Writing And Me Posted on May 22, 2014 by billyraychitwood

                                             Writing And Me

It is more than likely that we who write have many idiosyncrasies, patterns, and similarities. Some authors/writers have a special time during the day when the prolific flows occur. Some of us prefer early morning, others late night, still others when the spirit moves them. Presumably we can all agree that the time-element for writing is an individual thing.

What I write does not always do it for me but it comes close enough to make me feel that it is good writing. Sure, even after all the editing and re-writes, I can probably go to any page and find a word or phrase that I would change. Also, almost assuredly, there will be a small number of careless and clumsy typos and/or noun-verb disagreements. Will it bother me? Of course, it will bother me because I try for perfection – like we all do.

The plot, sub-plots, characters, and action? Will they be all that I want them to be? In some instances, yes. In some, no. However, if the tie-ins meet my approval, if the characters are drawn well, I will settle for the finished product. The essence here is that one strives to write the perfect novel, short story, blog, flash fiction, but can always find flaws, minor though they might be. I have come close, by my reckoning and my measuring stick, to writing an almost perfect novel, better than the first, the second, or the others I have written. I say ‘almost’ because there was something else that could have been written to make it all the way perfect. The reason that ‘something else’ was not written? So much time was consumed in the writing, in the re-writing and editing, that I tired and my impatience settled in the end for what was there.

So, what am I trying to say? Like the good golfer who can never win his first PGA tournament, like the good tennis professional who just can’t win the big final, like the carpenter who thinks he can get by with nails instead of screws, we as writers are good but cannot quite take it to the next level. We have the talent but maybe we lack that special spark of enlightenment, that patient ‘stick to it’ quality that will make our books best sellers and movies.

Do not get me wrong here. Writing does it for me. When I turn that special phrase that says everything I want it to say, that’s magic. When I write something that emotionally rouses me to tears or to anger, that’s really special for me. When my fingers dance merrily around those laptop keys in an almost automatic flowing, and, in the re-reading, it knocks me off my feet, that’s a winning lottery ticket. So my plots are not too convoluted and my stories are rather simple. That’s okay because somewhere in that mesh of words is part of me, visible on and between the lines – my legacy to those who love me and those who wish to know me.

With so many million writers across the globe, some for real, some not so much, the odds are long and near impossible for us to reach that pinnacle for which our egos wish to attain. When I ineptly try to market my books with my many tweets (ad nauseam for many folks, I’m sure!), add some amateurish book trailers, do Facebook and LinkedIn, offer KDP freebies, and doctor up my Amazon US and UK author pages, and nothing seems to bring the sale numbers up, do I despair? Sure, it is a natural reaction. Do I give up? Not in my make-up. I’m staying the course, writing for me and the world. It might take a while for the world to reach me, if ever it should, but I will have a writer’s life of ups and downs. There is so much to learn in this digital world and so much of it is a jigsaw puzzle I cannot put together. Being in Twilight, set in some of my ways, I’m not willing to spend so many hours of my day trying to figure out RSS feeeds, SEOs, Widgets, Apps, and the mechanics of cyberspace. So, I will write, do what I minimally can on the internet, and hope for the best. Plus, I’m too cheap to hire someone to do it all for me.

Careless and clumsy errata? Sure.

Good writing? Damned straight, it’s good!

While I won’t be making the NY Times Best Seller List anytime soon, I’m having a ball, writing my blogs and my books… It keeps me young and obstinate! 

Who knows! Maybe one day all the elements come together, that extra spark of hidden genius, that incredible flow of words that say everything in perfect connection, and suddenly the total package of fulfillment comes… Author Stardom!

If one truly believes he/she can write, gives honest assessments to their skills, and, most importantly, loves to write, then I say, stay the course. Success or no success, I have glimpsed life and have given my pen the joy of describing it. The desire to be known, the ego, will always be there, but, beyond all that, I intend to enjoy the process of writing for itself. Many of us wish for those elusive moments of fame and fortune, and some cannot seem to handle it once it comes. If that fame and fortune never comes, you and I will have found much bounty and joy in the writing process. 

Writing does it for me! (Warts and all!)

