What of the Muse?

Dang him. If you believe in him, anyways. I was reading Blog Ing's Writing Log and he was talking about sitting in front of the paper for an extended period without anything coming out. In the mean time Theadra has got more bouncing in her head than she can get down in the time she has.

I fall somewhere in between.

Ing's experience made me think of the problem that we all deal with at some point.

That made me think of something I read at Holly Lisle's site a long time ago. Don't ask me where; as she like to tout, she has over a hundred-thousand words of free writing advice over there. I'm sure one of the other Buddies who has read it all can vouch that what I'm very leisurely getting ready to talk about is, in fact, there somewhere.

Holly has scenes that she has a cute name for - candy scenes? something like that - scenes that she was incredibly excited about writing. She would make them into a reward. When she had written so much tying-together material she would allow herself to write the scene she was so excited about writing before.

I've been doing that a lot with the story I'm working on now. It started in my mind as a few roughly connected scenes that I am trying to turn into a 16k competitor for WotF. I hope you are sending lots of positive writer thoughts this way, because the space between those scenes is going a lot like this: blah blah blah, blah blah blah blah. Anyways, sometimes thinking of muses is a muse ing. Or a muse Ing. What do I know? If I had written this much for my story tonight I would be this much further along. Hopefully it helps somebody somewhere, if only in the sense of shared empathy. Or something.

Write on.

R.

Observation

Some people are clever. Some people are prolific writers. Some people are both. At least there is rock and roll for the rest of us.

R.

Leppard on the Loose

I heard that Def Leppard was releasing a new album and I did some reminiscing about those pop-rockers. There path has been an interesting one. By the time I was old enough to know about the Leppards, they were already the one-armed-drummered-pretty-poster-boys for glam rock. Leather and spandex, ugly guitars, the one-armed drummer - they had it all. I bought Hysteria on cassette at a fair. I wore it out. Then I discovered something very interesting: they had done other albums. How novel. I made a powerful discovery then, one that I will share with you, if you don't already know. In their early years, the Leppards were a driving force in the NWOBHM with the kind of impact that led young bands like an unnamed garage band that would become Pantera to learn and play the album On Through the Night from beginning to end.

So . . . I have put up a new player to the right. It only has three songs. I know you want to know why if they had three albums before Hysteria why I could only find three songs. First off, I tried not to put anything that was remotely a hit on there. Okay, Too Late for Love still gets a lot of air time, but I was desperate. The web site that does the players there did not have a single song from On Through the night. Not a one. I recommend Rock Brigade or Sorrow is a Woman if you want more vintage stuff.

These are just some tunes that might surprise you if thinking of the Leppards instantly makes you start humming Two Steps Behind. Watch out for the B-word in Let It Go, its right in the first verse, but do take note of the fine cow-bell work. The drummer did have both arms in those days. The riff in H&D should speak for itself, and as I already said, TLFL is just a fine tune that leans more towards their old sound than where they were going by Pyromania.

As a sidenote - I have a friend who refuses to listen to Led Zeppelin on moral grounds but thinks the Leppards are swell. Keep that in mind as you enjoy these tunes.

R.

They Got Rhythm

So the other day I was driving and heard The Wizard by Black Sabbath on the radio. It got me thinking about some of my favorite rhythm section moments.

This is a funny post, I know, because there will inevitably be someone who will read this and think "Those guys suck," but that is why I said favorite and not best. Anyways, knowing that there are many drummers and bassists who are more capable, at least on a technical level, I find that the two rhythm sections that make me wish that I were a drummer or bassist are the killer combos of Geezer Butler and Bill Ward from the early Black Sabbath days and John Paul Jones and John Bonham from Led Zeppelin.

I really tried to find someone who wasn't from the late sixties/seventies, mostly because I wasn't even alive when some of my favorite recordings by these guys were done, but I just couldn't. I've wondered if it was the era - with so much being done that was fresh and rock really breaking with its core building blocks of pop and dance music. Whatever the reason, I find something in the rhythm sections of these two bands that I don't hear, even from bands that are undeniably better.

I have put some songs into my player dealy to the right. It was hard to decide what songs to pick. Actually for Black Sabbath it wasn't bad - The Wizard and War Pigs are probably the most amazing recordings from an amazing duo.

The Zep was tougher because what Bonham and Jones have together is a lot more subtle. To really appreciate what they do I think someone would have to listen to their entire catalog with the intent of not being distracted by Pages "I'm the coolest guitar player in the world so I can get away with having the ugliest guitar tone" noise or Plants crooning.

I chose Good Times, Bad Times mostly because of the bass drum. I've seen drummers try that with double bass and still not pull it off. (You're thinking of Portnoy and suspecting that those drummers must suck. Indeed, they were small timers, but who in the pro scene compares to Portnoy anyways?).

Immigrant Song is an incredible tune; it is probably the most intense of anything Zep did, but at the same time Jones manages to drive some amazingly melodic playing into the choruses.

Whole Lotta Love doesn't have anything in particular, it just rocks and it is short. I've always thought that Page was the king of awesome riffs who should have brought in Clapton or just about anyone else for the lead work. The two exceptions to me (cliche as they may be) are Stairway to Heaven and Whole Lotta Love. So stay tuned through Plant's animal noises in the interlude because the solo right before the song comes back in is a rare moment for Jimmy Page.

R.

House Keeping

I have fixed the link to Blog Ing, for those of you who use it, as well as adding a section of links for Word Count Buddies. In this group of links is the page that I am keeping track of my work-in-progress word count. I think that's about it tonight.

R.

One More Thing

Because I know all of my readers need another thing to do. Do any of you submit to Writers of the Future?

For all I know all of you do. If you don't, I think I'd like to throw the idea out there that we do it. It is a contest started by L. Ron Hubbard and carried on by big names like Anne McCaffrey, Orson Scott Card, and Kevin J. Anderson. The pot is huge and the winners and top finalists are published in annual editions of Writers of the Future Volume Whatever.

So here is my reasoning in this:

1) It is quarterly, ongoing, and there are no entry fees. That means that there is a deadline every three months to shoot for.

2) It is judged by successful writers, not given-up writers turned editor.

3) It helps establish a habit of getting your stuff together and shipping it out, and building your Resistance to rejection notices. There is more to our business than just being an artist. For more on that I recommend Holly Lisle's site which is packed with eye-opening info about the business from someone very particular about their status as a "full-time writer."

The longest works that they accept are 17000 word novellas, and I have the impression that most of the word buddies are working on novels. I will share two thoughts and then mind my own business. As much as I am able anyways. First, Ender's Game was originally published as a novella and later expanded into the very successful novel that it is. No, that had nothing at all to do with WoTF, but it goes to show that sometimes it is easier to get a foot in the door with a less risky smaller piece than a novel. Second, hugely successful writer George R.R. Martin says on his website that if he were trying to break into the fantasy author scene that he would start sending short stories to the many short-works fantasy publishers out there, and that after getting a few of those published the big presses would be begging for a novel. I might also point out that Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series was preceded with a novella which introduced readers and publishers to his world.

On the downside, I do get e-mails from them regularly offering me deals-of-a-lifetime on back issues of the books, but they aren't that bad. The other thing is that I bought a few volumes and did some very crude word count calculations and I found that virtually all of their published stories fell between 15 and 17k, and there were none shorter than 12k in the volumes I picked up. So besides the habitual skin-thickening benefits I mentioned earlier, if you actually want to win you have to get your story as close to the 17k limit as possible without going over and without crappy filler.

I obviously am not there yet, but in the most prolific writing period of my life I worked around the quarterly deadlines (March 31, June 31, September 31, and December 31) to keep my momentum. I actually had a four-step submission plan where I sent the new story to WoTF first, then another publisher next, a third, and finally a fourth as it was rejected to keep my name out there and increase my odds at selling some stories. It was just as I really got the system working that I reached critical mass with school and turned all efforts into completing my bachelor's degree. Now I am thinking about getting back into that and would like to invite you all to come along.

R.

Really Writing

Okay, I'm really not the slacker I've seemed to be. Technically challenged perhaps. Poor in regards to communication perhaps. But I have been writing. Today I did 105 words for a total so far for this story of 727. One day Liz and I will get this password thing worked out and I won't be the only Word Count Buddy sporting a big fat zero.

R.

100+

I think about 116 today. For this story total 511 so far.

R.

