.  So he put paint on the wall and asked me if it was good.  I think this is what's happening with his stories.  He wants to write them.  He doesn't mind the work.  But I don't think he has a clear idea of what he wants his finished product to look like.  Without a clear ending goal, his project bogs down and he starts something else.

I wonder how many other writers bog down.  Do they lack persistence?  Or do they lack a clear vision?  This is a good thing to think about before embarking on a large project.  An interesting premise and a bottle of wine may not be enough to carry you through to a finished product.  It's important to know what you want the wall to look like before start painting it.

#198 A Day In The Life...Revisited

I re-read yesterday's post and found it to be a beating.  Utterly brutal.  So I'd like to revise to make my point easier to digest.

How can a writer find time?  What do 9-5ers do to get a story written when they spend so much time at work.  How do other authors do it?

These are big questions, and they impede many writers from doing what they love.  I don't have all the answers.  All I have is perspective that comes from my own experience as a writer.  So in the interest of helping others, I will share my perspective:

• Every writer is different.  There is no one correct formula.  Find what works for you, then be consistent.
• I write better in small blocks of time.  If you sit me down in front of a computer for 8 hours and ask me to write a short story, I'll have a more difficult time than if you give me 4 2-hour blocks separated by snippets of time spent doing something else.
• One specific time of day does not work better or worse for me.  I can write early in the morning or late at night.  If I'm in the middle of a project, I can sit down and write.  Not everyone is like that.  If there's a time of day that works better for you, then schedule your writing time around that.  
• Some people measure progress by pages.  Others, who are slightly more precise, use word count.  It doesn't matter which you use.  Write 5 pages per day.  Or 30 pages per week.  Or 1500 words per day.  Measurement is a good tool to help keep a writer accountable.  It's easy not to keep track at all.  Write when you can and don't worry about how many pages you get down.  But I've found its a mentality thing.  The writer who does not keep track is less likely to finish a particular project within a reasonable period of time.  The writer who does, gets more done.  And whichever tracking tool you use, whichever guidelines you set for yourself, be consistent.  It is the consistency that gets the novel finished.
• It's okay to cheat.  Sometimes in the evening I will sneak a few sentences onto a notepad while my wife is on the phone and the TV is paused.  Or before bed I will write instead of read.  The next morning I wake up and have a paragraph or page waiting for me to transcribe.  I know this is not really cheating, but I always feel like it is.  I have written almost 500 words sitting in my bed while my wife brushed her teeth, put on lotion, checked FB one last time and the next day I had my 1500 words before lunch.  Then I tell myself that whatever I write in the afternoon can be applied to the next day's tally.  It's a mental game of working ahead so that if there is an afternoon where I just do not want to write, I don't.  And at the end of the week I've still reached my pages.
• Writers with full time jobs have a different struggle.  But the same principles apply.  You need to be consistent.  But instead of trying for 1500 words per day, shoot for 500.  When I worked in advertising, I tried to write 2 pages a day while at work (in the morning when I arrived before everyone else and over lunch hour), 2 pages a day after work, and then 5 pages over the weekend.  That would amount to roughly 25 pages per week.  It wasn't easy and I oftentimes didn't make my quota, especially if I was busy at work.  But writing in this manner allowed me to chip away at projects.  When you work full-time and want to write a book, chipping away is the only thing you can really do.  It isn't ideal, but writers persevere.  

#197 A Day In The Life Of Alexander Mori

I frequently get asked about my writing schedule.  Do I write from 9-5 every day or do I stay up for two weeks straight until the novel is finished like they do in the movies.  The truth is not as simple as either of those.  So I've decided to include one day in the life of Alexander Mori to demonstrate a typical writing day.  I call it:  A Day In The Life Of Alexander Mori.

