Nelson Lowhim's Blog, page 123

A few things as we move through to the end of the year

Hello all my readers. Again there has been silence on my part, and again I can only say that the next book is still being worked upon and will be out as soon as possible. If you are subscribed to the email, you will have received a snippet, not of the book, but of a short story that inspired it. The idea I'm wrestling with is more complicated than previous ones because it doesn't only include the worldviews of humans (previously I've written from the point of different people around the world). Sci-fi, certainly, but that I think will be very relevant, if reality doesn't take over. Rest assured, nonetheless, that a book will be out soon (and if you want something to read until then, I recommend that you sign up for the newsletter and get some more works that won't be available elsewhere). Enjoyed this post?Then Subscribe to my mailing list* indicates requiredEmail Address * First Name Last Name Email Format
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Have

Hello all my readers. Again there has been silence on my part, and again I can only say that the next book is still being worked upon and will be out as soon as possible. If you are subscribed to the email, you will have received a snippet, not of the book, but of a short story that inspired it. The idea I'm wrestling with is more complicated than previous ones because it doesn't only include the worldviews of humans (previously I've written from the point of different people around the world). Sci-fi, certainly, but that I think will be very relevant, if reality doesn't take over. Rest assured, nonetheless, that a book will be out soon (and if you want something to read until then, I recommend that you sign up for the newsletter and get some more works that won't be available elsewhere). Enjoyed this post?Then Subscribe to my mailing list* indicates requiredEmail Address * First Name Last Name Email Format
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[OM] One favorite book

 First, for all those who haven't yet read it: For the next week I'm offering 5$ off The Struggle Trilogy paperback. Just use this code: XQN5EAFM at this site. The point is to shed more light into the situation in Iraq. Sure, the book is about the civil war a few years ago, but that time and the reactions to it were all very relevant to today. So take advantage, it ends after Veterans Day
On to other matters: Funny that I've never been asked this question, never really thought about it until a few days ago: what is your favorite book (fiction)? (well, it was asked in a different form) No top ten, not even a top five. Simply what one book means the most to you? There are a myriad of ways to tackle this question, especially for those of us who will need to whittle down the list from a handful of books, all very different, to one.

So how would you do this? Would you ask yourself what book can you take with you, were you chosen as an astronaut on a one way trip to Mars (I decided to update the stranded on an island question)? This would require a book with immense meaning and enough density to gain something from each reading. 
So in addition to a book that has been enjoyed, loved, it must be a book that withstands (I'm assuming here that someone wants to read, otherwise one can just ask for a book that will help escape the situation, the biggest book that one can use as a weapon etc). I'm also assuming that there is depth required. It could very well be that in a scenario like Mars, one needs something simply for relaxation, and in that case something light would be needed. And if there are other scenarios where one would consider having one book only, that would lead to different needs than the Mars please include them here. (A book for the rest of one's life is much different than one book to simply read once more, or that would best tell a tale, or which one would you recommend to a specific friend etc). 
Now, when I first answered this question, I chose The Master and Margarita. But now, I'm thinking that perhaps there is more to this than just a book I enjoyed in the past (I understand how different this question is). Certainly, I can envision myself rereading M&M, but I don't see that happening too often. Perhaps there are more layers to this book than I previously thought, but maybe it's my belief that there aren't.

So now I'm thinking that any of the books which I was considering should not be short. They should be the ones I enjoyed, thought difficult and perhaps even thought that I should return to one time or another in the future. So now I'm down to Crime and Punishment , Absalom, Absalom!, 2666 and... well nothing comes to mind at this moment. Books by Borges, Gabriel Garcia and even Coetzee didn't make it. Not now.

So which of these three would I take? I see 2666 as the best book in this list. Yes. Over those other classics. Mainly because I don't think I've mined the book's depths. So there you have it. What book would you consider taking on such a trip?