Billy Ray Chitwood – May 22, 2014

http://www.about.me/brchitwood 

http://billyraychitwood.weebly.com

http://www.goo.gl/fuxUA (My books on IAN – Independent Author Network)

http://twitter.com/brchitwood (@brchitwood)

http://facebook.com/billyray.chitwood

http://facebook.com/billyrayscorner

PLEASE COMMENT IF SO INCLINED. THANK YOU. 

        

There are some things we feel, instinctively know, that we hold dear and very few counter positions can sway those special holdings. I'm talking about the feelings we have about the books we read, our children, our faith, family values, friendships, movies, political views, television shows, and other venues of thought that generally fall under the 'subjective' heading. These are things shaped by the merging of our childhood and adult hemispheres, feelings and thoughts that are inveterate, solidified, and otherwise likely not to undergo major alterations during our lives. Yes, there will be room for modification to these basic parts of us but, in most instances, they will speak of who we are to those people who might care to know us.

No big startling revelations in the foregoing paragraph. You know of what I write here. These determining factors bring us our world communities, our caste systems, our classes that define supposedly where we belong in the hierarchy of groups. Some of us are not as lucky as others, perhaps born into poverty, wealth, or somewhere in between. Some of us don't get the luck of the draw on that intelligence quotient chart. It is all well and good that each of us has our very own unique DNA network, but we will find our ways into the groups in which we apparently belong. Sure, there are those in the poverty group who are blessed with a promising IQ and have a burning desire to move into another group. There are those in the wealthy group who do not get an accompanying IQ that is promising, but they are less likely to go to another group. There are those in all the groups who are handicapped in some way. Some are skinny and stay skinny. Some have a propensity for weight gain and with some exceptions, stay overweight. There is some universally unwritten codex for determining who among us is cute, handsome, pretty, and who is not so. Funny, the way this programming came, the evolution from ape to man or the intelligent creation that places us where we are. We are born as equals perhaps but we don't stay that way.

When I hear, read, and/or see something spectacular that I don't understand like space/time continuum theories, galaxies, universes, black holes, splitting atoms, generally the mathematical and scientific stuff, I'm really out of my league - or, my group. I'm dumbfounded and fascinated by the world of cyberspace and all the technological advances, by quantum physics, by the rapid doubling of knowledge, by parallel worlds, by the 'Star War' movies, by the digitally enhanced Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarentino films, and by some of the marvelous books that envision worlds that I might or might not want to inhabit... Aah, the things I don't know! We truly do have geniuses who give our lives adventure, excitement, and new knowledge. But, gee, it is also truly staggering the things I don't know.

I guess maybe it comes down to this. In all that programming by God (I'm in that group!), it's like He gives us this big rock of knowledge and each of us chip off a bit of this huge boulder and that becomes our main interest in life. Einstein with his chip gives us that theory of relativity thing. The Greek, Euclides, with his chip gives us his Mathematical theories. Michelangelo takes a large chunk of that rock and gives us Art with his Italian Renaissance brilliance - like, the man does it all as an architect, an engineer, a painter, a poet, a sculptor! Bill Gates and Steve Jobs (recently departed) with their chips off the rock of knowledge add so much to our devilishly exciting world of the internet.

With my chip, what am I giving? I write blog posts, books, poetry, and songs. Poverty is where I begin my journey. Along my way, there are many mistakes. There is membership in that aforementioned Middle group, and I don't quite make it to that Wealthy status. It is my belief that God did give me a gift, much of it frittered away over time in gin mills and romantic pursuits, and I'm now trying to make up for the lost time. Whether my humble writing appeals to the hungry readers of our E-world day remains to be seen. My books are simple reads without a lot of complicated and convoluted plots, but I do promise the reader that pieces of me are there on and between the lines.

It is truly remarkable this new digital world in which I find myself, and I'm planning to stay awhile. I'm slowly adapting to the internet world, immersing myself in the merry madness of it all. I'm even giving away free books on amazon, one at a time. This next five days my first fictional memoir is FREE at amazon - fictional but over ninety percent accurate. The title: "The Cracked Mirror - Reflections Of An Appalachian Son." The true non-fictional brother to this book is just recently out (shamefully, 100% true): "What Happens Next? A Life's True Tale." These two books have seven more of my fictional books as company on amazon. For the next few weeks (for five days on amazon each week) my plan is to give away a free book.

