Ask the Author: Wayne Coker
Answered Questions (8)
Wayne Coker
Here I am standing in the Navy Base fire department in Kodiak Alaska with a few of the crew, except, I look like I had a mud facial among the other firemen.
You're asking why is my face blackened and the others are not? Well, we just returned from this mysterious fire at the Chief Petty Officer's Club that now looks like it got caught up in an out-of-control forest fire. We arrived on the scene just as the fire began to take off. I started running toward the front entrance with a 2.5-inch hose and two guys behind me. When we stepped into the building, I signaled for the line to be charged with water. I set it on spray just as the gas main busted at the boiler creating a natural gas fireball explosion (so we were told later) and we were quickly escorted out of the building like being shot out of a cannon. We landed about 60 feet away, just short of hitting our rig. Without the water spray, we would’ve been toast. Only after the rigs were cleaned and shiny, and the three of us had taken a shower, they trucked us to the infirmary. The navy has its own priorities.
It’s true, during my near-death experience, my life flashed through my mind like going down a bright-lighted tunnel. The details quickly faded away, except for what I just described and it all happened in nanoseconds.
You're asking why is my face blackened and the others are not? Well, we just returned from this mysterious fire at the Chief Petty Officer's Club that now looks like it got caught up in an out-of-control forest fire. We arrived on the scene just as the fire began to take off. I started running toward the front entrance with a 2.5-inch hose and two guys behind me. When we stepped into the building, I signaled for the line to be charged with water. I set it on spray just as the gas main busted at the boiler creating a natural gas fireball explosion (so we were told later) and we were quickly escorted out of the building like being shot out of a cannon. We landed about 60 feet away, just short of hitting our rig. Without the water spray, we would’ve been toast. Only after the rigs were cleaned and shiny, and the three of us had taken a shower, they trucked us to the infirmary. The navy has its own priorities.
It’s true, during my near-death experience, my life flashed through my mind like going down a bright-lighted tunnel. The details quickly faded away, except for what I just described and it all happened in nanoseconds.
Wayne Coker
Discussing Business in a storytelling way is far more powerful. It enables us to change our prejudice in the way things have always been done. when immersed in a story as opposed to the textbook lingo that you’ll find in all the other business books, your reading unlocks its secrets and becomes an assimilation of what you’re learning as you feel the things happing to those in the story is happing to us. Storytelling is an innovation in education that has been found to be a lot more effective in producing change by allowing us to better understand the world around us and understanding ourselves. This would be your first step in cultivating organizational performance and building your business culture.
Wayne Coker
That’s a great question. Hmm… I have to think about that for a moment. I don’t remember exactly, but I think it had to do with my knowledge on Vietnam, and WWII. With that thought, I read a book called “Why Viet Nam” by Lieutenant Colonel Archimedes Patti who was the former commander of the OSS operation in Kunming and then Hanoi in WWII.
Having read the book, I continued to do research for nearly a year as I began to piece together a storyline. Also being a wisenheimer, and having experience with military humor, I added this to a few of my characters to bring some humor to the reading. Well, for not having an answer, things begin to come back in focus as I began to write. Well, that’s what authors do, hey?
Having read the book, I continued to do research for nearly a year as I began to piece together a storyline. Also being a wisenheimer, and having experience with military humor, I added this to a few of my characters to bring some humor to the reading. Well, for not having an answer, things begin to come back in focus as I began to write. Well, that’s what authors do, hey?
Wayne Coker
Inspiration is not a problem. For me, sitting down to write is not unlike going to the gym and doing my weightlifting workouts. I do both, because I know I’m building a mind full of knowledge and building a better body. Bodybuilding will also if done properly, improve every part of the body, including cognition—resulting in re-energizing our creativity, a must when writing books.
Apparently, this begins with the muscles. Let’s take the bicep or quad as a thought, contracting and freeing the weight. Doing so sends a chemical and a protein called IGT-1 into the bloodstream and on its way into the brain.
Mister IGT-1 then takes on the responsibility as the leader of the neurotrophic factory. In his new position, IGT-1 begins to send out instructions to increase the level of production of certain chemicals, including a key product called a brain-derived neurotrophic factor.
These instructions will not only result in slowing down the aging process but could reverse it. It’s here that I need all the help I can get…
Apparently, this begins with the muscles. Let’s take the bicep or quad as a thought, contracting and freeing the weight. Doing so sends a chemical and a protein called IGT-1 into the bloodstream and on its way into the brain.
Mister IGT-1 then takes on the responsibility as the leader of the neurotrophic factory. In his new position, IGT-1 begins to send out instructions to increase the level of production of certain chemicals, including a key product called a brain-derived neurotrophic factor.
