I ran across an interesting piece about California. California: The Physical Collapse of a Social State. They're squandering a hundred billion dollars a year on "fairness" spending while their infrastructure is falling apart. I already knew from news articles they were wasting a lot of money on frivolous things at the expense of necessary things. I didn't understand the breathtaking scope of it. It reminds me of a verse. Isaiah 59:1 "We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places like dead men." That sums up the California legislature quite well.
AoM is a science fiction mystery story. Police investigation involves a lot of boring elements. I've been doing some reading in the mystery and suspense areas to get a brush up and get my senses tuned for things that make for a more gripping read. I read a lot of mysteries when I was young, but not so much after I found science fiction and fantasy. Those genres include all others. For the mystery/romance book I read a flurry of mysteries, as mentioned sometime in another blog. I still needed another dip in the pool.
Back in 2015 I was downloading free promo books on Amazon and picked up One Night in Tehran: A Titus Ray Thriller. It's about a CIA agent and is more thriller than mystery. Despite the title, it's not set in Iran. I had more fun reading it than I've had in a while. The problem with writing is you learn a lot about story structure and story elements and plot devices, etc. Books become a lot more predictable, especially three-act formula books that all use the same boring structure. This book was different. It reminded me of when reading used to be so much fun. It also reminds me I need to grow past the three-act formula that I started using. Publishers like uniformity, but could I be doing better than that?
Reading the mysteries has given me some ideas for tweaking AoE. Nothing big, but I think I could make the ending more suspenseful by making one trivial change that would only take a few lines. I'm also thinking it's time to go through the mystery/romance one last time, make the hard fixes and put it on Amazon under a female pen name. I was thinking about pen names for AoE and AoM, too. The one that made me laugh was Drake Ventura.
Have a good weekend.
Friday, February 24, 2017
Friday, February 17, 2017
Shoulder Boo Boo
At my age you can hurt yourself sleeping. You can also hurt yourself slipping in the yard and landing on a rock or maybe a tree root, which is what I did last Sunday. I was walking up a bank and slipped on the leaves and landed on my shoulder. And my hand. And my knee. But mostly my shoulder. It didn't hurt too much at first, but after a few hours I started wondering if I'd torn something inside it. Not having health insurance, I could only pray for it. It mostly hurt when I lifted my arm. After a couple of days it felt better, and I could start using it again. At this point my shoulder has a yellow bruise. It doesn't hurt much, just every once in a while or if I try to do too much with it.
The other good news was the moldy window. Remember that window in my "studio" that had the mold problem that I worked on last fall and seemed to be okay? It wasn't. The temperature got above 70F(21.11C) combined with rain. The moldy smell was back but very reduced from last year. I had to work on it again as best I could with my shoulder, which was feeling better by that point but not fun better. The temperatures dropped but are supposed to be back up next week. I can't wait.
The only thing I got done on AoM was research that took the form of reading some mystery type novels to get a refresher on the genre and a feel for the modern market. Sadly, typing requires lifting my arm.
The news media has had a fit screaming that President Trump issued a "Muslim ban". Really? Did he really ban Muslims? It turns out the so-called Muslim ban doesn't even have the word Muslim in it! It doesn't have the word religion either or a lot of words the media are reporting and hyping in hysteria. He halted travel from a short list of terrorist countries that are causing havoc in Europe. Can you guess where that list came from? The Obama administration! The top five most populous Muslim countries in the world aren't affected. Ninety percent of the world's Muslims aren't affected. There is no Muslim ban. It bans everybody from a limited list of terrorist countries. The judge that overturned it didn't overturn it based on its constitutionality. He overturned it, because he was personally offended by it. He violated his oath of office and shouldn't be a judge any more. Trump said in a press conference this week that the press are lying. He's absolutely right. Judges are too apparently. I've never seen the scale of distortion of facts and outright lies by the media like I'm seeing now. They lie all the time. That's not news. It's the scale of it. The fuhrer would be so proud.
The other good news was the moldy window. Remember that window in my "studio" that had the mold problem that I worked on last fall and seemed to be okay? It wasn't. The temperature got above 70F(21.11C) combined with rain. The moldy smell was back but very reduced from last year. I had to work on it again as best I could with my shoulder, which was feeling better by that point but not fun better. The temperatures dropped but are supposed to be back up next week. I can't wait.
The only thing I got done on AoM was research that took the form of reading some mystery type novels to get a refresher on the genre and a feel for the modern market. Sadly, typing requires lifting my arm.
The news media has had a fit screaming that President Trump issued a "Muslim ban". Really? Did he really ban Muslims? It turns out the so-called Muslim ban doesn't even have the word Muslim in it! It doesn't have the word religion either or a lot of words the media are reporting and hyping in hysteria. He halted travel from a short list of terrorist countries that are causing havoc in Europe. Can you guess where that list came from? The Obama administration! The top five most populous Muslim countries in the world aren't affected. Ninety percent of the world's Muslims aren't affected. There is no Muslim ban. It bans everybody from a limited list of terrorist countries. The judge that overturned it didn't overturn it based on its constitutionality. He overturned it, because he was personally offended by it. He violated his oath of office and shouldn't be a judge any more. Trump said in a press conference this week that the press are lying. He's absolutely right. Judges are too apparently. I've never seen the scale of distortion of facts and outright lies by the media like I'm seeing now. They lie all the time. That's not news. It's the scale of it. The fuhrer would be so proud.
