Jim Vuksic's Blog, page 15

Before Becoming Upset, Consider the Source

Occasionally, a serious, intelligent discussion will devolve into a heated debate. Some participants allow emotion and arrogance to displace logic and knowledge. Their retorts become sarcastic, vindictive, and spiteful.

I enjoy following some discussions featured in literary websites. They are often interesting and informative. If I have something of value to add, I do. More often than not, I do not; so I just read and learn. Some of my best ideas have come from others.

When I do post a comment, it is always presented as either a personal opinion or factual statement that can be easily confirmed. Even so, someone will occasionally become upset and attack me personally. When this happens, I access their profle. Their credentials often do not support their claims of expertise or even a basic knowledge of the subject being discussed. The facts presented by such people usually turn out to be factoids. I choose not to respond to such attacks. They are not worthy of a response.

Whenever attacked or insulted, before becoming upset, consider the source of the criticism or slur. You will usually discover that the person is not worth the aggravation. If your antagonist has posted a comment or profile that seems too good to be true, it probably isn't. Profiles on the internet are a virtual representation of how a person wishes to be perceived. Perception and reality are often two different things. A questionable profile will contain only vague references to previous or current careers, accomplishments, and lifestyle. A trustworthy profile will include names, dates, and other specific references that may be easily researched and fact-checked.

One should seriously consider the opinions and constructive criticism of well meaning, intelligent people. Those of antagonistic, ignorant people are not worth taking seriously.

Real, Legend or Myth - Does It Really Matter?

I doubt if many can say that they have never heard of God, King Arthur, and Robin Hood and are not at least vaguely familiar with the activities attributed to them. Some will swear that facts support their existence and accomplishments. Others attribute such beliefs to naivety, indoctrination, or superstition. Today, the majority of scholars believe that there is sufficient evidence to prove that Arthur and Robin did exist. Whether or not their actual lives and achievements have been accurately documented throughout the centuries is another thing entirely. Most subscribe to a theory that the fantastic stories about them are gross exaggerations, the achievements of several men, mistakenly attributed to just one man, fabricated tales, or a combination of all three.

There are records that mention a Romano British calvary commander, renowned for his fighting, leadership, and diplomatic skills. He successfully thwarted an Anglo Saxon invasion during the early 6th. century. Another Romano British warrior leader, named Artos, is credited with defeating the Saxons in the Battle of Mons Badonicus (Mount Badon) in the 9th. century. By the 12th. century, Artos became King Arthur. It wasn't until the 19th. century that Merlin, Guinevere, Lancelot, Excalibur, and the Holy Grail came along.

Robin Hood, better known as Robyn Hode in the earliest tales, became famous as an English folk hero who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Robin was an early diminutive of Robert in medieval England. It is believed that the stories are loosely based upon the exploits of Robert Earle of Huntingdon in 1198 AD and Roger Godberd in 1234. Both of them actually did rob from the rich. However, their ill-gotten gains seldom found their way to the poor.

At some point in time, early humans began to worship gods. For a long while, pagans held the monopoly on the practice of attributing the unexplainable to several gods. Then, along came the Egyptian Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, who in 1336 BC declared that there was only one god - Aten, the sun god. Thus monotheism was born. Shortly after Amenhotep died, the Egyptians decided it was more fun to worship and celebrate several gods, so polytheism returned. It was not until the 8th. century BC that several Hebrew prophets decided that the polytheistic beliefs of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were outdated. Monotheism returned and has been the concept of choice for most who believe in a god ever since.

Whether or not one chooses to believe in the most popular concepts of God, King Arthur, or Robin Hood is their prerogative. It doesn't really matter. After all, it is the belief that good is better than evil, right is better than wrong, and love is better than hatered that counts. Whether or not the stories about these larger than life beings, who championed such concepts, are real, legend, or myth doesn't matter, as long as the lessons and philosophy behind the stories are understood, practiced, and perpetuated.

