Remember when Bilbo Baggins wrote his book, "There and Back Again: A Hobbit's Tale"? Remember when Frodo Baggins wrote the sequel, "The Lord of the Rings?" These heroes wrote their tales after their adventures, not before. Before they could become best-selling authors, they had to do a little living and adventuring first. They couldn't achieve greatness from the Shire's sheltered comfort. 

Before I picked up a camera, before I went to college, and before I learned to fly, got married, had kids, or did anything of social value or considered adulting, I was a writer.  It all started in high school (like most things in our lives) when I wrote a short story about an intelligent and malicious computer (no one said "AI" back then) that almost wipes out humanity by poisoning our food supply. My English teacher, Mrs. Carter (who was one of the most wonderful teachers that ever was) thought I should enter it in a statewide contest. I did, and  won. I don't know how, because reading makes me cringe today. 

Unfortunately, I never seriously picked up the pen again for almost 30 years. The boy became a man and other diversions caught my attention, and set my life path.  It occurred to be this weekend that not writing for 30 years may have been a blessing. It may have saved my writing style from irreparable damage.  

Let me explain.  

In a recent episode of the Youtube film channel "The Critical Drinker," the Drinker and his panel of influencer/critics asked this question: "Why can't Hollywood create anything good anymore?" Specifically, the roundtable asked this question in context of Amazon's new "Rings of Power" series.  Rings of Power is an epic fantasy series loosely (and I mean loosely) based on J.R.R. Tolkien's "Silmarillion." Perhaps the most interesting answer to this question, and in my view the most accurate, came from the Youtuber "The Little Platoon."

That's a profound statement, and applies to me. Those "lost to writing" years of my life were essentially me leaving the Shire, and letting my two feet carry me away.  I did stuff other than writing. I went "adventuring" so to say.  I went to college, worked in private industry, served the military, worked in national intelligence, became an Air Force pilot, served overseas, got married and helped raise three incredible children. I experienced life at its fullest and did things others can only dream of. I've also sailed the seas of heartache, disappointment, failure, success, betrayal, terror, loss, pride, disgrace and faith (just to name a few). Some of my dreams came true, others didn't. God said "yes" to some of my prayers, and "no" to others.    In other words, for those 30 years I did stuff. I built character. 

Without all that stuff, I wouldn't know who I am. Without knowing who I am, I couldn't truly write with any depth. My well of inspiration would be shallow, and my assumptions, prejudices and ego would be much deep. I'm not saying young people need to live life before they can write well. Absolutely not! Some young people have amassed serious experiences in their short lives. Some young people can tap the experiences of others incredibly well and masterfully transfer it to paper. Some young writers can simply write like the are on fire. However, most can't.

In my past job as a submission editor for a book review website, I saw hundreds of books pass over my desk. I can attest that ALL writers suck at some point in their writing career. I might say that young writers suck more, because their suckiness is predictable and often shallow, but that would NOT be a true statement. Saying that young SHELTERED writers suck because their suckiness is predictable and often shallow would  be more accurate. I'll take this statement a step farther - older writers who never challenge their own assumptions and personal boundaries suck in the very same way as young, sheltered writers.  I think this is where The LIttle Platoon was going with his comment. 

This blog is really about what makes a sheltered writer, why there are so many, and why they are making lackluster literature and screenplays these days. What do I mean by "sheltered"? That word is at the heart of the matter.  The Little Platoon is warm, but just missing the target with his analysis. 