8:00a: Alarm goes off.  I snooze.
8:09a: Alarm goes off again.  I snooze again.
8:18a: Alarm goes off again.  I debate snoozing again.  Then I snooze again, just one more time.
8:27a: Alarm goes off and I get out of bed.  Morning routine begins.
8:45a-9:15a: Coffee's brewing and I'm sitting at the breakfast table jotting notes that kept me up the night before so I don't forget anything important.  I make a smoothie for breakfast and drink it while I reread that last few pages written the day before.  Check Twitter.
9:16a-10:20a: First solid block of writing.  I sit at my computer and write.  My goal is to get at least 500 words down.
10:20a-10:30a: Wander around the kitchen wondering if I want a glass of milk or juice.  I contemplate moving the operation into the living room where I can sit on the couch, though I'd have to deal with the animals.
10:31a-11:30a: I return to my first block of writing.  Still gunning for my first 500 words of the day.
11:31a-noon: I make a sandwich and salad for lunch and eat while watching an episode of Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee. Check Twitter.
Noon-12:15p: Gather laundry that needs to be washed.  Or unload the dishwasher.  Or wash wine and beer glasses from the night before.
12:16p-12:45p: Begin second block of writing.  A new 500 word count goal. I move the operation to the couch, where the dog and one cat fight for prime lap real estate, ultimately ending with both animals lying snugly in my lap. Check Twitter.
12:45p-1:05p: Move laundry from washer to dryer.  Start a new load.  Look for more dishes to wash.  Eat a piece of chocolate for dessert.
1:06p-2:15p: Continue second block.  Usually one of the stronger writing blocks throughout my day.
2:16p-2:30p:  More laundry.  And if there isn't any laundry, I hover outside the laundry room wondering if there is anything else in the house I can wash.  Check Twitter.
2:31p-3:30p: I watch something on TV.  Usually a DVRed sporting event from the night before.  Sometimes half of a movie.  This period of time seems lazy and unproductive, but it is essential.  It gives my brain much needed rest.  And if I watch the right movie, I get inspired to make my third push of the day.  One day per week this block of time is reserved for going to the store and getting lunch/dinner supplies for the week.
3:30p-5:00p: Begin third writing block of the day.  A new 500 word goal.  Usually on the couch with the annoying animals.  Check Twitter.
5:01p-6:00p:  I work out on the treadmill while watching DVRed sports event.  If there are no sports, I go for a nice, long run.  By long I mean a mile and a half.  Sometimes I do both.  This block is also reserved for mowing the yard once a week.
6:01p-8:30p: If I learn that the wife is coming home on time, I use this time to make dinner and decant wine.  If she'll be working late, which happens frequently, I sit down for an impromptu writing session.  These sessions often account for my especially prolific days.  For some reason, if it is not a scheduled block of writing time, I approach the session with a looseness that allows me to write more than usual.  Sometimes I make a drink and put on a record.  Sometimes I return to the kitchen table and write in complete silence.
8:30p-11:30p: Relax time.  Sit on the couch watching shows.  Dog in my lap.  In the evenings, she doesn't let the cat on the couch.  Sorta strange.
11:31p: Get ready for bed.  Read.  Think about what I want to do in the morning. Toil over the writing I got done.  Toil over the writing yet to be done.

I don't know how other writers do it.  A writer's schedule is as interesting and diverse as the human race.  I venture a guess that no two writers are the same.  But each must deal with the all-consuming void that is a blank page.

#196 Cutting Your Losses

A million years ago I tried out for the Spring Branch Junior High basketball team.  Though I was one of the shortest kids in our class, I thought I had a legitimate chance of making the team.  For a week, a hundred or so gangly youths performed dribble drills, shooting drills, 3 on 2 drills, cones, and whatever else our junior high coaches could think of to test our young basketball skills.

On the first day, a close friend of mine dribbled the ball from the base line to a cone positioned at the free-throw line.  He rounded the cone and let loose one of the worst jumpers of the day.  The ball soared over the backboard and bounced into the grass behind the outdoor basketball court.  Every boy in the yard laughed and heckled my friend.  He shagged the ball, threw it to the next boy in line and saluted the coaches, thanking them for their time and the opportunity.  Less than an hour after tryouts began, my friend left the yard.  His basketball career came to an abrupt end.

I stayed.  I executed drill after drill.  I demonstrated my quickness and my superior perimeter defending.  I played hard and showed the coaches that no matter what, I would NEVER give up.  And at the end of the week I was sad to learn that I had not made the first cut.  I was devastated.  It was the first time in any sport that I didn't make the team.  I went to the coaches office after practice and told them I would try harder.  I asked them for another chance.  My coaches were sympathetic but unyielding.  "We're sorry," they said.  "It's just not meant to be."

