Alexander M. Zoltai's Blog, page 129
June 18, 2015
Does Fiction Always Tell The Truth?
O.K., a few obvious things first…
Image Courtesy of Meredith B ~ http://www.freeimages.com/profile/twinkledee
“Truth” can be a slippery topic—it can have “layers”—it can change over time…
Then, there’s the word “fiction”—sometimes used to mean, “an untruth”; sometimes to mean, “an invented statement or narrative”.
And, being “invented” doesn’t automatically make something untrue…
Do all fiction authors strive to have the truth ring out from their invented tales?
Should they?
I recently read a...
June 17, 2015
A Topic Guide to My Very Strange Book…
Since I’m only committing to Monday, Wednesday, and Friday blog posts, I’m allowed to post more often if I just can’t help myself :-)
I was just sitting here watching the news and something made me think about my book—the one I decided I won’t write…
And, in case you missed it, my prime reason for not writing a book I’d done massive research on was that my last novel essentially said it all…
All what?
Well, first, imagine three planets in a different Star-system—one completely corporate, one...
June 16, 2015
Are Kids Really Learning to Read in School?
Being 69 years old and having lived a rather full life, I really can’t remember how I was taught to read.
Image Courtesy of Aline Dassel ~ http://www.freeimages.com/profile/adassel
I know neither of my parents were avid readers; yet, I turned into a voracious reader…
I filter my Google news page with keywords to catch items of interest.
The other day I ran across an article on the independent news site, WND, titled Want Good Readers? Keep Kids from School, Parents Told.
I recommend reading it...
June 15, 2015
Is Writing Fiction Like Walking In Space?
If you’re a first-time visitor to this blog, you may not be interested in writing—perhaps you’re more interested in reading?
Image courtesy of NASA
Perhaps publishing?
Today’s post is about writing (and maybe about reading…); but, there’s an easy way to find lots of posts about reading and publishing—just scroll down on the left side-bar till you find the Top Tags widget—click on whatever keywords suit your interests:-)
However, it could be very profitable for anyone interested in any of thos...
June 12, 2015
So, Really, What ARE Words ??
There are many pools of resources on my blog, like the Top Tags widget in the side-bar—keyword access to over 1,100 posts…
Image by Christian Ferrari ~ http://christian-ferrari.blogspot.com/
Today, though, I want to talk about one of the Tabs up at the top of the blog—What Are Words?
There are 7 posts there that explore what I’ve learned about words; and, I should declare up front that my favorite word is “word”—it doesn’t equivocate, it’s what it is, forthright, clear about it’s intentions…
...June 10, 2015
Are There Wrong Reasons to Write?
Regular readers already know I’ve recently decided to not write a book—a novel I’d spent many months researching and amassing notes about…
Image courtesy of Rene Cerney ~ http://www.sxc.hu/profile/Vyolett
I was lucky—or my Muse was in hibernation and woke up suddenly—discovering I had a wrong reason to write that particular book, just before the actual creative process of typing outthe words of the story…
But, what if you’re a person who’s considering becoming a writer (or, perhaps, someone w...
June 9, 2015
How & Why I Decided to Not Write My Next Book . . .
Well, I’m back to regular blogging here…
I made an unexpected but firm and rational decision to stop writing my next book.
There may be other books down the road; but, I need to explain myself; and, not just for regular readers of this blog…
My last book, Notes from An Alien, has been haunting me—partly because the book I won’t be writing was a “supplement” to Notes and partly because books can definitely haunt their authors…
Even though writing a book can figuratively feel like being pregnan...
May 28, 2015
So You Think You’re A Writer…
So, maybe you are a writer; or, you fondly hope you might be…
Reading Like A Writer
How do you confirm whether you really are a writer or whether you might actually be able to become one?
One idea would be to write something and ask your friends…
Perhaps that’s not a good idea—if they really are your friends, they might just tell you the truth…
So, do you think they’d say you’re a good writer; or, would they suggest some other hobby you should pursue?
Another idea would be to ask yourself—you...
May 23, 2015
Pantser? Sort of… Plotter? Sort of…
I’ve finally gotten to the stage with my new book where all the notes from all the research have been poured-over, pruned, and synthesized…
Image Courtesy of http://www.freeimages.com/profile/finerain
I could just start writing the story; but, I need a bit of structure—some scaffolding—before I write the first draft.
My last novel, Notes from An Alien (free copy here…), had a detailed, scene-by-scene outline; but…
By the fourth chapter, the outline was so covered with cuts it almost bled to d...
May 14, 2015
When Two Books Depend On Each Other . . .
If you been following this blog, you know I’m working on another novel; and, that the new book happens in the same worlds and time-frame as the one I published back in 2011 (get a free copy here…)
Image Courtesy of Marcel Hol ~ http://www.freeimages.com/profile/marzie
I’ve just finished a read-through of Notes from An Alien (the first book), while taking notes to help me mesh the new plot with the older one; and, I must admit, reading a book I wrote four years ago was an enlightening experien...