Lessons Learned

I was born and raised in the Roman Catholic faith. My teachers, during the first eight years of my formal education, were nuns. After that, I attended St. Mark Seminary in Erie, Pennsylvania for four years, studying for the priesthood. The more I studied and reflected upon my religion and others, the more convinced I became that it was far more likely that man created God than the other way around. Much to the chagrin of my family, I became an atheist and left the seminary. Lesson learned . Blind faith is a poor substitute for logic, facts, and common sense. Wanting something to be reality does not make it real. Wanting something to be the truth does not make it true.

In 1966, my country was at war in a far off place called Vietnam. Seven boyhood friends and I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. We wanted to discover for ourselves what war was like. We did. Only five of us returned alive. Lesson learned . War is not good.

Upon being released from the military, I was employed by the H.J. Heinz Company as a shipping clerk. Five promotions and thirty-three years later, I retired as the manager of the company's food processing facility in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Lesson learned . Aim high, never stop learning, work hard, and you will usually be rewarded accordingly.

My late wife and I were married in 1970. She was and is the best thing that ever happened to me. We had five children and thirty-five and a half wonderful years together. Lesson learned. True love doesn't just happen. It requires effort, patience, trust, and dedication, but it is definitely worth it.

I am now sixty-seven years old, have been retired for fourteen years, and enjoy a very comfortable lifestyle. My four adult children are independent, gainfully employed, and enjoy comfortable lifestyles of their own. Two of them are happily married and each has two children. The other two are in exclusive relationships that they seem to find quite satisfying. We all enjoy spending time together as often as possible. Lesson learned . Raise your children well and that is how they will usually turn out.

Like everyone else's, my life has been neither perfect nor trouble-free. Three of my boyhood friends were killed in action during a war in which eight of us volunteered to fight. One of my children was killed in an accident. My wife died of cancer at the age of fifty-seven. Lesson learned . You can never forget sad times, but should not constantly dwell upon them. Instead, allow the bad times to make you more aware and appreciative of all the good times.

The late actress Mae West (1893 - 1980) said it much better and more succinctly than I have. "You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." Lesson learned!

Claiming to be a Professional Writer Does Not Make It So

Hundreds of thousands of people may legitimately claim to be a published author. Almost all published authors claim to be a professional writer. Many actually are. Quite a few are not. Realizing that the previous statement may incur the wrath of those who mistakenly presume themselves to be a professional writer, allow me to provide the evidence upon which it is based.

The Merriam-Webster English Dictionary provides the following definitions:
Profession - A calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long academic preparation.
Professional - One that engages in an activity professionally.

Using these definitions as a guideline, one should study and become proficient in applying the necessary knowledge and skills associated with writing professionally in order to become a professional writer. They would include spelling, punctuation, grammar, syntax, and narration techniques. Those who have expended the energy, effort, and time to study and then effectively apply these skills are indeed professional writers. Those who have not are not. It is as simple as that.

No stigma should ever be attached to those who do not possess the knowledge or skills required to become a professional writer. Some simply have no desire to do so. Their talents and ambition are focused upon some other goal. However, those who refuse to first learn the craft before practicing it, all the while claiming to be a professional writer, deserve whatever ridicule and criticism are heaped upon them and their work.

Not everyone who loves to write will become a great writer or commercially successful author, but they can become a competent writer. That in itself is an achievement of which to be proud and is worthy of respect.

It is Not Yesterday! It is Not Tomorrow! It is Today!

I was young once and I was middle-aged for a time. Those phases of my life are gone. I am now old. I actually don't mind. Each phase of my life has provided new and different experiences. Some were good, some were bad; however, they all provided opportunities for me to learn and grow as a person.

A lot of people today have somehow arrived at the conclusion that describing someone as being old is improper, inappropriate, insulting, or disrespectful. For the record, I am not a "senior citizen", I am not your "sweetie", and if you ever address me as "young man", prepare to defend yourself.

Nothing irritates me more than the pronouncement that the sixties is the new middle-age. Unless it is generally anticipated that I will probably live to be 134 years-old, being in my sixties is not middle-aged. I am old! Get over it! I have.

