Day 98 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis

 YOU'RE A WRITER?

Or

Are You Sure About the Terminology?

I don't know about you, but lately I've been taking a long, hard look at that title. Am I a writer? I do write...A LOT...and I send most of what I've written out for consideration. Sometimes I get lucky and something passes muster, more often I don't and my chicken comes home to roost.

 

What happens next? I could stick it in a folder as a failure and move on to something else. It's not like I'm running out of things to write about. Or, I could take a look at what just came back and ask myself, "Can I make this better?" If you can look at something you've written and honestly answer that question with, "No", my hat's off to you.

 

Nothing goes out my door that hasn't been re-written and re-vised at least three times. A first draft is...well, a first draft. It's just the idea in rough form. Revision #1 is to knock the stuffing out of this bloated piece of prose or poetry and see what it's made of. I strip out any word that isn't essential to the idea I'm conveying.This can leave a good starting point for revision two, but at times it can also reveal those gems in the dung heap that all the verbiage was covering over.

Revision #2 is where I sit for long periods staring at the monitor mumbling. Mostly I'm trying out different ways of saying what I'm trying to get across. Other times I'm trying to find the impact in the story. Those words or phrases that are going to say more with less. Sometimes I'm just wondering if I should maybe ask for my letter of resignation back?

 

Revision #3 is where I read the thing out loud and judge its flow. Is it smooth to the ear? What might seem smooth in your thoughts quite often doesn't sound that way when you give it voice. Your reader will find those spots right away and stumble over them like uneven pavement.

 

I'm always looking for a 'good enough' point. That point where it is time to put the thing in an envelope or hit the send key and get it off my desk. Like I said, sometimes I can get lucky. If not, then I revise and rewrite...again. Nothing gets back off my desk until I've looked at it and gone through the same process I use for a new work. It often won't take as long but there is always something that can be improved.

 

So, I guess I'd have to say, no I'm not a writer. I am a re-writer and re-viser. It's all part of the craft of writing and, I'm sorry to say, one that's often getting ignored.There were two hundred and fifty thousand more e-works published last year than there were physical books. Most of these were self-published and too many of them showed that their authors were not re-writers. You can't expect to gain respect as a writer until you can show you've mastered your art AND craft.

 

Remember, the cream floats to the top. Everything else is pretty cheesy.

 

 

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. 

Day 97 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis

EVEN WHEN I GO OUT I'M STILL A WRITER.

I Wouldn't Change A Minute!

 

Got out of the house today. Made breakfast for me and the mate and then we were in the car and gone. A couple of quick errands and on the road into the mountains. Sightseeing? A picnic? Maybe a little fishing?

 

Afraid not, I'm a writer and the little resort town of Ojai (That's pronounced Oh, hi!) was hosting its annual Wordfest. Yes, a collection of poets, novelists, essayists, publishers and illustrators gathered to celebrate National Poetry Month and the written word. It's what was once termed a bus man's holiday. The day you get away from your doing something to go associate with other people who do the same thing. Why?

 

Because it's a good idea to get out there with others of your craft and mingle. It's an opportunity to see what others are doing, to rub elbows, and do that quintessential Twenty-first Century task of networking. I met with three people who agreed to contribute to my Wednesday blog Southern California Voices, two of whom I never would have connected with otherwise. I also picked up an offer to co-author a work with another writer, again something I would have missed otherwise.

 

Throw into this a chance to help out other writers by spending a couple bucks on their books. It's a tough enough road out here. If you're in a position to help, why not? I do believe that what goes around, comes around. How about you, or do you have enough beholding relatives to finance your literary madness?

 

One more side benefit. The town of Ojai dates back before the turn of the Twentieth Century and is one of those eclectic arts communities where you find yourself beyond the reach of fast food restaurants (there's an oxymoron!) and chain coffee shops. Funky boutiques, art galleries...(Yes, we splurged on a small, original seascape)...incredible eateries, and an atmosphere which helps you recharge and believe you've made the right choice pursuing the writing life. Add to this an arts, intellectual, and spiritual tradition that goes way back and what more could you want?

