Bill Conrad's Blog, page 20
March 9, 2022
Three Weeks Later
Last night, I finished the WWII book Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides. The story was fantastic, but the format was not linear. Each chapter was out of (time) sequence regarding the historical events. I found the result annoying, but the author used this nonlinear format for an important reason. His story had a dull beginning, and he uplifted readers by introducing dramatic parts earlier in the book. The result was a mix of exciting combat and dull background. Unfortunately, I found the compromise difficult to follow.
Authors have several techniques in their toolbelt to spice up boring stories. This includes adding humor, engaging (unrelated) facts, or a dramatic writing style. However, this is akin to applying lipstick on a pig. Not all stories have exciting beginnings, but this does not make such stories bad or unimportant.
Is there a benefit to presenting a nonlinear format? The book received high reviews, so I cannot argue with success. However, several reviews pointed out flaws, which included the nonlinear timeline.
In my writing, I avoid spicing up stories with writing tricks. Writing is challenging enough without having an out-of-sequence plot, injected humor, or crazy writing techniques. The farthest nonlinear place I will take a story is parallel timelines. This helps focus the story on one character. Jumping back three weeks is out of the question. Can people in real life jump back in time? If they could, the stock market would be a mess.
Yet, I have read a few stories that had multiple timelines. The book Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson successfully maintained four timelines, and it was an incredible read. However, writing this book must have been super complex, and reviewers have pointed out issues.
My advice to other authors is not to peruse nonlinear events. A good story will always hook readers, even if it has a boring beginning. Hopefully, my future blogs will not have boring origins.
Authors have several techniques in their toolbelt to spice up boring stories. This includes adding humor, engaging (unrelated) facts, or a dramatic writing style. However, this is akin to applying lipstick on a pig. Not all stories have exciting beginnings, but this does not make such stories bad or unimportant.
Is there a benefit to presenting a nonlinear format? The book received high reviews, so I cannot argue with success. However, several reviews pointed out flaws, which included the nonlinear timeline.
In my writing, I avoid spicing up stories with writing tricks. Writing is challenging enough without having an out-of-sequence plot, injected humor, or crazy writing techniques. The farthest nonlinear place I will take a story is parallel timelines. This helps focus the story on one character. Jumping back three weeks is out of the question. Can people in real life jump back in time? If they could, the stock market would be a mess.
Yet, I have read a few stories that had multiple timelines. The book Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson successfully maintained four timelines, and it was an incredible read. However, writing this book must have been super complex, and reviewers have pointed out issues.
My advice to other authors is not to peruse nonlinear events. A good story will always hook readers, even if it has a boring beginning. Hopefully, my future blogs will not have boring origins.
March 2, 2022
Too Fast
Yesterday, I was trying to find a grammar rule, and I came across a paragraph from the book, The Old Man and The Sea. Wow, Earnest Hemmingway certainly mastered the English language, and the excerpt made me want to reread his book. Later, I thought about Hemmingway’s words as I edited my latest book. Unfortunately, I kept encountering a familiar issue. I blast through the plot at maximum speed. This means there are no extra descriptions, emotional thoughts, or lofty sentences. Only prompt dialog along with crisp illustrations. Yikes!
What is going on? Am I a minimalist? Is my writing philosophy, “Let the readers fill in the blanks.” Dang, that last explanation hits close to home. I suppose the answer is, “yes, I think the readers should fill in the blanks.” Yet, I want to be an author who provides the reader with an excellent read. This included well-written scenes and awesome characters.
What should I do? Take writing classes? Focus more/less on outlines? How about a full edit that “fluffs up the paragraphs?” Perhaps I should read more bestselling books? More beta edits?
It is difficult to face one’s own problems, but fortunately, all solutions follow the same path. Decide to tackle the issue, collect data, form a plan, and execute. The problem is that I am still at the first stage and have not truly decided that blasting through a plot is an issue.
For example, I recently started the book Sex On The Moon by Ben Mezrich. In it, he described the fantastic story of a person who wanted to steal some NASA moon rocks. Ben launched into a grand character description with loads of background right away. This included hairstyles, options, politics, home life… The details were so thick that I needed to skip ahead a few paragraphs.
What? Why not enjoy the rich scene? Because it was boring! Let’s get to the action! Steal the rocks! Let’s go! While we are young! Now, wait a minute. What about other readers? Indeed, they would appreciate a grand description. Well… That is where we disagree, and therefore, I cannot see the issue. Readers need grand narratives for both entertainment and knowledge.
Well, this may be true, but what should I do? Writing this blog caused me to change, and I have included a “fluff up the paragraph” editing pass. This will add descriptions and hopefully not cause me too much heartache.
Is making such a tremendous change possible? Yes, and I have the proof. My initial dialog integration was a mess and now it is passable. So, I can change. So, after some “fluffing” editing passes, it will be natural to write flowery descriptions. It will probably take a year or two to take effect.
Should I end this blog on a flowery note? No. (Still resisting!)
What is going on? Am I a minimalist? Is my writing philosophy, “Let the readers fill in the blanks.” Dang, that last explanation hits close to home. I suppose the answer is, “yes, I think the readers should fill in the blanks.” Yet, I want to be an author who provides the reader with an excellent read. This included well-written scenes and awesome characters.
What should I do? Take writing classes? Focus more/less on outlines? How about a full edit that “fluffs up the paragraphs?” Perhaps I should read more bestselling books? More beta edits?
It is difficult to face one’s own problems, but fortunately, all solutions follow the same path. Decide to tackle the issue, collect data, form a plan, and execute. The problem is that I am still at the first stage and have not truly decided that blasting through a plot is an issue.
