Theatre of Poetics

Only more recently did I understand that in writing for myself I served others and that, in not writing for myself, I could not serve others (Barker 1997, p.76).

Behold the light of despair (Kane 2010, p. 228).

Leaves wither and crack in a vast and broken place. Collectedly swept together but never unified. As they swirl around one another, they reform and change through the eyes of omniscience. The leaves are the actors on the stage. Their fullness of being can mean only that they will one day vanish. Unseen. For now, there is movement.

Movement in silence. Witnessed by some who see and speak. By some who see but do not speak. Others speak and do not see. Others neither see nor speak. A muted stage. There is unity only in what’s beyond the horizon. Eyes cannot see that far. Leaves cannot fathom what lies beyond the winds that manipulate them.

The silence resets through each moment of being. The earth regenerates through the motions of mind. The path unfolds with abstract voices, words that are bound by history and tied up in antiquity.

Voices mock the thunder

Absence screams the presence of a thousand dying souls. Collected on a page in an attempt to unify being. To create a self through fragmented language. The stark winter of my week when I find myself alone. Lost in words that create being. That forge meaning from the otherwise passing flux of time and phenomena.

Words rise up through suicidal despair, spelling out the death of me.

The cat meows and scratches at the door. The air glides outside my window. Hidden in here all night to sleep I await the waking terror of morning. Pay homage to this dying art. This life of aesthetic qualities.

To spell out the death of me. These words to which life clings. Up with the dawn and at my desk as the rest of the house sleeps. My phone does not vibrate with a barrage of messages. There is a creative silence. A place where I can be symbolically resurrected. Only to be deconstructed by somebody else. There is no containing the life on the page. Pages feed words to each other.

Abstract spatiality

There is hope in fluidity. In the flow of life that pours through these words. Invisible waves connect everything together in the rise and fall of incommunicable emotion.

The leaves blow by the window. The scratching at the door has ceased. There is no separation between me and the opening sky.

A series of statements set in stone is to produce a doctrine. Thought does not work that way. Language does not work that way. Time does not work that way. Words engraved on gravestones erode with time as evidence of past thought vanishes from the world. The mourning leaves dissolve in the rain. There can be no finality of meaning.

Love breathes new life into the meaning of words. A love for life and poetry. To live life well is to create art. The works will produce themselves. No self from which to write. A shifting point of view. Not locked in a single paradigm. The space of the page is not a cage.

The possibility of escape. Of going beyond. To break free from these dusty theories and philosophical debates.

Poetic language draws beauty out of silence. Illuminates a hope that’s deep underwater. Forgotten so long it barely exists. Water pours over the clocks of the world as familiar notions of time are wiped out. Wiped clean. Until the past is little more than a cured disease. A stifled cave, washed and crumbled, exposed to the sky.

The leaves break down into soil as the cyclic nature of the world continues. Fragmented sentences blow through the mind of a figure that passes. The stranger on the street. The writer at home. Bodies of text create the bodies of being. Assertions form temporary identity.

When the leaves turn, the entire world has rotated. Nature grows over the rigid design, outstripping the constraints of reason. The urban sprawl exists to remind us of our self-oppression. I walk alongside the crumbled ruins, chasing a perpetual horizon.

Endless hunger winds along these paths. Autumn has scattered its character on the ground. It has shed its illustrious beauty in favour of a stark winter. Hours building, soon to be forgotten. Swept again and again. Raked into dust.

Another walk in the forest to nowhere. Another road. Another tree. It’s all the same but different.

The conversation burned with the cinders.

I once wanted this beauty to cease. To pack it away into a box and bury it. (Under a dark spell.) I’m aware of the deficiencies. (The ghost of a word.)

The wall reveals nothing but a wasted life. To live is to never be free of the puzzle.

Can anyone ever put these fragments together or will they remain spinning forever through eternity? The other side of the mind turns with the world. Its tide fluctuates between clarity and insanity.

Instability of mind

Language is a dance of love. Cataclysmic splinter of the mind. A mark left by death, there on my skin. I’ll say no more about it. Exhausted, isolated, no point to anything. I do not want to be here.

