A Wisp of a New BryonySeries Novel

"I think you have one more novel in you."

Thus Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara, has said to me more than once.

At first I thought his comments were wishful thinking on his part.

But he may be right. 

Maybe.

A very small wisp of an idea started floating arond my brain a few weeks ago. But with so many other projects (some other book projects, some not) filling front and back burners, the wisp can just float untended for a while.

OK, maybe I'll throw it a few kibbles now and then, just to se if the idea is hungry and wants to grow.

I'm strangely excited at the thought of writing another novel, which is turning into "I probably will" as I write these words.

And I'm already musing, "Standalone?" "New trilogy?"

Seriously. (shaking head at myself).

That's great news for the small audience that love my books.

And that's great news for me, too.

For I've spent some of the best thousands of hours in my life taking half-formed ideas out of my imagination and shaping them onto the page.

If you're an artist of any kind (and I think anyone who creates anything is an artist) you'll understand.

Happy Tuesday!

Critical Community Episode 6 Meet Denise

Before you "meet" me, here's how I met Critical Grind.

I first learned about Critical Grind Game Board Cafe in Shorewood in 2023 the week Ron entered Lightways Hospice in Joliet and I was asked to write a business story for the following Monday.

Not sure how the week would turn out (Ron actually passed away that Friday night) and knowing I would need plenty of coffee to weather the unpredictable hours, I wrote this story: 5 Will County coffee venues you should try now.

From there, I became introduced to the Inkwells and Espresso writers networking community Critical Grind was trying to launch and invited WriteOn Joliet to hang out every other Saturday.

About a month ago, Critical Grind reached out to me, said it was starting a podcast, and would I be interested in recording an episode? 

Well, how could I refuse such a kind invitation, especially from a venue that's been so welcoming to local writers?

So without further commentary from me, please listen to Critical Community: Episode 6 - Meet Denise.

Enjoy!

What Artists Have Always Known

This morning I read this article in The Atlantic: "The Perks of Being a Weirdo  How not fitting in can lead to creative thinking."

I think two types of people will benefit from reading it.

Those who will sagely nod and think, "Yep. That's me!"

Or those who will now have insight in that friend or relative that just won't conform.

This is not about non-conformity for non-conformity's sake.

And unpaved roads are not comfortable.

But fresh perspectives and new ideas often come from lifting the flaps of the box and seeing what's beyond it.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/04/the-perks-of-being-a-weirdo/606778/?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Illustration by Christopher Gleason for "Staked!" Follow him at artworkbytopher.com.

How to Coax a Stubborn Muse

Although I wouldn't go so far as accusing my muse (Warren Peace) of "ghosting" me, it's certainly been uninspired and unreliable lately.

But it did reappear in small and significant ways this weekend, enough that I'm happy with the progress I'm making on one of my new novels (no time to open the second one).

How did I coax the muse out of hiding? It's mostly a matter of training and persistence, like teaching your kid to take out the trash.

Honestly, I have no idea why the muse decided to get busy this weekend, but I'm glad it did.

However, here's a few suggestions that often work for me.


1) Show up.

While that may seem like a no-brainer, that does help.

Sitting at the computer (or preferred writing area) and actually opening up the manuscript are good first steps.

2) Bring the muse its favorite drink.

Warren Peace likes dark roast coffee. Hot.

Find out what your muse likes and keep a nice supply handy - along with a microwave for warmups.

3) Put yourself in your muse's shoes.

Think about all the times the muse DID show up, and you DIDN'T.

My muse tends to nap on weekends and then show up at the most inconvenient times (such as when I'm on deadline at work or trying to sleep at night).

For all the "not now, dear; I'm busy" excuses I've given my muse when it's been ready to write, I should be more understanding when it tells me the same thing.

Could your muse too busy with distractions? Sulking at being stood up too many times?

Knowing the reason goes a long way to addressing it.

4) Take time to warm up.

As in any exercise, a few stretches helps the workout. Why should a mental one be any different?

Don't expect your muse to sprint at full speed.

