Alexander M. Zoltai's Blog, page 212
December 19, 2011
Learning from The Best ~ But, How Do You Find Them?
With all the changes going on in publishing, not only writers need to find the best sources of information and advice; readers would do well to pay close attention, being the consumers of what writers and publishers produce.
One of my go-to experts is Jane Friedman, full-time professor of e-media at the University of Cincinnati and, formerly, publisher and strategic leader of all content and community for F+W Media, corporate parent of Writer's Digest.
My past seven posts featuring Jane Friedman show the wide range of topics she can address…
One of her recent posts gives us a glimpse into where she turns for information and inspiration.
12 Must-Read Articles from 2011 is, itself, a Must-Read :-)
To encourage you to follow that link, here are the articles Jane recommends:
Accessibility vs. Access: How the Rhetoric of "Rare" Is Changing in the Age of Information Abundance
by Maria Popova
Wikipedia and The Death of the Expert by Maria Bustillos
Advice for Young Journalists in the Digital Age by Nate Silver
There Are Some People Who Don't Wait: Robert Krulwich on the Future of Journalism
Is the Future of Physical Book Publishing the Same as the Future of Reading and Writing? by Daniel Nester
The Web is a Customer Service Medium by Paul Ford
The Resume Is Dead, The Bio Is King by Michael Margolis
The Ultimate Crowdfunding To-Do List: Before You Launch by Nathaniel Hansen
The 7 Biggest Fan Page Marketing Mistakes by Brian Carter
Facebook and the Epiphanator: An End to Endings? by Paul Ford
What Books Will Become by Kevin Kelly
Monoculture: How Our Era's Dominant Story Shapes Our Lives, a book review by Maria Popova
Jane's comment on those articles: "You may not agree with the arguments you'll find, but you have to give them credit for being original and thought-provoking. They will enrich your thinking about writing and publishing, and give you a more nuanced perspective of the industry."
I'd love to know which articles You found most interesting :-)
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Tagged: Daniel Nester, Jane Friedman, Maria Popova, Nate Silver, publishing, Robert Krulwich, Writer's Digest, writing
December 16, 2011
Writing Resources, Revisited…
Budding creative writers have never had so much raw information available on how to write.
They've also never had to work so hard to sift the value from the self-serving nonsense.
I've had a number of posts here that highlight various modes of advice-sifting. Here are three:
Resources for Writers ~ Readers Welcome :-)
What *Not* To Do If You're Looking For Writing Advice
More Writing Resources Than You'll Ever Need Plus One Huge Tip
I recently discovered Debbie Maxwell Allen's blog, Writing While The Rice Boils—"Resources for writers with little time and even less money, who are on the journey to publication."
And, Debbie's blog led me to Harvey Chapman's site, Novel-Writing-Help.com.
So, I hope one or more of those links lead you to the knowledge you need to pursue your creative writing.
If you know of other helpful sites, please share the links in the comments.
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Tagged: creative writing, Fiction Writing, writer, Writer Resources, Writers Resources, writing, Writing Knowledge, Writing Resources
December 15, 2011
My Best Friend's Best Friend . . .
Some folks have the same best friend for their whole life; some have serial best friends, as life swallows or absconds with people…
I'm an author. My current best friend is an author. Her best friend is an author. Does this seem strange to you?
Or. perhaps, all authors seem strange to you, even if you like some of the books they produce…
One of the strangest things for me is finding in another author's words the sensations and feelings I thought were internally unique to me.
My best friend's best friend is Paddy O'Reilly and she managed to invoke that strange awareness in me…
She's won many awards and published both novels and short stories.
My best friend sent me a link to an interview in the literary journal, Verity La, called, Snapshots of Truth.
The tone of the piece made me feel like I was at a Cafe table with Alec Patric and Paddy, listening to their high-level literary chat.
Paddy said a number of things that startled me because of the powerful way they resonated with my own experience:
"I always think that interpreting your own work for the reader is a mistake – either you constrict the reader in their reading, or you constrict the story in its possibilities."