Writing can be like this.  A writer can pour his or her heart and soul into a story -- can spend weeks, or even months, on a project, vowing that it would become a wonderfully finished novel.  But not all projects are meant to be.  It doesn't matter how much work or passion goes in.  The novel is doomed from the beginning, much like my basketball career.  The question is this: at what point in the process do you realize a project isn't meant to be?  Near the beginning?  Or do you fight through all the challenges until the bitter end?

Writers must develop the skill to look at their own work with a discerning eye.  Writers must be able to recognize when their story is too short or their dribbling is too sloppy.  Writers must be able to see when their shots consistently miss the backboard, only to bounce in the grass far outside of the boundaries of the court they are playing on.

But no matter how long it takes, no matter how much passion is put into a project, writers must be able cut their losses and move on to the next project.  They will save time and heartache, and those are two things writers must always look to save.

#195 A Brave New World

We headed to the south of Dallas for Cody's first critique meeting with the Dallas Area Writer's Group.  Critique meetings are the favorites of most DAWG members.  It gives writers a chance to share their stories with other people.  In the life of a writer, stories remain pent-up for so long that they can cause discomfort, oftentimes pain, if they aren't released.  Critique night allows for the pleasant release of inspiration in the loving company of fellow writers who are polite and understanding.

We left an hour and a half early so we could account for traffic -- get there in plenty of time to get Cody's name on the list.  To be honest, this was a bit excessive, but Cody had been stressed all week because he missed his previous attempt to read his story because we showed up 5 minutes before the meeting instead of 30 minutes before.  The list had already been filled.

We made good time until we hit the intersection of 75 and 35.  All progress stopped.  Road construction caused the convergence of several freeways to transform into one massive, confusing cluster.  The traffic was so bad that several bums littered the freeway, begging from people who were parked on the highway instead of driving home to their families.  Seemed to me to be the worst time and place to beg. Angry people stuck in traffic wouldn't be as generous.  But I could be wrong about that.

Cody crossed his arms and groaned.  "We're probably gonna be late," he said.  

I tried to remain positive, but I worried he might be right and I'm not a rose-colored glasses type of person.  I assured him we would do our best.

For 54 minutes we crept along the interchange to 35, which was especially annoying when driving a standard.  But we finally made it beyond the construction and had 36 minutes to travel 30 minutes of road between us and critique night.  I tried to cheer Cody up with talk of music and movies.  But he wasn't having it.  In his mind, he'd already missed his chance to read his story.  In a sarcastic, yet not-so-sarcastic tone, he said, "Next time we're leaving at 2p."  That would have gotten us there approximately 4 and half hours early.

Anyway, to make a long story short, we made it on time to get him on the list.  He was the last reader they accepted.  He read his story, took his criticism and for the first time in his life he felt like a real writer.  That's an important feeling.  Like being able to pinpoint the moment when you become an adult.  Everything changes after that moment.  It did for me.  And I hope it does for Cody.  Because after a writer realizes he or she is a writer, then the world opens up and becomes a new place altogether.  A better place.

#194 The Memoir

I believe in the power of connection.  Like Christopher McCandles wrote in his journal, "Happiness only real when shared."  You can connect with someone over anything.  I connect with friends over sports, beer, music, food, films and almost anything else you can think of.  I connect with my brother over comic book villains, my friend's wife over gardening, the stranger at the grocery store over fancy cheese I'm buying to make my daily sandwiches taste a little better.  Life is a series of connections, unexpected moments that brighten your day because you think about someone else.  I remember my friend's mom when I make margaritas.  When I stumble upon a scrunchie, I think of my cat because in the early 2000s I used to toss them in the air and she would scurry about the house trying to catch them in her mouth.

Memoirs allow for the novel equivalent of making a connection with another person.  I've read memoirs written by artists, poor Irish immigrants, writers, chefs, teachers, pilots, preacher's sons, a man who became blind and a college athlete stricken suddenly by a brain tumor, and I connected with each of these people because they had an interesting story to tell.  Memoirs are especially important because it gives writers a chance to share themselves, to shed light on their personal eccentricities.  Every person is unique, which makes every memoir a unique experience.

