Share your non-PEBA writing

[John]

Perhaps it's a function of our league's focus on creative writing, but over the years it seems that we've attracted a growing body of members who really enjoy writing and engage in the practice outside of the realm of the PEBA. For instance, Ron of Kawaguchi is a published author. So is Jeff of Manchester. Bob of Yuma is working on getting a manuscript published. Other members are involved or are getting involved with their own literary endeavors.

We all came here for baseball, but I believe a lot of us stay in large part for the writing. Our website has become a showcase of baseball-related writing that has attracted regular visitors from around the globe. I believe there's a taste for more. People enjoy reading what you write, and they do visit our forums. On the homepage, we're always going to stay focused and "on topic", but here in the Off-Topic forum, we have the ability to stretch ourselves out a bit. I think providing a place for members to share their work is one great way of doing that.

Sharing excerpts and samples of your non-PEBA work will likely entertain our readers, but it could serve you in several ways, too. It is never a bad thing for your writing to gain exposure. The truth is you never know who's out there reading our forums. Sharing your work also gives you a chance to receive feedback, which is always helpful for refining your writing. It can also be an excellent opportunity to experiment. Have you been toying with an idea but aren't sure if it's up to snuff? Here's a chance to give it a test run. Best of all, it's a chance to build confidence in your skills. I'm not sure there's any one tool in a writer's repertoire that's more important than self-confidence. The timid writer will struggle to find his voice; the confident writer will communicate clearly and distinctively. What better way to develop your own writing voice than to practice here amongst friends?

There are no limitations on the kinds of writing that can be posted here. Fiction, non-fiction, blog and newspaper style - it's all good. The only limits I place come regarding hateful or bigoted speech, something that I have absolutely zero fear of seeing posted here.

A special consideration note for writing submissions featuring strong language and/or adult situations. Long story short: This is completely A-OK. On our homepage and here on the forums, I do filter language due to the broad nature of our readership. This exercise is different, however, and writing featuring strong language and/or adult situations is not only permissible but welcome. That said, I would ask two favors before submitting writing including strong language and/or adult situations:

1. Submit your text in .pdf or other downloadable format.
2. Provide a warning that your text contains strong language and/or adult situations. This will serve as a warning for readers with "gentle temperaments" to steer clear.

So please, feel free to share whenever you feel inclined! I don't expect this thread to take off instantly. Maybe it will never take off, but I feel it's worth putting the opportunity out there anyway. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, and we just might find something wonderful comes out of it.

[Maulers]

Most of, perhaps all of, this material is fire walled online, but if any one is interested I could send PDF's of any of these articles. They have all appeared, or are about to appear, in peer-reviewed scholarly journals:


(2011) “Subversives All! Ronald Reagan and the Paternal Roots of ‘Law & Order’ at Home
and Abroad.” (Forthcoming in Law, Culture, and the Humanities)

(2009) “Little Monsters, Wild Animals, & Welfare Queens: Ronald Reagan & the Legal
Constitution of American Politics.” 49 Studies in Law, Politics, and Society 157.

(2005) “In the Name of Equal Rights: ‘Special’ Rights and the Politics of Resentment in
Post-Civil Rights America.” 39 Law and Society Review 723.

(2004) “Law at the American Frontier.” 29 Law and Social Inquiry 855. (Review Essay)

(2001) “Of Savages & Sovereigns: Tribal Self-Administration and the Legal Construction of
Dependence.” 23 Studies in Law, Politics, and Society 3.

[John]

(2004) “Law at the American Frontier.” 29 Law and Social Inquiry 855. (Review Essay)

Something about that title intrigues me. If you'd care to share that article, I'd be interested in reading it.

[Arroyos]

What a great idea, John! And thanks for the opportunity to share. Great opportunity for writers, but also for readers. I look forward to reading what everyone else is working on.

So I'm attaching a PDF of one of my published stories while I reformat some of my unpublished work to be posted later.

Harvey Head Bangers.pdf

(2009) “Little Monsters, Wild Animals, & Welfare Queens: Ronald Reagan & the Legal
Constitution of American Politics.” 49 Studies in Law, Politics, and Society 157.

Jeff, I'd love to read this article of yours. I have a student working on a project that touches on welfare during Reagan's administration; your article might give her a different "read" on the subject.

Bob

[John]

What a great idea, John! And thanks for the opportunity to share. Great opportunity for writers, but also for readers. I look forward to reading what everyone else is working on.

So I'm attaching a PDF of one of my published stories while I reformat some of my unpublished work to be posted later.

I have downloaded my copy and will be reading it this evening.

