Bill Conrad's Blog, page 27
November 18, 2020
Blog Time
My four loyal blog readers know that I am an Engineer. Given that I do a lot of analysis as part of my job, it inspired me to investigate the time I spend blogging. Microsoft Word records the number of minutes spent on each document, and I started a new file every week to separate my entries. Here is the data:
1 Why I write 182
2 Living in a Dystopian Present 319
3 My Eternal Struggle With Grammar 275
4 Writing in the Tom Clancy Universe 156
5 The Goal of Becoming an Author 128
6 Bill’s Guide to Writing a Book 100
7 Bill’s guide to Self-Publishing 163
8 Bill’s Guild to Self-Publishing Marketing 135
9 My Eternal Struggle With Grammar Continues 118
10 Using A Pen Name 156
11 Writing an Intimate Scene 89
12 Overcoming Critics 228
13 The People We Want to Read About 268
14 Confusing Writing With Real Life 133
15 How A Plot Develops 259
16 Writing About a Controversial Topic 115
17 Why I Blog 136
18 Technical Writing (By a Fiction Author) 208
19 When I Realized I Had Become An Author 95
20 How Writing Has Affected My Family Life 142
21 Creative Writing in College 197
22 Writing Has Unexpectedly Become Difficult 224
23 My Favorite Books 284
24 Being an Author Has Altered My Outlook 239
25 Female Characters 314
26 Writing for Maximum Length 221
27 Contractions 210
28 Great Protagonists 169
29 It’s Easier to be a Fiction Author 168
30 Full Time to Part Time Author 169
31 Writing a Good Main Character 129
32 My Computer Isn’t a Typewriter 154
33 Working With An Editor 107
34 My Russian Characters 102
35 I Love to Self-Edit 178
36 Are Ghosts Real? 64
37 I Never Understood Existential 83
38 Books I Didn’t Like 50
39 Why I Like Neil Gaiman 71
40 Translating Books to Film 177
41 Writing A Book Outline 200
42 Writing A Character Biography 155
43 If Aliens Arrive, Science Fiction Will Change 109
44 Most Authors Are Goodhearted People 109
45 Using Grammarly 160
46 My Ethics Hinder Good Story 167
47 Character Attachment 139
48 When Your Best Isn’t Good Enough 171
49 Where my Ideas Come From 204
50 Writing Radical Fiction 203
51 The Definition of Evil 328
52 I No Longer Use Writers Helping Writers 81
53 How’s That Marketing Going? 162
54 What the World Owes Me 161
55 I Watched the Move Freejack 141
56 Good Writers Are Philosophers 183
57 It’s Difficult to Write About Food 187
58 The Lies We Tell 111
59 The Title is Everything 73
60 Fan Fiction 224
61 When Intelligent People Disagree 144
62 Do I Complain Too Much? 116
63 The Worst Thing I Almost Did 108
64 In the Mood to Write 168
65 Book Covers 120
66 Authors Rationalize Their Existence 120
67 My Editing Philosophy 80
68 Integrating Quotes 142
69 Reflecting on My First Book 103
70 I Used to Write Many Letters 153
71 The Motive Behind Revenge 114
72 Writing on Prednisone 194
73 I Don’t Want to Write an Autobiography 176
74 An Update to My Writing Process 111
75 Getting Old 109
76 Becoming Successful Will Take a Long Time 130
77 My Computer is a Dear Friend 133
78 Book Descriptions Are a Pain 92
79 Karma Is Difficult to Write For 146
80 Banned Topics 128
81 Being a Perfectionist 134
82 The Subject of Death 118
83 Defining Fear 154
84 Predicting the Future 155
85 Emotional Writing 90
86 Life is Always More Complicated 205
87 Numbers 113
88 Writing Humor 62
89 I Wish I Read More 100
90 Men in Black International 151
91 Why I Continue to Blog 110
92 Bad People Aren’t Evil 149
93 A Writing Setback 137
94 An Arrogant Character 113
95 My Writing Improved 69
96 New Book Topics 134
97 Blog Rules 176
98 Amazing Book Descriptions 110
99 It’s Difficult Keeping Things Strait 115
100 I Lost a Friend 143
101 My Personal Life 97
102 An Important Blog Topic 112
103 Bad Grammar 152
104 Another Writing Setback 146
105 Fictional Ethics 106
106 Writing Quirks 344
107 Bad Book Reviews 328
108 My Legacy 276
109 Raising Awareness 209
110 Don’t Use Did 107
111 Trying to Be Offensive 270
112 Writing in Lockdown 145
113 Superheroes 125
114 Enjoying the Story 177
115 A Bit of Information 108
116 I Told You So 156
117 My Daughter Kim 55
118 Negative Blogs 432
119 Motivation 276
120 Writing for Me 79
121 Switching Gears 141
122 Failed Virus Prediction 102
123 Character Flaws 220
124 My Favorite Quotes 173
125 Throwing Characters Into a Plot 203
126 Lonely Writing 420
127 The Back of My Head 95
128 Uninventing 197
129 Dialogue Is Easy; Scripts Are Difficult 170
130 DIKW Pyramid 132
131 There is Always a Wrong Way 173
132 My Story Is Not Real 236
133 Editing Effectiveness 177
134 Defending My Work 219
135 Behaving Badly 293
136 Group Editing 285
137 Quack Villain 65
138 Editing Block 136
On average, I spend 161 minutes or 2.7 hours per week. The least amount of time was 50 minutes, and the most were 432 minutes. My total blogging time is 22245 minutes or 370 hours, or 6.1 days.
From the data trend, we can see that weekly times were nearly consistent until March of this year. This increase probably resulted from having more time to write because the virus kept me working from home, eliminating my commute. I suspect that the additional time has improved my writing quality. Perhaps a future blog could analyze each blog entry for quality and compare it to writing time. Nah, that would be too geeky.
1 Why I write 182
2 Living in a Dystopian Present 319
3 My Eternal Struggle With Grammar 275
4 Writing in the Tom Clancy Universe 156
5 The Goal of Becoming an Author 128
6 Bill’s Guide to Writing a Book 100
7 Bill’s guide to Self-Publishing 163
8 Bill’s Guild to Self-Publishing Marketing 135
9 My Eternal Struggle With Grammar Continues 118
10 Using A Pen Name 156
11 Writing an Intimate Scene 89
12 Overcoming Critics 228
13 The People We Want to Read About 268
14 Confusing Writing With Real Life 133
15 How A Plot Develops 259
16 Writing About a Controversial Topic 115
17 Why I Blog 136
18 Technical Writing (By a Fiction Author) 208
19 When I Realized I Had Become An Author 95
20 How Writing Has Affected My Family Life 142
21 Creative Writing in College 197
22 Writing Has Unexpectedly Become Difficult 224
23 My Favorite Books 284
24 Being an Author Has Altered My Outlook 239
25 Female Characters 314
26 Writing for Maximum Length 221
27 Contractions 210
28 Great Protagonists 169
29 It’s Easier to be a Fiction Author 168
30 Full Time to Part Time Author 169
31 Writing a Good Main Character 129
32 My Computer Isn’t a Typewriter 154
33 Working With An Editor 107
34 My Russian Characters 102
35 I Love to Self-Edit 178
36 Are Ghosts Real? 64
37 I Never Understood Existential 83
38 Books I Didn’t Like 50
39 Why I Like Neil Gaiman 71
40 Translating Books to Film 177
41 Writing A Book Outline 200
42 Writing A Character Biography 155
43 If Aliens Arrive, Science Fiction Will Change 109
44 Most Authors Are Goodhearted People 109
45 Using Grammarly 160
46 My Ethics Hinder Good Story 167
47 Character Attachment 139
48 When Your Best Isn’t Good Enough 171
49 Where my Ideas Come From 204
50 Writing Radical Fiction 203
51 The Definition of Evil 328
52 I No Longer Use Writers Helping Writers 81
53 How’s That Marketing Going? 162
54 What the World Owes Me 161
55 I Watched the Move Freejack 141
56 Good Writers Are Philosophers 183
57 It’s Difficult to Write About Food 187
58 The Lies We Tell 111
59 The Title is Everything 73
60 Fan Fiction 224
61 When Intelligent People Disagree 144
62 Do I Complain Too Much? 116
63 The Worst Thing I Almost Did 108
64 In the Mood to Write 168
65 Book Covers 120
66 Authors Rationalize Their Existence 120
67 My Editing Philosophy 80
68 Integrating Quotes 142
69 Reflecting on My First Book 103
70 I Used to Write Many Letters 153
71 The Motive Behind Revenge 114
72 Writing on Prednisone 194
73 I Don’t Want to Write an Autobiography 176
74 An Update to My Writing Process 111
75 Getting Old 109
76 Becoming Successful Will Take a Long Time 130
77 My Computer is a Dear Friend 133
78 Book Descriptions Are a Pain 92
79 Karma Is Difficult to Write For 146
80 Banned Topics 128
81 Being a Perfectionist 134
82 The Subject of Death 118
83 Defining Fear 154
84 Predicting the Future 155
85 Emotional Writing 90
86 Life is Always More Complicated 205
87 Numbers 113
88 Writing Humor 62
89 I Wish I Read More 100
90 Men in Black International 151
91 Why I Continue to Blog 110
92 Bad People Aren’t Evil 149
93 A Writing Setback 137
94 An Arrogant Character 113
95 My Writing Improved 69
96 New Book Topics 134
97 Blog Rules 176
98 Amazing Book Descriptions 110
99 It’s Difficult Keeping Things Strait 115
100 I Lost a Friend 143
101 My Personal Life 97
102 An Important Blog Topic 112