For example, I recently started the book Sex On The Moon by Ben Mezrich. In it, he described the fantastic story of a person who wanted to steal some NASA moon rocks. Ben launched into a grand character description with loads of background right away. This included hairstyles, options, politics, home life… The details were so thick that I needed to skip ahead a few paragraphs.
What? Why not enjoy the rich scene? Because it was boring! Let’s get to the action! Steal the rocks! Let’s go! While we are young! Now, wait a minute. What about other readers? Indeed, they would appreciate a grand description. Well… That is where we disagree, and therefore, I cannot see the issue. Readers need grand narratives for both entertainment and knowledge.
Well, this may be true, but what should I do? Writing this blog caused me to change, and I have included a “fluff up the paragraph” editing pass. This will add descriptions and hopefully not cause me too much heartache.
Is making such a tremendous change possible? Yes, and I have the proof. My initial dialog integration was a mess and now it is passable. So, I can change. So, after some “fluffing” editing passes, it will be natural to write flowery descriptions. It will probably take a year or two to take effect.
Should I end this blog on a flowery note? No. (Still resisting!)
February 23, 2022
Muntzing
As a society, we conform to many written and unwritten rules. For example, I began this sentence with a capitol letter, but I did not scatter random CAPatol leTTers. Strict laws don’t govern such “incorrect” sentences but we dislike them. I am sure my four blog readers have come across many poor sentence examples over the years. (None of which were in my blogs:)
Sometimes people intentionally write poor sentences for shock or creativity reasons. Others intentionally (boldly) go against traditions. They do this as a lifestyle choice, but know this path will cause others to look down upon them.
There is another side to people who “go against the grain.” Like my four upstanding blog readers, I do not litter and occasionally pick up trash around my neighborhood. Other people are more dedicated, carrying plastic bags to pick up litter. However, some people go too far by shamming those who do not adhere to their strict code. One could consider this annoying behavior a mental tick or a religion.
This is the area I wanted to explore, and I have the perfect example. Four years ago, I worked on a project with a coworker on loan from another department. This coworker was supposed to provide a “working” design as an expert on this “proven design.” My job was to adapt his design to our requirements. Things started off bad because his design had many flaws, but I persevered, and we eventually had something ready for review. Side note: I made some calls and learned his “people skills” and annoyed his existing coworkers with many four-letter words used to describe him. Yes, I added some new ones.
During this review, my coworker began Muntzing. This is an engineering practice when a low-reliability design is minimized to save costs. Here is a great description:
https://www.electronicdesign.com/tech...
While Muntzing is sometimes helpful, it has no business in ultra-high reliability products. In addition, we should only use this practice after there is a working prototype and never at the design stage.
Side note: My four blog readers may not quite understand Muntzing. An equivalent driving behavior is called hypermiling which is essentially slow driving without braking. Thrifty people do this obsessive driving practice to save gas. While technically possible, hypermiling is unsafe, selfish, illegal, and annoying for other drivers.
This practice annoyed me like a buzzing fly. “You do not need that circuit. Take away that component. I have used this exact minimized circuit a million times.” After such statements, I would patiently destroy his “logic,” and we would move on. But like the buzzing fly, he would bring up the same arguments in the next meeting on circuits we had already reviewed. This manic perseverance drove me up the wall and got so bad that I began yelling during meetings. Side note: The person in charge was a bonehead and refused to intervene. But on the plus side, he played many solitaire games on his phone during these exchanges. Sometimes he would even laugh at my angry remarks.
After one heated meeting, I knew if I had another, it would come to blows. So, I convinced my boss to take me off the project. What a relief! But there is an unanswered question. How did Muntzing become so ingrained in my coworker’s mind? I know that he was well aware of people’s disapproval, yet he doggedly persevered down this destructive (to his career) path. My only guess is that he learned some bad habits at the beginning of his career and was never corrected.
Wait a minute. What does this have to do with writing? In my experience, a character with so much undefined drive will confuse readers. Characters must have obvious motives, so readers understand what is going on. For example, picking up litter is a good practice, but launching into a tirade with a person who walks by a gum wrapper is confusing.
A good story motivation example is the parent of a murdered child who refuses to stop tracking down their killer. This includes illogical decisions, big risks, exhausting their savings, and damaging relations with friends and family. Yet, we related to this “illogical drive” because we were once children and knew about parental commitment.
Yet, writers sometimes cannot explain the source behind a deep drive. This flaw occurs because we all encounter people like my Muntzing coworker. Keep in mind that my coworker was a real person, and this was his actual personality. He was not faking this destructive/confusing trait, and he did not have a hidden ulterior motive.
What if we dedicated a few paragraphs explain the source of his destructive tendencies? The problem is that words fall short of explaining super obsessed people. Readers only accept a small amount of crazy, and my super obsessed coworker was too extreme.
Does this mean, “Characters cannot be crazy because readers will not understand?” Hmm. I have given that question two days of thought, and that statement is indeed what I am claiming. What if I wrote, “My coworker cannot stop Muntzing, and I do not know why.” Surely readers would accept this sentence? Umm, no. It is the writer's job to lead the reader down a clear path. Readers will put down a book faster than lightning if they do not know what is going on.
Alright, let’s make something up, “At his last job, my coworker had a boss that forced him to remove essential components. Now, he cannot help himself because of the mental stress associated with that horrible memory.” Granted, this is a silly explication, but it covers the situation. I suppose some readers could accept this explanation, but not all. Their conclusion would be, “That is a stupid motivation. Bad writer!”
