Patrick Dent's Blog, page 10
October 24, 2017
Is It True That Authors Write Word-Perfect First Drafts?
The only author I’m aware of to make that claim is Stephen King, and I’m skeptical of it. Perhaps editors polish his work and he never sees it. I rewrite dozens of times, removing adjectives, fixing continuity errors, eliminating exposition, etc. I can’t imagine any other way to produce a quality product. Of course, I’m NOT Stephen King.
Other authors, how about you?
Full Serious Reading Interview
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October 21, 2017
That, Sir, Is The Stupidest Question I’ve Ever Heard!
There is an apocryphal story in which the famous physicist, Neils Bohr, was sent on a lecture tour of all the universities of Europe to tout the wonders of atomic power. He was assigned a driver, and off he went.
After several months of delivering the exact same lecture and answering the same 3-4 questions each time, Bohr found this a bore. He asked his driver if he thought he could deliver the lectures and handle the Q&A sessions. The driver agreed to make the swap.
This went swimmingly for several dozen speaking engagements until a physicist at Oxford asked a question no one had ever asked before. The driver (because back then, everyone was smart), responded, “That, Sir, is the stupidest question I have ever heard! It is so stupid, in fact, that I will have my driver answer it for me.”
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October 20, 2017
Review of Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth
Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Reza Aslan misrepresented himself on multiple TV shows as a Muslim who converted to Christianity when selling this book. He left out the small detail that he had converted back to Islam. However, he does provide an insightful look at the life of Jesus.
Although his purpose was to disprove the divinity of Christ, he inadvertently proved it. The eleven apostles who did not betray Jesus were all cowards on the day he was arrested. Yet, after his death, ten of them were tortured to death and refused to recant their statements that he had risen from the dead.
This is an extremely well researched and written book. I actually recommend it to anyone who is extremely acquainted with the New Testament, as you will see the flaws in his reasoning. To witness someone try so hard to tear down Christianity and fail is an experience I recommend.
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October 17, 2017
What Advice Would You Like To Give Writers Who Are Struggling With Their First Novels?
Join online writer communities for advice and support. The authors in these groups genuinely want to help you.
Just start typing. The first draft may seem like garbage, but it gets all your raw ideas down on paper. There is plenty of time to rewrite, polish and get advice from trusted sources after you reach “The End” for the first time.
Don’t rush to market. When you think you’re done rewriting, put it down for a while, then rewrite again. There is a saying that you can’t edit a blank page.
My fellow authors, any wisdom you’d like to share? Feel free to join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, or This Blog (at the very bottom of this post).
Full Serious Reading Interview
October 16, 2017
Review of The Awakening
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Vivid Imagery for the Mind
First, I know it’s a cliché to say that a writer paints pictures with words, but Torres is one of the reasons this cliché exists. Torres has a vivid imagination and a talent for creating a motion picture in the reader’s mind. Although I’d love to see this made into a movie, the most advanced CGI would fall short of Torres’ descriptive ability.
The plot structure is perfectly symmetrical, which I love in a book. Olivia is a sixteen-year-old girl who does poorly dealing with the people who bully her for her creative, artistic nature.
Then, the ancient gods return to Earth, wreaking havoc and demanding worship. Olivia must confront the most powerful and invincible bully of all time, the Fire God (or Hades or Vulcan, they have many names). Her creativity turns out to be her most powerful weapon.
The story is full of many fascinating characters, but my favorite by far is Mother Nature, a goddess who has the power of creation. She emanates unconditional love and compassion for all living things, except those who are evil.
The Nature of Gods is the hero’s journey merged with a coming of age tale, and it perfectly sets up what is sure to be an entertaining series.
October 10, 2017
If Stranded On A Desert Island What 4 Books Would You Want?
Since millions of people have studied the Bible for millennia and still haven’t found a consensus, I believe that one book would provide a lot of mileage. And the reality is I would want the other 3 to be on primitive survival skills. But I sure would miss Kurt Vonnegut.
I’d love to hear other people’s thoughts on this topic on Facebook, Twitter, or This Blog (at the very bottom of this post).
Link to Full AwesomeGang Interview
October 3, 2017
What Kind of Doctor is She?
In my day job, one of my primary responsibilities is to hire people to perform tasks that a monkey would find unchallenging. The problem is, I have a hard time finding people as smart as a monkey.
I was training a new guy the other day, and the topic somehow drifted to my doctor. I was singing her praises, as she is smarter than House MD.
The guy asked, “What kind of doctor is she?”
I responded, “An Internist.”
He said, “Well, tell her to hang in there. She’ll get full time eventually.”
September 26, 2017
Blood Cure by K. R. Willis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A Brilliantly Imagined Paranormal Universe!
This is my first foray into the paranormal genre, and BOY am I glad I took the plunge! Willis has an extremely vivid imagination and a talent for building suspense and creating an intriguing universe.
Keira Blackwater lives in a world where vampires and werewolves have been normalized into society since the government established rights for paranormals in the 1970s. In practice, these rights are fragile truces at best, a somewhat extreme allegory of modern society.
Keira is unique in that her blood can be used to “cure” paranormals back into human form. A small industry has developed around the collection and distribution of her blood.
When paranormals begin to turn up dead, all evidence points to Keira. Now, she finds herself the focal point of a conflict between vampires, werewolves, and an ancient demon of pure evil. Keira must find a way to both combat her enemies and prove her innocence.
Willis is such a descriptive author that I could feel every bruise, cut and emotional trauma that Keira experienced.
I highly recommend Blood Cure to any reader who enjoys a well told, extremely imaginative story with lots of very realistic combat scenes, and a highly satisfying ending. I can’t wait for the next installment in this well-established series.
What is the Definition of an Elevator?
Part of my day job involves delivering vending machines. My boss and I showed up to a three-story building to perform an installation. We had machines to deliver to each floor. After a thorough recon of the ground floor, I found only one elevator. It was so small that we would have to partially disassemble each vending machine to fit it inside.
Freight elevators aren’t technically mandatory in building codes. But, every piece of furniture in that entire building could not possibly have been ushered to its final destination via this metal box that would make Houdini claustrophobic.
Luckily, the Maintenance Supervisor happened by. I asked him if there were any other elevators in the building.
He said, “Yea, we got three.”
My jaded heart skipped a beat! For an instant, I felt like the Grinch when he developed enlarged heart disease. Maybe this planet was worth inhabiting, after all.
He continued, “We got this one here. Then, we got another one on the second floor, same place. Then we got one on the third floor, same place.”
September 25, 2017
Review of Blood Cure by K. R. Willis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A Brilliantly Imagined Paranormal Universe!
This is my first foray into the paranormal genre, and BOY am I glad I took the plunge! Willis has an extremely vivid imagination and a talent for building suspense and creating an intriguing universe.
Keira Blackwater lives in a world where vampires and werewolves have been normalized into society since the government established rights for paranormals in the 1970s. In practice, these rights are fragile truces at best, a somewhat extreme allegory of modern society.
Keira is unique in that her blood can be used to “cure” paranormals back into human form. A small industry has developed around the collection and distribution of her blood.
When paranormals begin to turn up dead, all evidence points to Keira. Now the focal point of a conflict between vampires, werewolves, and an ancient demon of pure evil, Keira must find a way to both combat her enemies and prove her innocence.
I highly recommend Blood Cure to any reader who enjoys a well told, extremely imaginative story with lots of very realistic combat scenes, and a highly satisfying ending. I can’t wait for the next installment in this well-established series.
View all my reviews
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