When I retired from the military in the early 10's, and began my writer's journey, I foolishly tried to pitch my book to traditional publishers. I got the expected results - rejection. That aside, I noticed at almost every agent and publishing house I approached had similar statements on their submission page. They all had requirements like this:

In order to get published, one's material, or even the author themselves, had to pass a social/political litmus test. That was over a decade ago. Now, imagine you're a writer back in the early 2000's. You've graduated with a BA , MA or even  MFA from a prestigious university and you are desperately trying to get published or sell a screenplay. At every turn, you see these socio/political requirements on prospective agents' and publishers' submission pages.  These statements pretty much match what all your college professors and academic culture have drummed into your head. If you want to get published, sell your screen play or get hired you must repeat what you hear in the echo chamber. You have creatively "grown up" sheltered inside this echo chamber and so have all you peers. You have been rewarded for accepting and regurgating the narrative. In fact, adherence to the common narrative supersedes quality. You know of no one with a differently world view. Now, after a decade, there is no one left (at least within the sheltered education/publishing/entertainment industry) to offer any alternative, or even to champion quality over narrative. They are gone, weeded out over the course of years. Those who knew what it was like before have retired, quit o have been forced out. The young are now surrounded by only those with like-minds.  The gatekeepers block, isolate, or expel anyone who doesn't write within the narrative (otherwise known as cancel-culture). 

Narrative-first scripts and manuscripts litter the landscape. Beyond this sheltered professional community, no one thinks anything is wrong. When these scripts are produced or books are published, they are met with failure in the popular culture  beyond the hive-mind.   Sometimes it is because of their heavy handed messaging, but often it is because they are poorly written.  Instead of honest introspection, the industry instead attacks those who reject their work. Why? Because thats how they were taught to react from the confines of their sheltered college and activists communities. 

I think this is where we find ourselves in 2022. For a generation, the academic/media industry alliance has hired, rewarded and groomed writers who pass ideological litmus tests over talent, originality, and work quality.  The results are with us now, as can been seen in productions like Rings of Power. 

The media and publishing industry must  begin looking for writers with character, life experiences, and, above all, true talent. Do I think this will happen? No, at least not in my lifetime. The gatekeepers are too strong, and the socio/political groupthink permeates too deep in colleges and creative industries. I think it's going to take brave, disruptive outsiders  to turn things around.

Before Bilbo or Frodo could start the path to greatness, they had muster the courage to entertain a different world-view than their fellow hobbits. They had to image a world beyond their comfortable existence, and then have the courage to go there. For this, they were often scorned by their fellow hobbits for being "cracked" and "disturbers of the peace."  Writers, publishers,  and executives, must muster courage in order to break out of the intellectual prisons that are today's entertainment industry.

Courage is easier said than done. Consider this: Every time you see a property deconstructed and then re-released in accordance with modern social-political narratives, its sending two messages. The overt message is these classics  must be altered to conform to modern sensibilities, like replacing traditional characters with ones that represent a different racial, gender or sexual-orientations than originally written. The unspoken, and darker message is this: These classics are unacceptable. Furthermore, if someone tries to publish or produce something similar today, it will not be accepted by the cultural gatekeepers.  Anything that does not conform to the narrative will be cancelled, altered, or ignored. 

Those writers who lack the insight and wisdom often taught by life experience  may not pick up on these messages. They will often only strive to produced that which is rewarded. Those who draw outside the lines, yet lack understanding, will become frustrated as their works are passed over for what may very well be inferior work. And so the creative pool becomes shallower, and the work tepid, bland and predictable.  

It isn't just the life experience of modern writers that's created tis situation, but the creative environment they have been educated and began their careers in. They aren't just sheltered, but confined in a creative gulag of which they may not even be aware or, even worse, lack the courage to challenge the status quo.  It is a creative desert, a wasteland of narrative over talent. 

This is where we are. This is why Hollywood, and many corporate creative industries, can't produce anything good anymore. 

This message is for all those writers living outside the gulag or trapped in it, trying to get noticed and published without compromising their creative vision to conform to the narrative. Keep writing. Don't compromise your work to meet a litmus test that doesn't match your vision or values.  Keep living your life, amassing experiences, and building character.  Get out of the hobbit hole. Step out of your front door and let your feet carry you away.   Find people very different from yourself, especially intellectually, and go adventuring with them.  

When it is all said and done, sit down in your hobbit hole again with pen and paper, and create something truly magical. 