103 Bad Grammar 152
104 Another Writing Setback 146
105 Fictional Ethics 106
106 Writing Quirks 344
107 Bad Book Reviews 328
108 My Legacy 276
109 Raising Awareness 209
110 Don’t Use Did 107
111 Trying to Be Offensive 270
112 Writing in Lockdown 145
113 Superheroes 125
114 Enjoying the Story 177
115 A Bit of Information 108
116 I Told You So 156
117 My Daughter Kim 55
118 Negative Blogs 432
119 Motivation 276
120 Writing for Me 79
121 Switching Gears 141
122 Failed Virus Prediction 102
123 Character Flaws 220
124 My Favorite Quotes 173
125 Throwing Characters Into a Plot 203
126 Lonely Writing 420
127 The Back of My Head 95
128 Uninventing 197
129 Dialogue Is Easy; Scripts Are Difficult 170
130 DIKW Pyramid 132
131 There is Always a Wrong Way 173
132 My Story Is Not Real 236
133 Editing Effectiveness 177
134 Defending My Work 219
135 Behaving Badly 293
136 Group Editing 285
137 Quack Villain 65
138 Editing Block 136
On average, I spend 161 minutes or 2.7 hours per week. The least amount of time was 50 minutes, and the most were 432 minutes. My total blogging time is 22245 minutes or 370 hours, or 6.1 days.
From the data trend, we can see that weekly times were nearly consistent until March of this year. This increase probably resulted from having more time to write because the virus kept me working from home, eliminating my commute. I suspect that the additional time has improved my writing quality. Perhaps a future blog could analyze each blog entry for quality and compare it to writing time. Nah, that would be too geeky.
November 11, 2020
Editing Block
Writers may encounter writer’s block, which occurs when an author cannot develop a new idea. While I occasionally encounter this issue, a bike ride provides the needed inspiration.
The problem I often encounter is editing block. This block occurs when I edit and find it too difficult to begin, or I do not want to continue. Sometimes the block occurs when I face a writing problem, and sometimes, I am not in the proper mindset. Yesterday, I realized that my character had made a huge decision, and I had not provided the motivation behind that decision. While I realized what was going on, readers are not telepathic. My frustration came out of the fact that I had not initially included this information.
I averted my frustration by editing something else for an hour and then added a paragraph. Today I reviewed this new paragraph and made a few changes.
When I am not in the mood to edit, I have learned the hard way not to force myself. My best approach is to relax for ten minutes and then try again. However, this solution contains a mental loophole because I often trick myself into an editing block so I can waste time. I am aware of this mental fight and try to recognize it. Sometimes, it takes a few restarts to get into the groove, and other times, I spend the evening watching television.
In analyzing this issue, I determined that the primary source of frustrations results from confronting a problem I alone created. It is difficult to face one’s limitations and failures.
As an example, in my third book, I wrote a great paragraph about technical achievement. My editor pointed out that this well-written section brings the exciting action to a painful standstill. The solution is obvious: delete or move the paragraph. My hesitation comes from the fact that I liked my original creation in the order that I wrote it. After a two-day distraction, I cut the paragraph. While a painful choice, I must admit that the book reads better. On a side note, a good outline would have identified this issue beforehand.
Editing blocks also occur when I come across an awful sentence or big mistake. I want to yell at myself, “You wrote this junk?” Looking into the mirror can be difficult, and big mistakes are always demotivating.
Are there any aids to help the editing process? There have been tremendous improvements in grammar, style, and spelling tools. Plus, there are excellent online examples, articles, help groups, and guides. Reading often also hones my skills.
Like any problem, the first step is recognition and then applying the solution. I am sure truck drivers have roads they dislike to travel, and teachers have subjects they wish to avoid. Editing is part of writing, and it improves with practice. Editing block is part of the process, and I now understand how to realize and overcome this limitation. Practice makes perfect, and this blog is an excellent example of a new document that requires editing.
Is blogging my editing therapy? Hmm. Something to think about.
The problem I often encounter is editing block. This block occurs when I edit and find it too difficult to begin, or I do not want to continue. Sometimes the block occurs when I face a writing problem, and sometimes, I am not in the proper mindset. Yesterday, I realized that my character had made a huge decision, and I had not provided the motivation behind that decision. While I realized what was going on, readers are not telepathic. My frustration came out of the fact that I had not initially included this information.
I averted my frustration by editing something else for an hour and then added a paragraph. Today I reviewed this new paragraph and made a few changes.
When I am not in the mood to edit, I have learned the hard way not to force myself. My best approach is to relax for ten minutes and then try again. However, this solution contains a mental loophole because I often trick myself into an editing block so I can waste time. I am aware of this mental fight and try to recognize it. Sometimes, it takes a few restarts to get into the groove, and other times, I spend the evening watching television.
In analyzing this issue, I determined that the primary source of frustrations results from confronting a problem I alone created. It is difficult to face one’s limitations and failures.
As an example, in my third book, I wrote a great paragraph about technical achievement. My editor pointed out that this well-written section brings the exciting action to a painful standstill. The solution is obvious: delete or move the paragraph. My hesitation comes from the fact that I liked my original creation in the order that I wrote it. After a two-day distraction, I cut the paragraph. While a painful choice, I must admit that the book reads better. On a side note, a good outline would have identified this issue beforehand.
Editing blocks also occur when I come across an awful sentence or big mistake. I want to yell at myself, “You wrote this junk?” Looking into the mirror can be difficult, and big mistakes are always demotivating.
Are there any aids to help the editing process? There have been tremendous improvements in grammar, style, and spelling tools. Plus, there are excellent online examples, articles, help groups, and guides. Reading often also hones my skills.
Like any problem, the first step is recognition and then applying the solution. I am sure truck drivers have roads they dislike to travel, and teachers have subjects they wish to avoid. Editing is part of writing, and it improves with practice. Editing block is part of the process, and I now understand how to realize and overcome this limitation. Practice makes perfect, and this blog is an excellent example of a new document that requires editing.
Is blogging my editing therapy? Hmm. Something to think about.
November 4, 2020
Quack Villain
Years ago, I came across this site:
https://quackwatch.org
Which had the following article:
https://quackwatch.org/related/signs/
It is titled Seven Warning Signs of Bogus Science by Robert L. Park, and it was originally published in 2003. The author attempts to define junk, quack, dangerous, illegitimate, illegal medical practices. The primary site has hundreds of articles about bogus medical practices, supplements, programs, people, and devices. Here are the seven basic warning signs Robert identified:
1) The discoverer pitches the claim directly to the media.
2) The discoverer says that a powerful establishment is trying to suppress his or her work.
3) The scientific effect involved is always at the very limit of detection.
4) Evidence for a discovery is anecdotal.
5) The discoverer says a belief is credible because it has endured for centuries.
6) The discoverer has worked in isolation.
7) The discoverer must propose new laws of nature to explain an observation.
Two types of people use these techniques. A fraudster who wants to promote their product or an inventor oblivious to their creation's ineffective/destructive nature.