It's my observation that this is a great time for readers. It is also a great time for authors and writers of all genres. Possibilities are unlimited. What amazes me is the incredible talent that is among us. What utterly confounds me in my reading is discovering the things that I don't know.

Please follow me on twitter (@brchitwood), check me out and scroll the 'home' page on my main website/blog at http://www.goo.gl/TeQpP. There's a quick bio sketch and a number of links at http://www.about.me/brchitwood. I belong to the following author groups: ASMSG, IAN, AHA, and TBSU. You can browse my books at http://www.goo.gl/fuxUA or scroll down the 'home' page of my main website/blog (above).

We who write, we who diligently do the daily maintenance of our twitter sites know about the time consumption aspects of the many activities involved. Most of us who write also have Facebook, Google Plus, Goodreads, LinkedIn, PinIt, and other writer-connection networks - those places we hash mark and direct others. For this 'twilight tweeter' there is discovery and newness, a new world that technological geniuses designed to drive me sometimes mad, to lead me other times to a deliriously delightful place in my
mind. For some the digital world and all its new terminology and operations come easily. For some of us this new world is exciting, fascinating, and, may I say, frantic and frightening - confused by protocols we are to follow here and there - frustrated when a hovering and/or misguided finger gets too close to the laptop keys and we lose some important data - sometimes disappointed and defeated by day's end.

This is one of those deliriously delightful places, my blog(s), where I can commune with my twitter friends and fellow bloggers about so many things that cross my mind - some things, I'm sure, that would be better left alone (like politics and religion!). Today, I wish to single out one dear blog and twitter friend because she has honored me with nominations of some of the blog awards that appear on this page. That twitter friend is Jhobell Kristyl. I thank her for honoring me - and, for putting me in an awkward position. :-) You see, I'm not sure what the protocols are - if there are, indeed, protocols. I wish Jhobell and everyone reading this to know that I'm so appreciative for her nominations of these three awards: 'One Lovely Blog Award ' - 'Very Inspiring Blogger Award' - 'Most Handsome Blogger Award' (Oops! My wife used that word in mentioning Richard Castle's name while I was tapping the keys here, and, since I never erase anything, STET!) - 'REALITY Blog Award' (replaces the 'Most Handsome Blogger Award' - Okay, I'll stop! :-)

Having voiced my appreciation and acknowledgment to Jhobell, I'm going to temporarily postpone fulfilling the various awards' requirements. For now I will just say to Jhobell, thanks so much for thinking of me and I'm honored with the nominations.

Jhobell has a busy blog site at http://bookmavenpicks.wordpress.com Please visit her site and be entertained and informed. She is also on twitter (@JhobellKristyl).

Finishing up some writing projects but a new post will be posted by week's end.

I'm often struck by the relative robotic nature of my days. Some might call them 'ruts.' All along my life's circuitous route there have been routines established, apparently somehow orchestrated by my exclusive DNA components.
 
Surely we all have our idiosyncratic ways of living. Some of us are slow in our movements, not eager to have a conversation so soon after rising from our slumber. Some of us begin talking at the breakfast table and don't stop until sleep finally overtakes us in the dark of night. Some of us are hyper-active, have a need to go, to do, to accomplish. Some of us take on our days with a slower pace, stopping to muse, feeling no real pressure tospeed up our movements. ' Different strokes, different folks.' Now, of course, there are many factors that play into and affect our daily habits - jobs, children, any number of necessities - but I'm betting we stay close to some dictated rhythm within us throughout our lives.
 
There are workaholics among us. Some are the movers and shakers of our world. I've worked in life for and with workaholics, admired them, and it has been difficult to keep pace with these good people of accomplishments. There are the loafers among us. Some of these folks make schedules and timelines near impossible to keep and/or they provide 'keystone kop' periods in our days. There are day dreamers (not quite in the same category of 'loafer') who can come up occasionally with great ideas but have trouble with the nitty-gritty implementation process. There are the steady gophers who get the jobs done, do as they're told, who make up the highest percentage of the employee ranks, and who will once in a while offer surprising insight into a particular function.
 