How about a mysterious character that is annoying for unknown reasons? Writers should not use annoying characters often. In real life, people hate or barely tolerate annoying people. When they want to be entertained, they only accept a small amount of this personality. Let’s not forget, The Phantom Menace with the annoying minor character Jar Jar. That single annoying character tarnished the entire movie.
In conclusion, authors must take great care to establish character motivation, and although strangely obsessive people exist, we should not make them into characters. Unfortunately, in real life, these people exist. The good news is that I am obsessive enough to kick out one blog a week with only four blog readers.
Sometimes people intentionally write poor sentences for shock or creativity reasons. Others intentionally (boldly) go against traditions. They do this as a lifestyle choice, but know this path will cause others to look down upon them.
There is another side to people who “go against the grain.” Like my four upstanding blog readers, I do not litter and occasionally pick up trash around my neighborhood. Other people are more dedicated, carrying plastic bags to pick up litter. However, some people go too far by shamming those who do not adhere to their strict code. One could consider this annoying behavior a mental tick or a religion.
This is the area I wanted to explore, and I have the perfect example. Four years ago, I worked on a project with a coworker on loan from another department. This coworker was supposed to provide a “working” design as an expert on this “proven design.” My job was to adapt his design to our requirements. Things started off bad because his design had many flaws, but I persevered, and we eventually had something ready for review. Side note: I made some calls and learned his “people skills” and annoyed his existing coworkers with many four-letter words used to describe him. Yes, I added some new ones.
During this review, my coworker began Muntzing. This is an engineering practice when a low-reliability design is minimized to save costs. Here is a great description:
https://www.electronicdesign.com/tech...
While Muntzing is sometimes helpful, it has no business in ultra-high reliability products. In addition, we should only use this practice after there is a working prototype and never at the design stage.
Side note: My four blog readers may not quite understand Muntzing. An equivalent driving behavior is called hypermiling which is essentially slow driving without braking. Thrifty people do this obsessive driving practice to save gas. While technically possible, hypermiling is unsafe, selfish, illegal, and annoying for other drivers.
This practice annoyed me like a buzzing fly. “You do not need that circuit. Take away that component. I have used this exact minimized circuit a million times.” After such statements, I would patiently destroy his “logic,” and we would move on. But like the buzzing fly, he would bring up the same arguments in the next meeting on circuits we had already reviewed. This manic perseverance drove me up the wall and got so bad that I began yelling during meetings. Side note: The person in charge was a bonehead and refused to intervene. But on the plus side, he played many solitaire games on his phone during these exchanges. Sometimes he would even laugh at my angry remarks.
After one heated meeting, I knew if I had another, it would come to blows. So, I convinced my boss to take me off the project. What a relief! But there is an unanswered question. How did Muntzing become so ingrained in my coworker’s mind? I know that he was well aware of people’s disapproval, yet he doggedly persevered down this destructive (to his career) path. My only guess is that he learned some bad habits at the beginning of his career and was never corrected.
Wait a minute. What does this have to do with writing? In my experience, a character with so much undefined drive will confuse readers. Characters must have obvious motives, so readers understand what is going on. For example, picking up litter is a good practice, but launching into a tirade with a person who walks by a gum wrapper is confusing.
A good story motivation example is the parent of a murdered child who refuses to stop tracking down their killer. This includes illogical decisions, big risks, exhausting their savings, and damaging relations with friends and family. Yet, we related to this “illogical drive” because we were once children and knew about parental commitment.
Yet, writers sometimes cannot explain the source behind a deep drive. This flaw occurs because we all encounter people like my Muntzing coworker. Keep in mind that my coworker was a real person, and this was his actual personality. He was not faking this destructive/confusing trait, and he did not have a hidden ulterior motive.
What if we dedicated a few paragraphs explain the source of his destructive tendencies? The problem is that words fall short of explaining super obsessed people. Readers only accept a small amount of crazy, and my super obsessed coworker was too extreme.
Does this mean, “Characters cannot be crazy because readers will not understand?” Hmm. I have given that question two days of thought, and that statement is indeed what I am claiming. What if I wrote, “My coworker cannot stop Muntzing, and I do not know why.” Surely readers would accept this sentence? Umm, no. It is the writer's job to lead the reader down a clear path. Readers will put down a book faster than lightning if they do not know what is going on.
Alright, let’s make something up, “At his last job, my coworker had a boss that forced him to remove essential components. Now, he cannot help himself because of the mental stress associated with that horrible memory.” Granted, this is a silly explication, but it covers the situation. I suppose some readers could accept this explanation, but not all. Their conclusion would be, “That is a stupid motivation. Bad writer!”
How about a mysterious character that is annoying for unknown reasons? Writers should not use annoying characters often. In real life, people hate or barely tolerate annoying people. When they want to be entertained, they only accept a small amount of this personality. Let’s not forget, The Phantom Menace with the annoying minor character Jar Jar. That single annoying character tarnished the entire movie.
In conclusion, authors must take great care to establish character motivation, and although strangely obsessive people exist, we should not make them into characters. Unfortunately, in real life, these people exist. The good news is that I am obsessive enough to kick out one blog a week with only four blog readers.
February 16, 2022
Audiobooks
In 1998, a friend gave me The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien on cassette. It was an excellent production, and many people provided voices for the characters. I listened to the book on my drive work for about three months, and while I enjoyed the production, I have not listened to another audiobook.
Last month, I randomly came across I am Not Spock by Leonard Nimoy. It was not available in ebook format but noticed a free audiobook download. So, I gave an audiobook a try, but after five minutes, I stopped listening. The experience was harsh, stilted, and annoying. The person sounded the end of a commercial where they rapidly talk about complex legal issues.
I think part of the problem is that I read at a modest pace and then think about the topic. Unfortunately, audiobooks are not compatible with my odd reading habits.