I have not written a memoir and would in no way advertise myself as a master of the form.  However, I do believe my blog is a form of memoir and I'd like to share my thoughts for aspiring writers who wish to give writing their story a go.  And I've read many interesting notes from Zinsser, who knows quite a bit on the subject.

• Your thoughts matter.  We are all passengers traveling on the same vessel we call life.  Each and every one of us is unique.  Each and every one of us brings a fresh perspective to the conversation.  Don't discount your own thoughts because you don't feel worthy.  You have every right to share your opinion and tell your story as anyone else.  And you'd be surprised how many others are willing to listen. 
• Be Real.  Memoirs uncover the drama, pain, humor and unexpectedness of life because they are real.  There is a mystique that arises simply due to the fact that the stories were plucked from real life rather than invented in someone's imagination.  Don't betray that mystique by falsifying information.  Once you lose trust, the memoir becomes pointless and you'll discourage future readers who can no longer trust you.  Stay true to yourself and the events you write about.  The truth is interesting enough.
• A memoir is NOT an autobiography.  You don't have to feature everything in a memoir.  I like to think of a memoir as a snapshot in time.  A photograph.  A photograph only focuses on what is important.  You see the person, the place, the event.  You don't see the entire world or the entire life in one picture.  So it goes with a memoir.  Stay narrow.  Stay focused.
• Answer the why question.  Memoirs have the benefit of eternal insight into the mind of its subject.  That adds a dimension to a story.  You can tell what happened.  And then you can answer why it happened.  For instance, I am quirky in that I cannot let dishes stand in the sink. I must scrub them and place them immediately in a dishwasher.  Even when I am at someone's house, I cannot finish a meal and politely place the dishes on the kitchen counter.  I just can't do it.  That tidbit is interesting enough to help build my character.  But since it happens to be true and I know the progression of thought that led to me being this way, I can share the history and the mindset that exists in a person who is particular about dirty dishes.
• Think about detail.  Because a memoir is a snapshot and it must be real, the details matter.  In my memoir I can discuss my time in elementary school.  But it isn't enough to just say I was in school.  What sets my school experience apart from the millions of others who went to school? When writing about the mundane, one must include specific details, otherwise the story may feel boring.  So if I share my experience in school, one might be bored.  Been there, done that.  But if I discuss my experience in school as the shortest kid in my grade and filter every experience through that detail, I've added a dimension to the story that readers may not have considered.  I've shared something about myself that may enlighten a reader to a different aspect of a familiar situation.  (BTW, I wasn't the shortest kid in my grade.  I was the third shortest.)

#193 Steps For The Indie Writer

There's more to being a successful indie writer than just writing.  Following is a list of things an indie must do to make a living.  All of these aspects are important.  A writer can't pick and choose where to devote his or her time.  A writer MUST do it all.

• Writing - This is obvious.  Simply writing the novel is difficult enough.  It requires an idea, self discipline, talent and consistency.  A writer must pay attention to voice, characterization, plot, pacing, description, conflict and resolution.  The process can take several months or several years to complete.  
• Revising - After the first draft is done, a writer must re-read and re-write much of it, paying careful attention to the components listed above.  This is a difficult process that many writers rush.  I suggest taking a break once the first draft is completed.  Return to the project with a fresh perspective.  And TAKE YOUR TIME.  Revising is when the true writing process begins.  You have the shell of the story down, now it's time to be critical so that you can improve the story before sharing it with an editor.  When in doubt, cut.  A story can be cut drastically from draft 1 to draft 2.  The more you cut, the better the project becomes.  This part of the process can take weeks or months.  
• Editing - Every writer has a different editor and a different editing process.  Please do not confuse revising with editing.  Revising looks at how the story is told.  Editing looks at how the story is written.  Finding an editor that you trust is very important.  An editor needs to understand you as a writer and as a person.  An editor must understand what you are trying to do and must understand aspects of good writing.  Editing can cost a fair amount of money, but it is an essential part of the process.  Don't skimp here, because once a reader sees that they are reading a poorly edited book, he or she will remember and will most likely avoid future work you publish.  This part of the process can take weeks or months, depending on the editor and how many editors you choose to include.  Right now I use 3.  Can't have too many editors!
• Cover Design - Finding a graphic designer is similar to finding an editor.  You need someone who understands the novel, and more importantly understands the genre.  A cover must connect with the right audience and must align with the story.  Find someone you can talk to.  This should be a collaborative effort, one that is ever-changing until you find the right cover that readers respond to.  This part of the process can take weeks or months, depending on who you work with and how much they charge.
• Writing a blurb - A good blurb is essential for the indie writer.  You must entice a potential reader with nothing more than a paragraph.  Writing a novel is hard.  Writing a blurb can be harder.  There is no proven formula for a blurb.  I suggest reading many blurbs of successful novels.  Then write several blurbs.  Have friends and family members read your blurbs.  Listen to their feedback and then rewrite the blurbs again.  There are discussion forums at kboards.com where you can ask for blurb advice.  Other indie writers are generous with help.  I suggest you get as much help as possible.  This part of the process can take a week or more.  Sometimes longer.  But be willing to change the blurb until you see a suitable spike in sales.
• Formatting - An indie writer must format the digital file to be published online.  Poorly formatted work doesn't translate well to ereaders.  A poorly formatted book looks unprofessional and turns readers off.  There are several online resources available for the various publishing sites.  Read these carefully and follow the instructions.  Right now I publish direct to amazon.com and smashwords.com (makes books available to barnesandnoble and ibooks).  This process takes a few days the first time you go through it.  After a couple of times it shouldn't take longer than a day.