#thecriticaldrinker #thelittleplatoon #ringsofpower #filmcritic #writing 

If you enjoyed this blog, please like the post and leave a comment or if you're feeling brave, share it on social media. This platform is my entire advertising budget and is how I share the word about my books. Also visit my Facebook, my author page and check out my epic fantasy novels available on Amazon. ​

Every February 2nd in Punxsutawawney Pennsylvania, Phil the Groundhog pops out of his den. If he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. In South Alabama, we have Cleatus The Redneck Chipmunk. Each Labor Day, he pops out of his beer can and, if he sees his shadow, it's six more weeks of summer. 

Hint: Cleatus always sees his shadow. 

Regardless of what Cleatus saw, or the fact that summer doesn't officially end until September 22nd, or it doesn't get cool down here until mid-October, summer culturally is over.  Amid sweltering humidity and heat, autumn's rituals have begun, and that's what really matters to me.  Personally, Labor Day is more like New Years Day than January 1st.  For me, 2023 has already started. 

New Year's Day doesn't feel like the start of something new to me. In fact, it sucks. It lies deep in the heart of winter. December and January blur together in a gray morass.  In January,  you have only more work, school and winter to look forward to. Spring is still so far away. Other than the holidays to break life's routine, nothing else changes before or after New  Years Day. For the kids, school simply resumes where it left off. For adults, work remains the same as before but now we're more in debt following Christmas. It was cold before, and will be cold after. The last digit on the calendar changes, but life still has the same flavor until spring arrives. There has been no significant transition, except perhaps taking down the Christmas tree.

Labor Day is far different. 

Everything changes after Labor Day. In American life, this is the point  our lifecycles reset. The Autumn Equinox is invigorating, as compared to the endless deadness of the Winter Solstice. You feel fall with every sense. Depending where you live, the very air seems to come alive with crispness, coolness, and fresh smells. Change imprints memories. You remember September, but January is a blur. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. Go Google songs about September, and then songs about January.

September songs - classics! January songs - not so much.  

September is a season of change. School has begun for the kids, but they are not the same kids that left school only a few months earlier. They are different: a new grade, older, and physically different than last year. Maybe new clothes and a new attitude (good or bad). Maybe new acne and an attraction to the opposite sex.  High schoolers have become college kids, or working adults. No matter that age they are, they've undergone a metamorphosis. A transition has taken place, one you likely captured with a photo on the first day of school. 

In fact, go back and look at your family photos and you'll probably realize that most of them were taken from September through December. 

In September there are so many things to look forward to! Fall festivals are everywhere. September is a season for planning, and looking forward to the coming weeks.  High school football reigns under the Friday night lights. College and pro football has gotten underway. Hunting seasons replace fishing.  People begin to draw up Halloween plans, and wonder what costume they will wear. People start making their travel plans for Thanksgiving. Wal-Mart is replacing pool supplies with Christmas supplies, and many of us will begin our holiday shopping.  For me, I call this the beginning of "attic season", where I begin taking decorations out of the attic. All of those decorations are put away after New Year, which signals more of an end than a new beginning. 

So begins the season of phone calls that end with "What are we doing?" and "When will you get here?" and "I can't wait to see you again!"  New Years Day, on the other hand, is a time for phrases like, "Be careful driving home" and "When will we see you again?" and "I'll miss you" and "My diet starts tomorrow."

New Years Day is a bittersweet time of endings, goodbyes, and putting things away in the attic, and knowing I have to go back to work the next day. Simply put, New Years Day makes me feel older because it compels me to look back.

Labor Day signals new beginnings, transitions, renewal, revelry, reunion, family, thanksgiving, and worship that all culminates on New Year's Day. For me, Labor Day isn't the end of summer so much as it is truly the beginning of a new year in my life. Labor Day makes me feel younger because it compels me to look ahead. 

So, for those that feel the way I do, let's raise a toast to Cleatus as he crawls back into his beer can.

