Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Day 206 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis

THERE ARE TIMES YOU HEAR THE WORLD'S MAGNUM OPUS, OTHERS, IT'S JUST ONE SMALL VOICE IN YOUR HEAD.

So let's spend a bit of time with Ann Buxie, another of the ASKEW POETRY JOURNAL contributors. As I said yesterday, Ann's words are a real pleasure to hear or read and this selection is proof of that assertion.
 
 
__________________________________________________________________________
 
 
 
 
Ann Buxie
 
Photo by D.F. Baylis
 
 
 
I'm Just Going to Have Fun.Is this some kind of streak? I've never had this much fun. Takes some getting used to. a little guilt perhaps it can't last you don't deserve it this too shall pass. But listen. What if bliss is innate, doubled into our soul, our DNA? By now, life has chewed me and juiced me, enough to prove my goodness. I'm tossing the locks, keeping the doors open, letting the holy blow through, not for my sake, but ours. Happy dissolves ugly, like alka seltzer in water, fizz fizz, 'cuz ugly isn't real, isn't true, can't endure. I rest my case.
                                                                                     the emperor is happy
                                                                                            
                                                                                            the elephant is loose
 
                                                        tell everyone.
 
 
 
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FROM WHENCE THE VOICES?

 

Dialogue is such a powerful tool. It is the interplay between characters that informs you who they are, what they are up to, and what is driving them - in a way that just describing it never could. Take a moment and consider two examples:
 
First Example.
 
    
     John and Vinny were working their way through the building. There had been a noise a moment before and the two of them were worried. Who knew they were in here? Nobody they knew. So who had made the noise? It had sounded like the creak of floorboards above them and somewhere behind in the dark. Maybe breaking in here wasn't such a great idea.
 

or
 
Second Example.
 


 
"What was that?"
 
"What?"
 
"That noise?"
 
"I didn't hear nothing, Vinny."
 
"You didn't hear that?"
 
"It's an old building. Old buildings make noises."
 
"I'm telling you, John, that sounded like footsteps."
 
"Will you hold that damned flashlight steady? I can't get this lock to tumble."
 
"I knew I shouldn't have drank those beers. Man, I gotta whiz!"
 
"That's just your nerves. Will you relax! You're worse than my old lady."
 
"Dammit! There it is again. I thought you said nobody was in here at night?"
 
"There's not supposed to be." John drew a pistol out of his belt. "If there is...Well, it's too late to back out now."
 
 
Of these two approaches, which one conveys more of the emotion and power of the story? Which one moves the story along, driving the anticipation of the next moment? Which would be more likely to make you want to read further? Exposition is fine to describe surroundings. It might even be used to give us the physical qualities of characters and settings. If back story is needed, exposition can be useful.
 
The first example is pure exposition. It gives us the who, what, where, when in a very reporter-like way, which is important. But it's dry and tells us nothing of the characters in the environment of the story.
 
The second example lets the characters be themselves. It gives us insight into their relationship. It tells us things about the individuals and their differences. You can see John's in charge. Vinny sounds like a reluctant accomplice. The two are involved in what appears to be a criminal enterprise and John is a dangerous man to corner.
 
The whole thing took less than five minutes to contrive. But the second example is something that has real potential for an opening scene, while the first is the type of opening that would get a book opened, scanned, and set back on the shelf. It's the hook that gets you into a reader's hands and mind. It's the characters that gives your audience someone to relate to. Whether they like them or not, they become part of the scene by being allowed that fly on the wall perspective and personal interaction.
 
If you do the work of really developing your characters, they will begin to speak to you. If you can see them in your mind then you can imagine their nature, what makes them who they are. Who's smart, who's not. Who's the leader? Who has the most to lose, who the least? What are the faults and strengths of each? What is the fatal flaw of any one of them?
 
Two approaches in five minutes and I already know which I'll save for possible future use. The voices of these characters are composites that live in my mind. Pieces of overheard conversations, barroom banter, styles of dress, carriage, and appearance. Look and listen to the Magnum Opus being played around you all day everyday and you'll hear the voices in your head.
 
