Artistic compunction about profanity

My main writing project for the month of March has been a short story,  Gutter Punk.  This story is loosely based on a social construct of Punk Society that has existed more than fifty years.  It started as a counter culture movement but has devolved to a groups of traveling teenagers that don't really fit into our current social normative world.  They are gypsies, vagabonds travelers all and none of these things.

With this culture as my base. I'm left to wonder is profanity necessary to create a realistic character.  I decided that linguistic tone of these characters would require a lot of rule breaking, slang and yes profanity.  While I was writing it did not even enter my mind that people would find this offensive or obscene.  Yet one of my first critiques said exactly that.

I set the piece aside to think about the comment.  I was curious what made the use of b!tch  profane.  Was it the fact that one female character was calling another one, a cray-cray b!tch, is it the fact that it was a female voice using this term, or is the word itself offensive. As I pondered this thought, I was pursing facebook.

When a post popped up in my feed asking what people thought of this app, Clean Reader.  I responded briefly never heard of it.  I was shocked, dismayed and interested at the same time when she told me this app scrubs profanity from books.  

Curiosity led me to the Clean Reader website: which touts read clean books not profanity.  "Clean Reader prevents swear words in books from being displayed on your screen. You decide how clean your books should appear and Clean Reader does the rest." Digging deeper into the site, I discovered that not only does this filter (as the call it) take out profanity, but also hurtful racial terms.  

Okay so my mind is spinning for a minute.  Who decided what is profane, what is a hurtful racial term and what happens to literature if artists are not allowed to explore all manners of nature, culture, counter-culture. Humanity at its worst and best and everything in between. 

Are we left with a vanilla world, were the past atrocity are glazed over or in the case lined through.  Will we live in a world redacted of everything that offends, and if so you is the arbitrator of distressing language.  Or worse will we forget the language of the past and the hard lessons it has taught and continues to teach us. 

Or will art die on the vine or creativity if the idea that things that make one sad should be avoided.  The creator of Clean Reader states that they designed the app because their child was sad after reading a book, would it not be better to discuss and deal with the emotional reaction than to avoid them.  What happens in a world were one does everything to avoid emotional reaction,  and what happens to art, as it is for the purpose of evoking emotion.  See the definition of music an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color.

 I for one write to evoke an emotional response, from myself, and my reader.  If I could paint this would also be my goal.  I want people to pick up my books, and feel, sad, happy, angry.  I want them to rage against the inequities I show,  or love when a character achieves that which she was told was impossible, but in the world that clean readers want to create my art will lose its meaning and context as many of my worlds are formed by the enclaves of my young adult experiences. They are trying to create a world I rally against.  So on that note,  Fuck all to Hell,  I will write as my characters and my art dictate.  

Mermaids and Plots

I recently had my 37th Birthday. My present to myself was a new tattoo,  I chose a mermaid design. The road to get my Mermaid was much more complicated than I had first planned.  The plan:  Go to the tattoo studio as soon as it open, get my tattoo, then go to work.  Simple, right?

Well, plans are made to be broken,  the same is true for plots.   There are two types of writers; the Planners and the Pantsters; when it comes to plotting.  Planners sit down and plan out each aspect of the plot, sub plot.  They write out character descriptions, back story, and planning out the character's life.  This group can spend months or years in the planning stage.  The other group are the Pantsters. This group sees stories as found objects, something that needs to be discovered and uncovered. The Pantsters sits down and just writes, where the muse takes them.  Many try to say which is the correct way to write.  I say there is not one correct way to write; but I am definitely a Pantster.

When it comes to plot it doesn't matter if  you are a Planner or a Pantster you should be able, at some point, to boil the plot down to about 300 words.  If you can do it in a sentence or 50 words even better.    For example one of my favorite books by Dean Knootz Dark Rivers of the Heart, can be boiled down to this.  A scared man meets a broken woman one night at a bar,  the next night he goes back  only to find the woman is missing.  The man goes in search of the missing woman he hopes he can save, from those hunting her.  In the end the woman saves the man,  and the dog. Together they bring down the men hunting the woman.  Now if only I was able to do that with one of my own stories. Normally I am like a cat on catnip with a new toy.

