Roger B. Burt's Blog, page 15

Our Nation in Crisis – An American Vision: Part 1

What do you believe is the core we need to address?

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The Need for Vision for an America in Crisis

This has been a grueling election process with a conclusion very few expected. Now we have to deal with the consequences. 

Our middle class has seen income stagnate over forty years. Income inequality has been substantial and is increasing. We have created a body of people we are calling “left behinds”. And through it all there has been a stunning lack of vision combined with obstruction of probl...

Men, Women and …

 

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But There’s More

Men, Women and …

In recent posts there was a discussion asking when men will begin to truly examine themselves as we move into a rapidly changing future, in a time when women are clearly becoming empowered. But it is a time of complex challenges.

Raising An Important Question

In the second book of my Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy-Challenge one of the major characters, Beck, has an intriguing interaction. In the undersea world that he and his wife Chantia have entered there are th...

Fiction Writing Process II – An Inherent Process

If you write fiction, what is your process?

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An Outpouring

At last the writing of the Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy began. It led initially to scattered notes which shaped a global outline. As I said previously, I found definitive guidance in the  story arc process described by Dara Marks. It is visually and conceptually helpful and is found in her book INSIDE STORY. 

Intrinsic Structure

When looking at the arc I became immediately aware of how I had been seeing the process in films. Being highly vi...

Subjugation of Women Seems To Be Ending

 

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And I’m Trying to Grasp What Is Happening

If that sounds like a bizarre statement, it is and it isn’t. I have to mention my personality type again – intuitive. I don’t accept facts easily and I always find events have depth and nuance. Possibilities always present themselves. And while I think the changes in regard to women are long overdue I have to raise a hand and ask what may truly be happening and where it will lead. I doubt it will be without conflict and across the world it may take...

Fiction Writing Process I – The Birth and Shaping of Fiction

Various Sources and Resources

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The writing process is fascinating. There is conventional wisdom about how to do it, but there is considerable variation among those of us who write fiction. Nothing is universal. Clearly we are using our personal resources, but certainly we all need editors and a proofreader at the end. Of course there is the matter of inspiration. For me, I found some surprises. And those surprises came at many levels. First I noticed that I reached a point in the development...

Men! Who Are We?

 

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It Seems I’ve Missed Something

For decades now we’ve heard of Women’s Liberation and the end of the subjugation of women but I hear precious little of exploration by men about what it means for men. By that I mean, who are men and who are they to become? Are they to simply accept the changing place of women but not explore themselves? If it is being discussed, it seems to be in a whisper with a whimper.

That does not mean I’m an advocate of a roaring fight against the liberation of women b...

As We Enter A New Year

 

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What Lies Before Us?

It is traditional at the beginning of each new year for us to explore its meaning and what it may hold. This year is no different but it appears to hold extraordinary possibilities. What may emerge is far from clear and we see both chaos and transformational themes on the horizon. But transformation is not always inspiring and uplifting. The possible transformation on a threatening world stage is something to be feared even while we see the wonderful transformation whi...

Meshing Fantasy with Unfolding Crises

 

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Do you find current world events disturbing or hopeful?

The World Trembles

Again I have to note the title of this blog is Cusp of Reality. 

The news recently is chilling. It was not so long ago that the world seemed so much more stable and suddenly it seems almost surreal. Did I somehow move to an alternative planet which bears a strong resemblance to this one, but with an entirely different character?  It feels that way and simultaneously I find myself reviewing history as I’m reading the...

Fiction Writing Process I – The Birth and Shaping of Fiction

Monthly Newsletter Begins in January

Various Sources and Resources

[image error]Technology in the hands of businessmen

The writing process is fascinating. There is conventional wisdom about how to do it, but there is considerable variation among those of us who write fiction. Nothing is universal. Clearly we are using our personal resources, but certainly we all need editors and a proofreader at the end. Of course there is the matter of inspiration. For me, I found some surprises. And those surprises ca...

Dreams Versus Reality

Your Dreams

Do you dream? Oh no, I’m not talking about those things that crop up at night. I’m talking about the dreams you have for your future, your desires, what might be. How much of a hard edge do they have? Do they involve mysticism? Do they lead you into a spirit world of your own? What do they say about you and your life?

Questioning Reality

I’m a clinical psychologist and have spent a lot of time talking with people about their lives. Often we talked about what we call reality but as...