Alexander M. Zoltai's Blog, page 56
May 24, 2017
The New Wave of Healing in the Dark Times . . .
Image Courtesy of MARK ROBSON ~ http://www.freeimages.com/photographer/roppa_uk-53366
We live in dark times; and, if you feel your life is completely sunny and care-free, you really should make videos about how you keep the dogs-of-malevolence at bay; then, share them widely so the rest of us wouldn’t have to suffer so much…
We live in dark times; and, I assume that most of the folks who are reading this engage in some form of art—painting, singing, playing music, dancing, sculpting, writing,...
May 23, 2017
10 Life Lessons Found in the Pages of Middle-Grade Fiction by Melissa Roske
Today’s re-blog says it’s for “middle-grade” folks; but, I found most of the life lessons apply to me, too :-)
When writing for children, Madonna said it best: Papa, don’t preach. That means: no heavy-handed moralizing or high-horsey finger wagging. Kids get bossed around enough as it is, so why subject them to further instruction when they’re reading for pleasure? That’s not playing fair.
At the same time, finding inspiration in a great book can enhance a child’s reading expe...
May 22, 2017
Dystopia & Apocalypse ~ Two Seemingly Immortal Genres . . .
Spotted outside @Waterstones in Bloomsbury, London ~ from @For_the_Wynn ~ https://forthewynnblog.wordpress.com/
First some definitions:
Dystopia — “An imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad , typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one.”
Apocalypse — “An event involving destruction or damage on a catastrophic scale.”
Next, reference to my past post, Why Is There So Much Dystopian and Apocalyptic Fiction?
Then, a quote from that past post:
My short novel,...
May 21, 2017
Resources for Readers
Great news for readers on today’s re-blog—even readers with Macs :-)
As a writer, I’m also a huge reader. Over the last 10 years, I’ve transitioned from someone who reads all my books in paper form to someone who uses multiple formats to get all my reading done. I love listening to books on CD and I always have a book on my Kindle app on my phone. Now I’m never, ever caught without a book to read!
I use my local library all the time, mostly for CDs to listen to....
May 20, 2017
Fictional Truth by Heidi Schulz
Excellent article by a children’s book author :-)
I lie about telling lies. My official author bio says, “Lies to children for fun and profit,” but I strongly believe the job of a children’s author is to tell the truth. Ever since Dick and Jane, I have depended on books to illuminate, reveal, or to reinforce truths that I already know—but never so much as I did when I was eleven, for that is when books first saved me.
One evening in my last year of elementary school, I went...
May 19, 2017
Friday Story Bazaar ~ Tale Forty-Four
The Throbbing Heart
by
Alexander M Zoltai
~~~~~~~~~
Joe was a writer.
Well, he did write—hadn’t been published—was totally confused about the clash between “traditional publishing” versus “self-publishing”—had three novels in various drawers; and, was thinking of telling all his friends that he really wasn’t, after all, a writer…
Yet, “something” inside said he was only spinning his wheels, was frozen in fear of failure, spent too much time doubting what he’d written, should slap himself and...
May 18, 2017
Making a living as a writer: how social media can be a long-term investment for your career
Roz does it again in today’s re-blog…
I used to be firmly against using social media—called it standing on a table in a rowdy bar and shouting…
Changed my mind a bit over time…
Roz gives you all the good reasons to use it in this post :-)
Last weekend I was speaking at the PowWow Festival of Writing in Moseley, Birmingham, and they were interested to hear how a writer of 2017 makes a living.
The first thing to say is that not many writers make a living from their books these d...
May 17, 2017
#Writers Need All the Help They Can Get . . . And, so Do #Readers . . .
At different times and for different reasons, all writers need help—
[image error]Image Courtesy of Mikhail Lavrenov ~ http://www.freeimages.com/photographer/MikLav-51580
—with getting new ideas, with improving current ideas, with editing or revision, with the way to construct a book…
I’ve been extremely interested in a particular phenomenon that’s intended to help writers; however, it’s also intended to help “…readers, booksellers, publishers, editors, publicists, agents, and anyone who wants to particip...
May 16, 2017
Reading Analog in a Digital World by Matt Renwick
I love both “physical” and “digital” books…
So, does the author of today’s re-blog; but, his explanations are rich with meaning…
Our family was preparing for a day trip to the Wisconsin Dells. There was some reading time available during our trek – my wife agreed to drive home – so I packed the following reading material: Paperback copies of The Writer’s Guide to Persistence by Jordan Rosenfeld and The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, a printed draft of the first four chapter...
May 15, 2017
Failure . . .
Image Courtesy of Kristin Smith ~ http://www.freeimages.com/photographer/klsmith77-52982
First, be warned that I’m a true believer in the slipperiness of language use, for mere mortals…
Next, I want to look into what “Success” means.
I’ve delved into what it might mean in a number of contexts in the past…
Let’s look again.
Definition: “The accomplishment of an aim or purpose.”
Word history: “1530s, ‘result, outcome’, from Latin successus ‘an advance, a coming up; a good result, happy outcome’...
