Blogging about “Tell It Like It Was”
Ratiocinating out loud about writing and publishing on Medium
I PROMISED THE GUYS that I would launch Tell It Like It Was a few seconds after midnight on January 1, 2019. It would be a greeting to the new year and a celebration of the work that my two amazing literary compatriots John Ross and Lew Shiner did in helping me put this publication together.
The three of us have been working on one massive joint project titled “The Toppermost of the Poppermost” that has over 80,000 words so far. It will be published here in ten chapters. We will also be writing new articles and essays and refurbishing some previously published pieces for inclusion here on Medium.
I am the overseer—I don’t expect to be doing much in the normal line of editing with two experienced writers like John and Lew—and had to put this thing together.
“If you make people think they’re thinking, they’ll love you; but if you really make them think, they’ll hate you.” (Harlan Ellison)
After years of working in WordPress, I found that it was very different working in Medium and that I had (have) a lot to learn.
We have been assembling our Medium articles in WordPress, all the while assuming things in WordPress would be the same in Medium — and that turned out to be wishful thinking.
For example, I can’t preview a draft on Medium — I have to publish the article and then look at the published piece to see if there are any issues with formatting, special characters, etc. Since I hadn’t previously published on Medium, I didn’t know what the finished work would look like when published.
Hell’s Belles, as I write this I still don’t know what it’s going to look like when published! But I am on the verge of having a hunka hunka burnin’ fantods anticipating the future here on Medium!
So, rather than publish all four of the articles that we have prepared and then find problems — and there are potentially hundreds of problems in a certain device we used in the main piece alone — I am posting just this one now.
That way, I can live up to my promise of launching Tell It Like It Was a few seconds after midnight. I will publish the other four articles throughout New Year’s Day as I make changes to each to make them fit Medium.
Each of the images above will be used as featured images for different articles published later today. Each will be properly credited to the photographer or source. By the end of New Year’s Day, this page will be gone (and, hopefully, forgotten).
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01/01/2019 (7:36 AM)
Well, I got a good night’s sleep and just finished off my morning bowl of Café Bustelo and I am experimenting with Medium. Here is my newest discovery: Medium treats every imported image as an individual image and gives it its own space/box/line in the text.
For example, this lovely wee 5-pointed gold star:
On WordPress, this is a wee image that can be maneuvered around on a page. In the series of Toppermost of the Poppermost articles that will make up the foundation for this publication, I used these stars as part of a rating system that John, Lew, and I used for each of the #1 records of the ’60s we reviewed.
It looked like this:
John:
Lew:
Neal:
Following each of our names were the stars. Such is apparently not to be.
We could put one, two, or three stars on one horizontal line and have a graphically arresting piece of text. But as Medium treats each of the stars as a separate image, each star gets its own line, so apparently, I can only have one image per horizontal line.
Why is that?
Now I have to replace the lovely stars with something pedestrian that can be found in the terribly limited—and often just plain terribly chosen—set of “special characters” in WordPress or my Libre Office document. So the beautiful gold stars will probably be replaced with this:
u
That “u” was supposed to be a 4-sided, solid black diamond, but apparently neither WordPress nor Libre Office special characters work on Medium. Not do Wingdings or Webdings! And I can’t center anything—on Medium, everything is always flushed left.
Why is that?
Here is what I found among the limited “array” of keyboard characters that I can use on Medium that has some graphic interest:
Hah! I guess that I’m a Mac person makes this somewhat appropriate, no?
Right now, John and Lew are choosing between one of these three:
John: * * *
Lew: * * *
Neal: * * *
John: 3
Lew: 3
Neal: 3
John:
Lew :
Neal:
We will know shortly what I will be spending the next few days replacing on ten WordPress posts (that will end u as Medium posts).
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01/01/2019 (10:14 AM)
Heard back from John and Lew and it’s unanimous: asterisks.
John: * * *
Lew: * * *
Neal: * * *
Now I have to figure out how to line the asterisks up in something resembling columns without access to letter-spacing or kerning.
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01/02/2019 (4:18 PM)
Well, I figured out how to use solid black diamonds (♦) instead of asterisks, although I still can’t line them up vertically. I don’t know why they didn’t work the first time I tried them, but I do believe there are a lot of things about Medium I am not going to understand—sort of like my car’s engine.
Here’s what it’s going to look like at the end of every entry in the ten articles with the diamonds:
John: ♦ ♦ ♦
Lew: ♦ ♦ ♦
Neal: ♦ ♦ ♦
I also learned how to add tags to our stories and insert pull-quotes into lengthy blocks of text. At this time, the tags that will be used on Tell It Like It Was will be:
Beatles
Elvis
Psych
Rhythm And Blues
Rock And Roll
Two tags cover broad genres (blues, rhythm & blues, soul, and rock & roll in all its permutations), two cover specific artists, and one covers one of the most bandied-about on the Internet, Pysch. That is, of course, short for psychedelic and refers to music somehow related to the effects of LSD.