[Maulers]

Thanks for your interest, John and Bob! We're snowed in again today, so I won't be able to send these pieces to you until tomorrow, as they are on my office computer.

[Mike Dunn]

There are no limitations on the kinds of writing that can be posted here. Fiction, non-fiction, blog and newspaper style - it's all good.

How about a poem? A baseball poem, of course.

I wrote this based on an incident in another OOTP league. My perennial cellar-dwelling team had signed a free agent SP (right before I took control) and just weeks after signing, still in ST, he suffered what became a career-ending injury. So I wrote a ballad. It actually could be set to music (I have the tune in my head, and a chorus), but I know nothing about music so it will stay a poem.

EDIT: Strong language warning.

[John]

I love the poem, Mike! Man, do your teams have bad luck with injuries, or what? If my son was promoted to a Mike Dunn-run team and was featured in a story, I would immediately rent a hospital bed for him.

I probably should have noted this in the opener, but let me take the opportunity now to address language/adult situations in writing submissions. Long story short: A-OK. On our homepage and here on the forums, I do filter language due to the broad nature of our readership. This exercise is different, however, and writing featuring strong language and/or adult situations is not only permissible but welcome. That said, I would ask two favors before submitting writing including strong language and/or adult situations:

1. Submit your text in .pdf or other downloadable format.
2. Provide a warning that your text contains strong language and/or adult situations. This will serve as a warning for readers with "gentle temperaments" to steer clear.

And readers, no complaints allowed if our members follow these two guidelines. You have been warned!

[Mike Dunn]

[*]Provide a warning that your text contains strong language and/or adult situations. This will serve as a warning for readers with "gentle temperaments" to steer clear.

Add warning to mine, which hopefully will increase readership .

[John]

I had a chance to read Harvey's Head Bangers, Bob. Let me ask you: Are the three characters being discussed here - the boy who bangs his head, the narrator's close friend and the professor - related in any way? What I mean is, will their paths cross later in the story? Or are they just anecdotal, with the story focusing elsewhere? Do we learn more about the narrator? He has a very distinctive means of communication - very clipped speech, quippy humor, very conversational. Speaking of conversation, is the narrator speaking directly to the reader or to an character who is yet to be introduced?

It's a fun writing style you employ here. I would almost term it "jaunty". Like I said, it's very distinctive, and I believe that's an important quality to memorable prose. Sometimes we get caught up in writing exactly as most people speak, but that can be a trap. A plain style of communication has the advantage of being inclusive, but it runs the risk of being dull. I certainly wouldn't term this dull prose. It's quite clever and lively. The sample does a good job of leaving the reader wanting more.

[Arroyos]

I had a chance to read Harvey's Head Bangers, Bob. Let me ask you: Are the three characters being discussed here - the boy who bangs his head, the narrator's close friend and the professor - related in any way? What I mean is, will their paths cross later in the story? Or are they just anecdotal, with the story focusing elsewhere? Do we learn more about the narrator? He has a very distinctive means of communication - very clipped speech, quippy humor, very conversational. Speaking of conversation, is the narrator speaking directly to the reader or to an character who is yet to be introduced?

Thanks for asking, John. And for the kind words about the "jaunty" style.

Actually, the story has 5 narrators--one for each section. They recall anecdotes about the same central character, someone they have each known at different times in his life.

The story has been staged--and in that case, the five performers told their memories to each other. But I was asked to give a public reading of the story shortly after it won some regional contest, and in that case I directly addressed the audience, reading each of the 5 narrators' memories to my audience. I think it works both ways.

As for the "jauntiness" of the style, I don't think anyone's ever described my prose style that way, but I like it. Thanks.

Bob

[klewis]

@ Mike - I'm pretty sure I mentioned this before but I used to be DDB as the Outlaws

Ok, time for me to admit some geekiness... way before OOTP/baseball online leagues, I used to participate in the E-wrestling scene. Haha what can I say, I grew up as an 80's wrestling fan. So what's more cooler than creating a wrestler and molding his career?!?

Haha anyway, I had this character named SilK. On the surface, he had a simple, flamboyant persona. But deeper underneath, he was a true babyface with complex thoughts. His gimmick composed of being raver with hair dyed in blue (haha don't ask). This story picks up a year later after the SilK character has quit the wrestling world. He has since then decided to make a comeback to his career and is in a middle of a tournament to crown a new champion. The story gives subtle hints on his motivation and reasoning behind his comeback to the wrestling world. It goes into the character questioning his abilities and the choice of making a comeback. In this scene SilK is working on solving an odd mathematical law. I don't even recall the point of this scene since it was written years ago. But I think it was in response to another person/wrestler who created a mathematical law that stated that the said wrestler would win the tournament.

