tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55606998456197316802024-03-14T03:25:17.028-07:00Alan OThe Invented LifeAlan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-60808826135151711492013-01-06T05:55:00.000-08:002013-01-06T05:55:18.116-08:00Addendum<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As I thought more this morning about my previous post, a bit of a summary occurred to me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">(You always think of what you should have said, after you've said it, right?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So here goes:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">A Good Reading Experience is a partnership. It's very much like falling in love with another person, and it requires two things:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">a) The right stimulus</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">b) The right response</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">That's why many book reviews fall short of being helpful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">"This book was great!" Doesn't tell me anything, because I don't know you, your values, your personality, and your background.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br />We often dissect the qualities of a given story, but we rarely reflect on the other side... the qualities of the reader who is engaging the text.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">A "Good read" takes two.</span>Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-10276743965945801112012-12-31T07:41:00.000-08:002012-12-31T07:41:42.989-08:00No Such Thing as a Good Book<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I just finished reading Henry James' "Turn of the Screw."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Re-reading, actually, because I first encountered the story during my college years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And I'm now reading "The Three Musketeers," by Alexandre Dumas.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">These two stories--and people's reactions to them--have reminded me of an important truth: <i>There's no such thing as a good book.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Pick any book you loved. I mean <u style="font-style: italic;">loved</u>. And go to Amazon or Goodreads and check the reviews. You'll be shocked to find messages there from people living on a different planet. People who hated this very same book you loved...or at least felt indifferent to its charms.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">How can this be? Why can't they see what you see?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Because books are (like any art work) nothing more than Projective Tests. More recently known as Free-Response Measures, Projective tests in psychology are ambiguous stimuli <i>that tell us far more about the person than they do about the object.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Is there something wrong with people who don't appreciate science fiction or fantasy? Or Romance? Or Westerns?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">No.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">But certain types of people will <i>respond</i> to those stimuli differently.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We get tied in knots discussing the relative "merits" of certain kinds of fiction...or of certain specific works...and miss the point entirely.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We debate and discuss and sometimes argue over stories, as if the story itself held an intrinsic quality of "goodness" or "badness."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">When in fact, encountering a story is like encountering another person. You will "click" with some people, and not with others. And if you're paying attention, this degree of "fit" tells you most of all about <u>yourself.</u> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">What are some of the things about <u>you</u> that determine whether or not you'll appreciate a particular story?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">1) Age. Ever read a book twice, at different ages? Chances are, it means something different to you. "Turn of the Screw" created a different (more intense) reaction in me at age 48 than it did when I was twenty-something.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">2) Intellect. I've written on this before, and it's a can-of-worms topic. But (Reader's Digest version): Intellect is essentially the <u>capacity to deal with complexity</u>. Complex words, complex sentences, complex plots can either be a playground of the imagination...or a frustrating block. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">3) Aspects of Personality. This could be a book-length discourse; but for now, I'll mention just one element: People tend to lean (at least a little) towards either of two poles... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><u>Analytical/Technical</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">vs</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><u>Social/Relational</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And these "bents" determine some of our preferences in stories.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Analytics (Thinkers, introspectors, imaginatives) tend to have a greater appreciation for the fantastical...for sci fi and fantasy and bizarre worlds and "out there" possibilities. They are explorers of the mind...and they enjoy speculating on "what could be." They like to chew over their stories, and break them down and savor the richness of inner worlds.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Socials (Relationship-focused, extroverts) are less likely to be attracted to what they perceive as "weird" stuff. They want to vicariously feel the surge and pull of emotions that come with the territory of human relationships.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Neither of these tendencies are absolute...like two discrete sides of a coin. Most personalities are a blend of these two, and fall somewhere along a continuum. But individuals do tend to favor one side above the other in the overall coloration of their personalities.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">When you tell me about a book you loved (or hated)...I'm learning more about you than I am about the book.</span><br />
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<br />Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-11104164299929792142012-11-23T06:53:00.001-08:002012-11-23T06:53:28.989-08:00We Dit It!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtK6mWCilxCFXuCdnwyQdzKa3XrMCI06hihlfY7K7cF8loy00fdpenjjvjkGAdHWOpzGLFJ42wwiWzxEgIXN5EX5zEeIJwIDyRL5ctEE6MY9j3xSuScEOaywoKqgMuu8u1zWuymcNX3Vg/s1600/Alan+Ro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtK6mWCilxCFXuCdnwyQdzKa3XrMCI06hihlfY7K7cF8loy00fdpenjjvjkGAdHWOpzGLFJ42wwiWzxEgIXN5EX5zEeIJwIDyRL5ctEE6MY9j3xSuScEOaywoKqgMuu8u1zWuymcNX3Vg/s320/Alan+Ro.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Saturday, November 17th we celebrated the release of <i>Primary Source</i> at the Marrowbone Public Library.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Written World Communications editor Rowena Kuo and her wonderful family traveled down from Chicago to be with us, as we greeted 52 people, enjoyed the refreshments, and laughed together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ro's youngest daughter, Evie took time to peruse the work of competing authors:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC8-280ZrD0pVX8myUHqYrJvGONQft16RMGBwbW1XVhWqzFi6ZFCqrv0RcMGa4OwxeIPWuFZgZzaSxF5cLgjq6h3xVNVImQKhYSUyHhqJJmwyytt_viXUGgfG1pyXWuq32cAhzGriwDjM/s1600/Evie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC8-280ZrD0pVX8myUHqYrJvGONQft16RMGBwbW1XVhWqzFi6ZFCqrv0RcMGa4OwxeIPWuFZgZzaSxF5cLgjq6h3xVNVImQKhYSUyHhqJJmwyytt_viXUGgfG1pyXWuq32cAhzGriwDjM/s320/Evie.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Meanwhile, I signed copies of mine:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNEO5apInICfU88CORpfn_UuPG7FPWBijcIvJgTsMh0Ta1xrDxYjkANUkg-22hxtyyDGcxhwfX-a3OCKnUmPYLb3Rr70hHW0ucU0j-2rkuhayvDTLDw3LoasPLkBawvHxZMSJa1y8z48/s1600/Signing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNEO5apInICfU88CORpfn_UuPG7FPWBijcIvJgTsMh0Ta1xrDxYjkANUkg-22hxtyyDGcxhwfX-a3OCKnUmPYLb3Rr70hHW0ucU0j-2rkuhayvDTLDw3LoasPLkBawvHxZMSJa1y8z48/s320/Signing.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">During the festivities, Lesa told me the story of going to the store to pick up the decorated cake she ordered. The bakery handed it to her, she glanced at it, and took it to the checkout line. While waiting to pay, she decided to check it more thoroughly, and lifted the box lid. The cake read:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Congratulations, Alan. You Dit It!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Back to the bakery for a quick fix...Even with baked goods, there's always editing to do!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was a great celebration with family & friends...and a time to acknowledge that I didn't do it alone. Rowena and the team at Written World Communications, my family, and supporters all made it possible:</span></div>
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Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-64157171879345821802012-09-23T09:48:00.002-07:002012-09-23T09:48:38.962-07:0025 / 12<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiby1UePtCLaq6gHuOQImym0_ZsEu6cWEz6Etl2iXgQp71JW3edIcJ6ykl5jt9ipfiFj5k9aDTi7P48E6Y0xn74a9y6Y141DfZ9X91A0b5bpYuAR5FdtZKKe1iybpoGJ7Af6_Ysj3_WLc8/s1600/Wedding+87.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiby1UePtCLaq6gHuOQImym0_ZsEu6cWEz6Etl2iXgQp71JW3edIcJ6ykl5jt9ipfiFj5k9aDTi7P48E6Y0xn74a9y6Y141DfZ9X91A0b5bpYuAR5FdtZKKe1iybpoGJ7Af6_Ysj3_WLc8/s320/Wedding+87.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Our daughter was born on September 1st, 1992. Two weeks late. And while those last two weeks of waiting seemed longer than the whole preceding nine months, there was one silver lining:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">She was born on my birthday.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It was the nicest birthday gift I ever received, and a wonderful convergence of two celebrations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Twenty years later, the month of September turns out to be another convergence worth celebrating.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">September 5th marked our 25th wedding anniversary. And, after 12 years of hard work, late September will see the release of my novel <i>Primary Source</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The marriage has been easy...twenty five years with my best friend, and while we've walked through all the usual ups and downs of life, I can't imagine a better partner.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The dream of publishing a novel...not so easy. Lots of ups and downs there, too... But unlike the marriage, there have been plenty of times when the temptation to quit was almost overwhelming.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">November is still a ways off, but this has been a month of grateful Thanksgiving.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Maybe by our 50th anniversary, I'll have two books published! If not, as long as I have her, I'll be content...