Early Start

I got up early and did some job work, and then I wrote another 175ish words for the story I started yesterday. Very satisfying.

R.

The New Story

Today I started a new story, and surprisingly enough, it didn't start out with a name. Very unusual for me. Anyways, 126 words on it today.

I have a question and I don't know if this crowd has an answer, I obviously don't, or I wouldn't have to ask. I have three stories (including the one I just finished) about the cowboy-turned-dude-wrangler Hobb and his adventures from his teens into his young adult life. One is about the loss of a horse, another about taking a herd of horses where they never should have gone, and the last about drag racing and ditching cops. Any suggestions for where to send them? For all that Hobb is a cowboy they aren't really cowboy stories, but maybe they would be considered to be by the masses. Any tips would be welcome, as I'm ready to start adding to my collection of rejection slips now that I'm out of school. Speaking of rejection letters, did anyone read that essay that I linked in my NULC post? As a receiver of many rejections I found it very helpful. Hope everyone is writing their guts out. As soon as I get my login stuff for the Word Counter's page I will start logging my word counts there. Really. I will.

R.

Back in the Drivers Seat

I was going to say back in the saddle, but since this story was about drag racing, the seat seemed more appropriate. So there was a misunderstanding a few posts back where people got the idea the I'd finished the Railhead story, but it is finished now.

Final word count for the first draft: 1581.

Don't forget to check out the "mammoth post" about the NULC below. It is full of semi-helpful stuff, and it is what I spent days writing instead of finishing Railhead.

R.

Offerings From the NULC

Today began the National Undergraduate Literature Conference. I decided to submit even though I 1) graduated in December (found that this does not break the rules) and 2) had missed the deadline by several days. Did I let that stop me? Not after being shut down by them last year. So having learned my lesson about genre-bigotry I submitted, lately as I mentioned, my story Last Dance of which I have referred in posts past. Despite these things the story, ungenred as it was, had no problem getting me in.

Since most of my readers are aspiring writers, I have decided to put down the things that I learn and the things the authors said at the NULC here and hopefully you will get something worthwhile from them. Or maybe you will just end up reading big long stories about how cool I think everything is. Okay, here we go.

Eleanor Wilner

The convocation was given by Eleanor Wilner, a celebrated poet. She spoke of what in the States we derisively refer to as “political poetry,” but that in Russia is fondly called “citizen’s poetry.” In other words, poetry that is concerned with social and political wrongs. She said that the poet’s trade is in words, and because of that the poet has a responsibility to make sure that the right words are being applied i.e. that a duck is being called a duck and not an amphibious feathered bird of interest. You get the idea, I’m certain. She read stirring poems by (forgive me for not being up on the poet scene) important poets in the fight for truth regarding the state of our affairs in the world. It was filled with rhetoric, but very powerful and if I didn’t feel like a poem’s power lay in its syntax I would try to paraphrase some of the poems that she used in her speech. In referring to violence in writing (she was referring to poetry specifically) she quoted the great writer Willa Cather (in a quote that I can’t seem to find on the internet to get right, so you’ll have to suffer with my paraphrase) saying that it is the thing unmentioned (not shown?) that is haunting. I think of the powerful climax in Oh! Pioneers and I would say she knew just how much to put in to make that scene linger, even without graphic detail. Wilner spoke of how even though there are very few now who believe that we are at war for the reason the government tells us that we are at war that “silence is consent.” She may have been quoting someone else on that, but I only recall the message.

Today she did a reading of her own poetry. One poem that she read was called, I think, “The Muse.” She introduced it by reminding the audience of the Gordian Knot, the person by whom it could be untied being worthy to rule the world. When faced with the Knot, Alexander of Macedonia, called the Great, pulled his sword and cleaved the knot in twain “setting the precedence for Western problem solving ever sense.”

Geoffrey Wolfe

At the Banquet, Mr. Wolfe read a monologue set as a presentation to a Senate committee in the not too distant future where as an investigative reporter, at that point “a person of interest,” was being forced under duress to answer the question “How did we get here?” in regards to the stripping away of civil rights in the name of defense against the elusive enemy, terrorists. He did not do much by way of explaining his craft, just read the monologue which thoroughly disturbed most everyone in the room for one reason or another.

Bret Anthony Johnston

Two years ago Lackhand and I went to the NULC together and met BAJ. If anything I say here seems unbelievable, LH can probably vouch for the apparent character of the author based on our shared experience with him at that time. He has written a highly acclaimed and very moving collection of short stories called Corpus Christi and is the Director of Creative Writing at Harvard.

Yesterday as I was walking out from the Convocation a few minutes early to catch my ride, there was BAJ talking to someone in the hall. He stopped his conversation and, offering his hand, said, “Hey, it’s Riotimus, isn’t it?” Yeah, in real life I am riotimus too. Actually I think riotimus may be a state of mind as well as a historical figure, but I digress. So he says he saw my name in the program and that it is good to see me again. The timing of this was great, because I had just been felling nettled about coming on time to an event (an event that I was dropped off for and had to meet my ride at the specified ending time, hence my leaving on time when the event was not over; I digress again) so I was on time and feeling a little vexed by the way the Conference Coordinator and the authors were sitting exclusively in the front row being important as the clock ticked on. The earnest friendliness of BAJ forced me to abandon my conclusion that success and becoming a self-important chump were inevitably linked.

Doing the play by play is making me weary, so I am going to just try to nail the main points. After all, earlier I said 'today' but since I’ve been working on this for three days I don’t know which ‘today’ it was. I had the opportunity to spend a decent amount of time with BAJ at the conference. I found him to be earnest, encouraging, and much less impressed with himself than the far-less-successful Conference Coordinator. I was going to write out some of the conversations we had as evidence of my conclusion, but you’ll just have to take my word for it and corroborate it with Lackhand’s experience with him two years ago.

BAJ spoke at the luncheon after the Conference Coordinator talked about how much work and sacrifice it is if we want to be a writer. BAJ took the podium and said, “I must humbly disagree with [Conference Coordinator]. You already are writers.” He went on to say that it is the act of writing that makes a writer, not number of published works or money generated by works, etc. He went on to say that he doesn’t believe in talent, inspiration, or the muse—he believes in work (or [butt] in chair time], that writing is a vocation, an act of witness, and that there is nothing more important that we can do. He then read his essay On Rejection; or Dear Author, After Careful Consideration a very humorous look at the not-so-humorous facts of writing and rejection.

At a reading later in the day, he talked about how the story needs to be greater than the author, and that the “story that turns out the way the author intended it to sucks.” Regarding character, he said that the two most important things to know about your characters is what they want, and what they’ve lost. He likes to try to see the world through his character’s eyes, then put them in a vice until either they or the vice break.

Question and Answer

The NULC ended with a Q&A, which I will write about today, 'today' meaning the fourth 'today' involved in recording my thoughts and observations about the conference. Different students asked questions, some of which either the questions or the answers were not worth transcribing here, but those that I found helpful or thought could be encouraging to the writers that read Write On I am going to put down. The author’s answers are paraphrased unless in quotes. Here it goes:

What tips do you have for young writers?

BAJ: Establish a writing habit. It takes 21 days to establish one, so get to where on the 22 day if you don’t write it all feels wrong. Read what you want, write what you want. (I have to insert here that the previous question which I did not bother with here was about what they read. Their answers varied, but BAJ said that if he came across a subject that was completely without interest to him that he would seek out information on the subject to find out what about it was uninteresting. In this way, he said, he “has come up with many story ideas in a mercenary kind of way.”

EW: “It’s like that verse in the Bible about how “habit is the chain that ties the dog to its own vomit.” Or maybe I changed that one to suit my own purposes. Change is a constant in the human condition and I am terrified of habit.”

GW: All the writers he knows that are glad they are writers are voracious readers. Have patience. Work to be in a state that when you finish a story you ask yourself, “How can I make this better?” Don’t believe in “sample prophecy;” meaning don’t take the failure of one story (either personal dissatisfaction or rejection for editor/publisher) as a prophecy of all things to come with your writing.

EW after hearing GW’s answer: Read. We learn from osmosis. Listen to the world around you and to other people. I think that she was talking about catching the details having awareness of what is going on in the world, not letting others constantly change your direction; I base that on the fact that even though she is a poet what she mostly reads are political rags and newspapers, and if you find a sample of her poetry you will see that she has no fear of being outspoken.