If you're waiting for this to go to some 'Eureka' stage, it's not going to happen. I'm just sitting here being my rather robotic self, doing my routine typing on the laptop, doing my routine maintenance on the social networks, and, right after lunch, maybe, just maybe, I will get some writing done on my tenth book. But here's the thing, you can likely guess accurately to which group of robots I belong and you need to know that I've mingled in all the groups mentioned and I now use 'age' as an excuse for my slowdown in life. I'm up in the morning, not saying much to my good wife and George the cat, kind of sullen, you might say, and, after my donut and chamomile tea, I settle myself on the love seat with laptop on my lap, look out the big windows at the Sea of Cortez, and slowly decide how it is that I will interrupt someone's day with a clever tweet utterance or handle some imagined HOA crisis or really get about the business of writing more in my tenth book. Sometime during the day the good wife and I might, might, take a walk along the beach and gather some sea glass and shells. We might have a drink before dinner, and we will definitely settle into the TV shows that have become our staples. Bedtime comes around 10:30 to 11:00 PM, and, tomorrow, I get to do it all over again - with likely some mild modifications.
 
So, with age and retirement, it seems to me the only good folks that are going to maybe suffer a bit in their routines will be those movers and shakers and the workaholics. Surely, they're going to make miserable some of us in the aforementioned groups. We are who we are and there's really room for all of us ... just, no long conversations, please! I've got to write my posts, do my tweets, figure out this digital world, finish that tenth book, and figure out how to make my books go viral in 2013 ... 

We won't get into the philosophical and metaphysical aspects of our daily occupations with time, the universe, what we might mean in the 'big blast' or 'Intelligent Creation' thing - 'ours but to do ...' Of course, I would like to think it all means something, these wars we fight, these ugly tragedies of our lives, these politicians who make us so miserable with their sand-box silliness, our loves, our friendships  ... our living.
 
Sometimes, maybe it's just better to create our little routines and enjoy as much as we can until our time runs out: be creative, be boring, be active, be a couch potato, be whatever it is we are. We will likely end up at the 'non-spiritual' or 'spiritual' or 'black void' locations for which we were intended.

The Restless Spirit
Posted on October 30, 2012  by  billyraychitwood1

Under a pale blue morning sky a long plume of white misty cloud softly touches the Sea of Cortez, and I ponder the spirit of the restless.

In fact, it is my own restless spirit that dictates this post, given energy by the ghosts from an Appalachian youth of mobility and uncertainty, by my own selfish need to describe the nature of my beast. This restless spirit is not something that embarrasses me or shames me in my eyes. It is a constant companion which I have nourished all my life with impulsive, spontaneous acts. It is something I accept as I do the color of my hair, my skin, the whole DNA networking inside my body walls. It is likely not so distinctive as one might expect. This restless spirit, this wanderlust component, must reside in legions of us.

This post began with a description of the beautiful sea that displays its gaudy deep green beauty outside my windows. This sea, this constant sun, this life style is the stuff of dreams. How could anyone be restless watching the sail boats, the ski jets, the parasailers high above the crystalline water, the people frolicking along the long stretch of sandy beach? Grab a Corona, a
Tequila Sunrise, and live your dream, right? Well, that great big sea reaches out to a far horizon, and, after a few Coronas and Tequila Sunrises, the restless spirit can start its gnawing litany of thought… What’s beyond that horizon? Where have I not yet been? What have I not yet done? I’ve been here for a few years now. Is it not time to go? Even Paradise has its limits!

Okay, here’s the deal! I buy a new car. In a year I tire of the car and want another make and model. The same with living quarters! After a few years I want new quarters. It does not matter to the restless spirit that it is contemplating giving up ‘heaven,’ its life style of which other people can only dream. In this case, it is a stunning, luxurious two-level penthouse where the host of the restless spirit has come to retire, where the only really pressing decisions to make daily are food selections, social media caretaking, and the book-writing periods. There are people who live in the same house in the same town in the same state all their lives. Not me! In the past thirty years, I’ve lived in twelve different places. You do the math! I’ve probably lost count.