As many (most?) people using the term have never done any psychedelics, the term is all too often misunderstood and so misused. Which is me politely saying they don’t know what they’re talking about. Which is another conversation for another essay on Tell It Like It Was.
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01/03/2019 (3:27 AM)
I have been reading Medium’s support pages along with several articles by Medium writers, editors, and publishers trying to learn my way around. About an hour ago I found out that if I insert the URL of one of my published Medium articles followed by pressing the RETURN on my keyboard, the URL magically transforms itself into an attractive ad for that article.
Like this:
This attractive advertisement will take you to the introduction to this Tell It Like It Was, which was supposed to be the article that I used to launch this publication a few seconds into the New year! I also remembered to add credits to the photographers in the captions of the featured photographs on each page.
Since I now know how to make these lovely little ads, here are two more that lead to some highly recommended reading:
01/08/2019 (6:33 AM)
Well, it’s one week later and we have posted eight articles here on Tell It Like It Was with another eight on their way. Granted, some of these “new” stories are rewrites of pieces previously posted on my blogs, but the bloody rewriting often takes longer than writing from start.
No, it doesn’t, but it feels that way. It took me two solid days of work to rewrite the article on RIAA Gold and Platinum Records, which I think is better than the original.
Over the past few days, John, Lew, and I have been working through minor things like learning how to use the block editing system of Medium after years of using the “older” system on our WordPress sites.
A few minutes ago, I showed Lew how to add a subtitle to his article while he convinced me to drop my affectation of writing the subtitles on my stories in all lower-case. I changed to the standard upper and lowercase and reluctantly admitted my subtitles now look better.
Note that both John and Lew’s first stories were about talented, professional drummers that do not normally receive a lot of attention on the Internet. You don’t have to be a stick-person to enjoy reading about Jack Sperling, king of the big band drummers, or Gina Schock of the Go-Gos.
01/11/2019 (6:29 AM)
First, notice that I changed the parenthetical part of the title of this . . . thing from “(Sort of . . .)” to “(Sort of a Blog).” This wasn’t intended as an ongoing bloggish thing but what the hey! Why not?
Second, every day I spend some time trying (operative word there — It’s active but it doesn’t mean things are actually getting done) to learn more about being a writer on Medium ( anything goes) and being an editor/publisher on Medium (I work with two guys who know what they’re doing, so I’m rather laissez-faire about the affair).
I just came across Jonathan Greene’s “How To Run a Medium Publication” and his opening paragraphs sum it all up, probably for the majority of new “publishers” on this platform:
“When I first came to Medium I didn’t know what I was doing. But through reading and paying attention, I started to see how everything worked. I started to see that people were publishing works in publications. So I started surveying what publications looked like.
It was interesting. The layout. The different writers. The branding. It got me thinking. Once I figure out a little bit of what I am doing on here, maybe I will start a publication. After a couple pushes in the right direction, I took the leap.”
Yup.
That’s it in a shutnell.
Third, a suggestion to everyone working on Medium: add Grammarly to your browsers and consider adding it to your computer.
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01/12/2019 (7:18 AM)
Grate Grommett in Heave! I think I just figured out what Featured Pages on Medium are and how to make one and so place several here on Tell It Like It Was. And figuring that out led me to grasp how to use the Navigation Bar that I need to have on the homepage!
If you ever get around to publishing on Medium, they have an endless series of support pages addressing almost every aspect of the platform. Except that, like so many things on the Internet written by “pros,” they seem to have forgotten what it’s like not to know what anyone is talking about.
The support page for Featured Pages doesn't explain what a Featured Page is or why anyone would want one on their publication. I figured out what they are and how to use them by trial-and-error farting around based on the directions of the support page.
Now all I have to do is decide on categories for the five tags Medium allows us. Like many aspects of Tell It Like It Was, I am looking for a unanimous agreement between John, Lew, and me on those categories.
Hopefully, I will have a navigation bar with five categories and several Featured Pages up later today. After which I will come back here and explain what those Featured Pages are and provide a link to one of them.
Here are a couple of new pieces for your reading enjoyment:
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01/15/2019 (9:41 AM)
John Ross will be digging up his old articles from his blog The Round Place In The Middle that address theunbelievebaly dumb and stupid things that supposedly intelligent people say about Elvis Presley. He will be refurbishing them for publication here on Tell It Like It Was as a series of articles titled “Stupid About Elvis.”
