The Anatomy Of Construction

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Joing the dots.
2008-01-19 00:21:00
Click the above image to see the full size page.Ah, where were we? Avoiding drifting into negativity, that's where. Writing at the stage was helping me get a very good handle on things that Needed To Be Understood. The first thing I needed to deal with was why the police wouldn't do a thing. One female officer laughed at me when I explained what happened (The victim of domestic violence thing), and added, "You're a guy! You should have just dealt with it," A representative of the White ribbon foundation told me that domestic violence against men by women was not really a problem. Try telling that to a man trying to pull his scissors out of the grinding painful ball joint in his shoulder.Telling drunks in bars the horrific story was not cutting it.Drunks in bars couldn't help me reconcile the idea's- I was the victim, my girlfriend was psychotic, and aided in her psychosis by the copious amounts of dope she was smoking. I lived in the most notorious block of Flats in Adelaide ci...
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What are we trying to do?
2008-01-18 01:38:00
I love my job. I get to write, almost all day, and defiantly everyday. Originally, I was an engineer, working pretty much the same hours I do now (an eighty hour week) for much better pay. The work was equally challenging, on a daily basis. I left engineering for a couple of reasons.I worked in research and development, telecommunications and automation. One night I was sitting at a party and five people there had been put out of work as a consequence of one of the products I worked on. these were factory workers, guys who had set themselves up with mortgages and families and hopes and dreams and futures. Now they had nothing, nowhere to turn (we were in the grip of an endless recession). All that came to mind was the line from the Johnny Cash song, "The Ballad of John Henry's hammer,"- "Well I feed four baby brothers, and baby sister's crawling on her knees. Did the Lord say machines ought to take the place of living? And what's a substitute for bread and beans? I don't see it-...
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Why with the modalities?
2008-01-17 02:14:00
Click on the above image to see the full size page.Why do I bang on so much about modalities? With writing we?re trying to get through to people- modalities are a way of ensuring you?re accessing the largest possible audience in every possible fashion- giving the reader a more visceral experience. Not everyone will be receptive to particular types, and it?s not something you can really deliberately work into your writing without a lot of practice (bum glue being the most important tool in any writer?s arsenal). If you are aware of the idea though you can let it bleed into your writing, let it bleed into your subconscious.I?ve got a question for you all though, curious you understand. How much do you write? I know I aim for fifteen thousand words a day, over various projects, but what about you?TomX

More on modalities
2008-01-15 22:25:00
Click on the above image to see the full size page.Before I chat about the photo, what does today's post mean for the practice of writing a character? nothing, it's just another thing to bear in mind. writing is an ongoing development. when you were learning to write you had to remember the shapes of letters, then you could remember the shapes of letters, but had to remember to capitalise words and use full stops- slowly,. you make all the things part of your memory, part of your body. just think about it as you're writing about a character, and then let it slow into your work.Too much focus on this sort of detail produces stilted writing.I love these photos. I brought a real cheap little digital camera, it's a Kodak C513, AU$98, bargain! I have it with me all the time as I walk about there are so many great photos waiting to be taken (and they inspire me to write)I took a shot of this homemade sticker- it's outside Jive in Hindley Street, Adelaide, and originally read " In the...
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Shaping ideas
2008-01-15 01:18:00
Click the above image to see the full size page.Shaping ideas into a cohesive story is the hard part of our art. A book is just a series stories linked together with a common theme, written so there is a climax, a conclusion to that underlying theme. organising those little stories into something you want to read is harder than you might think. This is the first in a string of posts designed to focus on modality based tools. Each of us thinks either in visual, auditory, kinesthetic or olfactory terms or even a synesthesia of these methods. we work best when we tailor the tools we use to the way our minds work.This is the same idea many teachers have tried to bring to the class room when they've argued, "Each child has their own way of learning,"- I'm arguing each writer has their own way of writing- Enjoy.It's a wonderful day out, my face feels like a bruised and rotting pear and the only thing I can think of doing is sitting down for a nice long typing session = )TomX
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Writing from a different angle
2008-01-14 01:12:00
Click the above to see the full size page.Below is the chapter, the Not-a-sex-scene I refer to above. this is the third to last draft of the thing, so it's not perfect (by a long shot) but it doesn give a fun example of how I went about writing a sex scene obliquely. This is all part of my book, "How to disappear" I hope you enjoy it....TomXCHAPTER Twenty-oneShe?d walked casually in through the back door while I was in the shower and now Tammy was sitting on my sofa and pulling a bong.Didn?t I tell you to leave? I ask, my face a mask of dismissal. Tammy tells me how she didn?t have anywhere else to go, and then adds, You?ve got heaps of weed, why wouldn?t you give me a cone before?We can often grasp at the straw that broke the camels back and say, ?This is important, this is significant, this straw broke my camels back,? and we neglect to think on the thousands of straws that we laid on before.The mass of straws I?d lifted from Tammy?s back broke the final gates open. The sobbing w...
