State of the Union... (Or a series of overdue updates)

Hi, there!  In case we haven't been previously acquainted, my name is Justin and I am a sometimes writer whose creative juices ebb and flow, sometimes to the point where a certain blog languishes for more than two years without any updates.  Major life events worth writing about sail by... and no posts.  Suffice it to say that, for the last 24 months, life has been very full, and while I've had time now and again to sit down and do some intentional reflecting, my energy expenditures and resting rhythms are just different now than they were when I began Häxprocess back in 2011.  Hopefully that's more reason than excuse, but either way I've lapsed and I'd like to get back to sharing more regular updates and ponderings.

If you're still here reading this, then you must be interested!  I'll start with the most recent talking points and work backward.

Reviews, Pt. 11

Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3 -- Part 4 -- Part 5 -- Part 6 -- Part 7 -- Part 8 -- Part 9 -- Part 10
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Next on the playlist!

After much delay, here are the handful of album reviews I've written since July.  As usual, clicking on the album covers will take you to the band's music where you can listen to and/or download the album in full.  The hyperlinks will take you to my reviews.

~*~

Yossi Sassi Band - Roots & Roads (Israel)
[PROG Mind / Tollbooth]

The Yossi Sassi Band officially debuts its unique brand of Middle Eastern metal with a conscience, branching out of the independent musings of the band’s founder into a collaborative effort.

Karmakanic - DOT (Sweden)
[PROG Mind / Tollbooth]

DOT is a new apex for Karmakanic, a symphonic project rich with virtuosity and creativity.

John Wesley - A Way You'll Never Be... (USA)
[PROG Mind / Tollbooth]

Another hook-filled, hard rock album with an indie, singer/songwriter bend, A Way You’ll Never Be is the distillation of John Wesley’s past projects and a conception of music that is raw and unapologetic.

The Jelly Jam - Profit (USA)

The Jelly Jam's well-crafted fourth record is their first concept album.

Syndone - Eros & Thanatos (Italy)

Eros and Thanatos is a powerful, multilayered concept album with memorable passages (whether or not you speak Italian!) and plenty of complex musical hooks that will especially attract the ears of keys aficionados.

Reviews, Part 6

Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3 -- Part 4 -- Part 5 -- Part 7 -- Part 8 -- Part 9
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Next on the playlist!

Here are the album reviews I've written since February.  As usual, clicking on the album covers will take you to the band's music where you can listen to and/or download the album in full.  The hyperlinks will take you to my reviews.

~*~

Hasse Fröberg Musical Companion - HFMC - (Sweden)

Of the three Musical Companion releases to date, HFMC is undoubtedly the most mature as well as the most cohesive, and currently stands as my pick for best album of 2015.

Corvus Stone - Corvus Stone II (Finland)

Corvus Stone II is an eclectic collection of songs from an eclectic combination of musicians, a varying journey through elements of funk, jazz, psychedelic rock, and Canterbury prog.

Big Big Train - Wassail (UK)

Wassail is a solid EP, foreshadowing Big Big Train’s forthcoming material.  This is just another bite-sized portion of the band’s stylistic craft, enough to keep fellow “passengers” whistling for a while longer as we wait for the Train to once again depart the station.

Rocket Scientists - Refuel (USA)

Refuel is a story that is as much autobiographical as it is universal: a tale of journeying, persevering, and wondering just when the time disappeared.  It is rich and ambitious, focused but complex, and another quality release from this trio of dedicated musicians.

Reviews, Part 5

Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3 -- Part 4 -- Part 6 -- Part 7 -- Part 8 -- Part 9
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Next on the playlist!

Here are the album reviews I've written since this past September.  Clicking on the album covers will take you to the band's music where you can listen to and/or download the album in full.  The hyperlinks will take you to my reviews.

Let me know what you think!

~*~

Engineers - Always Returning (UK)

Always Returning is a multi-faceted, philosophical puzzle with enough musical textures to keep both fans and musicians listening.

iamthemorning - Belighted (Russia)

The combination of Gleb’s classical approach to composition with Marjana’s singing ability produces bold, melodic pieces that are distinctly modern, yet extraordinarily mature.  Belighted is one of 2014’s must-purchase albums, from one of the decade’s bands to watch.

 The Phil and John Show - Cover Art (Canada)

Phil Naro is a prolific and diverse songwriter with a powerful set of pipes, and is continually finding new avenues for his creativity to expand.

KINGs - KINGs EP (Canada)

Phil Naro is a prolific and diverse songwriter with a powerful set of pipes, and is continually finding new avenues for his creativity to expand.

Bishop Reilly - Bishop Reilly (USA)

Bishop Reilly is a mature offering from a pair of musicians with a lot of experience behind them.  Their music is a conjunction of folk, blues, and rock: a vehicle for stories that connect to the human heart.

It's the Little Things

An ominous cover for decidedly
non-ominous content.  Apropos?

Sometime last year, I finished reading Stephen King's On Writing, a part-memoir, part-craft discussion piece that was originally published back in 2000.  King isn't my favorite author, but I do enjoy his work on occasion and have a decent collection of it on my bookshelves at home.  Regardless of how you or I might feel about him, let's be honest: he's a master of suspense and has been enormously successful.  Therefore, his opinions on the writing craft [should] hold a good amount of sway in the writing community.