"Not that I'm saying I sit around waiting for the magical moment to arrive, that moment of the plunge into a half-lit world where stories come from…. impossibly, I feel myself sinking and when I return to normal consciousness I find I have caught hold of a story and pulled it back up with me."
"People often talk about what is 'left out' of a story but I think that rather than leaving things out what we must do is allow the words in the story to carry the weight of the lives contained in it, even when not everything is explicitly described."
"I think you can have all the integrity in the world, but that won't help a story that does not have a human truth at its core. Just as earnestness will not compensate for sentimentality. Just as beautiful language will not compensate for emptiness. That is the struggle — to create work of value."
Are those quotes enough to make you click on this link for her latest book, The Fine Colour of Rust?
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Tagged: Alec Patric, author interview, Best Friend, Literary Journal, Paddy O'Reilly, Short story, The Fine Colour of Rust, Verity La
December 14, 2011
New Book ~ About Heartbreak, Struggle, Redemption . . .
Sexual abuse leading to depression and post-traumatic stress disorder can disable a person for life.
Coming to terms, internally, with these debilitating situations is an effort of heroic proportions.
Carter Lee has done it.
Back on the 1st of December, I featured Carter because of his work on The Washington Times—Is Humor A Cure-All?
I also mentioned his soon-to-be-released book…
"When Jonathan Cried For Me" is now published!
"Carter reveals the methods and his philosophy in life that led him to freedom; he no longer shows signs of PTSD or depression, no longer struggles with maintaining a healthy weight, and has managed to overcome his insecurities from being sexually abused and molested at the hands of a pedophile. Carter Lee found the way to a transformation involving a true-self-esteem and total-self-confidence. Carter covers his views and philosophies on anger, religion, dating and sex, from the very first sentence to the last: When Jonathan Cried For Me promises to inspire you by making you laugh, moving you emotionally, question your own belief system, and want to search for more meaning in life."
Also, a portion of the proceeds of each book sold goes to support Stop The Silence. Their mission is to expose and stop Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) and to help survivors heal worldwide.
Buy the book here.
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Tagged: Carter Lee, Child Sexual Abuse, depression, Post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, Sexual Absue Survivors, Sexual abuse, When Jonathan Cried For Me
December 13, 2011
The Knowledge A Writer Needs . . .
It's often been said a writer should write what they know.
I, personally, don't feel this means you can't write about people or situations that you've never experienced directly.
If a writer had to stick to only things they've actually, directly experienced, humanity would have lost many of its finest stories…
Some of you may have found what I've said so far to be extremely obvious; but, some folks haven't questioned writing maxims and have spent years trying to do what they want to write about—swimming with sharks, eating poison then purgative, killing small animals, and worse.
Still, there is a way in which a writer needs to "know" what they're writing about.
They can read of other's shark swimming, talk to poison-eaters, watch documentaries, call scientists, consult with priests, interview a prostitute…
I feel there are four broad areas of knowledge a writer needs to be constantly expanding if they want their stories to resonate with Truth:
Reality
Material reality and metaphysical reality (if you must, use "psychological" or "spiritual" for metaphysical)…
World
Knowledge of what's going on globally (politically, economically, etc.) is important even if your story happens in an isolated mountain valley—your readers will most likely be in the bustling world. And, if you story happens 12 light-years from Earth, your readers will still be stuck here—judging the aliens by Earth standards…
Social
This is the arena of human interactions on the personal level—how men and women communicate, how children get what they want, how old people suffer…
Self
Self-knowledge is probably the most important kind. Even without much know-how of the other three realms, many a fine, introspective and critically helpful story has been told…
What are your thoughts on the knowledge a writer needs?
What experiences have you struggled through for your character's sake?
Have you ever been in a writing vacuum and needed a knowledge upload?
How far from the "Truth" can a story be and still engage a reader?
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Tagged: creative writing, Help for writers, knowledge, writer, Writer Resources, writers, writing, Writing Information
December 12, 2011
Can Fiction Aid Global Peace?
I certainly hope the answer to that Title Question is yes—my recently published novel, Notes from An Alien, tries to do just that.
In fact, I lead discussions on Book Island in the virtual world, Second Life, based on issues raised in the novel.
