Skip Coryell's Blog
March 27, 2012
If society collapsed today, what would you miss most?
If society collapsed today, what would you miss most?
I've been thinking a lot about this the past 3 years as my wife and I prepare for societal collapse. My latest novel "The God Virus" is centered on The Big Collapse. But just because I'm prepared, that doesn't necessarily mean I'm ready.
In fact, I thought I was quite ready until 4 days ago when our hot water heater went out. The first day I did nothing, which, of course, resulted in all of us taking ice-cold showers. Ouch! But I'm tough, so I handled it.
The second day I replaced the thermocoupler on the hot water heater, but still ... no hot water. Once again, I took an ice shower. I could hear my wife laughing in the bedroom as she listened to my wet, icy screams. That was cold of her.
I find it amazing that some people accuse me of being too much like my tough, masculine main characters, but I don't see it. My main characters don't whimper in a cold shower, they suck it up and relish in the discomfort. Nope. I'm not like my main characters at all. Maybe 30 years ago, but not at 54 years old. I'm a wimp. I'm a wuss. I want my hot shower.
Finally, this morning I refused to take another cold shower. I spent almost an hour boiling water and carrying it upstairs to the bath tub. After all that, I still had only 6 inches of water, but at least it was a tad warmer than room temperature.
I always laugh at some of my cowboy western novelists, because their characters are always so clean. There they are, out on the range for weeks, sitting on a smelly, insect-ridden horse, sleeping on the ground, nothing but water in a canteen. Then they ride majestically into a frontier town and a beautiful, clean-smelling, well groomed woman runs out to meet him and jumps into his arms.
I don't buy it.
But you might remind me of Samuel Coleridge and his "willing suspension of disbelief". Sorry. That's just too much suspension for me. That cowboy smells bad, and, if truth be told, the woman probably smells bad too.
I remember reading somewhere that frontier families took baths only once a year, starting with the father, then the mother, then the children from oldest to youngest - all in the same bath water.
I always thought "What lousy parents! They should let the kids bathe first!"
So, this morning, after I was done with my bath, I let my two younger ones take a bath as well. Okay, so I'm a hypocrite. The thought occurred to me, "Maybe there was some wisdom out there on the frontier?" After all, how many times does a 2-year-old pee in the bath tub? I wasn't taking any chances.
So, to answer the question "What would I miss most?" - hot water! - without a doubt. True, I would miss my Mountain Dew and Frappuccino, electric lights, my laptop, Twinkies, and even my Kindle, but ... there's just no way I can live without a hot bath every morning.
What about you? What would you miss most?
Skip Coryell
I've been thinking a lot about this the past 3 years as my wife and I prepare for societal collapse. My latest novel "The God Virus" is centered on The Big Collapse. But just because I'm prepared, that doesn't necessarily mean I'm ready.
In fact, I thought I was quite ready until 4 days ago when our hot water heater went out. The first day I did nothing, which, of course, resulted in all of us taking ice-cold showers. Ouch! But I'm tough, so I handled it.
The second day I replaced the thermocoupler on the hot water heater, but still ... no hot water. Once again, I took an ice shower. I could hear my wife laughing in the bedroom as she listened to my wet, icy screams. That was cold of her.
I find it amazing that some people accuse me of being too much like my tough, masculine main characters, but I don't see it. My main characters don't whimper in a cold shower, they suck it up and relish in the discomfort. Nope. I'm not like my main characters at all. Maybe 30 years ago, but not at 54 years old. I'm a wimp. I'm a wuss. I want my hot shower.
Finally, this morning I refused to take another cold shower. I spent almost an hour boiling water and carrying it upstairs to the bath tub. After all that, I still had only 6 inches of water, but at least it was a tad warmer than room temperature.
I always laugh at some of my cowboy western novelists, because their characters are always so clean. There they are, out on the range for weeks, sitting on a smelly, insect-ridden horse, sleeping on the ground, nothing but water in a canteen. Then they ride majestically into a frontier town and a beautiful, clean-smelling, well groomed woman runs out to meet him and jumps into his arms.
