A Good Year

It has been many years since I could say with certainty that I've had a good year.  With that said, 2014 was a mixed bag.  At the start, regularity made everyday life comfortable and with minimal worry.  For reasons beyond my control, change was forced upon me.  I knew that I should have made a stand sooner, but sometimes we need that push to really put things into perspective.  My priorities were another matter.  I made choices on my own to liberate myself and change.  Through patience and good fortune, I was able to further realize my hopes in life.  It wasn't perfect, but it was an excellent starting point.

Now more than ever, I believe that everything happens for a reason.  Our actions are meaningful in that they open up more opportunities and possibilities as each day passes.  I now have the best job I've ever had, my mind is much more relaxed, I'm getting my foot in another door, and I've met someone I love who is most certainly the one for me.  Life is good.

There is no such thing as a perfect year, but there are certain stretches of 12 months that make us say, "This has been a damn good year."  2014, you've been kind to me.  Thank you. 

Making a Living

When I'm asked what I do for a living and answer that I'm a writer, the response is sometimes one of skepticism.  A few have even come to the assumption that I'm essentially unemployed.  It's true that many of us who are dedicated to writing fiction usually don't earn a steady income without conventional means of employment.  Kafka referred to it as a bread job.

It's hard trying to come up with consistent work to expand our craft when there is the constant worry of having enough money to keep a roof overhead, food in our bellies, and all of the other expenditures.  This issue has plagued writers for centuries.  Back in the day, it was possible to be lucky enough to get backed by a wealthy benefactor who provided a stipend to a writer or artist in order to earn a wage and concentrate on producing work.  While this system still exists at a much smaller extent, most of us writers will not have this opportunity of luxury.  Instead, we have to work elsewhere while still trying to concentrate on our primary passion.    

I've had a variety of jobs that were only meant to pay the bills.  Plenty of moments occurred when I was stuck in a rut, hating my job and writing very little.  This is a dangerous precident for writers.  No matter how difficult and unpleasant our everyday lives can be as a result of dissatisfying jobs, it's important to rise above it and focus on what matters.  I have so many experiences from my jobs that I feel like a more well rounded person.  Every job opportunity presents life experiences, even the bad ones.  Plus, it is important to struggle and work your ass off to get what you want.  If everything is just handed over conveniently, where's the challenge?  Why bother being a writer?  If writing was easy, a lot more people would be doing it instead of playing it safe with a secure career.  The point is that a job, no matter what it might be, is important when pursuing a writing career.

Lucky for me, I've found a job where I can use my particular skills to compliment what I'm working on after hours.  It's taken many years to get this far, but I feel stronger and wiser from the challenges.  I'm increasingly inspired to keep going.    

The Bane of Writers

Writers face plenty of challenges when working on their craft. Among those that range from minor to severe, the worst of all is by far writer's block. It can happen for any number of reasons. Sometimes, a writer himself won't know the exact cause. The real issue is lacking the mental capacity to create new work. Those of us who have been dedicated to the written word have all faced it. The ideas suddenly run dry, it's uncertain where to start, or we know what we want to write, but can't. It's a terrible feeling for the serious wordsmith. This is especially true for people whose livelihood is writing.

How do we cure it? The answer is not clear. That's like asking how to cure mental illness or addiction. There is no easy fix. It takes serious thought and determination to change the situation. Getting up after being down is a relieving experience. It shows us that no matter what kind of problems we face, we can get over them.

In many cases, people who think they have writer's block are simply going through a period of laziness. I've been guilty of that so many times that I don't know the count. It comes and goes. Even if I was set for life financially, I doubt I could spend everyday consistently getting out large chunks of writing. Maybe I don't have enough discipline. Besides, there so much to life. We can't keep sitting and typing out work nonstop. Like most good things, it comes in spurts. Plenty of time in between involves being idle and thinking about ideas until they can be transmitted into written words.

Writing is neither easy nor hard. To be good at it means to accept our own faults, put considerable thought into our ideas, and just write without worrying about judgement. That will happen when the completed work is read. During that process of creation, the writer is the master and commander. Writer's block can't be allowed to ruin us.  

The Joys of Travel

As an adult, I feel a little down at times when people talk about their experiences with traveling. They talk about exotic locations, unique sites that can't be found anywhere else, and sometimes it seems as if these people travel for a living and somehow don't need to worry about the constraints of time and money. Although I have done a decent amount of traveling, it's nowhere near what I want it to be. Those two annoying factors, time and money, are what usually hold me back from leaving home to explore somewhere else.