</span>Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-53620956082249098822012-09-03T06:00:00.000-07:002012-09-03T06:00:58.712-07:00An Opera in Three Acts<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">With <i>Primary Source</i> moving along towards publication (the team is working on layouts & typesetting, now), I thought it would be fun to dissect a few elements of the book...and maybe answer a few questions before anyone has a chance to ask.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">To start with: Why are the three major parts of <i>Primary Source</i> named after operas?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The main character, Malorie DeMarco, is a fourth-generation Italian American. Growing up, she absorbed the love of opera from her Grandfather...and it's still a part of her life, much to the bewilderment of her roommate, Paige.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">While opera themes don't play a major role in the story, I thought naming the three major sections after famous librettos might be a good way to reinforce the impact that opera had on Malorie's life...as well as providing hints of foreshadowing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Part One: A Masked Ball (Verdi)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the first section, Malorie struggles to make sense of confused identities...she's never quite sure who's who, but she knows she's in danger.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In Verdi's opera, a masked ball covers the identity of a political assassin. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Part Two: The Italian Girl in Algiers (Rossini)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the second part of the novel, Malorie takes a journey away from her hometown of St. Louis, in search of answers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In Rossini's opera, a spunky, clever Italian girl travels away from home on a search for her love.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Part Three: The Force of Destiny (Verdi, again)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As you would expect, Part Three brings everything together in the climax, and Malorie is forced into decisions that affect her destiny.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Verdi's opera has been described as "a sprawling concoction of disguises, fortune tellers, and vows of revenge." That seemed as good a description of the third section of the novel as any...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-13191746074534096432012-08-04T07:24:00.000-07:002012-08-04T07:24:45.413-07:00"Sure, I'm Sure."<span style="font-size: large;">My son and I have a running joke, based on an old <a href="http://www.chug.org/bcz/?opus=strips">Bloom County cartoon</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In it, the brainy, budding scientist Oliver hacks into the computer system of the Soviet newspaper "Pravda," and creates a false headline. When his friend Milo asks if Oliver got the translation from English to Russian correct, Oliver sounds confident...albeit with slight reservations.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"Sure I'm sure. I'm pretty sure."</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Of course, his confidence was misplaced, leading to humorous results and confused Russians.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So anytime I ask my son, "Are you sure?" he automatically responds with the tag line.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Confidence is a strange paradox.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It allows us to take action; to move forward and dare things. A football team that believes in itself plays up to (and maybe beyond) it's capabilities.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">As I write, the 2012 London Olympics are underway, and you often hear commentators discussing the confidence (or lack thereof) that athletes display.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Without confidence, we're uncertain about our direction. Tentative. We may even quit in discouragement. Or not even try.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Confidence is good.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Except when it's not.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">For all its positive qualities, confidence has its dark side.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Most of us, like Oliver, tend to be more confident than the facts warrant. Studies done in a number of fields (athletic performance, chess skills, intelligence, supervisory prowess, decision-making capability, etc) suggest that <u>human beings tend to consistently overrate their own skills/abilities</u>.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This overconfidence factor seems particularly strong at amateur levels of activity. For example, studies of serious chess players show that both beginning and advanced players rate themselves as having higher levels of skill than is actually the case. However, the gap between self-judged ability and actual ability is wider for the beginning players.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">More advanced players are a little more realistic about their true level of acumen, though they still display what psychologists term a "self-serving bias." <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illusory_superiority">(learn more)</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This helps explains why the vast majority of drivers feel they are <u>better</u> drivers than other people. We can't <u>all</u> be better than the next guy...Yet we believe we are.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It's one thing if you feel you're a better tennis player than you actually are...the only thing liable to get hurt is your pride.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But what about people in positions of power who are confident that an oil rig is safe? Or confident that the housing bubble will never burst? Or confident that a little ice on the wings of that airplane won't be a problem?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Compounding the issue of overconfidence is the fact that <u>people tend to be attracted to, and impressed by, confidence in others.</u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">On the whole, we praise, applaud, and look up to confident people. And we are more likely to be persuaded by them.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Even when they are dead wrong.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This creates a culture...in politics, in business, in academic debate (can you say: "global warming"?) where it is <u>more important to appear confident than to be factually correct.</u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The term "con man" comes from the word "confidence".... getting people to believe something that isn't true (for money, or status) used to be called "a confidence game." So con men and impostors can pull of audacious feats <a href="http://www.bukisa.com/articles/274515_top-10-famous-con-artists">by acting with boldness and certainty.</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">You see, when people act like they know what they're doing...we tend to believe them. Whether or not it's actually true.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Therein lie the seeds of a lot of woe...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Would you rather be treated by a doctor who seems unsure of herself...tentative and always checking her facts in a book? Or by a doctor who swiftly and incisively assures you of what's wrong and how to fix it?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Studies show we intuitively place more trust in doctors who appear certain of their own diagnoses, and who speak confidently. Even though the doctor who double-checks her facts and second-guesses herself may be safer for our health.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It's not an easy paradox to resolve....but it's wise to consider both sides:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Confidence based on proven ability is healthy and productive.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Confidence based on smoke & mirrors can have terrible consequences. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-82230182973145920012012-07-22T05:15:00.000-07:002012-07-22T05:15:28.950-07:00Another Milestone<span style="font-size: large;">This past week marks another huge milestone in the writing journey...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">My editor and I completed the final changes to <i>Primary Source</i>, and she's sending it out for typesetting.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Mostly, it feels weird... To suddenly have <i>no more edits</i>. To realize that all that work is done. I feel sort of displaced.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But it's a good feeling. Like Frodo, with the help of so many, I finished what I set out to accomplish. And, like Frodo, I've changed along the journey. Grown a bit wiser, I hope.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I hope it connects with a few readers, of course. Like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KEe-dA3a4M">Nichole Nordeman sings</a><u>,</u> "I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me...." But there's a lot more to it, than that.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">If my words challenge or inspire one person, the way I've been challenged and inspired over the years by well-written fiction, then every ounce of effort that went into <i>Primary Source</i> will have been worth it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Looking forward to whatever comes next... </span><br />
<br />
<br />Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-4716672556492218542012-04-14T06:35:00.000-07:002012-04-14T06:35:12.130-07:00Confessions of a Commenter<span style="font-size: large;">Can I just say it?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I enjoy commenting on other people's blogs more than I enjoy posting on my own.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm pretty sure that's a politically incorrect statement, like admitting that you're not really into Thomas Kinkade paintings, but it's honest, nevertheless.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Here are a few reasons why it's true:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">1) I like my commenting "voice." When I respond to an ongoing discussion on someone's blog, my words usually sound like me. Like I was sitting in a room with one or two people, having a thoughtful interchange. When I write a blog post, it usually sounds like someone I don't know. Occasionally I have achieved a post that sounds natural, but this hasn't happened often during the time frame I've experimented with blogging.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2) Good posts deserve comments. People with far more blogging talent than I are out there spending the time and effort to put their thoughts into eloquent words. When I read a well-written post, I feel compelled to give that person an "attaboy" or "attagirl" and show appreciation for their work. No one wants to post their best thoughts, and hear "crickets" in return...so I enjoy making some bloggers day by responding.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3) I hate the forced nature of good blog writing. I get the fact that it's important to blog regularly if you want to attract and retain an audience. I just can't do it (no surprise, if you check the archives). I'm more of a "When I have something to say, I'll say it" person. Which leads me to...