Thomas W. Devine's Blog, page 10
July 1, 2017
A Nice Way to Go
I’d meet my end happily if I knew I was going to get a eulogy like this:
“A true gentleman and the most enchanting of writers.”
It was written about the late British author, Michael Bond, by Ann-Janine Murtagh (Harper Collins) (The Dominion Post, June 30, 2017).
I doubt, however, that such praise would fit me.
Rest in Peace, Michael. And thank you from millions of children for creating Paddington Bear.
“A true gentleman and the most enchanting of writers.”
It was written about the late British author, Michael Bond, by Ann-Janine Murtagh (Harper Collins) (The Dominion Post, June 30, 2017).
I doubt, however, that such praise would fit me.
Rest in Peace, Michael. And thank you from millions of children for creating Paddington Bear.
June 24, 2017
Am Editing
Below, is an extract from a work in progress, the manuscript of my 11th novel “Political Secret”.
Which version do you prefer? Sometimes it’s hard to know as an author whether you’re improving the prose or not.
Version 1:
He took a pot out to the hut’s tank and half filled it, ready to cook a meal once she felt hungry. Rather than go back inside, he sat on a log on the edge of the lawn to enjoy the outdoors in the setting sun. Birds scattered in the forest behind him chirped their mixed calls, adding to his sensory pleasure with their tunefulness.
Version 2:
He took a pot to the hut’s tank and half-filled it, ready to cook a meal once she felt hungry. Rather than go back inside, he sat on a log on the edge of the lawn, and through the doorway could see Natalie’s bunk. He stayed there, occasionally glancing her way, and enjoyed the alpine scenery around him in the changing colours of the setting sun, his sensory pleasure increased by the tuneful chirping of forest birds on their scattered perches.
Which version do you prefer? Sometimes it’s hard to know as an author whether you’re improving the prose or not.
Version 1:
He took a pot out to the hut’s tank and half filled it, ready to cook a meal once she felt hungry. Rather than go back inside, he sat on a log on the edge of the lawn to enjoy the outdoors in the setting sun. Birds scattered in the forest behind him chirped their mixed calls, adding to his sensory pleasure with their tunefulness.
Version 2:
He took a pot to the hut’s tank and half-filled it, ready to cook a meal once she felt hungry. Rather than go back inside, he sat on a log on the edge of the lawn, and through the doorway could see Natalie’s bunk. He stayed there, occasionally glancing her way, and enjoyed the alpine scenery around him in the changing colours of the setting sun, his sensory pleasure increased by the tuneful chirping of forest birds on their scattered perches.
June 17, 2017
Discovering a Writer
A reader and friend has just sent me a newspaper clipping (NZ Herald, June 10, 2017) about a best-selling Kiwi author who “despite awards, and international acclaim, remains little known at home.”
Her name is Nalini Singh and her fiction genre is “paranormal romance”.
I rejoice in her success and admire her for her extraordinary abilities in earning it.
Sadly, along with most Kiwi fiction writers, she’ll never get the recognition given to an All Black – something John Key, former Prime Minister, has pointed out as the fate of local authors.
Like others among my author colleagues, she also shares the inferiority in her own country of writing genre not literary fiction, the former less likely to be lauded here. (I know that feeling.) She puts blame for the divide mainly on the expectations of readers and publishers. Not that domestic fame is to everyone’s taste.
And why should she care when she’s sold 6 million copies of her works? That performance will stand up to any measure of publishing success, especially for someone so young. She’s an inspiration to aspiring writers everywhere.
I wish her well, and a long career in her chosen occupation.
Sorry that I’ve not heard of you until now, Nalini, and sorry that I’ve never been attracted to reading paranormal romance.
Good on the NZ Herald for running an article on the career of an ‘obscure’ local writer.
Her name is Nalini Singh and her fiction genre is “paranormal romance”.
I rejoice in her success and admire her for her extraordinary abilities in earning it.
Sadly, along with most Kiwi fiction writers, she’ll never get the recognition given to an All Black – something John Key, former Prime Minister, has pointed out as the fate of local authors.
Like others among my author colleagues, she also shares the inferiority in her own country of writing genre not literary fiction, the former less likely to be lauded here. (I know that feeling.) She puts blame for the divide mainly on the expectations of readers and publishers. Not that domestic fame is to everyone’s taste.
And why should she care when she’s sold 6 million copies of her works? That performance will stand up to any measure of publishing success, especially for someone so young. She’s an inspiration to aspiring writers everywhere.
I wish her well, and a long career in her chosen occupation.
Sorry that I’ve not heard of you until now, Nalini, and sorry that I’ve never been attracted to reading paranormal romance.
Good on the NZ Herald for running an article on the career of an ‘obscure’ local writer.