Why I read Fiction by Tom Bensley

Welcome all readers. Thanks for the patience as I write another novel. But, as I promised, I wanted to dive into the subject of why one should read fiction. As a writer, I continuously hear things like: why write fiction? Or I don't read, no time for that. Or that it is a dead form of the narrative. To tackle this, I invited everyone to put in their two cents about what it is that makes reading fiction worthwhile. To be fair, I meant something other than just reading it for entertainment, though perhaps that's a matter of my own prejudices. 
But I've decided to invite a person who can answer this question with much more insight than I could ever provide it. So without further ado, I present to you Tom Bensley on why he reads fiction (also to read more of the fascinating pieces check his mag out: http://www.blairemagazine.com/_:
I wouldn’t say that the sole purpose of reading fiction is to learn, but literature is a unique teaching tool. When an author tells a story, the reader is given an opportunity to learn about an experience. For instance, in learning about a hospital, we could educate ourselves on its purpose, the way it is structured, who works in it, what the history is etc. This is all valuable, applicable information which makes us more knowledgeable about a place or a subject, but a fictional story that takes place in a hospital will give us something else. If we follow the story of a nurse, we might be given insight into the way she feels about the tasks she performs, how these tasks relate to her personal relationships, and why she is in this line of work in the first place.  Also, metaphor strengthens the author’s message and allows us as readers to interpret a familiar setting in a new way. Poetic and evocative language about how it feels to be in a hospital, not as yourself but as a character who works there, is allowing you to understand an experience you might never have. Conflict and drama draw us into that world and as a result we care about what goes on there. No matter how much knowledge we accumulate about an institution, a historical event or the tasks performed by a nurse (or any other worker), I feel that there is no more effective way to learn about experience and feeling unless you read fiction that the author has taken seriously and attempted to effectively communicate an experience to the reader. Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath gives an account of the Dustbowl, but that account is rich with unforgettable material because we follow the Joad family’s trek across the country. Flannery O’Connor’s various accounts of the race and religion in the Deep South can force us to think about a place we might never go or a time we can only read about. We learn to think about more than we would ever have the chance to if we read good fiction, I think.

I guess the “purpose” of reading literature is really for the individual to decide, but thinking about it almost like a teaching tool for human experience felt right to me. Like, it’s one thing to learn about something, but learning about it in a way that allows you to feel the experience being communicated? There’s just no other way of achieving that. And I think it becomes very addicting, once you have that first epiphany with literature. To go back to Frankenstein, when the Creature first tells Frankenstein about what he’s had to go through ever since being forced into the world by unnatural means, he uses story to make his creator understand the torment he has been through, which in turn forces Frankenstein to reconsider his actions and his place in the world. I think good fiction, to any reader who takes it seriously, can create a similar effect. It allows us to take on board another experience and to use that to enrich our own experience in the world. What’s more rewarding than that? Nelson: Thank you, Tom, for the truly insightful post. Enjoyed some of the other writings on this blog? Want to get my stories not available elsewhere? Then Subscribe to my mailing list* indicates requiredEmail Address * First Name Last Name Email Format
htmltextmobile[image error]