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">4) I love commenting because there's no set schedule. I have a handful of blogs that I visit fairly regularly (usually 3 or 4 times a week). If there's a lively discussion going on about a topic I care something about, I'll toss in my two cents. But if the current topics don't catch my interest, or if someone else has already said what I would have said, then I stay silent.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">5) I'm very critical of my own blog ideas. One of my pet peeves is the repetitive nature of blog topics. It's a rare blogger that has the gift for writing engaging and fresh content. A large percentage of what clogs up the blog-waves is rehashed and rewarmed. And I tend to draft a post, look at it critically, and go: meh. So I don't post it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">God bless the talented bloggers! Look for me in the comment section... </span>Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-85845320141302414312012-03-04T05:17:00.000-08:002012-03-04T05:17:56.177-08:00Why God is a Hard Friend<span style="font-size: large;">Lately, I've been immersed in the relationship research of John Gottman. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">If you've ever read Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink," you'll recognize Gottman as the researcher who can very accurately predict whether a married couple will divorce in the future, based on analyzing the dynamics of a brief, recorded interaction between the two.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Great stuff; and Gottman's books are highly recommended. But this focus on what makes human relationships strong, and what makes them weak, has also got me thinking about a common phrase:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A relationship with God (or, a relationship with Jesus)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It's easy to be a Pharisee... Just memorize a bunch or rules, or scripture passages, and quote them at people (or yourself). But when I talk to people who have honestly tried to build a <u>relationship </u>with the Divine (or read honest memoirs of those who have), I hear words and phrases like this:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Drift. Lost the fire. Left your first love. Backslidden. Doubts.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Gottman's research has helped me understand (at least one reason) why.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In human relationships (friends, partners, co-workers, etc) people make "bids" all the time. Little gestures of reaching-out to the Other. In essence, these are "requests" for connection. In healthy relationships, Gottman found that these bids are met by "turning towards" over 80 percent of the time. For example, if I'm reading in bed, and my wife sighs deeply while she's over working on the computer, that's a bid. I have three basic choices: I can turn towards ("Something wrong, honey?"); I can turn away (by saying nothing); or I can turn against ("Why is it always a dramatic sigh with you? Grow up.")</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Unhappy couples have a much higher incidence of turning away, or turning against, and over time this feeds the lost of trust ("I make a bid for connection, and you're not there for me.") Which leads to the breakdown of relationship.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">See the connection?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A relationship with God means that we trust, deeply, that God is "there for us." Not that we mouth platitudes and say that this is true, but that He has proven it (and continues to prove it).</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So what happens when God lets us down? When we come up against that "betrayal barrier" (Dr. James Dobson) or we feel "Disappointment with God" (Philip Yancey)...?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Gottman found that if couples can "attune"...talk these inevitable "attachment injuries" over and come to some resolution, then the hurts are forgotten and forgiven, and the relationship continues strong. But if the couple nurses unresolved angers and disappointments, <u>over time trust erodes, and faith in the relationship dissolves</u>.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm thinking here of the person who's been kicked around by life...maybe in their 20's, but more likely in their 40's and 50's... and gradually over time have come to believe, through experience, that "God's not there for me the way I used to feel."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Unresolved disappointments. Unanswered prayers. Questions without satisfying answers.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I think Gottman's work shows us part of the <u>process</u> by which a relationship with God can weaken over time. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-3642476038317516032012-01-02T05:37:00.000-08:002012-01-02T05:37:14.868-08:00Writing is an Unhealthy Endeavor<span style="font-size: large;">I was thinking during my morning exercise about the importance of balance...and how the process of writing can pull you out of that.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Then, when I got to the computer, I read <a href="http://www.kevinlucia.com/2011/12/importance-of-having-friends-who-are.html">this.</a> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Which just reinforced my thinking: Writers are sedentary creatures. Or can be, if we're not careful. I know I've gone through stages during the 10+ years I've been seriously writing where too much sitting, not enough time, and too many cappuccinos led to unwanted baggage around the middle.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Three strategies I use to avoid the Writer's Hunchback:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">1) I often write in a reclined position. Since I like to write (and edit) with a paper & pen instead of at the computer, I'm free to adopt whatever posture I choose. Many times, I choose to write in a reclined position, so my back isn't curved forward over a keyboard. If you can sit at a keyboard and maintain healthy posture, you deserve an A+! But many people find that difficult.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2) I get outside every chance I get. I love hiking, and just being outdoors. So when I'm not writing, I get up and moving...outside if possible. While I'm at it, I may <a href="http://www.alanoathout.blogspot.com/2011/05/can-bacteria-help-you-get-book-deal.html">eat a few bacteria for good measure.</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3) I love my kettlebell! If you're not familiar, a kettlebell is like a cannon ball with a handle, and it's a fantastic workout tool. With just this one piece of equipment, (plus other basic body-weight exercises) I can get a complete workout that tones and strengthens the entire body. The kettlebell provides cardio, strength, flexibility and balance training. And it does this with very little space required, no need to go to an expensive or inconvenient gym, and with minimal time requirements.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In 20 minutes, I can start my day with exercise just as vigorous (or gentle) as I want it to be.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Check it out:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82XGy9xOBik&feature=related">Kettlebell demo</a> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And one for the ladies:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=makzoFNXEwY&feature=relmfu">Kettlebell demo (female)</a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Exercise is healthy for your body & your brain....and necessary to balance all that "Seat-of-the-Pants" time. What are your favorite ways of breaking out of the Sedentary Writer rut? </span>Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-1003215199034082372011-12-17T07:44:00.000-08:002011-12-17T07:44:49.648-08:00Home Stretch<span style="font-size: large;">This feels good to say: Primary Source is less than 10 chapters away from being edited.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It's starting to feel real, now... and maybe by January or February 2012 I'll have a tangible book to show in exchange for many years of effort.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Most importantly, I'm happy with how it's turning out. Whether "successful" or not, the final product represents the kind of story I set out to write.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I think that's the best kind of success... </span>Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-81606577436362898072011-11-23T03:13:00.000-08:002011-11-23T03:13:33.775-08:00One Man's "Meh..."<span style="font-size: large;">My daughter recently completed an art project for her class at junior college.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It's a black wire sculpture, full of twists and loops and spirals; looks something like a demented bird cage from a steampunk novel.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I genuinely loved it, and told her so. (For the record, I'm also honest with her when something she creates doesn't "reach" me)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Next day, she "tested the work out" with her teacher before officially turning it in. Teacher let her know in no uncertain terms that she found it inferior.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So Daughter is discouraged & back to the drawing board, and I have a new decoration for my office.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm sorry for her, but that's the nature of art...any art. And it's a good reminder for me, as I inch closer to publishing my first novel.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I can take any story I've ever loved, and go to Amazon and find 1-star reviews from people who hated it. Vice versa, as well.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Any novel, any painting, any song is just a Projection test... a person's reaction tells you far more about the person than it does about the creation. </span>Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-47881229864342026632011-11-20T04:37:00.000-08:002011-11-20T04:37:05.946-08:00Determination<span style="font-size: large;">Been doing some reading lately on the subject of Will Power and Determination. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Some interesting research being done on these topics, and it certainly relates to the endeavor of writing (Or the attainment of any goal).</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">One of the more recent findings has to do with the power of publicity...and accountability. Researchers have proven in a number of studies that "going public" with a goal is an important motivator. The drive to avoid embarrassment, maybe? Or social support? Or a combination.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Another finding: Religious people tend to take a "higher" view of purpose, and this helps them through the tough times. If you focus only on the here and now, it's easy to get discouraged. If you keep your vision fixed on the eventual goal (the "why" instead of the "how") it tends to guard against discouragement. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A third concept: "Pre-commitment." An effective strategy for maintaining motivation and drive is realize ahead of time what your chief temptations will be. What is most likely to side-track you from your goal? By recognizing these sticking points in advance, you are more likely to avoid their destructive effects.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Put a plan in place to shield yourself from the distraction. And if you can't avoid the distraction altogether, decide ahead of time how you will respond to it when it shows up.</span>Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-42192923672178901912011-11-12T07:14:00.000-08:002011-11-12T07:14:52.928-08:00Being True to YourselfI'm thinking more lately about the importance of being authentic.<br />
