Posts tagged ‘on writing’

« Older Entries  |  
July 15, 2011

Post 400

by jhon baker

and my readership is at an all time low. I blame my choice of switching formats and web addresses.

I thought I would make an interesting post it being 400 and all but I am not feeling interesting today. This means plainly that you ought to read the previous posts, the ones that led to this moment in time, marked by a simple heading and celebrated by taking four kittens to the vet.

 

I have eleven years worth of poetry that has only ever been read by the recipient and never republished or even copied. This is a detour from my modis operandi which dictates that I keep a copy of everything unless it is crap and deserving only of trash heaps and recycling.

I think that after my death there may be a collection out there titled “love letters” – but it may be that they are always kept private. as it is they are not mine, I wrote them but K owns them, they are hers and only she can dictate their offering. It is my job to create the market for that particular collection before I die – as if I kicked it right now there wouldn’t be enough interest – save the few hundred that have purchased my initial offering.

Do all writers obsessively keep copies of everything? Once this would have been labor intensive but is now quite easily done with the technology that has erupted around us. Even in the age before the widespread use of computers many writers used carbon sheets as I am sure I would have done if in that age – now I use a copier that came attached to the printer which came attached to a fax and all together has the ability to scan things.

but all this is off subject – or I haven’t a subject. The kittens cost me nearly 500 today and we are giving up one of the seven cats that inhabit our household this evening. Over the next few weeks we will be two kittens short of our current count and can then start considering colleges as there are too many bodies occupying this house at the given moment.

 

I am gripped by my body’s sense of humor.

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments »

Tags: , , , , ,
June 22, 2011

by jhon baker

I almost never write naked – there are times while in bed and after feeling enraptured beyond illumination or prose by the pressing together of two forms and bonding with sweat and efflorescent nothings whispered passionate in each others ear – those times I will roll and pluck out a small black notebook and pen a few lines before returning – but most of all is written while dressed and thinking back with forward anticipation.

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

Tags: , ,
January 28, 2011

The grand business of writing for a living, also, I eat a lot of ramen.

by jhon baker

I’ve hired an agent.

I pay her in raw, unbridled sex.

though the secretary might get a bit jealous.

the secretary doesn’t get paid, only attention

and my agent gets 50 percent, and sex – I’m assured this is scale.

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments »

Tags: ,
January 23, 2011

Sunday and just a few things

by jhon baker

To begin, I thought  I would post a few links back to older posts that I liked or that I want you to like and read if you haven’t.

A recent post – one that I truly love and if you haven’t read it, please do. A note from K
why don’t they shoot more poets?
When life gives you lemons, shot up and eat your lemons
being shot is not an everyday thing, but it doesn’t surprise me.
stunned and lovely

that is all – I am sure that this is too much, but it is hard for us crazy people to control ourselves and I don’t come here for control.

To end, at Rabbit’s Creative Den there is a question regarding where we write and I thought it best to refer to an old post covering this topic but add a few more photographs to that – of the remainder of the room.

an old view from before I moved the typewriter – but it gets most of the room.
A current view of where I sit and type – sans chair in this photo.
view from the door – also sans chair.
here’s one with my chair – it isn’t too comfortable as I don’t want to get lazy while being engaged.
Any questions? The photos contain every thing from a Dictionary, A WCW collection, an LCP .380, Gibson les paul custom, dean 12 string, Other reference materials, couch, painting of mine, Various typewriters (total of 3 – one is under a cover on the bottom shelf of the book case.
I will be changing my desk soon, so I can move a typewriter down to the coffee bar/library room and have more storage for reference materials. The room is always in some state of flux and more so when I am spending the appropriate amount of time in it. 
Other wise – this is where I usually write my blog – other times I bring the laptop to the garage or the writing room. Rarely anywhere else – except for notes of course.
The last place I do any writing should look familiar to most of you…

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Tags: , ,
January 22, 2011

Post 300 and it’s nothing special.

by jhon baker

I like to write letters. I like to write them with my 1983 IBM Selectric III. It is not that I am of another, former, school or that I feel this connection to other notables who used similar machines, I simply get more out of the experience as it is tactile, auditory, visual, visceral, emotionally invested, and so on – This is my pleasure. I also get from this a poetry of substance as poetry often fills parts of the letters, written as I type and sometimes good and sometimes not, the whole process lubricates the synapse and fingers. Allows new ideas to come.
So, this I propose – I have had a few pen-pals the last few years but I am down to my last and she is no longer able to respond to my letters, she is reaching the end of her life, I already miss her terribly. My heart breaks even to consider a world without her direct influence. I am not looking for a replacement, there could be no replacing my current, when she goes into a place where there is no pain, I believe that I will continue to write to her anyway – I’ll just have no-where to send the physical letter to anymore.
I would like to have other letter friends, communicating in the old way and helping the USPS (if you are in the Americas) or who ever does your post at the same time. Would there be any takers among you? You do not need a typewriter or even nice paper. Long hand works well as does printed out from the computer. The key is that it is mailed and it is thought out somewhat. The key is a quality communication.
If you would like to write to me – I will respond, it will be typed, it may have poetry, there may be misspelled words and bad sentences – there may be disorganized thought and sporadic insanities – one can never tell. But it will always be honest and unvarnished. Also, sometimes I draw on the paper if it sits in front of me long enough before getting into an envelope. Not that I can draw worth a damn – but it may be interesting.

Any takers? if so, e-mail me and I will give you my physical address. I promise any sent letter will garner a response be it one sentence or four pages of them. Who knows – this may become a thing.

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments »

Tags: , , , ,
« Older Entries  |  
%d bloggers like this: