Alexander M. Zoltai's Blog, page 233

The Fictional Dream Invades My Personal Life…

In the previous post, The Dreams of The Writer Lead To The Dreams of The Reader…, I began an exploration of what's called the Fictional Dream, a state of mind writers and readers enter when either creating or consuming a good story.

I urge you to read that post, as well as its comments, before continuing. I was going to incorporate those comments in this post but life has made physical reality take on the garb of fiction…

I spend much time in the virtual world, Second Life, and I'd become friends with a remarkable woman. She had become mute at the age of 14 yet had written many poems between then and the age she'd attained when I met her. I'd encouraged her to host one of the Happy Hours on Book Island and share her poetry. Due to her being mute, she could only use the texting feature which puts words above one's head in a little bubble. I offered to read her poems and she would lead a discussion after each was read.

She was already a good friend of mine when the readings began and those who attended quickly fell in love with her and her work.

Yesterday, I received word that she had died…

Her attorney had emailed me and the hours following created many emails and a lengthy phone call.

The attorney was having extreme difficulty getting details of the supposed car crash and the coroner would not release the purported body.

I say "supposed" and "purported" because, until the attorney has taken possession of the body or seen her in a morgue, Jamie will not be dead. It's still a fiction–a gripping story with drama, mystery, political incompetence, and conspiracy theories centered on a lovely, talented women cruelly cut-down in her 27th year of life…

I'm in too much shock to draw-out all the similarities between my experience of this story and the fictional dream of the writer/reader. I'm in the story…

If she is proved to be dead, I will still face the fiction of grief's denial.

Some of you may feel that comments on this post might be in bad taste, but I encourage anyone to make any comment that comes to mind. I'm very much alone, inside a story that threatens to be glaringly true; and, realizing my current state, as I struggle with the lack of precise and confirming information, I quiver to think the story is true and need as much companionship as this venue can provide………

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Tagged: death, fictional dream, fictive dream, grief, Jamie, Jammers Inaka, poetry, Second Life

Another Wicked Curve Ball…

I had intended to continue exploring the idea from yesterday's post on the fictional dream…

Alas, it appears a good friend of mine has passed away…

I'm in shock and trying to confirm the little information I have…

Hopefully, I'll be able to continue tomorrow……………………………………………………………..

Tagged: Curveball, death, friend, Jamie, Jammers Inaka, mute, poetry, Second Life

The Dreams of The Writer Lead To The Dreams of The Reader…

The ideas we'll explore today were inspired by reading certain posts in Haley Whitehall's blog.

The dreams indicated in the title up there are what have been given the fancy term, "fictive dreams", more reasonably called "fictional dreams".

The writer is in a dream-like state when the creative act is flowing and, hopefully, the reader can fall into a similar state. Still, the dream of the reader is rarely just like the dream of the writer. I've explored this natural difference between what the writer proposes and what the reader experiences in four other posts: Reading Leads To Writing, Even If All You're Reading Is Life… and, Rewriting While You Read ~ We All Do It …, which links to two other, related, posts.

I want your help in writing tomorrow's post :-)

I'm going to put three quotes about the Fictional Dream below and hope you'll put your ideas and feelings in the Comments. Then, I'll continue today's conversation tomorrow by weaving your comments into my post :-)

From The Literary Lab: "Writer and teacher John Gardner had a concept he called the fictional dream, which was the idea that fiction does its job by creating a dream state for the reader, and as long as the writer is doing a good job of maintaining that dream state, the reader won't "wake up" from it and will continue to read and believe in the fictional world the writer has created. Gardner argues that this fictional dream first happens in the writer's head, and the writer's job is to write it down for the reader:

"In the writing state—the state of inspiration—the fictive dream springs up fully alive: the writer forgets the words he has written on the page and sees, instead, his characters moving around their rooms, hunting through cupboards, glancing irritably through their mail, setting mousetraps, loading pistols. The dream is as alive and compelling as one's dreams at night, and when the writer writes down on paper what he has imagined, the words, however inadequate, do not distract his mind from the fictive dream but provide him with a fix on it, so that when the dream flags he can reread what he's written and find the dream starting up again. This and nothing else is the desperately sought and tragically fragile writer's process: in his imagination, he sees made-up people doing things—sees them clearly—and in the act of wondering what they will do next he sees what they will do next, and all this he writes down in the best, most accurate words he can find, understanding even as he writes that he may have to find better words later, and that a change in the words may mean a sharpening or deepening of the vision, the fictive dream or vision becoming more and more lucid, until reality, by comparison, seems cold, tedious, and dead."