The above statements should not be interpreted as a bitter rant, driven by frustration, depression, or anger. They are merely the truth. Political correctness and sensitivity have run amok in this country. Some people are so afraid of hurting someone's feelings or being considered uncaring or insensitive, they have allowed common sense and logic to be usurped by the clever phrase of the day, dreamed up by someone who apparently had nothing better to do with their time.

My life has been pretty great so far. There have been a few bad times, some sad events, and the occasional disappointment. There have also been many good times, some very happy events, and more successes than failures. Whenever I am having a particularly bad day, I read the news. Without fail, there are always a few stories about someone who is having a much, much worse time of it than I.

Too many people spend so much of their life dwelling on the past and fretting about the future that they squander the present. Yesterday cannot be changed and tomorrow cannot be precisely predicted, so focus upon making the most of today. We should learn from past mistakes, make the best of what's happening now, and prepare as well as we can for what may come.

I am extremely grateful for having been given the opportunity to be a part of this thing called existence. I continue to enjoy it and am still occasionally surprised and fascinated by it. When the time finally does arrive for me to cease to exist, I hope to depart with my dignity and pride intact.

One of my favorite movies is "The Last Hurrah", starring Spencer Tracy. In the final scene, Mr. Tracy's character, Mayor Frank Skeffington, is dying and in a semi-coma. Loved ones surround his bed. His long-time adversary, the Catholic bishop of the diocese, is also present. The bishop declares,"One thing for certain, if given the chance to live his life over again, he would certainly do things differently." Tracy's character immediately opens his eyes, and with his final breath, says, "The hell I would!". I sincerely believe that, under similar circumstances, I would be able to say the same.

Non-Fiction is Sometimes Pure Fiction

I personally believe that a few types of books that have traditionally been presumed to fall into the non-fiction category may not be accurately classified. They are: autobiographies, biographies, memoirs, and histories. Allow me to provide the basis for my claim.

Autobiography - The biography of a person narrated by that person.

I don't believe that anyone is truly capable of judging themselves objectively. Our ego just will not allow it. With very few exceptions, humans always seem ready and able to provide rationale to justfy their behavior - good or bad. At least, the explanation is rational to them. Their version of the story of their life is limited to their perception of what they have personally seen, heard, experienced, and felt. Their perception is influenced by their religious, political, and social philosophies. Therefore, the autobiographer may not always be telling the truth, even though they may sincerely believe otherwise. One's life story, as seen through one's own eyes, is therfore not always factual. It is fiction.

Biography - An account of a person's life narrated by someone else.

Judging others is strongly discouraged in the Christian Bible's New Testament. This has seldom prevented most of us from doing it on a daily basis. Although a biographer may sincerely believe that he/she is portraying their subject's life story in a purely objective and unbiased manner, they really cannot. Their subject's family and social relationships, activities, accomplishments, and failures are interpreted by the author. The Merriam-Webster English Dictionary defines interpret as follows: To understand according to individual belief, judgment, or interest. I rest my case.

Memoir - One's personal recollections of events, people, places, and circumstances.

It never ceases to amaze me how the accounts of witnesses to the same occurrence or thing can vary so much. Reading several reviews of the same book will provide an excellent example of this phenomenon. People's recollection of anything or anyone is tainted by their personal tastes, prejudices, and opinions. Their perception of an honest account of anything may be the exact opposite of someone else's.

History - A chronological record of significant events often with an explanation of their causes.

Read a history of World War II written by the Allied nations. Then read the same history written by the nations that were then known as the Axis Powers. Read the history of the ancient Roman conquests written by a Roman. Then read the same history written by a German, Frenchman, or Englishman. Read the history of Manifest Destiny written by a Caucasian American professor. Then read the same history written by a Native American scholar.
I rest my case.

Is any of this really important? No. To be perfectly honest, it has been nineteen days since my previous blog post and I just could not come up with anything better to write about. However, I believe that you will agree that this post can most definitely and honestly be classified as non-fiction.

