What Interests Me

I often have trouble writing blogs and I really don’t know why. For the most part, I can talk, and don’t mind talking, about almost anything. I get into a lot of conversations in a day, and many of them are interesting, some are fascinating.
I suppose one of the reasons blogs are difficult is that they seem so one-sided. I like conversations. When two or more people are exploring ideas it’s fun for me. So, writing without having a conversation is a bit odd. (Note that even when writing fiction, I have more than one character. Maybe this is why I’m told I write great dialog?)
So, for today’s one-sided conversation, I thought I’d cover what interests me. This way, if you want to comment or start a longer conversation, you have a beginning point. Without just saying that I am interested and curious about everything, I’ll try to narrow things down a bit.
Writing—this may be obvious, but for some it doesn’t seem so. This includes poetry, fiction, nonfiction, short stories, pretty much anything. It also means the study of sentences and sentence structure, as well as novel structure, character, etc. And, we’d might as well include marketing and publishing in there. It’s a business, and I’m interested in most aspects of it. I’ve been told that some people don’t know what to talk with me about. Well, there’s number one.
Technology—and I mean almost any technology. I love the way things work, and the way things might work in the future. This type of information is infused in my science fiction titles. I’ve designed (in my head and/or on paper) everything from a flying saucer to weapons, from space ships to drilling equipment, and from dark energy balancers to time machines. I really have fun with it.
Shamanism—this may sound strange, but I’ve been interested in, and have studied, Native American totems, drum journeying, meditation, nature spirits, witchcraft, etc. for a long time. It’s all so cool. There is so much to this world we don’t understand yet, and some of these things put us into altered states where we can learn more about ourselves. I explore this a lot in my novel, “The NSA Files”, which was really fun.
Conscious dreaming—after studying with Robert Moss and taking his dream teacher training series, I’ve become a regular dream chronicler and Lightning Dream Work lover ever since. I believe that “The Three Only Things” is Robert’s book with the widest reach, and that everyone should read it at least once. I’ve read it more than once.
Psychology—how humans relate to one another, what they believe, how they interact with animals, why they are the way they are…these questions and more are the root of much of the character building and character-driven novels I love to read. We are complex and amazing beings, why not study us?
Reading—I’m going to end this short list (it could go on and on) with the one thing that goes along with writing, which is my first love. Without reading and readers, writers are talking to themselves (kind-of like blogs sometimes), and that’s just not fun. I read for story, for character, for place, for idea, and many other reasons. Reading expands my imagination and my ability to dream like no other medium. Read. If you’re a writer, that’s a must.
So, now that I’m at the end of this blog, I realize it wasn’t so difficult after all. If I just think of my blogs as one side of a conversation, my side, then I can get through them without much pain at all. But, now it’s your turn. Let’s talk. What are your interests?

* *Terry Persun holds a Bachelor’s of Science as well as an MA in Creative Writing. He has worked as an engineer, has been the Editor-in-Chief of several technology journals, and is now marketing consultant for technical and manufacturing companies. Seven of his novels have been published. His science fiction novel “Cathedral of Dreams” won a ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Finalist Award, and his historical novel, “Sweet Song” won a Silver IPPY Award. His latest science fiction space opera is “Hear No Evil”.