Still Figurin' Out Who I Think I Am

This one's about writing, instruments, and sitcoms.

30DBC PROMPT: "Peter Rubin says, 'The story is not what happens, the story is who happens too.' By this he means, readers need to be engaged in the lives of the people they read about before the author thinks about the plot/story. Do you agree? Which is more important, having really interesting characters or a really exciting plot? Do you think First, Second or Third person makes the characters more realistic to your writing? Last question: he indicates the hook is what makes your writing relevant. What do you think?"

'Sup y'all? Props to Lyn's a sly fox for, pardon the pun, an exce-Lyn-t prompt in the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS"  today! Although I personally have a hard time relating to it based on my own writing experiences, I'll take a stab at it 'cuz it's not my prompt. Writing to one's own prompt is like listening a recording of yourself, I think...and nobody likes hearing the sound of their own voice that way.

I agree with what Rubin said. You have to have a certain amount of emotional investment (positive or negative) in at least some of the characters if you're really gonna get into a story and enjoy it. You want to feel something for the people in their situations...maybe you want to root for the underdog, or see the antagonist get his or hers at the end. Without that underlying theme of attachment, all you're doing is looking at words on a page...you may as well be buying wallpaper or watching paint dry.

Looking at the next part of the prompt, it's my opinion that both the characters and the plot feed off of each other. They need to coexist peacefully for a successful story...a good plot can make characters more interesting on some levels, and characters you really like can pull you in and help carry a lackluster plot. How many books have you completed where the main characters were douchebags and the setting and/or storyline was borderline ridiculous for your liking? After a few chapters, you're like "Why am I still reading this?" Having at least one element be intriguing makes the reading experience more worthwhile.

As for First, Second, and Third Person-based writing, it doesn't matter as long as the characters are well-written and you have a good idea in your head who they are. For me though, I prefer First Person accounts because I feel like I'm reliving the character's journey alongside them. I'm taking in the experiences with them in stride, almost as if I'm playing a hidden role in their scenes. If I don't feel that, chances are I'm not gonna like the story in general.

And the hook? It's crazy important! A hook is just that: it's meant to hook you in to the action. It's what stays in your brain long after you've finished the story and causes you to recommend it to your friends. Without that, again, you're just looking at printed words on a page. You don't wanna read a book that reminds you of a tampon ad in a magazine or makes you think of your email's Spam folder. You want life! You want something that grabs you and makes you feel like you're a part of the writing transaction! And if you're a writer, you need something that keeps eyeballs in your pages and makes fingers turn them pages.

That's my opinion, at least. I can't say for sure because I don't really write stories...just blog entries where I'm usually the main character, or the occasional poem. I think the closest I ever came to feeling like I was writing a novel was with my very first blog, "I'm Studying You" ...it quickly turned into an account of my pursuit of a drugstore cashier who eventually became the love of my life for over three years. Every entry was that day's experience of flirting and wooing and wussing out, and it built a decent following here on WDC over six years ago because people became interested in me and what I was up to. I had the likable characters (me and my ex), a solid if not sitcom-ish plot, and the hook. And it worked! For the first time, people all over the world were experiencing what I was going through, via my words. I was getting advice from people as far from Buffalo as California and the UK...a tremendous and humbling experience. To this day I'm still friends with many of the folks who would log in to WDC daily, hoping to catch my latest escapades with a girl. If that wasn't Peter Rubin's intent by saying "The story is not what happens, the story is who happens too", then I don't know what it was, and I have a lot of views and awardicons on WDC to return.

BCF PROMPT: "What is your favorite musical instrument? Why is it your favorite? Write a story, poem, or anything you want about it. Have fun. Be creative."

I don't know that I've got a "favorite" instrument. When I was a kid I think I always wanted to play guitar, because in the early days of MTV (you know...back when they played these things called "videos"), the guitar players were out near the front and they always got the chicks. And being a pubescent boy, I wanted to get chicks too, so playing guitar must've had something to do with that .

But I find myself at most concerts I go to watching the drummer. He/she has an important role...keeping time and the beat, which along with the bass is the backbone of a song. And drummers are phenomenal specimens...watch their movements, and their arms. See how they work in relation to the rest of their bodies. How do they do it? I used to work with a guy who drummed in local bands, and he was sick...he sat very upright, almost stiff, but his arms floated frantically over his kit (he was in a sort of twangy punk-ish threesome, and if you're on SoundCloud you can hear a couple of their songs here  ) reminiscent of those big inflatable things with flappy arms that car dealers put on their lots to advertise a sale. How he did it was astonishing to see.