<br />
Of being who <u>you</u> are, despite a plethora of voices telling you who to be, how to be.<br />
<br />
And I suppose that for me, the journey towards publication has been a catalyst for these thoughts. The "business of publishing," to judge from the blogs of writers and editors and publishers, is filled with advice, maxims, commands.<br />
<br />
Conventional wisdom.<br />
<br />
While I believe in "absolute truth" in a theological sense, there are many, many "truths" of life (and business, and publishing) that are nothing more than thinly-disguised opinions. As I get older, I find myself becoming more weary of these, and the voices that propagate them.<br />
<br />
In our culture, we worship the god of Confidence. And too much reliance on the Confident will lead you into a labyrinth in which you lose the essence of You.<br />
<br />
I want to be true to the pattern God constructed for me. Wherever that path leads.<br />
<br />
If you're interested, I'll be sharing some observations on "what's true for me" over the coming months.<br />
<br />
Agree or disagree, at least you'll know.Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-37484099482104642802011-10-30T05:44:00.000-07:002011-10-30T05:44:08.204-07:00Separate Your Obstacles<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">By any measure, this fall has been an extraordinarily busy time.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The "real job" has been almost all-consuming, while my editor & I continue edits on the novel (up to Chapter 12 now.... ) and family responsibilities continue on...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I've been trying to practice what I preach, and be nice to myself by lowering the expectations wherever I can. I take time out for nature hikes, give myself permission not to blog, enjoy the NFL football season, and take things one day at a time.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">In Driver's Ed class many years ago, my teacher preached the doctrine of "Separate your obstacles." Meaning, if you're approaching a narrow bridge *and* an oncoming vehicle, slow down and take these hazards one at a time...not simultaneously.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">That principle has stuck with me all my life, and I'm repeating the phrase to myself a lot, recently...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span>Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-80546412140267164212011-09-17T07:12:00.000-07:002011-09-17T07:12:45.074-07:00What I Did On My Summer Vacation<span style="font-size: small;">#1................. I didn't write blog posts.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">#2................. I didn't write anything else.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The last couple of months has been a period of rest. Well, not really rest, as things have been very busy with the family and with "the real job."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">But it has been an interval away from writing, reading, or worrying too much about publication.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">And a season of prayer. Trying to be open to what God</span> really wants...not what I would like Him to want.<br />
<br />
I'm finding it very refreshing....Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-29847521376178184462011-07-13T17:39:00.000-07:002011-07-13T17:45:54.528-07:00That Thing We Don't Talk About (Part II)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, what exactly are we talking about, when we talk about that thing that we don't talk about?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(That last sentence may be a useful IQ test of it's own!)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What is Intelligence anyway? What do we mean by the term? And if this thing we label Intelligence really exists, does it have any practical relevance in our lives? Does it matter?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After more than 100 years of vigorous--and at times controversial--research, the vast majority of experts agree:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Yes, Virginia, there is a thing called Intelligence. It is not just a concept...and idea (An <i>artifact</i>, as scientists say). It is real. And it matters greatly.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There are a variety of cognitive skills--verbal, numerical, spatial, memory, and so forth. But at the top of the pyramid sits a pervasive, measurable global ability, that all human being possess, to varying degrees.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">General intelligence--or, as it's known: <i>g</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br />
</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>g</i> has been defined in many ways. Even though we all "sort of" know what we mean when we say "She's smart," it's hard to pin down with a comprehensive, accurate definition.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It includes a capacity to learn, to analyze that information, and to use it in creative ways to solve problems.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But at its core, this quality we call Intelligence is about <i>complexity.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br />
</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Linda Gottfredson is a leading scholar and a keen observer of the research into Intelligence. Here's how she explains it, in a 1998 Scientific American article:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"More complex tasks require more mental manipulation, and this manipulation of information--discerning similarities and inconsistencies, drawing inferences, grasping new concepts and so on--constitutes intelligence in action. Indeed, intelligence can best be described as the ability to deal with cognitive complexity."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Gottfredson points out that this mental aptitude of <i>g</i> is consistent with what the average person thinks of as intelligence: reasoning, problem solving, abstract thinking, quick learning.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And, as I mentioned in Part One of this series, the fact that intelligence exists at all rankles some people. Gottfredson again:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"The reality is that Mother Nature is no egalitarian. People are in fact unequal in intellectual potential--and they are born that way, just as they are born with different potentials for height, physical attractiveness, artistic flair, athletic prowess, and other traits. Although subsequent experience shapes this potential, no amount of social engineering can make individuals with widely divergent mental aptitudes into intellectual equals."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As one man of high measured IQ remarked, it is more socially acceptable to talk of hemorrhoids than it is to talk of intelligence.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Yet this aptitude for dealing with complexity has implications that start very early, and follow us throughout our lives.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Reading Proficiency Scales given to school children measure a number of text elements, in order to rank a given piece of writing. Average Words Per Sentence, Average word length, vocabulary level, and so on.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">All of these elements are measured on a sliding scale, <i>from low to high complexity.</i> You have to master "See Spot Run" before you can move on to John Grisham...or James Joyce.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Reading is an exercise in cognitive complexity. The more "difficult" the work, the more cognitive capacity is required to comprehend the text.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm not suggesting that all persons of above average IQ will automatically have the same <i>preferences</i>. There are other factors that influence those decisions. Nor is it true to say that persons of high IQ will <i>only</i> enjoy complicated literature.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But various kinds of fiction make different demands on readers. And research shows that persons of higher IQ tend to have a higher appreciation for the increased complexity of "literary" fiction. There is a cutoff point, below which people find the challenges of "difficult" fiction too frustrating...too much work.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And this is one element that helps shape our reading choices as adults.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Before you can decide whether you "like" a story...you have to "get" it first. People gifted with the ability to comprehend more complex information simply have a wider pool of potential "likes."</span><br />
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</span>Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-30135613650246658262011-06-24T03:38:00.000-07:002011-06-24T03:38:37.671-07:00That Thing We Don't Talk About (Part I)<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">No...Not the s-thing. Because sometimes we do talk about that.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The i-thing.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Earlier, I riffed on the topic of <a href="http://alanoathout.blogspot.com/2011/05/mirror-mirror-on-wall.html">physical appearance & author photos. </a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We hardly ever talk about that in writing circles, yet social psychology is clear that appearance matters...that people draw initial conclusions about others (usually false ones) based on the Hottie Scale.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But there's another taboo topic....maybe even worse:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Intelligence.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Intelligence is a trait that lurks behind everything we do...everything we are...silently running in the background. If our unique set of personality dimensions represents the "software" of life, intelligence is the "operating system."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And like personality, intelligence plays a pivotal role in our choices, our preferences, our actions and behaviors.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We just never acknowledge it. When was the last time you participated in a discussion about writing or reading where intelligence was invoked to help explain our individual differences?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I thought so. Why is that? Here's my list of three reasons, for starters:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>1) The average person takes intelligence for granted.</b> One reason we don't talk about it is that we don't think about it. Like personality, unless you consciously decide to study its meaning in your life, you don't realize how widespread the implications are.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>2) Intelligence gets a bad rap. </b>Stereotypes...warranted or not...attach to notions of intelligence. When you think of highly intelligent people, do you think of "arrogant?" "Argumentative?" "Cold?" Intelligence brings with it some baggage that can make it an unwelcome visitor.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>3) We can't readily change what we're gifted with.