But there is more to good plot than being able to tell your story in 50 words. I good plot also needs structure, and engine and to lack cliques.   For a Pantster (like myself) the structure is what hangs me up.   Idea's flow from my fingertips like ink from a pen, but making it more than just a meaningless doodle is the hard part for me.  So, this month I am going to work on: boiling each of my current projects down to 100 words or less, adding in structure, and clearly stating what the engine for the story is supposed to be.  I'll work on cliques later.

Today's Plot is  for Gutter Punk (a short Story):   Tabitha came to Portland, for a mission that she hopes will be the end of State rule.  She is unaware that one of her own is no-longer loyal to the cause, but only to self-preservation.  Tabitha’s mission starts to fall apart.  At first, she thinks that it is because of the OSBI, but this does not seem right.  As the mission deteriorates, Tabitha questions her resolve to remain in the field, and if change is possible.  The mission in ruins, Tabitha has lost her friend and her lover. She faces the loss of herself, as she seeks revenge and looses sight of the mission.  The engine for the story is Elena, she is the problem Tabitha has to solve.  

And that brings us back to Mermaids, mythological creatures of the deep, that are as likely to sing for you, as they are to drag you down to the depth of the ocean.  Both beautiful and dangerous Mermaid are  everything a plot should be, but also rings of cliques from Splash to Little Mermaid.   And so was the my Odyssey to get a mermaid tattoo, from a car crash, to hours waiting, to missing work, but at long last I succeeded. At least mostly, the tattoo is not done yet.

So until next time,  Write madly, Live boldly and plot wildly but give it some structure.

Top 5 Places to Write in Portland

I like most Portlandiers have emerged from winter's hibernation early this year,  as sunny warm days now seem the norm and not the rarity.  The sun brings with it new writing challenges.  Where should I write today.   Portland is a Coffee Shop Mecca, besides the 1000s or so coffee shops, there're a number of other places to sit and write in Portland, Oregon--from libraries to bars and just about every place in between.

One of my favorite activities to do while trying to write is people watch, which means I try to find places with good street views and plug-ins--a necessity for any laptop wielding writer.  Most people after knowing me for less than a minute realize my passion, obsession, really addiction to all things coffee, so my favorite writing locations are either near great coffee or serve great coffee.

My top five places to write in Downtown Portland.

Floyd's Coffee 118 NW Couch:  Yes,  that is Old Town.  But it has a lot of positives.  First on the weekends, the Saturday Market traffic provides plenty of people to watch,  and turn into your next character.  Second, they have both indoor and out door seating. Both area's have plug-ins. If you know where to look.  Third, is the free WiFi.  Beyond that the Baristas don't mind you sitting for hours writing.  There is art work on the walls if people stop streaming in. Best of all, you get free refills on drip coffee when you order an 8oz cup of coffee for here.  They use Stumptown coffee, which makes great cup of joe,  or an espresso; either way you can't go wrong

Glyph Café 804 NW Couch,  Yes, that is still Old Town.  Though this place is in the heart of downtown you wouldn't know it looking out the windows. Or sitting at one of the side walk tables as it is right on the Park Blocks.  This is a good blend of wanting to write in the park; but, still have a table for your laptop and that all important plug-in and free WiFi.  They serve small reserve coffees, and a broad selection of tea (which I have not touched). They use large ice cubs,  so your iced espresso based drinks don't get all watery, and melt slower in the fabulous cold brew coffee.

Coffee Time 712 NW 21st.  Up to Nob Hill.  I love this section of Portland for its little shops and multitude of restaurants.  The neighborhood has a nice mix of Keep Portland Weird Locals,  Tourists,  and Hipsters to keep the people watching interesting  Additionally, this is the place to go if you need an 11:00pm coffee fix and want to write in downtown.  The coffee is good, but not the best in town. But who can pass up watching old men, and homeless kids arguing about playing chess.  If you want a fail safe on a good cup, just order a bottle of Stumptown's cold brew which they sell.