June 10, 2017
Lies & Fallacies
Quoting again:
“Willingness to ignore the difference between true and untrue can take hold within a society more easily because plain busyness, and the pressures people are under, can deprive them of opportunities for critical
thinking and reflection...
“No matter how right we might be, truth is always bigger than our own perception of it. We do less than justice to ourselves and to others by forgetting that.”
- Peter Cullinane, Welcom, June, 2017.
“Willingness to ignore the difference between true and untrue can take hold within a society more easily because plain busyness, and the pressures people are under, can deprive them of opportunities for critical
thinking and reflection...
“No matter how right we might be, truth is always bigger than our own perception of it. We do less than justice to ourselves and to others by forgetting that.”
- Peter Cullinane, Welcom, June, 2017.
June 2, 2017
Standing Up & Being Counted
A stand-alone quote:
“Such can be the price [penalty] of being subversive, of speaking truth to power, whether that power be wielded by the Government or the bureaucracy or by the mainstream in society. But that shouldn’t be the case in a society which values a level playing field,
equal rights under the law and freedom of speech.
“It says something about our society when advocacy for the traditional family, for life-long marriage between a man and a woman, is seen as subversive.”
- Editorial, The NZ Catholic, June 4-17, 2017
“Such can be the price [penalty] of being subversive, of speaking truth to power, whether that power be wielded by the Government or the bureaucracy or by the mainstream in society. But that shouldn’t be the case in a society which values a level playing field,
equal rights under the law and freedom of speech.
“It says something about our society when advocacy for the traditional family, for life-long marriage between a man and a woman, is seen as subversive.”
- Editorial, The NZ Catholic, June 4-17, 2017
May 27, 2017
Keeping Our Streams, Rivers & Lakes Clean
“After nearly 20 years of division and inaction” New Zealand has a shared vision for further action that will be needed to improve the quality of natural waters (Dominion Post, May 23, 2017).
My concern about the deterioration of our waterways goes back further, to when I first started working as a professional natural areas conservationist in 1982.
Others who had the foresight at that time had no effect in terms of their ability to arouse public interest or community action, as was I. Water health kept on deteriorating.
In my opinion, New Zealand’s proposed National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management comes far too late to restore what we had back then, or even twenty years ago.
If only more people had passionately cared soon enough!
My concern about the deterioration of our waterways goes back further, to when I first started working as a professional natural areas conservationist in 1982.
Others who had the foresight at that time had no effect in terms of their ability to arouse public interest or community action, as was I. Water health kept on deteriorating.
In my opinion, New Zealand’s proposed National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management comes far too late to restore what we had back then, or even twenty years ago.
If only more people had passionately cared soon enough!
May 25, 2017
Spiritual Journey
Yesterday I took break from my routine to attend a spiritual, three hour mini-retreat for caregivers organised by two Christian women, Veronica and Jill.
Through their own experiences, they have realised that the caregiver’s role can take up so much energy there can seem to be no space for God.
Each person's experience of course is different but spending some time quietly in reflection can only be a positive thing, and it was for me.
The objective for the retreat was: “To explore with God some of the blessings and burdens of the caregiver’s role.”
I am fulltime caregiver for Gabrielle, once my wife and mother of my children. Now our relationship is akin to father and dementia-disabled daughter. God bless her.
Through their own experiences, they have realised that the caregiver’s role can take up so much energy there can seem to be no space for God.
Each person's experience of course is different but spending some time quietly in reflection can only be a positive thing, and it was for me.
The objective for the retreat was: “To explore with God some of the blessings and burdens of the caregiver’s role.”
I am fulltime caregiver for Gabrielle, once my wife and mother of my children. Now our relationship is akin to father and dementia-disabled daughter. God bless her.
May 13, 2017
Discovering an Online Editor
I said in my last post I was going to take a break before the self-editing/revision stage of the manuscript for my 11th novel, ‘Political Secret’.
Instead I’ve given in to temptation and bought a writing ap’ from www.autocrit.com which can be used to:
• Self-edit your manuscript
• Strengthen your skills as a writer
• Write creatively and publish confidently.
It takes away the blind spots you have about your own work; that’s the beauty of it.
You can do a once-through (or more if you need it) on various aspects of good writing – something that might otherwise take you many attempts by yourself. It tells you where in the manuscript the work needs to be done and, broadly, what you then have to do yourself in detail.
I’m finding it hard work but intellectually challenging, though I will still need a break at the end before I go back to freehand editing.
There’s good web support.
I think my manuscript will show immense improvement from using the ap’.
The ap’s cheap enough (US $45 special offer for ninety days) to still justify using a live editor at the end of the process.
I recommend it. I still need it after 10 published novels, so there are a hell of a lot of novices who need it even more.