From Anatomy of Melancholy: "Writers are often asked: 'How do you write? With a word processor? an electric typewriter? a quill? longhand?' But the essential question is: 'Have you found a space, that empty space, which should surround you when you write? Into that space, which is like a form of listening, of attention, will come the words, the words your characters will speak, ideas–inspiration.' If a writer cannot find this space, then poems and stories may be stillborn. When writers talk to each other, what they discuss is always to do with this imaginative space, this other time. 'Have you found it? Are you holding it fast?'" — Doris Lessing,  Nobel Lecture, 2007

From Star-Crossed Romance: "I'm so glad to know other writers feel the same as me. Ever start writing and not want to come out of that dream state? I have. The obligations of real life take a back seat to story when the fictive dream is flowing strong. My dog Lily will stand beside me in vain, trying to will me to take her outside to play. I tell her she has to wait, like the dishes and laundry and sometimes the cooking. When I'm deep in the flow, it's difficult for me to find that exact wave again.

"Sometimes that's a good thing. Sometimes the flow slows to a trickle and strands me on a rocky bed. So getting up and walking away can be a good thing. It can lend perspective, so that next time I dive in, the flow will be stronger."

O.K., let the Comments Begin :-)

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Tagged: Doris Lessing, fictional dream, fictive dream, John Gardner, reader, Readers, reading, writing

I'm A Writer With Roaring Flames In My Heart…

One of the "rules" of blogging is: "Don't talk about yourself."

Another "rule" is: "Let your readers know about you."

Sometimes "rules" are dumb…

If people don't understand something about me, how will they understand what I write in this blog?

The title of this post is my personal motto. Awhile back I posted an "interview" with myself and appended a video of Diana Krall, my favorite singer, with the song, Temptation, being an indication of those flames in my heart. That song has the flames Deep within and I thought I should give another, more obvious, example of what it means to be a writer with flames in his heart.

The video below also helps give more understanding to why I posted about the problems in educational systems and why I love to study but have always had problems with schools…



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Tagged: blogging, Diana Krall, heart, Music video, Pink Floyd, rules, soul, writer

"Friends, Enemies, and Everyone In Between", with Irina Avtsin

Last month we were graced by Irina's presence as she told us about her book, Rediscovering The Power of "No", and today she'll give us a peek at her new book Friends, Enemies, and Everyone In Between.

Irina, welcome back to the blog :-) Would you remind us about your background, the purpose of your consulting service, and your current business activities?

Hi Alex! Thank you for inviting me again. I loved the engaging conversation I had with your readers in February, when we spoke about my first workbook Rediscovering The Power of "No".

Here is a brief reminder of my background. I was born and raised in Moscow, Russia and, being an admittedly brave teenager (or just a teenager :-) immigrated to Israel on my own, arriving there on the second day of the first Gulf War. I got my gas mask and an Israeli passport at the airport–welcome to the country! I worked my way through learning Hebrew while getting my BSc in Computer Science from Technion (the Israeli analog of MIT). I came to the US in 1999 and soon started on Wall Street–first at Merrill Lynch and then at Citigroup. I got my MBA, graduated from Columbia Business School, and worked at Credit Suisse Private banking before starting Personal Confidantency, which I then expanded into Let's do a reality check!

One thing I am currently working on further developing is my learning and practice of French!

Most of my clients come through word of mouth, but lately I get more inquiries from those who read my books or come across my name on blogs and other social media. I am working on my third workbook in the series, and I promise to reveal the topic to your readers as soon as I get the first draft edited!

Definitely looking forward to that, Irina :-)

In Friends, Enemies and Everyone In Between you open with this quote "Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option." ~ Mark Twain

How did you come to choose that quote and why is it important to the message of your book?

I feel that this quote emphasizes two main points in my book: take a realistic look at your relationships and, once this is done, see whether you need to make a change. I believe that oftentimes our desire to feel that we are socially accepted and have a lot of friends leads us to many "friends", which is really akin to building a beautiful doll house, paying the price of a real one for it, and trying to live in it later on. A sure fire way to disappointments!

In the preface of the workbook, you seem to say that labeling someone an "enemy" still gives us a choice in what to do about the relationship but calling someone a "friend" tends to make us stuck. Can you explain your reasoning here?

I feel that it is very important to see reality as close to reality as possible :-)  Seriously though, if you are aware that someone is your enemy, you can take steps to protect yourself from that person: stay away, put up a fight, etc. If you do not allow yourself to see that someone is an enemy, insist on wearing rosy glasses, and see the person as a friend, then you are helpless. This often happens when people think that having enemies makes them a "bad person". They try to deny the fact that making some enemies as you go through life is as natural as making mistakes while you learn.

Makes perfect sense, Irina.

I must ask where you found those expressive little characters to illustrate your "Friends-Enemies Continuum"?

That's my little trade secret :-), but for your readers I will revel that istockphoto is the source … I will say no more…Shhhhhhh…. Otherwise I will have to burn the web page this interview is written on!

LOL :-)

In further defining that Continuum you say, "…out of an endless pool of strangers we pick acquaintances, who later might become friends or enemies, or remain acquaintances." Will later workbooks in the series go more deeply into how we actually pick our acquaintances?

It's in the plans, probably by the end of 2011. I feel that this is a very important topic. In fact I would appreciate your readers views, questions and other comments on the subject and also, what they feel would be valuable for them to see as part of the Confidantency series.

I certainly don't want to ask you to tip your hand about what future workbooks in the series will cover, but can you explain this particular sentence? "If you have more friends than acquaintances, you are looking for trouble!"

Well, this is essentially an extension of the proverbial: "The good fellow to everyone is a good friend to no one".

Ah… I see…

I found your CRAFT "scoring" system for friends/acquaintances very intriguing. How in the world did you come up with that method?

Well, I am not sure you will like the answer :-), but it's just one of the things that I do. In my practice, one of my goals is to help people to look at their situations from a slightly different angle, to be able to see something they did not see before. Doing it is a combination of art and science. The science is being able to analyze and know exactly what I want share with my readers. The art is to make it memorable, easier to bite into. I am lucky in that respect–I love languages and I love words, but I am also good with numbers, so they like me back and play well together in the sandbox :-)

Actually, Irina, I like that answer very much :-)

One of the most fascinating questions you ask in the workbook is, "…why do you want to have acquaintances at all?" I don't want to give your answers here (folks should get the workbook) but I'll ask my readers to give their own answers in the comments, O.K.?

I'd LOVE to hear what your readers have to say. And, as always, I will do my best to respond to any question they might have for me.

Irina, can you tell us what you imagine the other books in your series will be?

Right now I am look at several topics, including expanding the Power of No to specific areas, such as business, relationship and money. I am also thinking about a very common way of treating different aspects of our lives as an "investment" and the consequences of doing so. I mean we often hear "this is an investment in my career" or "I don't like going to XYZ, but I want to invest in this relationship".

There are a few other thoughts and plans–what the books will be and when they will be coming out depends on several factors, and one of the most important ones is the feedback from my readers!

So I am asking all of your readers to comment/share about this post and get the books for those who can benefit from them. In my work with Confidantency and Reality Check clients, I work face to face–feedback is immediate and I love it this way. With the books, it is not the case–feedback is delayed, it comes in various shapes and forms: sales numbers, readers' comments, reviews… And, to be able to continue working, feedback is as paramount as it is when I work with people in person. I'll tell you a little secret. When the sales number on Amazon does not move for several days, I get all these thoughts in my head: "Should I keep up with the writing and publishing? Maybe it's best to stick to working with my clients. Maybe the 'bite size' workbooks are not needed at the moment".  But then another review comes in or I get an e-mail saying how my book helped someone in their day, and I call my editor t tell her that, yes, there will be more books coming up!

