tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26914622481727031022024-03-05T11:00:47.046-08:00The Almost Blog"There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."
-W. Somerset MaughamChristopher Beyershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02274357686043539018noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691462248172703102.post-87366586269023225062013-05-31T11:30:00.002-07:002013-05-31T11:31:07.418-07:00This Walking MemeplexI'm not sure I've decided what the function of this blog is supposed to be, precisely: whether it is supposed to be about me, or about The Almost Crime, or a little bit of both.<br />
<br />
But whatever it is, <i>this</i> certainly isn't it.<br />
<br />
But, whatever! Because I have an announcement to make, and it's exciting: I've just completed a sort-of memoir, in which I've <i>almost</i> bared my soul.<br />
<br />
I'm not sure if it's going to be published, or when. Stay tuned.<br />
<br />
After it comes out, though, or after I've spent some time mulling it over: I also plan, officially, to start work on the sequel to the book I'm supposed to be promoting, here. I've already written the first chapter, or the second (I do everything in the wrong order!). I'll consider putting a preview up, too, if there's enough popular demand.<br />
<br />
Let me know, folks.<br />
<br />
-C.R.B. Christopher Beyershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02274357686043539018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691462248172703102.post-42614196155227154382013-04-07T12:52:00.002-07:002013-04-11T14:57:57.258-07:00Hear Michael Cera Read a Story<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have to give famous actors a lot of credit: none of them
really look like me. (I have never ever been mistaken as famous.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But when <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Juno</i> was
released, I heard quite a few times, from at least a handful of sources, that
(and, “-oh my God...”) I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sound</i> like Michael
Cera. This fact became more of a reality for me when I heard recordings of my
own voice, like the one I want to share with you now. So, what the heck. Let’s
milk this thing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1VL6TRPR6w"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, Michael Cera reads a story. (Link will direct you to
YouTube, where I read Chapter 1 of <u>The Almost Crime</u>.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVBRr8c3_CC09bC9XjyVbVzWGAWqBAvtxvtyugLWv1vgdJKRWKXg-ZsZcwq9fkwDRQBdyPhqgbAxNoixnzcvqCftyMpbIWQYt51ZMUEnI9t0fFqGU981JMRpTH9MALk8rOVDRdrskJcFT/s1600/TheAlmostCrime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVBRr8c3_CC09bC9XjyVbVzWGAWqBAvtxvtyugLWv1vgdJKRWKXg-ZsZcwq9fkwDRQBdyPhqgbAxNoixnzcvqCftyMpbIWQYt51ZMUEnI9t0fFqGU981JMRpTH9MALk8rOVDRdrskJcFT/s320/TheAlmostCrime.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">There are other imbedded, dubious honors in this blog post.
Have you ever wanted to look up an author’s nose? Here’s your chance! You get
to see my head larger, even, then it is in life – because that’s the only way I
could get close enough to the microphone for you to hear me. And my wife’s
lovely wedding decorations are hanging on the wall, in the background. I take
full credit for showing them to you.</span><br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Let me share something with you about YouTube, if you’re
thinking about making a debut: it’s weird! For one thing, it’s very, very easy
to show yourself to the world. I thought, “Perhaps I’ll do a reading on
YouTube.” And thirty minutes later, I had the thing itself.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB3zOJYfflAc_um9xWj-VEMOIcD-UBgdkl-ZpSDN_Zw6EnWikc95CeNKINw_v-zgTvZI4B6fXgWdDqfNY3iMHLpFFNqvQurDEYSSpXV5zOi7WXtio2vBvqwQWFR69jGhwpWX4W-JnEYSDQ/s1600/Youtube.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB3zOJYfflAc_um9xWj-VEMOIcD-UBgdkl-ZpSDN_Zw6EnWikc95CeNKINw_v-zgTvZI4B6fXgWdDqfNY3iMHLpFFNqvQurDEYSSpXV5zOi7WXtio2vBvqwQWFR69jGhwpWX4W-JnEYSDQ/s1600/Youtube.png" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">For another, you only have a couple of choices. There is a
button for “Record,” and once you’ve Recorded, your only choices are, “Upload”
(go live, to everyone) and “Restart” (erase everything you’ve done, so far).