Both of the tips I'm going to mention I've heard a thousand times before reading On Writing.  However, because I hadn't accomplished much writing at the time I was reading the book, I found myself inspired to sit down and get some work done, and in the final months of 2014, these two tactics proved instrumental in finalizing two short stories and submitting them to publishers.  I'd been working on both pieces for some time but hadn't been confident in their quality until I made this final, editorial pass.  Regardless of whether or not they will be accepted, just to get them finished and sent out was an achievement -- especially since I haven't published anything since 2010.

Sometimes it's the little things.

No matter whether you write fiction or music reviews, whether you're a student writing essays or an author working on his tenth manuscript, these simple tools are invaluable to the editing process.  If you've heard them already (and you probably have), now's the time to put them to use.

Death to all adverbs

"All the officer patients in the war were forced to censor letters... It was a monotonous job, and Yossarian was disappointed to learn that the lives of enlisted men were only slightly more interesting than the lives of officers... To break the monotony he invented games. Death to all modifiers, he declared one day, and out of every letter that passed through his hands went every adverb and every adjective."

-- Joseph Heller, Catch-22

~*~

I used to sneer at this rule.  That's because I still tend to use a lot of modifiers.

Adverbs are especially easy to throw into the mix.  They add what feels like clarity and assist in turning sentences into paragraphs.  It feels good to look over your unfinished manuscript and see large chunks of text -- it feels solid, like the story has weight, and the densely packed pages look intelligent.  Adverbs aren't the only bloat in a writer's first draft, of course, but they do contribute to the overall mass.

"Pasty, putrid, pulp" also describes that dialogue box.

King gives his "formula for success" in the form of an equation: 2nd Draft = 1st Draft – 10%.  A chunk of that 10% margin of elimination is unnecessary modifiers.  I would argue that something like 80% of all adverbs are unnecessary.  I'm making up a harsh statistic, but the point is that adverbs are the average writer's cheat.  They accomplish what a good writer's prose can do by itself.  Strong, intentional words are more powerful than strings of modifiers.  The real problem with adverbs is that, though they fill a descriptive role, they are also limiting.  When used as a crutch instead of the occasional seasoning, they weaken the writer's ability to describe and eliminate the reader's ability to participate in the story.

I think this rule is especially apparent when it comes to written dialogue.  I'm a proponent of simple "he said/she said" dialogue attribution, especially when there is significant back-and-forth conversation between characters.  This approach removes clutter and allows the conversation to flow naturally.  In the process of writing dialogue, however -- to preserve the spontaneity of snappy words exchanged in emotionally charged scenarios -- it's easy to slip into the habit of forgoing detailed prose for lazy adverbs.  For example:

"Well, if that's how you feel about it!" Jane muttered angrily.

While a simple "Jane muttered" is sometimes appropriate and would be preferable to "Jane muttered angrily," what Jane is saying should be enough to imply her tone, volume, and intent.  Coupled with a careful description of Jane's body language, her words are enough to give the reader a sense of what she is feeling without the need for such overt clarification or emphatic punctuation (side note: the exclamation point has little functionality in mature writing).  Furthermore, action can replace modifiers when it lends to the character's posture and mood.

Jane's eyes flashed.  "Well, if that's how you feel about it," she said, allowing her hand to curl into a ball against her thigh.

This example says more than the former, and not just because it has more words.  It provides insight into Jane's anger, adds specific detail without using unnecessary modifiers, and is much more powerful than "Jane muttered angrily."  Technically, I am using a participial phrase as an adjective in this sentence, but it eliminates the need for modifiers in the traditional sense, lends flavor to the paragraph, and also provides a sense of action without delaying a response in the continued dialogue.

Both options arguably achieve similar results, but the former is non-descriptive and lackluster while the latter adds specific detail without feeling cumbersome (though it could perhaps be further refined in the context of surrounding paragraphs).  For the record, it isn't more words we're after when it comes to description, it's precise words.  Purposeful, mature writing scrutinizes which words are best for the context, to eliminate the need for unnecessary, superfluous words.  Conciseness lends itself to purposeful word choice.

Sure, you should try to say more with less words.  But not if your "less words" are all adverbs.

In that regard, what really helped build my confidence in my manuscripts was the elimination of adverbs.  In addition to trimming each story's word count, this careful editing process gave each story a sense of maturity it had lacked.  Eliminating adverbs led me to choose more effective verbs and reduce my overabundance of modifiers -- limiting them to fewer, more potent numbers.  Adverbs used appropriately aren't childish: sometimes they're necessary.  They're a part of speech for a reason.  While the mediocre writer can fall into the trap of using modifiers as a crutch to crudely convey his point, the good writer can apply them as the type of seasoning that amplifies the rest of his prose.

If this seems like a simple thing, that's because it is.  It's also powerful.  Whether or not you write fiction, eliminating an overabundance of adverbs is a refining tool.  The practice of avoiding unnecessary modifiers both simplifies and expands a writer's prose.  It allows his or her sense of imagery, vocabulary, and writing style to flourish.

Edit on paper

"A blank sheet of paper equals endless possibilities. Conceptual."

-- Michael Scott

~*~ 

Maybe it's ironic that someone who maintains a blog and does the bulk of his writing on his computer should insist on this.