That is very good to hear, Irina! Thank you for coming back to the blog and giving our readers a peek into your latest book :-)

Thank you, Alexander!

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I want to share two kudos Irina has gotten for her books:

"I suggested to my students to take a look, especially if they find it difficult to say 'no'. Good work." — Ajai Gaur, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Rutgers Business School

"..you've done a great job…Congratulations, and good luck with it." — Bill Duggan, Columbia Professor and Author of Strategic Intuition, "Best Strategy Book of the Year" (Strategy+Business Journal)

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And, now, dear readers, it's time to ask Irina a few questions or give her some feedback :-)

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Tagged: author interview, Columbia Business School, Credit Suisse, friends and enemies, Irina Avtsin, Merrill Lynch, Moscow, Rutgers Business School

All About Kids And Creativity…

Here are two videos of Sir Ken Robinson, author, speaker, and international advisor on education in the arts to government, non-profits, education, and arts bodies. They're from 2007 and 2010 and are about what's wrong with educational systems:

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Tagged: children, creativity, Education, education video, kids, schools, Sir Ken Robinson, video

Writers' Responsibilities ~ Revisited …

In the two posts, World Crises And The Fiction Writer ~ Can They Help Humanity? and Two Post Mashup + A Video ~ Writers' Responsibilities, various ideas of the writer's responsibilities to society were explored.

One of the comments, from a man who has taught English for over 40 years, was challenging enough that I felt compelled to feature it in this post. I encourage you to also visit his blog for some equally challenging sonnets.