So yeah, that's my deep, dark secret A lot of my PEBA writing is inspired from my roots of E-wrestling and hence why I tend to gravitate towards fictional, storyline pieces over analytical or team news baseball type articles. I had been in a few OOTP baseball leagues that had a voluntary writing component. But those leagues were mostly about writing team news type articles. So PEBA was perfect to me in that it encouraged fictional writings and had other owners who enjoyed crafting storylines as well. Here's some more fun facts for those that are interested. The name of Florida's owner, Drew Streets, is actually the real name of my fictional SilK character. Both characters share similar flamboyant personalities. SilK's manager/promoter was a guy by the name of Andrew Katz (inspired from ESPN?), which inspired the A.K. character in PEBA. Likewise, they both share similar personalities and catchphrases.

There you have it. The story behind my PEBA characters. It all tied into my past experiences in E-wrestling Also for the record, I do not like to write. I don't like to exercise/run. But I absolutely love exercising/running if it involves sports. Similarly, I don't like to write but find it tolerable to write in a fictional environment

Since I am blabbering in this post, I might as well add that the PEBA Trade Tally is up to date now including notes on who were drafted with those draft picks. Now, I think I only owe John a few more things. I owe him European pics and finding a way to RSS the Featherheads website. Just throwing it out there to let him know I did not forget!

[John]

You see, I love that story you just related to us, Kevin, because it perfectly illustrates how creative inspiration can come from anywhere, and that's a wonderful thing. Your particular point of entry into creative writing is nothing to be ashamed about. There are so many things that inspire and fee our imagination, and thank God there is, because it's that very truth that provides us with totally different worldviews and writing voices. I think about Anne Perry, the popular historical crime fiction novelist, who as a teenager wholly wrapped up in a private fantasy world, murdered her own mother. I'm not sure there could be a more awful turn of events, and yet she received help, recovered and ultimately used her experience to fuel her breakout career. If she can do that, you sure can use e-wrestling as your muse.

I just have to say that I was chortling at SilK's 10 Commandments. To wit:

• Thou shall treat a rave like a church and deejays as pastors.
• Thou shall know how to dance… and dance well.
• Thou shall know the words to Eiffel 65’s “Blue” by heart.
• Thou shall never question the power of the glowstick.

Awesome.

[Bill]

@ Mike and Kevin: Small world. I was in DDB as well; I was the Blackwood GM from '70-'77. That was the first good league I ever joined.

Great writing and sharing here. I spent a year as a sports correspondant covering high school sports for a community newpaper when I first moved to NC. I wasn't particularly good; for somebody untrained in journalism, I found it hard to conduct meaningful interviews especially with amateur coaches and players. All I got were cliche answers. And since I was brand spanking new to the area, I didn't really appreciate the any of the rivalries or storylines.

(Funny Story: My second HS football game ever was at a rinky dink school in the middle of nowhere. To put it in perspective, the entire kindergarden-12th grade of this area was at one campus and I think the varsity team might have had 30 players. Anyway, so I cover this game and some kid from the home team scores a touchdown in the fourth quarter that eventually ends up winning the game. The fans go wild after the game ends and everybody in the press box is giving high fives and hugs all around. Seemed a little over the top to me, but maybe they really like HS football here in NC.

I figure out while another guy is interviewing the coach of the home team that this school had lost like 25 straight games and this was their first win in 3 years. On some level, it was probably good from a journalistic standpoint that I didn't care who won. But at the same time, I'm sure I would have written a better story had I known before hand.)

Anyway, that experience did give me an appreciation for the fictional journalism that I apply to my OOTP experiences. I find that I really like fictional journalism because I don't have to do the fact checking necessary in real journalism. Plus you don't have to try to think up good questions to draw out good responses - I just make up the good responses.

Unfortunately, the paper I worked for doesn't have online archives back to that date.

I started a OOTP X solo dynasty writeup about a guy in a fictional league that made something out of nothing. I had a good start, but kinda lost direction and motivation after a little while. Plus the simming got way ahead of my writing, so it became hard to pull details from the league. It seems to have gotten erased from the OOTP forums, but I still have the text and the league. Maybe I'll revisit it someday.

[Maulers]

Ha! I just figured out that one can post attachments here in the forum. I've rarely been accused of being quick on the uptake.

Anyway, here is the piece that John asked about.

Well, the Reagan piece is too big to upload here. So I'll send it to your email, Bob. Actually can you post your email address, Bob? I don't seem to be able to attach anything to the email function here in the forums. Thanks.