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What do I dislike about writing?
2008-01-13 01:19:00
Click on the above to see the full size page.Time to admit my sins... I hate editing- I hate it soooo much. I have a fresh idea, I reel it in, then drop it, move onto the next one. If I were some sort of idiot other than the idiot I am, I'd say it's because I'm and ideas man- that's not the case though.I just don't like editing.As with everything in life, sometimes to achieve the things we want to, we have to do some things we don't want to do- like proof reading. So how can I do it? I'm gonna make editing fun, get a virulent red magic marker for eliminating words (I can only edit on paper- am I the only one with that problem?), and I'm going to get a nice Russian hat with those furry ear flaps for editing in. Hey, if it works, I'm going with it, anything to make editing easier.I dug this up while searching for editing tools and tricks, "Murder your darlings" It's a phrase I've heard both Nick Cave and Stephen King use, it's a really good article on editing.Writing while...

The need to read
2008-01-12 00:49:00
Click the above image to see the full size page.I spent last night at a Hawksley Workman gig- dang, that guy is the epitome of cool. I love live music, but I can't help but be writing almost constantly.So I combined the two.Gonzo writing is the art of capturing the experience ont he fly- I sit in these gigs and write, let the environment, atmosphere and music wash up on the page. When I first did it I was surprised at the result (You can see the first one here) you end up with a slightly straighter, cleaner version of yourself, your writers voice and your impressions of the gig. What I'm doing with it isn't Gonzo thouhg, I take the notebook, type it out straight, and then polish- so out of four, four and a half thousand words, I try to get the final product down to about eight hundred words.It's imperfect Gonzo, but teaches me a lot. It teaches me how to be a brutal editor, how to let my senses absorb the environment, and how to let go and just write.Everything new we try with o...
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Why do we write?
2008-01-11 00:56:00
Click on the above for the full size image Oh, having a weak day; it's one of those days where I don't want to write, don't think I've anything worth writing and have a serious urge to go out, get a nice tie, get my hair care products together and go back to engineering- but lets not drift into negativity just yet....Success in writing, like anything else in life is based on overcoming obstacles, and the biggest obstacle you can be forced to wrestle with is your own, too human failings. I've used my moment of weakness today to come up with an exercise that's not only writing, but a way of reinforcing my love for writing- I've posted it, because we're all human, and it might be of some help to you too.Hope you're faring better than I today...TomXPS, it wasn't blogger screwing with my piccies, it was the darn terminal- there's a reason why it's called a terminal, I'm sure... X
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Steve Poltz, writer extrodinaire
2008-01-10 00:53:00
Click on the above to see the full size image Steve Poltz, woo hoo! Steve Poltz is a singer song writer, he's worked with Jewel, he's toured both with his band, the Rugburns, Jewel, and in his own right as a solo musician.Writing is a black art, and if you're anything like me you can get a little bit precious about your darlings- this guy is full of humuility, grace, courage and humour- he seems to know that you can't laugh at anyone if not yourself.Writing is important. Politcians, media personalities, Film stars, singers, any number of professions you care to name all rely on writers, and good writers- there's a place in the world for us. This is the good news; the great news is every single person in this world relies to some extent or another on that stories of others to inform their experiences, be it in warning humour, clever moral illustration, gentle guidance or simply stories that tell us we're not alone- we all need stories.We all need stories, and we're al story te...
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The pursuit of "IT"
2008-01-09 00:57:00
A number of people have asked me about creating commercially successful writing; ?What audience should I write for?? ?What is it that makes someone read a book?? ?How do I write for this audience??I?ve got no idea how to answer those questions. When I write, I try to capture ?It??It? is what we pursue in writing; ?It? is not something you can mechanically add, like eggs to a cake mix; ?It? is the life and spark that appears in a story after it?s finished; ?It? is the crystallization of the love you hold for the story and its telling. ?It? is not visible or measurable- or is, but only to an observer seeing you hunched over the keyboard, typing reverently like a monk in prayer. ?It? is there in the sunset that gives you cause to pause and the elderly couple walking hand in hand that fill you with a love for their history. You can?t make ?It? appear, but you can coax it out of hiding in your writing.You can?t buy ?It?.You don?t speak for ?It?- ?It? speaks through you.So what is ?It?? D...
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The "I" word
2008-01-08 01:09:00
And now a little more about inspiration.I was walking through a sunny alleyway this morning (I couldn?t find any dark ones) and was asked, ?Do you have a light?? I had matches, and offered them to the young lady, and we fell to chatting. She asked me what I did, and I told her that I was writer. She told me she was a cleaner, but had written several books of poetry, and went on to explain how publishers were crap, and didn?t understand or appreciate her work and the educational value it held.This is always true when you?ve not been published.She then went on to reveal this absolute pearl of wisdom, ?I only write about the things that come to my head- I mean, when I try to think of ideas I can?t come up with anything,?Inspiration is the art of reaching up into the thoughts that rattle around in our heads and plucking them like ripe cherries, arranging them on a plate in a delightful fashion and sharing those cherries with the rest of the world.I?m off to learn how to present cherries...
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A peaceful interlude....
2008-01-07 22:13:00
First day without ?The anatomy of construction?! Creative come down sucks- I had savage nightmares last night and am still trying to draw the shattered pieces of my psyche back together. OK, I've been working hard trying to draw everything together for ?Fleeing Babylon? the trouble is I've two stories I want to write- the first is the story up there right now- Jack, the anarchist who is a little bit silly and his battles with ?the man? and the second is the story of a young man whose father is a mythomaniac- dare I try to spin this many plates at once? Write two books at once? Conventional wisdom says ?No?, but I've always been one for finding out for myself, and if nothing else, the why. The why with why not work on two books at once is obvious, I guess- writing a book requires your undivided attention. Writing is wonderful in this sense, in that it shows you black and white what is possible and what isn't if you can't do it, the pages you write will seem ugly and stiff- i...
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The Anatomy Of Construction (Part LXIV)
2008-01-06 22:05:00
Click on the above image to see the full size page.Part sixty four of sixty four. Wow. Um, gosh, does this mean I'm going to stop writing? Does this mean I'm going to stop writing "The Anatomy "? Hell no! When I came to part 20 I thought- this would make a great graphic novel, or maybe something like "Calvin & Hobbes"So I'm going to take "The Anatomy" In that direction.There is so much ground I haven't covered, in addition to all this- semi-colons, what to do when you're scared to write (it happens) and the thousand other things that I can come up with and the million other things I learn every single day by writing.So bear with me.This may become something like my writing catch all- there's not a topic I enjoy speaking about more and I've never had a better reason to go around taking photos of pretty things.Sixty four pages doesn't seem like a big thing, bu you know, if some of you out there enjoyed what I've presented so far, or if it helped someone over a bad patch, i...
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The Anatomy Of Construction (Part LXIII)
2008-01-06 00:07:00
Click on the above to see the full size page.Holy hopping hippopotamus's! The page came out like it's tie died! Well, I guess that's another thing you learn from writing- intention and outcome so rarely coincide as to be insignificant- I think Neil Gaiman said that. Sometimes when you're writing, you contrive so much detail and texture that up close, as the writer, you cannot see the cloth you weave- which, quite honestly is frightening. It can feel as though you've lost control over the shape of the piece, and it's very tempting to discard it entirely and start again.Trust yourself.Right or wrong, what you feel about the piece is important- if you've no wish to keep writing it, stop writing it.Writing is fun, not a chore, make sure you enjoy it. And enjoy the sunshine too- it's a beautiful day out there.... (At least in Adelaide)TomX
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The Anatomy Of Construction (Part LXII)
2008-01-04 23:51:00
Click on the above to see the full size image.OK, here's my attempt at 55 fiction... It had been three long years since I'd seen her. Three long years and I'd grown in ways she would never know. I'd tried to reach out to her, but she was so far away and I well firmly rooted. Now finally, she's deigned to rest under my shady branches again, after three long years.Not bad, but not great, either- it's a story about something telling a story, not the best way to go, but quite legitimate (Look at Norwegian Wood by Murakami) and damned if it wasn't fun. to tell the truth, it was a bit like a high school assignment- I left it to the last minute, which always fills me with a sense of panic, and dread. I don't believe in writers block, but ideas are hard to come by when you need to pluck them from thin air, lol.In that vein, what the hell am I doing with Fleeing Babylon?Writing evolves- and after finishing chapter six, I knew the damn thing was wandering- it's not that ...