Southeast Grind 1223 SE Powell:  Okay this one is just outside of Downtown,  But it's the ONLY 24 hour coffee shop even close to downtown.  Also they serve a drink called the Graveyard, it is heaven, in a late night writers, cup: coffee, espresso, white chocolate, steamed milk and whip cream.  How could you ask for more.  Well go in at 2:00 am on a Thursday night and your people watching radar will go off the chart.  They also server yummy stuff to nosh on while writing.  The have free WiFi, plug-ins and a number of seating options including couches and tables,

Multnomah County Main Library 801 SW 10th.  Okay. It's not a coffee shop, but it is surrounded by some of the best in town. (aka courier coffee).  You started of at Floyd's,  Moved on to Coffee Time, and were cutoff at Southeast Grind, its now 10:00 am. You're over caffeinated and still want to write. So  head to the Library, first there are plenty of tables,  the librarians are helpful. If you give them enough time,  and can they find you just about anything you could desire research wise.  Again there is free WiFi and people watching galore as Students,  Soccer Mom's with toddlers and the Homeless all meander about.

So those are my favorite caffeine induced writing spots in and around Downtown.  Do you think I forgot any?  What are your favorite places to write in Portland.

For an update on my year of writing madly: After little to know writing in January and  February, I came out of the March gates with a roar.  I've written about 15,000 words, so far this month,  Most of then for a Short Story that I'm currently working on,  and if all goes as planned will be published sometime this summer.

Until next time, read, write and be happy.

Why First Drafts Suck and Why they should.

I recently read my first draft, of Close Corp for the first time in a long time. I was struck by how bad it is, which made me wonder if maybe the story was not worth the effort of a re-write.  Then I remembered an article I read while in Law School;  about why lawyers should never be satisfied with the first draft. The article, went on the explain, that drafts were just that drafts, a jumping off point to what you really intended.

Looking at Close Corp,  I began to think about what I really want the story to say, on the macro and micro level.  I looked at my plots and sub plots.  Finally coming to the conclusion that I did not like the story is because it now yet what I envision.  

Though it is far from my vision,  what I do have is a draft,  material to work with which will allow me to fill in holes, expand the story and contract the story.  Though this draft is rough,  looking at it as a whole I realize that it is just the starting point.  And I sigh, a sigh of relief.

This process made me wonder,  do all authors look at their drafts, second guess the story, the characters,  the worlds they have created.  Are we all displeased with our creations? Seeing them as errant children that have not lived up to your expectations. Or is this a singular thought and feeling.

To discover, my answer I did what comes naturally to me; I researched the questions.  What I found is that consistently authors say that rough drafts suck, are just the beginning, the clay to build the story,  the start of the creation not the end.  As I read article after blog I realize that I am not in singular in this feeling.  But I wonder why?  Why can't the story in my mind emerge fully formed onto the page just as I imagine?

For me the answer to that is that what I want and expect of the story changes as I write.  I don't start off with the crystal clear image fully formed.  I start of with something like a half remembered dream that I am trying to re-create.  And as the pieces come together the image is fine tuned,  but at the same time perfection of creation is an every moving point, Just out of grasp.

But that is why you need drafts,  to fine tune, and focus your image to a point were you might be willing to let that errant child run free, for good or ill.

So here is to all the stories that were not what the author thought, wanted, imagined, but are loved by the rest of us, even as the author looks down and shakes her head knowingly.

“Awful first drafts are fine—Agree with this.
If you don’t finish something, you’ll never get in the game. Just quell the voice in your head that says “Are you kidding? No one is going to want to read this drivel” and keep on going. You’re going to revise and revise and then revise again anyway.” 
― Jamie Frevelett