Hope is found in the deepest despair. Carved out of grief. A pattern of existence so desperate now to break.

Something must break. The limitations that I draw for myself. Opening to life at the dissipation of winter. Toward the end. Toward the dark. The day and the night coexist in a dreamt up world. A world of boundless imagination. It is love that blows the leaves through the air. The leaves form letters that spell out truths.

To dream of the world and never wake up. The dream is the world. The world is the dream. To dream of the world at this barren table. To die is to wake from the dream. To change.

The veil of reality is lifted.

References:

Barker, H 1997, Arguments for a Theatre, 3^rd edn, Manchester University Press, Manchester.

Kane, S 2010, Sarah Kane Complete Plays, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, London.

Ethical Writing in Digital Spaces

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I’ve been thinking a lot lately about authorship, agency and self-determination. The question of a writer’s responsibility when writing for the web is a huge area that raises a multitude of questions for a variety of different content producers. For creative writers, it is often a question that is deemed theoretical (although this is not to say there aren’t very real risks involved). The ability to publish work online brings greater freedoms and, with it, greater ethical challenges. These challenges encompass a Foucauldian ‘freedom from’ and ‘freedom to’ ethical dilemma – freedom from having work plagiarised online, for example, and freedom to publish for the benefit of humanitarian and global causes. The personalised narratives that creative writers offer in both fiction and non-fiction can have a huge impact on the way that human attitudes and views of the world are constructed. So, before you hit ‘publish’, have a good think about the wider resonances that your work might have in the real world.

The importance of self-editing has become apparent in the world of digital media. Although there are many magazines and journals that publish online, there are also opportunities to publish directly to the web without the oversight of such editorial gatekeepers. However, when publishing online without such oversight, the ethical (and legal) burdens fall directly onto you. I won’t go into the legal issues of publishing here, but it’s definitely something to seriously consider (especially in relation to defamation and copyright). Be sure to contact a lawyer if you fall into trouble! Clearly, these laws are very complicated and vary between jurisdictions, and in many cases only a lawyer can give you the assistance you may need.

Writers take on great responsibility when writing online. Their words can impact the world in ways that they might not anticipate. It is therefore important to consider the potential impact that your work might have in the world, both in terms of representation and accuracy with respect to the material that you publish. For creative writers, this is of course much different to the ethics that take place in news and journalism. However, many of the implications remain the same. Creative writers have an ethical obligation to themselves and to the vision of the world that they are trying to create. But they also need to consider the wider implications of their craft, as well as the ethical duties to others. For example, there can be ethical obligations to not represent certain people or cultures in certain ways.

Unlike law, ethics can be very subjective and can vary largely from person to person. It can become very philosophical, calling into question your values and beliefs. The narratives that creative writers produce have a very real impact on the world. Therefore, ethics in creative writing may boil down to a very simple question: What is the purpose of the piece you are writing and who is the audience that you’re writing for? This may help to clarify any ethical issues that may arise. For example, if your writing is aimed at challenging and subverting existing political structures within a society, then there may be an ethical responsibility to represent each point of view accurately and humanely. Again, this is a judgement call, since the narrators of creative texts are not always considered reliable. Just be sure that your position on the matter can be justified.

Certainly, the reach of your creative work is a relevant question, making writing online all the more perilous to the unprepared. Publishing online means that there is potential for a global audience, creating even more challenges for bloggers and online writers. Although in creative writing, fiction is not necessarily considered ‘real’, there can still be issues with respect to truth and representation. Such issues can be overcome with both an awareness of ethical principles when writing, as well as research into the subject matter of your writing. Remember that language is powerful and has the potential to both inform and mislead. It can also greatly affect attitudes with respect to your chosen subject matter. Think too about the characters in your stories and how they may represent certain minorities as well as those from other cultures. Awareness and critical thinking are key here, as is an emphasis on quality content. Edit, proofread, and edit again. Give it to someone you trust to proofread. If you can (and haven’t already), take classes in creative writing, or join a workshop group (some run at local libraries). All of these are really important things to do to test how your work is received. It’s a good idea to do at least some of these things before you hit ‘publish’.

