Colin Wright's Blog, page 35
March 24, 2014
Good People
As a kid, I was convinced that I would always be a gamer. I liked games for the challenge they provided, and the immense sense of satisfaction I gained by learning the rules, methodically increasing my skill, and eventually teaching others to enjoy a game’s complexities on the same level I did.
That feeling hasn’t gone away, it’s just expanded in scope. Rather than attempting to teach everyone the strategic complexity of chess, I promote literacy and encourage folks to self-educate about anyth...
March 11, 2014
Tasks and Work
There’s a big difference between the work you do, and the tasks you perform.
The two often blend together, at least in how we perceive our work and how our time is spent. But recognizing the difference can be quite impactful.
Consider an accountant, working for a clothing company that cuts out the marketing and manufacturing middle-men so they can pay local workers an excellent wage. The accountant performs the normal accounting tasks — tallying, multiplying, filling in spreadsheets — but what...
March 4, 2014
Who They’re For
Throughout my life, I’ve worked primarily within industries in which my work is put on public display. As a columnist, a painter, a designer, a web develop, a blogger, and an author, everything I’ve done is out in the world with my name on it. Like a street-level billboard with a face on it attracts Sharpie-drawn Hitler mustaches, my work, by its nature, has always attracted critique.
This is both boon and bane. It’s a good thing, sometimes, because the right critique at the right time can lea...
February 25, 2014
Telling Stories
The first words I published were on entrepreneurship and branding and other things I knew more about than most people, and that means of communication worked well. I could convey information damn quickly: this works, do this, here’s some information on how to do such things better.
Narrative nonfiction was the next step.
I thought, at first, that it was incredibly pretentious to tell stories about myself and my life. I thought, “Who cares? These are tales about me and my experiences. They can’t...
February 20, 2014
Bridges
Writing, to me, is like building a bridge.
I’m here, on this bank, and you’re over there, somewhere off in space. There may be fog between us, or we may have been aware for each other for some time, waving across the water from shore to shore, looking forward to eventual contact.
I have specific resources, traditions, ideas, and perspectives, and you have the same. By building a bridge, I’m able to share with you these resources of mine. I’m able to present what makes up ‘The Island of Colin’ t...
February 7, 2014
Let’s Say
When I was a kid, a lot of the games my friends and I would play started with the phrase, “Let’s say…”
Let’s say the X-Men have to save Barbie from the Ninja Turtles.
Let’s say you’re a wizard and I’m a thief and we have to find the dragon.
Let’s say we can both fly, and the UFOs are trying to hunt us down.
These were exploratory statements. They set the stage for the adventure we were about to have; contextualized and established a framework in which to explore. It gave us anchors so that we mig...
January 31, 2014
Defining a Name
I was born with a name that lacks meaning.
Not absolute meaning, of course. The name ‘Wright’ means ‘builder,’ and the name ‘Colin,’ depending on whether you’re talking to a Celt or a Norseman, means ‘cub’ or ‘a person living on property with disputable ownership.’
But I wasn’t born in a country where an urgency is placed on names, like in some cultures. I didn’t grow up feeling like I had to carry a burden handed down from my father’s father’s father, or risk tarnishing something immensely mea...
January 28, 2014
Trialogue
The following is a chapter from my new book, Trialogue, which is available free on Amazon until Thursday, January 30.
Rainer
“Never begin a story with dialogue.”
“Why?”
“It sets unrealistic expectations for the rest of the tale. It says to the reader, ‘Hey reader, so listen. This is going to be a character-driven effort, and the character who’s talking now is going to be paramount to the plot in some way.’” Rainer leaned back in his chair, tilting back onto two legs, the metal so cheap it moaned...
January 21, 2014
Master Student
My mastery of the English language has improved dramatically since I started traveling.
I’m primarily interacting with non-native speakers, so I spend most of my time speaking very simple English. As a result, I have to think carefully about which words I use, and how I use them.
Back at university, I found that teaching others helped me learn faster, and better. Concepts stuck with me because I had to explain them in different ways to different people, pondering perspectives I wouldn’t have co...
January 14, 2014
Ordovician
I’ve got a new book on shelves today, entitled Ordovician. It’s a time-travel adventure featuring a history nerd athlete from the future (named Ordovician) who takes on the roles of historical figures to compete in the only sport that still exists within his utopian society. It’s fun.
Below is the first chapter: I hope you enj...