There is about as much room for error as there is during an audition, or an
interview. I didn’t realize this until I did it!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Bellow* is a complete list of links of all the YouTube clips
I’ve uploaded, so far. (New links will be posted, as they appear.) Please take note
of all my mistakes, so you can learn vicariously through me:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1VL6TRPR6w"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1VL6TRPR6w</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">
(Chapter 1)</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">*I made this mistake about a million times, when I was
working as an assistant science teacher in Indianapolis, In. and was creating
assignments. I leave the typo here as just one more example of what not to do.<o:p></o:p></span>Christopher Beyershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02274357686043539018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691462248172703102.post-79622076675989919292013-04-07T10:17:00.004-07:002013-04-09T21:21:11.955-07:00A Beyers Tip: Judge this Book by its Cover<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m sorry, folks. For two reasons.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For one, my Syracuse basketball team lost in the Final Four
last night - so I’m a bit distracted. (The game we made the Final Four, my wife clocked my heart rate at upwards of
100 beats per minute – meaning, for me, sitting on a couch with chips is a
better vascular workout than, say, jogging in place for thirty minutes.)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And secondly, and more importantly: this blog is aesthetically
boring.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The problem is, I’m writing it. And putting it together. And
making the decisions. And my idea of a pleasing image is a sentence that
reaches the end of a page.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So in order to rectify this situation, I’m employing the
same tactic I used to make my book itself not-aesthetically-boring: the help of
a friend.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Without the help of a friend, the cover of <u>The Almost
Crime</u> would look like:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>The Almost Crime</u> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">a novel</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">by Christopher Beyers</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And the back-flap description would be black letters on a
white background, with awe-inspiring text, like:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This book is good. You should read it. (Hint, hint: I didn’t
write the back-flap.)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Don’t get me wrong: many friends of mine, and family
members, and brief acquaintances, and friends I haven’t met, yet, and won’t,
helped in the creation of my book. (If you think a book is a solo venture, skip
to the acknowledgements page, if there is one.) But in order to add an element to this book that <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Suggested-Changes-Bold-Christopher-Beyers/dp/1479140058"><u>Suggested Changes in Bold</u></a> didn't have, I decided to try and sell it. And in order to do that, I wanted some cool cover art. Like, done by an artist. And I wanted it to look cool.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So this blog post is about one
amazing person in particular, and her name is <a href="http://www.birdintherafters.blogspot.com/">Laura</a>. (Link will take you to
Laura’s awesome art blog.)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When Laura agreed to be a friend in need (and, therefore: a
friend, indeed), I brainstormed with a few people I haven’t publicly thanked
here, yet, and we concocted image ideas from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chapter 9: Say “Cheese”</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chapter
24: The Grey-Green Car</i> and asked Laura to try and “do something” with our
ideas. Laura was kind enough to read the chapters in question, and put these sketches
together for me (Can you tell which one I selected?):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0pFiZsSqruqoAZzdGZJJeNsIzuJs7aJrk_Py4jYuVb3_BMMMV36Qpxs_V7ALJ3tVOo3p09uSPv9-Q1M1ysmkY3GhImEzGOuK3D5r1WAts1Eb-351gczANofz91RELUImduwe17jHeWmlR/s1600/100_4358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0pFiZsSqruqoAZzdGZJJeNsIzuJs7aJrk_Py4jYuVb3_BMMMV36Qpxs_V7ALJ3tVOo3p09uSPv9-Q1M1ysmkY3GhImEzGOuK3D5r1WAts1Eb-351gczANofz91RELUImduwe17jHeWmlR/s320/100_4358.JPG" width="230" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">and</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxnmbMIPsOfDXHoeNfP7GVt4tNDHCbhPukgrr8rxk4kkuD_NApWb6bzqER9MbXvaFtBMdr7PUH9OPKTiPBk1aT6WuHaJwtJxbRZlVAZ2w5TNSM39e0Dd5hHvrWLjtVadqfgmxyY2cOf10/s1600/100_4357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxnmbMIPsOfDXHoeNfP7GVt4tNDHCbhPukgrr8rxk4kkuD_NApWb6bzqER9MbXvaFtBMdr7PUH9OPKTiPBk1aT6WuHaJwtJxbRZlVAZ2w5TNSM39e0Dd5hHvrWLjtVadqfgmxyY2cOf10/s320/100_4357.JPG" width="230" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Laura then asked me about paint types and dimensions and on and on, and I fumbled to find answers for her. She wasn’t finished being thorough, though. A week or two later, I