Does a writer have to have connections to get published?

BAJ: “A writer has to believe that good work will find an audience.” Connections aren’t necessary. Literary journals always want to claim they’ve found the next big thing, so they are a good place to start for the unpublished. If you have some unknown publications, that should at least build your confidence, which is a key ingredient to making it as a writer. BAJ came to the NULC 13 years ago and author Ron Carlson was one of the authors. Carlson said that “If you do anything for fifteen years you will succeed.” BAJ took the challenge and published his first book in ten. He talked about a line from the movie, The Shootist, in which someone tells John Wayne’s character that if he would wear his holster in a different place he could draw faster. I couldn’t find the quote online, but the response was something like, “You don’t have to be fast, you just have to not miss . . . “ Wherever the Duke was going with that, BAJ said that you don’t have to be a fast writer, you just have to show up and write every day.

EW: Don’t worry about publications. We are young still. Learn and write and try new things. Learn the craft. Don’t worry about what publishers and editors want, just find your voice.

Do you outline?

GW: He does a course chronological outline on 3x5 cards (and then, and then, and then . . .) then he mixes them up and puts them back together in “a more cohesive way.”

BAJ: Outlines stifle. “Writing is an act of discovery.” The novel he is currently working on had a six-hundred page first draft. The second draft he cut to three-hundred-and-fifty pages without missing anything. It has four distinct story lines, so he took a different colored sticky note for each story line and put a sticky note on some poster board for each of the lines. If there is a clump of yellow, he will mix in some pink, etc. However, that is after a complete draft or two have been completed.

How can writers contribute to the world?

EW: “Use what you have, say what you think.”

BAJ: He doesn’t believe in theme. He believes in stories of empathy, and that what the writer can offer the world is to engage in an act of empathy on the page.

GW: He quotes writer Stanley Elkin as saying that writing is “revenge against bullies,” and said that writing can offer a correction of balance. To illustrate this he talked about how good stories are about the underdog, not the top dog and the writer can level the playing field.

How do you make a living as a writer?

BAJ: Very few fiction writers don’t have a day job. He teaches. There have been times that he has made enough to not have to work, but he is good for five or six hours of writing. After that he said he would just be hanging out with other writers talking about writing, so why not do it in a classroom setting. As a writer, make a living any way you can that won’t keep you from writing.

Last tips?

BAJ: Don’t let anyone convince you that writing is an indulgence. We write because of our fascination with twenty-six letters and the combinations that only we can come up with.

GW: “Do not be suckers.”

Conclusion

So sharing this has ended up being a more massive undertaking than I initially envisioned, but it was good to recollect the things I saw and heard. I hope that all of you take some tip or encouragement away from this. If you have any questions about something that I didn’t address fully or anything really, please ask.

I have to thank Elyena for all of her support and encouragement, and for making it possible for me to have attended the NULC. I would also like to thank the Word Counter’s Union for their presence and impatience here as I get my bearings back. With this post done, I will get back to my fiction.

Write on.

Riotimus

Where Have I Been?

About a week ago I went into work and found out that half of the staff was going to spend this week in California doing training for some delinquent stores. Where was my memo? Dog ate it? Well, it basically meant that the number of stores that I purchase for doubled, and I am still new at my job. It has been a week of unparalleled suckiness. I hope the Word Counter's Union was not too abandoned by my absence. I know from the comments that I was missed. I think I am back now. At least I will be after the NULC.

R.

150 or So

I closed my story and I'm too weary to open it again for the actual numbers, but it is growing. I think it will be done in two or three more days. By done I mean written to the end, not ready to be sent out for publication or anything. Thank you all for your support and welcome to the new . . . faces? Names? Still haven't wrapped my mind around blog etiquette just yet.

R.

Got my 100, barely

115 today
743 total for this story.

R.

Three Points, or Maybe Four/ MS&T II

It will depend on how many I recall by the time I am done with this post.

1) I wrote 300 words this morning, moving right along with the Railhead story.

2) Where can I get one of those daily word count dealies that the Word Count Unioners all have on your pages?

3) You might wonder how I could be ranked so highly in my Shogun Wars posts and continually falling in the the link at the top of my page. The answer is that right now Shogun Wars has two games going: Genshu and Pheonix [sic]. Genshu is getting my main efforts, Pheonix [sic] is getting maintenance. Therefore I'm holding onto the top ten in Genshu and sinking like a stone in Pheonix [sic]. Perhaps the day will come when I do well in both. I'm not going to hold my breath.

4) Notice the nifty little music player to the right. I got it from my brother Zilla's new blog and loaded it with some of the music that I spoke of in my 25 album post a while back. If you haven't heard any of those songs I recommend taking a listen.

5) I finished The Dragonbone Chair. In update to my last post, I noticed that Binibak keeps dragging Simon along, but it is not because he is known to be the secret hier of the world, but because Binibak feels obligated to fulfill Dr. Morgenes request that he be looked after.

That's it for now. Write on.

R.

100 Word a Day Challenge

I've been reading about this challenge for several days and been wondering if I am up for the commitment. I still don't know, but I'd like to find out. Therefore, I am going to participate. I didn't want to post until I'd written something, and I got a little over-excited and did 320 words instead of a hundred, but hopefully I erred in the right direction. I will be writing some more short stories for now - still not ready to become immersed in the novel at this point, but I figure that as long as I'm writing, that is the important thing.

Tonight I worked on the intro to a story called Birthday at the Railhead, another Hobb in his youth story. So far I have the young lads crammed into a pickup throwing around some insulting banter. My brother Zilla might recall the real-life experience from which I'm pulling some of the setting for the story.

I feel like I am a fringer here not knowing anybody in the Union but Daeruin, but with any luck I will "airn" my place therein.

And a thank you to Ing for the kind words and quote over on Blog Ing. Write on.

R.

It can happen to anyone . . .

Even Riotimus. A moment of glory some time starting around 5am but definitely over by 8:30 caught forever by the handy snipping tool. You might also notice that we had three in the top twenty, a wonderful moment for the League.

R.

Shogun Wars 3/6/08

The League has 7 players in the top 100. It's true. If you don't believe me, you'll have to sign up and find out.

R.

MS&T I

For a long time while I was trying to get through school I have wanted to re-read Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy. These are great books that take common fantasy concepts and smash them with a smithy's hammer. For those of you that are reading Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, he claims that it was MS&T that renewed the belief that good adult fiction could be written today. I am going to try to post the occasional thought, quote, or insight from these books as I read them. I should have started doing this when I first cracked open volume I, The Dragonbone Chair, but I didn't, so you will get a couple of ideas crammed into one post. But who am I kidding - that is probably the way all of these posts will be.

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My first thought will be regarding the main protagonist, Simon. He is a dislikable young man. That is how I have been thinking of him. But then I asked myself, "Self, what is your issue with young Simon?" I realized that he is just too real for comfort. He thinks things, says things, does things like everyone I know did when they were young (I was trying there to avoid using myself for the example, but I think it is true based on my observations). His foolishness creates a sense of discomfort and embarrassment as I remembered doing similarly ridiculous things.

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The thing that impresses me about this tale is that even though Simon is the "hero," he doesn't get the help that are the mainstay of much fantasy. No one is looking out to protect his secret heritage (ala the Belgariad) or pushing him into a quest (ala the Shannara series) or hunted because of his special powers (ala Wheel of Time). On the whole the only consideration he gets is from Doctor Morgenes who had a fondness for his deceased parents, everyone else is fairly apathetic to his existence and what he does with his time. He does end up with the guide in the form of Binibak the troll, but since Binibak doesn't know what is going on either I don't put that on the level with Gandalf, Allanon, Belgaroth, or many others who are filled with secret knowledge and power. In TDC the guides don't hide information and speak cryptically because the are supposed to be mysterious, they simply don't have any answers. The major events of this book that will have repercussions through the series are all results of his own decisions, at least at 2/3's way through. It has been a long time since I read these last, so I will try not to say too many things that are wrong because I've forgotten what happens later.

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Now for a little quote from Tiamak the Wrannaman, who is pondering the gods and his unbountiful hunt that leaves him eating root soup: "As he climbed the long ladder from his moored boat to the little house perched in the banyan tree, Tiamak vowed to be content with soup and a biscuit. Gluttony was an obstacle, he reminded himself, an impediment between the soul and the realms of truth. As he reeled the ladder up onto the porch he thought of She Who Birthed Mankind, who had not even had a nice bowl of root soup, but had subsisted entirely on rocks and dirt and swamp water until they combined in her stomach and she whelped a litter of clay men, the first humans."

