The Essays of Jeffrey Dane
August 19, 1999 - "Observations"
© by Jeffrey Dane - 1999
Writing for Publication
In most cases I write my articles first - and then I find published homes for
them. For me, this works. Initially I may hit fewer targets, but they're
those I've chosen and my pieces generally appear as I wrote them - without
the "improvements" of editors, some of whose raison d'etre is to justify
their jobs usually at an author's expense in the integrity of his work.
Certainly I could query first, write articles "to order," see my work in
publication more frequently and have even more of an income from my writing
than I do - but that's not my aim. I'm doing what I want to do, most
importantly I'm doing it largely the way I want to do it, and I invariably
find publishers, in print or online, for my articles. As a practical fact of
existence, many of us, of necessity, spend much of our lives compromising -
doing things their way, his way, her way - but the line is drawn at my
writing: by and large I minimize compromise and I do it my way. It's one area
of my life which is mine exclusively: it can't be micromanaged by others, is
beyond their reach and thus retains the integrity with which my own perhaps
modest skills have imbued it. In writing for major publications and/or in
querying them with an article idea, you usually have to tailor your work to
suit their needs. While there's certainly nothing wrong with this in itself -
it is in fact the norm - some see this as hack work and others see it as
adaptability. Each has its place, and both views have merit.
What's In A Name?
Consider the following scenarios. If you made an arrangement with, say,
Norman Mailer, or with Kurt Vonnegut, for him to offer to a magazine or
newspaper one of your own pieces but under HIS name, it would be reasonable
to presume the publisher would immediately accept the piece sight-unseen and
still gladly agree to a lordly sum in payment. On the other hand, if a piece
written by Mailer himself, or by Vonnegut, were offered to a publisher under
YOUR name - or under the name of any competent but "unknown" writer who isn't
a literary-household word - what do you think in all likelihood would happen?
Either I'm crazy or some others are being questionable and rather foolish.
I've concluded I'm not crazy.
Umbrage Takes Many Forms
Ever notice how some people wish you luck and then actually resent you when
you find it? - When you're terminated from a position, discussing it with
others can be uncomfortable. No-one enjoys having to acknowledge they lost a
job, even though it may have been through no fault of their own. When this
happened to me, to avoid being subjected to discussion and the attendant
discomfort I adopted the following tactic. When others asked me why I was no
longer commuting, what I told them was not the whole truth yet not wholly a
lie, but totally adequate for explanatory purposes and admittedly
euphemistic: "I took an early retirement." Almost without exception, their
expressions were a perfect blend of wide-eyed surprise and unmistakable
furrowed-brow resentment. The only thing missing was verbalization of the
envious, mean-spirited reactions their faces alone clearly revealed, "What
right does he have to retire early? How dare he do such a thing?!" The tacit,
implicit expressions were evident enough to be almost palpable, and were
classic and near-perfect examples of the kind of reaction that's impossible
to define and difficult to explain - but very easy to recognize.
Neighbors, Co-workers, and Others
The ideal fellow human being is among other things intelligent, self-reliant,
has the confidence to mean what he says, diplomatically says what he means,
finishes what he starts, is honest, is considerate of and liked by others,
and enjoys his job. He isn't perfect, but he has Class. Of course, people
admire others who have such positive attributes - they admire them, that is,
when they see them in films and on television (and in books, when they read
them). In the real world of daily life, though, those without such attributes
disdain such people, who for whatever reason(s) are perceived as a threat.
They're disturbed by those who have such positive traits, and who form their
own opinions and draw their own conclusions. Most actually resent such
people. Many are almost terrified by them. Some actually can't stand them and
are delighted when they're no longer nearby. The reasons are obvious: they're
motivated by envy, because those with class insult by inference those without
it. Maybe it's been my misfortune to have met too many such people. On the
other hand, maybe most people are in fact that way. "Those who enjoy their
own emotionally bad health and who habitually fill their own minds with the
rank poisons of suspicion, jealousy and hatred, as a rule take umbrage at
those who refuse to do likewise, and they find a perverted relief in trying
to denigrate them. A pity. In so doing, such unfortunates are fooling no
self-thinking person, for they reveal more about themselves than about their
targets." - Johannes Brahms.
Midlife Advantage, Not Midlife Crisis
We all know what's meant by the phrase "midlife crisis" in the usual sense.
If I had one of those, it manifested itself in an unusual way, regardless of
what may have preceded it. I certainly don't claim that the path I chose
makes me any better than others. It just makes things somewhat different. I
enjoy the charms of femininity as much as any man, but rather than join the
crowd and follow others on their traditional road, I sought - and found -
another route: I increased and intensified my researching, with the resultant
increase in publication accomplishments. Given a choice, I'd rather my
actions continue making me a published author than to make me a fool.
Creating good work can bring a personal fulfillment few other endeavors can,
and seeing it appear in publication can bring a personal and professional
satisfaction not everyone can experience. We authors know this.
Catch-22
As a music historian, most of my writing has a musical emphasis. As a
relaxing diversion from the norm of routine I sometimes research and write
articles having a non-musical focus. The subjects can range from antiques to
the Alamo, from Goethe to George Washington, from historic structures to
profiles of other historians - anything that truly interests me and which I
then investigate. Someone aware only of my musical output questioned why I
"limited" my writing solely to musical topics, feeling I should broaden my
vistas by writing about other subjects as well. Here I took the view that
what people don't know won't bother them. Some time afterward, it was
recommended that rather than disperse my energies with research and articles
on unrelated topics, I should bring my efforts into tighter focus by
concentrating only on my primary area of expertise and interest. This
suggestion's greatest distinction is that it came from the very same
individual who had evidently quite forgotten his comment when he initially
questioned the restrictions and insularity of my writing on musical subjects.
(NOTE, for Joseph Heller: Don't you just love it?!). Welcome, one and all, to
the Loony Tune Land of Oz.
Who's Right?
Writers and authors (there are some subtle differences between them) are
often expected or even asked to put themselves in an editors' shoes. Well,
maybe editors should try putting themselves in the writers' shoes for a
change. Unless it's a major publication with their own stable (a term with
negative connotations) of staff writers, without us independent authors the
magazines would have little of any real quality to publish. I believe in
flexibility for the sake of human consideration, ease of negotiation and
dispatch of transaction, but not in the compromise of one's self and/or of
one's work. Fortunately I don't have to earn my living as a historian,
researcher, essayist and author. In this sense I'm very lucky, perhaps
luckier than most others, and I know it and am thankful for it. I do what I
do for an unfashionable reason: I have a passion for it. I didn't choose to
do it - it chose me. Money is paid (usually) but God and writers know that
isn't the motive. Certainly there are indeed occasions when an editor makes
very sound and valuable suggestions which are greatly appreciated and from
which I learn. Those are the people and the publications with whom I'd rather
deal - an eccentric preference of mine. We can also benefit from those who
wish to be foolish. Their comments can furnish you with material for an
article like this one.
I acknowlege that I speak from my own experience and that my opinions are my
own, but they're not mine exclusively. Many others share them.
