The Blarg No. 44: Jake Friedman Part 2

Deadlines. I love ’em. There is something about the looming hour of 12 am that gets my creative juices flowing. I lost sight of that. Lately, I’ve looked at deadlines, then I’ve looked over at the pile of unfinished projects sitting next to them, and I have thought, there is no way I can have something ready in time. As a result, I have shied away from contests and submissions. Last week, I mentioned not having a process, and perhaps that’s not the case. Perhaps this is my process. Writing against deadlines. And writing to music. At the time of writing this, I know I have a submission deadline, and Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks is playing in the background, and my fingers are flying across the keyboard. Coincidence? I think not.

I am probably thinking of process too rigidly. What is your process? I’m curious. I want to know. Do you write to music? If so, what type? Does it need to be instrumental? Do you need silence? Let’s not limit this to writers, either. Artists, what do you do? Musicians, what gets your creative juices flowing? I want to do a whole show on this, and I don’t think I’m the only one who would be interested in hearing it. Send your thoughts on this to jared@ltdengagementpod.com, and I will piece them all together for a future episode of Limited Engagement. Tell me a little something about yourself as well. If you’d rather not be named on the podcast, let me know that, too. Let’s have a little artistic interaction, shall we?

This week, we’ve got part two of my conversation with Four Chambers founder, Jake Friedman. We talk more about writing in this one, specifically Jake as a writer, and how what he wants to do as a writer plays into what we’re looking to publish as a press. Which is timely, because Four Chambers is open for full length manuscript submissions through July 31st. Visit the FCP website for guidelines and a link to our Submittable page.

Best,

Jared

Listen to LE 44 – Jake Friedman…Part 2

The Blarg No. 43: Jake Friedman Part 1

Let’s go ahead and talk about writing this week, shall we? Why not? It’s often a topic on the show, and this week’s and next week’s shows (spoiler alert!) deal with the subject very heavily. As someone who has never managed to have a process per se, I’m always fascinated by the processes of other writers—and even more interested when I find out that they likewise do not have one. I have always heard about the importance of process, how you must have a routine. At least that’s what I heard from John Updike, and Updike wrote a lot of books. How many have I written? Not as many as Updike. But what of the argument for quality over quantity? Woody Allen said, “It’s not the quantity of your sexual relations that count, it’s the quality. On the other hand, if the quantity drops below once every eight months, I would definitely look into it.” Not exactly the same thing, but I think it’s applicable, so if I start writing less than once every eight months, I’ll definitely look into it.

I’m knee deep in manuscripts right now. Four Chambers Press put out its first call for manuscripts, and I didn’t think we’d get that many. I was wrong. I was very, very wrong. The submission period doesn’t even close until July 31st. I’m not going to say exactly how many manuscripts we’ve received, but it’s a lot. (Deep breath.) Hey, speaking of Four Chambers Press…

This week I talk to the founder and editor-in-chief of Four Chambers Press, Jake Friedman. Jake’s been on the show a couple of times, but it was either as part of a panel, or as the guest host for the second anniversary show, so he came over, we hung out, then we got on the mics and talked—a lot. We talked for about two and a half hours, so this is a two-parter. We talk about publishing and writing, craft and process. If that’s your thing, these shows will be right up your alley.

Best,

Jared

Listen to LE 43 – Jake Friedman…Part 1

I Liked it Better When Blood Spatters Were Red Pixels…

I must be one of the worst bloggers in the entire history of blog-dom.  My last log blog was posted over a year ago–it was all about how I was going to take advantage of the memoir-hoovering portion of the book-buying/publishing world.  I’ll give you all a chance to guess exactly what my word count is on that much ballyhooed endeavor.  Ah, you give me far too much credit.  Nope, you’re completely wrong.  Actual word count to-date: ZERO (I find that if you actually spell out the number and capitalize every single letter, it looks far more impressive than the abysmal state it truly signifies).  Now, it’s not that I have been resting on my laurels this whole time.  In fact, I’ve been very feverishly dashing off poems left and right and been integrating myself into the very welcoming Phoenix poetry scene.  Hell, I’ve even been a featured poet at some events, and there is more of this to come.

However, this does not excuse my lack of blog-iness in this very cutthroat, blog-eat-blog world.  Well then, all five of you lovely people who will read this post must be asking, what gives? What’s the excuse, Grumpmaster Flash?

Truth be told, there is no excuse other than the rather lame one that I give for why I don’t do just about anything that I end up not doing:  Life.  Life, says Marvin, don’t talk to me about life.  So I won’t.  If I’d wanted to, I could have made time for some pretty blog-tastic entries, but I didn’t.  Now, as the Germans said, on to bigger and better things…

Advancements in technology and I have never been more than cautious admirers.  When I was growing up, there was none of this MySpace, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Spotify what have you.  Not everyone I knew owned a computer, and nearly no one had a cell phone.  Cut to me at age 30, and I have, very begrudgingly made moves to catch up with modern society.  As a writer and student, I have found it necessary to utilize several of the aforementioned services (primarily for the necessary evil of self-promotion), but I have never ‘friended’ anybody that I haven’t at the very least met and spoken to in person and I’ve never purchased anything (other than textbooks) or stolen media in a digital format.  In many ways I’m ‘That Guy’ who still prefers how things were back in the day, and while I’m not a technophobe, I certainly don’t trust the digital age.

Most recently I was reminded of the limitations of my acceptance of technological advancement while thoroughly geeking out at The Art of Video Games exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum.  My family never had a video game system when I was growing up, but many of my friends did, and so the nostalgia experienced at seeing Super Mario Bros. on the original NES or the various pixelated DOS games was heartfelt and palpable.  Wandering through the exhibit as it moved on up to the striking, realistic graphics of today’s video games, this nostalgia transitioned to awe-inspired consternation and discomfort.  Why discomfort? I asked myself, because games should not ape reality, I handily answered myself.

We own a PS3, but while the kids enjoy playing games like Mass Effect 3 where people look eerily like people, I am most comfortable with the Lego games where, when character dies, there is no blood–they just break.  Blood and violence in video games is not my problem, the realism is–it is, after all, a GAME.  And this, I think explains where my unease with advancement in technology stems from:  Not the advancements themselves, but what is lost in the process.  Relationships are meant to be experienced in the flesh; music is meant to be experienced with artwork and liner notes; books are meant to be experienced with the rustle of pages; violence in video games is meant to be experienced in unrealistic red pixels.

Nobody Cares About Your Life…

…and yet, people write memoirs anyway.  Not only do people write them, but they get published by major companies, and other people (presumably) buy them.  Rather than sit around and try to figure out why this is so, or complain about the phenomenon and the fact that these people have published books where I have not, I have decided to write about my own life.  Some things have happened to me, I have done some things to other people, and, dammit, I’m funny.  If that’s not the stuff of a successful memoir, I don’t know what is.  I intend to relate the first thirty years of my life as I remember them (which will no doubt lead to horrendous, wild inaccuracies)–often through pop culture references including, but not limited to, music, film, television, and literature.  Seeing as 90% of my mental capacity is taken up by such references, I can think of no reason not to.

I hope to have this project finished and submitted for publication/literary representation prior to my 31st birthday (for those curious about it, this makes my personal deadline December 22, 2013–so, knowing my work pace, I’d better get moving).  Otherwise I will have to change the concept, and, well, thirty is just such a nice round number…