Much of my day job involves writing articles relating to travel. Often, I'll write about locations I've never been to based solely on the information I can find. I'm absolutely ready to go to Cabo or Cancun or anyplace. Perhaps in the near future. Writing about traveling has made me have a growing interest in seeing more of the world myself. I can't keep making excuses about time and money. If people keep holding themselves back because of these two elements, they won't be able to live more satisfying lives. This is why I intend to travel more.

Over the 4th of July weekend, I went on a road trip with a friend. Some things were planned and the rest was left up to spontaneity. Our expectations were met and even exceeded. We had a wonderful trip by taking in the sights, visiting places, briefly connecting with some strangers, and having no real worries. It was such a refreshing opportunity to break away from the monotony of life and I'm inspired to write a story about it.

Yes, traveling really is a great thing. There's a massive world around us. I'd like to see much more of it. 

Goals

Like anything else in life, great leaps in writing can come from setting goals. Everybody does it differently. Maybe the goal is to write at least 2,000 words a day. Some want to write a certain number of short stories within a period of time to expand a portfolio and maybe come up with a collection. Perhaps it's something simple, yet complicated like writing a novel.

Regardless of the goals for writing, they're good to have. They bring the writer into a certain focus and direction. No goals mean no desires. No desires result in no words. When I made the decision to finally start writing a novel, all I wanted was to finish writing the damn thing. Now, years after completing the first draft, rewriting, and editing, I'm trying to get it published. That's the main goal for me at this moment. One can only hope.  

The Short Happy Life of the Novella

I think something has to be said about the novella, a form typically overlooked by readers and critics alike. There's a particular attitude that more is better. However, we all know that a sense of economy can be equally valuable if not greater. The novella is a form that I admire deeply. Following a fiction style that encourages succinctness, I find the form to be excellent. A few of my pieces of work are novellas and I plan to write more.

The novella should certainly be treated with more respect today. There are enough epic novels that waste extra pages that can be done away with easily. In fact, some of the most notable books are actually novellas. These include Of Mice and Men, The Old Man and the Sea, The Great Gatsby, Heart of Darkness, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and more. Does this not mean that the novella has as much merit as the novel?

The distinctiveness of a novella goes beyond word count. While it is part of the criteria, the novella is also about the scope of vision. A story that takes place in a day or perhaps a couple of hours is ideal for a short novel. It can help depict a slice of life that has more possibility beyond a short story without getting into more complicated plots and long progressions of time found in a novel.

Although it's uncertain if the novella will ever have a revival, I won't concern myself with that. I'll instead continue to enjoy the form and use it to write stories that I feel would work well with it.  

Violence, Language, and Sex

The three elements in the title of this post are commonly found in multiple forms of media. Some push for censorship and some are for complete free speech. I for one don't think anything should be suppressed due to certain people's opinions of obscenity. However, political debate is not the real subject here. I want to address the use of violence, language, and sex in literature as a means to tell stories.

With violence, images on film and TV can be lurid. Some violent content is present just for the sake of violence. It can be so graphic and unabashed that it seems unreal. I have a greater appreciation for depictions of violence that are not so blatant. This is why I think violence in literature has a completely different dynamic from the visual arts. Even if scenes are incredibly descriptive to give readers a clear sense of what is happening, it is still left to the individual imagination. Regardless of the justification or lack thereof regarding violence, it is still one aspect that makes us human and is something I continue to explore in my work.

Language is precious to certain people. Centuries of use and refinement give it a sense of prestige to some. Anything that "tarnishes" the language can be seen as contributing to the slow death of it. My view on the matter? Fuck it.

I swear quite often and I think using that in fiction makes stories and the people in them more real. This is the way many people talk. Granted, not every son of a bitch curses and talks shit to mother fuckers every other goddamn second like a bunch of cunts acting like total cock suckers. Then again, there are people like that. Perhaps they lack a diverse vocabulary and would rather use a more basic manner of speaking that others like them can understand. For me, swearing is a way to emphasize emotion or the significance of something.

"Man, I had to work a 12 hour day in 110 degree heat. I'm fucking tired."

My use of "foul" language is quite liberal. Although I respect people who prefer not to use it, that won't stop me from continuing.