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The Anatomy Of Construction (Part LXI)
2008-01-04 00:43:00
Click on the above to see the full size image.I love writing, and everyday I sit down at the key board I discover something new- take today's subject, 55 fiction. it's something I've been aware of for a long time, but I've always marvelled that people can do it- 55 words, tell a story, draw people and give them a surprise that isn't a Jack-in-the-box surprise, something about burying meaning deep inside tight lines that I'd love to learn. I've never done it before, so I'm going to give it a go- I'll post the results tomorrow- share yours with me, try it....For more about 55 fiction see New times. Keep on writing, peeps...TomX
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The Anatomy Of Construction (Part LX)
2008-01-03 00:18:00
Click on the above to see the full size image...Back from Lorne, is about nine hours drive from Adelaide- M and I did it in one run through, stopping at the few places who sold LPG (Gas is hard to get in some areas- not many service stations sell it).Lorne is a lot closer to where I grew up than Adelaide is. the landscape, the scenery, the animals, the smells, the colors all made me very nostalgic. Every once in a while I thought I was home. it made me think how far I've come from home, but how close home still is to me.Write from the heart, write from your home, and write from who you are, who you want to be, and who you don't want to be.Most of all, just write.TomX
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The Anatomy Of Construction (Part LIX)
2008-01-02 00:30:00
Click the above to see the full size image.OK, new years resolutions, they're kinda weird, aren't they? You resolve to do something, and then after a month, stop doing it, laugh it off and know you'll resolve to do (or not do) the same thing next year. New Years resolutions are a story we tell ourselves- we look back over the past year and think, "I really should have done that," we look over the history, the stories attached to the year, and feel a certain soft sadness. This is all looking over the book of our year with an eye to a particular type of story- a regretful story. We can do this with anything. A story about an abusive relationship can be looked back on as empowering, something that bought us great strength, or we can look back on it and experience sorrow and regret- it can be a horror story or a tale of triumph over tragedy. Certainly the abuser in an abusive relationship will have a more positive view- or maybe not. this is an extreme example, but all stories have ...
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The Anatomy Of Construction (LVIII) HAPPY NEW YEARS!
2007-12-31 23:31:00
Click on the above to see the full size image.2008- I hope it brings your great success and good fortune. Finish up at the Falls festival at one-thirty-ish- you know you're getting old(er) when you have to explain that you can't dance to the music, there's nothing in it; you know you're getting older when the headline act at a New years Music festival is someone you've heard of, but not really listened to before. These are good things to write about- when we write we're measuring and describing how things change. Lists are a great way of writing: You know you're old when... can be a little depressing, but it is just one way of tapping the way you see the world-give it a go. There's one form of writing that deals almost exclusively with lists- songs. Lists of ways you've been hurt, ways you love someone else, lists of things you think, feel and wish. A song is just describing things in a repetitive, list form- take an idea and reinforce it.... TomX
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The Anatomy Of Construction (Part LVII)
2007-12-31 00:25:00
Click on the above to see the full size image.My favorite ride at the falls festival- the line ride, waiting an hour in 30deg + full sun to start the day with a trip down to the township of Lorne to post. Last night saw Paul Kelly take the stage- every other act that came before and followed was who? Having a great time- this is not the first time I've tried Gonzo writing- I'll post the results soon- but it definitely won't be the last. TomX
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The Anatomy Of Construction (Part LVI)
2007-12-29 23:40:00
Click on the above image to see the full size version.First night of the falls Festival- piccies to come. There are places you shouldn't write- music festivals are supposed to be one of them, but let's see what we can do about that today.... Hunter S Thompson made his first big impact in writing with an article titled "The Kentucky Derby is Decadent"- it's regarded as the first example of Gonzo Journalism- writing journalism from a subjective point of view, the author's point of view. This style makes for some interesting challenges. You're trying to capture what exists in your minds eyes NOW, not after the fact, but in the living moment. This produces notebooks full of short sentences, no structure, just machine gun bursts of moments captured.Gonzo is a fun way to write- it pushes your fears back- lest you write nothing at all- it pushes you forward as a character / narrator figure in your own work. Finally, Gonzo can release your writers voice- give it ago sometime.I'm off t...