Try this: Reread work from the past weeks and soon your muse will be racing.

5) Keep tidbits of inspiration handy.

People don't work well on an empty stomach. Well, a muse doesn't work well on an empty mind.

Have little inspirational snacks ready (a favorite quote, a deadline, a timer) to ensure the muse is able to work at a somewhat steady face.

But don't overfeed it when it's supposed to work.

Overfeeding the muse can quickly turn into a twelve-course meal of surfing social media and clicking from link to unrelated link, which may put your muse into snooze mode.

6) Give the muse room to wander.

You really want to finish chapter five but the muse has great dialogue for chapter twelve? Go with it!

You like to write in sequence but the muse has ideas for scenes in three different chapters you haven't even tackled yet? Explore that!

Or simply write as the muse dictates, in a free flowing way without expectations as to where the it (sentence, paragraph, chapter, etc.) will wind up. The best journeys sometimes come with no expectations.

7) Praise your muse.

We spend so much time "killing our darlings" that we forget to give our muse a pat on the wisp and let it know when it's done a good job, and we are really, really pleased.

"What a clever sentence" and "Great plot twist!" gives your muse the encouragement it needs to keep producing for you.

8) Don't be a relentless taskmaster.

Look for signs your muse is organically slowing down and know when to give it a rest. A rested muse is happier to work for you.

On the other hand...

9) Don't let your muse deceive you.

Muses are fickle by nature and, like many of us on the weekends, would rather chill and be lazy.

Get to know your muse well enough so you can differentiate between a muse that is exhausted and one that feigns fatigue so it can watch mindless hours of Netflix.

10) Reward your muse and give generously to it.

Muses love good music and good books. Keep a large supply on hand.

For AFTER the writing work is done.

Illustration by Christopher Gleason for "Staked!" Follow him at artworkbytopher.com.

Even as a Child: The Psychology of "Little Women"

Last August when I was in Raleigh and my daughters, mother, and I spent a day in Cameron Village, I purchased this book: "Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters" by Anne Boyd Rioux, which I pretty much read before I returned to Joliet.

I first read the book at age eight, an old book with crumbling pages between a hard orange cover that had been my mother's. I fell in love with the story and read more of Alcott's works.

I adored An Old-Fashioned Girl, also my mother's. Eight Cousins, borrowed from the library at St. Bernard's Catholic School in Joliet (which no longer stands), was boring, although I attempted a reading of it several times because I liked the cover and Alcott.

By the time I'd read Little Women, I already knew I wanted to be a writer "when I grew up," so Jo's aspirations and activities felt natural to me, even though she wasn't my favorite character.

The characters. That's the point of this blog.

It was not a book I could discuss with my friends as none of them knew what Little Women was. In fact, I have never had a discussion of this book with anyone, although I'm sure some of the people I now know have most likely read it.

I have also never watched a movie adaption. I tried the one with June Allyson, but it was so boring, I never finished it.

Long before I wrote an entire novel, or took a psychology class with the dynamic Sister Mary George when I attended Providence High School in New Lenox, I instinctively understood the multi-layered elements of building realistic characters.

As a child, I understood even adults were more than the exteriors I saw as a child.

So at family parties, I could have been no more than nine, I would approach the adult women and ask them if they had read Little Women. Nearly all of them had.

And then I would ask them which was their favorite character and why. Most were taken aback; all of them answered.

Their responses gave me insight into who they were as people.

Even as books such as Rioux's gives me insight into how Alcott built a story that endured.

For writers cannot write in a vacuum. Every idea comes from somewhere, and that somewhere is usually experience, even if only a strand of experience is pulled from one's life before twisted into a new purpose.

I'm sure many writers would want Alcott's legacy.

But anyone who knows Alcott's backstory would know that Little Women was, most likely, not the type of story she wanted to last beyond her.

It's not easy being a writer even into perpetuity.