was on my laptop, minding my own business, thinking I had fulfilled my end of the art-bargain, when this message popped into my inbox:<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Hey Chris,</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">As I am painting this book cover, I
am realizing: Your story takes place in the winter, but my original sketch
shows sort of a spring/summer backdrop. Would you like slush and snow and
evergreens and bare branches instead? </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">-Laura”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Oops!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">So, in conclusion: I am breaking an
adage and asking you to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">please</i> judge
my book by its cover, because I believe Laura has done at least as good a job representing
me as I have. In fact, throughout the process of spicing up my book’s aesthetics,
Laura had only one minor oversight I had to bring to her attention. She has dubbed
it, “The Accidental Cover Text.” I’ll show you some of her samples – see if
you can spot it:</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkHVIoWoXLEVhd5osoqzpEL09d0Q8F2SQBNY1ApItO6EetbIlHFNAWdQiwMu6oqOvloeONPrti9C8OzSd9NU4_JsrfhFh3SbMjPVIvzbwGuT_Y2JvgabfQGS9qhPbjPzzsW0Ne2bRDRO6/s1600/accidental+crime+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkHVIoWoXLEVhd5osoqzpEL09d0Q8F2SQBNY1ApItO6EetbIlHFNAWdQiwMu6oqOvloeONPrti9C8OzSd9NU4_JsrfhFh3SbMjPVIvzbwGuT_Y2JvgabfQGS9qhPbjPzzsW0Ne2bRDRO6/s320/accidental+crime+3.png" width="201" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">and</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Z_ZW6Afd8Jg3d2ODFA6N74qLU2Rh8YfWHtdp3Dv9Z93HKFsEf_NYPbmJN7fsd7Js3JjAgLpXsEnPl4SKIbBcPsH3QvHvNWV3MbO6hGJ4tOJ7jmq5XW1yTTyitTTCdyJt1sojMTsVgGZO/s1600/accidental+crime+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Z_ZW6Afd8Jg3d2ODFA6N74qLU2Rh8YfWHtdp3Dv9Z93HKFsEf_NYPbmJN7fsd7Js3JjAgLpXsEnPl4SKIbBcPsH3QvHvNWV3MbO6hGJ4tOJ7jmq5XW1yTTyitTTCdyJt1sojMTsVgGZO/s320/accidental+crime+4.png" width="201" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">and</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRC-goSaAOkzfzkRvzyD3QbDhbMKWJXI3RwEYBk2zy3JLc5yPXLNkCaqWwO01JcjL6YJHkKA83hnl9eYceRiuIOFFAVyc5aXfSb6dejeRnSrhrqEHZQl1uYcQTD6mxsgDqLW7xalsXl1Mw/s1600/accidental+crime+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRC-goSaAOkzfzkRvzyD3QbDhbMKWJXI3RwEYBk2zy3JLc5yPXLNkCaqWwO01JcjL6YJHkKA83hnl9eYceRiuIOFFAVyc5aXfSb6dejeRnSrhrqEHZQl1uYcQTD6mxsgDqLW7xalsXl1Mw/s320/accidental+crime+5.png" width="201" /></a></div>
<br />Christopher Beyershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02274357686043539018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691462248172703102.post-9995059941577185252013-04-02T15:48:00.000-07:002013-04-09T20:59:25.472-07:00The Almost Crime: A Beyers GuideIt's official. I'm a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Almost-Crime-Christopher-Beyers/dp/148206278X">father</a>. (Will take you to <u>The Almost Crime</u> on Amazon.)<br />
<br />
Like any new parent, I've delivered my baby unto the world with both hope and trepidation. What's more, I've decided that he/she/it is a member of the Mystery Genre. But this label may be misleadingly specific, when in truth it's no more descriptive than announcing, "It's a boy!" or, "It's a girl!"<br />
<br />
For one thing, each of its chapters begins with:<br />
<br />
Narrative haikus<br />
Expressing the singular<br />
Thoughts of characters.<br />
-Chris Beyers<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For another, your classic mystery story is (for me, at least) <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">a</span> who-done-it, in which there is one of a handful of motives (usually: money, power, jealousy) and any number of possible suspects (usually: lovers,</span> haters, heirs). Halfway through <i>this</i> book, however, you may suspect there are no suspects at all, and the murder-motive will be smoky mirrors. I could probably even tell you who the murderer is, right now, without ruining the narrative arc.<br />
<br />
But, why risk it?<br />
<br />
And, why read it?<br />
<br />
Well, if you're a pure, honest-to-God mystery buff, and who-done-it's are your absolute cup-of-tea: you probably should not. But in addition to murder, I was trying to create something in <u>The Almost Crime</u> that was 1/2 literary and 1/2 philosophical, dark humor. (After all, I gave 150%.) I attempted to design something memorable, funny, and contemplative. I don't expect <u>The Almost Crime</u> to be required reading in AP Lit anytime soon, and you shouldn't expect slapstick, ROFL moments. But I hope you appreciate that my characters forget my character's names; or mis-remember details that could save their lives. And I hope you forgive me for how unreliable my narrator is.<br />
