Tag: Writing

bauerj1138Leave a comment

Sometimes you need a wake up call. My goodness, life has been so complicated this last year…good stuff, but nonstop. Alexander was born in November of ‘21 with extensive complications that had him flighted to the NICU where he resided for the better part of the following month. After much physical therapy and the attention of watchful eyes, he’s approaching his first birthday as though nothing ever bothered him.

During his stint at the NICU, we stayed at the Ronald McDonald House in Columbus. I tried to pick up a novel, but found myself unable to entertain such a distraction at that time. I all but stopped reading. 

I started to see a therapist, which was nice for a bit. It took six months on a waiting list to start seeing someone, and now every session gets canceled by the other party…so I’ve accepted the system isn’t there to help me. Healthcare is broken in this place. 

I tried to start writing again around the new year…and for a little bit, it worked. I plotted out a story that I’d been preparing to compose, and drafted about 25k words before I had a shakeup at the day job that took away the bit of writing time I was able to carve out for myself. It included a promotion and bit more of a work/life balance, so I’m in no position to complain about it, but I’m hoping to get back to this novel as it gets cold outside. 

We bought a house, too. That was exciting. With Alex entering our lives, we needed more space than our apartment afforded us. This event wouldn’t have taken place without significant help from family, as grinding our bodies against the corporate machine in this bootstrap culture is simply not enough. 

All things considered, life has been good…so of course I slipped into a moderate depression. My wife has gone through the ringer with the complicated birth and the postpartum depression. It’s all been so…difficult. But dare I say it’s getting better? I’d like to think so. 

In September I took Lydia to see our first live music experiences since the pandemic removed that occasional joy from our lives. Father John Misty was such a delightful treat and the band was so sharp, they exceeded my expectations and I felt as though I’d returned to a long abandoned well to find it still held the capacity to sustain these broken yet loving hearts. Twelve days later we saw Nine Inch Nails in Cleveland. That too, brought a peculiar and wretched sort of joy that isn’t exclusive to me. 

Father John Misty in Columbus, Ohio

I’m less than a week away from my birthday. Last year I conjured a list of goals to complete by the time I turn 40, and in the first year of the list I accomplished nothing…and yet…

The growing family with good health…the purchase of our first home…reminders of how art impacts our lives…how good do I have it? I’m waking up to find all the quality life has to offer in my possession. I’ll try to not let it slip through my fingers, but any attempt to control/retain a solid grip is in vain. Life will continue to take me up and down, and I’ll make do with any given moment, as I always have. This post is meant to be a personal update. This insight to personal matters is how I explain my absence beyond the occasional noise I make on social media. Still here…hoping to make something happen. 

Nine Inch Nails in Cleveland, Ohio
Advertisement

Optimism and the Passage of Time

bauerj1138Leave a comment

The passage of time drives more dialog when the emphasis is on a full decade, as opposed to that of a singular year. I’ve lurked through the dregs of social media to find people have listed their accomplishments, from surviving to personal/professional milestones. It has been uplifting to see my friends and loved ones describe the things that made them feel most alive in the last ten years. I’ve found in them the great ability to inspire others with their plans and resolutions. Instead of the old eye roll, I found their goals to be within reach. I’m rooting for you all.

In the past decade I published three novels, and had two short stories published in an anthology. Those books are available here. I’m starting 2020 with a new novel that’ll be available in February. As Flowers with Frost concerns itself with the family of a young child who claims to be the reincarnation of a murder victim. The child leads those who listen to a shallow grave, and the accused. Pre-sale information should be available within the next week. three books together.jpg

Short term goals always include the drafting of new projects. I’m currently 17,000 words deep on a sci-fi/satire novella, and am researching for a full length novel of the Midwestern Gothic/family drama variety. My 2020 writing goals also consist of generating short stories for a collection that I intend to release in the future. In terms of writing, most of this year will be spent working on first drafts, and pushing the new novel.Death Among US.JPG

On that note, I’m so excited to share As Flowers with Frost with the world. The idea struck me out of nowhere, and from the moment I took interest in the subject matter, I was compelled to write it. As I do with all ideas that I think are cool, I slept on it. Once it had survived the twenty-four hour test and I still thought it was cool, I knew it was a project I’d see through to the end.