</b> And that contributes mightily to the "awkwardness" factor.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Modern American society ranks the value of people according to four standards: Power (status/accomplishment); Beauty; Wealth; Intelligence.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Of these four, Intelligence is the <u>least susceptible to change </u>(with perhaps Beauty taking second place).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If we had a proven way to create significant gains in personal intelligence, it would spark an industry to rival our current obsession with physical appearance (books, videos, cosmetics, fitness equipment & programs, surgery, etc).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But we don't.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">You can change you wealth. You can change your power/status. And, to a lesser extent, you can change your physical appearance. Intelligence, not so much.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here's the recipe for a taboo:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1) Place a societal value on high intelligence.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2) Recognize the hard truth that some have more of this trait than others.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">3) Tell those in the "have not" category that there's nothing they can do to alter that fact.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sound like a volatile situation? In our egalitarian, "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps" culture, it's not something we like to hear.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Over the coming weeks, we'll talk about this thing we don't talk about....how it relates to reading, and writing, and life.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What's your take? Are there other reasons why Intelligence is such a hot-button topic?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span>Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-45235120173338255522011-06-15T17:30:00.000-07:002011-06-15T17:30:28.494-07:00George doesOne of my favorite books of all time, hands down, is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-to-Get-Ideas-ebook/dp/B001JEPQ4Q/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_ke?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308181772&sr=1-1">How to Get Ideas by Jack Foster.</a><br />
<br />
Every creative person should have a copy of this book on the shelf...I heartily recommend it to you, and someday I will do a full review. But for now, one particular nugget of wisdom has been on my mind this week:<br />
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In this marvelous How-To manual for sparking creative thought, Foster tells a story about George Ade, a popular novelist/humorist/playwright from the late 1800's and early 1900's.<br />
<br />
According to Foster, Ade's mother was once interviewed by a journalist who was quite critical of Ade's work. The man was rude enough to pepper Ade's mother with numerous questions about George's shortcomings as a writer, including his "capricious style, wobbly structure and shallow characterizations."<br />
<br />
Eventually, George's good mother had taken all she could take.<br />
<br />
"Oh, I know that many people can writer better than George does," she said. "But George does."<br />
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I first read "How to Get Ideas" many years ago, and since that time, the phrase has always stuck with me...<br />
<br />
George does.<br />
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How many people sidetrack their own dreams, their own calling, because they talk about it, chat about it, Facebook about it (looking at you, Ginny!) think about it... but they don't <b>do </b>it<b>.</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
It's easier to talk about writing a novel than to pick up a pen and write. Every day.<br />
<br />
It's easier to dream about painting a masterpiece than to get your brushes out and start filling a canvas.<br />
<br />
It's easier to tell people about the music career you'd like to have, than to sit down with your instrument and <b>practice</b>.<br />
<br />
Despite all obstacles.... George does.<br />
<br />
Despite imperfection.... George does.<br />
<br />
Despite insecurities and doubts... George does.<br />
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It reminds me of the ancient proverb, oftentimes ascribed to the Chinese... "It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness."<br />
<br />
Take one small step... Do one small thing towards achieving your dream. Today. And the next day. And the next.<br />
<br />
George does.<br />
<br />
Do you?Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-84213031792069786602011-06-07T06:17:00.000-07:002011-06-07T06:44:44.396-07:00Editing "The Resurrection" (Part Four of Four)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://mikeduran.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/The-Resurrection-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://mikeduran.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/The-Resurrection-2.png" width="212" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="background-color: #9fc5e8;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: #9fc5e8;"><span style="background-color: #cc0000;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></span></span></span>We've been working through a four-part series on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Resurrection-novel-Mike-Duran/dp/161638204X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1307300756&sr=8-1">Mike Duran's entertaining debut novel, "The Resurrection."</a></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Today, we'll finish with some thoughts on speech patterns, and a list of line-editing comments.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">MINOR SPOILERS ALERT: Read and enjoy the book first, then see if you agree: </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><b>Mid-Altitude issues (continued):</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><b><br />
</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">3) Character speech patterns: Mike chooses to employ a fair number of phonetic spellings throughout the novel ("lottsa," "ya know..." "shoulda..."). I would counsel him to consider using fewer, for two reasons:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">a) The sheer number of repetitions became a bit distracting, for me. Dialogue that attempts to render dialect into black and white is simply harder to read, and my preference is to see it used sparingly, for particular effect. A little goes a long way, which leads to the second, related reason...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">b) Almost every character in the book, with the exception of Keen, uses phonetically-spelled dialogue, at least on occasion. Consequently, the speech patterns aren't as effective as they could be <i>as a means of differentiating characters.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><i><br />
</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Speech patterns are a wonderfully nuanced way to <i>Show, not Tell. </i>Mike nails this perfectly with Keen: even when agitated, Keen's speech is laced with sophisticated diction and syntax, delivered in a pedantic tone that instantly communicates this man's arrogance...the smug superiority he exudes through displaying his knowledge and philosophy. You don't have to tell us what Keen is like, we intuit it naturally, like we do in the real world, from the way he speaks.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">But language used by the other characters rarely differentiates them as individuals, with varying personalities, backgrounds, and educational levels. The most noticeable and distressing example, I believe, comes from the character of Beeko.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Beeko is a physician from Nigeria, who grew up outside of Bwari, and speaks with a slight, but unmistakable British accent. From this description, and subsequent events, I infer a few things: a) English is his second language; b) at the very least, he was educated in British schools, and very likely his college years were spent in the class-conscious environment of England itself; c) he is a learned man, and d) Clark specifically seeks out Beeko because he values the doctor as a man of rational thought.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Assuming these things as given, that leads me to expect a certain language style from the character. Perhaps not an arrogant one, as with Keen, but speech patterns that are precise and formal (as with many English-as-a-second-language students), and erudite (throwing in words that even the seminary-trained Clark may be unfamiliar with). Beeko is a product of the British educational system and culture, where speech patterns and accents are badges of social standing.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">And, in fact, for the first three or four statements I find what I expected. Then, Beeko unexpectedly turns a corner, and tosses out the very informal term, "critter." From that point on, through the remainder of the conversation he bounces back and forth between the formal ("I'm not daft enough to guess..." "A bit of a doubting Thomas, are we?" "The atmosphere is a manifestation of cumulative events or a series of historic concessions;") and the colloquial ("evangelism jazz" "Lotsa places..." "Don't ya, man?")</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">As an editor, I would counsel Mike to either a) explain this schizophrenic language pattern in the narrative (is there a motivation for it somewhere in Beeko's past?) or b) revise the doctor's speech to something more fitting with his educational and professional status. Similarly, the book would benefit from more careful attention to the other character's dialogue tendencies, as well.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><b>Ground-level issues:</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Finally, some micro-level observations...points at which I felt the line-editor missed a beat. These are the type of thing I look for when reading, because I think that <b>training your eye to look for these makes you a better writer...and especially a better re-writer.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">p45..."Well, let's say I'm getting closer. (missing punctuation, quotes not closed)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">p64... shallow and erratic breathing... (why? from other indications, Jack is in a deep sleep, so you would expect slow, easy respiration)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">p83...It was a black Hummer, the wide older models, with... (the Hummer is singular, "models" is plural... so better would be: It was a black Hummer, <b>one of</b> the wide older models,....)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">p86... clear blue eyes and bright smile offset her aging features. (better with: clear blue eyes and <b>a</b> bright smile...)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">p89... he snapped some surgical gloves on each hand ("some gloves" is plural, "hand" singular... better: he snapped a surgical glove on each hand....)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">p142... got to wippin' people up. (Here, the phonetic spelling creates confusion...I think it means "whipping" people up.... but instead, it reads more like "wiping" people up. Better: Whippin' )</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">p165... the cabinets consisted of flat rollout trays, each one baring a typed insert... (unless the rollout trays are naked, they shouldn't be "baring" anything... they should be <b>bearing</b> labels)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">p180/248.... on two occasions, characters say "Gentleman" (singular) when they mean "Gentlemen" (plural).