Tropic of Detroit, Vol. I. By Frank Bond Beaumier. http://www.lulu.com/content/61284
The sub-title of this trilogy is “Writer’s Notes”. It
details how a writer makes notes and processes these to compile a story.
So how does a writer take notes?
Scriber / Beaumier says in his book, Tropic of Detroit,
Writer’s Notes, Vol.I. :
I type: Most people in the ghetto or anywhere else have
never seen $250,000. Will never have that much money at one time. I had it and
I doped it. Here’s what I remember about it. I reach up and pull the paper from
the typewriter and walk over to the couch and give it to her. She reads the few
lines, looks at me inquiringly.
“Take your, these notes,” I say and hand her back
the pages of her notes. “And start. Perhaps expand on them and try to work
it all into some sort of readable form. Write sketches of yourself and anyone
else you expect to have as characters in the book. Try to determine where each
fit into the scheme of your story, your life, where you want to take them and
yourself. Where to begin? The beginning at Linwood and the Boulevard. Right?
How did you get there and where did you go from there? After some early
beginnings to set the tone of who you were, begin on who you became, who you
are. You might start being more seriously wordy descriptive somewhere about the
time the insurance is giving you the big payday and work back to show why. Back
and forth until you have recorded all you can remember. For your early days in Detroit,
you can find research books in the library on Detroit. You don’t have to go
back to Africa like some black authors for background. Just include Detroit
history, and maybe how it is turning black for filler, whatever. You may need
the library for precise chemical descriptions of various drugs, how they are
made, harvested or produced, made available to the public; there are also
research books.”
It was generalized crap I was feeding her, but it might help
if she actually had any energy left for writing, or could make herself do such
a different and difficult type of activity. For her to succeed, it would be
against all odds. I gave her some of my own writing habits or thoughts. I had
them handy in the center drawer of the desk, took them out and sat beside her
and read the list with her as she held the paper in both hands:
l. Write early in the morning, or whenever your morning is.
Upon arising when you have the most energy. Rewrite when energy level is not as
high, perhaps after an hour of resting from the writing, try to rewrite or
edit. Develop a writing time habit. (For me, it has always been the morning.
Usually from about seven to ten.)
2. Drink coffee before starting and sip on coffee
occasionally during the writing time. Do not eat food before starting to write
or while writing. (Food slows down the brain.) (Tell me why.)
3. Write at least ten pages each day (my output when I am
writing well and on subjects which seem to flow easily). Determine what you can
write each day, how many pages, and try and stick to that schedule, more or
less.
4. Write only two or three hours a day, at most. Less
probably in the beginning. Rewrite and check for errors in spelling, at least
one hour. By pacing yourself, you are less likely to burn out and quit entirely.
Total time to spend on the writing and editing in one day not to exceed four
hours. This does not include note taking, which can happen any time you want,
have something you want to remember. And does not include research.
5. Usually it is a good idea to stop writing while you still
have something to say, or in the middle of a thought or paragraph. Give
yourself a handy beginning for the next time.
6. Briefly outline the next day’s writing at the end of each
day. This too helps with the next day’s output.
7. Research and think no more than ten minutes before
starting to write. You can get completely bogged down in looking up,
researching, thinking and never get to writing. Start writing as quickly as
possible. Do most of your research and planning after writing and incorporate
it next day.
8. If necessary, write until you work to your theme. Write
around and about in front and back, but start to write and keep writing. Keep
it up. By the very act of writing you will activate the mind and it will eventually
bring forth some worthwhile thoughts in most cases.
9. As subject develops try to focus and develop it. Make
side notes to augment thoughts, or the central theme.
10. Use dialogue sparingly.
11. As Henry James said, try to be either instructive or
amusing. Both wouldn’t hurt.
I finish reading the list and wait for Lu.
She finally looks up and smiles as if some of my personal
writing list might help her.
“Can I keep this? Take it with me?”
“Sure. Use what works for you. I have them memorized I
think.” Nevertheless, I return to the typewriter and make a copy for
myself while Lu seems to casually study the remembrances of what I had read to
her. She leans back and rests her head on the thin back pillow of the couch and
wraps her big lips around the beer bottle.
While bottles take more room in a fridge maybe, and are not
as easy to stack, there is something about watching a woman suck on a bottle
that is erotic, not found in the tipping of a can to the mouth. I read
somewhere that Freud based much of his sexual theory and writing on the act of
his wife sucking on one of the oversized German beer bottles. I can believe it.
Distracted by scene of her sucking on the bottle, I finish
the typing, and as with most men with women who arouse them, have a continued
desire to please her, perhaps impress.
“I have what I call ‘character sketches’ which I write
and file, wait for an opportune time to insert them in my writing. Most writers
do this converting of their notes, their ideas into a concrete reality,” I
say, giving her my Writer’s List again. She secures it in her folder. I dig an
example of a character sketch out of the files from a four-drawer cabinet
beside the desk. The single page is from a folder titled: Writer’s Notes,
Before Detroit. She reads: “Jo Ann
Seamore, 18, Midtown Central High. Most popular, prom queen, blonde Marilyn
Monroe type, thin, now turning heavy in thighs, still beautiful in late
thirties, married at 18 to guy they called ‘The Busher,’ or ‘The Go-Down Man,’
Richard (Ricky) Branahan. Married into old family of modest wealth, mother
pushy, father effeminate. Wife dominates husband and Busher. Jo is oversexed,
only child, highly dominating, uses sex with men and women to get what she
wants. Sleeps with prominent people, including son of richest man in town,
George Coll, Jr. Coll of the famous Coll Brothers Plastics, would marry her
except for her beauty. His fragile ego can’t take the competition. He finally
marries a horse face big boned cow with a heavy frame, but continues to see Jo.
Close friends are Barbara [Barby] Jenson, sexy fat face with cheeks that
resembles a baby’s ass, one of the Queen’s Court; and Sue Eddington, a year
younger, famous for falling for that old gag of placebo pills prescribed to
keep her from giving head to all the young guys at Midtown High she dated. All
three played a role in preventing me from any meaningful study in high
school.”
Lu read and smiled. “Huh. I should do that. That’s a
good idea. Never thought of that. For sure there’s Brainy, and MoSa, and Shirly
and how about the Dancer. Yeah, I could do the Dancer.”
**
This relates how Beaumier’s character, Jack Brome, showed
his friend how to start writing.
For more information, please obtain the book:
Tropic of Detroit, Writer’s Notes, Vol. I. By Frank Bond
Beaumier. http://www.lulu.com/content/61284
Please browse in this blog’s categories for more
articles, illustrations, comics etc created from the material of Frank
Bond Beaumier.
Another related post gossiping behind his back:
Secrets
Keywords:
How to become a writer, how to do character sketches, Frank
Bond Beaumier, Frank Beaumier.
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