Flowers with Frost.jpg

I have no way of reading minds or the future. I still can’t make up or down about navigating the way to writing full time. I’m just now getting a real focus on my efforts with regards to trial and error, and have collected the experience of numerous failures. These failures are a source of pride, as I’ve learned something from them. I’m going to continue to learn and grind in 2020.

Thanks to those of you who’ve been supportive over the years, and thanks to you who are willing to give me a chance. I look forward to the potential of a new day.

 

On the Horizon: As Flowers With Frost

bauerj1138Leave a comment

Renee and Nathan Matheson bring a child into the world. Hannah is their vision of the future. They’re like most new parents: sleep deprived, stressed out, and doing the best they can with what they’ve got. Once Hannah is a little over three years old, she begins to recall memories of another life. Nathan insists that their daughter has a vivid imagination, but Renee is taken aback by such stories. Hannah insists she is the reincarnation of a murder victim. She leads the way to a shallow grave and the accused. From there it spirals out of control.

Last spring I was knee deep in editing Beatrix and the Wooden Dagger. While trying to distract myself, I stumbled upon an article about children who claim to be reincarnated, thought it ridiculous, and then went down that rabbit hole. I read books on the topic, and decided I had to craft my own narrative. It sparked a piece of writing that took shape with such an organic flow that it felt effortless.

As the last of December became memory I finished the first draft of this short novel! I offered the roughest draft to a couple peers, and let them tear it up. While they went at it, I stepped away. With proper space established, I came back to it with their notes, and have continued to build upon what was already there. It’s calling for one more solid sweep before I send it to my editor for a professional polish.

What I’m getting at is I’m excited. I’m confident in my work, but this is a piece I want to share with enthusiasm. Other works I’ve released into the world without a plan, and a “whatever happens” attitude. But I want to get this book in front of you. Without the final pieces in place, I don’t have a time frame to which I can promise to adhere, but it needs said now: As Flowers With Frost is on the way.

Flowers with Frostphoto credit: Helen Killinger

Beatrix and the Wooden Dagger: What’s Up With the Prop?

bauerj1138Leave a comment

What’s the deal with the wooden dagger? It doesn’t appear anywhere in the text, so why is it in the title? What does it have to do with the story? The answer has to do with medieval theatre and use of props in character development. Characters in the medieval morality plays were often named for traits they were meant to embody. The vice figure was one of comic relief, meant to tempt and bring folly towards characters of virtue or other such positive traits. The vice often turns to the audience, and delivers lines by breaking the fourth wall. This brings about an inclusion so that the audience is in on the misdeeds.

They would carry a wooden dagger on stage. This prop was meant as a direct gesture to inform the audience, ‘Hey! I’m the villain.’ By the Renaissance, Shakespeare had dropped the prop, but perfected the role of vice in Richard III and Iago of Othello. These characters turned to the audience, told them of the intent, and then turned back to the story world with their malice in practice. A contemporary version of this that has resonated with audiences would be comic book antihero Deadpool, or average politician Frank Underwood in House of Cards.

40293634_1952187111524705_6374020166375702528_n

That’s my aim with Beatrix. She’s an antihero of sorts, who wants to fill you in on her thoughts and intent as she does whatever her wretched heart desires. The book consists of five stories that span over the course of her life, and plays with time. It’s framed with bits of the thriller, cultural satire, and dysfunctional family drama.

That’s the deal with the wooden dagger. I framed this character after the many vices I’ve come across, and hope to turn you off to humanity with her antics. If you’re still with me, give it a shot! 

As always, thank you for your time.