These instructions will not only result in slowing down the aging process but could reverse it. It’s here that I need all the help I can get…
Wayne Coker
I’m about ready to gather a great deal of research for my second edition of a Toni Nakni (Creek Indian Name) novel that follows the continuation of PRIDE and DENIAL. It will be another action-packed thriller novel called, RED HAWK. It will take place during the cold war in Eastern Europe and parts of Asia.
After the war, Navy Captain Toni Nakni an agent in the OSS (a precursor to the CIA) during the spring of 1947 forms his private company (RED HAWK, CORP.) specializing in intelligence, counterintelligence, and special operations, with General Donovan (previous head of the OSS during the war) on the board of directors.
The investors sat comfortably around a conference room table listening to Toni’s well-organized business plan, along with a lengthy question-and-answer period discussing his proforma.
What got their immediate attention was on the cover of the proforma…
OUR GOVERNMENT’S INTELLIGENCE SERVICES WORK UNDER THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION, MEANING, THEY CAN’T COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES…
NOW, THAT’S WHERE WE COME IN… IN TODAY’S WORLD, OUR RULES ARE THAT THERE ARE NO RULES. THE BAD GUYS DON’T PLAY FAIR, SO PLAYING DIRTY IS OUR GAME.
Well, you get the gist where this story is going, and Toni and his previous OSS band of brothers are just the men who can pull this off…
After the war, Navy Captain Toni Nakni an agent in the OSS (a precursor to the CIA) during the spring of 1947 forms his private company (RED HAWK, CORP.) specializing in intelligence, counterintelligence, and special operations, with General Donovan (previous head of the OSS during the war) on the board of directors.
The investors sat comfortably around a conference room table listening to Toni’s well-organized business plan, along with a lengthy question-and-answer period discussing his proforma.
What got their immediate attention was on the cover of the proforma…
OUR GOVERNMENT’S INTELLIGENCE SERVICES WORK UNDER THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION, MEANING, THEY CAN’T COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES…
NOW, THAT’S WHERE WE COME IN… IN TODAY’S WORLD, OUR RULES ARE THAT THERE ARE NO RULES. THE BAD GUYS DON’T PLAY FAIR, SO PLAYING DIRTY IS OUR GAME.
Well, you get the gist where this story is going, and Toni and his previous OSS band of brothers are just the men who can pull this off…
Wayne Coker
I’d say the first thing one needs to grasp on to is don’t worry about sentence structure, spelling, or grammar. For some though, that just comes naturally. Nonetheless, Just write down the words of your thoughts and let it flow. By the time you fill a page or two with text, leave it alone until the next day. Now that you’re refreshed, you can go back and peruse your writing and begin to rearrange your thoughts into something a little more readable that reflects what it was you were trying to say. And then do a good job of editing. You are now ready to move on.
But after finishing a chapter, you’ll need to go back and review the overall flow of your work and begin to make more changes and editing. There can never be a time you need to stop editing. Well, at least until you’ve had several more reads of the final piece of work with fresh eyes that will pick up the flow of one chapter to another. And, of course, the little things, like leaving out important little words like, the, a, or an apostrophe, etcetera, or perhaps a sentence that makes no sense in a paragraph and could just as well be left out and improve the read…
What I’ve had to say is what I’ve learned on my own after years of writing. Each author can have a totally different view on this subject. Oh, one other thing, what helped considerably was to read, read, and read some more of literature that resembles the type of book you may be writing. Happy writing…
But after finishing a chapter, you’ll need to go back and review the overall flow of your work and begin to make more changes and editing. There can never be a time you need to stop editing. Well, at least until you’ve had several more reads of the final piece of work with fresh eyes that will pick up the flow of one chapter to another. And, of course, the little things, like leaving out important little words like, the, a, or an apostrophe, etcetera, or perhaps a sentence that makes no sense in a paragraph and could just as well be left out and improve the read…
What I’ve had to say is what I’ve learned on my own after years of writing. Each author can have a totally different view on this subject. Oh, one other thing, what helped considerably was to read, read, and read some more of literature that resembles the type of book you may be writing. Happy writing…
Wayne Coker
The freedom to express your thoughts, building one’s knowledge through research that you can pass on to your readers, and to bring humor to your writing thinking that you may be giving someone a chuckle on a downer day… And, the idea you are hopefully bringing our big world a little closer together.
Wayne Coker
I’ve never had writers block. When I write, ideas keep percolating, so I note them down, and then continue with my latest thought. But, I guess my answer isn’t much help, hey?
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