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So what does that make the humans? Tiamak doesn't say, but Williams has given us a good hint, has he not? Oh, the irony. I didn't know that was considered whelping.

A Little Writing News

I got word last weekend that my story "Last Dance" about the cowboy-turned-dude-wrangler Hobb was accepted into the National Undergraduate Literature Conference. It was good news especially since I had just finished another Hobb story called "The Cliff." It feels good to do some writing again.

R.

Because You Care . . .

About how the fearless Shogun Riotimus is doing. I knew it, so here you go.

Thanks for caring,

R.

Twenty-Five Albums - Take Them or Leave Them (Hint: Take Them)

This was going to be a list of my favorite ten albums. I found that to be impossible. So here is my eclectic list of twenty-five albums I think everyone should listen to twice for their own sake as well as for everyone around them. My disclaimer is this: these are all good albums on the whole, ie there may be albums with better songs that also contain filler, intentional or otherwise, and I only allowed myself one album per band/artist (not an easy thing to do for me with some of these). Outside of the top five they are in no particular order. I wrote it in Word with a neat list which did not copy into the Blogger. I've done the best I know how to make the format presentable.

Metallica - . . . And Justice for All – I have addressed the problem, as I see it, with Metallica here. I can recall being an underclassman hanging out at the convenience store next to the high school during lunch, and occasionally at other times. I had borrowed Master of Puppets at an earlier time and while appreciating the aural pummeling it gave me, I was otherwise unmoved. One day a hoodlum pulled up the gas station in a little hatchback with the back filled with speakers blasting Eye of the Beholder. The impact that it had caused me to re-evaluate my opinion of their material and even now they remain one of my favorite bands.

John Mayer Trio – Try – Forget “Your Body is a Wonderland.” This live album is power-trio blues-rock in the tradition of the Jimi Hendrix Experience or Cream, and is a strong album for any musician with interests in the blues or incredible live performances.

Dream Theater – Scenes from a Memory – This is my favorite of their albums, a concept album as it were with an interesting story and their usual amazing musicianship. I chose this one over all of their others on account of LaBrie’s voice: operatic singers tend to leave me annoyed, and LaBrie falls squarely in that camp, and on this album he annoyed me less than on the others. On the “Fatal Tragedy” solo there is a point where Petrucci plays the same basic melody once legato (with hammer-ons and pull-offs) and then again tremolo picked (picking every note). It is beautiful and one of my favorite moments in music.

Candlebox – Lucy – This was a great rock band around the mid-nineties, overlooked because they weren’t grungy enough for the grungers nor glam-metal enough for the butt-rockers. Kevin Martin has a haunting voice and Lucy is filled with great songs without any of those pesky f-bombs that made the self-titled album require so much editing around the kids. I really like the way that they bring a little jazz into their rock, my favorite example is “Rain” from the self-titled album, so I guess you will have to risk those waters if you care to hear it.

Nickel Creek – Nickel Creek – This is great acoustic music from a bluegrass trio who have been playing together since they were little kids. All three sing and are amazing at their respective instruments. I saw them a couple of summers ago, and they are fantastic live as well as on the record. On the first instrumental track mandolinist Chris Thyle does a long legato run that is an amazing accomplishment on an acoustic instrument.

Shadows Fall – War Within – Many years ago I thought that I was a metal fan. Two or three years ago I started listening to music on Launchcast with its music filtering options, and I set my preferences accordingly. What I learned was that it wasn’t that I was a metal fan, but that I am a rock fan has some favorite bands that happen to play metal. Shadows Fall is one of the metal bands I was introduced to that I didn’t hate. As a matter of fact this album really brings together a lot of things that I like about other bands in one place: tightness like Megadeth, Slipnotish vocals, pounding riffs like Black Label Society, and a sense of melody like Iron Maiden.

Seether – Disclaimer – To me Shaun Morgan’s voice is the best of Kurt Cobain mixed with Aaron Lewis. There are some intense songs on this album, and even if you have the edited WalMart version you won’t want to play this one straight through with kids around. “Fine Again” is a powerful song about wrestling with one’s inner demons and Seether really put together all of the best aspects of nineties music into this album.

Bon Jovi – New Jersey – Cheesy? Perhaps. I remember as lads someone gave Zilla and I a VHS with videos recorded on it (from those days when MTV played music) and we watched “Bad Medicine” over and over again. This really is a great record, good from beginning to end and featuring some of Richie Sambora’s best guitar work.

Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II – I think this is their best album. Although many of my favorite songs are spread across their albums, this is one that showcases the best of everyone in the band and I can listen to from beginning to end. John Paul Jones is my favorite bass player of all time.

Cross Canadian Ragweed – Cross Canadian Ragweed – The darlings of alt-country (or at least they should be) this is the first major-label release from a working band that would probably be considered a rock band if not for Cody Canada’s Oklahoma drawl. This album should be in the Good Songwriting 101 required listening.

Default – The Fallout – This one made it on the list on account of every song being a gem. That is pretty much it. Great rock n’ roll.

Jerry Cantrell – Degradation Trip – This stuff is pretty incredible. If it is not enough that it is Jerry Cantrell (half, or arguably more, of the brain and brawn behind Alice in Chains) then I will point out that Robert Trijullo, who played with Suicidal Tendencies, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society, and currently Metallica, laid down the bass tracks for this double album.

Lacuna Coil – Karma Code – This band was doing female/male dual vocals in a hard rock format long before “Bring Me to Life” awakened the possibility to America. They are Italian and this album is incredible on every level.

Nirvana – In Utero – Cobain’s sonic scream and less of the post-production polish that made Nevermind such a hit with the masses. It is a great amalgamation of punk-indie rock and catchy hooks. Jani Lane must have rolled over in his apartment when he heard this affront to over-production in all genres.

Pearl Jam – Pearl Jam – This is a great album with excellent musicianship and strong songs. It is more intense than Vs and they make good use of their triple guitar approach in the textures of their songs.

Queensryche – Empire – This is my favorite album by these guys with the most unique sound. The songs are great and the band plays brilliantly.

Radiohead – The Bends – This is one of the best alternative albums ever. I’ve been in bands that covered songs off of this album and it is just fun to listen to and to play. Good all around stuff.

Stone Sour – Come Whatever May – This one is no good for the kids, but I have never heard a better cross of metal and alternative, as illusory as Ing has pointed the idea to be. Corey Taylor may have the coolest voice in rock and roll, and the music is beautiful. It is the closest to what I would want to make if I were a rock star. But I’m not. I just rock on when I can, and write on the rest of the time.

Stone Temple Pilots – Tiny Music – Their earlier albums left them labeled as Pearl Jam imitators by people who know enough about music to hear two guys singing in the baritone range and decide that means one band must be a bunch of charlatans. Tiny Music is an album that really showcases some of the best of STP’s work as musicians. It is also the only album they have done that is great from beginning to end, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying the single-coiled rock from this great band.

Toad the Wet Sprocket – In Light Syrup – This is an album of songs that did not make it onto their other albums. I find that there is something pure in the demo-style recording in which most of the album was done. Songs like “All in All” and “All Right” have amazing grooves, while “All She Said” should move anyone who is in touch with their feelings. Several of the songs, maybe more, start out slow or even flat weak, but every one of the is a diamond by the end.

U2 – The Joshua Tree – I didn’t put this on the list because of “With or Without You,” but in spite of it. Actually I think that is a powerful song and I have always been impressed with the Edge’s ebow work on it. Songs like “Red Hill Mining Town,” “In God’s Country,” and “Bullet the Blue Sky” are ingenious socio-political commentaries in a format that really rocks, or pops at the very least (although I think it would take somebody pretty hardcore to deny that the driving bass line in Bullet makes that song a bulldozer of sound).

Veruca Salt – American Thighs – I like to think of VS as a female AIC with the chilling vocal harmonies of Nina Gordan and Louis Post over a raw, aggressive musical background. There are many who can’t stand this album. I say listen to it. Then listen to it again.