Well, it sounds like audiobooks are not my thing. (Get the pun?) However, they are popular, and I certainly understand the appeal. Would I ever want to release an audiobook? It would be easy for me to set up a microphone and start reading. I am comfortable with public speaking; my voice is decent, and I perceive my personality to be engaging. I even know the story. If not, I could pay somebody or ask a friend.
No, I do not wish to go down this road because I can't imagine another person enjoying audiobooks. This concept conflicts with my principal publishing goal: to produce a product that people enjoy.
I know what you are thinking, “Blah, blah, blah. Push through your silly insecurities and release an audiobook!” Ouch! Perhaps I should listen to my advice. “Fortune favors the bold.” Or…
What about other publishing options? How about translating my book into Spanish? It’s an enormous market! Umm, did I mention how bad my high school Spanish class went? On a side note, blogging is cheaper than therapy.
Last month, I randomly came across I am Not Spock by Leonard Nimoy. It was not available in ebook format but noticed a free audiobook download. So, I gave an audiobook a try, but after five minutes, I stopped listening. The experience was harsh, stilted, and annoying. The person sounded the end of a commercial where they rapidly talk about complex legal issues.
I think part of the problem is that I read at a modest pace and then think about the topic. Unfortunately, audiobooks are not compatible with my odd reading habits.
Well, it sounds like audiobooks are not my thing. (Get the pun?) However, they are popular, and I certainly understand the appeal. Would I ever want to release an audiobook? It would be easy for me to set up a microphone and start reading. I am comfortable with public speaking; my voice is decent, and I perceive my personality to be engaging. I even know the story. If not, I could pay somebody or ask a friend.
No, I do not wish to go down this road because I can't imagine another person enjoying audiobooks. This concept conflicts with my principal publishing goal: to produce a product that people enjoy.
I know what you are thinking, “Blah, blah, blah. Push through your silly insecurities and release an audiobook!” Ouch! Perhaps I should listen to my advice. “Fortune favors the bold.” Or…
What about other publishing options? How about translating my book into Spanish? It’s an enormous market! Umm, did I mention how bad my high school Spanish class went? On a side note, blogging is cheaper than therapy.
February 9, 2022
Mellowed Out
Several years ago, I left a caustic company. There were countless issues, and my new company felt like a breath of fresh air. Recently, I got in touch with one of the chief troublemakers and was surprised to see positive attitude changes. He was relaxed, calm, and much easier to talk with. What happened?
As we grow older, our attitudes mellow out. This means we do not stress over the little things and take a casual approach to life. As a result, experience, people skills, and wisdom have increased. Plus, we can see retirement in the near future and do not want to stop that from occurring. As a result, my former coworker was much easier to talk to, and we reminisced about old times.
What does mellowing out have to do with writing? Last week, I found a problem with my website and had to reformat the entire site. While making all the changes, I read over a few old blogs. Wow, these early blog entries had a harsh attitude. Bam! Right to the point. Hit those hot topics. No room for error. Yet, the later blogs read more casual and lighthearted. Clearly, my blogs mellowed out and lost their direct focus.
Did I consciously change my focus? I now realize that writing and blogging are supposed to be fun, which differs from trying hard to hook potential readers at all costs.
Is it wrong to mellow out? Should I still be on the cutting edge? Focus is essential, and this blog is indeed supposed to convince blog readers to buy my book. Without this drive, the point is lost. While this is true, I now enjoy blogging much more.
It seems my future blog posts will not be hard-hitting. That means less pressure but less reader interest. Can there be a compromise? One hard-hitting topic a month? Well… I am past the hard-hitting issues because I feel I have covered this ground. However, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. So stay tuned for future (occasionally) hard-hitting topics.
As we grow older, our attitudes mellow out. This means we do not stress over the little things and take a casual approach to life. As a result, experience, people skills, and wisdom have increased. Plus, we can see retirement in the near future and do not want to stop that from occurring. As a result, my former coworker was much easier to talk to, and we reminisced about old times.
What does mellowing out have to do with writing? Last week, I found a problem with my website and had to reformat the entire site. While making all the changes, I read over a few old blogs. Wow, these early blog entries had a harsh attitude. Bam! Right to the point. Hit those hot topics. No room for error. Yet, the later blogs read more casual and lighthearted. Clearly, my blogs mellowed out and lost their direct focus.
Did I consciously change my focus? I now realize that writing and blogging are supposed to be fun, which differs from trying hard to hook potential readers at all costs.
Is it wrong to mellow out? Should I still be on the cutting edge? Focus is essential, and this blog is indeed supposed to convince blog readers to buy my book. Without this drive, the point is lost. While this is true, I now enjoy blogging much more.
It seems my future blog posts will not be hard-hitting. That means less pressure but less reader interest. Can there be a compromise? One hard-hitting topic a month? Well… I am past the hard-hitting issues because I feel I have covered this ground. However, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. So stay tuned for future (occasionally) hard-hitting topics.
February 2, 2022
Non-Bloggable Topics
I recently finished reading the book, Notes From the Hard Shoulder by James May. It is a collection of short articles about cars and other topics previously published in newspapers and magazines. In reality, James had been blogging for years (in printed form.) Hmm. I could write a book like that…
Back to the blog. I enjoyed the book, but the topics got me thinking. I never write blog entries about cars. Why? This blog is a thinly veiled marketing ploy to get potential readers to click “buy it now.” As a result, I focus on writing and book-related topics.
However, I would like to blog about all kinds of topics. Politics, cars, electronics, life, family, mountain bikes, personal opinions, history, and other random junk. Could I take a day off of literary topics and discuss my first car? Spoiler alert. Her name was Kim… Girrr. I need to focus on being a modestly successful author.