Why I read Fiction by Tom Bensley

Welcome all readers. Thanks for the patience as I write another novel. But, as I promised, I wanted to dive into the subject of why one should read fiction. As a writer, I continuously hear things like: why write fiction? Or I don't read, no time for that. Or that it is a dead form of the narrative. To tackle this, I invited everyone to put in their two cents about what it is that makes reading fiction worthwhile. To be fair, I meant something other than just reading it for entertainment, though perhaps that's a matter of my own prejudices. 
But I've decided to invite a person who can answer this question with much more insight than I could ever provide it. So without further ado, I present to you Tom Bensley on why he reads fiction (also to read more of the fascinating pieces check his mag out: http://www.blairemagazine.com/_:
I wouldn’t say that the sole purpose of reading fiction is to learn, but literature is a unique teaching tool. When an author tells a story, the reader is given an opportunity to learn about an experience. For instance, in learning about a hospital, we could educate ourselves on its purpose, the way it is structured, who works in it, what the history is etc. This is all valuable, applicable information which makes us more knowledgeable about a place or a subject, but a fictional story that takes place in a hospital will give us something else. If we follow the story of a nurse, we might be given insight into the way she feels about the tasks she performs, how these tasks relate to her personal relationships, and why she is in this line of work in the first place.  Also, metaphor strengthens the author’s message and allows us as readers to interpret a familiar setting in a new way. Poetic and evocative language about how it feels to be in a hospital, not as yourself but as a character who works there, is allowing you to understand an experience you might never have. Conflict and drama draw us into that world and as a result we care about what goes on there. No matter how much knowledge we accumulate about an institution, a historical event or the tasks performed by a nurse (or any other worker), I feel that there is no more effective way to learn about experience and feeling unless you read fiction that the author has taken seriously and attempted to effectively communicate an experience to the reader. Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath gives an account of the Dustbowl, but that account is rich with unforgettable material because we follow the Joad family’s trek across the country. Flannery O’Connor’s various accounts of the race and religion in the Deep South can force us to think about a place we might never go or a time we can only read about. We learn to think about more than we would ever have the chance to if we read good fiction, I think.

I guess the “purpose” of reading literature is really for the individual to decide, but thinking about it almost like a teaching tool for human experience felt right to me. Like, it’s one thing to learn about something, but learning about it in a way that allows you to feel the experience being communicated? There’s just no other way of achieving that. And I think it becomes very addicting, once you have that first epiphany with literature. To go back to Frankenstein, when the Creature first tells Frankenstein about what he’s had to go through ever since being forced into the world by unnatural means, he uses story to make his creator understand the torment he has been through, which in turn forces Frankenstein to reconsider his actions and his place in the world. I think good fiction, to any reader who takes it seriously, can create a similar effect. It allows us to take on board another experience and to use that to enrich our own experience in the world. What’s more rewarding than that? Nelson: Thank you, Tom, for the truly insightful post. Enjoyed some of the other writings on this blog? Want to get my stories not available elsewhere? Then Subscribe to my mailing list* indicates requiredEmail Address * First Name Last Name Email Format
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Another Question: Violence on TV

Of course, I'm not talking about the fake kind. That seems to have won the day. Rather, I'm talking about the real kind. News worthy kind, mainly. With ISIS in the news, using violence as a means to reach people, and news outlets making cases for not showing much of this, one has to wonder if this censorship (that's what it is, whether or not it has a higher purpose) is right.
This is not to say that all should be shown on TV (for whoever watches the news there), because that tends to be a medium that dictates what you see, but on the internet sites. Shouldn't there be, with ample warning, a link to see what's happening in the world? Or is this something that should be relegated to the darker parts of the internet (or should even that choice be taken away). There are many ways to look at this. I, for one, don't think we should make the judgement call based on what what some people seem to think are videos that would titillate a subsection of the population. If the judgement is made, shouldn't it be made on behalf of those who are normal and are shocked by such images?
This is not to say that I have some rosy view of the world and people's reactions to such videos. Rather that, taking into account that there are various ways power likes to use such images/videos, we need to discuss this and not say that violent images don't serve a purpose. They have been used to point out atrocities in the world, and the horror in them has enacted change (for the better, I would say). 
In fact, I would say that many people who are in the business of doing vile acts, do so and don't want anyone to see the images. This censorship only allows more of the same. So what then of ISIS, who wants people to see these heinous acts which they commit? It's very apparent that they want to be on the news. But how much recruiting are they doing with these videos? And how much have they helped their cause? The biggest thing is that they seem to have used these to goad as many people in the world into a fight. Want a free story, as well as book deals? Then Subscribe to my mailing list* indicates requiredEmail Address * First Name Last Name Email Format
htmltextmobile[image error]