You Still Have To Do The Work

Many people have an image of writers (and I've seen some sellers of various products use thia image in their marketing pitches) that looks something like this:

You lazily wake up without an alarm, mosey to the kitchen to prepare a cup of coffee, enjoy a leisurely breakfast, and then spend the day blissfully transferring the stories living in your imagination to the computer, where (if you only had this marketing product), they sell millions of copies to adoring fans.

The End

Hahahahhahaha!

My mornings look more like this: wake before dawn (after hitting snooze a few times), stumble out of bed (to the delights of the cats because I'm FINALLY going to feed them), make coffee, stumble back upstairs, and sign onto the computer.

After posting a Bible verse, some good mornings on my social media pages, and birthday greetings, I then spend the next couple hours answering email and scheduling posts.

I then spend a couple hours working on my story budget while working out, as well as making phone calls (personal and work-related, and keeping up with email and social media.

The rest of the day is spent keeping up correspondence, keeping an eye on pages, writing and editing stories and news releases, editing pages, designing pages, and conducting interviews.

I am never finished and almost always push today's work into tomorrow...and into the weekend. I do not, as a strict rule, work on personal writing and editing projects during the week (no time), so all of that writing is kept for the weekend (or a vacation day).

The only day that MAY look like the aforementioned fantasy scene is Saturday, a truly magical time. For a few short hours, deadlines vanish. I've even had a few Saturdays where I've had NO "work" work to complete (rare), and I've spent an entire day working on a novel.

Here's what this past weekend looked like:

On Saturday, I actually did spend a few productive hours on the werewolf story before heading to New Lenox for a dentist appointment.

Afterwards, Timothy treated me to a cup of Gloria Jean's, which I enjoyed while addressing some BryonySeries related, non-writing chores with Rebekah, who was now home from work.

I scanned some photos for Monday's "An Extraordinary Life" photo list, took a break at sunset to get into the pool with Rebekah (the first time all year that happened), and then spent another couple hours scanning and processing photos.

On Sunday, I skipped church because I had to finish the "An Extraordinary Life" and design the page. Yes, I could have done it on Saturday, (or stayed up extremely late on Friday), but I felt this story needed a few hours of unbroken time and a fresh mind - so that's what I gave it.

I also ducked out to take a photo and, because I was in the area, to run over to Menards to look at fake fireplaces with Timothy and Rebekah (because they're considering buying one).

I then spent twenty minutes cleaning the house, and then two hours with Phyllis, a Joliet woman in her 90s. For the past year and a half, I've been working on her memoir. We are coming into the home stretch, and she actually cried when I read portions back to her.

After picking up my medicine at Walgreens, Timothy and I headed for Morris, where we spent a couple hours with Ron in the nursing home, a bittersweet experience.

Bitter because he's lost more weight, has pneumonia, and the dementia has firmly set in. "Sweet" because he was thrilled to see me. Enough that one nurse said she hadn't seen him look this happy in days.

Although he was extremely surprised I wasn't going to smoke with him and even more surprised that I had never smoked. Which left me wondering if he hadn't mistaken me for a former girlfriend in his younger years, which actually made ME grin. No matter, it made him happy for awhile.

Then it was back home for a quick dinner, a workout, and that was the weekend.

The point of this post is that a writer's life looks like anyone else's life: work and the rest of life.

Yes, there's those glorious moments of bliss in the craft, but many of those are planned, and the rest are elusive. Mostly, it's work, and you have to show up to do the work.

A writer writes, then rewrites, then cuts, edits, and (sometimes) goes online the next day to correct any typos that were missed in the process.

This is not counting the amount of time spent posting finding ways to connect readers with the stories, because many people don't read newspapers as keenly as they once did. This process is even more difficult with fiction.

Now, I'm glad I put that time into yesterday's An Extraordinary Life. I received some great feedback on it yesterday and not just from the man's loved ones.

But this, ultimately, is not where writers find most of their satisfaction. Because praise is fleeting.

Rather, the satisfaction comes from the hours spent in thinking about the structure and then hammering it out letter by letter, and then dismantling all that effort like a kid knocking down a stack of wooden blocks because it's not the castle he pictured, until finally you read something that makes feel good you wrote.