Alice in Chains – Nothing Safe – Speaking of AIC, I could never pick one of their albums and so I have lamely put their best of collection here. Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell had something awesome when they sang together, and Jerry’s guitar work suggests that if the grunge movement had failed to catch on that they would have been fine in the butt-rocker society that was in place.

Gin Blossoms – New Miserable Experience – This one is on the list because of its sing-a-long value. Nothing mind boggling in the realm of musicianship or talent, except the ability to write meaningful songs with good hooks.

Slaughter – Stick It To Ya – This album is actually not that cool. It is on here because it is the best mixed album I have ever heard. The frequencies everyone was playing in, the room(s) it was recorded in, the way they did their post-production—something was magic here, something that Slaughter never got back on any of their later albums. There are some cool riffs, and “Fly to the Angels” is still awesome. I saw them live twice back in the day, and they were better live than in the studio. Blas Elias played the second show I saw with a broken nose because he was being a fool before it started. He stuffed tissue in his nostrils and rocked all night. After the encore Mark Slaughter told the crowd what had happened and that they were taking him to the hospital. If he hadn’t said anything I would have never noticed.

Perhaps you noticed that it is almost in alphabetical order, but not quite. I will let you come to your own conclusions regarding that. So there is my list. If you don’t agree, hopefully you at least listened to them twice like I asked you to, nay, implored you to, for your own sake and that of the world around you.
R.

In Case You Were Wondering . . .

I am on the third page of my new story. It is another story about Hobb, the cowboy who would end up a dude wrangler. He is just a lad in this tale though. It feels good to be writing. Hope everyone else is having as much progress (more, hopefully) and I will report more when there is some.

R.

Resting On My Laurels

Maybe it isn't a good idea, but with the Superbowl happening today I couldn't help but remember this, one of my favorite posts. So if you have never read the musings of my archive or have just forgotten feel free to check out Riotimus vs. the Superbowl.

In further news, I think I have finally decided to start writing again for real with some loving nudges from the beautiful Elyena and from Lackhand. If I don't count this post (which I shouldn't so I won't, I guess) I will start on Tuesday. I am also inspired to take back up the pen by young Zilla who has been slapping ink himself. My excuses are being taken away from me left and write and it seems that the time is now to resume my efforts.

On another level, I have been inspired by Ing's top-howevermany albums and have been considering doing one of my own. It was a lot of fun reading his.

For now, write on, and I hope to have a positive report to give on Tuesday about my authoring efforts.

R.

Still Kicking . . .

I'm still here and living. One might think that with all of my new spare time I would be posting up a storm. Alas, I have not. I am in the process of reorganizing and restructuring my schedule for the most benefit to my family and my writing (of the fiction kind, not the blogging kind, though that will undoubtedly fit in too). So soon you will hopefully be reading more reports about my writing experiences and less rambles and musing. There will be some of those anyways, I'm sure. I can't help it.

In the meantime, I have been introduced to a new band. I know most of my readers are hard-rockers of various taste, but I will share just in case anyone feels divergent. The band is called Son Volt and they are an alt-country band in the style of Cross Canadian Ragweed. And by alt-country I mean defying the Nashville songwriter/hit factory method and writing their own music like a real band does. Their sound varies from song to song with some sounding like a cross between southern-rock and The Smiths and others sounding like a cross between Dylan and Haggard. No real "country" sounding tunes to my ear, and I've been exposed to more country than anyone should ever have to be. It did not shake my world at all, but it has a good groove and I am always ready to support a band willing to write.

So, I'll be back soon with something to report about my writing. Have a nice day. And Write on.

R.

The Ender a POV Exercise

Finally I will do the post Daeruin requested so long ago about “Ender’s Game” and “Ender’s Shadow,” both being fine books in their own right but inspiring some definite monologue from me in combination. Let me preface my thoughts with the following truth statements:

“Ender’s Game” is a great book. – True

“Ender’s Shadow” is a great book. – True

“Game” and “Shadow” are the same story told from different points of view. – False

Now I hope that if you are going to get your ire up about it that you will hear me out first. When I read “Shadow,” it had been many years since I last read “Game.” I was impressed by what a great story Card came up with, and how well he retold the “Game” story with Bean. Where my perspective became altered was during my recent days of commuting when I checked out the audio books of “Game” then “Shadow” back to back. Listening to “Game” I was again impressed with Card’s tale and his depiction of all those darling lads and lasses. Conversely, when I listened to “Shadow” I experienced a combination of the sensations of “that is great” and “what the 7734?” that kind of cramped my style.

Here is the thing that bothered me about the books as they are presented – one story, two points of view:

(This may be completely unnoticeable unless the books are read in a short duration and one after the other. Furthermore, it may not be noticeable unless listening to the audio books. I still maintain that it is so and invite you to check it out yourself if you do not immediately agree with my observations.)

In EVERY SINGLE INSTANCE of personal interaction between Ender and Bean, “Shadow” shows Ender to have his head completely where the sun don’t shine. At the same time it tries to maintain, like “Game,” that Ender has some sort of intuitive sense for people and how to read them, use them, and win with them. He is also shown to be wrong about Petra, who in “Game” is one of his most stalwart allies. I know I get hung up on believability – still, how can he be oblivious to the people that he has to most depend on and still have the main difference that Card tries to sell between him and Bean. I think “Shadow” is probably the better book – the writing is stronger, and I liked the complications to the story. I do not think it is the same story as “Game” from a different point of view, but more like an alternate Ender universe where Wolverine only has one hand and Magneto gets Rogue.

In summary, I think that while as a POV exercise (quite a lucrative one for Card, by all accounts) “Shadow” is a failure. There are too many discrepancies for my believability, from the mixed presentation of Ender’s abilities to the complete alteration of the supporting cast. That being said, “Shadow” is still a great book, worth reading, and I intend to read the rest of the Shadow series now that I am done graduated.

On that note, it feels good to be done – I got my grades back and I finished strong with my highest achieving semester of my whole undergrad career. It pulled my GPA up into the potential grad school range so that I won’t have to rely totally on my GRE scores to get me in. Anyways, thank you all for your support and don’t forget to let me know what you think of my “Ender” interpretation.

R.

A Wonderful Day

Today I graduated with my double-bachelors in English and History. Afterwards we had a little gathering to celebrate. I just wanted to once again thank them of you as that were there showing your love and support - Zilla and family, Lackhand and family, my assorted folks, friends, and neighbors. I appreciate the things you have done for me.

It is a wonderful thing to be done with this phase of my education. On the agenda is some writing - fiction and book reviews - and a lot of guitar playing. When I'm not spending time with my family, that is. Write on, people, because soon I will be writing too.

R.

A Teaching Moment

The other morning the boys were asking E and I about who was the boss. I told them, "Think of our home symbolically as our country, the US of A. At a casual glance there might appear to be democracy and equality, but in the end you are like common citizens Mom and Dad are like the politico-corporate faction that pretty much do what we want with no repercussions from the likes of you." The analogy made perfect sense to them and there have been no more "boss" issues ever since.

R.

A Voice from the Maze

I have spent a week now in what I've come to think of as "The Maze," that is, the regional office of the powerful corporate entity which employs me. I considered calling it "The Maize" because many of the creepy aspects of the corn field apply, but I don't think that I will. I am not alone there - a half a dozen or more of my former co-workers have scrambled, clawed, or just earned their way into this web of cubicles. Today I heard one of them say, "Shine on you crazy diamond," to someone on the phone. It stopped me in my tracks. As many of you know, that is one of my oldest and favoritest sayings that has earned me looks ranging from blank to flat disgust. I am sure that there are other people in the world who say that exact thing and have for a long time. At the same time, I felt a sense of gratitude at the possibility that I perhaps had an influence on a respected colleague. One way or the other, I thought it a unique and surreal enough experience to post about here.

I have four essays and one test tomorrow and then I will be done with the work I need to do to graduate. Hooray. I have been down with the sickness like in that song by Disturbed so I haven't enjoyed getting rid of my commute as much as I initially planned, but I will make up for it.

R.

So Ready to be Movin' On

Below: A Storm Brewin' in Mongolia. Yeah. I was there.

Really. I start in my new position on December 3rd, and I graduate on December 14th. But I am ready now. Now, I say. I don't want to spend all next week driving 2-1/2 hours a day to my dwindling-commissioned current job. I don't want to write about "how well the introduction to the essay drew me in." How is that for a Thanksgiving attitude? A little disappointing, I am sure. I had an exciting story idea the other night and I am anxious to get it written. I made a list of the books I've read or listened to lately that I have stuff to say about here and haven't yet done so. I am having the hardest time getting down to business with this final stretch of school and sales. That is just where I am at right at this exact moment in time.