Even though I prefer now to be the karaoke hero and write lyrics occasionally (because I consider a person's voice to be an instrument), I still find myself enthralled by what drummers are capable of. It's a physically demanding job, more so than playin' a few hot licks and struttin' with a six-string. And here's a little secret...when my ex bought her kids an Xbox for Christmas one year, I went out and bought them Rockband. Sure, it was for them, but I wanted to live out my drummer fantasies as well. I can say firsthand that it's not easy...but it's a hell of a lot of fun.

MUSICAL BREAK!!

Speaking of knowing drummers, I've had the good fortune of being friendly with a few. I actually shot this video on my old Blackberry...Josiah was a dude my ex worked with, and his former band Letterset was a legendary pop-punk band in the Buffalo scene for a while. He's a crazy amazing drummer who's done some incredible work over the last five years or so, including his famous "JoJo Monster iTunes Sessions". The sound in this clip is garbage (hey, it was my Blackberry, cut me some slack), but it's still a great tune.

"There's just a certain little something that I can't explain.
I know it's stupid so I think I'd rather hide it away."
A lyric video with better sound.  

THE DAILY BOX SCORE:

"Would you rather be on Gilligan's Island or Survivor?"

Dude, y'all know how I feel about reality quote-unquote television. I hate it and it sucks and there's no need to further expound in the subject. Hands down, put me on Gilligan's Island, because at least that was interesting and entertaining programming without the TMZ gossip factor. Even though I'm a competitive type of brotha, and maybe in my more physically fit days I might've wavered and contemplated this a little, no a thousand times...gimme the damn three hour tour gone haywire with a blatant lack of amenities over sticking x-amount of people on a not-so-remote desert island charged with performing tricks for the viewing masses that sponsors kill for. Gimme straight-up comedy that we know is fictional over some unintentional comedy that's being sold to us as "reality". Fuck that and the boat it sailed out on.

Even if I didn't like watching Gilligan's Island reruns as a kid (which I loved), I'd still choose that over Survivor. If I were to pick between hokey crap and hokey crap, at least there's Ginger and Mary Ann (and I'm sure Mrs Howell was pretty smashing back in her day as well)...not some brute chicks who'd probably kick my ass and know how to skewer me over a campfire. That's not appealing to me at all, regardless of how many pieces of clothing they aren't wearing.

I'm all about sittin' right back and hearin' a tale. I'm good with that. Save your "let's make friends and double-cross each other for the sake of ratings because in the end only one of us is left" chicanery for The Discovery Channel or the county fair or wherever else this shit plays well. Show me seven people making the best of a bad situation, not a bunch of idiots sellin' each other out for cash, notoriety, and the last dead rodent on the isle. I mean, at least if you're gonna clutter up the broadcasted airwaves with bullshit, at least make it semi-believable and funny...not a bunch of jerk-offs trying to prove something to their high school gym teachers. Chances are, I'm more likely to get on a small boat that gets stuck in the middle of nowhere, forcing us to all get along with the hope that maybe we'll be rescued, than I'd be shipped out on an all-expenses paid trip to Camp Oneupsmanship.

But hey, you've got your hopes, dreams, and preferences...and so do I.

I'm not a violent person, but if you're like me (and you're probably not) you enjoy seeing people randomly getting faced by potentially painful objects. And sometimes, they make funny faces when it happens.  

Speaking of television, y'all know I'm a big fan of Arrested Development, right? Please enjoy this guide   to Arrested Development quotes you should be using in your everyday life. Thank me later when you make a new friend because you dropped "I don't understand the question and I won't respond to it" at the most opportune of times.

So I've got this Android tablet thing, and I've found a new (to me) app called Pocket, which will store web pages for viewing when you're not online. This is incredibly amazing to me, because I occasionally find myself on a bus without internet access (ok, almost daily), and now I can load up a bunch of stuff on my tablet and then read through them while I'm on my way to school. I heart this app so much (and yes, I used the word "heart" in place of "love", because I won't be dating this app anytime soon and I choose to express my admiration as if I were still 17 as opposed to the grown-up I am). It even works on my Windows 8 laptop! Oh, have my commutes just gotten brighter!

And that's where I'll leave you all this evening...hopefully you're not deserted anywhere else but in front of your internet viewing device of pleasure. Peace, I don't find you at fault, and GOODNIGHT NOW!!