Or, at the very least, makes you relieved you made deadline and are able to go to the next project.

BryonySeries Throwback Thursday: My Fiction Playground

Monday, June 20, 2016

My Fiction Playground

This morning, I posted the following link on WriteOn Joliet's Facebook page:

http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2016/06/journal-as-playground.html

Which got me thinking about why I enjoy writing my fiction. It's play, the type of free, childhood play of lying in the grass, watching clouds in the sky, and letting the imagination wander where it will.

It's has elements in common with daydreaming, except I don't exist in that world.

Unlike daydreams that stay in the mind, I reconstruct where my thoughts go, word by word by word: a series of adding, subtracting, deleting, rewriting.

It's absorbing, exhilarating, frustrating, fun.

Meant to be Read

Last night, I read an article about Stephen King (which I can't seem to find again), where he talked about writing less. I found the quote on his website:

I'm writing but I'm writing at a much slower pace than previously and I think that if I come up with something really, really good, I would be perfectly willing to publish it because that still feels like the final act of the creative process, publishing it so people can read it and you can get feedback and people can talk about it with each other and with you, the writer.

I know some writers want to be commercially published, some want to make money and/or quit their day jobs, some want to be famous and so on.

And although I'm glad I make money as a writer (mostly from my day job, which is writing, and far, far less from my creative hobby, which is writing), for it allows me to spend most of my time writing, King's quote nails it for me.

When I was younger and less realistic, I used to think that by my enthusiastically sharing with others this or that great book I've read would drive them to do likewise so we could talk about it, which, when I've read something compelling, I naturally want to do.

I feel the same about the words I've written. But feature stories, although they find more readership, also have a shorter shelf life, so to speak. They're read today and forgotten before tomorrow.

My fiction, although it has more staying power, has a far shorter reach and less of an audience. Either way, at the end of the day, I spend most of my time crafting words I'll never discuss, and, even if I do, certainly not anywhere near the same depth in which I wrote them.

So the ultimate satisfaction, I think, must come from the process, which, for writers seeking readers of their work, ought to bring comfort when sales are slow.

Nevertheless, having someone to read the words is indeed the culmination. For that reason, I feel, the entire process isn't finished when we hit "publish."

It's when someone clicks on the link or picks up the book that we, as writers, can truly say, "It is finished."

Illustration by Kathleen Rose Van Pelt for "Bryony."

Recap or Review? That is the Question

Should I recap last night's extremely fun limerick match?

Or should I post the latest review from my BryonySeries super fan for the second installment of Before the Blood?

I'm going with review and leave the limerick match update for Saturday, which is the Steward of Tara's day anyway.

But I will say this: it was fun, hilarious, creative, and I met some really great people last night who weren't afraid to think up ridiculous rhyme on their feet and dramatically recite it for the entire cafe to hear.

When I returned home, I had a notification for this review. But I share it, I'll say this: I have a reviews fans have posted about the books they love, and I'm sure some of these people have written reviews similar to this one.

But I have never come across a fourteen-paragraph book review from a fan that has the depth and enthusiasm this one communicates. Like many writers, I want my words to be read and appreciated by readers who resonate with my style of storytelling.

This may sound strange for a writer to say, but I truly have no words to accurately express how humble this makes me feel. There is something truly magical about taking vague ideas and concepts, translate them into written sounds and syllables, and then watch them spark another's imagination.

May all writers find the readers who connect with their prose. Because...

It's a marvelous thing.

A deep psychological thriller that will paralyze you with terror

February 13, 2019

Verified Purchase

Stephen King has dreamed up some horrifying characters -- Pennywise, Randall Flagg and Leland Gaunt, for example. Yet, not a single one comes close to Kellen Wechsler in sheer skin-crawling creepiness. If you savor tales that terrify you into sleeping with the lights on, you'll love "Before the Blood: Kellen Wechsler." (BTB)

Kellen Wechsler was introduced in Denise Baran-Unland's amazing "Bryony" trilogy. In the trilogy, he was an Old World vampire who maintained the illusion of humanity by feeding off the protagonist. Without a doubt, he was a fascinating and disturbing character. Though it will give you a point of reference (and an amazing read), you do not actually have to read the trilogy to understand this book as it is a prequel .

