A Writers Thoughts on Writing

They Say "Write What You Know". For me that means writing about Music and history, especially American History. For the music part I hope all of you will take a gander at my other blog, The WENC Night Beat. Platinum Vinyl Award season has just concluded and the awards have been handed out. The results page has been updated. Look for the year 2012 for each category.

I had thought of calling this post "Books I Can't Write", but then I thought better of it. That's just not it. "Won't write isn't it either". Maybe it should be Genre's I can't get my head around.

I've loved history since forever. If I scored under 92 in American History in High School I was shocked and then it was time to start studying hard. So when I first kicked around some thoughts for a story, American History was the subject, specifically America Post Civil War. Welcome to the Republic was conceived, sort of.

I also think I can do action adventure of a sort, as Falcon is a sort of hero in the vein of the Bionic Woman (I might be the only one who thought the reboot was cool).

Screenwriting speaking, I can't do Soap Operas. I just can't write that poorly. I am convinced that the genre is the last refuge of bad writers. And bad actors too. Now I'm no Shakespeare, but I spend time on things like plot, possibility, grammar. I know, how could you think of a career in Hollywood concerned with that?

That being said, there are a few fiction genres I cant get my pen around.

• Romantic Comedy/Chick Lit: We'll go back to that write what you know on this one. And the soap opera's too. But mostly the former. No, I don't think there's much of a market for the Moderately handsome "damaged goods" guy who has given up on love and lives as a hermit in a cabin in the woods. Kind of Like Stringfellow Hawk from Airwolf. Then maybe we could have a long lost love return and turn him into the Prince Charming that he forgot he was. Yeah, I thought so, gag city. If you want Chick Lit, might I suggest my friend +Erica Lucke Dean and her book To Katie With Love 
• Science Fiction: I wish my Polish heritage could help here, but I am obviously no J.Michael Straczynski. I wouldn't have the first idea how to describe the ships, station, and aliens of Babylon 5. I love to watch it, though. Would probably have to read it more to see if I could write it. I'll throw fantasy writing into the mix here and say to check out the works of my friend +Shannon Mayer and her character Rylee Adamson among others.
• Erotica: I was trying to think of something witty here, but decided not to push it. Safe to say you could use the same arguments for Chick Lit here. Even if I admitted to a healthy sense of fantasy that doesn't mean I could put it to paper. Hey, I have trouble coming up with a profanity even if the character used it in real life. Through my contacts in +Triberr I have picked up friends even here. D.C. McMillen comes to mind here.

No, I think I shall stick with what I know. A little action adventure, music writing, and my Alternative History/Speculative Fiction/Historical Fiction. I found out about a new genre lately, Realistic Fiction. Best I can decipher it is Current Event Historical Fiction. Isn't all fiction supposed to be realistic? After all, if it "Reads Fake", nobody is going to enjoy it.

On The Road With Triberr

With all apologies to Jack Kerouac I am merely doing a review of +Triberr's new mobile site. I thought this was the best place to do it, since this is my writing blog.

I have been using the site now for around two years, and I am overall pleased with the results, though I do admit from time to time screaming "If it ain't broke, don't tinker with it!", but by no means would that ever be limited to Triberr. 

Now occasionally I want to get away from the computer, but up to now, that has been where Triberr fell short. Now a more cynical man than I would surmise that +Dino Dogan bought a new iPhone 5 and figured out that trying to approve posts on it was like trying to slog through quick drying cement.

I said Was. While enjoying a coffee at my local +Dunkin' Donuts (sorry +Starbucks Coffee , but you're too far away right now), enjoying the WiFi, I decided to go on Triberr so things wouldn't be backed up today.

The new login had me hooked, and then, it took you to a site that was perfectly made for mobile, so there was no trying to read posts. Before the iPhone was trying to zoom in order to read. Now everything is perfectly sized. Then there is the approval process. Hover, touch, done. Even manual approval for Google Plus was quick. On my Emerald Rating system on my other blog I would give it 25 Emeralds (I know, I only go up to 5, but this is good).

I did have one bad experience, but Triberr had nothing to do with it. That Dunkin didn't have the heat turned up and my fingers got numb from the cold. Now if I only had a pair of those touch gloves.

Now, if +Blogger would incorporate speech to text in their app, I may consider blogging from the road more often.

A "Republican" Primer

That should get some clicks. Now that I have decided to get this blog running and showcase some of my writing, I guess a brief introduction is in order.

Republican doesn't refer to the Republican Party, it refers to The Republic of Ansdale, a nation which encompasses pretty much everything west of the Mississippi River. The nation was proclaimed in 1875, which led to the War of the West, also known as the Second American Civil War. Not as deadly as the first, the second war also was more of a guerilla war, though it did feature automatic weapons (the gatling gun) and torpedo warfare. It lasted twelve years.

Didn't hear about anything about this in school? Didn't think so. What about the Dakota Expedition of 1855? That started everything off during the Pierce administration. Seems that the American Fur Company, of which John Jacob Astor was the head, had made the fort their HQ during the western expansion, but things played out in the trapping world as they do from time to time if you're not careful and so they sold the fort to the US Army, sight unseen, (one of many reasons why people see the term military intelligence as an oxymoron). President Pierce needed someone to lead a combined Military/Civilian expedition into the region and claim it for the United States, since the region was at that time a subject of international contention. Pierce chose John Lee Anderson, a retired Army veteran of the Mexican War. Fort Pierre was a wreck, and was never really used. It was the base around which the settlement was placed, and was replaced by Fort Ansdale three years later.

What's an Ansdale? Long story. Seems like most of my answers bring up more questions. The short answer is they (according to the U.S. Interior Department) are a sub branch of the Sioux or Dakota. The truth is much more interesting.

For a brief primer, I would encourage you to check out my History of The Ansdale Rebellion Page. It is a Chronology of the Story. It should pique your interest.

I welcome all my Triberr friends to this new blog as I try to showcase my writing interests as well as my music interests. My new tribe "Spinning a Tale" is in its infancy, and if you cover music or writing in your blogs, don't be surprised if an invite shows up. I hope you will accept.

An Empire Rises.