Another Question: Violence on TV

Of course, I'm not talking about the fake kind. That seems to have won the day. Rather, I'm talking about the real kind. News worthy kind, mainly. With ISIS in the news, using violence as a means to reach people, and news outlets making cases for not showing much of this, one has to wonder if this censorship (that's what it is, whether or not it has a higher purpose) is right.
This is not to say that all should be shown on TV (for whoever watches the news there), because that tends to be a medium that dictates what you see, but on the internet sites. Shouldn't there be, with ample warning, a link to see what's happening in the world? Or is this something that should be relegated to the darker parts of the internet (or should even that choice be taken away). There are many ways to look at this. I, for one, don't think we should make the judgement call based on what what some people seem to think are videos that would titillate a subsection of the population. If the judgement is made, shouldn't it be made on behalf of those who are normal and are shocked by such images?
This is not to say that I have some rosy view of the world and people's reactions to such videos. Rather that, taking into account that there are various ways power likes to use such images/videos, we need to discuss this and not say that violent images don't serve a purpose. They have been used to point out atrocities in the world, and the horror in them has enacted change (for the better, I would say). 
In fact, I would say that many people who are in the business of doing vile acts, do so and don't want anyone to see the images. This censorship only allows more of the same. So what then of ISIS, who wants people to see these heinous acts which they commit? It's very apparent that they want to be on the news. But how much recruiting are they doing with these videos? And how much have they helped their cause? The biggest thing is that they seem to have used these to goad as many people in the world into a fight. Want a free story, as well as book deals? Then Subscribe to my mailing list* indicates requiredEmail Address * First Name Last Name Email Format
htmltextmobile

Fiction, what does it mean to you?

So I wanted to take a break and ask people what they thought the value of fiction was (if any) and what it can do to improve a person's life. I'm asking because I wonder if people who write, or read, get the same reactions I do, such as why do I write fiction (being of a technocratic family, I hear this a lot). Or the general view in the at large world that fiction is make believe so why read it? Why bother? Better off reading about the world. No full on answers from me for now (that will be later). I will say that this can be looked in many ways, and none would be entirely wrong.
A few definitions:I am, of course, mainly talking about modern fiction. The type being written and read today. For clarity's sake we can say fiction from the past hundred years, with a focus on today's fiction (therefore traditions arising from myths and other stories, will not be included. If this seems like a gross oversight then explain; I will always give way to good arguments).And we can keep it to serious fiction and its value. Also, the question is merely what reading fiction's place is in today's world (not that a certain degree is better than another kind of reading) not that one should read at least something (so why fiction and not only non-fiction).
More notes: I understand the limitation to serious fiction can be stifling. The definition of serious is up to you. I mean a book that shifted your perspective on life (I usually intend this for adults, as it's easier as a child to have one's perspective shifted). And the value of fiction as merely another outlet of entertainment (and as several friends told me, this is important, especially for people who have done much during the work day and simply want to relax with a good book) is not being derided here. That too is a goal. But is it the only goal? Should fiction merely be there for entertainment (I dare say no)? I understand that some people think this is useless, if there's something to be said, then it should be said without any make believe.
And more arguments are that it's a way to live other people's lives (then why not memoirs instead?) or that it creates a better human with more empathy (not sure this has been proven), or that it forces one to use more parts of the brain (especially serious fiction, and this has been proven, to some extent with fMRIs). Could be that you merely think it's there like art, something to make sure we're not alone, something to make sure that we know we are part of something else (the history the stories all point to this); this is, of course, harder to prove. And there is the cynical counterargument that all art is propaganda and fiction is no different, and thus no case can be made for it.
Any of these are good reasons for fiction to be around, what are yours? For defenders of fiction what do you say to people who only read non-fiction (there is a weakness here, right? Few people will ever argue non-fiction is not needed, as I would never, but the other argument is made every day)?  
So what are your thoughts?[image error]

Fiction, what does it mean to you?