I've got a number of editing methods that I employ.  For instance, after I finish writing something, I'll leave it for an hour or two or maybe even several days before I finally sit back down to begin editing.  Then, I try read through the story/essay/etc as though I'm a first-time reader instead of its author.  I read sections out loud.  I move entire paragraphs around to determine whether or not the piece could benefit from a different spatial organization.  One really helpful trick I've found is to make the computer read aloud what I've written back to me.  The iWorks software has a "read text" feature built into it.  I can even save text as an audio file to listen back on-the-go.  If the bland, monotonous voice of your computer can read your work aloud and make it sound intelligent, that's a good indicator that a human reader can do the same.  This is an especially useful tool for identifying run-on sentences and deciding whether or not you should add a comma between those clauses.

However, all of that is part of my initial editing process.  It's not until I get what I've written printed on paper that I can truly get hands-on.  Literally.  There is something about editing on paper that makes the process much more deliberate and intense.  Killing your darlings should be visceral.  It should be hard to slash chunks of your work, especially when you love it.

The fact is, you notice different things on the paper than you do on-screen.  Part of that is simply because your eyes have adjusted to the way the text looks against a glowing white background.  Part of that is because the shift in format makes the prose feel fresh, and because you read more carefully and absorb more thoroughly printed text.

Whatever the conjunction of reasons, it isn't until I have a pen in hand that I really begin to eliminate large sections of unnecessary text and identify the portions of the story that are well-paced, those that are quagmires, and those that could use expansion.  I'm more hesitant on the computer.  Maybe the delete key is frightening in its finality: on paper, I can cross out but still see what I've removed.  In that regard, I can be more merciless on paper.

The bottom line?

Write on a word processor.  It's faster and more efficient.  Edit on paper.  It's more accurate and methodical.

~*~

As stated, these are two simple editing tools.  You've probably heard more than one writing professor suggest them.  Maybe you can get away without utilizing these methods and maybe even still be successful, but these are painless and efficient ways to hone your craft.  What's lost by trying them (besides adverbs)?

Reviews, Pt. 4

Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3 -- Part 5 -- Part 6 -- Part 7 -- Part 8 -- Part 9
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Next on the playlist!

Here are the album reviews I've written since the beginning of August.  Clicking on the album covers will take you to the band's music where you can listen to and/or download the album in full.  The hyperlinks will take you to my reviews.

Let me know what you think!

~*~

Ghost Town Riot - Ghost Town Riot (Seattle)

Ghost Town Riot is a catchy, intense, and well-written album.  The band have a good sound, strong dynamic concepts, and deeply thoughtful music that doesn’t fit any conventional pop/rock mold.

A Formal Horse - A Formal Horse EP (UK)

A Formal Horse come with gusto as well as instrumental proficiency, offering a final product that does not disappoint.  This EP is their debut showing: a small collection of their ambitious work to date.

In the Presence of Wolves - Thalassas (New Jersey)

Thalassas is a fantastic debut album, combining vivaciousness with thoughtfulness, and melody with technical proficiency.  It’s young and fresh, and hints at the quality of releases yet to come.

Flying Colors - Second Nature (US)

Second Nature, Flying Colors’ sophomore release, is representative of everything the band does well.  Its balladic, singable songs are also technical and complex, characterized both by their boldness and their uplifting refrains.  This is one of 2014’s definitive releases.

The Pineapple Thief - Magnolia (UK)

Magnolia, The Pineapple Thief’s 10th studio release, is an album complex enough to be progressive, but simple enough to be accessible, and warrants a number of listens to truly appreciate its well-constructed layers.

Reviews, Pt. 3

Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 4 -- Part 5 -- Part 6 -- Part 7 -- Part 8 -- Part 9
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Next on the playlist!  These are all bands I've reviewed since the end of May.  Clicking on the album covers will take you directly to sites where you can sample or listen in full to each band's material.  The hyperlinks will take you to my reviews of their music.  Let me know what you think.

~*~

Soup - The Beauty of Our Youth (Norway)

Wistful, ambient, and achingly gorgeous, The Beauty of Our Youth is a soundscape of purposeful orchestration, recalling the days of childhood and adolescence in a dreamlike haze of retrospective emotion.

Psycrence - A Frail Deception (Greece)

Psycrence write song-oriented metal, with composition, fury, and melody.  This is a young band with a personal sound, plenty of ability, and the ambition to write quality music in the voice they’ve found.

Yossi Sassi - Desert Butterflies (Israel)

Desert Butterflies has all the elements of music that I love: inventive use of themes, blurring of genre lines, technical performance, attentiveness to melody, and solid performance. The pioneer of "Oriental Rock," Yossi Sassi delivers a memorable sophomore album.

Jeff Green Project - Elder Creek (Ireland)

Elder Creek is a great example of new-wave or crossover prog, and tells a story of memory.  A unique mix of symphonic prog, psychedelic rock, folk ballad, and classical mythology, this is an uplifting album with the power to entertain, encourage, and invigorate.

Paving the Labyrinth - Polyopia (South Africa)

Paving the Labyrinth are a practiced and technical band with a strong debut album.  Polyopia is a combination of technical post-rock and melodic prog with an experimental edge, and will appeal to any fans of gritty, complex music.