Denial Does Not Make It So

"Please Joe, say it ain't so." This little boy's plea to his idol "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, one of eight Chicago White Sox baseball players indicted for accepting bribes from gamblers to throw the 1919 World Series, has become legendary. It has been since used when referring to a famous person involved in a well-publicized scandal.

Unfortunately, what became known as "The Black Sox Scandal" did happen. All eight players, including Mr. Jackson, pleaded guilty before a grand jury to having accepted bribes as high as $5,000 to deliberately lose the series to the Cincinnati Reds. Remarkably, all eight later recanted their confessions and insisted to their dying day that they were innocent of any wrong doing.

We humans are a proud lot. Humility is often touted as a virtue among us, but our ego sometimes gets in the way of actually practicing it. We tend to boast of or at least emphasize our accomplishments and strengths much more often than admit to our failures and weaknesses. We even refuse to accept responsibility for them. It's much easier to blame others or circumstances beyond our control.

Junior could have gotten an "A" on his term paper, if he had done more research and expended more time writing it. But hey, a "C" is good enough. Don't keep score at the kids' soccer games. Merely showing up and running, walking, or even just sitting down in the field and playing in the dirt is good enough.

My father used to say: "It's good enough for government work." Maybe that's why we aren't shocked when the government consistently fails to accomplish much. He had another saying. "Anything worth doing is worth doing well." To succeed in any undertaking, one must strive to excel. A consistently mediocre performance will consistently result in failure.

Wanting something to be the truth will not make it true. Believing something to be reality will not make it real. Accept the fact that nothing worthwhile can be achieved without expending the time and effort required to actually achieving it and you will succeed much more often than you fail. Don't allow false modesty to ever prevent you from accepting the credit for your successes. On the other hand, never allow pride to prevent you from accepting the blame for those times when you fail.

It's Not My Fault and Other Half-Truths

If a small town happens to be the home of a minor league baseball team, the sports section of its local newspaper almost always includes an interview with one of its rising young stars. The player's responses inevitably include an account of his boyhood dream of someday becoming a major league baseball player. Occasionally, one is moved up to the majors. The players refer to it as being in "the show".

Unfortunately, a rookie's performance does not always quite measure up to major league expectations; so he is sent back to the minors after only one season in "the show". The first interview, upon returning to his former team, sometimes includes a declaration that the player is actually glad to be back. The reason is always some variation of the minor league being the last bastion of true baseball remaining. Its players participate solely for the love of the game, while major league franchises are just a business and its players are only in it for the money.

During my twelve weeks of boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD), Parris Island, South Carolina many, many years ago, the drill instructors reminded us daily that, if any of us ended up among the 20% of recruits that typically wash out and are rejected, it would not be the fault of the drill instructors, the Marine Corps, or the training regimen. It would be our own fault or, as the DI put it: "You just couldn't hack it!"

Occasionally, an author will tout the fact that they are self-published by choice. They refuse to compromise their integrity as an artist by submitting to the editorial, content and schedule demands of a traditional mainline publisher. Some reveal that their first book was actually traditionally published, but they had been treated very badly or cheated by the publisher. Therefore, they now wholeheartedly embrace the freedom of self-publishing. They then go on to declare that many traditionally published books are just as badly written or poorly edited as some self-published books. Most then bemoan the fact that their book isn't selling very well. They blame the lack of sales on the stigma attached to self-published books, because so many other authors publish poorly written and badly edited books.

Writing a novel was just one of several items included in a bucket list that my late wife insisted that I create upon retiring in 2001. It was published Aug. 9, 2011. The latest quarterly sales report reveals that only 917 units have been sold to-date: 460 paperback, 403 e-book, 33 audio book on CD, and 21 audio download.

I do not believe that the poor sales are due to a lack of technical or marketing support from the publisher, some diabolical publishing cartel's conspiracy to corner the market, or the general reading public's lack of good taste. The most likely reason is that my book just isn't best-seller material.

There are good and bad participants in every profession or organization. No doubt, those mentioned in the previous examples may actually believe that their failure to succeed was not their fault. In a few instances, it may actually be the truth. I know for a fact that a few poorly written books have been released by traditional mainline publishers. But, based upon my personal reading experience, such books make up a very small percentage of the total.