<br />
All in all, I aspire to the carefully-crafted, careless tone of Kurt Vonnegut: quality included. Accept my child. And <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Almost-Crime-Christopher-Beyers/product-reviews/148206278X/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1">tell me how I did</a>.<br />
<br />
(For more about the writing of this book, and about me, as an author: read on!)Christopher Beyershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02274357686043539018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691462248172703102.post-64783289126300845212013-04-02T11:07:00.002-07:002013-04-09T20:59:36.612-07:00The Almost Crime: The Beyers Uncertainty Principle<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Logistics:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I don’t
remember the date I started writing <u>The Almost Crime</u>, or how fast I was
moving – but I remember exactly where I was.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I was on a
couch that is now in a landfill.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">It was about
time. The couch was white, for one thing, and I am not a particularly “clean”
eater.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I was in
Indianapolis, Indiana, and it was August – or early September – 2011. I had
just come out of class at Sycamore School, where I was starting as an assistant
teacher. In mid August I had graduated from a graduate program at Cornell
University, and I had a shiny new 1-year Master’s degree in … Science Education.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Ha, ha!
Useless! (I was just learning this.)</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I finished
and published <u>The Almost Crime</u> in January 2013, according to Create
Space (the program I use). That means, technically, it took me about a year and
a half to complete.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">A lot can
change in a year and a half, though. The couch. Where I live. The names of my
guinea pigs. A year and a half ago, I was single according to the I.R.S., and
now I’m filing jointly.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">And the
process of writing was, of course, not continual. I had a full-time job in
Indianapolis. Now I live in Palmyra, Pennsylvania, and I have a full-time job. Saying
it took me a year and a half to write <u>The Almost Crime</u> is like a painter
saying it took a year and a half to finish an oil on canvas. Some of that time
was thumb-twiddling, starting over, and letting the paint dry.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Months
passed where nothing happened. Other days, I sat down in front of the computer
and didn’t come up for air.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Most of the time, <u>The Almost Crime</u> was
like dinner in a crock pot. I’d let it simmer. Inspiration would hit me. I’d
add an ingredient. Then, I’d let it simmer.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The
beginning and the end of the story actually happened pretty fast, in fact (I conceived the end before I conceived the beginning, like I usually do, writing –
and then started at around chapter three or four, building backwards towards
the front). The middle was conceptually more challenging – and in fact missing,
for a while. That was the part I needed to ponder, and observe, to create. Once
I had a working center, though, the final third of my novel came on like a
fever – the same way the final 1/3 or 1/2 of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Suggested-Changes-Bold-Christopher-Beyers/dp/1479140058"><u>Suggested Changes in Bold</u></a>
had come to me. I spent between 4-8 hours a day writing down the home stretch, and
finished the first draft after about a week like this.<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Inspiration:</span> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Originally, <u>The
Almost Crime</u> started as a sort of challenge-to-myself: <u>Suggested Changes in Bold</u> inspired me to write it. Not because it was good; because I was
supposed to have improved with age. I was 23 (I’m 24 now…), and I hated looking
back and thinking that 18 was, like, my creative hump. I needed to prove to myself
that I was just as ambitious now, as then – and could still follow through,
with something better.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">But it was
more than that. I started <u>Suggested Changes in Bold</u> and finished <u>Suggested
Changes in Bold</u> on the eve of break-ups (somewhere in the middle, I had a
nine-month relationship). I was young, and angst-y, and kind of tortured for
most of the writing-time. (You could argue that I’m still young: it’s all
relative, and I wouldn’t protest.) Now that I was an old(er), less was wrong
with me. I had a fiancée, and after a year apart I got to be with her. I was sort of doing the sort of work I wanted.