Sex. It's all on our minds. It's on TV, in the movies, plastered on advertisements, and thrown in our faces on a daily basis to entice us. Like violence and language, it's something I feel comfortable writing about because it's another part that shapes the human condition. I don't write sex scenes like the ones in romance novels, nor do I write them like erotic fiction. My goal is to be honest and direct when it comes to sex. I don't want to completely romanticize it or focus solely on the physical to the point where it's just pornography.

To me, violence, language, and sex are elements that can be used in fiction to help drive it forward. It doesn't have to be so fabricated and overt. A writer should write it as it is, if that makes sense.
  

Music and Writing

Music often helps me to stay centered when writing. There's something about the rhythm it establishes. At times, the tone of the music will shape the tone of a scene. Some writers prefer a certain genre. This can include classical, jazz, new wave, rock, hip hop, heavy metal, or nothing at all. My personal favorite is post rock. For those who don't know what this is, the definition isn't quite clear. It can be described based on the elements of the music. Post rock is often considered a subcategory of indie and experimental. It also tends to be comprised of instrumentals with little to no lyrics. I prefer this because lyrics tend to distract me when writing. I've been regularly listening to post rock since college. Oftentimes, I'll think songs from the genre that would fit well with different scenes in my stories.

Some of my favorite post rock bands are Mono, Explosions in the Sky, This Will Destroy You, and Underground Cities. I often think of how awesome it would be to have one of these bands record the soundtrack for a movie based on my work. Explosions in the Sky actually did the majority of the music for the movie Friday Night Lights. There's something about post rock that makes it suitable for use in movies. It can be as beautiful as traditional orchestra pieces.  The following is one of my favorite songs.

I'm not sure if I could ever get tired of post rock. It has helped influence my work so much that I couldn't imagine not having it.   

Getting Published

It's the big goal for most of us writers. We dream of a time where all of the hours spent alone crafting and refining are finally recognized. There's the idea that as soon as the book gets published, a writer's career will be set. Unfortunately, it doesn't always happen that way, especially not these days. Hell, it was just as tough getting published back in the day. I don't care to go on a tangent, but I really do loathe big publishers. I see them as nothing more than elitists and businessmen who want to whore out writers instead of truly supporting their craft. It's all about the money and getting out a book series that sells and gets turned into movies. Gone are the days where books could change the very social structure of society thanks to big publishers who took chances and helped share them with the world.

When I saw this scene, I couldn't help but laugh while also having my dislike for big publishers reinforced.

 

Just to clear it up, I am an unpublished writer with a completed novel. I know I don't have a chance with big publishers because my work isn't commercial. I write for the sake of art, not money. 

Luckily, there is still hope in the literary world. The advances of technology have allowed many small publishers to sprout and release works that don't focus on the bottom line. I think these independent presses, boutique publishers, or whatever people care to call them are the new pioneers of literature. They take chances with work because that's what literature should be about. Such books probably won't cater to the general reader, but that's what makes such works special. They don't follow the mold. They go their own ways. 

I think most of us who focus on literary fiction can find plenty of support in these small publishers who hold literature in high regard, as it should be. Without them, many of us would be doomed to stay unpublished.     

Flash Fiction

Flash fiction is a short story that can typically be one or two typewritten pages. It can also be known as micro fiction or a short short story. As with all forms of fiction, a determining factor is word count, but I think there are more important elements to consider for any story. I'll dedicate a future post for word count. 

I think much can be said about a story that is perhaps no longer than a page or two. This brevity allows a writer to come up with a simple story that can mean a great deal. There are thousand page epics out there that describe every possible detail and fill the pages with material that can easily be cut without losing the overall importance of a story. Then, there is the opposite found in flash fiction. A story depicting a single brief moment can be a life changing event or at least of interesting note.

I've never liked incredibly long pieces of fiction. The days of Dickens are gone. We don't have to write more words just to get better pay for a commissioned work. Writers have greater freedom to write as much as they want, although many publishers are still hung up on word count.

I'm from the school of writing that believes less is more. Don't bog down a story with pointless dialogue that's only used to fill lines. I think the worst thing us writers can do is write too much exposition. This can lead to a path that goes against the rule of showing versus telling. Instead of using so much exposition to tell a story, use dialogue and action. These are the meat and potatoes of fiction.