Yes, I’ve still got a lovely wife who is a polar opposite. She is calm, patient, puts up with me, would have been happy to live our lives out in that first place thirty years back. Guess she loves me to keep uprooting her the way I do. Is this crazy, or, what?!

So, anyone interested in a 3600 square foot penthouse? I’ll buy yours. You buy mine. I’ll be fair, even leave all the furniture, utensils, everything, totally turnkey — just bring your clothes and a toothbrush. You will have constant sun, constant sea, constant beauty. The only catch is, you need to have something equally as nice, something that turns on my restless spirit, and your place has to be free and clear like my place. Any takers?

Worried about Mexico and all the media hype? Been coming here from Arizona for over forty years. I’ve felt safer here than any place I’ve ever lived. The people of Mexico are friendly, helpful, kind, and appreciative of our US dollars. Crime, drug cartels? I’m sure they’re around somewhere in the country, killing off themselves, mostly. One could be reminded that my great country, the US, has its share of drug cartels and crime…

But back to this restless spirit thing… Do I wish that it was not there? 'Yes’ is the honest answer, but there is an honest qualifier. The books I’ve written, the poems, the songs, the posts, all the penning? Are they worthy? Of course, I think so, but the true judges are the readers and the lovers of poetry and song. But ‘worthy’ is not the point I’m making here. The point is, maybe all my words would not have been out there in print and Cyberspace had I not had the restless spirit — not that one cannot write without it. But, me, could I have ‘done all that’ in ‘my way’ without that restless spirit.

I’m just saying…

Jack Durish (http://www.jackdurish.com) and Chris Martin (http://www.chrismartinwrites.com) write some provocative posts and they stirred my neurons. They got me to thinking about this frenzied two-polar high tech and emotional world in which we live today. They got me to thinking about a simple phrase uttered by Arnold Swartzenegger in one of his films: "I'll be back!" They got me to thinking about the 'yesterdays' that can be no more...two talented writers, concerned about, confused about, thinking about the misty elements that control the hours of our collective existence.

Does anyone really doubt that the 'machines' have taken over the world? Sure, the takeover was helped along by the dual wizardry of Computer and Corporate genius. It is very likely that these minds envisioned what they were creating. It is also likely that their creations far exceeded their expectations. For certain, these minds had no choice...their visions, their competitive juices, their incredible brain power made the reality of our 'today' inevitable.

As Jack Durish opines in his most recent post, most of the world has fallen into the routine of fast text messaging while dining out in a fine restaurant, while driving, while taking a walk, virtual slaves to their new world of electronic gadgetry. Writers of great talent wonder why their books are not selling. They are trying everything they know in promoting their novels, but nothing seems to encourage sales. The naysayers might suggest the product has flaws, that established authors always sell their books (sure! with mega-bucks for promotion, TV appearances, media blitzes, and, sure great writing), but the issue is not so basic and simple, methinks. The 'future' is now, that 'future' many of us saw coming but were so beguiled by its on-rushing dazzle and seeming utility that we accepted it without thinking...but, then, what else were we to do? Life could be handled by the 'machines' and without our expending too much effort.

So, here we are, smack dab in the middle of a 'science fiction' movie and we can't walk out of it. Our lives always had its routines, but today the routines are connected to the laptop, the internet, the social media, so many avenues of choice. Our days are gone before we know it as we lose ourselves in the magic of cyberspace. My wife still reads her books (on her laptop). I still pretend I'm a writer (on my laptop). God forbid our internet system goes down! We're lost, even angry at the down time. My wife gets her reading done. I get my writing done, sort of, because there is the need to nourish my twitter, my facebook, my goodreads, my, my, my!