How about a Facebook post or a new blog? Feed my creative side. Girrr. I have enough on my plate. What about bending the rules? A car discussion once a month. While I have only four regular blog readers, that effort would be a dangerous distraction and I cannot allow myself to go down that path. Girrr. I am too focused.
I have lots of writing ground to cover in my blogs and can feed my creative side in my books. For example, many scenes involve cars. Yet, I might try bending a few rules. Perhaps we could discuss cars as characters? Or is that a blog too far?
February
Back to the blog. I enjoyed the book, but the topics got me thinking. I never write blog entries about cars. Why? This blog is a thinly veiled marketing ploy to get potential readers to click “buy it now.” As a result, I focus on writing and book-related topics.
However, I would like to blog about all kinds of topics. Politics, cars, electronics, life, family, mountain bikes, personal opinions, history, and other random junk. Could I take a day off of literary topics and discuss my first car? Spoiler alert. Her name was Kim… Girrr. I need to focus on being a modestly successful author.
How about a Facebook post or a new blog? Feed my creative side. Girrr. I have enough on my plate. What about bending the rules? A car discussion once a month. While I have only four regular blog readers, that effort would be a dangerous distraction and I cannot allow myself to go down that path. Girrr. I am too focused.
I have lots of writing ground to cover in my blogs and can feed my creative side in my books. For example, many scenes involve cars. Yet, I might try bending a few rules. Perhaps we could discuss cars as characters? Or is that a blog too far?
February
January 26, 2022
Inspirational Outlines
Outlines have become an essential part of my writing process. They focus ideas, build solid plots and save gobs of time. As an example, I spent over 40 hours on the outline for my present book, and the story would have been a disaster without using this tool.
A week ago, I noticed something about outlines. I was not in the mood to write or edit that evening, so I did some outline work on my upcoming books. It was fun experimenting with the plot and solving potential issues.
I enjoyed the process, and about 20 minutes into my effort, I switched to writing. Where did this change in attitude come from? When I experimented with the future plots, I could take the characters into extreme places without consequence. Visually seeing the result was fun and challenging. This positive outlook overcame my desire not to write, and I switched to writing. The uplifting feeling continued, and I enjoyed seeing my characters come to life and thinking about their dialog.
It had never occurred to me that an outline could be inspirational. This has become a necessary tool, but over the last week, I have successfully used this trick twice. Would I recommend my uplifting technique to another writer? Hmm. This technique works for me because I visually bridge logic and creativity. I am “logically inspired to be creative.” For this trick to work with another writer, they must have this same stubborn logical core. Or am I crazy? Hmm. Something to consider as I need the inspiration to write another blog.
A week ago, I noticed something about outlines. I was not in the mood to write or edit that evening, so I did some outline work on my upcoming books. It was fun experimenting with the plot and solving potential issues.
I enjoyed the process, and about 20 minutes into my effort, I switched to writing. Where did this change in attitude come from? When I experimented with the future plots, I could take the characters into extreme places without consequence. Visually seeing the result was fun and challenging. This positive outlook overcame my desire not to write, and I switched to writing. The uplifting feeling continued, and I enjoyed seeing my characters come to life and thinking about their dialog.
It had never occurred to me that an outline could be inspirational. This has become a necessary tool, but over the last week, I have successfully used this trick twice. Would I recommend my uplifting technique to another writer? Hmm. This technique works for me because I visually bridge logic and creativity. I am “logically inspired to be creative.” For this trick to work with another writer, they must have this same stubborn logical core. Or am I crazy? Hmm. Something to consider as I need the inspiration to write another blog.
January 19, 2022
Our First Steps
Recently, my mother gave me a box containing my grade school homework. Seeing these old papers brought back memories, and I spent two hours looking over my past accomplishments. Wow, my penmanship was terrible. Yeah, it is still bad.
It is difficult to see myself as a child struggling with simple concepts like arithmetic. However, in reading these chaotic documents, I saw hope and improvement. Fortunately, I overcame my flaws and learned much from those early homework assignments. Yet, my old homework stands out as a beginning.
We all have to start somewhere. But how? We listen to advise, do research and then do our best. The result reflects our experience and cultural values of the time. Plus, we add in our own thoughts and passions. As we grow older, our efforts and society improves. For example, computers are much better.
Like an old computer, my homework stands as an old landmark. It was crude, unrefined, and full of errors, but I did my best. So now, let’s think about that old computer. Who made it? Probably a group of people aged 20-65, and they worked really hard.
What were those people doing when they made that computer? They were doing their best. How about a computer builder that reached its peak in 1980? Meaning a person was born in 1915, grew up in the 1920-1930s, and worked until age 65, which was in 1980. Their best work came later in their career because they based it on years of experience. That person has long since retired, but we can still find their old computers on eBay.
Let’s examine the popular book, I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov. It appeared in 1950 and was groundbreaking. But… there are some flaws, and it is a dated read. We now consider this work to be a “classic.” Aspiring writers read this book, get ideas and discuss it in their writing classes. Readers “get a look at a classic book.” If Isaac Asimov was still alive, he would consider this work one of his best and proudly discuss it. Yet, he would probably admit it needs some “updating.” However, Isaac Asimov has passed away, and we only have his book. As readers, we could criticize the flaws or appreciate the forward-thinking concepts.
People today are standing on a foundation of first steps like I, Robot and older computers. Society’s prior works were the best we could make it at the time, and it reflects that time. For example, remember when people said: “you are the weakest link” from a popular entertainment show? What a “dated term,” but it was popular and appeared in famous works of the day.