Anton Roolaart - The Plight of Lady Oona (New York)

The Plight of Lady Oona is unique and ambitious, and ultimately an impressive album – easily one of my favorite releases of 2014.

3 Things Writers Fear (And Why We Do it Anyway)

Like any form of self-expression, creative writing is a risk.  That's because, like any other art form, creative writing necessarily involves the willful self-exposure to share original ideas -- the proverbial placing of the ball into someone else's court in order for them to pass judgment.  I don't care who you are: that's a scary concept.  Creative writing in any form is an exercise in anxiety, elation, and defeat.  For the writer attempting to gain the attention of an agent or a publisher, that process is rinse, lather, repeat; rinse, lather, repeat.  For the writer who maintains a blog, he is subject to the internet's worst critics.  For the poet who does frequent readings, there is nothing more harsh than the silence of a room that doesn't know how to react to your material.  Regardless of the form, sharing your written work is arduous and painful, and rarely does it reap more than another opportunity to revise your already revised final draft.

I've seen a number of articles devoted to "writers' fears" floating around recently, all of them more or less accurate in pinpointing struggles that authors of any genre or media might face, but I think all of these symptoms stem from three major fears that invariably manifest in the heart and mind of a writer.  Maybe this is a silly conversation, or maybe it will encourage those of you with aspirations of writing to keep going.

Either way, here we go.

Writers fear writer's block.  Contrary to popular opinion, writer's block (or "graphospasm" -- thanks, Snapple facts) is more than simply a hand cramp or an inability to put words on paper, though it is certainly not less than either of those things.  In reality, it is a mental impairment -- an inability to connect ideas or imagine a story's progression.  Perhaps it begins with nuts-and-bolts details (i.e. "I know where the story is going, but I'm struggling to connect point A to point B"), but it spreads to more comprehensive elements, like character development and significant plot details (i.e. "I have no idea how to make this person change" or "I don't know what I want to happen next, but my thematic idea needs something huge").  Boiled down to its heart, writer's block is the fear of regressing, of having to start over.  It's the systemic absence of progress, and it's incredibly disheartening.  Furthermore, there is no foolproof cure for this condition: it is something that comes and goes as it wills, and even forcing one's self to just write in order to get past the hump is not a guarantee of recovery.

For most authors, writer's block is the specter of the "one that got away" -- their great masterpiece, left unfinished all these years, because they simply couldn't finish it.  Maybe they've had semi-successful careers, churning out a chain of pulp novels or maybe even some quality pieces of literature, but they've never been able to finish that one manuscript that they've dragged like a ball and chain behind them -- unable to let it go, and unable to finish it.  No one who aspires to write wants that type of nagging regret.  It's a fearful concept, enough to make some writers quit while they're ahead.

As stated, there is no fool-proof remedy for writer's block.  It manifests at the most inopportune times and can vanish when you least expect it.  However, here are some things I've found helpful (though not everyone's mind works the same way mine does).

First, maintain a healthy reading diet -- especially material that pertains in some way to your subject matter.  See how other writers have resolved a similar character's flaws, or how another author described what it is you're struggling to depict.  That type of cross-pollination is essential to writing.  It's not stealing to borrow method.  Figure out how the accomplished writers achieved their final product, incorporate some of their ideas into your own grand scheme, and see if that gets your train of thought moving again.  You can't write if you're not reading.

Second, outlining, diagramming, and writing about my current novel, short-story, or article has proven immensely helpful.  When I was younger, I only outlined if it was required for a writing assignment, but I've since come to see the value in sketching plot, characters, and themes outside of the text in order to develop reference material for the manuscript itself.  If I'm struggling to come up with my next plot point, then I'll work on a character sketch instead, further defining who the individual is and learning how he or she would react to given stimuli, and what types of provocation will be essential to his or her character development.  That can be as simple as jotting down notes as to what color his/her hair is, details about the house he/she grew up in, how many cousins he/she has on his/her mother's side.  It can be as complex as fears, goals, failures, and character flaws.  Sometimes, the next essential plot point develops out of my deepening understanding of my own character.

Maybe that sounds like a waste of time, but I maintain that it is always important for the author to know more about his/her characters than the audience.  That's how rich characters with full backstories are developed.  Tolkien didn't create Middle Earth without also writing volumes and volumes of history and mythology.  Furthermore, possessing an intimate and well-rounded knowledge of your characters not only makes writing them easier, but it also can save you time while you're putting pen to paper because the details have already been fleshed out in your diagram.  This method is useful not only to push through writer's block, but is also a means of staying productive even while you're not writing.

Maybe I've just got a cold?

Third, don't throw anything away.  In a moment of frustration, it's easy to tear out the page you were working on or hit ⌘-A + delete.  Don't do that.  You simply never know when an old draft might come in handy, either as supplemental material, another angle to consider, or even an emergency backup in case something should happen to your saved file (or notebook).  Throwing things away might feel cathartic, but it limits the potential to make anything useful out of the hours spent on that particular draft.  I've made it a habit, when eliminating large chunks of text from a draft, to paste them in an "excerpts" document file, just so that I can access it again later -- either during revision or during another period of writer's block, so that I can reflect on where I've been and what I tried last time.  You never know when that will spark a new idea.  At the very least, it's encouraging to see how far you've come.