Movin' On

This morning I spent a few hours alternately doing homework, reading to the boys, and daydreaming about a job that I recently interviewed for. When the time came, I slipped into a Clean Greenie (those of you who have seen me in my corporate attire know of what I speak) and thought to myself, “Self, wouldn’t it be nice if the day of the Clean Greenie were coming to an end like the day of the Elves at the end of the Third Age.” Well, I received the call today, and the position that I sought is now mine. No more commuting – I will be able to walk to work. I estimate that by the time I graduate the Clean Greenie will no longer figure into my wardrobe, except maybe right before wash day. I will turn the extra fifteen to twenty hours a week to cool things like:

• Chilling with my family
• Passing my classes so I can graduate
• Reading paper books
• Picking up the guitar again
• Getting back to writing
• Blogging about most of the above

I am so excited I can hardly see straight. I can’t wait to Write On.

R.

Through the Hoops

Today I visited my department heads, the social-science college advisor, the cashier's office, and the graduation office one day ahead of deadline. I am now officially cleared (pending passing marks in my current classes) to graduate this December with my double major of History and English. It was a thrilling thing to see all of those approvals go through. All I have to do now is not screw up in my classes.

R.

I Want to Suck . . .

Technically the next part should be "your blood," but after my experience listening to Bram Stoker's Dracula I think I will leave it as is. I actually did not listen to the last disc. I'm pretty sure that they killed him though. He was vicious and I think he probably deserved it. Anyways, I am glad I read (listened to) it, because I recognize its place with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Arthur Conan Doyle's Hound of the Baskervilles as the foundation stones of the modern horror/suspense novel, but all I can say is I can't believe it is the one with the most spin-offs. I know it seems like I complain about authors a lot these days, but I am just an aspiring writer looking for others to emulate, and sometimes I get a little caught up in my analysis. If you look through my archives you will see that there have been authors who have really inspired me. Anyways, my list of grievances:

1) The journals. It is all written in the form of narrative journals - which I initially thought was cool, but as it became less and less believable it made me tired.

2) Believability. I'm not sure why I am so bent on having believable fiction, but I am. And the journal narratives were not.

3) The dialogue. Recorded supposedly word for word in the journals, this flowery overdone mess of dramatic speech is completely beyond my sense of reason. I have read a lot of writing from authors of the Romantic and Victorian periods, and have never had to endure in prose what Stoker was trying to make the reader believe these characters were supposedly saying in speech. Ugh.

There was a moment in the story that really moved me toward the beginning when a mother follows Dracula back to the castle and demands that he return her child. Jonathon had already heard the fate of the little one and admired the bravery of the woman even as Dracula called in a pack of wolves to remover her from the courtyard. No graphic descriptions were given, but none were necessary. It was a powerful scene. Perhaps it raised my expectations for the book too high.

I would like to take a moment and welcome some new readers who have apparently followed the links here from Daeruin and Ing's blogs - Welcome. I hope that you find my blog enjoyable and thought provoking. If not, then I will settle for better than a kick in the pants. Thanks for reading and commenting, or even just reading for those who have not felt inclined to comment.

One more item. As I have hitherto posted, I spend close to fifteen hours a week commuting. This adds up to a lot of audio books. More than I have been able to keep up with here, and I apologize because I really have had something to say about all of them that you will probably never get to read. So I am going to list the ones I have read and not posted about and if anyone wants my take on them they can say so in the comments and I will try to get something posted.

For Whom the Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemingway
Starship Troopers - Robert Heinlein (although I have already thrown my two cents in on the discussion taking place on Ride On regarding that book)
Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
Ender's Shadow - Card

I think I have posted regarding all the rest. Let me know, and Write On.

R.

Favorite Sword Slinger Poll

To the right I have put up a little poll. There were supposed to be more than five options. At least it kept letting me add them on. But there are five showing. I don't know what happened. I probably did something wrong. Or google is still working the bugs out. Either way, if you are so inclined to take the poll, please comment here and tell us why you chose the warrior that you did. If your preferred person is not there, vote for a runner up and say in your comment who you would have voted for if they had been there (which they might have been, before I gave the go ahead on publishing the poll). You can choose from books or movies. I'm easy like that. Vote on.

R.

More Ponderings on WoT

I am still plowing away at Fires of Heaven during my commute. I am still having mixed feelings about it. As I have considered and refined my complaints about Jordan's style and WoT in general, I have finally latched on to my major peeve against both - Jordan is willing to sacrifice the integrity (insert believability or realism or whatever term you use for when a fictional character does something that rings false and lame for some purpose of the author) in order to make repeated and repetitive man/woman jokes. Characters that should be extremely compelling drop into the droning voice of a old joke, one that Jordan never ever seems to grow weary of. I'd offer to cite examples, but if you can't open a WoT book and see what I mean in five pages or less I'll give you a nickel. You'd have to come get it from me though, because I'm just not going to buy a stamp to send you a nickel. Assuming you can even find a five page stretch in 15,000 that he probably has written for this. That is issue one.

Issue two is this - too many chiefs and not enough Indians. In the world of WoT, everyone who grows older seems to keep amassing knowledge and power whether queens or chambermaids. I recognize that this is a fantasy story, but fantasy or not most people don't shed their sheepness no matter how old they get. Their situations get more pitiful as they are shoved or dragged by the people that are really like every other character in WoT. People don't bow to cranky older people, generally. I'd say Martin does a far better job of showing what happens when more than one person thinks they are in charge, and it isn't ganging up on youngsters. I consider it another attack on the back bone of good fiction - characterization.

R.

Posing a Question

In years past I read many of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time books, before boycotting them until he should die or finish the series, whichever comes first. Due to the limited audio books on CD available to me, I have rescinded my vow and am currently listening to Fires of Heaven (the fifth book in the series, disregarding the prequels). I find that I have a thousand-thousand gripes about these books. I recognize that as one who has never published more than a 2nd place story online I don't have much right to criticize a best selling series like WoT, but I am going to. Or maybe I won't. I know that there are many among the five or six people who read my blog that are fans of this series. Can you tell me why? What is it about WoT that makes it worth sifting through a hundred flat supporting characters, repetitive obnoxious hypocritical arguments (think Nyneave and Egwene in the dream world when they are snooping about the Tower), and a main cast made up of stereo types and extreme anti-stereo types? I find myself anxious to listen in spite of being frustrated by the character issues. That is the bulk of my complaint - certainly I can't fault his back story, his linguistics, his plotting (even if it is a bit loose for my taste), or the world of WoT. When I consider his characters next to those from Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn or Song of Ice and Fire, they seem to me to be pathetic punchlines in a too long joke. So, hopefully without being too critical of my criticism, what do you like about WoT?

R.

Back to Back Austen

I really thought that after enjoying Persuasion so much that Pride and Prejudice might not do that much for me. After all, I loved the movie, and I still liked Persuasion better. I found, however, that the book was more enjoyable than the movie or Persuasion. The characters are so enjoyable, and I love Austen's sense of prose. I took it as a good sign for the movie that I pictured the cast all through listening to the book in spite of a few changes that were made, notably Mr. Collins. My favorite line from the book did not make it into the movie, though in my mind I could see Donald Sutherland saying it:

"I enjoy all my three sons-in-law. Mr. Wicham is my favorite, but I shall enjoy your husband every bit as much as Jane's." Spoken to Elizabeth by Mr. Bennett, and badly paraphrased by Riotimus. That's the way it goes sometimes.

There have been many a book and doctorate published interpreting and analysing P & P, and I encourage all interested parties to check them out, but I think it sufficeth me to say that I loved it and would recommend it to anyone. Write on.

R.