Where I’ve Been: An Update

bauerj11381 Comment

So I’ve been off the radar for a while. With regards to my writing I’ve been a nonentity, aside from making the occasional noise on Twitter. Life has been eventful, and I’ve all but vanished from where I was this past winter. I’ve been reading and writing, and I intend to return with a new novel, and to provide more consistent content on the digital front. But first I’ll use this post to share some of the personal details surrounding my absence.

I was offered a promotion that required I relocate. I lived out of a hotel for a month before I got into my new apartment, and have adjusted pretty well considering my ‘hit the ground running’ approach to the new position. The transition of my move took place over the course of a few months, one carload at a time. I did have family step up and help move the stuff that required a larger vehicle, though. My reality consisted of sleepless nights on a blowup mattress for a couple of months before Lydia (and our bed) was brought to our new home.

In addition to moving away from my hometown, I got married on the 10th of June. Lydia has been my partner in crime for the majority of my adult life, and we tied the knot with our families and friends. The ceremony was fantastic, the honeymoon a nice escape, and from there life has pressed on.

20155790_10208205626811879_3432341475844248780_n

Sometime between mid and late March Lydia and I discovered that we’re going to be parents. We’re beyond excited for the addition, and my ego suggests we’ll be moderate to good parents. It’s a girl!

516007414

All of these life changes seemed to compound at once, and I’m still a little dizzy from the adjustments made (and still taking place) in our lives. Between a promotion/move, our wedding, and the news of a child I’ve been busy elsewhere. I’m always reading, writing, and planning my return to the fields of literary ambition, but as of this moment I’m preparing things in advance so that I may offer something akin to consistency. My apologies for being absent, but there’s not much of a fan base to notice. With two novels out and a third on the way it all still feels like groundwork for the long haul. Thanks for bearing with me. Wish us luck!

 

Book Review: ‘On Writing’ by Stephen King

bauerj11383 Comments

I’m not one to care much about material possession, but if gifts are in order I’m all about books. For the big dirty thirty I received a copy of On Writing by Stephen King. I’ve had friends suggest this text to me before, but with academic writing taking precedent over fiction I didn’t have time for it.
The book is odd, as it’s broken up into segments that often have little concern of the writing process. It opens with a solid hundred pages of a life story that begins with childhood imagination. The cover of the book reveals the subtitle “A Memoir of the Craft” to which the first and third segments adhere. My expectations were thrown off, but for the rabid King fan it’s an interesting look into the life of the author.
It’s the middle segment of the book where King offers the goods. The tips to writing that makes for good reading include similar tendencies I developed in my academic pursuits. King even name-dropped The Elements of Style throughout his text, which I had put to use in college.
Beyond sentence structure King’s emphasis is crafting fiction. This is the gray area that has worked for him, if it’s true. I wouldn’t take the advice as that which all should follow, but one radical element stood out to me. I scoffed, at first, but further consideration has given the idea validity in my mind, though it’s not for me. This claim is that King does not plot, and that it’s the coupling of questions with the writing process that crafts his stories. Like a scientific theory more than one party must handle the notion if it’s to be considered fact. From here I point towards Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the minds behind South Park. At a college lecture on writing Stone and Parker described an approach that considers the full plotting of an episode to produce a result that is predictable. To avoid this the writing starts with a premise, and they throw questions at it until something sticks, and eventually takes shape.
Sorry to venture off there, but it’s the notion that King’s approach works for successful writers beyond himself that suggests the idea has some commercial merit. I do enough plotting to know where I’m going, lest I get to a pivotal moment and take the easy way out… but I must acknowledge appreciation in the face of difference.
This book is no holy grail. King offers no magic beyond general practices, and personal preferences. It’s another chunk of text on writing in a sea of such material. Yet I’d recommend it to those getting started, or even an experienced writer in need of a refresher. King’s voice is clear, encouraging, and easy to understand.

14980667_1172937189449705_2968603988949774373_n