I've even created a special page on this blog with the discussion topics we use on Book Island.
In a private discussion with Arton Tripsa, our Island's Manager, I related that the crucial part women can play in aiding Global Peace isn't on the list of discussion topics but is in the book since most of the decision-making central characters are women.
In my experience, most men will talk about Peace but women, in general, live it and show it—even when a relationship turns violent…
'Abdu'l-Baha, in the early 1900s, said, "…when perfect equality shall be established between men and women, peace may be realized for the simple reason that womankind in general will never favor warfare. Women will not be willing to allow those whom they have so tenderly cared for to go to the battlefield."
In news coverage of these women, the use of non-violent action was stressed.
In support of their methods and peace, in general, I want to share a list of 198 Methods of Non-Violent Action—you can download a Word .doc or an Adobe .pdf.
I hope this post has given a few writers the urge to try their hand at creating fiction that can aid Global Peace.
I leave you for today with a quote from Lord Byron:
' Tis strange – but true; for truth is always strange;
Stranger than fiction; if it could be told,
How much would novels gain by the exchange!
How differently the world would men behold!
How oft would vice and virtue places change!
The new world would be nothing to the old,
If some Columbus of the moral seas
Would show mankind their souls' antipodes.
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Tagged: Book Island, global peace, Nobel Peace Prize, Nonviolence, Notes from An Alien, Second Life, World peace, `Abdu'l-Bahá
December 9, 2011
When You're Too Afraid of The Future To Embrace It . . .
The world has been changing, radically, since the mid-1800s.
The pace of radical change has been consistently increasing.
Publishing, along with writing and reading, are in the spin-cycle…
Back in late November, I published two posts that I felt could add some clarity to what's changing—Some Publishing Advice from Two Extremely Successful Authors and More on The Konrath/Eisler Conversation.
Those posts featured a conversation between Barry Eisler and Joe Konrath called, Be The Monkey.
As I'd said, this conversation "has nearly every issue a writer could consider when comparing the state of Traditional and Indie Publishing; and, Barry and Joe have deep experience in both realms."
It now appears the Hachette Book Group, an extremely large publishing firm, has had a "leaked" document escape their inner sanctum—a document that "explains" their "relevance".
Mr. Konrath contacted Mr. Eisler and they; well, let me quote Joe from his post, Eisler & Konrath Vs. Hachette:
"I was published by Hachette, and for the most part I enjoyed working with them. They're good people and dedicated professionals.
"But boy, their memo is a giant bowl of steaming fail. And they dropped the ball when it came to me, too. More on that below.
"So I called up my friend Barry Eisler and begged him to convince me to just let it go and not do a blog post about how silly the memo is.
"Instead, Barry read the memo and said, come on, we should just fisk this sucker together."
I heartily recommend reading their conversation, Be The Monkey, before reading their conversation about the Hachette document but, for sheer entertainment from watching two seasoned authors tear-apart the vacuous ramblings of a publisher too afraid to embrace the future, Joe's post is dynamite…
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Tagged: Barry Eisler, Be The Monkey, Embrace The Future, Hachette Book Group, J. A. Konrath, Joe Konrath, self-publishing, traditional publishing
December 8, 2011
Writers Learning from Other Artists . . .
Francis Ford Copolla has said, "The short story is the natural narrative, linear narrative to become a film. Many, many short stories have become films."
Copolla also gave indications for how to use a novel to make a film.
And, as a writer, I've always learned a lot from films; most recently, the movie Traffic.
But the purpose of this post is to pay tribute to a unique artist, Tomas Karkalas.
I've known him for quite awhile and his particular form of art is intriguing—taking photos of life and manipulating them into works of art…
Like many artists, he's a bit modest and will often excuse his "Lithuanian English", but I even find the way he writes creative.
Please do visit the last two links to discover this amazing artist and pay close attention to a particular part of the comment he left in yesterday's post. It's important enough to format in a special way because it's something this writer has learned from an artist in another field of creativity:
Publishing is the inevitable – is like a breathing, like the signature of being alive.