I'm hoping that those who read the following comment will let all their heart-felt thoughts pour into comments of their own…

~~~

"It is odd that while we know that in the greatest periods of any particular art, its purpose was religious in scope, not at all subjective but objective in its presentation of the ideas and beliefs; the persecution of so many of the artists of any given period of greatness before their ultimate acceptance implies that whatever the message or content of a work, it "hit home" in such a way as to enrage the secular and religious leadership who openly opposed such artists of stature who are today revered as the "greats" of the past.

"Ultimately the works of such artists outlived their opponents. In the struggle to make the transition between zeitgeists comes the problem of what to say and what not to say; what to portray and what not to portray, with the confusion being that in the transition, there is no precedent for the artist's work while at the same time, it has become patently obvious that what passed for art in the past was no longer capable of either sustaining or maintaining the old world order.

"The result, then, is that literature and the other arts are reduced to what amounts to mere entertainment with no true purpose but to while away the hours of some very bored audiences and/or readers. I think we are there at present. For the most part, artists seem to me to be 'closet entrepreneurs' no matter how seemingly positive their apparent productions or the causes they appear to be furthering.

"The past is finished; the future is not yet here. This leads both producers and consumers of the arts with no choice but to demand the 'quick fix' that is the very definition of entertainment rather than the didactic purpose of the arts in their generic state. Socrates was sentenced to death for his assertions; Galileo was merely told to shut his mouth about the now obvious position of the earth vis-à-vis the solar system.

"How long the present state of affairs will continue is at best a guestimate but I suspect it will continue right up to the moment of the physical results of mental and spiritual deprivation; in short, nothing short of an atomic bomb or a Third World War or repeated warnings in the form of earthquakes, tsunamis, and nuclear accidents as were see recently in Japan and Haiti will jumpstart the present state of the arts to begin to move forward into anything other than hortatory goals.

"It does not mean that writers should cease writing, but it does preclude expectations in kudos or even remuneration for writing except in rare cases of accidental acclaim.

"Writing for the joy of it achieves a great end in and of itself because it is free of the active prostitution of the arts and connects with the few in this world who hold to integrity above the advantages of fascist circles of  'quick fixes' that leave the 'mainstream' at the top and everything else so far off the chart that there is no register in the chart at all."

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Tagged: art, English language, Galileo, humanity, responsibility, responsibility of writers, Socrates, writer

Words, Words, Words …

Words are critically important for readers, writers, and publishers.

Words are the substance of knowledge, the means of communication, and one of the most mysterious fashionings of humans.

Publishers use words as measurments, writers use words as tools, readers use words as paths to meaning and subjective experience.

My personal favorite word is "Word" :-)

"Not everything that a man knoweth can be disclosed, nor can everything that he can disclose be regarded as timely, nor can every timely utterance be considered as suited to the capacity of those who hear it."

~ Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 176

I won't use very many more words in this post but will introduce the video of Deb Roy showing a remarkable method he used to capture, in image and sound, his son's learning of words.

[image error]

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Tagged: Baha'u'llah, Deb Roy, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, publisher, reader, word, words, writer

Two Post Mashup + A Video ~ Writers' Responsibilities

Earlier this month, I wrote a post called, World Crises And The Fiction Writer ~ Can They Help Humanity?.

Four days ago, I read Ollin Morales post, What Ever Happened to The Timely Artist?

In his post, Ollin said:

"…artists aren't willing to exert their power anymore, nor, I would argue, are they taking up the great responsibility conferred upon them to help people understand the mood, or at least tell people, simply:

In the words of Buffalo Springfield:

"There's bad lines being drawn, / and nobody's right if everybody's wrong…  / Paranoia strikes deep, / into your life it will creep.  / It starts when you're always afraid.  / Step out of line, the man comes / and takes you a-way. / Stop, now! What's that sound? / Everybody look what's going down!"

In my post, among other questions, I asked:

* Is fiction a proper tool for purposely proposing solutions to world crises?

* Does it go against some "law" of creativity to ask writers to make their fiction conform to some response to world conditions?

* What is the role in society of the fiction writer?

Another question I asked was:

"…can writers be more aware of how their work could include elements of plot or character or theme that, even if in a small way, contribute to a saner, healthier, more tranquil world?"

And, Ollin had said:

"My end goal is to give readers hope, strength and tools to get through a challenging age like this one. It's not about whether I'll succeed at this goal, it's about whether I am trying to succeed. Because that's my role as an artist in the world."

The true beauty of blogging is the conversation the comments can become.

Here are some snippets from my readers' comments:

"I've always been impressed with the TV show, Star Trek (the original). Gene Roddenberry challenged the society of that time to consider a world with social and ethnic diversity. It was a very idealistic story, at a time when equal rights was still in its infancy."

