We all have to start somewhere, and I'm happy to appear here on Good Reads. I've been writing for a long time but "Call Me Anorexic: The Ballad of a Thin Man" is my first novel.
I bounced ideas around in my head for many years after I moved from Boston to Long Beach, but my music criticism always got in the way. I was always writing longhand on legal pads while sitting out by the barbecue table outside my place in the beautiful Long Beach Marina and jotting down dialogue in the middle of the night. I had the story in my head, but let's be honest, until you commit words into a document (I'd show my age if I said "onto paper"), you really don't have anything. After a long conversation (for an article) with soul singer Jill Scott about creativity and the nature of art, I said to myself, "It's now or never." I sat down to write the first sentence, which is a play on the first line of "Moby Dick."
It would become the title of my book. As readers of Melville's great novel (I consider it to be the greatest American novel) know, the book is about both a young man's journey as he tries to find his place in the world and one man's obsessions with his demons. (Well, it's really about a lot of things, but we'll save them
a literature lecture someday). Ishmael sets sail on the Pequod and surrounds himself with brothers and father figures who make up his temporary family and provide a home. Ahab is obsessed with the great white whale that damaged him--his crazed obsessions lead to his demise. I'm not going to deconstruct my own novel before it comes out, but let's just say all of this is relevant (as are all the literary, rock 'n' roll, film, and pop culture references in the book). That's for you to discover.
Once I began the novel, I was cruising along until I began doubting myself, as all writers do. I didn't like the voice I was writing in--it was a bit too arch and "literary." I decided to trash all the pages I'd written and start over in the voice I wrote with for my humor column in Boston. It was infused with some attitude, irreverence, and levity.
The subject matter was already serious and the approach had to have the right tone or readers might tune out very quickly. I studied with Richard Price, the great novelist/screenplay writer, many years ago (I wrote with a chisel and stone) and he used to preach one thing above all else: "Don't be boring." Words for all you young writers to live by.
Once I shifted gears, the novel seemed to pour out. I hit stumbling blocks when the characters' voices weren't talking in my head as frequently as I'd hoped and I couldn't shift from criticism to novel writing as easily, but those periods didn't last very long. I dove in head first and spent every night and hundreds of hours (probably thousands at this point) writing and revising until I finished. It was a grueling process, but fun. When you know you are doing something meaningful and with merit, it's all worthwhile and pleasurable. Clayton Kershaw became Clayton Kershaw by working at his craft. I'm not Clayton--no one is--but I know how important it is to work until you get it right.
And six years later, we have "Call Me Anorexic: The Ballad of a Thin Man," which I'm very proud to share with readers come April 24.
I'm looking forward to interacting with readers and answering questions. Anyone who wants to get a taste of the novel (no that's not an intended pun--I don't think), can head over to the novel' Instagram account, where there are short excerpts and my commentary.

https://www.instagram.com/call_me_ano...

And one thing: Relax, don't worry, I don't use this many parentheses (usually). Okay, that one was for symmetry.
Until next time.