After this, your book will be available for people to buy.  And then you can begin working on the next project.  

An Old Poem - The Fountain

Looking through a box of writing and stumbled upon this old thing.  Interesting to know that I wrote this more than 10 years ago:

The Fountain

Patience and sobriety are keys to successful art.
And intelligence.
0 for 3.
What do successful artists know of appreciation or respect?
With ambition and desire comes longing.
With longing comes disappointment.
With the best bottle of wine still comes a hangover.
And I don't know why I wish to create something.
My professional life is one I hope affords me time to create something for the future.

But the truth is my career is a pleasant distraction
from my desire and ultimate inability to create something meaningful.

If only Hemingway sold advertising, then he'd still be alive.

#192 Outline v. Free Flow

Been reading articles from established writers who discuss outlining a project before writing it.  The simplified points of view are as follows:

Outlining:  Gives a writer a full sense of the story.  Forces the writer to think things through so that he or she doesn't stall in the middle of the first draft.  This is all about organization.  Mapping out in broad strokes where a story begins and ultimately where it will end.  There is comfort in the organization.  A writer can sit down each day and check off the mile markers that will lead to a desired destination.  The main negative I read is this:  outlining has the potential to confine a writer's imagination and can cause problems when characters reveal they would not do what has already been preplanned by the outline.


Free Flow: A writer begins with a good character and a concept, but allows the story to unfold organically as it is being written.  Characters are given the freedom to act as they should, which gives an air of unpredictability to the project, even for the writer.  At the end of the story, things fall into place because the characters stay true to themselves instead of being forced to confine to an outline.  An issue with Free Flow surfaces when a writer spends months writing in one direction only to discover the story has bogged down or become less interesting.  Free flow can sometimes end in a project being abandoned because it has written itself into a dilemma the writer no longer wishes to address.

I have written three novels with the outlining approach and three with the free flow approach.  I conclude that one is not universally superior to the other.  Good writing and good storytelling result from a writer's confidence.  Different people gain confidence in different ways.  A writer must understand how he or she works.  What makes him or her confident.  Writing a novel takes time, energy, and patience.  The goal is to chip away every day at a project that could take months or years to complete.  The confidence to do this cannot be achieved by a formula that works for everyone.  A writer must understand what it takes to sit and write everyday.  Some people work better with a map.  Some work better getting on the road and figuring it out as they go.  Neither is right or wrong, as both processes have the ability to get someone to his or her ultimate destination.

For me, I have honed in on a process that uses attributes from both approaches.  I like having a general idea of where the story is going, but I allow my characters to dictate how the story develops.  Sometimes the story ends how I originally intended.  Oftentimes it goes in a completely different and unforeseen direction.  The key is having enough confidence in what you are doing to sit each day in front of blank pages, slowly filling them up one sentence at a time, while also having the confidence to allow a story to change if it needs to.  The only way to figure out what works best for you is to write.  Write everyday and pay attention to what works and what doesn't.