“First, you have to be realistic. As I was writing, I defined authenticity for myself when I allowed myself to own my thoughts and dared to put them in writing.”
These are the words of Bryan Beller, whose rise as a popular magazine and website writer surprised him. After all, he was a professional musician, not a wordsmith. He played bass in Dweezil Zappa’s band, “Z,” and later with Mike Keneally, among many others, and began emailing his friends describing his life on the road. This was all before the internet or blogging was big and his previous blog, email diary became his stream of consciousness, which he titled “Bryan’s Life.”
“This honesty generates action in me,” he continued. “The truth about where thoughts come from and what action they cause generate my writing and how I exploit it.” Bryan found that the more vulnerable and transparent he was as a person and as a writer, the more readers surrounded him. The buzz happens!
Bryan’s candid and quirky style caught the eye of the editor of Bass Player magazine, who wrote an article about him as a musician and writer. More impressed, the editor asked Bryan to write a regular column for the magazine, using his newspaper voice and mixing his humor, love of political satire and his personal observations. He was given complete freedom to write on topics of his choosing, and recently he had the opportunity to interview “Tool” superstar bassist Justin Chancellor. After a stint in the corporate world with SWR, during which he eventually took responsibility for writing the company’s entire catalogue, Bryan realized his true calling in his roots as a freelance writer and musician. The past six months have seen him as a contributing editor for “Bass Player.” He can now see his name in the top magazine.
“Second, you have to have a conversation. Writing is a conversation. If you have a clear presence as a writer and are intentional, then you can have a conversation with yourself and with the readers. The voices in my head are part of the natural human condition; they reveal a internal discussion that can be shared. Of course, if you can also turn off your internal agenda as a writer, you can become much more versatile. You can have many more conversations.” Paradox loves dialogue!
Bryan recently participated in “At the Table,” a weekly teleconference sponsored by Writers of the Round Table Inc. where attendees have the opportunity to hear inside information from successful writers, producers, editors, and agents.
“Third, there must be a reason. Why write? Because unless an event is documented, no matter how momentous, horrible, or wonderful that event may be, it soon becomes just a memory to the participants…and a fading one into that. And until something is documented, one can debate whether or not it actually occurred.”
When Bryan described his first experience with the journal, he shared about the vulnerability of auditioning for a band and his false assumption of getting the job, followed by the processing, analysis, and acceptance of not having the success he hoped for. He discovered that he was becoming more and more transparent and authentic in the way he processed life, he understood himself and exposed himself for anyone to accept or reject.
“Fourth, you must use a process. Put your butt in the chair, write for several hours without using the space behind, get out there, print it out, let it sit for 15 to 30 minutes, read it out loud, then edit.” Find the process that works for you. Work it and do wonders!
Going back a bit, Bryan has formed a specific definition of himself as a writer. Realizing that the writing process required him to confront his unique and personal truths, he began to understand himself and the power of his unique and intentional voice. In the late 1990s he cloistered himself and wrote a 625-page novel over about 18 months. He never published it, but he says the process of completing the novel allowed him to call himself a writer because the act of writing transformed his style and honed his craft and his strengths. He found his style and the self-publishing process that works for him.
His friend, Martha C. Lawrence, the award-winning bestselling author of zodiac mysteries, mentored Bryan. She offered harsh alternative ways of approaching writing. Bryan refers to the lessons learned as a “writers group for one.” The writing process she showed him resulted in few edits upon posting. She learned not to overwrite or describe too much and to allow the reader to fill in the blanks.
Bryan’s website will give you more writing tips and a plethora of fun reads: http://www.bryanbeller.com Feel free to subscribe to “BellerBytes” too!
So remember:
1. Be real 2. Converse 3. Have a reason 4. Use a writing process.
In the meantime, keep your butt in the meat, your fingers on the keys, and your writing reaching for the stars!