 
Helpful hints from your Uncle Dane.
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Meanwhile...live, love, write.
 
 
Want to follow or subscribe to this blog? There are gadgets for that on the right side of the page. You can leave comments in the form below. I can be reached directly at dbaylis805@gmail.com . You can also find links to some of the sites I visit from time to time on the right. I'm also looking for submissions to the Your Work/Your Love page. Authors retain all rights.
 
 
Tomorrow,
 
Dane F. Baylis
Author.
 
 
 
 
 




Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Day 205 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis,

SOMETIMES A HUM, SOMETIMES A HYMN, BUT ALWAYS SUCH GLORIOUS NOISE.

Moving along to another of the poets of ASKEW POETRY JOURNAL, Issue #14: Ann Buxie. Ann is sweet, sublime, ethereal and earthy, and a real pleasure to listen to or read. She doesn't actually appear in this issue but was invited as a former contributor and supporter of the local scene to read. I am so glad that Phil made this exception!
 
 
___________________________________________________________________________
 
 
 
 
Ann Buxie
 
Photo by D.F. Baylis
 
I'm Just Going to Have Fun
 
 
 
Is this some kind of streak? I’ve never had this much fun. Takes some getting used to. a little guilt perhaps it can’t last you don’t deserve it this too shall pass. But listen. What if bliss is innate, doubled into our soul, our DNA? By now, life has chewed me and juiced me, enough to prove my goodness. I’m tossing the locks, keeping doors open, letting the holy blow through, not for my sake, but ours. Happy dissolves ugly, like alka seltzer in water, fizz fizz, ‘cuz ugly isn’t real, isn’t true, can’t endure. I rest my case.
the emperor is happy
the elephant is loose
tell everyone
 
 
 
___________________________________________________________________________
 
 


HAVE YOU NOTICED IT YET?

 
 
And you're supposed to say, "Noticed what, oh, Canny One?" The fact that, though this site has been up every day for quite some time now, there are no ad's. No offers. No chances to join and send me hard earned cash for...WHATEVER! Now you're waiting for the other shoe, huh?
 
There isn't one. No opportunities to learn the secrets of publishing. No course guaranteed to turn you into a literary powerhouse. Nada! Zilch! Hell, there's not even a plea for donations to keep the good work  on this earth going...Or GOD will call me home! (Or at least the mother ship will come back and scoop me up so I can play gospel with Elvis.)
 
If I'm not making a buck, then WHY ? The philosophical trickery to that is, Why not? I put this site up originally as a place to showcase me. Well, I bore me most of the time, so that wasn't working. Then I stumbled across Kharysma Rayne's 365 Day Blogging Challenge and, what the hell, here we are.
 
But why not monetize it? Because I shifted from my work to others, (though, I have to admit, soliciting submissions is like offering free root canals). Anyway, I didn't think asking others to contribute to something would be koshser if I was knocking a profit off from it and not paying out. So scratch any considerations in that direction.
 
I'm also a bit altruistic. I remember what it's like to find any outlet when the only people who know your name are your Mom, siblings, and the pimple faced kid who delivers your pizza one night a week. With that memory, I decided to actively go out there and find other poets, writers, and malcontents and drag them kicking and screaming over here to my place! The literary types weren't too much hassle...The malcontents are locked in the garage until they cool off.
 
So, if this thing takes off, and some whiz kid out there can show me a non-mind-numbing way to turn all this to profitable use, I'll start offering writers cash for their efforts. Until then, I offer a place where you can point to and say, "I was also published at...", the next time someone asks for your credits. It doesn't seem like much until you're neck and neck in the consideration marathon and the other guy goes, "Well, no, I haven't published anywhere else!"
 
 
A helpful hint from your Uncle Dane.
 
 
___________________________________________________________________________________
 
 
 

BUILDING CRAFT

 

About a week ago I was asked that question all writers get way-laid with from time to time, "So, what are you reading?"
 
Short list follows:
 
Just finished, "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" and "Digger's Game", by George V. Higgins for about the fourth time.
 
Now it's on to "Philadelphia  Noir ", an anthology of back east Noir fiction.
 