My outlook on life was, all-in-all, improved; and I was mostly smiles.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">So I hated
the idea that, now that I was happy, I wouldn’t be able to write. I wanted to
be like the man in the adage, who rises early and goes to bed early. (Healthy,
wealthy, wise.) I wanted t<span style="font-size: small;">he</span> world to tremble, but to laugh, too – and didn’t care
if it was at or with me, really.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I didn’t
want to have to undergo a tragedy before I got my mojo back.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">One more
thing. <u>Suggested Changes in Bold</u> had been a not-unremarkable
undertaking, for an eighteen-year-old. But it hadn’t been the creative feat my
eighteen-year-old self would have you believe it was, either. I poured more of
myself into that book than I ever put into a diary, including actual entries I
had written into diaries. (At one point, I copy and pasted a short story I had
written into a chapter, essentially plagiarizing myself.)</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">By
comparison, <u>The Almost Crime</u> was an experiment to see how elastic my
mind could become. There was no word-for-word borrowing from my life, and by the
end of the story my cast of characters was really and truly carrying me… until
I knew where the story was supposed to end, and didn’t want it to. I got
wrapped up in one character after another… until I couldn’t help but bring the
dead guy back for a cameo in a dream, and spend an extra chapter with “the injured
man” in his hospital bed. I even threw in a character I never expected to make
the final cut, because I loved the way light bounced off of his shiny bald
head, in my mind’s eye.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">This time,
my finished product was not about self-indulgence in a time of need. It was
about interesting people and intriguing motives; twisted morality, death, and deceit.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">This time, I
drew a line for myself in the sand, and crossed it. (And even thought about a
sequel, which was a first, for me.)</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I hope you read <u>The Almost Crime</u>. And I
hope you enjoy the read as much as I enjoyed the process that was writing it.</span></span></span></div>
Christopher Beyershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02274357686043539018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691462248172703102.post-14903032907032966932013-04-01T18:38:00.000-07:002013-04-09T20:59:50.736-07:00The Almost Crime: No Beyers Remorse<br />
I have been writing since I was in the second grade.<br />
<br />
A a. B b. C c. Ha, ha!<br />
<br />
No, my first real author steps were not in the fiction genre, or even in paragraphs. Rather, the first thing I remember about being a writer is having a piece of paper in gym class. And there was a girl I wanted to show this piece of paper to. Like, before I perspired.<br />
<br />
(Before this, my English teacher had lauded a poem I had written, as "worthy of a 12th grader." But this was teacher-talk. This didn't count.)<br />
<br />
I think I was in 9th grade, but I could be mistaken. We (the country) had just invaded Iraq, and were looking for WMDs, and failing to find WMDs, and loosing interest in what W, M, and / or D stood for.<br />
<br />
I was feeling clever.<br />
<br />
So I showed this girl this piece of paper I was so proud of, about Iraq and oil crises and George W. Bush, all in AABB rhyme-scheme and stanzas. And she sort of shrugged, and was nice to me. She may have even said it was good.<br />
<br />
She was lying.<br />
<br />
Henceforth, I remained not-a-writer. My sophomore year of high school, I became involved with the school newspaper, <i>The Tattler</i>. Over the next couple years, I wrote several April Fools pieces, set an unofficial record for letters and poems to the editor, and wrote maybe one news story (that wasn't very good).<br />
<br />