 Happy New Year, everyone.

A short-notice opportunity popped up this week. I was asked to take the official photos for the country music legend Vince Gill concert in Dothan, Alabama. It was a great musical event, and a challenging one as a photographer. If you've followed me, you know music photography is  a passion of mine. This was a challenging venue. Fortunately, I had the right gear and it ended up working out great. 

Vince Gill sounds as great as ever, and it was an amazing show. Its an experience I not to be missed. As a bonus, he has a star in her own right in his band, Wendy Moten. She was a finalist in 2021's "The Voice" and is an incredible singer.  

Please enjoy the images. Thanks to Sarah and Adam at Six String Southern Productions for the opportunity to capture the show. 

I've been stupid-level busy at writing. 

The final installment of epic fantasy series is in full production mode. So much so, that I really don't have time at the moment for an in-depth blog post.  I've been in front of my computer every available moment hammering out chapter diagrams, researching my previous novels in the series, and actually writing chapters.  Therefore, I didn't have any time this week to put together a in-depth post here on the website. 

With that said, I'm going to try to have something next week. I hope you understand, but I REALLY want to finish this novel.

Thanks,
​Brian 

​Summer is coming to end. Where I live in the deepest of the deep south, it won't start cooling down for at least two months, but autumn makes her presence known in other ways. The kids are back at school. A few leaves are dropping in the backyard. The days are getting shorter. 

The seasons seem to pass like pages in a book written to be skimmed, not deeply read. In my mid-50s, there doesn't seem to be anything I can do to slow it down. This is the way it is, I guess.  Summer 2022's page has almost flipped. 

While a great deal of this summer was spent with family and friends, I tried to get some writing and photography in, too.  What did I get done this summer? 

On the fiction front, the final installation in the Chronicles of Fu Xi has a title - "Time of the Spear". For those who follow the books, you might know that is a term from the first novel.  I've been busy diagramming the novel and working on character development models and subtext. Since this is the last novel in the series, I have to get everything tied up neatly. That requires a lot of work.  It would be bad leaving a character hanging or a plot hole. 

 I'm looking forward to a fall and winter filled with early morning and late evening writing sessions. 

If you love epic novels, world-building fantasy, history or mythology, I invite you to explore my novels. A great place to start is The Golden Princess. It comes in paperback, e-book and audiobook (which is awesome!) Its a short novel, and a great introduction to my writing, and the greater world I've created through my novels. You can discover all my novels on my author page. 

On the photography front, my next book project is well underway. I'm reluctant to go into any detail on what its about other than to say its simultaneously contemporary and based on Alabama history. I've amassed about 50 good images and the basic outline of the narrative. 

​What I also did a lot of this summer was ride my motorcycle. Equipped with a tail bag optimized for camera gear, it has become my magic carpet and primary means of transportation when I'm taking photographs.  It seems I've put a lot of miles on my bike.  According to people who know about motorcycles, I've put on more miles than usual on my Harley. The bike gives my photography an added level of adventure and I love riding it. No regrets. As soon as it gets out of the shop for a busted back tire, I'll put more miles on it. 

Friends crack jokes and wonder if my new bike is a manifestation of some sort of mid-life crisis. If a woman of a certain age gets a boob job, a makeover and a new wardrobe, it's "You go, girl!" If a man of a certain age gets a new sports car, its "Bob must be having a mid-life crisis."  Bobs just want to have fun. 

When you're young, you have no money but lots of energy and time. Once you have time and money, you're old and have no energy. I'm at a place in my life I have have a little more of everything except hair. It's not a crisis, it's just opportunity and time coming together. Why wouldn't one take advantage of life's opportunities and live a little? 

Speaking of opportunities, I'm looking forward to a fall and winter filled with photography, writing and maybe just a little riding on the side. I also hope to be attending several art and book festivals as the weather cools down. Please visit my events calendar to get up to speed on book signings, galleries and speaking engagements. 