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">p208... "What do mean, Ruby?" (What do <b>you</b> mean, Ruby?)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">p235... "Cool it! Both of you!" (Why is Vin yelling, and glaring, at both Jack and Rev Clark? Clark is standing still, not saying anything. Jack is the only aggressor, here)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">p246... Echoes. Mike & his editors did a nice job avoiding those annoying echoes... unusual words and phrases that, when they are used twice or more, catch the attention. But here one slipped by: [tree] trunk thrust from the bowels of the earth.... (and then, two paragraphs later) a hawk burst from the bowels of the oak... ("bowels" is a word that you can go a long time without hearing in casual conversation, and here we see the phrase "bowels of..." twice in three paragraphs.)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">p270...his delicate, breezy voice seemed to jive perfectly with his graceful demeanor. (Think the word we want here is <b>jibe.</b> To "jive" is to mislead, or pull someone's leg... to "jibe" is to be in agreement...to be in harmony.)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">For years, I kept a notebook filled with observations like these...culled from a wide range of novels. It's invaluable practice at helping you build your revision skills...Something every writer should strive to improve.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Again, I hope you'll make room on your reading list for this one. I look forward to watching the progression of Mike's writing career.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><b><br />
</b></span>Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-51717233179009623512011-06-04T11:58:00.000-07:002011-06-04T15:55:04.137-07:00Editing "The Resurrection" (Part Three of Four)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">We're in a series based on my recent reading of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Resurrection-novel-Mike-Duran/dp/161638204X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307208743&sr=8-1">Mike Duran's debut novel, "The Resurrection."</a></span><br />
<br />
Knowing I would be writing a review, I jotted down my thoughts along the way, from the perspective of: <i> If I was handed The Resurrection as a test reader, what feedback would I give?</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
THIS MAY CONTAIN MINOR SPOILERS, so please... get a copy and let Mike take you on the journey first. Then you can judge for yourself whether I'm all wet. If you've already read the book, hit me in the comments and give me your perspective.<br />
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</i><br />
So, donning my Amateur Editor hat, here are the conversations I would have with Mike, pre-publication...<br />
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<br />
<b>High-altitude issues: </b> As I stated earlier, most of the big-picture, strategic decisions...premise, plot, etc, worked just fine for me. If I were to question anything at this level, it would be <i>the moments when potential drama is left unplayed.</i><br />
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</i><br />
The drama that <u>is</u> present is good...but there were times when opportunities to ratchet up the suspense even further were overlooked. Three examples to illustrate what I mean:<br />
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1) Crank the Lizard. Mike chose to play the scene in the Magic Shop for laughs...ending with the huge, intimidating welder slipping on glass beads like an actor in a silent comedy, and Gwen the owner screeching after her 6-foot iguana, Crank, as if it were a pampered poodle running out into traffic..."My baby!"<br />
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Not a bad choice...it <i>was</i> humorous. But I would have preferred to see more suspense, here. What if the Lizard, instead of busting loose and racing down the street, had <i>chased</i> Ruby and her friends? What if they had been cornered, trapped in the back room of the magic shop, perhaps....in serious peril from a giant reptile that seems to supernaturally know and <i>hate</i> what they represent? Maybe someone is actually bitten, with later results?<br />
<br />
2) The confrontation on the Mount. Our friend Gwen from the magic shop is back again, this time in the company of a warlock. And apparently, they have trailed Ruby to a cemetery high on a mountain slope. But when Ruby's husband Jack and Ian Clark follow, they find the "bad guys" alone, fussing over a grave...and Ruby stumbles in later, having hidden from the magic users.<br />
<br />
Again, this would be an opportunity to place Ruby in much greater danger...and present the "bad guys" as more of a legitimate threat. What if they had stalked Ruby up the mountainside, captured her and buried her alive as part of their gruesome rituals? You could showcase Ruby's fear in a series of short segments...and when Jack and Ian arrive, they can't find Ruby, and maybe are about to give up, until.... ?<br />
<br />
3) Doire, the tree spirit. If Doire is real, as Keen certainly believes, then it would be good for Clark to encounter her on one of his three visits....most likely, during the final drama. As a tree spirit, (a guardian?) she may read Clark's intentions, and be protective of her "master." It needn't have been a protracted battle...in fact may not have been a physical battle at all...but Clark could have been seduced, distracted, or almost killed before reaching Keen's front steps. (Alternately, Doire could have tried to <i>warn</i> Clark...tried to prevent him from going inside out of concern for the Reverend)<br />
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<b>Mid-Altitude issues:</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
1) I was a bit puzzled by the two very different reactions Clark had to the most important spiritual phenomena in the story... Mr. Cellophane, and the resurrection event. Even for a jaded, liberal pastor running from God, a translucent apparition should give reason for pause and reflection. Long before the resurrection occurs, Clark is so apathetic that a ghost/demon/whatever in the corner of his office produces nothing more than a shrug and irritation. At one point, it is hinted that Clark sees this as nothing more than a biological echo... but I would have preferred Mike to address this more directly. At least once, Clark should have <i>thought to himself</i> or <i>perhaps talked to Ruby</i> about why the ghost leaves him yawning, but, conversely, the resurrection struck him so powerfully. Either one would get my attention, big time.<br />
<br />
2) Why doesn't someone <u>ask</u> Mondo, or Aida, what their death experiences were like? For multiple reasons, Mike may have chosen not to "go there" (we do learn, offhandedly, that Aida experienced it as a "blacking out"), but it seems odd that <u>none of the other characters display the curiosity to inquire.</u> If I had the chance to talk with Lazarus, you can bet that would be my very first question..."So, what happened while you were away?"<br />
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Next time..... Language Issues & Line Edits.Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-24908479601946689262011-05-31T18:31:00.000-07:002011-05-31T18:31:04.741-07:00Reading "The Resurrection" (Part Two of Four)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Last time, I began a list of seven reasons why I appreciated <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Resurrection-novel-Mike-Duran/dp/161638204X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1306797867&sr=1-1">Mike Duran's "The Resurrection."</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Let's pick it up with #6:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>6) Fiction Grounded in Historical Fact & Research:</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm a huge proponent of reading widely, and frankly I have a hard time understanding those who deliberately limit themselves to one category of fiction.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But if I was forced to pick one--and only one--favorite, it would have to be <i>stories where historical fact serves as the basis for fictional events.</i></span><br />
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</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Umberto Eco with <i>The Name of the Rose </i>and <i>Focault's Pendulum</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Arturo Perez-Reverte with <i>The Club Dumas, The Flanders Panel, The Nautical Chart, </i>and others.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Katherine Neville with <i>The Eight</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Elizabeth Kostova with <i>The Historian</i></span><br />
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</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And dozens more...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So one of the reasons I loved <i>The Resurrection</i> was the detail Mike included pertaining to false gods, pantheons, and syncretistic philosophies.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">He did his homework, and that always impresses me. When I trust that an author has put in the research time, I'm more willing to embrace his/her fictional world and let myself believe.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Loved it. Ate it up. Wished for more.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>7) The Characters:</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Resurrection features a rich cast of varied personalities. In particular, I found myself drawn to Ian Clark, a tormented man of doubt who deals with the pain of life by seeking escape. This time, events are flowing too quickly and before he can resign and move away, God forces him to look in a mirror and come to terms. His intense struggles are the linchpin of the book, for me.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ruby is well-drawn as the reluctant "prophet," a woman with troubles of her own who would rather be faithful than famous. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And Benjamin Keen...the world-travelling scholar who brilliantly illustrates the difference between intellect and wisdom. Mike hits a home run with Keen...and I imagine he found this character fun to portray. The spirited exchanges between Clark and his former mentor suggest the author felt more than a little biographical bonding with Keen, though their theological conclusions may differ significantly. Keen showcases Duran's gifts of intellectual curiosity and drive to understand. Keen is what Duran might have been, had he chosen another path.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The characters balance one another, provoke one another, and keep reader interest high. Mike spends just the right amount of "face time" on each, given their respective roles in the story.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now, a confession: I love editing.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I love having a first draft in my hand, cutting and pasting and making a good thing better.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I used to think all writers felt that way: you know, <i>Good writing is re-writing....