Finally, at the most basic level, sometimes you do just need to put words on paper.  Even if they don't make sense, even if they jump scenes or contradict earlier chapters, forcing through to the next plot point is sometimes all it takes to get the story rolling again.  Find a place where you can be free of distractions.  Put on music if that's helpful.  Devote an hour to just typing (or scribbling), or set a word goal, and then make the leap.  Don't stop or re-read what you've written until you've reached your time limit or word goal.  If it's one particular scene you are wrestling through, jot down some notes on what you're trying to accomplish through that section and then move to the next.  Details can come later, and sometimes it's easier to develop supporting scenes retrospectively, in light of later events.  It's not cheating to write in a non-linear fashion.

Sometimes, this type of nose-to-the-grindstone approach is a good way to figure out what is essential to your draft and what can be eliminated: by only writing in such a way that the most basic ideas are transferred from mind to paper, you can often narrow down your ultimate trajectory.  Most ideas are a good percentage fat and can be trimmed significantly during editing in order to solidify the final product.  So if a power-writing session results in a few corners being cut, don't be afraid to eliminate scenes or characters that could be deemed redundant.

...but make sure you save them in a separate file, just in case!

Writers fear rejection.  Just like the rest of you (we're people too).  The truth is, writers fear rejection for the same reason any artist does: the rejection of craft is the rejection of the artist.  Someone who doesn't dabble in the arts might not understand that concept ("All I said was, 'It needs work,' and he fell to pieces!"), but for the writer, rejection negates hours of work and creativity, rendering them fruitless.  Especially from a publisher or an agent, rejection can feel like a direct challenge to the author's personal writing style, imagination, and sense of aesthetic.  It forces a negative comparison: "not good enough to be published" literally means "not as good as what is already published," and frankly, what is already published is often not worthy of being on the opposite side of the comparison.

Of course, all that is not to say that rejection can't be a form of positive criticism, of course.  Far too many manuscripts that should see another revision magically make it the shelves at Barnes & Noble.  That's the danger in self-publishing, especially with the contemporary ease of e-publishing: there is no need to perfect your work, because there won't be an editor who will reject your grammatical mess of a manuscript unless you hire one yourself.  Feedback -- especially from a publisher or an agent -- is one of the most useful things a writer can receive, because it's a powerful sharpening tool.  It's the opportunity to go back to the drawing board and fix what didn't work before -- what one wouldn't have realized needed fixing without someone else to point it out.

That being said, "I don't like it" is incredibly unhelpful "feedback."  Conversely, "I LOVE IT" isn't much more than a stroke to the ego.  Neither of these responses address particulars.  The former might as well be a statement of indifference.  Neither tells me what I'm doing wrong or right so that I can make the necessary edits.  Disliking it or adoring it only means something to the author if there are particular reasons.  Maybe the characters were boring and predictable, or maybe they were richly developed and made the reader feel empathetic toward their challenges.  Maybe the plot's pace was excellent, or maybe there was too much description for it to even take place.  Furthermore, sometimes, you're not supposed to like a piece of writing.  Sometimes a writer intends to provoke a negative emotional response to make a point.  Some of the most powerful literature has some of the most grotesque elements that make us shudder, but ultimately make such powerful statements about humanity.  Therefore, we need to be told why our work is good or bad, and why it makes you accept or reject it.

In sum, writers fear rejection but also need constructive criticism.  We need to be told precisely what needs to be fixed, because after staring at the paper or the screen for hundreds of hours, sometimes even the worst of drafts can take on the illusion of a masterpiece.  We become biased toward our own work, whether or not we admit it, and sometimes need someone to direct our attention to fatal flaws that would otherwise go unnoticed.

Writers fear sharing their first drafts.  You could also say writers hate discussing their current work -- particularly, the novel-in-progress.  To some degree, the unfinished draft feels infinitely fragile to its creator.  Sharing it before it has fully developed could result in its destruction.  Furthermore, the unfinished product could misrepresent the grand vision.  If we let someone in on the story before it's complete, it could be missing integral elements of the finished state that could influence the reader's opinion.  We fear the work-in-progress becoming not worth the effort to finish.

Tara always wants to look over my shoulder when I'm writing.  And while I'm always eager for her to read what I'm working on, there's also the overpowering urge to slam my laptop shut -- lest she see the red underlines or read something that might later be changed.  "Wait until I'm done," is my constant plea -- a request she more or less reluctantly heeds.

Of course, I'm an odd combination -- equal parts editor and writer.  That means that, for as many pages I move forward, I move backward by twice as much.  I want the perfect words and the perfect draft, a tendency that is as much a hindrance to progress as it is a boon.  Typically, writers don't care about cleaning up their manuscripts and are content to leave grammatical cleanup to their editors -- as was Oscar Wilde, who famously attached the following note to a manuscript sent to his publisher: "I'll leave you to tidy up the woulds and shoulds, wills and shalls, thats and whiches."  In other words, the importance of correct grammar is typically of less importance to writers than the declaration of their original thought.  And frankly, when someone has been writing for some time, they generally possess a solid enough grasp of the language that their typical errors are merely typographical.

In sum, don't ask a writer about a work-in-progress -- that is, unless he or she is that weird sort of writer who wants to converse about his or her novel while writing it (frankly, I do not understand that mindset).  For most of us, it's best to wait until the draft is ready to be read to ask about it.  At that point, we're [*cough*narcissistically*cough*] thrilled to discuss it.