No one succeeds every time at every endeavor. That's okay. The goal should be to learn from each failure and use the lessons learned to eventually succeed much more often than you fail. In order to learn from failure, one must first be willing to admit it when they do fail, accept full responsibility, and then move on. Blaming others accomplishes nothing.

Spamming & Rating/Reviewing One's Own Book - Aggressive Promotion or Narcissism

Almost every literary website's discussion groups' rules include a ban on spamming. Whenever spamming does occur, it usually incites numerous posts by members of the group; expressing their displeasure for being subjected to the practice and/or their firm resolution never to purchase or even read a book written by the guilty party.

An author's response to negative reactions to aggressive self-promotional efforts usually include exclamations of shock for being accused of spamming or expressions of self-righteous dismay upon having their well-intended effort to promote their book unfairly attacked.

The exact meaning of just what spamming entails, as interpreted by the accused party and his/her accusers often differs.
The Merriam-Webster English Dictionary defines spamming as: "The use of electronic messaging systems (SPAM) especially advertising indiscriminately or sending messages repeatedly on the same site."

In my humble opinion, the formal definition is self-explanatory. If someone repeatedly and often posts advertisements for the same book on a thread designated for self-promotion or self-promotes on threads clearly not intended for self-promotion, such activity constitutes spamming.

Spammers in general have a habit of indulging in the "I" syndrome - the over-utilization of the personal pronouns: I, me, my, and mine, when promoting their work. Please note the use of the term over-utilization, not utilization. There is a distinct difference. The "I" syndrome is a clear symptom of narcissism.

The Merriam-Webster English Dictionary defines narcissism as: "Undue dwelling on one's own self or attainments."

Some authors choose to post a rating and review of their own work. With extremely few exceptions, they rate their book five-stars and proclaim it to be exceptionally entertaining and well-written. There is nothing wrong with such high self-esteem; however, it is often, if not always, looked upon with skepticism. An author's opinion of their own book is akin to a proud new parent's opinion of their new baby. The chances of either opinion being unbiased or dependable are slim to none.

I am certain that there will be some who disagree with the above statements. That is their prerogative. However; there is a popular business adage which I believe applies: "Your work speaks for itself. Don't interrupt!"

Cheap or Free - Not Always a Good Thing

Almost every literary website's discussion groups include one or more threads in which an author, editor, publisher, blogger or reviewer offers their books or services very cheaply or even for nothing. Sounds like a great deal; right? Well, not always.

The Merriam-Webster English Dictionary provides the following definitions:

cheap - 1: inexpensive 2: costing little effort to obtain 3: worth little: shoddy, tawdry 4: worthy of scorn 5: stingy.

nothing - 1: something that does not exist 2: zero 3: a person or thing of little or no value or importance.

There is an old saying: "You get what you pay for." Old sayings are old because they have been around for a very long time. They have been around for a very long time because they have, far more often than not, been proven correct.

In a free-market economy, the price of a product or service is determined by demand. The more the consumer is willing to pay, the more the vendor will charge. Products and/or services are usually offered for little or no cost when very few are willing to pay much, if anything, for them. There are exceptions to every rule; however, one should think very carefully and perform due diligence before obtaining anything merely because it is free or cheap. The established price of a product or service is usually directly related to the level of quality of said product or service and the consumer's perception of its value.

Can something that is available for free or inexpensively be a good thing? Certainly; however, one should always ask oneself: Why would anyone sell something very cheaply or give it away for nothing if one were able to ask for and get a higher price for it?

Providing free samples of a product or offering a service at a bargain rate can be a very effective marketing tool, if done in moderation. Over utilization of such tactics can create an entitlement mentality among some consumers. Many of those entitlement-minded people may eventually adopt a personal philosophy of "why pay anything for something you can get for nothing".

If you produce a good quality product or perform a great service, there will always be those willing to pay a decent price for it. Don't and they won't. Another old saying: "Anything worth doing is worth doing well."