Flash fiction is an admirable form. Although not as popular as others, it's great practice for learning to be concise in writing. I've used the lessons I've learned from flash fiction and applied them to longer works.    

Characters

Characters in stories are normally used to help advance the plot, if there is one at all. A piece of fiction might not be that great, but a character or characters can make up for it. Maybe one of them has a strange quirk that seems to be completely out of place in a story until that person does something to push the plot forward or assist with concluding the story with his own unusual personality or set of skills. Regardless, characters are important in fiction. If at least one of them is fascinating, that can make a huge difference with how a story is received by others. With enough luck, you might end up writing a timeless character who still gets used in other mediums long after you're gone. Characters like these are remembered and carry on due to a sense of enduring appeal.

Now creating the back stories of characters is another fun process. Whether this information is included in the story through exposition, dialogue, or omitted altogether, writers should create a back story for every character. What was the character like in childhood? Why does he act the way he does? What are his aspirations? How did that breakup with his longtime love effect him? These are questions that writers can ask and answer to create characters who feel like they could live and breathe in the real world. Characters who are based on real people are another interesting dynamic. It shows that fiction and reality can easily blend together. Some might find it a little disconcerting, but that's what happens when you have a good story that feels real.

Without characters, there wouldn't be fiction, or at least not something interesting to read. Writers must love, hate, and tolerate various characters. They are like the ammunition for a gun. Characters are people we relate to on some level. This is one aspect that makes fiction exciting.       

A Writer's Preface

The written word is a form of expression that is like no other ability possessed by humans. I know this from personal experience. Writing was what helped me cope with my own voicelessness that came from fear of judgement and the unwillingness to display vulnerability. I was able to write the words only to keep them to myself. They were nobody's business but my own. I didn't write to become rich and famous. I wasn't even that good at writing when I started doing it regularly in my teens. The reason I did it was to help generate my own imagination, where I thought of myself as a person experiencing a plethora of adventures, living as a hero, having confidence, being with people who admired me, and examining the deeper questions that we all ask ourselves. The art of writing fiction was what helped me fill my emptiness. College changed me for the better, but the writing stayed. In fact, it grew as I did. A greater sense of realism came to play. I wrote stories about everyday life with elements of my own life. None of it was perfect. It was a reflection of the human experience. Even now, my work is still evolving.

My name is Bryan Beach. I'm a writer. This is something I've been doing now for almost half of my life. The style and direction of my work has changed since the beginning, but many parts have been quite consistent. I primarily write literary fiction. It amuses me how so many people think that writers only work in particular genres of fiction like mystery, romance, or fantasy. When I'm asked what kind of writing I do, I'll answer and then typically get a blank stare because many just don't know what literary fiction is and how great it can be. I'm all for writing about life. Most commercial fiction holds little interest to me. I don't care for popular fiction and the institution of books in series form. I write what I like, which includes the everyday life of people that offer up examples of the human condition. I also tend to write about Asian American characters whose ethnicity is not the driving force of the story. In this way, the whole idea of the ethnic American experience doesn't have to be about race and identity, but about how people experience life. Perhaps this can border on a level of colorblindness and negates the purpose of stories about ethnic identity, but what I try to do is find a balance to neither exploit nor suppress the existence of people who are outwardly different from the majority of the population. Anyway, I like to think that my work speaks for itself.

In recent years, I've written stories that center on violence, the absurd, and how these two can come together to offer insights about life. Such stories can help show people the deeper truths of what it means to be alive. It's something I've given much thought to and intend to explore in future work.

My purpose for this blog is to help organize my own thoughts though practical exercise. Writing about the writing process often helps me get myself together before I work on a story. At the same time, I enjoy sharing such thoughts with others, even if they don't write themselves. The discussion of writing is never-ending. There's always an aspect to talk about in a different way, even if it has the same meaning as something that was said thousands of other times before. This is why I still write about writing. Several of the characters in my writing have been writers. Beyond writing what you know, I think writers as characters are a great driving force, especially if it's their voices telling the story. Alas, I could talk about this long enough to come up with a book and sell it to universities as required course reading.       

The postings to follow will include theories and insights about writing, and perhaps excerpts of my work. Comments are encouraged. We won't agree on everything, but all I request is don't be an asshole. There's a difference between criticizing and bashing.

Enjoy the words.

Midori, the magic machine.