"…now is not the time for writers to be silent. Oh, no. We must strive ever harder to put our words down in the hopes that it will benefit, comfort, and teach some."

"Creative people are *not* obligated to be propagandists, and most are better off not trying to fill that slot. If nothing else, obvious propaganda has a very short life-span."

"…I try to incorporate a sense of awareness of various issues into my writing. I should rephrase that. I don't try to. It sort of happens without much (if any) conscious effort….I don't know how I'd define humanity, exactly, though I do think it's much more than a bunch of individuals. How we interrelate is vital. As a group, we can build up or destroy our surroundings and ourselves. Fiction can definitely play a role in awareness. Often, a fiction story has more power than nonfiction. The message seeps in while the reader is engrossed in someone else's story. What better way to learn than to walk in another's shoes?"

And, here are some of the comments about Ollin's post:

"I really think one of the main reasons for books that address our current climate is that we're sort of stuck in this MTV-era, where only the trendy material will sell."

"…though I would say that visual art speaking to specific world topics isn't as widely seen, I respectfully disagree with the overarching statement that artists are not producing this type of work any more."

"As the world continues spiraling into the recesses of darkness, more and more artists will come out with a desire to speak the truth even if this costs them. Thank you for firing the first salvo to rally the troops."

"What I do agree with is that the power to create a catalyst for change is in every artists hands."

"It has taken me some time to realise that the truth must out, and the risks must be taken, if progress is to be made and we are to see ourselves in mirrors of clear reflection."

I do hope you'll go to both posts and read all the comments–Ollin and I respond to the comments–they are conversations.

As a writer, I want to help our ailing World; I need to help in whatever way I can…

There's a Global Art Project called, Inside Out, that boggles my mind and cheers my heart.

Here's a video of the originator of that project, explaining his wish to help our World.

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Tagged: art, Arts, fiction, global crisis, humanity, responsibility, writer, writing

Author Interview ~ Shalon Sims

Very pleased to have Shalon with us today :-) Let's get this interview moving…

Shalon, where are you from and how old are you?

I am from Canada and I am 33–the magic age where you begin to question "WHAT am I doing with my life?" and more importantly, "is it meaningful?"  It's an exciting and challenging limbo land, where I'm no longer young enough to feel like I have tons of time to fulfill my dreams, but not confident enough to feel like I have all of the skills that I will need in order to fulfill them!  On my 33rd birthday last year, it really hit me hard that I'm not a young person anymore.  Growing up is weird, isn't it?

Being very near my 65th birthday, I can, indeed, affirm that growing up is weird :-)

When did you begin writing and can you remember how it felt inside, back then?

I began writing before I can actually remember.  I remember feeling as a very young child that it was my 'special skill' and that it was the one thing that I could do well.  I had troubles with math and reading clocks and making friends, and I think my teachers noticed that and really encouraged my writing and artistic abilities. I remember being very proud of my writing skills and the first story I remember putting effort into was about a young dolphin that had to swim under an oil spill with its entire pod.  It was full of tension from start to finish–like one big climax!  I hadn't (of course) learned about plot-lines at that age.  I must have been about 7 or 8 and I was watching too much national geographic at the time–secretly, might I add, because my mother knew it gave me nightmares and forbid me to watch it.

You remind me of my absolute horror at seeing whales breach on TV when I was a kid…

Was there any certain date or time you remember when you began to either think of yourself as or call yourself a "writer"?

That was definitely not very long ago–maybe 5 years ago, at the most.  My friend Rebecca Chaperon (thechaperon.ca), a painter, was a real inspiration to me in that regard; she said, "a painter is someone who paints, even when they don't feel like it.  And a writer is someone who writes, even when they don't feel like it."  She was admonishing me, telling me that if I ever wanted to be a 'writer' then I should get off my butt and write.  I did heed her advice and today I can seriously call myself a writer.  I think what she meant is that calling yourself a writer, or an artist, means that you have dedicated yourself, to the extent that you have become disciplined.

Just a few echoes reverberating now from my post on the 18th :-)

Have you had any "formal" training in the art of writing?

Yes, classes at university, and have a minor in English, which should actually be titled a minor in creative writing & rhetoric, because I abhor literature classes and avoided them at all costs.

I must insert, from your blog, the schools you've attended:

Simon Fraser University, BC

The University of the Fraser Valley, BC

The Universiteit van Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Kwantlen University College, BC

What do you feel has taught you the most about "how to write"?

The answer is simply: writing and reading.  I think that in all my years in university, the classes that I took were really only valuable insomuch as they forced me to read and write more than I might have naturally.  I found critique groups and teachers, books on how to write, etc. all a waste of time, except where they led me to reading or writing more.  Everyone has a different style, different ideas of what is 'good', so I often found classes and books about 'how to write' depressing and demotivating.

Fascinating…

What authors inspire you as a writer?