Instead I’ve given in to temptation and bought a writing ap’ from www.autocrit.com which can be used to:
• Self-edit your manuscript
• Strengthen your skills as a writer
• Write creatively and publish confidently.
It takes away the blind spots you have about your own work; that’s the beauty of it.
You can do a once-through (or more if you need it) on various aspects of good writing – something that might otherwise take you many attempts by yourself. It tells you where in the manuscript the work needs to be done and, broadly, what you then have to do yourself in detail.
I’m finding it hard work but intellectually challenging, though I will still need a break at the end before I go back to freehand editing.
There’s good web support.
I think my manuscript will show immense improvement from using the ap’.
The ap’s cheap enough (US $45 special offer for ninety days) to still justify using a live editor at the end of the process.
I recommend it. I still need it after 10 published novels, so there are a hell of a lot of novices who need it even more.
May 5, 2017
Milestone
This week I finished the first fraft of my 11th novel, tentatively entitled ‘Political Secret’.
Though I rarely drink alcohol, I bought a bottle of Jamaican Rum, and for mixing, a bottle of Coca Cola Zero. I wanted to have a celebratory drink with my wife, our youngest son, and a daughter-in-law. I also used the occasion to commiserate with the three characters I had to kill off.
One of those now deceased characters played an important part in the story and it wasn’t until the very end that I knew she wouldn’t survive, cold-blooded character killer that I’ve become.
I've only had tears in my eyes over that sort of thing when I wrote my first thriller, ‘Reversal Point’. Not this time though, much as I came to like Natalie.
With the first draft finished I now have to master my impatience about getting into revision. I’m facing the wait of two or three weeks that experts recommend. I’ve only ever been able to wait a week or less after finishing the first draft of my previous novels.
Luckily I have a business expenses and revenue spreadsheet to prepare for 2016/17 and two tax returns to do. I’ve also got a lot of emails to catch up on, most of them with tips about writing technique, including revision.
In two or three months I’ll be ready to send ‘Political Secret’ to Beta readers and a manuscript assessor.
[Comments on this post welcomed.]
P.S. ‘Rum and Coke’ always reminds me of ‘Happy Days’ style milkbars where, as a teenager, I used to frequently enjoy a drink of that name made in a tall glass from rum milkshake flavour and Coca Cola (with sugar). Ah, nostalgia!
Though I rarely drink alcohol, I bought a bottle of Jamaican Rum, and for mixing, a bottle of Coca Cola Zero. I wanted to have a celebratory drink with my wife, our youngest son, and a daughter-in-law. I also used the occasion to commiserate with the three characters I had to kill off.
One of those now deceased characters played an important part in the story and it wasn’t until the very end that I knew she wouldn’t survive, cold-blooded character killer that I’ve become.
I've only had tears in my eyes over that sort of thing when I wrote my first thriller, ‘Reversal Point’. Not this time though, much as I came to like Natalie.
With the first draft finished I now have to master my impatience about getting into revision. I’m facing the wait of two or three weeks that experts recommend. I’ve only ever been able to wait a week or less after finishing the first draft of my previous novels.
Luckily I have a business expenses and revenue spreadsheet to prepare for 2016/17 and two tax returns to do. I’ve also got a lot of emails to catch up on, most of them with tips about writing technique, including revision.
In two or three months I’ll be ready to send ‘Political Secret’ to Beta readers and a manuscript assessor.
[Comments on this post welcomed.]
P.S. ‘Rum and Coke’ always reminds me of ‘Happy Days’ style milkbars where, as a teenager, I used to frequently enjoy a drink of that name made in a tall glass from rum milkshake flavour and Coca Cola (with sugar). Ah, nostalgia!
April 28, 2017
Anticipating the Future
I’m working on the first draft of my 11th novel. I previously thought I might stop at 10, a nice round figure, but I found I was only living half a life without writing.
I’m setting my new thriller in the Southern Hemisphere Spring of 2017, which means I’m anticipating the future – not something I’ve done before.
Since the story involves the relationship between the USA and North Korea I’ve chosen a very volatile situation as the background to my characters' activities.
I did, however, start the novel before the current heightened stand-off between the two countries.
I guess the redeeming feature is that if anything happens between now and then that I haven’t anticipated then I can rewrite the story before I publish.
Here’s hoping it’s not something as dramatic as World War III.
I’m setting my new thriller in the Southern Hemisphere Spring of 2017, which means I’m anticipating the future – not something I’ve done before.
Since the story involves the relationship between the USA and North Korea I’ve chosen a very volatile situation as the background to my characters' activities.
I did, however, start the novel before the current heightened stand-off between the two countries.
I guess the redeeming feature is that if anything happens between now and then that I haven’t anticipated then I can rewrite the story before I publish.
Here’s hoping it’s not something as dramatic as World War III.