Wechsler is born into the life of serfdom in 17th Century Bavaria. His childhood is miserable, filled with poverty, abysmal abuse, neglect and disillusionment. His “widowed” mother, Metta, works for the landowner while young Kellen serves as caretaker for his blind grandmother. There is little joy and even less hope in their lives.

Wechsler marries young. His wife Caterin is merely a repository for his lust. He sires scores of children, many of whom die. He stops even trying to remember their names and exists in a state of quasi-somnambulance. As he toils in the fields, Wechsler frets and obsesses over the land-owner's red-haired wife, Frau Voll-Bauer, who once stopped and spoke to him as he toiled in the fields.

Later, he experiences a vision that he interprets as a sign from God, indicating his life will change for the better. Little does he know.

When plague strikes the village, Wechsler loses everything, including - it seems - his mind. With no explanation, we find Wechsler in the Twentieth Century, with little idea how he arrived. It's a dizzying transition that knocks the wind out of the reader.

Unland writes in layers. The more you read between the lines the more complex – and terrifying – the story becomes. Reality is superimposed over the horror story in a very subtle manner. You will question which is more terrifying - Wechsler as husband and father or Wechsler as predator.

On a very basic level, BTB is a cautionary tale. The underlying premise is one of dysfunction and how a child's early development is affected by neglect and abuse. Had Wechsler been wanted and loved, the story might have taken a very different turn. Then again, maybe not. It's all open to interpretation.

As in all of her books, the author motivates the reader to think by posing deep philosophical questions. Can we be tricked into selling our immortal soul? Do we exist only to feed others? Do our illusions and desires have the power to destroy us? Why are we most mesmerized by what we can never possess? The questions raised are profound. They will make you think.

Spots of humor lend a surreal element. A description of Wechsler perfuming his hairy bits to disguise the stench of corruption throws the reader off balance. Is his apparent vanity merely a ruse to trick humans into believing he is mortal? Or, is he remembering a girl wrinkling her nose in disgust at him when he was a boy?

The book is so rife with symbolism that you’ll be compelled to read it at least a couple of times to catch the subtleties. Music plays an important role in this book and, indeed, throughout the series. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly why voracious predators are drawn to the sublime, even at their own peril. Does music soothe the savage beast? It certainly appears to attract them. And, indeed, Wechsler is drawn to music as a moth to a flame.

The characters are also memorable. Wechsler himself is at times both attractive and repellent. You feel for him as a boy and perhaps in his terror at realizing what he has become. Then again, his lust and manipulation are repulsive. Frau Voll-Bauer is a prototype of sorts. Her personality is vague. Yet, she plays a mysterious role in Wechsler's life and is central to the plot itself.

Coincidentally (or not), Wechsler's mistress, Margaret, is also an elusive character who resembles Frau Voll-Bauer. She has her own issues with lust and vast insecurity. It becomes clear that Margaret is an enabler - a woman drawn to dangerous men. If you've read the "Bryony" trilogy she may well remind you of the protagonist, Melissa.

Perhaps, the most disturbing character is Dr. Thradgort/Gothart, who also makes guest appearances "Bryony." The man - if indeed he is human - is decidedly creepy. He seems to exist outside time and space. He plays the role of "divine narrator," giving the reader clues. He has the dirt on everyone and fears no one.

With a nod to Alfred Hitchcock, the crows that appear to emerge from Wechsler's person put on quite a macabre show. But, what is their deeper significance? They're not the triggered specimens from "The Birds," violently exacting revenge on earth-murdering humans. They're something even more sinister, but what?

This is a frightening and highly disturbing book. It's not a tale that should be read as a lark. It's the perfect read for cold, snowy days when you can dedicate your mind to the tale alone. When reading an Unland book, it pays to remember, almost nothing is as it appears. When you believe you've figured something out, the rug is pulled out swift and mercilessly.