Well, one of my favourites is Ursula Le Guin. Her book, The Dispossessed, was the first Sci-fi written by a woman that I ever read, and it just blew my mind–so much so that it made me decide to follow my childhood dream to write sci-fi.  I watched Star Trek as a child and was inspired by those 'What If' scenarios, but as I grew and became a more discerning reader, I found that most sci-fi disappointed me, in terms of *quality* of writing.  Le Guin's writing is absolutely flawless–she has a mastery of the language that even the worst English teacher would admire, but more than that, her stories are truly meaningful and entertaining.  She deals with taboo topics in such subtle and ingenious ways and her prose is so clean and clear, which is definitely something I aspire to: to say what I mean, and know what I mean to say.

Another author that I have recently come to truly admire is C. S. Lewis.  I never really enjoyed his fantasy, and I'm a bit of a religion sceptic, so I had kind of grouped Lewis into the category "one of those Christian writers."  But recently I read Out of the Silent Planet and I have to say that I have still not recovered.  The sequel, Perelandria, is also breathtakingly beautiful.  Now, I don't want to make you think they are perfect novels, but they inspire me mainly because he captures the inner struggle of his main character so well.  The struggle I'm talking about is the struggle that all of us cognizant humans have, between the parts of ourselves that believes we can, and the part that tells us we're incapable.  He is a master at capturing the little monster (inside of all of us) that whispers, "Are you kidding, you would be a fool to believe/do/say/think that."  I believe that this is the main theme of Lewis' work in general, because he deals with this concept in his novel Til We Have Faces, which is probably on my list of top 3 all-time favourite books, and is, in my opinion, a perfect novel.  In terms of writing quality, I am inspired by Lewis' imagery, especially in the Cosmic Trilogy series: the worlds he creates are so vivid that you really feel like you're on another planet–you could reach out and touch one of his fantastic creatures or plants.  And he does this with barely any exposition or description; the world comes to life mainly through the character's actions–and THAT is good writing.

Another writer that inspires me in terms of challenging my writing skills is William Gibson, especially his novel, Neuromancer.  I won't get into it here–if readers want to know, they can go to my blog post about this–but suffice it to say that Bill has helped me to learn that conventions and rules of writing are negotiable.

Gibson, I feel, has something to teach all writers…

How do you incorporate your writing into your daily life?

My fiction writing has always been a private thing for me, which is something I am in the process of changing. That's the little monster in me that tells me that I would be a fool to think that someone would pay money for my writing.  In support of sharing my writing, I recently joined an online critique group called Critters, which has been amazing!  I highly recommend joining something like that, if you are at the phase in your writing where you are ready to take the heat (!).

My non-fiction writing is very public and an active part of my daily life: I work as a technical writer and project assistant, and I also work freelance as a writer, editor and even English teacher, and I have a blog and other online projects, so writing is what I live and breathe these days.  The technical writing job and the blog are new elements in my life and are part of my 33-year-old commitment to living my dreams and being 'a writer'.  I wish I had started my blog years ago, when all my friends were telling me to!  I guess I had this erroneous belief that I should only start a blog if I was willing to compete with other bloggers (you know, be a 'professional blogger'), but since starting my blog, I realize that, for me, it's a place to store my ideas (the gems) and share them publicly.  Simple.  It's also a great online public presence or portfolio that gives people a sense of who I am.  As a freelancer, I've found it invaluable (that's how I got my job as a technical writer!), so that's why I focus on quality, rather than quantity, in my blogging.

And, here, folks, is the link to Shalon's blog.

What are the other online projects you're working on?

I have a real fascination for social media, and its potential to help transform society in positive ways (democratizing and educating people).  I've had my @shalonsims account since October (there's that 33-year-old popping up again), but I soon felt limited by it, so I started a new one, as a kind of experiment, called @EmFems, which is for Empowered Female Artists (writers, painters, musicians, poets, etc.).  I tweet about female artists and their projects and I love it–it's so much more gratifying than my @shalonsims account–I get thank-yous all day long!  We've already got almost 400 followers in 6 weeks!   I think this account has so much potential to transform women's lives, and society, so I am also working right now on the website and a blog, to get that up and running soon.

Wow! Very much looking forward to those!!

Is there anything else you'd like to add, perhaps some advice for aspiring writers?

I guess I'd just like to say that learning to write is a skill, and it takes time and dedication.  But the power is not in the skill, it's in you. Just like a guitar player's magic is not in his skill in playing a guitar, it's in the inspiration that flows out from him, through his skill.  That's the same for writing.  The inspiration is in you, as a writer.  I meet many writers who say that they are demoralized by rejections, or by English teachers who give them poor grades, or critiques that point out all the flaws, and I would say that it's essential as a writer to develop the sense that a rejection is a positive thing–a challenge to hone your skill in order to direct that inspiration that's inside you.

Shalon, thank you, ever so much, for taking the time for this interview. Extremely fascinating and you elucidated so many aspects of the writer's life!

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Tagged: author interview, Critters.org, English language, science fiction, Shalon Sims, Simon Fraser University, Ursula K. Le Guin, William Gibson