We often see these bogus claims on television. “Use X, and you will lose ten pounds overnight!” “Pharaoh Cleopatra used X for healthy skin.” “Millions of doctors certify X to be the best method.” “Hospital administrators do not want you to know about X.” “I worked in secret for 50 years to develop X.”
As I kept these seven rules in the back of my mind, I saw the same pattern in Engineering. “Device X will improve performance by 100%” This is to be expected because the seven signs are part of human nature.
What do the seven signs have to do with writing? Villains need to be bad, and writers now have seven sources of well-defined unacceptable behavior to tap into.
Let’s create an example. Coworker Jenna does not like Sally. Using identifier #1, Jenna does not take her concerns to the boss and instead posts to Twitter. Using identifier #2, Jenna complains to her coworkers that the boss likes Sally and not her. Using identifier #3, people noticed that items have gone missing in the group refrigerator. Jenna informs people she saw Sally doing suspicious activities in the break room related to the missing food.
Using identifier #4, Jenna pointed out that Sally does not always work an 8-hour day. Using identifier #5, Jenna also pointed out that Sally only got the job because her family worked at the company for years. Using identifier #6, Jenna told everybody that she needs to work late to cover for Sally. Using identifier #6, Jenna got the employee handbook changed to prevent Sally from wearing her favorite shoes.
Wow, it only took five minutes to turn Jenna into a jerk. Did you notice that technically, Jenna did nothing wrong? For example, she did not hit Sally. Yet readers passionately dislike Jenna.
What do the seven signs add over the traditional lousy person? These signs point to insidious behavior as opposed to direct actions. Jenna is intentionally trying to deceive and manipulate the surrounding people. The seven signs provide a high-level crafted approach to creating an undermining character.
The quack doctor would not say, “Take non approved medication to cure your pain.” That is far too honest. Instead, they would say, “Drink spring water from well X to cure your pain.” Can spring water be evil? In the right hands, it can.
https://quackwatch.org
Which had the following article:
https://quackwatch.org/related/signs/
It is titled Seven Warning Signs of Bogus Science by Robert L. Park, and it was originally published in 2003. The author attempts to define junk, quack, dangerous, illegitimate, illegal medical practices. The primary site has hundreds of articles about bogus medical practices, supplements, programs, people, and devices. Here are the seven basic warning signs Robert identified:
1) The discoverer pitches the claim directly to the media.
2) The discoverer says that a powerful establishment is trying to suppress his or her work.
3) The scientific effect involved is always at the very limit of detection.
4) Evidence for a discovery is anecdotal.
5) The discoverer says a belief is credible because it has endured for centuries.
6) The discoverer has worked in isolation.
7) The discoverer must propose new laws of nature to explain an observation.
Two types of people use these techniques. A fraudster who wants to promote their product or an inventor oblivious to their creation's ineffective/destructive nature.
We often see these bogus claims on television. “Use X, and you will lose ten pounds overnight!” “Pharaoh Cleopatra used X for healthy skin.” “Millions of doctors certify X to be the best method.” “Hospital administrators do not want you to know about X.” “I worked in secret for 50 years to develop X.”
As I kept these seven rules in the back of my mind, I saw the same pattern in Engineering. “Device X will improve performance by 100%” This is to be expected because the seven signs are part of human nature.
What do the seven signs have to do with writing? Villains need to be bad, and writers now have seven sources of well-defined unacceptable behavior to tap into.
Let’s create an example. Coworker Jenna does not like Sally. Using identifier #1, Jenna does not take her concerns to the boss and instead posts to Twitter. Using identifier #2, Jenna complains to her coworkers that the boss likes Sally and not her. Using identifier #3, people noticed that items have gone missing in the group refrigerator. Jenna informs people she saw Sally doing suspicious activities in the break room related to the missing food.
Using identifier #4, Jenna pointed out that Sally does not always work an 8-hour day. Using identifier #5, Jenna also pointed out that Sally only got the job because her family worked at the company for years. Using identifier #6, Jenna told everybody that she needs to work late to cover for Sally. Using identifier #6, Jenna got the employee handbook changed to prevent Sally from wearing her favorite shoes.
Wow, it only took five minutes to turn Jenna into a jerk. Did you notice that technically, Jenna did nothing wrong? For example, she did not hit Sally. Yet readers passionately dislike Jenna.
What do the seven signs add over the traditional lousy person? These signs point to insidious behavior as opposed to direct actions. Jenna is intentionally trying to deceive and manipulate the surrounding people. The seven signs provide a high-level crafted approach to creating an undermining character.
The quack doctor would not say, “Take non approved medication to cure your pain.” That is far too honest. Instead, they would say, “Drink spring water from well X to cure your pain.” Can spring water be evil? In the right hands, it can.
October 28, 2020
Group Editing
For the last eight months, I have been coordinating the edits on five work documents. They are basic upgrade instructions for a pre-installed assembly. While I am the lead author and wrote 80% of the document, many people have a hand in its content, format and approval. My epic journey to finish these documents has led to some interesting observations, which I thought it would be fun to share. Wait. Perhaps the word “fun” is not the best choice. Amusing? No. Painful? Perhaps. Therapeutic? Yup, that’s the word.
Group editing differs vastly from group creating. The effort lacks spirit and focus because each team member did not have a hand in the initial development. Participating editors desire to make the document their own, and the results lack pride.
People who contribute to a section protect that section. When they are asked to review the document, they lightly review their own work and pick apart the other sections.
Engineers do a lot of writing. One could categorize the result as dry, complex, terse, and explanation heavy.
The legal community has spread its bureaucratic tentacles everywhere. For example, I am forced to use the term “shall” and follow all the rules associated with that legal directive. Girrr. I hate that word.
Engineers like to spice up our documents wherever possible. I have come across Dilbert references, jokes, and silly sentences.
As a group, individuals have an innate desire to contribute. They cannot say, “This document is good enough.” This desire leads to endless revisions, awkward sections, strong opinions and hurt feelings. People are often unwilling to concede that their approach is not the best.
Group editing is not a team-building exercise. Because of all the compromises and mistakes, this activity forces people and groups apart.
Group editing over email is inefficient and introduces errors. The problem is that they do not synchronize the changes. Two people can work on the same sentence and come to different conclusions. Or five people can discover the same error. Another problem is that a mistake is corrected and then reintroduced from a prior copy. I often see changes unofficially made, unapproved, undone, discussed, re-approved, redone, and then re-discussed.
Change tracking helps, but it also can be an enormous obstacle. The problem is that it records a change, but it does not register the change's intent. This feature also forces the document to remain in the past. This is because the prior information is still present. I have witnessed many looping conversations over a good change.
An enormous problem with change tracking occurs when people view the edits rather than the final document. This practice introduces apparent errors, such as extra spaces. This editing method seems like an easy pitfall to avoid, but most people prefer to edit this way.
The more people involved in a group edit, the more inconsistency, and bad compromises are introduced. Good ideas are not appreciated, and strong opinions rule. The result is side negations, which get unpopular changes approved. Does this sound like an election?
For my particular document, after hundreds of hours spent on each document, the resulting changes affected less than 10% of the original content. This is because group editing rarely makes wide-sweeping changes. Instead, group edits result in small specific changes that are sometimes important. Of course, that was because my original document was excellent:)
The best approach to group editing across several departments occurs when three knowledgeable people work closely towards a clearly defined goal. Discussing/editing the document in a conference room with minimal external oversite saves a lot of heartaches. One person in the group needs to be the leader with ultimate authority. Hmm. What form of government does this remind us of?
Group editing differs vastly from group creating. The effort lacks spirit and focus because each team member did not have a hand in the initial development. Participating editors desire to make the document their own, and the results lack pride.
People who contribute to a section protect that section. When they are asked to review the document, they lightly review their own work and pick apart the other sections.
Engineers do a lot of writing. One could categorize the result as dry, complex, terse, and explanation heavy.
The legal community has spread its bureaucratic tentacles everywhere. For example, I am forced to use the term “shall” and follow all the rules associated with that legal directive. Girrr. I hate that word.
Engineers like to spice up our documents wherever possible. I have come across Dilbert references, jokes, and silly sentences.
As a group, individuals have an innate desire to contribute. They cannot say, “This document is good enough.” This desire leads to endless revisions, awkward sections, strong opinions and hurt feelings. People are often unwilling to concede that their approach is not the best.
Group editing is not a team-building exercise. Because of all the compromises and mistakes, this activity forces people and groups apart.
