Mike "Pops" Klumpp

I struggled as a young writer. I was bombarded with academic concepts of what equaled great writing. What disciplines produced the best work?

Here’s the first issue – What is the best work? Second issue – method does not always equal product.

I my last novel there are several intentional misuses of words and phrases. This is not a random violation of rules but a poetic attempt to make the reader uncomfortable. Nonetheless, when my editor received the final draft, he went to work correcting. and finally asked “Dao? You render it tao, dao, Tao and Dao…how do you want it?”

I realized he was editing and correcting. In chapter one of I Am Steve Bishops Lawnman I talk about how I “road” down a street, not “rode”, which is the proper form of the verb “ride”. I called him and asked “Nic, are you correcting these idiosyncrasies in the text?”

“Yes, of course. It’s what editors do.” He laughed “This tao thing jumped out at me so I thought I should get your thoughts.”

I responded “Nic, it’s none of those. It’s a Chinese symbol. They are all incomplete and subjective English renderings. That’s the point.”

I continued “Identity and certainty are elusive. Who we are is a subjective rendering.”

“Ohhh. Yeah, I got that, of course. I just didn’t realize how far you had taken it. The poet strikes again.” He laughed. “I will undo my corrections and let you proof.”

“Hey, just highlight your corrections and I will return the ones that were intentional.” I offered.

Our best work is not always grammatically correct and exact. However, what we write should always be intentional and for purpose not just excused as “I am the artist.” Our decisions may work or be just a waste of effort, that is in the eye of the beholder. However, we need to be true to self in our voice not meticulously guided by academic law and procedures. Best work has a degree of subjectivity that in the end is the risk of the writer. You decide, but own your decisions.

Next blog entry, I will address the second issue Method.

In the meantime, Happy writing!

I invite discussion goaskpops@gmail.com. What are the issues you encounter? How can I help?