So, what have we learned? Ethics are really important when considering publishing your work online for all the world to see. The way that you represent others in your writing has a real-world impact and has the potential to shape social attitudes. Publishing online is free for anybody to do, but with such freedom comes being responsible for your own conduct. Writing that is ethical can have the power to change the world for good. It’s really down to you to write and to publish in an ethical manner and this requires a degree of critical thinking and self-reflexivity. Nobody can tell you how to be ethical in the same way that a person could say ‘obey the law’. However, this flexibility can be a good thing, allowing for change to occur much more quickly than relying on an often slow-moving legal system that can be out of touch with contemporary social attitudes. Ethics comes from within, but it also comes through a consideration of the wider world that we inhabit.

Go now. Publish. Be free. And change the world for good.

Publishing Opportunities in the Online World

Over the past few decades, the Internet has opened up many opportunities for creative writers. The ability to share work online has removed many of the constraints of print-only publishing, allowing for more diversity and for a side-stepping of the traditional gatekeepers in the publishing industry.

Although print publishing is still the preferred mode of delivery for readers, as well as the greatest area of profit when it comes to the publishing world, there are still many opportunities for authors to gain a readership and even sell their works online, either independently or through traditional Ebook publishing.

The opportunities for publishing online are seemingly limitless, with writers able to write their own work and post it to a blog (like this one) without editorial oversight. There are also opportunities to submit work to online literary journals and magazines. With the vast number of web pages on the Internet nowadays, it can be difficult for independent blogs to come to the attention of potential audiences. Therefore, submitting work to online journals may be a good way to get your work noticed, both in the beginning and throughout your writing life.

There are many literary journals and magazines out there, and in my latest (and debut) podcast with author Des Barry, some suggestions came to light: 3:AM Magazine; Quart; Lit Hub; Minor Literatures; Overland; Meanjin; The New Yorker; and Granta (I’ve gone ahead and added a couple). Not all literary magazines pay writers for submissions, so this is something to consider on a case-by-case basis – just be sure to read the submission guidelines and have a look to see whether they pay. However, if you’ve got some longer works in the pipeline, it can be a good idea to get something published online (even if it’s small), since both publishers and readers will look favourably on that. It’s my personal opinion that writers shouldn’t work for free, but of course it’s an individual judgment call.

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I mentioned above that publishing on a blog, for example, is done without editorial oversight. However, I will stress that meticulous proofreading and editing must, in this case, be undertaken by the author themselves. The same goes for submitting work to literary journals. You’ll want your work to be as polished as it possibly can be before publishing online or submitting to an online magazine. Good quality content is crucial and will keep readers coming back for more.

The web really does offer a plethora of opportunities for the savvy author. Whether you want to write solely online or use online spaces to promote your writing projects, there are many avenues to take. Perhaps the most important aspect is establishing a presence that reflects the work that you do and establishes your craft in a professional way. Having a positive online presence is better than having no presence at all if you want others to read your work, and perhaps buy your books if you’ve published them online. However, being aware of the pitfalls of publishing online is equally important. As mentioned previously, editing and proofreading are especially important, and many good writers find these exercises to be very difficult. Fortunately, there are many editing courses you can take in your spare time that can improve your skills. Alternatively, there are freelance editors out there who can help (although they can be costly) if you’re having trouble.

Finding a suitable publication for your work is a skill in itself, and I’ve been to numerous events and functions that focus on how to approach editors and publishers. The hard truth is that many editors will be looking for an excuse not to read your work (due to their existing workloads and busy schedules), and this is why appropriate presentation, high quality content, following submission guidelines, and thoroughly researching the publication that you’re submitting to are so important. It is true that online publications have more space to display content, but editors will still be looking at whether your submitted piece of writing fits with the overall aims and style of the publication. A good editor will always have their readership in mind when assessing whether a piece of writing is appropriate for their particular audience’s demographic and perhaps even political affiliations.

This brings us to an important point: audience. If you’ve researched an online magazine and think your writing aligns with the publisher’s mission statement and previously published pieces, then you’ve pretty much met this criterion already. But what happens if you’re writing your own blog from scratch? While writing your own blog is pretty much an opportunity to bask in your own freedom to create, it certainly comes with challenges of its own. Clearly in this case you’ll have to find your own audience and ensure that the content you create is suitable. Again, be sure to do your research. The good news is that there are loads of online literary journals and magazines to choose from.

