Writing In Circles: The B-Side

A while back I had a challenging time writing my Slow Down Sister post. All my output was crap. My mind wandered and random thoughts tumbled out into a mis-mash: the B-side.

My eyes are heavy. I don’t know where to begin. The puppy is eating a rhino and shredding some cardboard. I have fifteen minutes before the rest of my family comes home. I vowed to write, but I had a hard time getting started. I did a bunch of other things before I climbed up the stairs and sat at the keyboard. I closed my eyes. What should I write about now? My book? Polishing up a rejected piece or two to submit to another magazine? Write an entirely new story? Why can’t I just finish this damn post AND MOVE ON? I’M ANGRY TYPING. AND NOW THE PUPPY IS FREAKING OUT.

Beck is running in circles, tearing up the carpet with a rubber duck clenched in his jaws while I’m trying to write something slightly articulate, meaningful, and profound. The A-side is what I want to produce. But all I’m getting is B-side crap.

Put your record on

I’m old enough to cherish the memory of playing records on a real record player. That lovely antiquated machine with a needle you placed on a round piece of vinyl that spun round and round. Do you remember?

If you ever bought a record, let’s say a .45 of your favorite Queen song “We Are the Champions.” That’s all you wanted to hear, but on the other side was some song by the same great band that you never heard of: the B-side. That’s the song no one cared about and often never appears on the band’s LP. According to record executives, it just wasn’t as good as the A-side. Or was it?

Interestingly, the B-side to the hit “We Are the Champions” became a smashing success: “We Will Rock You.”

Who determines a winning song?

The fans. We are the fans. We hear a song on the radio, and then talk about it with friends. If it’s great, we buy the record or even the album. The song’s status climbs the charts to number one. The band is elevated to superstar status. The album becomes platinum. Rock on.

Who determines a winning book?

Or a New York Times bestseller? Something talked about in book groups and among friends. Again, it’s the fans. Those crazy kids, for example that made Stephanie Miller’s awful Twilight series a hit. Love bites.

Slow Down Sister

After I completed and posted Slow Down Sister, Deep Purple appeared on my iTunes playlist. Ironically, they were singing “Slow Down Sister.” I don’t think I heard it before because it’s a B-side of the “Love Conquers All” 12″ and CD single). The song was kind of catchy, but it was never a hit.

Who controls the playlist?

There are no more B-sides these days. Vinyl is dead, replaced by CDs and now surpassed by digital. iTunes took over the record industry seemingly overnight. Digital channels are making it easier to instantly publish what you think to the world.

Fans control the playlist

If I have a platform and develop relationships with my fans, then sharing ideas and stories is easy and scalable. There’s no need to worry what some music hot shot or publishing executive thinks. It’s up to me. It’s up to you.

Thank you to my fans.

I hope you enjoyed reading this B-side. If you did and want to share, click on one of the share buttons below.