It's my hope I have two new books in 2024 - a novel and a photography book. Keep checking back for updates. Thanks for stopping by. 

I like pushing my personal boundaries as a photographer. Last week's portrait sessions at Harley Davidson of Dothan was one of those times. A friend asked me to donate my services for charity in support of the Christian Motorcyclists Association. For a few bucks, someone could get a portrait with with their motorcycle. All proceeds went to CMA's faith-based community work. 

A huge Thank You to Falon and all the people at Harley Davidson of Dothan/Holland Motorsports for all the help getting the space to do the photoshoot.  Thanks to CMA for helping with set-up, tear-down, moving and wiping down bikes.

​Essentially, I had to set up a temporary photo studio on-site. I'd done this before on a smaller scale, but nothing on this big. The backdrop had to be large enough for person and motorcycle. It took me about an hour for set up, and I was surprised how well it turned out, but I had three significant challenges: Light, floor and backdrop. 

 I only had limited control over light, but I was pleased with the results.  We couldn't turn off all the lights, and there was some "warm light" leakage from skylights, but overall it worked out well.  Really well, actually. However, the floor presented more of a problem, and opportunity, in this area than I had expected.

The bright blue floor, complete with paintings of sea-life, presented a challenge for both light and safety. I had brought black floor cloths to cover the floor, but they proved to be too slippery on the smooth surface and had to be initially abandoned. Fortuneatly, CMA brougt in black floor mats that held my drop cloths in place. However, in a few shots I actually used the blue floor to reflect light to accentuate blue motorcycle paint on a few bikes. That worked out well.   

I needed a wider backdrop, which forced me to stay tight on the motorcycles. This wasn't  a big deal, as it just forced me into a different photography style, which actually worked better than my original concept.  I quickly realized the motorcycle shouldn't'  be the focus, the riders should be the focus. The bike is an extension of the rider, not the other way around. 

​One of my dreams is to design a mobile photo studio, and this event went a long way in testing some of those concepts. ​

I learned a lot of lessons at this photoshoot, and had  a great time. If you're interested in a portrait session with your motorcycle or vehicle (or any portrait session), contact me to schedule a mini-session.

I haven't had any time to blog, as I've been too busy taking images. I'll leave you with this image, which was a favorite of mine from a recent photoshoot. 

That's all for this week. I'll try to have something more substantial next week. 

Magical places and magical people are all around us. Behind every front door is a person with a story. My camera sometimes opens doors to these magical places and people. It often begins with an unusual building and striking up a conversation with the occupant or neighbor. It's a "spur of the moment" thing, that really can't be planned, and begins with a question and a handshake.  This is the story of such an experience. 

If you visit Wikipedia (not the most reliable source, but hey, I didn't have much time for research this week) you'll find a sparse and fairly straight-forward description of a place called Brundidge, Alabama.  Wikipedia will tell you that, according to the census, it's a small town getting smaller. Wikipedia also will tell you Brundidge was once known for making peanut butter and even hosts a Peanut Butter Festival each autumn. Now it hosts a major Wal-mart distribution center.  It was also once the hometown of Mr. Herb Siler, who in 1960 survived four rounds against the Greatest of All Time, Mohammad Ali, before getting knocked out.  Wikipedia will also mentions Brundidge lies in the "humid subtropical climate zone." I'd been to Brundidge a few times on photo expeditions, but it was on a serious "humid subtropical climate zone" day in June, with temperatures nearing triple-digits, that I met Mr. Michael Robinson. 