Also, be sure to keep your eye out for new and emerging publications. These publications are always looking for contributions from writers to get their brand going, and can therefore be a good opportunity to try something new and to develop a good working relationship with an editor that could last for many years. Networking with other industry professionals is equally as important, since they may know things you don’t and vice versa. Only the other day I came across The Suburban Review after an old friend recommended it to me (it may not be new but I hadn’t heard of it). Keeping lines of communication open can be a lifeline for writers, and writing online can help facilitate this communication. Long gone is the myth of the lonely writer in their garret. The new writer is connected, contemporary, and more in-demand than ever. There have never been more opportunities for writers of all kinds. It’s up to you to decide on how involved you want to be, where to take your writing craft, and where you want your writing craft to take you.

Podcast – #1 Des Barry

In this podcast I talk with author Des Barry about how digital media has influenced his career.

Photo by Tatiana Syrikova from Pexels

(c) Music by Carl Beswick.

Des Barry gave consent for this interview to be recorded.

Transcription:

Carl Beswick: Hi, I’m Carl Beswick, and welcome to this podcast episode on creative writing. Today I’ll be talking with author Des Barry, whose novels include The Chivalry of Crime, A Bloody Good Friday and Cressida’s Bed. We’ll be talking primarily about digital media, and how it has changed the way that writers work. Hi, Des, welcome, and thanks for taking the time to speak with me.

Des Barry: My pleasure.

Carl Beswick: In terms of your own writing, what has surprised you about the way that the digitisation of media has affected your writing practice?

Des Barry: I don’t think anything really surprised me about digital media. It did make my writing go in particular directions. Like, in 2006, there was a competition for a Creative Wales Award, it was the first of its kind, where they were offering quite a lot of money to, what did they say, pushing the boundaries of your form. At that time, though, my form was a novel and so I put in a request for this award with a project that I got off the top of my head, really. But what I wanted to do with a novel was to take it in a direction that I thought could utilise the internet a lot, so I actually ended up publishing this novel under a under a pseudonym, David Enrique Spellman, D-E-S, Des. The novel is called Far South. And it actually contains QR codes and the QR codes take you to places on the web, where you can see films there. We also did a huge website as well. I won the award. So, it meant I could go to Argentina and spend six months in Argentina to research the novel. Eventually, we produced this novel, and it was also with interviews and dance videos, so there was about twenty-four people involved all together. So digital media in that sense, obviously, there’s an Ebook as well. But I think the main push to publish directly on the web began in 2014, when I actually started writing for the web at 3:AM Magazine. And the first piece I wrote was for William Burroughs’ hundredth anniversary of his birth. And since then I’ve been writing a lot for 3:AM Magazine. And I think the direction is taking me in my writing is that I wanted to explore more nonfiction, creative nonfiction. And 3:AM Magazine gave me the space to do that, for example, but also they want you to break the limits of critical theory. So, I ended up, I’ve written lots and lots of articles for them. Also, a lot of reviews and most recently a review on Anna Kavan’s Machines in the Head, which was like pretty much like an essay on her work, before that Chris Kraus’ After Kathy Acker, and that was quite nice. She actually wrote to me after I wrote it and said, I really got, I really understood what he was trying to do, which was a great kind of pat on the back for me personally. It’s just so great, wonderful that the review got that kind of response from the person who was writing it. And especially somebody I really respect a lot.

Carl Beswick: Yeah, that’s a really great result. It sounds like it’s been super positive for you.

Des Barry: Yeah, definitely. We have so many magazines online now, younger writers, emerging writers, old established writers who want to do something else. There’s a lot of scope but, you know, magazines like 3:AM Magazine is one thing: Quart is another; Lit Hub is another; Minor Literatures is, you know, quite influential as well. Also, most magazines like The New Yorker, Granta, all have a digital outlet when things don’t get into, you know, they get a massive influx of submissions. Obviously, they can’t put everything in the print magazine, but it’s much easier to put it up on an online magazine. So, there are loads of opportunities out there, I think.