On the less than light side, "On Writing ", by George V. Higgins; " Bird by Bird ", by Anne Lamott; and " Editor-Proof Your Writing ", by Don McNair.
 
Told you I was boring when left to my own devices.
 
 
___________________________________________________________________________
 
 
Meanwhile...live, love, write.
 
 
Want to follow or subscribe to this blog? There are gadgets for that on the right side of the page. You can leave comments in the form below. I can be reached directly at dbaylis805@gmail.com . You can also find links to some of the sites I visit from time to time on the right. I'm also looking for submissions to the Your Work/Your Love page. Authors retain all rights.

 Tomorrow,
 
Dane F. Baylis
Author.



Monday, July 29, 2013

Day 204 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis

GLORY IN THE NOISE

 

Let's finish up this appearance by Glenna Luschei of ASKEW POETRY JOURNAL, Issue #14. We go out as we came in, showcasing her poem, "Gratitude for my Camel".  My thanks to Glenna for her permission to run this piece.
 
 
 
___________________________________________________________________________________
 
 

 
 
Glenna Luschei
 
Photo by D.F. Baylis
 
 
Gratitude for my Camel

 
                                      Thank you, Nizar for my camel Ma Bouche.
 
                                       I rode him to the watering hole
                                      an oasis of salt cedar and palm trees.
 
                                       I know the meaning of his name: my mouth
                                       laughs while my eyes weep
                                      
                                       and in Arabic:
                                      
                                       the soul laughs while the heart
                                       cries.
                                      
                                      He knelt to drink
                                       while I swam.
                                       
                                      You and Ma Bouche understand me,
                                       how I can laugh and weep at the same time.
 
 
 
 
___________________________________________________________________________________
 
 

DO I PRACTICE WHAT I PREACH?

By way of answering that, I'm going to take a moment for a small ego cascade. This morning, before leaving for my day job, I did what I always do. I checked my traffic counters and my multiple email accounts. Today there was a real cause for a bit of the old YEE-DAMNED-HAW!!!! In the mail was an acceptance by an e-zine for a story I've spent some time working on.
 
How much time? Well, there was the outline, the character studies, and the setting research. Then came the rough draft, which started, as most of mine do, in long hand on yellow pads. Then there was the first draft. No, I don't consider my roughs as first drafts. This was rewritten two times before I finally gave it a title, " *********** v.1".
 
A little market research and out the door it went. Bummer. No acceptance letter that time. So then it got sent right back out, with the same result. Hmmm? I took another look at it and made some grammatical, spelling, and continuity corrections (you'll find them too - take my word for it) and out it went again as, " ********* v.2".
 
And we repeated this through V's 3, 4, 5, and 6. Each time it came back I found something I could have done better. Maybe I needed to take a look at those adverbs and adjectives that sneak into a work when I'm not looking? Was the voice consistent or was I head-hopping? Was my syntax moving the story along or slowing it down? Massage, knead, tweak.
 
Well v.6 appears to have been the magic combination! All of this work, over about a seven month period, for a story of approximately 3600 words. Was it worth it? You tell me when you see that magic phrase, "We will be sending you an author's contract later this week. Please sign and return it as soon as possible." If you're not turning f *&# ing handsprings down the hall in your underwear then you're far more jaded than I am!
 
Moral to this story? Don't quit! Don't even consider it. (Oh, alright. So the first few minutes after you receive a "Piss Off" notice is allowable.) Put the piece aside for a week and then take a look at it. Proofread it and you'll be surprised at what you'll find. Then look for the story elements and passages that need the muses touch. All that done, give it the next V number in the sequence and send it back out. I've been making that slog to the post office or hitting the send button for over four decades now and I haven't found that place where success shows up before work. Except, maybe, in the dictionary, where it shows up sandwiched between shit and syphilis.
 
Oh, which publication and story am I talking about? As soon as I get the legalese out of the way, I'll let you know. Actually, I'll be flogging it like mad. I need the bucks!
 
 
Meanwhile...live, love, write.
 