Teamwork - It's More than just a Word

Those of you who know me understand me already for the goose-stepping company man who makes his daily commute with a smile on his face. In spite of that quality of mine, I sometimes find myself thinking of the large framed poster above the stair landing at work. It has an inspiring little message about teamwork under a picture of a section of the Great Wall of China, a man-made landmark that can be seen from outer space by the naked eye - built and improved for thousands of years by slave labor. Does anyone but me sense some incongruity here? I understand that the poster is supposed to catch up the viewer in the majesty of the image and cause him to think, "Wow! If we work together we could turn [this company] (or whatever) into an monument of unimagined proportions." Well, lets bust out the cat-o-nine tails and see who doesn't want to be a part of the team. Who in sieg hail would pay money for that, much less hang it for their, um, workers(?) to see? I've gone on about it as if it really upsets me, but it doesn't. The people who see that poster everyday probably don't know enough about history to know that they are being jacked with, so everyone is happy, motivated, and enjoying the cool picture of the Great Wall hanging above the landing. As for me, I've finished another semester - still waiting back on the results of that - and I've finished some more audio-books on my commute. I will be posting my thoughts on them soon. As far behind as I am on my posts, I may just do one post that addresses all of them, but I might not. They all certainly deserve their own post. So look for that soon, and write on.

R.

Persuasion

I’ve just finished Jane Austen’s Persuasion, a book of pining love and 19th century England at its social best. I thought I would post a few thoughts as well as a summary (I will designate the spoilers in case one of my readers wants to read the book without knowing how it turns out).

The Elliot family holds a baronage in a place called Kellidge. Let me remind you that I listened on audio-book during my commute, so I could be quite off in my spelling. The Baron is Sir Walter Elliot, and he has three daughters – Elizabeth, the eldest and most beautiful, Anne, who was persuaded not to marry Mr. Wentworth some eight years ago because he was a poor man of low station, and Mary, who married Edward Musgrave and is constantly sure that she is being ill-used by someone or other. All but Anne have a bloated sense of importance which generally is the complicating issue of most of the important scenes of the book. In the present, foolish Sir Elliot has indebted himself to the point where he must move to Bath and let Kellidge Hall to Admiral Crutch (or something like that). The wife of Admiral Crutch happens to be the sister of the Mr. Wentworth, now the wealthy and esteemed Captain Wentworth having proved himself and made a small fortune in the Napoleonic Wars. Sir Elliot and Elizabeth left for Bath, but Anne went to Upper Cross (or something like that) to take care of Mary, who proposes that she is quite ill. That is the essential set up of the story. Captain Wentworth does show up, and Anne is forced to watch him court Edward’s sister. Skip the spoiler if you don’t want to know how it turned out.

SPOILER

Obviously in the end, Anne and Captain Wentworth are reconciled and married in the end. I say obviously having finished it, but at the time I felt she could easily end up with two or three other suitors.

END OF SPOILER

The story caused some reflection on my part, especially on the matter of self portrayal and self view. Through the early parts of the book, Anne is described by Austen as a “woman seven-and-twenty who has lost her bloom.” This seems to be the way Anne feels, and the way that her vain father and sisters feel about her. Anne overhears Captain Wentworth tell another that at their re-introduction that “her countenance had changed so that he hardly recognized her.” Of course she assumes that he is referring to her loss of “bloom.” At some point in the story, however, Austen starts letting the reader (listener in my case) know some other points of view regarding Anne’s appearance. The unknown man (who turns out to be cousin William Elliot) who admires Anne in Lyme seems to also arouse Wentworth’s notice of her. Later, Austen shares a conversation between some women who wonder what all the talk is about how pretty Elizabeth is when Anne is the true beauty of the family. Indeed, the moments when Anne is not thinking about her lost bloom are the moments that people are noticing her beauty. It made me think of appearance as a reflection of inner self – not that how a person feels could change how they appear, but perhaps it could exude an attractive energy, the kind that radiates outward instead of sucking in. Like when you meet someone that you had seen in an attractive photograph, but even though they looked the same they lost their appeal in person. If any of you have read the book and have more insight or disagree with my take, I welcome your comments. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and I would recommend it to anyone.

R.

The Curse of the Itchy Finger - A Jack Jackson Story

Note: This is a story I wrote last spring that I just got around to revising. I hope you find it interesting, if nothing else. R.


On a cold September afternoon, Jack Jackson rumbled into town in his ’68 Dodge Dart. The wind blew cold off the mountain slopes to the south. Jack Jackson pumped fifteen dollars worth of fuel into the Dart and headed to Bill’s Market.

On the west side of the grocery store a row of parking spaces nestled in between the Old Highway overpass and the wall of the building. After Jack Jackson finished his business in town he headed there to meet some friends.

Rob Roberts was already there with his big black Chevy truck. Mark Chestnut blared from the truck stereo and a crowd assembled around the vehicles.

Jack Jackson backed the Dart back against the railroad-tie barrier one space away from Rob Robert’s truck. A dimpled girl with a lot of make-up made her way through the crowd to Jack Jackson as he climbed out of his car.

“Hi,” she said as she leaned against the scuffed and abused paint of the fender.

“Hi Rosa,” said Jack Jackson while Rob Roberts watched them intently. “What’s everyone doin’ tonight?”

“Rob Roberts wants to go up to Arrow Hill and build a bonfire.”

Jack Jackson shrugged and walked over to Rob Robert’s truck. Rosa walked very close to him.

“It’s about time you got here,” said Rob Roberts.

“I had stuff to do,” said Jack Jackson.

“Did you get the pallets?” asked Rob Roberts.

“I’m not haulin’ pallets in my Dart. Take your stupid Chevy out and get pallets yourself.”

“The paint’s still fresh. I’m not scratchin’ up my bed with pallets.”

“You’ve been saying that since senior year,” answered Jack Jackson.

“You guys are so funny,” said Rosa.

Jack Jackson and Rob Roberts both blushed and stammered barely coherent replies.

“We’ll need wood for tonight,” said Rob Roberts.

“Not if we cruise Kennedy Avenue. I want to do some racing.”

“Racing is so immature,” said Rob Roberts.

Rosa had an arm draped through both Jack Jackson and Rob Robert’s arms.

“Is your car fast?” she asked Jack Jackson.

“It has a 318 bored and blown,” Jack Jackson said reverently.

“Your mind is blown,” said Rob Roberts. “There’s not a blower on that thing.”

“There will be soon. I aim to get one.”

“You’ll have better luck kicking yourself in the butt than you will finding a blower for a 318.”

“They make them. And I’m going to get one,” said Jack Jackson.

“That’s lame. Why don’t you leave your blowing car here and ride with me up to Arrow Hill?” asked Rob Roberts.

“Last time I left my car here all night I had to have a new windshield sent clear from Illinois. It cost me a fortune.”

“You wouldn’t have that problem if you would just get a truck.”

“I like my Dart,” said Jack Jackson.

“I like your Dart too,” said Rosa. “I’ve never been racing before.”

“I guess that seals it then,” said Jack Jackson.

Rosa ran and climbed into the passenger seat. “Are you going to come?” Jack Jackson asked.

“No, I’m going to build a fire. And you will wish you were there.”

“I doubt that,” said Jack Jackson, looking back to see Rosa playing with his car stereo.

“You will.”

“Why would I?” demanded Jack Jackson.

“Because if you don’t come with me, I’ll curse you.”

“Curse me?”

“Yeah . . . I’ll give you the Curse of the Itchy Finger,” said Rob Roberts.

“That’s stupid,” said Jack Jackson.

“You’ll see.”

For a while Jack Jackson and Rosa cruised Kennedy Avenue. Of the dozen or more races he put the Dart through, Jack Jackson won against all but two – a black ’77 Ford short-wheel-base pick-up that was cammed so that it could hardly idle, and a Chevy Luv running NOS. Around eleven o’clock a cop started to tail him and Jack Jackson decided to ditch the strip.

A tall bluff ran from east to west on the north side of town. They drove up to a dead-end street where they could overlook the lights. Jack Jackson made his move and kissed Rosa. She kissed back and Jack Jackson reveled in the smell of her hair and her perfume and her synthetic-whale-fat based make up.

Just as they started to get a rhythm going Jack Jackson’s left pinky began to burn. Soon it went from burning to itching and Jack Jackson started rubbing it on his pant leg, hoping Rosa wouldn’t notice. It didn’t help, so Jack Jackson slipped his arm off her shoulders and slid it between them so that he could claw the offending digit.

“What are you doing?” Rosa demanded impatiently.

“It’s my finger. Rob Roberts cursed me,” Jack Jackson answered.

“What are you talking about?”

“He’s jealous that you are out with me tonight, so he gave me the Curse of the Itchy Finger,” said Jack Jackson.

For several minutes Rosa sat in the passenger seat of the Dart, her dark hair splayed out against the fogged-up window. “I want you to take me home.”

