Finished!

A first draft. I feel like it’s complete shit but it’s shit I can still work with. Hooray for working with shit!

So easy

To do nothing. It’s almost July. I thought I’d be finished my book for sure, but nope. My ten-year high school reunion is coming up next year and it’s making me depressed. What do I have to show for? A demo, a bunch of short films, some writing published in lit mags. I suppose it’s something, and maybe it’s just the traditional Asian in me talking, but I expect more from myself.

You will finish writing another chapter this weekend. /pep-talk over.

So productive

Writing at on a computer at university. I wasn’t distracted to do anything else either. I just sat down, opened up my document, and immediately starting go through and editing it. Then I come home and I’m unproductive again. I think I’ve found my new writing spot! If only it weren’t so far away and out of the way…

Where do you write most productively?

Writing is hard!

I mean, I knew it, but man, it’s so easy to type a few words before getting distracted and convincing yourself you want to watch another YouTube video. Or look at porn. Actually, that one’s better.

And speaking of porn, if you’ll excuse me…

Editing sad stories

Makes me sad. Guess that’s sort of what I get for writing sad things in the first place. Oh my life is so sad. Sad sad sad.

How Art Talks to Art, Part II

You might be wondering, “Part two? I thought you just explained everything in your previous post. How much more do you have to say? Also, why am I on this silly site instead of porn?” And yes, I wanted to nail down everything I meant in one post, but I’ve had a difficult time trying to articulate why it is I’m writing a mixed-genre memoir, even when it comes to writing it down (because me telling you in person would be a lot more rambling).

Well, I’ve been thinking about it a lot more, and I don’t think my previous post quite got it. But I think I’ve narrowed it down to something simple.

There’s the pleasure and experience of reading a piece of fiction or poetry or listening to music watching a play or film or looking at a piece of art on its own without any explanation or information about the artist or writer. That’s the simplest way of enjoying it.

Watch this video and just listen to the music. Take a note of how you feel about the piece and what you think about it. Note: if you know anything about Chopin’s Revolutionary Etude, this might not work.

But what about the story behind the story? In terms of literature, one of the most common questions writers get asked is “What inspired you to write that?” To me, what is interesting is when it’s something personal that happened to them. I wish I had more examples to give, other than my own work, but one good one is Chopin’s Revolutionary Etude. When I learned to play this years ago, I didn’t know the history behind it. I just played it because I needed to for my upcoming exam. All I knew was that it was fast, loud, super hard, and the sixteenth notes rumbling in the left hand throughout the entire piece killed my arm after. My piano teacher eventually explained that at the time, Poland, Chopin’s country of birth, was being attacked by Russian forces. As he still had family and friends in Poland, he was upset and emotional. So he wrote this as a response.

When I heard this story, the piece made a lot more sense. I saw the etude in a different light. I understood why it was so loud, the specific accents on chords, how the left hand almost feels like it cries out when it goes up into the treble clef. The history — the story behind the story — enhanced my perspective. I saw the piece as it was intentionally meant by its creator.

I realized that my non-creative non-fiction work — fiction, poetry, plays, scripts — are almost always based on some sort of personal experience. I write things for a reason, sometimes as a response to something I’ve gone through. Of course, you could enjoy them on their own, but being aware of the context, I think, elevates the piece.

That’s what my creative non-fiction work is mostly about. My memoir, by extension, is not so much about why I wrote my fictional works as it is a way to get you in the right mindset when I wrote it. That way, you can then try and glean what autobiographical details may be embedded in the fiction. Fiction can, of course, be autobiographical in nature, and together with memoir, can provide a more complete and deeper understanding of a person’s life. At least I think so. And at least for me.

I hope that makes sense. I do tend to complicate things, so maybe my explanation was a bit convoluted. If so, now that you understand what Chopin’s Revolutionary Etude was about watch it again.

Do you see a difference?

-A

Bummed.

Got a rejection letter from the publishing house that I thought for sure would accept my book proposal, so I’m really bummed out. And if they didn’t want it, who will now? Is my mixed-genre memoir too strange and unconventional to be marketable and sellable?

Back to the drawing board…

New poetry out!

Do I fancy myself to be a poet? No, and especially not after having received rejection after rejection from literary magazines and publications. But the good folks at The Outrider Review thought otherwise! In the second issue of their second volume, you’ll find two poems from yours truly: “Prodigal Boy” and “Cave”, two poems I’ve had kicking around for quite a few years. I’m thrilled that they’ve both finally found a home. (I’m also thrilled that someone actually likes my somewhat straightforward poetry)

You can order either a print or digital copy (or both!) here. And as always, if anyone reads my poetry and has thoughts, I am very receptive to them. Please leave a comment! I’m dying to know!

Week-long date with my book

I’ve been away from it for a while, and I recently realized that I need to spend some time getting to know it and what it wants to be. I thought I had it figured out, but then I realized that there were some things I didn’t know, some other stories it wants to tell. Also, I gotta get out of my house because my cat and reachable food is too distracting. So I’m going to take my computer and sit with my book in a cafe somewhere and figure it out.

Should be a hot date.

Traumatic bathhouse story!

Want to read a traumatic true story about my visit to a gay bathhouse? More like who wouldn’t! My memoir piece, “Underworld”, has been published in Plenitude (yay!) and is available to read online.

Here it is! http://plenitudemagazine.ca/creative-non-fiction-underworld/  If you have any thoughts, I’d love to hear them!