​I'd interrupted his lawn mowing when I approached to inquirer about a nearby property. He graciously answered my questions, and then motioned to his own home and said it was the oldest house in Brundidge. What started as a few questions about the nearby house turned into an invitation to park my motorcycle in the shade, a cold drink, and a tour of his amazing property.  Before I knew it, I had spent the afternoon with this truly fascinating gentleman of many talents and interests, whom one might call a "renaissance man." ​

Mike Robinson is a retired high school football coach, history teacher, and Methodist preacher. He is a classic car buff and restorer, as well as a collector of many interesting things. He and his late wife were the fifth owners of a house dating back to 1859. The property spreads over several acres, with an outbuilding, original barn, separate modern garage and workshop, and well-cared for gardens. All of it is meticulously maintained. Within and without, treasures were everywhere and everything has  a story - every building, vehicle, and piece of equipment. I wish I had brought something to write with, or even a recording device. All I had was my camera and memory. 

We began outside, with an original US Army jeep from the 1940s, a "barn find" he has lovingly restored. Later, he showed me his garage, where he had an exquisitely restored an old Ford truck, perhaps dating back to the 1950s. He told me the exact years, but I didn't write them down. He also had a vintage Volkswagen Beetle. This is  a man of many experiences and talents,  and his automotive restoration work was amazing. ​

The tour continued to an outbuilding, which Mike had converted to a little schoolhouse in honor of his late wife, who had been also been a teacher. An school bell stands vigil outside, as if waiting for someone to call the children to class. Inside were books, maps and everything one would expect in an an old country school.  To me, it felt like a shrine not only to his beloved wife's memory, but to learning and education. This theme of education continued in the main home as well, as books and collections of unusual object filled the home.  

While Mike gave me full permission to photograph, I'm not going to include most of the images I took inside the main house out of respect for his privacy. I will simply say it was beautifully restored home, keeping the old home's original charm and feel. However, there were eclectic touches throughout the house, such as a pair of hand carved Chinese doors.

I will also say that  this was an educator's home.  There were collections and memorabilia from his days as a teacher, a coach and minister. This blending of mind, body and spirit gave the house a feeling of balance, and perhaps a touch of "feng shui."  Photos of his players from his coaching days lined the shelves, including one he took with legendary Alabama coach Bear Bryant. I found his collection of puppets from his days of  children's ministry very fascinating. 

The old barn was the favorite part of the tour. With its bright red roof, old woodwork, and amazing light, it is a photographer's dream. He allowed me to climb into the hayloft. The heat up there was brutal, but the light was breathtaking. I had just happened to catch it at the right time, when the midday sun was reflecting underneath the eaves from the red roof into the loft. It painted the loft's north end in an unearthly crimson light. Some of the light trickled through old doors resting against the wall, casting rays of purple and greens across the floor. It was extremely exciting to capture. 

The last part of my visit with Mike was spent in his kitchen as he showed me historical documents about the home's original owners, as well as local Brundidge history.  The shadows began to lengthen, and the time had come for me to get back on the road. Before I left, he lent me  book about Pike County history, and I promised to return with one of my own books to give him. 

A soft-spoken man of many talents, it was a blessing to meet Mr. Robinson and be able to spend an afternoon with him. I look forward to making my way to Brundidge again soon. 

#abandonedwiregrass #wiregrass #pikecounty #threenotchroad #brundidgealabama #photography #history #southern

While I've included a photo from one of my latest expeditions, this post is actually about writing.

For those of you who might have read or are reading my CHRONICLES OF FU XI series, I've made a major change in the series.  The fourth, and final, installment in my epic fantasy series is becoming too long. I am forced to break it into two books. 

HOWEVER, it will still be a four-book series. Instead of making it five books, I am creating a stand-alone companion book similar to what I did with THE GOLDEN PRINCESS. This will be a 70k-ish, self-contained story about the Goddess Nuwa's backstory with some unique insights into Fu Xi. I do not have a working title yet. If one read the CHRONICLES OF FU XI series, this new book would not be necessary to understand the main novels, but would add richness and depth to several characters, much as THE GOLDEN PRINCESS did. This new novel will be a mythological fantasy.

I am also busy working on my newest photography book (as you can see above). In the next few weeks I will post an expanding blog episode where I detail one of the most interesting encounters I've had on the road yet, and give more details about the image above.