Group editing over email is inefficient and introduces errors. The problem is that they do not synchronize the changes. Two people can work on the same sentence and come to different conclusions. Or five people can discover the same error. Another problem is that a mistake is corrected and then reintroduced from a prior copy. I often see changes unofficially made, unapproved, undone, discussed, re-approved, redone, and then re-discussed.
Change tracking helps, but it also can be an enormous obstacle. The problem is that it records a change, but it does not register the change's intent. This feature also forces the document to remain in the past. This is because the prior information is still present. I have witnessed many looping conversations over a good change.
An enormous problem with change tracking occurs when people view the edits rather than the final document. This practice introduces apparent errors, such as extra spaces. This editing method seems like an easy pitfall to avoid, but most people prefer to edit this way.
The more people involved in a group edit, the more inconsistency, and bad compromises are introduced. Good ideas are not appreciated, and strong opinions rule. The result is side negations, which get unpopular changes approved. Does this sound like an election?
For my particular document, after hundreds of hours spent on each document, the resulting changes affected less than 10% of the original content. This is because group editing rarely makes wide-sweeping changes. Instead, group edits result in small specific changes that are sometimes important. Of course, that was because my original document was excellent:)
The best approach to group editing across several departments occurs when three knowledgeable people work closely towards a clearly defined goal. Discussing/editing the document in a conference room with minimal external oversite saves a lot of heartaches. One person in the group needs to be the leader with ultimate authority. Hmm. What form of government does this remind us of?
October 21, 2020
Behaving Badly
During our lives, people have accused us of bad behavior. We are usually aware of our own failures during our improper actions but continue on our deceitful course. Such activities range from murder to a gentleman tipping his hat to an unescorted lady. Of course, my four blog readers and I consider ourselves well within the normal range and would harm nobody or tip their hat. Who still wears hats?
However, I know fully that my definition of normal is not the same as other “normal” people. For example, I occasionally drink beer. I do this activity, knowing that even small amounts of alcohol will damage my body, and drinking impairs judgment. Does this make me a bad person? Many people abstain from alcohol for health or ethical reasons. In their view, I have corrupt morals, and I require a life change.
I find it interesting that we all perceive ourselves to be normal people. But what about a person who has crossed a sizeable ethical line? A thief, for example. I am sure they view themselves as normal in some twisted way.
Why am I blogging about this? Let’s consider a good villain character. I like one that has been pushed right up to, but not over the point of being evil. Where is the line? Here is an example. Stan is a drug dealer. He occasionally sells at raves and works at a supermarket. Stan thinks of himself as a good person who is providing a service. He has a problem with his morals, but he mostly leads a good life. Ordinary people might enjoy talking to Stan.
Joe is also a drug dealer. He sells anything to anybody and manipulates kids into being addicted or selling his junk. Joe does not care about anybody and is an evil person. Normal people would use all available means to get Joe into prison.
Let’s examine this concept a little further with somebody we might encounter. A bad coworker eats your yogurt in the common office refrigerator. An evil coworker takes a dollar out of your desk drawer. On the surface, they are the same because the yogurt costs a dollar. Yet, one coworker has crossed an ethical line and could be considered evil.
Plots often revolve around inappropriate behavior. The moral character behaves poorly and then reconciles their offensive actions. On the other side, an honest character defends themselves against an immoral or evil character. This concept has many twists, including the anti-hero.
My bad villains must see themselves as normal. Take, for example, our yogurt stealing coworker. I am sure in their mind, they have all kinds of justification. “I thought your brought yogurt for everybody.” Their twisted logic is full of internal failings, which provide a juicy character for readers to loth.
I do not impart positive qualities in my evil characters because readers must view them as committed to the wrong path.
What about the bad/evil villain who wants to better their lives? For example, the bully who sees the harm caused by their actions. I try to avoid this character because readers must set a negative character foundation. Steve hit Sally and smiled. Who wants to make Steve into a character we enjoy? Send Steve to jail.
I was about to write that I have yet to explore anti-hero characters. Such characters require a light touch that can quickly fail. Creating an anti-hero seems to be easy. A police officer breaks the law to catch the criminal. In movies like the recent Deadpool series, humor is used to bridge the gap. However, this concept can fizzle like in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. Another problem with the anti-hero is that they break the law, which leads to an unresolved conflict.
As I wrote this blog, I realized that my first book has two anti-heroes. They murder for the benefit of society (from their viewpoint.) I find it amusing that I had not considered them to be anti-heroes. Wow, this blog taught me something.
For my positive characters, I like it when they fail in a bad way. We are all human and have built-in limitations. It is normal to set a standard and then fail to live up to our own expectations. It is also normal to take some pleasure in intentionally doing something we know is wrong. After we fail, we reconcile our failures and then attempt to rebuild our lives. I like this internal conflict because it has universal appeal.
Inappropriate behavior is fun to explore, but I treat it with caution. A writer can go too far into a bad story. Readers have a limit to what they will accept or relate to. In life and story, there are many pitfalls.
However, I know fully that my definition of normal is not the same as other “normal” people. For example, I occasionally drink beer. I do this activity, knowing that even small amounts of alcohol will damage my body, and drinking impairs judgment. Does this make me a bad person? Many people abstain from alcohol for health or ethical reasons. In their view, I have corrupt morals, and I require a life change.
I find it interesting that we all perceive ourselves to be normal people. But what about a person who has crossed a sizeable ethical line? A thief, for example. I am sure they view themselves as normal in some twisted way.
Why am I blogging about this? Let’s consider a good villain character. I like one that has been pushed right up to, but not over the point of being evil. Where is the line? Here is an example. Stan is a drug dealer. He occasionally sells at raves and works at a supermarket. Stan thinks of himself as a good person who is providing a service. He has a problem with his morals, but he mostly leads a good life. Ordinary people might enjoy talking to Stan.
Joe is also a drug dealer. He sells anything to anybody and manipulates kids into being addicted or selling his junk. Joe does not care about anybody and is an evil person. Normal people would use all available means to get Joe into prison.
Let’s examine this concept a little further with somebody we might encounter. A bad coworker eats your yogurt in the common office refrigerator. An evil coworker takes a dollar out of your desk drawer. On the surface, they are the same because the yogurt costs a dollar. Yet, one coworker has crossed an ethical line and could be considered evil.
Plots often revolve around inappropriate behavior. The moral character behaves poorly and then reconciles their offensive actions. On the other side, an honest character defends themselves against an immoral or evil character. This concept has many twists, including the anti-hero.
My bad villains must see themselves as normal. Take, for example, our yogurt stealing coworker. I am sure in their mind, they have all kinds of justification. “I thought your brought yogurt for everybody.” Their twisted logic is full of internal failings, which provide a juicy character for readers to loth.
I do not impart positive qualities in my evil characters because readers must view them as committed to the wrong path.
What about the bad/evil villain who wants to better their lives? For example, the bully who sees the harm caused by their actions. I try to avoid this character because readers must set a negative character foundation. Steve hit Sally and smiled. Who wants to make Steve into a character we enjoy? Send Steve to jail.
I was about to write that I have yet to explore anti-hero characters. Such characters require a light touch that can quickly fail. Creating an anti-hero seems to be easy. A police officer breaks the law to catch the criminal. In movies like the recent Deadpool series, humor is used to bridge the gap. However, this concept can fizzle like in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. Another problem with the anti-hero is that they break the law, which leads to an unresolved conflict.
As I wrote this blog, I realized that my first book has two anti-heroes. They murder for the benefit of society (from their viewpoint.) I find it amusing that I had not considered them to be anti-heroes. Wow, this blog taught me something.
For my positive characters, I like it when they fail in a bad way. We are all human and have built-in limitations. It is normal to set a standard and then fail to live up to our own expectations. It is also normal to take some pleasure in intentionally doing something we know is wrong. After we fail, we reconcile our failures and then attempt to rebuild our lives. I like this internal conflict because it has universal appeal.
Inappropriate behavior is fun to explore, but I treat it with caution. A writer can go too far into a bad story. Readers have a limit to what they will accept or relate to. In life and story, there are many pitfalls.
October 14, 2020
Defending My Work
I recently came to an unexpected conclusion about being an engineer. I spend 20% of my time creating, 50% documenting and 30% defending my work. Why do I need so much defense? Many people need to be convinced that my designs are necessary, assembled correctly, tested correctly, and function as per the specification. The result is that I spend a lot of time convincing people that everything is fine. In reality, I am defending my work.