</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But lately I'm running across more and more people who just don't care for the process. And I can see why some personalities don't relish the detail work.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To me, it's enjoyable...so I tend to do it in my head, whenever I'm reading. I've found that I'll click into "Edit mode" automatically when something occurs to pull me out of the fictional dream.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The more that happens, the less enthusiastic I become about the book. In a few cases, I'll read through an entire novel not because I enjoy it...but because it has so many editing flaws that I <i>stop reading for pleasure, and start reading for educational purposes. </i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'll make mental (and sometimes written) notes to myself: don't do this....don't do this...don't do this...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So I had fun with <i>The Resurrection</i>, as I do with most books, asking myself what counsel I would give, if it was my job to edit the manuscript.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">THIS WILL INCLUDE MINOR SPOILERS...so I highly recommend you pick up a copy, and enjoy it first.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Next time: unsolicited advice!</span>Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-75254765235735022442011-05-29T18:36:00.000-07:002011-06-02T17:19:59.954-07:00Reading "The Resurrection" (Part One of Four)<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When I finished my first (unpublished) novel, I solicited feedback from a small group of test readers.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of these brave souls later confessed that she suffered some anxiety after agreeing to serve as a reviewer. She wondered: <i><b>what if it's no good?</b></i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Since we knew each other, she struggled with the fear that if she honestly didn't care for my work, and honestly told me so, it would damage our relationship. And this potential conflict had her worried.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After immersing herself in that sprawling epic she was able to report, with some relief, that she loved it...had, in fact, stayed up well past her bedtime to keep reading. And though she offered suggestions for improvement, her overall impression was very positive.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I felt a bit like that reviewer, when my copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Resurrection-novel-Mike-Duran/dp/161638204X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1306620853&sr=8-1">The Resurrection </a>by Mike Duran arrived recently. I had enjoyed <a href="http://mikeduran.com/">Mike's website </a>for some time, with its deep thoughtfulness and probing insight. If his fiction was anything like his ability to challenge and engage blog readers, I anticipated a great experience.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But what if it was no good?</span></span><br />
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</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As readers of his blog know, one of Mike's "causes" is the promotion of honest, forthright review of fiction from the Christian worldview. Breaking the code of silence that suggests any "Christian" book should be exempt from careful literary criticism, simply because: a) the author meant well, and b) to openly critique someone's work is considered discouraging...and Christians are instructed to be edifying.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mike applies this refreshing philosophy to his own writing, and publicly invites feedback. So I always figured that I'd pass along my two cents, when I got a chance to read his debut novel. But a part of me pondered the question: <i>what do I say if his blogging skills far outweigh his writing?</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>I needn't have worried.</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Resurrection was a delight. Today, in part one, I'll give you five reasons why. Next time, I'll add two more. Then in a couple additional posts, I'll weigh in with my editorial suggestions, large & small.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">SEVEN REASONS YOU SHOULD BUY "THE RESURRECTION." </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>1) Telling details: </b>The Resurrection is full of vivid descriptors. Concrete images that bring a scene to life without being overly intrusive. For example, on p239 a young girl is coloring at the kitchen table. She reaches for a crayon from the box...but it's not just any box. It's a cigar box.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I smiled when I read that, for my brother and I had just such a box for our crayons when we were young. That telling detail had <i>huge</i> impact on my ability to imagine the scene and <i>be there.</i> Will that particular detail have great meaning for everyone? No. Some won't even remember cigar boxes. But a lesser writer would have been content with: she grabbed a crayon from the box... and missed an opportunity to connect with some readers in a small but significant way.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One small image at a time, a novel full of thoughtful descriptors adds up to a very believable world.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>2) The Evocative Cover: </b>The guys & gals at Strang/Charisma House did a stellar job with the cover. The ethereal green of the front, and the sunset red of the back set off a haunting image of skeletal tree limbs and blackbirds, setting just the right tone.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b> 3) Beautiful Prose: </b>With few exceptions, Mike's prose is like reading through butter...smooth and effortless, with pleasing rhythms and excellent word choices. Only rarely did the writing itself interrupt the "fictional dream." From the first few pages, I knew I could relax, tell the critic in my head to take a rest, and enjoy the journey without being constantly pulled out of the story by craft issues.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>4) Delicious Turns of Phrase: </b>I like a writer who <i>writes</i>.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One who understands that it's more than just blandly recording <i>what happened.</i> It's how you say it.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Not everyone feels the same way...and I get that. Some prefer a plain, unadorned, "invisible" style.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Not me. I want to be mesmerized and enthralled by the writer's mastery of the language. Surprise me. Make me smile with a clever phrase. Show me that words matter to you. It's not necessary to "overwrite"...but be a craftsman who cares about his/her tools and keeps them polished to a sheen. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Too many times I've read decently good stories that still fell flat because there was no life, no spark to the prose. If I want bland, I'll read the manual for my DVD player.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In other words, creativity counts for more than just the premise and plot--it should drive down deep, to the sentence level.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mike delivers that in spades, and for me it was a large part of the joy of reading The Resurrection.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For one example, take the description of the Police Department building. In the hands of a lesser scribe, it might have looked like this:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Police Department was housed in an ugly, limestone-block building.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Get's the job done, yes, but it's about as exciting as a kiss from your Aunt Maude.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mike takes the time...and more importantly the effort...to turn that prosaic moment into something special:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Well over seventy years old, the Stonetree Police Department headquarters remained untainted by the city's downtown renovation.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Untainted by renovation...</i>Did you catch the beauty and humor of that? It's unexpected and fresh. We think of being "untainted" as a good thing. Here, the customary usage is turned on its head, and we picture this old, no-frills pile of stone stubbornly refusing to be improved.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A second quick example, from p148: ...Clark twisted like a spiritual invertebrate.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A unique word picture, to illustrate the indecision and uncertainty of the character's inner struggle. Again, with a touch of humor.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I love a writer who makes me smile...not with corny jokes, but with clever wordplay, oh-so subtly infused in the text. Blink and you'll miss it...that's part of the fun.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>5) Using Action to "Show" States of Mind: </b>If you're reading this, there's a better than 50/50 chance you're a part of the writing community. A participant in the Grand Tradition both as a reader and a creator of fiction.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So stop me if you've heard this one before: Show, don't Tell.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Early in The Resurrection, Mike provides a textbook example of how to use an action sequence to <u>demonstrate</u> a characters' frame of mind. And by allowing the reader to draw his/her own inferences, a minor aside becomes a powerful foreshadowing.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On p18, after delivering a lackluster sermon, Ian Clark exits the church, onto the flagstone walkway leading back to his residence. How may times has he walked this path in the past year? Hundreds of times, if not a thousand. And he *must* know that the shaded stones are mossy...and that it's been a damp, foggy morning.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But that knowledge isn't registering, because he is preoccupied with doubt and internal struggle.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, he hits the walkway in full stride, his feet slide out from under him, and he flails the air to regain his balance and prevent a bad fall.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ever been there? Angry about something, or agitated, or focused on your own thoughts...<i>and you're not paying attention? </i>That's when you lock your keys in the car, or forget to turn off the stove, or bump your head on that low rafter that you *always* know to avoid. And it just makes your mood worse.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">By watching Clark embarrass himself in this manner, the reader <i>feels</i> on a visceral level how distracted and unfocused the Good Reverend truly is. And (symbolically) we sense that Clark will be struggling to maintain his balance through the entire narrative.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Next time, 2 additional reasons I thoroughly enjoyed The Resurrection.</span><br />