I don't buy it.
But you might remind me of Samuel Coleridge and his "willing suspension of disbelief". Sorry. That's just too much suspension for me. That cowboy smells bad, and, if truth be told, the woman probably smells bad too.
I remember reading somewhere that frontier families took baths only once a year, starting with the father, then the mother, then the children from oldest to youngest - all in the same bath water.
I always thought "What lousy parents! They should let the kids bathe first!"
So, this morning, after I was done with my bath, I let my two younger ones take a bath as well. Okay, so I'm a hypocrite. The thought occurred to me, "Maybe there was some wisdom out there on the frontier?" After all, how many times does a 2-year-old pee in the bath tub? I wasn't taking any chances.
So, to answer the question "What would I miss most?" - hot water! - without a doubt. True, I would miss my Mountain Dew and Frappuccino, electric lights, my laptop, Twinkies, and even my Kindle, but ... there's just no way I can live without a hot bath every morning.
What about you? What would you miss most?
Skip Coryell
March 21, 2012
Negative criticism - it always rips me to shreds.
I think one of the hardest things for me as an author is reading negative reviews. Granted, some negative comments are merited, and I agree with them. For example, when someone points out a typo, bad grammar, etc., well, it's hard to argue that.
But the criticism that really rips me up are the ones full of vitriol. For example, "You're the worst writer in the world!" Some even call me names. "What a jerk! You wasted four hours of my life. You scum!"
That one confuses me, because I keep wondering, "If the book was that bad, why did you keep reading for four hours?" This seems to happen most often on free books, like Kindle KDP or GoodReads. The reader paid nothing, but still demanded Faulkner or Shakespeare. That's a tough room.
My wife sometimes laughs at me when I point out negative reviews or comments online about my books. She'll say, "Why do you keep reading those reviews? You should stop, because it keeps you from writing."
And, of course, she's right. She always is. I can have 100 positive reviews, "Skip, this is the best you've ever written!" or "You're great, great! Keep it up!"
I smile when I read those, but then I inevitably come to the one reviewer (usually with political leanings diametrically opposed to my own) and they rip my work to shreds. At that point I become myopic. All I can think about is that one bad review, and if I'm not careful it shatters my confidence for days.
I'm getting better at it now, but it's still my biggest struggle. One of my friends always calls me tenacious. He says, "Skip, you've been writing for 30 years, but you never give up!"
That's true. I never give up, but ...
When I read the vitriol from total strangers, I just wonder ... should I give up? Is it worth it?
Apparently it is, because I just keep on writing.
God bless.
Skip Coryell
But the criticism that really rips me up are the ones full of vitriol. For example, "You're the worst writer in the world!" Some even call me names. "What a jerk! You wasted four hours of my life. You scum!"
That one confuses me, because I keep wondering, "If the book was that bad, why did you keep reading for four hours?" This seems to happen most often on free books, like Kindle KDP or GoodReads. The reader paid nothing, but still demanded Faulkner or Shakespeare. That's a tough room.
My wife sometimes laughs at me when I point out negative reviews or comments online about my books. She'll say, "Why do you keep reading those reviews? You should stop, because it keeps you from writing."
And, of course, she's right. She always is. I can have 100 positive reviews, "Skip, this is the best you've ever written!" or "You're great, great! Keep it up!"
I smile when I read those, but then I inevitably come to the one reviewer (usually with political leanings diametrically opposed to my own) and they rip my work to shreds. At that point I become myopic. All I can think about is that one bad review, and if I'm not careful it shatters my confidence for days.
I'm getting better at it now, but it's still my biggest struggle. One of my friends always calls me tenacious. He says, "Skip, you've been writing for 30 years, but you never give up!"
That's true. I never give up, but ...
When I read the vitriol from total strangers, I just wonder ... should I give up? Is it worth it?
Apparently it is, because I just keep on writing.
God bless.
Skip Coryell