 

So, do yourself a favor. Get in touch with your local writing community. Find out what's going on and get going. No community that you're aware of? Well, start one! Make the first step a small one and join or organize a reading group at your local library. I'm sure the librarian would be glad to help. Then find out if anyone in the group is interested in writing. We all talk about our isolation and how hard it is to keep striving. Well, a drowning man goes under unless he grabs a life ring.

 

 

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.

 

Day 96 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis

FLIP SIDE OF THE COIN

or

You Can't Get Heads Without Tails.

 

 

There are any number of times I'll mention writing something every day. This isn't an original idea but one that was taught to me and is the soul of good authorship. You can't sit down every other Sunday when the moon is in the right phase for an hour and expect to turn out anything worthwhile. It'll take you that long to mix your favorite beverage, find the most inspiring view, get up to close the blinds because the view's too distracting, sharpen a half dozen pencils, sharpen them again and, finally, jot down the rough draft of an idea for the first paragraph you might use in something. REAL writing is REAL discipline. It requires commitment, concentration, and dogged determination!

 

It also requires fuel. If you think you're going to recreate the genre you've chosen by working from a vacuum you are SO mistaken. Well, if you're supposed to write, write, write how do you fuel all this artistic fervor? You read, read, read! As Stephen King said, "If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others; read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around these two things that I'm aware of, no shortcut." 

 

Whatever your chosen genre or style, you need to read the best examples that you can find. You need to read classic works and the most talented writers of today. (Notice I didn't say the most popular.There are enough best selling hacks out there, guys. Do yourself a favor and be a little discriminating.)

 

Read as a writer! Don't let yourself mindlessly cruise through a work. Concentrate on what you're seeing. How does the dialogue work? How is the mood set? What is it about a character that makes you root, boo, or just not care? I know it seems that it will take the fun out of the endeavor but DAMN IT ALL where else will you learn these things? Sure, there are a few decent 'how to's' around. If you're lucky, your local community or four-year college hasn't dropped its creative writing course because of budgetary constraints. Nothing, though, will replace the example set by someone recognized for their ability.

 

So that leaves us with one other piece of advice from the illustrious master of fear. "BLOW UP THE TV!" (Unless your heart's set on being a screen writer. I guess, he sighed.)

 

 

As always...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.  

Day 95 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis

CROSS TRAIN YOUR BRAIN!

But Before We Get Going With Some Cerebral Sweat...

I want to run yesterday's review here on the front page one more day. I feel the work deserves the extra time and an opportunity for as much exposure as possible. So, in an encore performance:

 

 

 

 

REVIEW

 

 

 

Title: THE SPIRIT LIFE OF BIRDS

Author: Maia

 

Genre: Poetry
 

Publisher: Adder's Tongue Press, Ventura, CA, www.askewpoetry.org
 

Price: $15.00 USD
 

ISBN 978-0-9856138-08
 

Maia and the folks at Adder's Tongue have released a powerful testament to the relationship between a couple and the profound pain of separation. Maia first met Charlie in 1979 and two years later began a bond that lasted physically until Charlie's passing in 2005 and continues, emotionally and spiritually, today. In THE SPIRIT LIFE OF BIRDS , Maia allows the reader to glimpse her love, loss, and longing in a way that is poignant and sensual at the same time.
 

Her imagery is taken from the natural world and the music they shared, especially the Portuguese mornas and fado of Brazil and Cape Verde. Every plant and bird, every note and song is a reminder for her. She has presented them with such control and impact as to make Charlie, and her own grief, familiar to anyone who reads these poems.
 

This is not to say that it is all wailing and hair tearing. Maia also shows the profound gratitude for being able to share this world with the one she was meant for. She does this with a grace and softness that is the perfect counterpoint to her loss. One cannot read these works without being touched, saddened, and uplifted all at once. Congratulations to both Maia and Adders' Tongue on a beautiful book.

 

 

Okay, that said, BACK ON THE STATIONARY BIKES!!!

 

 

What does the title have to do with writing? I was at the regular meeting of the Ventura County Writer's Club on Tuesday last. This month's meeting was to present the winners of the clubs annual poetry contest. After the presentation I overheard someone remark that learning to write poetry could be helpful in other styles and genres of writing.