So why do we do it?

If all of this is true, why subject ones' self to self-generated torture?  Why get on the bull if it's only an 8-second ride before the fall?

The simple answer?  We enjoy it.  It's as challenging as it is rewarding.  Writing is what I would consider my greatest strength, so it's what I enjoy doing the most.  There are few things so satisfying to me as working on a manuscript or an article.  Conversely, there are few things nearly as frustrating as struggling through writer's block or rejection.  The writing experience is as cathartic as it is invigorating.  It shouldn't be easy: it's a labor and a struggle, but it's also a passion.

The more complex answer is that we do it because there's a story to tell.  The imagination or some set of circumstances prompted the idea, and now it must be written.  There's simply a need.  Maybe it has dragons, and maybe it doesn't.  Regardless, it's a story.  It's the very nuts and bolts of humanity.

At heart, I believe we're all storytellers, whether we write them on paper or sing them into a microphone or punch them into a time card.  The story of grace is written on all our hearts, and so our very beings are comprised of conflict, character development, and resolution.

All our stories are worth telling.

That's why we do it.

~*~

Reviews, Pt. 2

Part 1 -- Part 3 -- Part 4 -- Part 5 -- Part 6 -- Part 7 -- Part 8 -- Part 9
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There's probably a better way to share these than in bunches, but I'd rather not make individual posts for each review.  I want maintain this blog as a venue for personal expression as opposed to transforming it into a forum for music reviews.

Regardless, in case anyone is interested, here's my latest round of reviews (since April 3rd).  For classic prog fans, I recommend Rocket Scientists and Láquesis.  For fans of blues rock, psychedelia, and quirky hooks, Marblewood or These Curious Thoughts.  Backhand is a bit of an enigma -- Latin metal with progressive elements, but a distinct bend toward songwriting.

I've also got albums from five more bands/artists currently on the table: Soup (Norway), Psycrence (Greece), Paving the Labyrinth (South Africa), Yossi Sassi (Israel), and Ghost Town Riot (Seattle).

If you take a listen to any of these, let me know what you think!

~*~

Láquesis - Láquesis (Argentina)

Láquesis is a strong debut release, full of powerful ballads, soft instrumentals, and enough musical technicality to satisfy fans of both classic and contemporary eras of progressive rock.

Rocket Scientists - Supernatural Highways (California)

Supernatural Highways is an invigorating, compelling, and thoroughly enjoyable EP, well-written and well-orchestrated, commemorating Rocket Scientists' 20th anniversary.

 Marblewood - Marblewood (Switzerland)

With song structures that are loose, fluid, and supremely high-energy, Swiss jamband Marblewood compose long, blues-influenced instrumentals well-suited to the live performance.

These Curious Thoughts - What is it, and how did it get in there? (UK/Detroit)

These Curious Thoughts write powerful compositions - indie/post-rock at its finest. What is it, and how did it get in there? is unique, strange enough to beg additional listens, and profound enough to demand a few more.

Backhand - Through the Turbulence (Venezuela/Canada)

Through the Turbulence accomplishes exactly what its title suggests: the album is full of frenetic solos and rapid sections, and deals with heavy thematic elements, but also showcases the musicians' appreciation for intense dynamic changes and quality songwriting.

Not a wasted word: Reviews, Pt. 1

Today's writing soundtrack brought to you by Guthrie Govan.

"Not a wasted word.  This has been a main point to my literary thinking all my life.”

—Hunter S. Thompson

~*~

Since the beginning of March, I've been writing music reviews for a website called The Phantom Tollbooth (yes, named after that book) -- thanks to the encouragement of a friend and the desire to stretch myself as a writer.  To write for this website, I basically find music I enjoy, type approximately 1.5k words about it, submit an unspecified number of these articles per month (March was, uh, busy), and sometimes do a little editing for other writers on the site.  Simple, painless, stimulating.

There are a number of perks to this little side project.  The Phantom Tollbooth is a Christian website, so the community is largely positive and wholesome.  They are also completely open to secular content, so I'm not shackled to Michael W. Smith releases.  In that regard, this is the type of writing gig where I get to choose my own material.  It's been a great experience to reach out to bands with whom I'm already familiar and others with whom I'm not, interact with them personally, and engage their music on a level that supersedes a cursory listen.  Thus far, my reviews have been of independent releases from unsigned bands, known well only in the prog community.  Some of these acts are people I've met via The Twenty Committee, others are relationships I've gleaned thanks to prog forums, and others still whom I've just happened to stumble across.  This writing venue allows me to write supportively of these undiscovered musical acts, offer them a bit of exposure in my tiny corner of the internet certainly, and - more importantly - give them quality reviews that they can repost in various forums to endorse their material.

So what does this mean for me?

For one thing, it's been great for musical and professional relationships.  I've already received followup from some of these artists asking for me to tackle other material they're part of.  I've also been able to open dialogue about The Twenty Committee with some of them, since my band's music is in similar categories to theirs.  Furthermore, for unsigned bands in my corner of the music industry, there is a strong "love one another" mentality: support each other, return favors, pay it forward where you can.  This writing venue has been (and will continue to be) a great opportunity for me to do my part.