We don't talk so much anymore because we might be interrupting each other as we peck away at our laptops. We don't talk so much because now we have gone through the laptop wars of the day and are watching our favorite TV shows we taped over a period of days. We don't walk as often as we once did. Our 'get up and go' just 'got up and went.' We don't go out to dinner as often as we once did, socialize one-on-one with friends as often as we once did...we do so much socializing on the laptop. We don't read as much or in the same manner we once did, and we perhaps don't read the classics so much anymore, or, that big old tome we call the Holy Bible.

The other consideration, even with all the above rambling, this new world of electronic gadgetry could be a fun and good thing. Maybe many folks still have time for conversing, for reading, for socializing outside the web fare, and for walking and staying in shape. For this 'old dog learning new tricks' the new digital world can get confoundingly frustrating at times. It is during those times that I wonder just where the world is heading. One thing seems rather certain to me: the machines are indeed a controlling factor in my life.

One thing is also sure, should I awake in the morning, I'll be sitting in this spot on the love seat beginning my day of routines. I'll still be promoting my books, still writing posts, still finishing my next book, and still waiting for some bright light to go off in my head that makes sense of all that I'm doing. I'll still be trying to figure it all out while I'm thanking my God for blessing my life.

Hope you were not thinking this post would offer some quick fixes to potential problems. Hell, who is smart enought to outwit these machines? Me, I'm hoping for 'Divine Intervention.'

And, how was your day?

Emily Frankel who has a blog called "Em's Talkery" had a recent post about all things 'chic' in our modern world, not the least of which is the E-World of publishing. With all the smart, stylish, elegant gadgetry in the E-World, we can communicate our ideas and thoughts within seconds all around the orbiting globe. Guess that's pretty awesome, particularly for us 'old dogs trying to learn new tricks.' Awesome, chic, whatever the defining adjective used, it is a rather incredible world we're living in today.

Not long after reading Em's post on 'Chic,' I read another post from an author who has some major concerns as to how he can best market and sell his books. This writer was concerned that his books were not selling to his satisfaction, even though he was getting 5-Star reviews in good numbers, even though he was utilizing the social media networks and blog sites to the max. He was asking for suggestions, replies to his post that just might open a door he had not thought to open. In essence, he was asking, does social media and do the blog sites sell books?

Along with many other writers I responded to his post. Without exception, each responder felt that the E-technology we have today is indeed awesome and mind-boggling, 'Chic' with a the big 'C.' With the praise for the technology came the resounding 'I don't knows.' Other than providing consistent name recognition for your brand name (you and your book titles), social media (twitter, facebook, et al) and free book give-aways, author interviews, and even 5-Star reviews aplenty were not selling a lot of books for some very good writers. A few of us responders told the inquiring writer that we had just about run the 'daily wars' gamut, you know, where you begin each day catching up with your followers on twitter, facebook, goodreads, linkedin, whichever, check your blog sites, write a new post, plus maybe fit in some family issues --- and I'm talking about us 'old dogs' in this new 'Chic' world, already in or approaching retirement from the world of work. A few of us told him that we loved to write and that we were getting caught up in this new E-World fantasy and not doing a lot of tapping on the old laptop keys...told him basicallly that we were just going back to our writing, keep our blogs updated with our books and let the chips fall where they might.

Sales and Marketing was my business for some years and I must admit that I'm stymied in this digital environement --- amused with it but also confounded by it. Now, I'm smart enough to know that some savvy folks have found some E-Doors to open that I don't know about, are younger and have the brain power, energy, stamina, and wherewithal to cope with this new E-World. I'm happy for these people, envy them in a nice way, and wish they would 'pro bono' themselves to my website and let me know their secrets. It's doubtful anyone would be so disposed.

Now I know what some of you are thinking, that maybe we authors are too much in love with our writing efforts to see the flaws in our 'product.' Not a chance! Our works are great! Remember the 5-Star reviews we have, and not from friends and relatives with false names. I've read some of these writers, and I know they're good. I rather suspect that the devil is running loose somewhere within this E-World technology...there is too much free stuff out there to read that people don't have the inclination to buy books. Would you? When you can get them free?

Anyway, me! welcome to the E-World! If I find the magic key and a door, I'll get back to you.

Keep writing, good authors 'of the pen!' Remember, we're in cyberspace...if not now, maybe we will be bought and read in another millenium.