The same was true for my box of homework. I referred to popular television programs and discussed what I thought the future would be like. In one story, I wrote about connecting a microphone to an Apple II computer which would allow it to operate a car. My idea seemed so simple and obvious. All I needed to do was say, “drive me to the store.” I got ahead of myself.
My homework could be considered a “brick in my foundation.” But it had many flaws. There is an analogy. Do you remember the movie Electric Dreams? It was not a widely accepted movie, and I doubt my four blog readers would know anything about it. The movie centered on a computer that becomes intelligent and the owner who romantically competes for a neighbor. While I enjoyed it when I first saw it, the plot and visuals are dated.
Is that movie an “inferior quality brick in our foundation?” Hmm, perhaps it is. The people who made that movie did their best, but they got some things wrong. Does this mean we look at this movie as an example of what not to do? On the contrary, I think we should enjoy it for what it is. A dated computer movie. What can we learn from this? Computers do not make excellent characters.
We have to use the proper perspective when experiencing past works. Like Isaac Asimov, I did my best on my old homework. Yet, we have many examples, like Electric Dreams, that make us shudder when we watch it. Will this blog be a less-than-perfect example? Only time will tell.
It is difficult to see myself as a child struggling with simple concepts like arithmetic. However, in reading these chaotic documents, I saw hope and improvement. Fortunately, I overcame my flaws and learned much from those early homework assignments. Yet, my old homework stands out as a beginning.
We all have to start somewhere. But how? We listen to advise, do research and then do our best. The result reflects our experience and cultural values of the time. Plus, we add in our own thoughts and passions. As we grow older, our efforts and society improves. For example, computers are much better.
Like an old computer, my homework stands as an old landmark. It was crude, unrefined, and full of errors, but I did my best. So now, let’s think about that old computer. Who made it? Probably a group of people aged 20-65, and they worked really hard.
What were those people doing when they made that computer? They were doing their best. How about a computer builder that reached its peak in 1980? Meaning a person was born in 1915, grew up in the 1920-1930s, and worked until age 65, which was in 1980. Their best work came later in their career because they based it on years of experience. That person has long since retired, but we can still find their old computers on eBay.
Let’s examine the popular book, I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov. It appeared in 1950 and was groundbreaking. But… there are some flaws, and it is a dated read. We now consider this work to be a “classic.” Aspiring writers read this book, get ideas and discuss it in their writing classes. Readers “get a look at a classic book.” If Isaac Asimov was still alive, he would consider this work one of his best and proudly discuss it. Yet, he would probably admit it needs some “updating.” However, Isaac Asimov has passed away, and we only have his book. As readers, we could criticize the flaws or appreciate the forward-thinking concepts.
People today are standing on a foundation of first steps like I, Robot and older computers. Society’s prior works were the best we could make it at the time, and it reflects that time. For example, remember when people said: “you are the weakest link” from a popular entertainment show? What a “dated term,” but it was popular and appeared in famous works of the day.
The same was true for my box of homework. I referred to popular television programs and discussed what I thought the future would be like. In one story, I wrote about connecting a microphone to an Apple II computer which would allow it to operate a car. My idea seemed so simple and obvious. All I needed to do was say, “drive me to the store.” I got ahead of myself.
My homework could be considered a “brick in my foundation.” But it had many flaws. There is an analogy. Do you remember the movie Electric Dreams? It was not a widely accepted movie, and I doubt my four blog readers would know anything about it. The movie centered on a computer that becomes intelligent and the owner who romantically competes for a neighbor. While I enjoyed it when I first saw it, the plot and visuals are dated.
Is that movie an “inferior quality brick in our foundation?” Hmm, perhaps it is. The people who made that movie did their best, but they got some things wrong. Does this mean we look at this movie as an example of what not to do? On the contrary, I think we should enjoy it for what it is. A dated computer movie. What can we learn from this? Computers do not make excellent characters.
We have to use the proper perspective when experiencing past works. Like Isaac Asimov, I did my best on my old homework. Yet, we have many examples, like Electric Dreams, that make us shudder when we watch it. Will this blog be a less-than-perfect example? Only time will tell.
January 13, 2022
Running Commentary in a Book
Recently, I discussed why books cannot have deleted material:
https://interviewingimmortality.com/b...
In writing that blog, it occurred to me that there is another entertainment aspect present in movies but not in books. Nearly all modern movie DVDs contain options to listen to running commentary by the directors, stars, or producers. Sometimes “Movie DJ’s” talk about the move during commercial breaks. On YouTube, “reaction” videos are viral. An “influencer” (popular person) watches a video and comments on the content. Running commentary is now a widely accepted activity, and viewers enjoy this entertainment addition because it expands the original work and provides valuable insight. However, an author would never place running commentary text within their work.
Wait a moment. Books have footnotes, readers, guides, and introductions. This text fills the same entertainment void. Right? Well, no, because these additions are for clarity and not entertainment. Authors occasionally have additions and explanations to help the reader with core material. Typically, readers see these extra sentences in textbooks, but we would never see such additional material in a romance, spy, western, or mystery book. How about an audiobook? Nope.
I find it amusing that such a simple addition would never be done. I suppose this is because if a comment is important enough, the author should be able to “write it in.” For example, I got this blog idea while writing another blog. That last sentence could be considered running commentary, but it is actually “additional information.” Alright, we can be flexible. Let’s insert some running commentary!
“In the above blog paragraph, you read all about my struggles to get my point across. What a disaster! I probably should have done a blog about science fiction or something.”