 
 
Want to follow or subscribe to this blog? There are gadgets for that on the right side of the page. You can leave comments in the form below. I can be reached directly at dbaylis805@gmail.com . You can also find links to some of the sites I visit from time to time on the right. I'm also looking for submissions to the Your Work/Your Love page. Authors retain all rights.
 
 
Tomorrow,
 
Dane F. Baylis
Author.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Day 203 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis

THE NOISE GOES FURTHER

 

Let's hear from one of the women of Askew Poetry Journal, #14. Glenna Luschei presents a series of poems based on readings of the Syrian diplomat, poet and publisher, Nizar Qabanni's works. Her piece, "GRATITUDE FOR MY CAMEL" appears here.
 
 
 
___________________________________________________________________________
 
 
 
Glenna Luschei
 
photo by D.F. Baylis
 
Gratitude for my Camel
                                               
 
                                                Thank you, Nizar for my camel Ma Bouche.
 
                                                 I rode him to the watering hole
                                                 an oasis of salt cedar and palm trees.
 
                                                 I know the meaning of his name: my mouth
 
                                                 laughs while my eyes weep
 
                                                 and in Arabic:
 
                                                 the soul laughs while the heart
                                                 cries.
 
                                                 He knelt to drink
                                                 while I swam.
 
                                                 You and Ma Bouche understand me,
                                                 how I can laugh and weep at the same time.
 
 
 
___________________________________________________________________________
 
 

ARE YOU REALLY READY?

 
 

This will probably turn out to be another one of those posts where I piss off half of the on-line writing world and have the other half going, "Huh?". I have been giving some thought to digital media and the electronic market place. I would have to be an idiot living under a rock not to. One of the real pitfalls I've noticed is the, "rush to publish", mentality the whole thing fosters.
 
There are challenge sites, blogs, and communities of all types and descriptions. There are dozens of editors (the term is being applied loosely here), offering their services for low or no fee. There are any number of e-zines and genre specific outlets that seem to appear and disappear faster than most writing careers. Every one of them holds out the opportunity for writers to post their work and gain exposure. Some even offer payment, though that seems to come and go faster than the sites themselves. Unfortunately, exposed is what so many novice writers get in this environment.
 
Work gets put up for public scrutiny that is in no way ready for it. What I am seeing are stories and poetry that haven't even been given a decent proofing for spelling and grammar. This leaves me wondering if the authors are that unprepared to actually write and publish, or if lazy is the new standard.
 
Perhaps this would be a bit less shocking if it only appeared in on-line critique groups or writer's development forums. But it also pervades the electronic publishing world, as well. It is so easy to post something to major merchandisers such as Amazon that the standards one should expect from printed work being offered for sale have all but been completely abandoned. Work that would never pass the muster of any reputable publisher ends up being sold retail or for free as promotional ploys.
 
Free, or the ninety-nine cent list price that commonly gets applied, doesn't make this trash worthy of a place in the market. The argument is frequently made that the buying public will sort the dreck from the quality. My answer to this is that, when you have thoroughly covered the globe in a uniform layer of crap, it becomes difficult to spot a rose. It also makes it more difficult, by far, for the writers who DO spend the time on their craft to be given a fair, or at least equitable, shot.
 
In the end, seeing your name in print is only worth it if the work it is attached to promotes the growth of your reputation and how you are perceived as an author. If you post or publish something you haven't invested long hours and a lot of consideration in, you should be ready to accept the drubbing you are going to take outside of an insular group of friends and family. It isn't the fault of the publishers, editors, market, or audience if you commit something resembling a vaudevillian pratfall. In the words of Forrest Gump, "Mama always said...Stupid is as stupid does."
 
Thus endeth the lesson.
 
 
___________________________________________________________________________
 
 
Meanwhile...live, love, write.
 
 
Want to follow or subscribe to this blog? There are gadgets for that on the right side of the page. You can leave comments in the form below. I can be reached directly at dbaylis805@gmail.com . You can also find links to some of the sites I visit from time to time on the right. I'm also looking for submissions to the Your Work/Your Love page. Authors retain all rights.
 
 
Tomorrow,
 
Dane F. Baylis
Author.
 