I wish everybody would assume that I know what I am doing, so I would not need to defend anything. However, it is human nature to question the surroundings, and the work environment encourages competition. In addition, humans have flaws, pride, and are resistant to change.
Let me provide my worst-case defense example. Ten years ago, my boss tasked me with designing an elaborate motor controller. He wanted me to copy an existing design and add additional features.
I started the design without motor specification, which meant success would not be possible because I did not know what my design needed to do. To make matters worse, I learned that the “working design” had never been built. Against my boss's wishes, I made a more conventional controller, leaving me without an excuse if the design did not work.
The prototype had enormous problems, and my boss forced me to finish the final design before the prototype worked. My boss insisted I use parts that I knew had thermal issues. To add another obstacle, I used a part that did not work correctly for unknown reasons.
During this time, I felt like a boxer because every conversation had a clear winner, loser, and injuries. I lost the fight and got laid off.
I have found that writing follows a similar pattern, but the percentages are different. I spend 10% of my time writing, 60% editing, 20% promoting [I am doing that right now], and 10% defending. What am I defending? To be noticed, a book must contain a hook to get the reader’s attention. Often, this element is controversial. Unfortunately, writing a controversial scene results in a few people getting offended. Therefore, I must defend my work by refuting claims that my work is immoral, has a poorly conceived plot, and is not worth reading. I also edit down the offending topics to give them a more universal appeal.
My first book contained two graphical torture scenes. My second book revolves around an underage relationship, and my third book puts three nations against each other.
The most pushback I received came from my unpublished second book. I directed my defense towards editors and one of three people who have read a rough draft. They complained that I had a cliché plot, despicable relationship, and basic writing errors. Their primary concern is the underaged relationship. Do such relationships actually occur? Of course, but the readers missed the point of the story. I intended to show two people overcoming adversity.
Why did I choose this particular controversy? I could have taken the plot in all kinds of directions. But I made a choice, and I now have to defend this choice. Why do I need so much defense for a work that has not been published? My works are not popular enough to stand on their own. I wish I could yell out, “In a fictional character, the age an invented number. Everything is fine.” Unfortunately, my meager fame is not powerful enough to overcome any criticism.
At my core, I am a stubborn survivor. I decided to go down the path of being an amateur author. I knew there would be critics, and I would have to defend myself. What is my reward? Occasionally people compliment my work. But I get the most satisfaction when I read my own stories and immerse myself in the characters. When they succeed, I succeed.
I wish everybody would assume that I know what I am doing, so I would not need to defend anything. However, it is human nature to question the surroundings, and the work environment encourages competition. In addition, humans have flaws, pride, and are resistant to change.
Let me provide my worst-case defense example. Ten years ago, my boss tasked me with designing an elaborate motor controller. He wanted me to copy an existing design and add additional features.
I started the design without motor specification, which meant success would not be possible because I did not know what my design needed to do. To make matters worse, I learned that the “working design” had never been built. Against my boss's wishes, I made a more conventional controller, leaving me without an excuse if the design did not work.
The prototype had enormous problems, and my boss forced me to finish the final design before the prototype worked. My boss insisted I use parts that I knew had thermal issues. To add another obstacle, I used a part that did not work correctly for unknown reasons.
During this time, I felt like a boxer because every conversation had a clear winner, loser, and injuries. I lost the fight and got laid off.
I have found that writing follows a similar pattern, but the percentages are different. I spend 10% of my time writing, 60% editing, 20% promoting [I am doing that right now], and 10% defending. What am I defending? To be noticed, a book must contain a hook to get the reader’s attention. Often, this element is controversial. Unfortunately, writing a controversial scene results in a few people getting offended. Therefore, I must defend my work by refuting claims that my work is immoral, has a poorly conceived plot, and is not worth reading. I also edit down the offending topics to give them a more universal appeal.
My first book contained two graphical torture scenes. My second book revolves around an underage relationship, and my third book puts three nations against each other.
The most pushback I received came from my unpublished second book. I directed my defense towards editors and one of three people who have read a rough draft. They complained that I had a cliché plot, despicable relationship, and basic writing errors. Their primary concern is the underaged relationship. Do such relationships actually occur? Of course, but the readers missed the point of the story. I intended to show two people overcoming adversity.
Why did I choose this particular controversy? I could have taken the plot in all kinds of directions. But I made a choice, and I now have to defend this choice. Why do I need so much defense for a work that has not been published? My works are not popular enough to stand on their own. I wish I could yell out, “In a fictional character, the age an invented number. Everything is fine.” Unfortunately, my meager fame is not powerful enough to overcome any criticism.
At my core, I am a stubborn survivor. I decided to go down the path of being an amateur author. I knew there would be critics, and I would have to defend myself. What is my reward? Occasionally people compliment my work. But I get the most satisfaction when I read my own stories and immerse myself in the characters. When they succeed, I succeed.
October 7, 2020
Editing Effectiveness
I spend 0 to 4 hours a day self-editing. This task is necessary because my English skills are not the best, I often change my mind and I am an uncoordinated perfectionist. Not the best combination. However, I see the improvements and my later works require a lot less editing.
After thinking about my process, I determined that I have a 1:20 ratio of writing to editing. I thought it would be interesting to take a high-level view of my process.
When I write, I work in 1-2 hour stretches. A first draft takes 3-6 months depending on a lot of factors. I begin each writing session by starting three pages back from where I ended. As I read over these pages, I edit the existing work and then start writing where I left off. I do this to get into the mood, flow, characters and plot. Of the total editing effort, this preview-edit changes the document by approximately 5%.
While writing, I often have inspirations and make changes. 80% of the changes occur at this stage. This included adding chapters, rearranged large sections and making character modifications. However, this effort does not meet the definition of editing; I consider it to be writing.
After I have finished my first draft, I do my first full self-edit. My primary goal is to improve the flow, check my logic, and locate significant issues. This first pass is brutal, and it takes at least a month. I estimate this represents 15% of editing changes.
After the first pass, I then edit with specific goals in mind. One pass improves the descriptions; another fixes dialog, and another addresses my known writing “ticks.” This covers 5% of self-edited changes. When I feel comfortable, I do a comprehensive look at each line individually. This results in another 5% and takes about a month. I then do a Grammarly and Prowriting Aid pass. While each only takes a few hours, they address at least 5% of the changes.
I then print a copy for my beta read (my mother) followed by a cleanup edit. This is a big step and results in 5-10% of the changes. I estimate 30% of significant mistakes are caught at this stage. I then do the last pass, with Grammarly and Prowriting Aid.
When I am confident, I have my work reviewed by a professional editor, and then I check their changes. This represents 15-20% of the edited changes. I estimate this effort locates 40% of the major mistakes. I then send my work to a copy editor who checks each line for issues. I estimate this finds 10% of the problems and changes the document by 2%. After reviewing their work, I do a final Grammarly and Prowriting Aid pass, followed by a quick pass. This represents 0.5% of the changes, but it catches the last minor issues. Of course, I have to make one or more final-final pass because I am a control freak.
While writing, my changes add 15-20% to the length, and my beta read adds 1-2%. Each self-editing pass reduces the length by 1% because of condensed descriptions and eliminating useless sentences. The eventual result is at least 20% shorter than the first draft.
I still find self-editing fun because I get to relive the story and meet the characters again. Yet, this effort consumes a lot of time. However, I see the improvement after each pass, and that feels rewarding.
Is it worth it? I like to think practice makes perfect, and self-editing is the ultimate form of practice.
After thinking about my process, I determined that I have a 1:20 ratio of writing to editing. I thought it would be interesting to take a high-level view of my process.
When I write, I work in 1-2 hour stretches. A first draft takes 3-6 months depending on a lot of factors. I begin each writing session by starting three pages back from where I ended. As I read over these pages, I edit the existing work and then start writing where I left off. I do this to get into the mood, flow, characters and plot. Of the total editing effort, this preview-edit changes the document by approximately 5%.
While writing, I often have inspirations and make changes. 80% of the changes occur at this stage. This included adding chapters, rearranged large sections and making character modifications. However, this effort does not meet the definition of editing; I consider it to be writing.
After I have finished my first draft, I do my first full self-edit. My primary goal is to improve the flow, check my logic, and locate significant issues. This first pass is brutal, and it takes at least a month. I estimate this represents 15% of editing changes.