His first piece is due here on Tell It Like It Was this Wednesday (January 15, 2019). Until then, you’ll have to make do with the piece below that I wrote about John’s RPM articles:
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01/16/2019 (3:23 AM)
Yesterday was busy with four new stories published here on Tell It Like It Was: the intro to (above) and the first installment of John’s “Stupid About Elvis” series Further below), Lew’s 1995 article about/interview with Van Dyke Parks about the making of Orange Crate Art with Brian Wilson, and the second installment of our massive group project that entails the three of us reviewing and discussing every record to reach #1 in the ‘60s:
I also figured out how to alter titles and sub-titles after publication and continue fussing around with the layout of the so-called Feature Pages, which really won’t please me until there are at least ten articles in each category.
My wife said I should personalize this a little, so I guess I can mention my three goals/resolutions for the New Year:
- Launch two publications on Medium and barrage the platform with stories.
- Find a publisher and have a book deal for the first time in ages.
- Get my weight back down under 200 pounds.
So far, I have accomplished half of the first goal, began writing a letter of enquiry and purchased a used copy of Writer’s Market 2018 so I know who to address them to, and yesterday I had an apple for lunch and cut my coffee intake.
I am also trying to do more reading for pleasure, which isn’t as easy as it used to be because I spend so much time writing. I am 2/3 of the way through Lew Shoner’s Dark Tangos and it's gone places I didn’t foresee in the beginning. As usual, I like Lew’s uncluttered style and the fact that he doesn’t allow much to get in the way of the kinetics of the narration.
I also pulled out my trusty old copy of Sho-gun, which means I’ll probably be reading Clavell’s “Asian Saga” again.
I also responded to a friend request on facebook from a watercolor artist from Europe. This reminded me of my high school art teacher Graydon Mayer, a fine watercolorist who I hadn’t though of in ages. Here’s one of his Pennsylvania landscapes, “Fallen Willow”:
We became friends after I graduated and I visited his studio along the Susquehanna River a few times after the Great Flood of ’72. A relatively reserved man who looked like his record collection consisted of Stan Kenton and Dave Brubeck albums, he surprised me when he put Ziggy Stardust on, saying the rhythms of the music made painting more fun!
hadn’t thought of that or him in a while. You can see a few more examples of his gorgeous landscapes here.
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01/16/2019 (8:19 AM)
I just read the first few paragraphs above and realized that my ignorance of the Medium platform’s rules led me to make statements that are incorrect. For example, in the fifth paragraph, I wrote that “I can’t preview a draft on Medium — I have to publish the article and then look at the published piece to see if there are any issues.”
Not so!
It just took a while to find the correct way to do it here.
And with that, I will return to perusing the Internet for more articles explaining the ins-and-outs of writing and publishing on Medium.
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01/17/2019 (4:16 AM)
For those of you who like a good, strong, robust coffee but find many of the popular brans a bit bitter, I’m here to recommend Café Bustelo, whose rich espresso-style coffee has been bringing true coffee lovers together for over 90 years. One taste, and you’ll see why Café Bustelo has the flavor that doesn’t hold back. (Hah! I’m hustling coffee with no kickback!)
Here in the sunny, funny Pacific Northwest, I can find Café Bustelo in almost any grocery store, department stores with a food section, and even drug stores. Target, Walmart, and similar stores carry it.
It only comes in a fine espresso grind and in most places, only in10-ounce, vacuum-packed bricks (pictured here) Prices vary but it can often be found on sale, especially if you have more than one location in your area that carries it.
I start each and every day with a 22-ounce mug using two heaping tablespoons of coffee with two heaping tablespoons of light brown sugar. Makes me want to write a couple of thousand new words every day!
Hell’s Belles, it makes me want to launch another publication here on Medium!
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01/17/2019 (4:16 AM)
John has published the first three parts of his “Elvis Stupidity” hexalogy. The aryicles aren’t about Presley’s lack of wits but rather how Presley’s career, his accomplishments, his genius, and apparenlt in some cases, his sheer existence causes otherwise inteligent people to lose their wits, if only temporarily.
Below find John's six pieces with my complementary and introductory piece. They are best read in the roder listed below:
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01/19/2019 (3:19 AM)
I read each of John and Lew’s pieces as an editor, looking for wee beasties to correct for stylistic continuity. I haven’t had to change much of anything, especially content. But when we decided to do Tell It Like It Was, Lew was adamant that we adhere to the Chicago Manual of Style (“the venerable, time-tested guide to style, usage, and grammar”) for the major stylistic rules.
This conflicted greatly with the rules I made up for the million words in the erticles and essays that I have posted on my blogs over the past six years. To a lesser degree, also how John has published his writing on his blog. So there’s usally a few things to change.
Then I go bac and read again for pleasure. Then I clap some—and clapping on Medium is a cuh-ray-zee process as each reader can clap 50 times—and leave a comment. I don’t do this to make my buddies look better; I do this because I like what they write!