“Fine,” said Jack Jackson as he fired up the old Dodge.

The 318 roared as Jack Jackson raced to get Rosa to her house twenty miles outside of town. It seemed like a long time to both of them, but according to the stereo clock it took less than thirteen minutes. Jack Jackson pulled into her driveway, and she jumped out of the car before it stopped moving to sprint to her door. She flew through and shut it swiftly behind her.

Jack Jackson left and drove as close to Arrow Hill as the Dart would get him, and hitched a ride the rest of the way up. Rob Roberts had just ripped a tree out of the ground with his truck, and he and a bunch of others were standing around beating their chests and celebrating both his coolness and his Chevy’s prowess.

Jack Jackson walked right up to him, and Rob Roberts laughed when he saw him coming. “It was the Curse. Wasn’t it?” Rob Roberts roared, tears coming to his eyes.

Jack Jackson whipped the sword of his hand out at Rob Roberts’ throat. Rob Roberts grasped his neck while his breathe wheezed in and out. “I bet you don’t have any smart-allicked thing to say to me now that I’ve crushed your laranix.”

Larynx, thought Rob Roberts, Larynx, as he sank down onto the tree trunk.

Hornblower's No Master

I finished Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies earlier this week. I enjoyed it thoroughly. It is placed in the post-Napoleonic Wars British navy, obviously in the West Indies. The images are fantastic, and Hornblower makes a fairly real character, in spite of his silly name. I appreciated that he dislikes his name and was excited to meet Mr. Roundbottom, possibly the only person to have a worse name than himself. I am not sure whether the audio-book was abridged or not, but as it was it seemed like a collection of short stories - Hornblower stopping a coup to release Napoleon from St. Helena, Hornblower trying to capture a slave ship (the British Empire outlawed slavery shortly after American independence and seized any ships on the open seas that were transporting slaves), Hornblower captured by grounded and desperate pirates, and Hornblower, his stint as Admiral and Commander in Chief of His Majesties Navy in the West Indies over, is caught in a hurricane while trying to get home. The stories were good, well worked, and filled with adventure. I find that I still enjoyed what I have read of the Master and Commander books more than these, but I still recommend this to anyone interested in in sailing ships, the British Navy, the West Indies, or Victorian social etiquette.

I am currently listening to Jane Austen's Persuasion, and I will be posting my thoughts on that when I am done. Write on.

R

A Little Wuthering

As previously mentioned, I am now commuting and listening to audio-books as I go. I just finished Wuthering Heights last Friday and thought I would throw a few thoughts out here.

The book is the story of Kathryn and Heathcliffe, two young friends that fall in love but are constantly apart. Kathryn marries someone else, Heathcliffe runs off and returns eventually with a mysterious fortune, and the two of them set about making everyone around them miserable. I suppose the story is less about them and more about how Heathcliffe, filled with hate, manages to ruin (at least temporarily) the lives of everyone he feels has wronged him and their children, and their property, and their servants. It has a fairly happy ending - I'm not sure if it is worth the countless pages of mean-spirited bickering that fills out the tale, but it is not the complete tragedy I was expecting.

In terms of why Wuthering Heights is considered a 'classic,' I think it must be the time of its creation. At that time, the novel was a fairly new artistic format. Also, many of the novels that we know as full books were released chapter by chapter in periodicals, only to be bound together at a later date. In terms of its description of life in northern England at the turn of the 19th century, I found it both enlightening and in harmony with what I know about the era as a historian. I found the language of the book delightful, and enjoyed some of the more poignant moments of the story. If the story has a redeeming, or classic, quality, it is that young Mrs. Linton (the daughter of the older Kathryn and her husband) refuses to accept unhappiness. Toward the end of the book, Heathcliffe has managed to strip away her family, her husband (who is Heathcliffe's son, and equally despised by him), her property (I shuddered at all of the book burning), and any sense of freedom she once possessed. Though she temporarily adopts the household of Wuthering Height's cruel and hateful temperament, she finds a way to make happiness there where there was none before. Her efforts are aided by the mysterious (but somewhat lame) death of Heathciffe at what amounted to be the most convenient time for her (and the object of her happiness, which you will have to find for yourself if wading through hours of meanness doesn't turn you off to happy endings). So, I am glad that I read (listened to) it. I won't be re-reading it.

My next audio-book is Hornblower goes to the West Indies, a Horacio Hornblower book. Think of the Master and Commander books but probably a lot cheesier. I'll soon know for sure.

I recently had a fan of my Tales from the Laughing Grass stories request new material. It was somewhat disappointing to not have anything to offer up. I just keep telling myself, "Self, seven more months and you'll be a free man." Write on.

R.

My New Hobby

That's right - commuting. Fifty miles exactly from my driveway to the parking lot of my new workplace. One hour in the morning, and one-and-a-half to three hours on the way home. Happily, my car seems to be getting close or over forty mpg with this type of driving, as long as I don't run the air conditioner. I went to the library to see what audio books they had on CD, and found that they only had about six, at least three of which are intolerably lame. I checked out Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and that should keep my mind off the time I'm spending for a couple of days at least.

In school news, I am working on my senior research project for my History degree. It is as hard as one might expect to be a medievalist and try to find an event with enough primary sources (accessible in the part of the world I live in, at least) to fill a thirty page paper. I have therefore decided to do an historiography on the perception of the Norman Invasion by 20th century historians before and after WWII. I'm sure you'll all find it fascinating when it's done. Anyways, stay cool, and Write on.

R.

A New Novel Idea this Weekend

My ideas tend to fall into narrow categories - 1) Derthal stories long and short 2) Historical fiction stories long and short 3) the occasional current setting short story (like the one that was completely snubbed by Metaphor.

For some reason, this weekend I had an idea for a novel length suspense/mystery novel about a cowboy that, because of changes in the economy, finds himself becoming a dude wrangler running pack trips in the San Juan Mountains. He takes a nice yuppie family up into the high country and gets caught up an a plot of spousal murder. Not the most original plot, to be sure, but setting has got to count for something.

Anyways, I just thought I would let y'all know that now that classes are out I am thinking of new stories.

R.

Kurt Vonegut Fiction Prize Results

I bet you are all tired of finding out that I got rejected by someone else, but I did. So there. "A Day in the Sun" wasn't what they were after. Ah, well. I think it is safe to say that that is some reader's favorite of my work, so I don't take it personally.

Things have been crazy what with the end of my heaviest semester yet and a busy Spring in general. I have thought little about my fiction, and wrote even less. I hope that will change as I have on six hours worth of classes for the summer and three for fall. That is just a possible option based on how the employment situation turns out this summer after they close the doors of my current place of labor.

I am tentatively planning on entering WotF this quarter, but that will only happen if I have time to do a serious re-write of "Resurrection," which also hinges on how the next weeks/months go. So that's my writing report for now.

R.

"The Traveler's Gift" gets First Rejection

The Honors people sent me a form e-mail to let me know that my submission did not place in their little contest. I keep a file for each of my stories - in it I keep drafts, notes or e-mail conversations regarding the story, any awards or rejections the story earns. So now I have something for TTG's file.

The thing I try to remember in the face of getting shot down mercilessly is that when you send out stories, you get rejections, but if you don't send out stories, you never get prize money or publication. So I will keep submitting - because that is part of what it means to be a writer. Write on.

R.

WotF Results for Oct-Dec 2006 Quarter

"Suffer the Child", which is actually the stories "The Wasted Portion", "To Turn on One's Own", and "A New Guardian" failed to pull it off with the WotF folks. Despite the heavy editing that I did to it, E and I discovered (after we had sent off the submission) that it was full of typos. Blast. Then there was the part where I took three (semi) stand-alone stories, stuck them under one title, and tried to pass them off as a single story. (There was continuity in the stories with the Lishmen factor and, of course, the child, so I wasn't just being a donkey about it, in case the thought crossed your mind). So it wasn't a big surprise, the way the NULC rejection was.

I missed the deadline for the Jan-Mar 2007 quarter, somewhat deliberately, though I don't know when I would have revised anything with my schedule right now anyways. I am considering doing a revision of "Resurrection" for the next go round. Or maybe I will try to blend the Tales that involve Jeris a little better than six short stories with one title and send that. I don't know. I won't do anything but ponder it until I get through this semester. Write on.

R.