Like the "Bryony" trilogy and "Before the Blood: John Simons," this book is more than the sum of its chapters. With every reading you learn something new. I predict that one day soon the series will become a classic.

BryonySeries Throwback Thursday: Hunting Down Story Links

Monday, December 22, 2014

Hunting Down Story Links

So I finally spent some time (a couple of hours, to be honest) hunting down story links from the last six weeks, resolving (yeah, right) to "copy and save" each day for Friday's round-up, and wondering why I fail to remember to do so.

Mostly, I believe it's a cross between lack of habit (I try to establish habits for things I wish to accomplish; by rote, for me, is more productive than spontaneity) combined with a touch of distaste for self-promotion. I do like words to speak for themselves, but, sheesh, I could further the process by at least putting the works out there.

Amongst all the posts of vampires, fiction-writing tips, and anything that interests me or pertains to the series, is the work I do each day. Posts on homeschooling have dropped to nearly nothing after my two youngest earned their GED's last November, which left the features writing/editing portion of my day to, if not increase, than to shift focus in my life and receive more of my time.

I am exorbitantly proud of the work I do, not because of a twisted sort of self-inflation type of pride, but because of the humbling awe in talking in-depth to people on a regular basis, hearing their amazing life stories, and then retelling them in a way that lends itself to newspaper publication and a desire by readers to, well, read them.

I also have a passionate attachment to The Herald-News, which I have read from my youth. It's a local newspaper with a strong community chain, from staff to readers, that has made all my jobs through the years connected with it (selling it, writing for it, and delivering it) a joy to perform.

To have passed so many hours and days and weeks and months and years in such a fashion is a blessing that defies defining - and to now have the privilege of making editorial decisions and working with other freelancers as other editors have worked with me - is also a tremendous blessing. When I post story-rounds, I'm sharing the work of other writers, too, something I really need to keep in mind.

This may explain my preference for fiction that borders on literary, well-defined characters that move the plot, rather than novels that require only a few standup paper dolls to keep the pages turning at a rapid rate. I've nothing against genre fiction, as long as characters have substance and shape. It's the integrity of features writing that drives my fiction, with fiction being an extremely minor part of my life.

To combine all of these reasons into a weekly post of story round-ups is, I feel, reasonable. So I really need to get my shit together.

How Do You Know if It's Good?

That was one of many questions a high school job shadower asked me last Friday.

First of all, a little about this student.

Over the past few years, I've had a number of students (and one adult) hang out with me for a few hours while I work, but I've never had one that put the level of thought into the time as she did.

The students typically arrive with several standardized questions they must ask. This girl, however, also compiled her own list, a list so extensive it took two hours to answer them all.

As she asked, I explained and showed portions of my job. Interestingly, every student through the years except one, is also interested in writing and publishing poetry or fiction, so we talk about that, too. And this student was no exception.

She did, however, ask one question that made me pause.

How do you know if it's good?

Good question, a really good question.

What criteria do writers use to determine if a piece of writing is good?

High sales? Perhaps. Although it's true cream often rises to the top, it's also true that bad writing often sells well while good writing languishes.

Awards? I think the previous point also applies.

Lots of readers? A band of loyal readers prepared to fiercely defend the prose?

And yet, how often do we stumble upon a really stellar obscure work and wonder, "Where have you been all my life?"

The writer says so? I mean, we are the gods of our creation (And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. Genesis 1:31). But are we the best judge of its value?

Publishing contracts? Lots of clicks and shares? Concise sentences that are free of grammar, punctuation, and style errors?

Even at WriteOn Joliet, we'll have a room full of writers who will really like or dislike the way a string of words is assembled with a minority who emphatically disagree.

So in the end, I told her, "Instinct. I think when a writer reads and writes a lot, the write just knows."

What would you have said?

Just Twenty-Six Letters

It occurred to me the other day how magic writing truly is.

With just twenty-six letters, we can inform, stir minds, call to action, induce strong emotion, and make readers believe (if just for awhile) that make-believe is real.

Isn't that awesome?