Plus, Lew is so serious and I am, as a longtime (supposed) friend just labeled me on Facebook, a buffoon. In fact, in lew’s piece “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” he quoted Van Dyke Parks as saying, “With a collaborator you always have an idiot next to you, saying the wrong thing.” That was my favorite line in a 5,000-word article, probably because I so comfortably fill the idiot role.
Anyway, clapping on Medium: when a reader comes across two pieces on the same topic and one piece has 1,000 claps and another 40 claps, which one do you think is going to attract the reader? Well, the first one could have had 20 readers total, each of whom clapped 50 times, while the second piece may have had 40 readers, each of whom only clapped once.
Caveat lector!
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01/28/2019 (1:55 PM)
Well, the ony goal I set out with for this publcation was to have it up and rinnung one sceon after midnight on Januray 1, 2019—a goal I came close to achieving by kinda cheating and contructiong this poor excuse for a blog you’r eredaing.
Actually, I don’t think anybody’s reading it but me, but I never look at the stats ’cause it’s tough enough with the daily bad news about or from you-know-who in the White House for me to want to read how many people aren't reading me, hennah?
So, about a week ago I decided I had another goal: John and Lew and I would post 31 stories on Tell It Like It Was by the end of January, one for each day of that month. Lew came through with #29 and #30 yesterday—one on “live” albums recorded in the ’60s at Los Angeles discotheques, the other a piece of fiction about Elvis in the Army.
John followed up with the closer later in the evening! It’s his final (for now) take on the “Elvis Stupidity” phenomenon (maybe it’s an actual disorder). You can find links to the first five entries above.
So I decided to take a break from rocking and rolling and address a few things that have no place on Tell It Like It Was: the first is a few facts about how the Electoral College works, the second about discovering Frederick Waddy, a gifted caricaturist from the 19th century.
Find them all below but first I want to say how proud I am that John and Lew have allowed me to publish their fantastic work here on this publication. It’s been a pleasure working with both—and we all had problems navigating the rules of order for publishing on Medium.
I don’t know about John and Lew (I think they’re nice to me because they think I work too much or too hard) but, guys, thanks.
I’m having a groovy time and I look forward to doing lots more of the same with both of you!!!
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02/17/2019 (11:30 AM)
As you can see, blogging in the “classical” sense—by which I mean Julie entering her attempts at cooking a new recipe every day in Julie & Julia—but at least I have a reasonable excuse for the unseemly delay between this posting and the previous one: the sunny, funny Pacific Northwest was inundated with more than two feet (2') of snow dropped by three storms over an eight-day period.
As we are effectively completely unprepared for such an occurrence—neither state, county, or local governments have many plows to hook up to the front of trucks; there are no ordinances requiring commercial or residential occupants to “maintain” their sidewalks; and few of us own a snow shovel, let alone a snowblower.
A foot of snow here has the same impact that 3–4 feet of snow might have in the Midwest or on the East Coast.
So at least some of my time has been spent outdoors trying to keep up with the weather.
There are several new stories to be found on Tell It Like It Was and this time I will focus on one of mine. In 2013, I became aware of conceptual artist Rutherford Chang’s “We Buy White Albums” project. It led me to write eleven articles on my Rather Rare Records blog addressing the Beatle in 1967–1968 and things that led to the “regression” from Revolver and Sgt. Pepper to The White Album).
I have condensed those and rewritten them and will be publishing them here on Tell It Like It Was. Here are the first two:
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02/21/2019 (5:50 PM)
Just wanted to point you to “Dancing At The Dawn Of A New Age” on the Sixties Music Secrets website where John Ross just posted a piece on the groovy (mostly chick) dancers that were everywhere in the ’60s. Read the whole article and watch every video, even though it will take a while to get through the entire T.A.M.I. movie.
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04/07/2019 (12:00 PM)
The gap between the last post and this is due to a variety of factors, but the main one is I don’t think anybody is reading this but me. There’s been a lot of activity here on Tell It Like It Was, with thirteen new stories posted! I want to call attention to two of them here: in “When the Funk was Flamin’ –Interracial Funk in the ’60s and ’70s,” John opines that “Black music was great, white music was great, and in Rock & Roll America, they were even better together.” I was never into funk, so this is a special article for me as I would never think to write it if you gave me a hundred years.
The other one is by me but adddresses the upcoming publication of Lew’s Outside the Gates of Eden. It will be his eighth novel but only the third of this century. following Black & White (2008 and stiill one of the best novels on race relations in the US) and Dark Tangos (2011 and which should make you want to learn to tango as you find someone to collude with on overthrowing a third world dictatorship).
Read on!
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