Tollbooth also serves as tremendous writing incentive.  I've been markedly more productive with Häxprocess (well, with the exception of this past month -- see busy), as well as with the book(s) I'm in the process of writing, in addition to miscellaneous creative projects for my job.  In any occupation I've held, I've made the attempt to incorporate writing into it, as that is probably my greatest strength.  Since I was a kid, creative writing was what I did for fun.  I graduated slowly from crude sketches with captions on construction paper to 100% recycled Meade tablets to the trusty MacBook, always entertaining the notion of someday writing at a professional level.  Writing for Tollbooth has renewed that desire and given me a leg-up in that direction, in addition to giving me motivation to seek out what writing opportunities are available to me now.

The bottom line is that God has -- as always -- been unspeakably gracious to me.  He's allowed me the opportunity to do something I enjoy.  For that reason, whether or not it can one day be a lucrative pursuit, I will remain thankful.  After all, my future is His written text, not a draft yet to be revised, so I can rest in His sovereign, benevolent hands.

So that's where I am.  The reviews I've published to date are listed below.  If you are an artist, a member of a band, or simply know someone who could use a little free publicity, contact me.  I'd be more than happy to give your/his/her material an honest listen.

~*~

Part 2 -- Part 3 -- Part 4 -- Part 5 -- Part 6 -- Part 7 -- Part 8 -- Part 9
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Elephants of Scotland - Execute and Breathe

Execute and Breathe is a great sophomore release from a band who never stray from a songwriting mantra. Elephants of Scotland write prog with hooks and flavors: songs with loose thematic connections that can stand alone while still contributing to the whole.

Dream the Electric Sleep - Heretics

Dream the Electric Sleep have put out a masterful sophomore album which demonstrates their dedication to originality and to the concept album.

John Basset - Unearth

Unearth is a great solo album. It's a break from John Bassett's typical work and an opportunity for him to expand different avenues of writing. Melodic, haunting, and soul-searching, this is one that will both please your ears and leave you with plenty to think about afterwards.

Rick Miller - Heart of Darkness

Heart of Darkness is a spooky, dark, and melancholic concept album with lots of fantastical elements. There's guilt here and regret – dregs of human emotion which ensnare and debilitate, and ultimately provide the fuel for the bitter love story which unfolds.

Druckfarben - Second Sound

Druckfarben are a talented group of musicians who write classic 70's prog with modern flavors. Second Sound is a fantastic response to their debut album and will garner interest with fans of Yes, Rush, and Kansas.

Hibernal (Mark Healy) - Replacements

In Replacements, we enter a stark, dystopian world where “greater good” mentality has drowned society with melancholy.  This is a fantastic piece of multi-genre art, incorporating elements of musical composition and talented voice acting, though at its conclusion, you might find yourself with more questions than answers.

Octopie - Octopie EP

What Octopie excel at doing is writing catchy and interesting music that ventures into the progressive territory without losing accessibility.  The writing is superb, and this EP boasts a dynamic blend of timbres.

A Dramatic Monologue

I type:

They say writer’s block exists only in the mind, but it can certainly paralyze the fingers. 

And then I slouch, twisting my lips pensively. And where to go from here? 

Groundbreaking is the hardest part of writing. Cracking open a fresh idea is like breaking open a coconut or a watermelon and trying not to make a mess everywhere. And if what you’ve broken on the side of the mixing bowl is a half–baked idea, all you’re going to get is partially developed bird embryo in your omelet. 

I make a face. What a disgusting mixed metaphor. And for that matter, what a terrible pun! 

The cursor blinks and winks in the absence of my typing, taunting me from behind the laptop screen. 

And then it says: [If you can’t think what to write next, then it’s my turn to do the talking.] 

For a moment, I fail to react. Frowning, I glance at the coffee mug a handbreadth away from the computer and my gigantic stack of homework, wondering if I made it too strong or not strong enough. The Christmas goose on the white ceramic stares back blankly, offering no explanations. 

I look back at the screen, watching the cursor suspiciously. “But I don’t want you to do the talking,” I say slowly, suddenly thankful that my family isn’t anywhere in the nearby vicinity to hear me exhibiting signs of certain schizophrenia. “I want to do the talking.” 

Several silent blinks. [But you’re not saying anything at the moment.] 

“I have a great opening line,” I insist under my breath, reaching for the goose mug. I am stalling, trying to think and simultaneously wishing I didn’t suffer from the habit of talking to myself. Non–fiction writing assignments are not my forte. I like to invent stories about other people, not recount ones of my own. 

[But where are you going with it?] the cursor asks inquisitively, blinking its black–pixel spine against the last period. 

I don’t really know, I think in response, but am unwilling to admit that aloud. Somehow, the demon antagonist within my computer must already know this. Or maybe I’m just being paranoid. 

[Why don’t you take a break?] 

I pause with the mug at my lips, narrowing my eyes at the screen. The cursor winks back, innocently. The kitchen is silent, broken only by the out–of–tune hum of the refrigerator, and lit with afternoon sun. With the house to myself, I am keeping myself focused by willpower alone. 