After the first pass, I then edit with specific goals in mind. One pass improves the descriptions; another fixes dialog, and another addresses my known writing “ticks.” This covers 5% of self-edited changes. When I feel comfortable, I do a comprehensive look at each line individually. This results in another 5% and takes about a month. I then do a Grammarly and Prowriting Aid pass. While each only takes a few hours, they address at least 5% of the changes.
I then print a copy for my beta read (my mother) followed by a cleanup edit. This is a big step and results in 5-10% of the changes. I estimate 30% of significant mistakes are caught at this stage. I then do the last pass, with Grammarly and Prowriting Aid.
When I am confident, I have my work reviewed by a professional editor, and then I check their changes. This represents 15-20% of the edited changes. I estimate this effort locates 40% of the major mistakes. I then send my work to a copy editor who checks each line for issues. I estimate this finds 10% of the problems and changes the document by 2%. After reviewing their work, I do a final Grammarly and Prowriting Aid pass, followed by a quick pass. This represents 0.5% of the changes, but it catches the last minor issues. Of course, I have to make one or more final-final pass because I am a control freak.
While writing, my changes add 15-20% to the length, and my beta read adds 1-2%. Each self-editing pass reduces the length by 1% because of condensed descriptions and eliminating useless sentences. The eventual result is at least 20% shorter than the first draft.
I still find self-editing fun because I get to relive the story and meet the characters again. Yet, this effort consumes a lot of time. However, I see the improvement after each pass, and that feels rewarding.
Is it worth it? I like to think practice makes perfect, and self-editing is the ultimate form of practice.
September 30, 2020
My Story Is Not Real
People like to think a fictional story could be real. For example, a few people genuinely believe that Luke Skywalker is an actual person, and Star Wars is a documentary. This desire to believe is strong, and even the government of England recognizes the Jedi religion. People have Star Wars themed weddings and dress up in full costumes for conventions. Want some proof:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKT7b...
I enjoy fiction, and I like writing fictional stories. However, I am not a hard-core fiction fan, and I see the apparent difference between fantasy and reality. Do I look down on the hard-core fans? Not really, I think they are amusing. Yet, I still claim to be a fictional writer. One would think that to be a fictional author, a hard-core fictional mindset would be required. Hmm. It sounds like we need to explore this concept.
When I write, I visualize myself in action. “Fred got hit in the arm with a crowbar. Bam! He fell hard onto the cement steps. Deep in pain, Fred looked up at his attacker.” How did I come up with that description? I pictured myself getting into a fight and wrote what I imagined. Why did Fred get attacked with a crowbar and not a gun? Simple. I used a crowbar recently, and this seemed to be an appropriate weapon.
How did it feel to write this fictional description? Every action and emotion became mentally real. However, when I finished, I no longer thought about the topic. In the future, I will not think about this fight scene. What about something impossible?
My four blog readers know I am a man, but I have written about women. Describe a woman being kissed. I start by visualizing the action from my own male perspective and then try to imagine how a woman might feel. I do this by taking knowledge from my life experiences, books, the internet, and I also ask people for their opinions. In this way, I can write about how I think a woman would feel during the act of being kissed. This line of thinking leads to a question. Am I a woman being kissed at that moment? I suppose I am.
What about the consequences of this action? Am I in too deep? Do I consider myself to be female? Have I crossed a moral line? Of course not. I briefly “became” a woman to write a kissing scene. While writing, I have been violent, unstable, immoral, non-human, and led an alternative lifestyle. Fictional authors must go to impossible places and be different people. Otherwise, their stories would not be entertaining. Yet, I see there is an apparent difference between my fantasies and my daily activities. I am fully aware of my gender and have not been hit by a crowbar.
What about my main characters? They hold a slightly different mental position because I often need to think about them to develop plots. Are they real in my mind? Perhaps. Often, I mentally play with them to explore plot lines.
Does this mean I want to be one of my main characters? My four blog readers know that I lead a boring life. Would I like to be a billionaire? How about a super confidant person? Perhaps a life full of adventure? While a few more bucks would be nice, I am happy with my present life. Let us also keep in mind that being adventitious, super confidant, or reckless has downsides. For example, getting hit by a crowbar is not desirable.
Does this mean I have a rich fantasy life? Perhaps. Most fictional authors have a vivid imagination, and they like to share the stories they imagined. Non-fictional authors also want to share their researched stores. I now realize that the desire to share is what motivates me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKT7b...
I enjoy fiction, and I like writing fictional stories. However, I am not a hard-core fiction fan, and I see the apparent difference between fantasy and reality. Do I look down on the hard-core fans? Not really, I think they are amusing. Yet, I still claim to be a fictional writer. One would think that to be a fictional author, a hard-core fictional mindset would be required. Hmm. It sounds like we need to explore this concept.
When I write, I visualize myself in action. “Fred got hit in the arm with a crowbar. Bam! He fell hard onto the cement steps. Deep in pain, Fred looked up at his attacker.” How did I come up with that description? I pictured myself getting into a fight and wrote what I imagined. Why did Fred get attacked with a crowbar and not a gun? Simple. I used a crowbar recently, and this seemed to be an appropriate weapon.
How did it feel to write this fictional description? Every action and emotion became mentally real. However, when I finished, I no longer thought about the topic. In the future, I will not think about this fight scene. What about something impossible?
My four blog readers know I am a man, but I have written about women. Describe a woman being kissed. I start by visualizing the action from my own male perspective and then try to imagine how a woman might feel. I do this by taking knowledge from my life experiences, books, the internet, and I also ask people for their opinions. In this way, I can write about how I think a woman would feel during the act of being kissed. This line of thinking leads to a question. Am I a woman being kissed at that moment? I suppose I am.
What about the consequences of this action? Am I in too deep? Do I consider myself to be female? Have I crossed a moral line? Of course not. I briefly “became” a woman to write a kissing scene. While writing, I have been violent, unstable, immoral, non-human, and led an alternative lifestyle. Fictional authors must go to impossible places and be different people. Otherwise, their stories would not be entertaining. Yet, I see there is an apparent difference between my fantasies and my daily activities. I am fully aware of my gender and have not been hit by a crowbar.
What about my main characters? They hold a slightly different mental position because I often need to think about them to develop plots. Are they real in my mind? Perhaps. Often, I mentally play with them to explore plot lines.
Does this mean I want to be one of my main characters? My four blog readers know that I lead a boring life. Would I like to be a billionaire? How about a super confidant person? Perhaps a life full of adventure? While a few more bucks would be nice, I am happy with my present life. Let us also keep in mind that being adventitious, super confidant, or reckless has downsides. For example, getting hit by a crowbar is not desirable.
Does this mean I have a rich fantasy life? Perhaps. Most fictional authors have a vivid imagination, and they like to share the stories they imagined. Non-fictional authors also want to share their researched stores. I now realize that the desire to share is what motivates me.
September 23, 2020
There is Always a Wrong Way
I will make this easy. At the top of your resume should be “Resume of Name, Title” The word resume and your title should be in a smaller font than your name; all centered across the page, taking up approximately 80%. Phone number and email are right justified on two separate lines below this text. Then a clear one-line career objective. “I wish to obtain a full-time job as a car salesman.” Next are three separated bulleted paragraphs with the following centered headings: skills, job history, education, and interests (non-related job items.) End your resume with “references available on request.” Never place your references on your resume. Only use New Times Roman font for your entire resume.
OMG, are you 5 years old? You put down your career objective? That is irrelevant. Obviously, the job you are applying for is the objective. It is always Resume, your name, and title. Always left justified on separate lines. NEVER CENTER YOUR WORDS. Why are you separating job history and experience? A reviewer needs to see when you learned your skills. Other interests? Delete that junk! You are not listing your references? Do you ever plan to get a job?
I worked at a copy center for half a year during college and one year after college. In that time, I copied hundreds of resumes for every possible job all written in every conceivable format. We even had a professional resume person on site who I spoke with often about the topic.
Over the years, I noticed many patterns. Good resumes got the basics right out there. Bad resumes were cluttered and made it difficult for the reader. Some used small fonts, hard to read fonts, and mixed fonts. I saw misspelled words, random extra spaces, and uneven tabs. Plus, loads of irrelevant information. Overall, I found that people could not decide if their resume should be very formal or slightly informal.