 

Working cross platform for so many years I've never given this much thought. I just figured everyone did it. Imagine my surprise when a number of members admitted to not writing (some even said they didn't read poetry) and not seeing how it could be helpful in fiction, memoir or any other type of writing.

 

What is poetry? The long explanation can be had here. The synopsis, loosely, is an emotional presentation, highly symbolic and concise, of a scene, moment, or feeling an author wishes the reader to have an equivalent emotional reaction to. Poetry, as a rule, is far shorter than prose, (though there are any number of narratives we all still groan over, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge being one that comes immediately to mind), and it's language is far more abstract. It is that way in order to evoke emotion with a technique typified as Show Don't Tell.

 

Here is where the usefulness of poetry to the prose writer comes in. One of our problems in writing prose is too much exposition! In other words, too much telling, not enough showing. Nothing will slow a plot down faster and lose a reader quicker! By studying how things are said in a poetic form we are gaining a symbolic vocabulary to paint a picture for readers instead of telling them what to see or feel. This can be used in developing characters, setting scene and mood, or describing action.

 

But that poetry stuff is just too flowery! I recommend you take a look at the surge in prose poetry occurring worldwide. This is a melding of the two forms to create a deeper, more accessible form for both.

 

It's all about precision. The best stories we read may be rife with detail and description but, if they're truly to hold a reader's attention, it must be done in a way that makes you part of the story and sharing what the characters are feeling. This is the heart of poetry and why it is well worth any writer's time to take up reading, if not writing, it. There is such a breadth of style and subject, old as time and new as tomorrow, it would be near impossible not to find something appealing.

 

 

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.

 

Later,

 

Dane F. Baylis. Author.



Day 94 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA VOICES

A Reminder:

THE MISSION POETRY SERIES

at Clare's Place, Mission Renewal Center

Old Santa Barbara Mission

Sunday, April 14th, 2013 - 1 P.M.

for directions call: 805 682-4713 x133

                                         NEW LISTING

                                                Saturday, 7:00 PM, April 20, 2013

                                               The 2013 Whitman-Stein Poetry Fest

                                                University of California, Santa Barbara

                                                Multipurpose Room, Student Resource Bldg.

                                                  Parking in lot 22.

                                                 Co-Sponsors:

                                                 Instruments of Peace

                                                  UCSB Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity

                                                  UCSB Queer Student Alliance

                                                 Pacific Pride Foundation

 

REVIEW

Title: THE SPIRIT LIFE OF BIRDS

Author: Maia

Publisher: Adder's Tongue Press, Ventura, CA, www.askewpoetry.org

Price: $15.00 USD

ISBN  978-0-9856138-08

 

     Maia and the folks at Adder's Tongue have released a powerful testament to the relationship between a couple and the profound pain of separation. Maia first met Charlie in 1979 and two years later began a bond that lasted physically until Chalie's passing in 2005 and continues, emotionally and spiritually, today. In THE SPIRIT LIFE OF BIRDS , Maia allows the reader to glimpse her love, loss, and longing in a way that is poignant and sensual at the same time.

 

     Her imagery is taken from the natural world and the music they shared, especially the Portuguese mornas and fado of Brazil and Cape Verde. Every plant and bird, every note and song is a reminder for her. She has presented them with such control and impact as to make Charlie, and her own grief, familiar to anyone who reads these poems.

 

This is not to say that it is all wailing and hair tearing. Maia also shows the profound gratitude for being able to share this world with the one she was meant for. She does this with a grace and softness that is the perfect counterpoint to her loss. One cannot read these works without being touched, saddened, and uplifted all at once. Congratulations to both Maia and Adders' Tongue on a beautiful book.

 

 

As always...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.

                                      

 

Day 93 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis
 

First Of All, Drum Roll Please, We're More Than One Quarter Of The Way Through The 365 Days of Blogging!

(Now Cue The Organ)

It's Time To Talk A Little About INSPIRATION.

 

I'm sure you've all heard the one that goes, "Genius is 5 percent inspiration and ninety-five percent perspiration." Okay, that covers it back to work! No... Just kidding. I want to talk about a couple of sources I use for that elusive five percent.

