Interruptions and Distractions

 

 

As a writer, I try to discipline myself to do what I call “flow writing” every morning, at least fifteen minutes worth, just to get going and stifle the guilt of that darn blank page staring back at me. Think of it as daily calisthenics, the stretching and repetitive exercises that are so conducive to staying in shape and in good health. If I just write whatever for fifteen minutes, then I have some preliminary content that I can build on later in the day or week, when I devote myself to more serious writing. 

 

This is reportedly how Ray Bradbury did it, and his output as a science-fiction writer was certainly prolific. Think about it. Mr. Bradbury wrote something, anything, for fifteen minutes every single day. After one week, he had seven morsels of inspiration that he could develop later into his stories and novels. After one month, that would be at least thirty morsels. Quite a tasty smorgasbord! 

 

The key to truly creative flow writing is to unplug. Completely! Our world today is unfortunately bombarded by constant interruptions and distractions, which are the greatest sources of creative defeat. I’m having trouble getting my writing started and -- DING! -- my friend in the Bay Area sends me a text message. Or I’m finally underway with a really great idea and -- RING! -- there’s my friend in Chicago calling to see what I’m up to. Or I’m searching for a way to bring a story to a satisfying conclusion and -- BLING! -- there’s my sister on Messenger, making a provocative and insightful statement about the latest hogwash in Washington. It’s all fine and well to stay in touch with friends and relatives, but I need time for me. So now I turn off my phone when I’m trying to be creative. 

 

In fact, turn EVERYTHING off! No television! Those constant ghostlike images of talking heads, sports action, or annoying commercials are like the bright and shiny objects that catch the attention of cunning magpies, who snatch at them and fly off to points of no return. 

 

TURN IT OFF! And that means, especially, social media. Who cares what my “followers” think about my latest posts on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram? And with the phone off, that means I won’t be bombarded with news banners and distracting notifications of emails that often beckon me to respond immediately. Says who? 

 

Yes, we are miraculously interconnected in the 21st century in ways our ancestors never dreamed possible. But at what price? If it distracts and stifles creativity, I say turn it off! Your soul will thank you. 

 

Fifteen minutes of creative peace every day. Ahhhh...

 

 

 

 

From Scratchy 78s to LP Albums to 8-Track, iPod, Streaming, and Beyond

 

Have you ever seen or heard a 78 rpm record? I’m guessing not because the record industry stopped producing them in 1959. I do have a childhood memory of having a little yellow 78 that was basically a recording of a train conductor (another anachronism) yelling “All aboard!” and calling out place names as the train stopped at various stations. I could hear the “chug-chug” of the lead locomotive engine and the overlapping chatter of the passengers as the conductor walked down the aisle and called out, “Tickets! Tickets! Please show your tickets so I can validate them.” And finally, “Chattanooga! Last stop! Everybody out!” It was a fascinating listening experience. The record was scratchy and there were a lot of ticks and pops, but it really arrested my young imagination. 

 

But that was in the early 1960s. My family just got a record player and our first records were that train 78, and some LP albums that reflected my parents’ taste in music: Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, some classical albums, and an occasional album of Filipino favorites. My siblings and I were thrilled to have the ability to play music whenever we wanted, instead of waiting to see what the radio DJs would play. 

 

And then, a revolution: the Beatles! 

 

After their earthshaking debut on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964, we ran out and bought every Beatles album we could get our hands on: Meet the Beatles; The Beatles Second Album; Introducing the Beatles (on Vee-Jay, not Capitol); Something New; Beatles ’65; Help! 

 

Even my mom liked the Beatles, at first, until I started growing my hair long. She didn’t like that at all. 

 

But the point is, because of LP records, we were able to enjoy the music we liked, when we wanted. Eventually, I got into other bands, most notably the Doors, Cream, Creedence Clearwater, and all the great bands on the Woodstock album. And then I started my first foray as a church musician and I bought records by Ray Repp, Joe Wise, John Fischer, and Clarence Rivers; even Jan Vermulst and E. Power Biggs. And Switch-On Bach! 

 

Fast forward to the 1970s. LP records were slowly being replaced by tape: 8-track at first (ugh!) and cassette. We could play cassettes in our cars! And then, in the 1980s, the Walkman caused another revolution. We could literally take our favorite music with us when we walked or exercised or when we just wanted to shut ourselves off from the world. 

 

The compact disc revolution broke through in the mid-1980s. I already bought the cassette versions of all my favorite Beatles albums, and now I had to buy them all over again on CD! Those first CDs sounded amazing. I listened to Rubber Soul and marveled at the intimacy and clarity that came through on “Michelle.” But then, in Rolling Stone, I read George Harrison’s assessment of the Beatles on CD. “There’s this annoying tambourine on the right speaker on so many of our tracks! Who played that??” 

 

Time marched on and introduced more innovative music formats. Apple introduced the iPod in the 2000s and I gladly jumped onboard, buying all the Beatles albums yet again on iTunes. And today, in 2021, I can listen to all my favorite music in my iPhone via Apple Music and Spotify. What’s next? An implanted music microchip into our brains? One slight tip of my head and I can access “Helter Skelter” in all its proto-metal fury? 

 

I give this brief history on music formats because it is affecting the Catholic music industry, which is famously behind when it comes to adapting to new technology. As a Catholic composer, I had an LP record and cassette in 1978: Take Some Time, released by FEL Publications. After a long hiatus (life got in the way), I collaborated with my old friend Bob Hurd with Mass of Glory on the Alleluia! Give the Glory album, released by OCP in 1992 on cassette and CD. 

 

In 2003, my buddy Jesse Manibusan and I released Love Never Fails, a CD collection of our youth ministry music via OCP. And we recently did a sequel in 2016: Fish With Me, which was released on CD and also digitally, via Apple Music and Spotify.

 

And now, Bob Hurd and I got back together and produced a whole new collection of music for Holy Week and Easter season: We Should Glory, Volume 1, released by OCP in January 2021 only in – get this – digital format via OCP digital playlist, plus streaming via Apple Music and Spotify. This is OCP’s first album of liturgical music that is NOT on hard copy CD! 

 

We’re taking a leap of faith here. Most people don’t have a CD player anymore: not in their cars, not at home, and not on their computers. Will the Catholic market, which is notoriously slow in adapting to new formats, accept a new collection of liturgical music that is not available on hard copy CD? I don’t know. I certainly hope so. 

 

Meanwhile, if you’ve read this far, I invite you to check out my new album in the various digital and streaming formats. I will write more about this new music in future blogs. For now, I will say that it was a thrill to get back together with my old college buddy Bob Hurd and create new music for liturgy. 

 

 

OCP website

Apple Music 

 

Spotify