How do you write a patent? Well, you start off with… [Dear four regular blog readers. Please insert lots of boring patent stuff here.] Alright message received. I will not drone on about how to write a patent. In essence, they are complex descriptions written in legal double talk. If you have some time, do a patent search of dog finder, dog locator or dog GPS. Hundreds of patents will pop up. After skimming through a few, the reader will quickly see that patents do not follow a common format.
Wait, a minute. I am sure my blog readers know that the patent office provides simple examples, exact templates, and well-defined rules. Well, not so much. All the government information and examples are hard to find, incomplete, of poor quality, contradictorily, and written in incomprehensible legal speak. The patent office is a small government department that is very far behind the times. In short, they are not your friend, instead, they are an overworked government agency full of bureaucracy. While the patents you might find may appear similar to the provided templates, the wording, diagrams, and internal workings all look radically different; even on a common topic like “dog finder.”
In my life, I have written five patents, and while they got a lot of compliments, they were not approved for various reasons. As a result, several people have asked me to write patents for them. My answer is: Never again! They were an enormous pain without reward.
Years ago, I wanted to start a business, and people told me that I needed a business plan to attract investors. This would be an effortless task. So, I bought three books on the topic and began reading. Wow, they looked nearly unrelated. One flaunted incomprehensible spreadsheet’s with loose supporting paragraphs, and the book included a non-working computer program. The second book contained a lofty mess that loosely described starting a business. The third proclaimed to contain five “award-winning” business plans with tips on making your own. Upon reading the five plans, I found them to differ vastly from each other and difficult to understand. In short, the three books failed to define the topic.
To help, my mother hooked me up with a family friend who wrote business plans for a living. He showed me four plans that were successfully used to start companies. I was impressed with his accomplishments. Then, he hit me up for $1,500 to continue speaking with me. When I told my mother what happened, she became outraged because she did their family many favors over the years. After getting yelled at, he printed me out a copy of his four plans. (Side note, he expected $1,500 for this gesture. This upset my mother even more.) When I looked over his plans, they sort of made sense, but they were difficult to follow, and I did not feel comfortable with this format. Interesting side story. He later tried to have his wife killed by paying a man to beat her to death.
My father then asked a business friend to help me out. Damon took a lot of time to explain all aspects of a business plan. This was a great personal favor on his part. (Side story, he screwed my parents on a business deal, and this was his attempt at an apology.) I worked hard for a year with him and came up with a great business plan.
My plan stood out as having a clear objective, a slick appearance with excellent documentation. As a result, I got comments from potential investors like, “Brilliant plan, but I am not interested in investing.” “Wow, this is easy to understand. I am not interested, but would you write a business plan for me?” Interesting side story. My plan did not start a business, but I learned a lot and like to think I now have an unofficial MBA.
Resumes, patents, and business plans are supposed to follow “a standard format.” Yet, they deviate wildly. What is the goal of all those documents? Get the reader, reviewer, jury, patent attorney, company, investor, loan officer or random interested person the proper information. This allows them to make an informed decision.
Here is the fundamental question intended to be answered by a resume: Do you have the skills to do this job? If a resume reviewer has to hunt for the answer, they will pass the candidate up for somebody with a better resume. One resume I copied had jellybean stickers on it. Really? I came across a resume that had a threat, “If you do not hire me, you are an idiot.” What the heck!
Since I wrote my business plan, I have seen many others. They were all a mess. One of them had very optimistic language, “I guarantee 3000% return!” Sounds illegal. One had flowerily language, “I want to make a far-out restaurant.” Business plans are supposed to be serious.
One business plan (written by a friend of mine) did not explain the amount of money requested or explain how the company would spend it. (Side note. When I questioned him about this, he answered, “Explaining how I would use the money is not important. It’s boilerplate. You ask for the amount in person, not in the plan.) What the heck? The definition of a business plan = How I PLAN to spend YOUR money. Throw them a bone! Side note, he had many difficulties funding his business and was only successful when somebody else came in to help.
Another business plan did not have the contact information on it. Another was only one page long. (Side note. I have read about 20 one-page patents.) Another did not define the basic business type. It was basically a resume for a person who wanted to start a business.
I found one a dog finder patent with misspelled words (yes, over one) in the title. In the title? Really? Could they not spell check the title? Side note. My company was looking into making a dog finder. There are over 1000 patents on dog finders, yet there are very few products.
There are many patens with offensive (four letter) words in it. Do not even get me started on the “artistic” choices in the patent drawings. Crazy side note. There are patents for adult pleasure devices. Those drawings are quite “artistic.”
The point of this blog is we all perceive there is a standard format, and our format is the most correct. Yet, people kind of know there is some leeway in formatting. What everybody can agree on is that there are wrong formats. There is an old aircraft saying, “If it looks right, it will fly right.”
In life, pick a path and follow it. However, we learn, try to improve. As for resumes, patents, and business plans, I have settled on a format I like. However, with writing books, I still struggle with a basic format, style, and plot decisions. I see improvements due to my endless editing efforts, but I know there is much to learn. I wish there were a more accepted book standard; especially in the area of framing dialog. Even the professional editors had opposing suggestions.
In closing. What if there were an accepted standard format? I suppose life would be easier, but a lot less fun.
OMG, are you 5 years old? You put down your career objective? That is irrelevant. Obviously, the job you are applying for is the objective. It is always Resume, your name, and title. Always left justified on separate lines. NEVER CENTER YOUR WORDS. Why are you separating job history and experience? A reviewer needs to see when you learned your skills. Other interests? Delete that junk! You are not listing your references? Do you ever plan to get a job?
I worked at a copy center for half a year during college and one year after college. In that time, I copied hundreds of resumes for every possible job all written in every conceivable format. We even had a professional resume person on site who I spoke with often about the topic.
Over the years, I noticed many patterns. Good resumes got the basics right out there. Bad resumes were cluttered and made it difficult for the reader. Some used small fonts, hard to read fonts, and mixed fonts. I saw misspelled words, random extra spaces, and uneven tabs. Plus, loads of irrelevant information. Overall, I found that people could not decide if their resume should be very formal or slightly informal.
How do you write a patent? Well, you start off with… [Dear four regular blog readers. Please insert lots of boring patent stuff here.] Alright message received. I will not drone on about how to write a patent. In essence, they are complex descriptions written in legal double talk. If you have some time, do a patent search of dog finder, dog locator or dog GPS. Hundreds of patents will pop up. After skimming through a few, the reader will quickly see that patents do not follow a common format.
Wait, a minute. I am sure my blog readers know that the patent office provides simple examples, exact templates, and well-defined rules. Well, not so much. All the government information and examples are hard to find, incomplete, of poor quality, contradictorily, and written in incomprehensible legal speak. The patent office is a small government department that is very far behind the times. In short, they are not your friend, instead, they are an overworked government agency full of bureaucracy. While the patents you might find may appear similar to the provided templates, the wording, diagrams, and internal workings all look radically different; even on a common topic like “dog finder.”
In my life, I have written five patents, and while they got a lot of compliments, they were not approved for various reasons. As a result, several people have asked me to write patents for them. My answer is: Never again! They were an enormous pain without reward.
Years ago, I wanted to start a business, and people told me that I needed a business plan to attract investors. This would be an effortless task. So, I bought three books on the topic and began reading. Wow, they looked nearly unrelated. One flaunted incomprehensible spreadsheet’s with loose supporting paragraphs, and the book included a non-working computer program. The second book contained a lofty mess that loosely described starting a business. The third proclaimed to contain five “award-winning” business plans with tips on making your own. Upon reading the five plans, I found them to differ vastly from each other and difficult to understand. In short, the three books failed to define the topic.
To help, my mother hooked me up with a family friend who wrote business plans for a living. He showed me four plans that were successfully used to start companies. I was impressed with his accomplishments. Then, he hit me up for $1,500 to continue speaking with me. When I told my mother what happened, she became outraged because she did their family many favors over the years. After getting yelled at, he printed me out a copy of his four plans. (Side note, he expected $1,500 for this gesture. This upset my mother even more.) When I looked over his plans, they sort of made sense, but they were difficult to follow, and I did not feel comfortable with this format. Interesting side story. He later tried to have his wife killed by paying a man to beat her to death.
My father then asked a business friend to help me out. Damon took a lot of time to explain all aspects of a business plan. This was a great personal favor on his part. (Side story, he screwed my parents on a business deal, and this was his attempt at an apology.) I worked hard for a year with him and came up with a great business plan.