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</span>Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-46468841743895425002011-05-28T08:22:00.000-07:002011-05-28T08:26:12.693-07:00A Novel? Really?<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Recently, I re-read one of my favorite Fantasy novels: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Running-Demon-Word-Void-Trilogy/dp/0345422589/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1306592388&sr=8-12">Running With The Demon</a></span><span style="font-size: small;"> by Terry Brooks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The paperback copy in my local library (different than the one pictured here at the Amazon link) carried the following tag on its cover: <i>A Novel of Good & Evil.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">That caught my attention, as it varied from the standard and more simplistic: <i>A Novel.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">I'd often wondered about the custom...why do we affix a label to novels, identifying them as such? As others have pointed out, isn't that akin to proudly labeling a package of cheese: <i>A Dairy Product ??</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Must we state the obvious?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Modern explanations usually involve the Publisher's attempts to target the appropriate readership...If there could be any doubt as to the content of the book, the label <i>A Novel</i> serves to clarify the intended audience: Fiction readers, rather than those seeking Non-Fiction.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">But the roots of <i>A Novel</i> stretch considerably farther back...into the 1600s. Prior to that time, fiction works of length were categorized as Romances. In the archaic sense of that term, these were sweeping epics featuring...and focusing on...larger-than-life characters and heroic deeds. Typically, the story was named after the primary character. And the plot followed his/her life adventures. Narratives showcased "special" people...Kings, Queens, gallant knights or warriors...and their amazing exploits. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">By 1650, a different type of story began garnering favor: tales of "ordinary" people with whom the average reader could better relate. In these new stories (the term "novel" means "new"), the plot and the moral lessons therein were more important than any one central "hero."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Rather than putting the hero on a pedestal as a role model, these new stories held up moral principles and truths as the "meaning" worth emulating. The events of the story, not the hero, became the main point.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">In the 1670's and 1680s, publishers began adding the term <i>A Novel </i>to the title page to clearly differentiate the type of story the reader could expect.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I wonder: <i><b>could modern publishers make better use of this tradition by being more specific? </b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Maybe Brooks' publisher was on to something: <i>A Novel of Good & Evil</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Should we do more along those lines? Maybe this would clarify some of the debate within Christian publishing circles... could we differentiate the intended audiences by more specific labels? If "Christian Fiction" is misleading or too ambiguous...and many argue it is, could the <i>A Novel of _____ </i>approach help?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">What about Christian audiences who are turned off by the majority of CBA fare? Those looking for a "middle-ground" reading experience between CBA cleanliness and General Market "anything goes" mentality? What label would attract those readers?</span>Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560699845619731680.post-4222674397990628762011-05-22T13:18:00.000-07:002011-05-22T13:27:15.610-07:00Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I could take you to the exact spot, today.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">A high-school friend and I were riding to class one morning, and the conversation turned to physical attractiveness. As in, did either one of us have enough of this characteristic to attract a female of the species?</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">At one point, my friend turned to me and stated with great authority, "Your hair is what saves you."</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I suppose most people are sensitive to comments about their appearance, but that memory is etched in time, one of those moments that live forever. I remember the sunny day, the pickup truck we rode in, and the exact spot on the exact road by the local park where the comment was delivered. Most of all, I remember that backhanded compliment:</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Your hair is what saves you."</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Despite the rather dubious theology contained in this statement, I've been thinking about it often lately.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Perhaps it's because I'm 46 now, not 16, and I'm realizing that if my hair really is going to save me, it's now or never. I'm not sure if a particular quantity of hair is required for this alleged benefit, but I have photo documentation of my dad and granddad, and the precedent is not encouraging.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">There's a second reason this issue of physical appearance has been on my mind:</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Author Photos.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">You have to have 'em. You're supposed to put 'em on your blog. And your blog comments. On your book jacket. Bubblegum cards. Book Trailers. Video blogs... Photos, videos--everywhere, these days.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My publisher asked for the photo I wanted on my book jacket.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Fine," I said. I sent her <a href="http://www.people.com/people/brad_pitt">this one.</a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">She seemed vaguely suspicious....inasmuch as this name was singularly at odds with the signature on the contract. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So I <a href="http://www.hollywood.com/celebrity/1398793/Jennifer_Lopez">tried again.</a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Still no go...</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Apparently, identity theft is harder to pull off than it appears on TV.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Above-average physical appearance is a part of certain job descriptions: movie star, TV personality, news anchor, model. And in music, it's not enough to have a stellar voice...to gain true celebrity status, you have to look the part in music videos, and on CD covers.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">But what about authors? In our increasingly <i>visual</i> world, how important is a really winning appearance? Does it make a difference in marketing fiction--<i>building a brand</i>--as it does in so many other realms?</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Physical appearance has been a hot (pun intended) research topic for years, and psychological investigators have uncovered some (perhaps not too surprising) truths:</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1) There is widespread agreement among people as to what constitutes "Attractive." Independent raters, of all ages and both genders, can examine pictures of people they have never met, and generally agree whether that person falls into the "above average," "average," or "below average" category.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In fact, even infants show a marked preference for choosing to look at human faces that are judged (by adults) as attractive.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Codified by researchers, recognized standards of attractiveness include 1) symmetry (both "halves" of the face representing almost mirror images, without noticeable disparities); 2) proportion (nose, eyes, mouth are neither too large or too small in relation to the other features); 3) placement (eyes are not too close or too far apart, eyes and mouth lie approximately upon lines dividing the face into thirds); 4) specific waist/hip ratios (the "hourglass" shape in women, broad shoulders and narrow hips for men).</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2) While differences exist, there tends to be surprisingly strong agreement even across cultural/ethnic lines. That is, Americans watching Swedish, or Malaysian movie stars would consider them physically attractive people, because the general, overall standards listed above do not vary widely around the globe.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">3) The "What is Beautiful is Good" bias creates a form of halo effect, where those judged as physically attractive are <u>perceived by others</u> as:</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">More sociable, happier, kinder, more confident, more successful, better students, more intelligent, more trustworthy, etc, etc.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Without knowing anything else about a person, others tend to automatically ascribe a wide range of positive psychological traits to physically attractive individuals.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Today, Disney animators (and book jacket designers) carry on a tradition that is as old as the earliest human art forms...</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Heroes = handsome/beautiful</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Villains = flawed</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">4) Not only are attractive people <u>perceived</u> to have these advantages, but in many studies, it appears that <u>reality matches the perception</u>.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Attractive folks:</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Are more likely to obtain job offers and promotions; generally more confident; generally more sociable; on average are higher earners; get lighter court sentences from juries; as infants bond quicker to mothers (and nurses in hospitals); are more accepted by voters.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Interestingly, people judged as attractive tend, as a group, to put more emphasis on the importance of physical attractiveness when choosing others as friends and mates. Beauty attracts beauty; while those judged to have average or less than average attractiveness rank other qualities as more important...such as honesty, kindness, etc.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Maybe we don't talk about it much, because the genetics involved are beyond our control. We can change hairstyles, clothes and makeup, and make the most of what we are given, but ultimately we are what we are. And authors have traditionally been engaged in an art form that emphasized the power of the written word over the visual. Certainly, there is no correlation between physical appearance and writing skill.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">But I wonder...in our increasingly multi-media saturated society...if we are reaching a <a href="http://www.maryferrell.org/wiki/index.php/Kennedy-Nixon_Debates">Kennedy/Nixon line</a> in publishing... an era in which physical appearance, and its relation to marketing, begins to take on an exponentially greater importance. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">If you'll excuse me, I have to go learn how to Photoshop. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>What do you think? Are the marketing and media trends in society changing what agents/editor/readers look for? Will the Age of Multi-Media Marketing give a certain advantage to camera-friendly authors?</b></div>Alan Oathouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08521089041752488624noreply@blogger.com0