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The Anatomy Of Construction (Part LV)
2007-12-29 01:58:00
OK, we're in a little town called Hamilton- it's a thriving rural city, I guess, more than a town. We're about six hours out of Adelaide. The scenery here makes me nostalgic.I guess one of the things that will always come through your writing is where you were born, where you grew up and how the two differ. You can write about any character you want, in any situation, but always they'll be painted by you, and the way you see the world.The more our writing resonates with those who read us, the more we are writing exactly what we see. This is why writing polishes our souls- to write better, we must more truly be ourselves.In the city you don't see stars, last night I looked up through a crack we left in the window and saw stars, like dust scattered on perfect black tile.Every day is a privilege-TomX
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The Anatomy Of Construction (Part LIV)
2007-12-27 21:40:00
Click on the above to see the full size image.Never, ever work for eighteen hours solid and assume you're going to write anything worth keeping.... Take it from me, take it for free.TomX
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The Anatomy Of Construction (Part LIII)
2007-12-26 21:35:00
Click on the above to see the full size image.Notepads, cameras and pens are invaluable tools for a writer on a walk. You can learn so much by just walking fifty meters around the area in which you sleep. Look for things that make you feel. it doesn't matter how they make you feel, just notice that they make you feel a certain way, and write it down. the more often you write down the things you see and feel, the more your own voice comes out. every one's heard a sunset described by a movie star; the first couple of times we describe a sunset we'll try and use lines before- after a while, those stale old words feel a little light weight for something so wonderful as a sunset, and so you begin to describe not what you see so much, but how that makes you feel.Call it practise, go out and describe a sunset tonight, and enjoy it.Hope Christmas was all you could have dreamed of.TomX
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The Anatomy Of Construction (Part LII)
2007-12-26 01:15:00
Click on the above to see the full size version...It's boxing day- the names of things are another thing you can have fun with an use to encourage your writing- boxing day conjures up some fairly hectic images- boxing me up and shipping me away after too much gorging of myself on fine fine Christmas food and drinks.Writing is important, but you can't write all the time- if you do that you'll come to look at writing as hateful work. Do what you do do well, and enjoy it.
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Help!
2007-12-26 00:55:00
Ok, here's the situation- I'm looking at heading to Lorne for the falls Festival- but only if there's some way to keep posting "The anatomy..." Does anyone know anywhere in Lorne, Victoria, or anyone who might have a machine online with USB ports... please? anyone?TomX

The Anatomy Of Construction (Part LI)
2007-12-25 03:10:00
click on the above to see the full size image....Merry Christmas - Christmas is a time of sharing. the above piece is all I have to offer- it's a story my father would play every christmas from a Johnny Cash Record- I hope you have a wonderful day, those you love are near and your year to come is magnificent.Merry Christmas everyoneTomX
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The Anatomy Of Construction (Part L)
2007-12-24 00:46:00
Click on the above to see the full size image.Now onto a thorny subject- the ground clunk after you finish a piece.The high then low of completing a work hurts, and is confusing. It can leave you horribly depressed- or maybe that's just me.So, just write. you'll overcome, again, and again and again. you'll grow more strong, more daring, and learn to love this depression, for it will be the very thing that drives you away from complacency and depression.Just write.TomX
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The Anatomy Of Construction (Part XLIX)
2007-12-23 01:58:00
Click on the above for the full size image.So did you get all your Christmas cards out in time?Writing cards and letters is an excellent form of writing- it's communicating with a specific individual, a specific audience and you will write with the greatest tenderness towards these people- you get to see all that's beautiful in your pen and heart- 'tis the season to reveal how beautiful you really are. It's only a little way to go until I've finished the Anatom y - it's exciting, what, fifteen more pages! will it end there? Well, no. The original idea was sixty four pages, but I'll continue on- I'd like to explain things like apostrophes (did you ever notice how close the word "Apostrophe" is to "Catastrophe" ?) presenting manuscripts, tracking down agents, publishers, etc, but this will evolve from where the Anatomy (technically) finishes. i too am learning the art, all i can do is share my experiences, so maybe I'll add a bit more of that, too.TomX
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