My plan stood out as having a clear objective, a slick appearance with excellent documentation. As a result, I got comments from potential investors like, “Brilliant plan, but I am not interested in investing.” “Wow, this is easy to understand. I am not interested, but would you write a business plan for me?” Interesting side story. My plan did not start a business, but I learned a lot and like to think I now have an unofficial MBA.
Resumes, patents, and business plans are supposed to follow “a standard format.” Yet, they deviate wildly. What is the goal of all those documents? Get the reader, reviewer, jury, patent attorney, company, investor, loan officer or random interested person the proper information. This allows them to make an informed decision.
Here is the fundamental question intended to be answered by a resume: Do you have the skills to do this job? If a resume reviewer has to hunt for the answer, they will pass the candidate up for somebody with a better resume. One resume I copied had jellybean stickers on it. Really? I came across a resume that had a threat, “If you do not hire me, you are an idiot.” What the heck!
Since I wrote my business plan, I have seen many others. They were all a mess. One of them had very optimistic language, “I guarantee 3000% return!” Sounds illegal. One had flowerily language, “I want to make a far-out restaurant.” Business plans are supposed to be serious.
One business plan (written by a friend of mine) did not explain the amount of money requested or explain how the company would spend it. (Side note. When I questioned him about this, he answered, “Explaining how I would use the money is not important. It’s boilerplate. You ask for the amount in person, not in the plan.) What the heck? The definition of a business plan = How I PLAN to spend YOUR money. Throw them a bone! Side note, he had many difficulties funding his business and was only successful when somebody else came in to help.
Another business plan did not have the contact information on it. Another was only one page long. (Side note. I have read about 20 one-page patents.) Another did not define the basic business type. It was basically a resume for a person who wanted to start a business.
I found one a dog finder patent with misspelled words (yes, over one) in the title. In the title? Really? Could they not spell check the title? Side note. My company was looking into making a dog finder. There are over 1000 patents on dog finders, yet there are very few products.
There are many patens with offensive (four letter) words in it. Do not even get me started on the “artistic” choices in the patent drawings. Crazy side note. There are patents for adult pleasure devices. Those drawings are quite “artistic.”
The point of this blog is we all perceive there is a standard format, and our format is the most correct. Yet, people kind of know there is some leeway in formatting. What everybody can agree on is that there are wrong formats. There is an old aircraft saying, “If it looks right, it will fly right.”
In life, pick a path and follow it. However, we learn, try to improve. As for resumes, patents, and business plans, I have settled on a format I like. However, with writing books, I still struggle with a basic format, style, and plot decisions. I see improvements due to my endless editing efforts, but I know there is much to learn. I wish there were a more accepted book standard; especially in the area of framing dialog. Even the professional editors had opposing suggestions.
In closing. What if there were an accepted standard format? I suppose life would be easier, but a lot less fun.
September 16, 2020
DIKW Pyramid
I have learned many import lessons over the years. One lesson is that often the painful lessons are the most important. Here is a good example. When the stairs are icy, always use the handrail. I bet you can guess how I figured that one out. Here is another that does not involve pain. When an adult takes you aside and spends time telling you something, it is usually correct.
This last lesson may seem out of place to my four astute blog readers. They understand that I target this blog toward adults. One would think this lesson no longer applies because my readers are all adults. Also, my blog readers can probably come up with many untrue examples. It would be best if you voted for X because they are Y. That critical “life lesson” is actually a flawed emotional opinion.
The lessons I am referring to involve people we respect. X is happening in your life and Bill (yes, I can use myself as the hero) takes you aside. “I have watched you are doing X. Look, this is bad for you. If you do Y, your life will be a lot better.”
With that in mind, I wanted to share one particular gem. In Junior High, I had a great math teacher, Mr. Barr. At that time, the concept of algebra did not come naturally, and I attended several after school help sessions. One day, I was having an incredibly tough time understanding a concept. Mr. Barr understood the source of my frustration, and he took some time to explain the DIKW Pyramid. This concept defines the relationship between data, information, knowledge, and wisdom. I still remember that moment with outstanding clarity and use the DIKW Pyramid in my daily life. What is DIKW?
Data is just that. Raw something that must be correlated to something else to make sense. Data can be useful, irrelevant, or essential to somebody else. To be understood, the user must put the data into context. Want some data? 25 degrees. What does that mean? No idea. We only know that something read 25 degrees. Fahrenheit, radians, or phases of the moon. Who knows?
Information is organized, sorted, and formatted data. Note that the data can be from several sources and include facts, symbols, context, and dates. We are now beginning to see some intelligence applied to the data. We are able to ignore irrelevant data. Want some information? The outside air temperature is 25 degrees Celsius right now. This information is a lot more useful than the base data.
Knowledge is how to process, use, and interact with information. We see that air temperature measured in the sun differs from measuring it in the shade. We also see trends like it is colder in the winter. We have knowledge about the temperature.
Wisdom relates to the understanding of all knowledge, and this helps us to understand why things are the way they are. Wisdom is the principal tool for deciding. We understand that while the weather has slow patterns, it also has fast patterns. It is cold at night and warm during the day. Clouds can roll in and make a sunny day cold. Wisdom is the quality that people aspire to have, and it is the key to predicting the future. Wisdom is also the key to being aware of what and who we are.
Why is DIKW so important? Sometimes we can get so stuck that we cannot see a path toward getting unstuck. DIKW allows us to understand where we are in the process and what obstacles we have before us. It helps us to answer the question of what we are looking at regarding data, information, knowledge, or wisdom. Understanding this relationship may help us organize and ask the right questions. DIKW also helps us evaluate subjects and categorize them.
Only when we have truly understood the larger picture can we hope to make a proper prediction. We are now back to the beginning of this blog. My life lessons are the foundation of my wisdom.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIKW_py...
This last lesson may seem out of place to my four astute blog readers. They understand that I target this blog toward adults. One would think this lesson no longer applies because my readers are all adults. Also, my blog readers can probably come up with many untrue examples. It would be best if you voted for X because they are Y. That critical “life lesson” is actually a flawed emotional opinion.
The lessons I am referring to involve people we respect. X is happening in your life and Bill (yes, I can use myself as the hero) takes you aside. “I have watched you are doing X. Look, this is bad for you. If you do Y, your life will be a lot better.”
With that in mind, I wanted to share one particular gem. In Junior High, I had a great math teacher, Mr. Barr. At that time, the concept of algebra did not come naturally, and I attended several after school help sessions. One day, I was having an incredibly tough time understanding a concept. Mr. Barr understood the source of my frustration, and he took some time to explain the DIKW Pyramid. This concept defines the relationship between data, information, knowledge, and wisdom. I still remember that moment with outstanding clarity and use the DIKW Pyramid in my daily life. What is DIKW?
Data is just that. Raw something that must be correlated to something else to make sense. Data can be useful, irrelevant, or essential to somebody else. To be understood, the user must put the data into context. Want some data? 25 degrees. What does that mean? No idea. We only know that something read 25 degrees. Fahrenheit, radians, or phases of the moon. Who knows?
Information is organized, sorted, and formatted data. Note that the data can be from several sources and include facts, symbols, context, and dates. We are now beginning to see some intelligence applied to the data. We are able to ignore irrelevant data. Want some information? The outside air temperature is 25 degrees Celsius right now. This information is a lot more useful than the base data.
Knowledge is how to process, use, and interact with information. We see that air temperature measured in the sun differs from measuring it in the shade. We also see trends like it is colder in the winter. We have knowledge about the temperature.
Wisdom relates to the understanding of all knowledge, and this helps us to understand why things are the way they are. Wisdom is the principal tool for deciding. We understand that while the weather has slow patterns, it also has fast patterns. It is cold at night and warm during the day. Clouds can roll in and make a sunny day cold. Wisdom is the quality that people aspire to have, and it is the key to predicting the future. Wisdom is also the key to being aware of what and who we are.
Why is DIKW so important? Sometimes we can get so stuck that we cannot see a path toward getting unstuck. DIKW allows us to understand where we are in the process and what obstacles we have before us. It helps us to answer the question of what we are looking at regarding data, information, knowledge, or wisdom. Understanding this relationship may help us organize and ask the right questions. DIKW also helps us evaluate subjects and categorize them.
Only when we have truly understood the larger picture can we hope to make a proper prediction. We are now back to the beginning of this blog. My life lessons are the foundation of my wisdom.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIKW_py...