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Our Comment Link Is At The Top of The Post :-)
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Tagged: art, creativity, Film, Francis Ford Copolla, learning, Short Stories, Tomas Karkalas, traffic
December 7, 2011
What Do Readers Really Want . . . ?
Apart from my fiction, I write about writing, itself, as well as publishing and reading.
If we want to be realistic about those three roles, reading is the most primary, with writing rendering what's read, and publishing smack in the middle.
So, it would seem that surveying readers would be a major concern of writers and publishers.
Do you think it is?
I try to maintain a balance among those three roles in this blog and, since I've been writing about publishing the last few days, here are a few posts about readers I feel are important: Genre Reconsidered ~ Reader-Driven Fiction, How Can Authors Find Readers?, and It's Simple. They're Gone Reading :-)
I want to make this post and its comments into a survey. We'll use a list from an article on BookRiot called, The 7 Things Readers Want from Publishing.
Help me out. Find the things on the list that you as a reader want and put the numbers in a comment. If you want to add other things you want not on the list, great! And, if you want to add your reasons for the things you want as a reader, wonderful :-)
1. "Readers want there to be choice: romance, technical manuals, memoir, children's, fantasy, thriller, literary fiction and on and on."
2. "Not only do readers want choice, but they also want those choices to be good."
3. "Readers want reading to be affordable."
4. "Readers want to be able to find things they are interested in. This means both genres they are already familiar with and exploration."
5. "Readers want to be able to get something to read as easily as possible."
6. "Readers want to enjoy the experience both of reading books and of purchasing them."
7. "Readers want reading to fit into their lives easily."
Looking forward to what you think………
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Our Comment Link Is At The Top of The Post :-)
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Tagged: BookRiot, publishing, read, Readers, reading, survey, writers, writing
December 6, 2011
Censorship
Everyday, I scan my Google Alerts for news items and blog posts about publishing, writing, and reading. Many times, certain stories show up in multiple places.
But, there's one about censorship that isn't being covered widely—an action, in itself, quite ominous.
You, my reader, could be anywhere on this Earth with Internet connection; this story is about what the Congress of the U.S.A is up to.
Still, if the U.S.A. is going to begin engaging in Internet censorship, like certain other countries do, more is wrong with this purportedly Free country than meets the eye. And, whether you like the U. S. A. or not, what it does is still extremely influential on the World Stage…
I've featured Cory Doctorow in many posts on this blog.
The issue he deals with in Publishers Weekly's article, Copyrights vs. Human Rights, can be summed-up, somewhat, by these excerpts:
"SOPA [the bill before Congress] would create a new standard for 'intermediary liability'….these intermediaries could be ordered to censor or block access to, and funding for, any site accused of copyright infringement, without due process, without a jury or the right to rebut accusations."
"Such orders would emanate from the State Department, which would be vested with new power to demand Web sites be delisted from domain name servers….But SOPA doesn't just arrogate these unconstitutional powers for government—it hands them over to entertainment giants."
"As bad as this is, it gets worse: SOPA would also expand the definition of copyright infringement to include hosting a single link to a site that is alleged to contain infringing material….and [that site] faces all the same sanctions—without any proof required, or due process."
I was born and raised in the U.S.A. and have watched this Noble Experiment in Democracy become over-run with corporate greed that threatens to completely obliterate fairness and equity for the vast majority of its citizens.
Doctorow's article needs to be read in-full, so those of you inclined to take action will take action and those of you who lean back, bemoaning circumstances you feel are inaccessible to influence, change your mind and Take Action. In fact, those in other countries could pass this post along to friends in the U.S.A.—remember, this story is being craftily hidden from mass consumption ( I know, Publishers Weekly is a major magazine but Jane and Harry up the street don't read it {many writers don't either})…
For those of you who are already enraged enough to take action, please visit this site sponsored by Public Knowledge | EFF | FSF | Mozilla | Demand Progress | Fight For the Future | PPF | Creative Commons | Wikimedia | Anonymous.
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Tagged: Censoring, Censorship, Cory Doctorow, Google Alerts, Internet Censorship, Publishers Weekly, U. S. A., U. S. Congress