My technical writing faltered throughout this time. I entered a <i>Tattler</i> column contest, and was told unofficially - by a friend - that my entry was unreadable. (By comparison, reading this blog post is like trying to find a needle in a pincushion). I turned in one essay that came back to me with the comment, "Is this a joke?"<br />
<br />
And no, it wasn't.<br />
<br />
But I also did a bit of experimenting. I wrote some of my first short-stories, including both fiction and non-fiction. Some of them caught some attention: by my closest friends and family members, who would have shown me attention (I would assume) no matter what.<br />
<br />
And/but I was ambitious, back then. I wanted the moon, or nothing. So I began the thing I thought would make me a writer, once and for all, and which nobody could argue with.<br />
<br />
It was not <u>The Almost Crime</u>. It was a book called, <u>Suggested Changes in Bold</u>.<br />
<br />
Like many grand ideas I'd had, I entered college without finishing <u>Suggested Changes in Bold</u>. Once I was there a couple short stories trickled out of me - but they were John-Irving-inspired, and preachy, and longer than they needed to be, and more-or-less plot-less. And none of them are worth mentioning here.<br />
<br />
However, a wonderful thing also happened my freshman year. It came with cash-money, and a picture, and some free desserts. (Just? I don't know.) It was called a <a href="http://www.arts.cornell.edu/knight_institute/publicationsprizes/prizewinners/winnersfall06.htm">James E. Rice, Jr. Prize</a>, and came with <a href="http://www.arts.cornell.edu/knight_institute/publicationsprizes/discoveries/discoveriesspring2008/Beyers.pdf">publication</a>. I was officially kicked in the pants.<br />
<br />
That summer, I went home and had a bout of two-dimensional writing circles (the opposite of a "writing block..."). I wrote about half of <u>Suggested Changes in Bold</u> in a week, and had my dear, darling dad print and bind a couple of copies for me. I did some editing (not enough) and asked around for some editing (not enough), and had grand schemes for what I was going to do with my finished product, now.<br />
<br />
Again, I didn't follow through.<br />
<br />
One good thing became of <u>Suggested Changes in Bold</u>, however -- before I decided to self-publish it and be done with it. My then-friend read it, and thought it was okay. Four years (and change) later, I married her.<br />
<br />
Anyway.<br />
<br />
I continued to write at Cornell, taking Verse Writing and then Narrative Writing and then Narrative Writing and then Narrative Writing. (I figured out that you could get credit more than once, if you changed professors.) I had some swings, some misses, and perhaps some RBIs. But I also had another wonderful thing happen to me my junior year, which may explain why I wrote <u>The Almost Crime</u>, and why I'm writing this blurb here. It came with cash money, too, and was called an <a href="http://english.arts.cornell.edu/competitions/">Arthur Lynn Andrews Award for fiction</a>.<br />
<br />
Once was a fluke, but now I was on to something... and for once, I knew what I was on to. It turned out, I could get inside a person's head pretty well. When I won the James E. Rice, Jr. Prize I had pretended to be Freud. When I won the Arthur Lynn Andrews prize, I had pretended to be a college student with an autism spectrum disorder, trying to find love. My plot-lines were still crap and my scene-setting was still crap, but I could more-or-less characterize.<br />
<br />
And I could do almost anyone.<br />
<br />
Since then, this is what I've built on. I've poured my mental energy into my characters, and let my characters dictate my stories. My writing has relied more on thoughts than actions (and hardly at all on setting scenes) - and <u>The Almost Crime</u> is no exception. Yes, there are car accidents. Yes, there is armed robbery. Yes, there is murder. But I swear to you that 1) The Almost Crime is my crown jewel, so far, and 2) the plot isn't where the action is.Christopher Beyershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02274357686043539018noreply@blogger.com0