 

I know, along the way, I've thrown this one out there. Sitting there at the breakfast table without a clue? Open the local newspaper. There are things in there you can not make up.

 

Tell me if this doesn't sound like a highly popular cable TV show. A priest wants to raise some extra cash. So, in between chasing other men around the altar (Nope, I didn't even make that part up) he decides to go into the Methamphetamine business. He needs a cover for the cash that's going to be rolling in. Of course, what else? Buy an adult novelty and video store as a front! Unfortunately, among his first customers is an undercover cop. You're busted.

 

All of that is straight out of the news. I left out the names and locations on purpose (A little CYA). But if that's not a premise for a short story, novel, or TV SCRIPT, what is?

 

Or right from the local library, eBay, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or any number of other sources on the Internet, The Writer's Idea Book by Jack Hefron. This is a best seller full of prompts for plots, beginnings, endings, genre, etc.This is definitely the tool to get the cognitive function unstuck and the juices flowing again.

 

So, the five percent isn't as hard as it seems. It's the ninety-five percent that trips most of us up. That becomes a job for Stephen Kings legendary butt glue. Unfortunately, I haven't found an outlet for this item yet.

 

 

As always...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

 

 

Later,

 

 

Dane F. Baylis. Author

Day 92 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis

WHY IS FREE VERSE A LOT LIKE BONSAI?

No, Not Because, Like Everything I Try To Grow, The Poems Eventually Commit Suicide, Too.

 

I have a number of hobbies, some of which are a bit esoteric. Raising Bonsai is one of them. I was working on re-potting a number of my trees when it occurred to me that what I did with these plants was a lot like what I do when writing free verse poetry. As a matter of fact, the similarities were a bit surprising.

 

First of all, lets get an understanding of Bonsai or the art of growing miniature plants in small containers. The first thing to understand is that these are miniature trees and shrubs. They are not starved or stunted. A plant capable of attaining all the height and presence of its companions in nature is the starting point. Through judicious exercise of gardening technique, craft, and artistic judgement, these plants are maintained in a healthy  and vigorous  state for many decades. (Sometimes longer than a normal sized specimen might survive in the wild.)

 

The presentation of the subject is done in one of several styles and is expected to be as natural and aesthetically pleasing as the artist is capable of attaining. He or she carefully decides what direction they wish to go. Then, slowly and with intent, the branches and trunk are pruned and trimmed to achieve a basic structure. This accomplished, the plant is further shaped by bending with wire, raffia, weights or grafting to refine its potential appearance. Frequently a plant at this stage is left alone, with only careful watering and fertilization to stimulate growth into a more finished product.

 

When all of this has been done (and it may take years of patient contemplation and waiting) the plant is deemed ready for display. Now a pot is chosen and prepared. With a new base ready, the roots are trimmed once more to accommodate the plants final transition. The plant is provided the correct soil and nutrients and is ready, at last, to be viewed.

 

Free verse poetry goes through many of the same stages. Quite frequently a writer will begin with an idea that has the possibility of becoming something quite large and commanding. Certain decisions are made as to what form would be most conducive to what is to be said. Then a first draft is executed. Quite often this is far more wordy then is necessary. After all, a poem (especially one to be rendered in free verse) should concise and compact, with little adornment or uncomplimentary 'foliage'.

 

Sometimes it is wise to put aside the work at this point and allow the idea we're dealing with to mature into a form more representative of the presentation we have in mind. As with the plant in the first part of this piece, a poem may offer hints to its structure as it comes to fruition that the writer wasn't first aware of. When you are judging your progress remember, you are trying for as natural a final subject in as altered and controlled a form as possible. To much injudicious trimming and the vision disappears, or worse, the trunk dies and all is lost. Too little and the desired result is lost in the undergrowth.

 

Eventually it is time to put the piece into its final presentation form. The unneeded verbiage is pruned away and the essentials of the symbol and sentiment are retained. The piece should contain as much impact, if not more, as could be accomplished in a prose work. Enough should be left to the reader's perception so as to create the illusion of grandeur and verisimilitude. The character of a one hundred foot tall bald cypress in an eighteen inch reality. There you have my thoughts at a potting bench on bonsai and poetry.

 

As always...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.