Wow, that sentence was utterly out of place, yet there is some insight (value) in it. There is also some entertainment value (comic relief) inside knowledge and perspective. But is this extra sentence really considered running commentary? It meets the criteria, but the reader cannot turn off the sentence.
This sentence was easy to add, and I could have made it better. How about a red font? At the very least, the audiobook could have some colorful anecdotes by the person providing the voice. If the author was reading, they could go into long stories about writing the book. But… That would never be done. The closest thing in the book writing world is an interview with the author, which would not be in line with the book text.
Why are books so rigid? Why are they rectangular and not square? A square book would probably use less paper. How about a standard size? In looking at my meager bookshelf, I see at least ten different sizes. Yet, no running commentary.
“Hey, readers. I got a bit off-topic there. Sorry, I tend to ramble. Remember from above? Yeah, it is possible to have running commentary. I did it twice! Proof positive.”
One is tempted to say, “Books have never had running commentary and never will. It is tradition. Don’t rock the boat!” So it is as physics governs books. F=MA, D=2*Pi, V=IR, E=MC^2, and books do not have running commentary. This means we are robots who follow a rigid program that cannot be changed. Failure to comply = no sales! Exterminate, exterminate!
Do I want to write books with running commentary? It would be wonderful to have this freedom, but every freedom has pitfalls. What is the standard commentary format? First-person or third? Is it taboo to discuss other books or have advertisements in book running commentary? What If the book is for kids, but the author swears like a sailor?
“Yeah, you probably hate it when I get all informal. Like we are friends or something. You probably prefer the Oxford Standard running commentary format. Want white teeth? Use Crest toothpaste!”
Well, let’s invent a format to fill this entertainment void. From now on, books can have running commentary as footnotes. Not going to happen. How about in a different chapter? Umm, no. In the “about the author” section? Nope.
Books will never have running commentary, and I do not understand why there is so much resistance to a slightly improved format. However, it would be fun to experiment with running comments, and perhaps in future blogs, I will insert a few “observations from the author.” Well, this seems like an excellent place to end this blog.
Credits
Writing: Bill Conrad
Director: Bill Conrad
Producer: Bill Conrad
Editing: Bill Conrad
Story: Bill Conrad
Typesetting: Bill Conrad
Legal: Bill Conrad
IT Support: Bill Conrad
Catering: Bill Conrad
Keyboard Cleaner: Bill Conrad
Camera Operator: Bill Conrad
Wardrobe: Bill Conrad
Musical Score: Bill Conrad
Finance: Bill Conrad
Test Audience: Bill Conrad
“Great, the blog ended on a high note, and I am going to conclude my running comments as the credits roll. Wow, I really had a fun time writing this blog. Hey, readers, stay tuned for more blogs and look for running comments. Maybe I am on to something. Thanks for all your support! I hope to add running comments in future blogs.”
https://interviewingimmortality.com/b...
In writing that blog, it occurred to me that there is another entertainment aspect present in movies but not in books. Nearly all modern movie DVDs contain options to listen to running commentary by the directors, stars, or producers. Sometimes “Movie DJ’s” talk about the move during commercial breaks. On YouTube, “reaction” videos are viral. An “influencer” (popular person) watches a video and comments on the content. Running commentary is now a widely accepted activity, and viewers enjoy this entertainment addition because it expands the original work and provides valuable insight. However, an author would never place running commentary text within their work.
Wait a moment. Books have footnotes, readers, guides, and introductions. This text fills the same entertainment void. Right? Well, no, because these additions are for clarity and not entertainment. Authors occasionally have additions and explanations to help the reader with core material. Typically, readers see these extra sentences in textbooks, but we would never see such additional material in a romance, spy, western, or mystery book. How about an audiobook? Nope.
I find it amusing that such a simple addition would never be done. I suppose this is because if a comment is important enough, the author should be able to “write it in.” For example, I got this blog idea while writing another blog. That last sentence could be considered running commentary, but it is actually “additional information.” Alright, we can be flexible. Let’s insert some running commentary!
“In the above blog paragraph, you read all about my struggles to get my point across. What a disaster! I probably should have done a blog about science fiction or something.”
Wow, that sentence was utterly out of place, yet there is some insight (value) in it. There is also some entertainment value (comic relief) inside knowledge and perspective. But is this extra sentence really considered running commentary? It meets the criteria, but the reader cannot turn off the sentence.
This sentence was easy to add, and I could have made it better. How about a red font? At the very least, the audiobook could have some colorful anecdotes by the person providing the voice. If the author was reading, they could go into long stories about writing the book. But… That would never be done. The closest thing in the book writing world is an interview with the author, which would not be in line with the book text.
Why are books so rigid? Why are they rectangular and not square? A square book would probably use less paper. How about a standard size? In looking at my meager bookshelf, I see at least ten different sizes. Yet, no running commentary.
“Hey, readers. I got a bit off-topic there. Sorry, I tend to ramble. Remember from above? Yeah, it is possible to have running commentary. I did it twice! Proof positive.”
One is tempted to say, “Books have never had running commentary and never will. It is tradition. Don’t rock the boat!” So it is as physics governs books. F=MA, D=2*Pi, V=IR, E=MC^2, and books do not have running commentary. This means we are robots who follow a rigid program that cannot be changed. Failure to comply = no sales! Exterminate, exterminate!
Do I want to write books with running commentary? It would be wonderful to have this freedom, but every freedom has pitfalls. What is the standard commentary format? First-person or third? Is it taboo to discuss other books or have advertisements in book running commentary? What If the book is for kids, but the author swears like a sailor?
“Yeah, you probably hate it when I get all informal. Like we are friends or something. You probably prefer the Oxford Standard running commentary format. Want white teeth? Use Crest toothpaste!”
