The Writing Life

I’m on a roll. I use an example to illustrate a social reality. Then I give the background to the example and the social reality. Finally, I go off on a tangent from that social reality. Voilà, I have three completed pieces.

For the past month I’ve been on a writing jag. In all I’ve written three non-fiction political columns, each of approximately 1,500 words. The first uses the term tertium quid to segue into the topic of Perón and justicialismo as a way of introducing the subject of Third Positionism generally. The second delves deeply into Third Positionism, using Perón’s meeting with Ernesto “Che” Guevara to develop the concept of Third World Third Positionism and then circle back round to First World adherents to Third Positionism. Finally, I use a chance comment about Labor Zionism’s implied Third Positionism in my second column to write a detailed essay about the promise and problems of socialist Zionism partially from experience to compare and contrast with my personal experiences on the US Left. Instead of being exhausted by this marathon writing session, I’m wired and itching to write more.

I’ve decided to cap this sudden series as a three-parter instead so now I’m rewriting and reworking all three. Then I’ll give them to my copyeditor one at a time for a final polish before I give them to MRR and publish them on my website. Life is good.

Breakthrough

My writing starts with an idea. From there it’s either an excited rollercoaster rush to a satisfying conclusion or a slow slog of trial and error teeth pulling that often goes unfinished. Two months ago I promised a friend I’d do a column in defense of the ultraleft. I’ve been plugging away on the subject ever since, doggedly working on approaches until I had three separate attempts in three separate files. Last night I had a conceptual breakthrough about how to knit all three fragments into a single whole, and this morning I woke up at 6am to write. Now, except for some amplification and clarification, the column is essentially done. Of course, it’s not done yet. There’s lots of rewriting and editing on my part before it goes to my copyeditor, and then to MRR. But it’s finished.

Punk Planet, RIP

Punk Planet has printed its last issue. #80. A sad day, indeed.

As a writer for PP‘s chief rival, Maximum Rocknroll, I always sneered that PP was “punk lite.” Tim Yohannan’s assertion that MRR was the bible of punk rock, and his heavy-handed attempts at defining what was and wasn’t punk, in part motivated Dan Sinker to start PP, and later for Jeff Bale to start Hit List. To Sinker’s everlasting credit, PP was never merely a reaction to MRR. It had its own style, focus, and audience, not to mention its own understanding of what punk was all about.

PP‘s demise comes on the heels of Clamor publishing its last issue. It’s never good news when a small independent magazine goes under. Punk Planet will be missed.

Hey, Ho, Let’s Go!

I spent the last three days creating and perfecting the website, “What’s Left?,” for the mostly monthly political columns I write for Maximum Rocknroll under the name “Lefty” Hooligan. (check here) I learned quite a bit in the process, so constructing “Playing for Keeps” for my personal blogsite was a snap. I’m still not completely happy with this theme, but it will do.

“What’s Left?” piggybacks on the blog format, allowing me to post my columns on the web as I write them. It will also be a place for limited archiving of my past columns. The idea here is to get some web exposure for the columns in a way that allows comments and feedback. I’ve written “What’s Left?” for MRR now for 15 years. It’s pretty much taken for granted, and raises little commentary or controversy.

“Playing for Keeps” is intended as a true blog. It’s also intended to inspire me to write more frequently, on a wider range of subjects. I’m new to blogging, so we’ll see how it goes.