So I wanted to take a break and ask people what they thought the value of fiction was (if any) and what it can do to improve a person's life. I'm asking because I wonder if people who write, or read, get the same reactions I do, such as why do I write fiction (being of a technocratic family, I hear this a lot). Or the general view in the at large world that fiction is make believe so why read it? Why bother? Better off reading about the world. No full on answers from me for now (that will be later). I will say that this can be looked in many ways, and none would be entirely wrong.
A few definitions:I am, of course, mainly talking about modern fiction. The type being written and read today. For clarity's sake we can say fiction from the past hundred years, with a focus on today's fiction (therefore traditions arising from myths and other stories, will not be included. If this seems like a gross oversight then explain; I will always give way to good arguments).And we can keep it to serious fiction and its value. Also, the question is merely what reading fiction's place is in today's world (not that a certain degree is better than another kind of reading) not that one should read at least something (so why fiction and not only non-fiction).
More notes: I understand the limitation to serious fiction can be stifling. The definition of serious is up to you. I mean a book that shifted your perspective on life (I usually intend this for adults, as it's easier as a child to have one's perspective shifted). And the value of fiction as merely another outlet of entertainment (and as several friends told me, this is important, especially for people who have done much during the work day and simply want to relax with a good book) is not being derided here. That too is a goal. But is it the only goal? Should fiction merely be there for entertainment (I dare say no)? I understand that some people think this is useless, if there's something to be said, then it should be said without any make believe.
And more arguments are that it's a way to live other people's lives (then why not memoirs instead?) or that it creates a better human with more empathy (not sure this has been proven), or that it forces one to use more parts of the brain (especially serious fiction, and this has been proven, to some extent with fMRIs). Could be that you merely think it's there like art, something to make sure we're not alone, something to make sure that we know we are part of something else (the history the stories all point to this); this is, of course, harder to prove. And there is the cynical counterargument that all art is propaganda and fiction is no different, and thus no case can be made for it.
Any of these are good reasons for fiction to be around, what are yours? For defenders of fiction what do you say to people who only read non-fiction (there is a weakness here, right? Few people will ever argue non-fiction is not needed, as I would never, but the other argument is made every day)?  
So what are your thoughts?

[OM] Fiction What does it mean to you?

So I wanted to take a break and ask people what they thought the value of fiction was (if any) and what it can do to improve a person's life. I'm asking because I wonder if people who write, or read, get the same reactions I do, such as why do I write fiction (being of a technocratic family, I hear this a lot). Or the general view in the at large world that fiction is make believe so why read it? Why bother? Better off reading about the world. No full on answers from me for now (that will be later). I will say that this can be looked in many ways, and none would be entirely wrong.

A few definitions:
I am, of course, mainly talking about modern fiction. The type being written and read today. For clarity's sake we can say fiction from the past hundred years, with a focus on today's fiction (therefore traditions arising from myths and other stories, will not be included. If this seems like a gross oversight then explain; I will always give way to good arguments).
And we can keep it to serious fiction and its value.
Also, the question is merely what reading fiction's place is in today's world (not that a certain degree is better than another kind of reading) not that one should read at least something (so why fiction and not only non-fiction).

More notes: I understand the limitation to serious fiction can be stifling. The definition of serious is up to you. I mean a book that shifted your perspective on life (I usually intend this for adults, as it's easier as a child to have one's perspective shifted). And the value of fiction as merely another outlet of entertainment (and as several friends told me, this is important, especially for people who have done much during the work day and simply want to relax with a good book) is not being derided here. That too is a goal. But is it the only goal? Should fiction merely be there for entertainment (I dare say no)? I understand that some people think this is useless, if there's something to be said, then it should be said without any make believe.

And more arguments are that it's a way to live other people's lives (then why not memoirs instead?) or that it creates a better human with more empathy (not sure this has been proven), or that it forces one to use more parts of the brain (especially serious fiction, and this has been proven, to some extent with fMRIs). Could be that you merely think it's there like art, something to make sure we're not alone, something to make sure that we know we are part of something else (the history the stories all point to this); this is, of course, harder to prove. And there is the cynical counterargument that all art is propaganda and fiction is no different, and thus no case can be made for it.

Any of these are good reasons for fiction to be around, what are yours? For defenders of fiction what do you say to people who only read non-fiction (there is a weakness here, right? Few people will ever argue non-fiction is not needed, as I would never, but the other argument is made every day)?  

So what are your thoughts?