Well, let’s invent a format to fill this entertainment void. From now on, books can have running commentary as footnotes. Not going to happen. How about in a different chapter? Umm, no. In the “about the author” section? Nope.
Books will never have running commentary, and I do not understand why there is so much resistance to a slightly improved format. However, it would be fun to experiment with running comments, and perhaps in future blogs, I will insert a few “observations from the author.” Well, this seems like an excellent place to end this blog.
Credits
Writing: Bill Conrad
Director: Bill Conrad
Producer: Bill Conrad
Editing: Bill Conrad
Story: Bill Conrad
Typesetting: Bill Conrad
Legal: Bill Conrad
IT Support: Bill Conrad
Catering: Bill Conrad
Keyboard Cleaner: Bill Conrad
Camera Operator: Bill Conrad
Wardrobe: Bill Conrad
Musical Score: Bill Conrad
Finance: Bill Conrad
Test Audience: Bill Conrad
“Great, the blog ended on a high note, and I am going to conclude my running comments as the credits roll. Wow, I really had a fun time writing this blog. Hey, readers, stay tuned for more blogs and look for running comments. Maybe I am on to something. Thanks for all your support! I hope to add running comments in future blogs.”
January 5, 2022
The Best Setting
What is the best city for a story? Should characters be teenagers or adults? Does the action begin in a calm setting or a rough biker bar? How about some good old-fashioned aliens to spice up the mix? Yep, it’s possible to leap up and fly. All kids grow up that way! So let’s jump right into a passionate scene in an epic love story set in the 1800s on a mighty sailing ship with a proud captain at the helm.
The correct answer is, “the setting should support the story.” This means that if the story centers on a rough biker that the story should take place in a rough biker bar. Right? Umm, no. My life is not a story. I live in a quiet house on a quiet street, so how could I relate to a story that begins with a character calmly walking into a rough biker bar? But, on the other hand, I am flexible and enjoy stories set in another city or characters which are radically different from me. They can even live in inconceivable realities, have improper physics or crazy bodies.
However, there is an important caveat. The author must take me from my quiet street to an understanding setting. This means patiently leading me from my reality to this new one. I need details and connections! For example, Superman can fly because he is from a different planet. This means that people on this other planet do not have streets because they can fly and do not have cars. Makes sense.
The beginning of the book is the only opportunity for an author to hook the reader. First, an author must pull the reader into the setting, which means laying a careful foundation. The foundation begins with the setting, and in this space, the character can thrive.
How about a fantasy, comic book, or science fiction story? In looking back at those well-done works, they all had “origin stories.” This effort led me to their comfortable setting, which made the story relatable.
Alright, we have a beginning, but what is the best setting? I like the classics. Teenagers should be in high school and adults at their jobs. Drama occurs in the home and conflicts somewhere else. While not too exciting, this foundation is a great place to start. From there, we can build our settings and go places. How about a pleasant trip to the woods? Let’s go on a jog. How about a visit to the neighbor’s house? Hmm. My neighbor might have “spider powers.”
What would a house look like of a person with “spider powers?” Alright, that is something we can sink our teeth into. Spiders can walk on ceilings, so that would be different. Perhaps there would be a sofa attached to the ceiling. Seems out of place? Umm no. We understand both spiders and our everyday homes. An author's goal is to bridge the two together in a manner that can be relatable. So, yeah. “Spider home.”
My rule is to always begin with something relatable and then take my readers some place wild. Yet, there has to be a connection to home. This keeps the reader hooked. I feel the same about my blogs. First, they need to connect readers to our world and then jump to the unexpected.
PS, this is my 200th blog! Yay!
The correct answer is, “the setting should support the story.” This means that if the story centers on a rough biker that the story should take place in a rough biker bar. Right? Umm, no. My life is not a story. I live in a quiet house on a quiet street, so how could I relate to a story that begins with a character calmly walking into a rough biker bar? But, on the other hand, I am flexible and enjoy stories set in another city or characters which are radically different from me. They can even live in inconceivable realities, have improper physics or crazy bodies.
However, there is an important caveat. The author must take me from my quiet street to an understanding setting. This means patiently leading me from my reality to this new one. I need details and connections! For example, Superman can fly because he is from a different planet. This means that people on this other planet do not have streets because they can fly and do not have cars. Makes sense.
The beginning of the book is the only opportunity for an author to hook the reader. First, an author must pull the reader into the setting, which means laying a careful foundation. The foundation begins with the setting, and in this space, the character can thrive.
How about a fantasy, comic book, or science fiction story? In looking back at those well-done works, they all had “origin stories.” This effort led me to their comfortable setting, which made the story relatable.
Alright, we have a beginning, but what is the best setting? I like the classics. Teenagers should be in high school and adults at their jobs. Drama occurs in the home and conflicts somewhere else. While not too exciting, this foundation is a great place to start. From there, we can build our settings and go places. How about a pleasant trip to the woods? Let’s go on a jog. How about a visit to the neighbor’s house? Hmm. My neighbor might have “spider powers.”
What would a house look like of a person with “spider powers?” Alright, that is something we can sink our teeth into. Spiders can walk on ceilings, so that would be different. Perhaps there would be a sofa attached to the ceiling. Seems out of place? Umm no. We understand both spiders and our everyday homes. An author's goal is to bridge the two together in a manner that can be relatable. So, yeah. “Spider home.”
My rule is to always begin with something relatable and then take my readers some place wild. Yet, there has to be a connection to home. This keeps the reader hooked. I feel the same about my blogs. First, they need to connect readers to our world and then jump to the unexpected.
PS, this is my 200th blog! Yay!