Saturday, July 27, 2013

Day 202 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis

THE NOISE GOES ON

 
 
Let's hear from one of the women of Askew Poetry Journal, #14. Glenna Luschei presents a series of poems based on readings of the Syrian diplomat, poet and publisher, Nizar Qabanni's works. Her piece, "GRATITUDE FOR MY CAMEL" appears here.
 
 
 
___________________________________________________________________________
 
 
 


 
GLENNA LUSCHEI
 
Photo by D.F. Baylis
 
Gratitude for my Camel
 
 


 
                                             Thank you, Nizar, for my camel Ma Bouche.
 
                                             I rode him to the watering hole
                                            an oasis of salt cedar and palm trees.
 
                                             I know the meaning of his name: my mouth
                                             laughs while my eyes weep
 
                                             and in Arabic:
 
                                             the soul laughs while the heart
                                            cries.
 
                                            He knelt to drink
                                            while I swam.
 
                                            You and Ma Bouche understand me,
                                            how I can laugh and weep at the same time.
 
 
 
___________________________________________________________________________________
 

FIRST, LEARN TO WRITE

 
 
Sounds simple enough, doesn't it. But too many writers start off by taking creative writing classes. This is like someone who wants to learn to be a mountain climber going out and buying a ton of equipment and heading for El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. They may survive the experience but their likelihood of success and enjoyment are the same as tiger hunting with a lasso.
 
My earliest exposure to writing was as a student journalist. I started my own paper in high school to counter the sanctioned monthly that contained little more than prom, sports, and graduation features. I recruited a group of malcontents and we stumbled through the first couple of issues. Lucky for us, one of our rank was the son of a Boston Globe editor who taught us the rudiments of journalism.
 
Your story is always about the who, what, where, and when, and occasionally the why. If you can distill an article on a local politician down to who they are, who they are involved with, what they are after (and what they are willing to trade for it), where they were when you interview them (or they screwed up!), and how it is you managed to be there, you have a story.
 
These are the same things you need to get down if you are to relate a quality bit of fiction. Who are your characters? What are they doing? Where is all this taking place? When is it occurring? The question of why is answered in the things you bring to light that motivate your characters and drive your plot. Do you need to beat me over the head with why? No. Just like with reportage, your character's actions will reveal their motives. Who stands to gain? How will they gain? What makes this possible?
 
The trick is not to tell me the why. Show it to me by what the characters do and how they interact with one another. Do I need every grimy little detail? If I do, then I'm not much of a reader. It's the missing pieces that the reader gets to fill in on their own that involves them in the story. This is what compels them to keep reading. You don't have to drown their participation in floods of adjectives, adverbs, and modifiers. You need to find a way of imparting what you want known and felt without saying it.
 
This has been the backbone of journalism from the beginning. Let the story speak and keep your two friggin' cents out of it. Equally in fiction, if you have taken the time to create believable characters that you enjoy and understand, then you will have the  pieces on the board to maneuver and use in creating all the tension and entertainment necessary. If, on the other hand, you don't understand and appreciate the facts of your story, then you are going to create a thin fantasy of mist and echo with little for a reader to grasp and contemplate.
 
Oh, and learn to accept that this is a rough climb. Like the granite walls of Yosemite, you learn to conquer them in small steps. There will be days when you will doubt you've made any progress. There will be some when you wonder if the trip's worth it. Each manuscript out is another opportunity to fail. Each failure is an occasion to learn. That's the difference between the writer's and the students. Writers can fall on their asses this morning and be back at the challenge by this afternoon. Students are never sure if they should even get out of the tent and make breakfast.
 
 
Just a helpful hint from your Uncle Dane.
 
 
 
___________________________________________________________________________
 
 
Meanwhile...live, love, write.
 
 
Want to follow or subscribe to this blog? There are gadgets for that on the right side of the page. You can leave comments in the form below. I can be reached directly at dbaylis805@gmail.com . You can also find links to some of the sites I visit from time to time on the right. I'm also looking for submissions to the Your Work/Your Love page. Authors retain all rights.
 
 
Tomorrow,
 
Dane F. Baylis
Author.