From my bedroom, my guitar is calling in a sultry, spoiled–only–child wail. In the living room, the old PlayStation and its gang of mismatched controllers and antiquated games are loitering coolly, saying nothing, but I can sense their great displeasure at being ignored. Outside, the Camaro basks in the sun, snoozing shallowly, dreaming of a good bath and my hands under her hood, working out all the knots of tension in her coolant system. The bookshelf above my bed is home to volumes of Lovecraft and Poe, Dickens and Conrad, T. S. Eliot, Fitzgerald, Anderson, Murakami and many more. The soft rustle of stimulating, intellectual conversation is audible all the way out in the kitchen as the breeze from my open window teases countless pages. 

I set the mug back on the tabletop without taking a sip, shaking my head to clear it. “You fight dirty,” I say, but I am impressed and concurrently worried that I am losing my mind. 

[You do what you have to,] the cursor replies dismissively, and I imagine that if it had possessed shoulders, it would have shrugged. [I’m just trying to help.] 

“Help?” I repeat incredulously. “Helping me would be giving me ideas of what to write about.” 

[But that would be too easy,] the cursor responds matter–of–factly, almost smugly. [You’re the one who always says he doesn’t want the easy answers.] 

I laugh, possibly out of disbelief, sinking back on the bench to put my back against the wall. “You’ve got me all figured out, huh? Me and my independent Byronic mindset.” 

The cursor blinks pensively. [Looks like you’ve got a conundrum on your hands.] 

“No,” I retort, putting my head against the sheetrock and looking up at the ceiling. “This is just what I get for not writing this by hand. 100% recycled Meade margins wouldn’t talk to me…” 

[You say that like it’s a good thing,] the cursor replies, sounding offended. I imagine it pouting. [You’re the one who procrastinated on this assignment until now. I’m the one just trying to help.] 

“By distracting me?” I retort. 

This time, there is no response. I have not touched the keys in too long and the Mac's default screensaver has drawn the intermission curtain over my piece – early, of course. The second act is destined to be even dryer and longer than the first. 

Understudy! I cry desperately, then push back the bench and stand with a sigh. My coffee has grown cold anyway. I can’t write without steaming black Folgers, my thought catalyst. 

I dump the coffee back into the pot, add fresh grounds to make more, and then hoist myself up to sit on the counter and think. All I need is a good topic. Something in my past or a current experience to use in a creative, non–fiction essay. Something amusing, sad, enlightening – whatever. Anything. I have three days left to come up with something worthwhile. Of course I’ve been procrastinating – guilty as charged. But I’m a pressure writer: I work well in the last minute. 

My gaze drops onto the stack of books patiently awaiting my attention, and the sight elicits a moan of helplessness from my lips. The essay on English Grammar (which, logically, could be about anything so long as it utilizes proper grammar – right?) is due next Friday. The next paper for The Modern Short Story waits to even be started. Finals are just a few short weeks away. 

I think about saying something comically melodramatic – something like, “I’m doomed” or “The horror!” or “But man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward!” – but heave myself to my feet instead, crossing the vacant kitchen and seating myself before the computer once more. No one is here to groan at my terrible humor anyway.

“First things first,” I say aloud, and stroke the touchpad. The Arabesque curtain immediately retreats, and there is my last sentence waiting for me. It is awkward and stunted, but it is a complete thought. And there, batting itself flirtatiously, is the cursor. 

[Back so soon?] it asks, perhaps genuinely surprised. [It’s beautiful outside, you know?] 

“Just get the first draft finished,” I tell myself, ignoring the comment. “That’s what Professor Brown would say.” 

Revision is just a stall. I need to stop stalling and just finish my thoughts. Then – and only then – can I once more don the guise of the Mad Proofreader, the persona of myself who enjoys marking up his classmates’ and his own short stories with comments, edits, and suggestions so much that it has become a cathartic high. But revision is a completely divorced mindset from the writing process, a separate idea entirely. It is the child of the story, the one who cares for its parent in its old age, making the final decisions on healthcare and managing finances because the parent no longer can do those things for itself. 

This is what I’ve learned in class today. 

I begin to type. 

[Good,] the cursor says, like it is the technological incarnation of Obi Wan Kenobi, come to remind me to use the Force in my writing. [You’re telling our story.] 

“My story,” I growl. 

In all, finishing my thought takes me less than an hour. Writing involves merely the sequential pounding of keys, the squinting of the eyes, and a tunnel–vision concentration of the mind. Of course it always sounds better in the writers’ mind – that’s why he must revise and revise and revise. But before that can happen, an idea must be completed. Otherwise, it becomes something that it was not meant to be, a separate thought entirely. 

I stop typing and pop my knuckles to ease the cramping sensation that has come over them. For a moment, I stare at the final line I have transcribed. And then, I scroll slowly back to the beginning of the document, reading what I’ve written with a critical eye. 

The cursor is finally silent, blinking approvingly, flanking my last sentence like an emotionless guard at Buckingham. 

I laugh aloud, shake my head, and lean back on the bench, putting my back against the wall once more. Either this is a really creative, thoughtful idea I’ve developed, or it is something else entirely – maybe a vain cry for attention, maybe just written evidence of my insanity. My autobiography in 1500 words or less. 

Still smiling, I lean forward once more and type these words:

They say writer’s block exists only in the mind, but it can certainly paralyze the fingers. 

Forcing them to move anyway produces something like this.

END