A Focus on Positivity – Work and Connectivity in Social Isolation and Beyond

As the world changes and more stringent measures are put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19, online and digital spaces have become more valuable than ever. Creative practitioners across all mediums must adapt to this new, perhaps temporary, reality, and embrace the opportunity to begin new projects as well as finish old ones (think that old dusty manuscript in the bottom draw, for example). In short, despite the magnitude of the current global situation, social isolation doesn’t have to be a drag for everyone.

Although I usually shun social media and dismiss it as a distraction (I would rather be working on my art), staying connected has now become synonymous with keeping sane. Focussing on maintaining good mental health and positive coping strategies are as important as the artworks themselves. For many people, the only way to stay connected with others at the moment is through online platforms. Staying connected to others may even result in the undertaking of collaborative works that may not have been conceived of before. A changing world requires adaptation to new (even if somewhat pathological) norms, and this can be powerful in shaking up old ideas, creating space for new ones to emerge.

While it is important to reach out when you need to and maintain connectivity with others, including professional networks, now is also a time for reconnecting with yourself. In a constantly busy world, we are currently experiencing a rare and prolonged moment of quiet. This can be viewed in a number of different ways, both positive and negative, but I like to think that it’s a great moment to reflect on what is meaningful in life, and to practise self-care. Many artworks are necessarily philosophical in nature, and it is vital to take a moment to track progress, ask questions and maintain perspective.

Now is also a time for great compassion. This is important in terms of work, quality of life and relationships with others. For example, track progress with care and be sure to identify strengths in the work as well as weaknesses. Beware of allowing the inner critic to take over, since this will only serve to stifle progress. Remember that these are challenging times and there are enough problems without creating new ones. Compassion is key to tackling these challenges. Staying positive during crises is not the same as being delusional – doing what makes you happy and being creative are just as important as before, perhaps even more so.

On the practical side, creative practitioners ordinarily face innumerable challenges when turning an idea or concept into a completed, publishable project. Let me say from the outset that no work of art is ever complete, and this can be one of the most fun and fascinating parts of the creative process. However, as a matter of practicality, it is important to be organised and to have a plan in place, as doing so can be crucial to economic survival. This may now be more vital a point than ever.

There is a certain romantic ideal associated with the life of creative practitioners. This mindset has to be abandoned. There is nothing romantic about spending many hours alone at a workstation, wondering all the while how you’re going to pay the bills, or if this is really something that can be done to keep food in the fridge. Conversely, such thoughts can be obstacles to getting the work done. That’s why, at least at the very beginning, it’s important to have other sources of income and to transition into the life of a full-time creative practitioner (where possible) at an individual pace. Creating is fun, and not having to rely on it as a way of paying the bills can help to keep it that way.

Even for the most advanced creative practitioners, it is often important to recap the basics, especially as the work becomes more complicated. Also, having a clear, uncluttered workspace is essential to maintaining focus and maximising creative output. Keeping a clean, attractive workspace can help to overcome the obstacle of sitting or standing at your workspace when resistance is highest. I can say that this is something I’ve struggled with, and now strive to maintain a clutter-free zone. There is no secret to being prolific when it comes to your art. The hard work begins with having an effective space to work from. And remember to take regular breaks.

Another important aspect of creative output is time management. This has been another hurdle for me personally, as I seemed to have contracted the steadfast belief that inspiration strikes whenever it chooses. This belief, I can tell you, does not result in a sustainable creative career. Having confidence, believing in yourself and your abilities, and regularly turning up to your workstation, does.

Time management is an important aspect of an autonomous work schedule for additional reasons. Spending a lot of time alone can take its toll on mental health, and therefore it’s important to take time away from the workspace to connect with others and partake in other activities. A well-structured work schedule can reduce feelings of guilt when away from the workspace, transforming thoughts of ‘I should be working on my project’ to ‘this is my time to take a break, do other things, and take care of myself and others’. When you do return to the workspace, you’ll feel more refreshed, engaged, and the quality of work is likely to be better.

Take care and stay safe!