Friday, February 10, 2017
Lost by a Footie
I did something I never do. I watched the Super Bowl. I'm from the Atlanta metro area. The Atlanta Falcons were in it, which I only discovered a few days before the game. The last time I heard anything about the Falcons, they were a cellar team. Culture shock. The Falcons in the Super Bowl? How did that happen? Plus the name was fun. Super Bowl Li. It had to be sponsored by China, right? heh heh heh
I never watch the NFL, but I do follow my favorite college team. The college rules have changed over the years. Some of the changes are good(forward progress). Some are just dumb(magical touchdowns). Professional football has undergone changes, too. The last time I watched an NFL game, in order to score a touchdown the ball had to be in the end zone. Even in the college game, the ball has to pass through the end zone, even if the player is out of bounds(magic). If it sounds dumb, that's because it is. The NFL rule is dumber. A guy's foot made it into the end zone, and he was credited with a touchdown. It might not even have been his whole foot. He was tackled and went down around the 2 yard line. I was breathing a sigh of relief, but because his foot crossed into the end zone, it was a touchdown. Culture shock. No. Just no. It's about the ball, not extremities. How could they make a rule like that? Magic!
In the college game, once a player's knee hits the grass, the ball is dead. In the NFL I saw a touchdown in which both knees were down but the guy's head and shoulders continued on into the end zone. No. That's not a touchdown. In any other NFL play the ball is dead when the knee is down. How can the rule be suspended for that one circumstance? That's not a touchdown.
So, the Falcons kicked the crap out of New England and still lost, because of those two rule changes. Even though I don't watch the NFL, it just made me mad.
It wasn't all bad. The way I watch football is to tape it and start it about 60 to 90 minutes after the official kickoff. That lets me fast forward through commercials, timeouts, official reviews, players huddling and then walking to the line of scrimmage etc. The professional game is a lot faster than the college game I'm used to. I didn't have to fast forward much during the delays during the game. It was much more enjoyable to watch. I skipped the halftime show. :)
Another nice thing about the NFL compared to the college game was the lack of violence. The college game is a lot more violent with late hits and multiple injuries on both teams. The level of violence is complete unnecessary. The referees don't call most of it. One example I see a lot is when a player is running along the sideline. All it takes is a shove to knock him out of bounds. His shoulder and arm is already out of bounds. It's the feet that count. It just takes a shove. Instead, I see a lot of extremely hard hits in that and other situations where it's unsportsmanlike and absolutely unnecessary. I see a lot of hits after the whistle that never get called, a lot of hits when a player is already falling and so on. I was expecting the NFL to be thug ball, but it was fairly clean. It was a really nice surprise.
NFL players are surprisingly fast. It makes college players look like they're waddling. Some college players are also track runners, so there are fast guys, but it was a different level of athleticism in the Super Bowl. It was a more enjoyable viewing experience as far as pace goes.
I might watch a few Falcons game next year, if I can. I'm really turned off by the rule changes, especially the magical touchdowns, which I hate in the college game, too.
Book Stuff
I'm still working on getting AoM prepared for the writing phase. Because part of it takes place in virtual reality, I need to maintain tension in those scenes, when it would be easy to lose it, since it's not "real" any more. I'm wrestling with things like that and story elements. There's a certain logic that has to be maintained beginning to end for the story to work and have impact for the reader. And I'm trying to up my game based on all I've learned from past books and the feedback from the freelance editor. I'm hoping for good things.
Have a great weekend.
I never watch the NFL, but I do follow my favorite college team. The college rules have changed over the years. Some of the changes are good(forward progress). Some are just dumb(magical touchdowns). Professional football has undergone changes, too. The last time I watched an NFL game, in order to score a touchdown the ball had to be in the end zone. Even in the college game, the ball has to pass through the end zone, even if the player is out of bounds(magic). If it sounds dumb, that's because it is. The NFL rule is dumber. A guy's foot made it into the end zone, and he was credited with a touchdown. It might not even have been his whole foot. He was tackled and went down around the 2 yard line. I was breathing a sigh of relief, but because his foot crossed into the end zone, it was a touchdown. Culture shock. No. Just no. It's about the ball, not extremities. How could they make a rule like that? Magic!
In the college game, once a player's knee hits the grass, the ball is dead. In the NFL I saw a touchdown in which both knees were down but the guy's head and shoulders continued on into the end zone. No. That's not a touchdown. In any other NFL play the ball is dead when the knee is down. How can the rule be suspended for that one circumstance? That's not a touchdown.
So, the Falcons kicked the crap out of New England and still lost, because of those two rule changes. Even though I don't watch the NFL, it just made me mad.
It wasn't all bad. The way I watch football is to tape it and start it about 60 to 90 minutes after the official kickoff. That lets me fast forward through commercials, timeouts, official reviews, players huddling and then walking to the line of scrimmage etc. The professional game is a lot faster than the college game I'm used to. I didn't have to fast forward much during the delays during the game. It was much more enjoyable to watch. I skipped the halftime show. :)
Another nice thing about the NFL compared to the college game was the lack of violence. The college game is a lot more violent with late hits and multiple injuries on both teams. The level of violence is complete unnecessary. The referees don't call most of it. One example I see a lot is when a player is running along the sideline. All it takes is a shove to knock him out of bounds. His shoulder and arm is already out of bounds. It's the feet that count. It just takes a shove. Instead, I see a lot of extremely hard hits in that and other situations where it's unsportsmanlike and absolutely unnecessary. I see a lot of hits after the whistle that never get called, a lot of hits when a player is already falling and so on. I was expecting the NFL to be thug ball, but it was fairly clean. It was a really nice surprise.
NFL players are surprisingly fast. It makes college players look like they're waddling. Some college players are also track runners, so there are fast guys, but it was a different level of athleticism in the Super Bowl. It was a more enjoyable viewing experience as far as pace goes.
I might watch a few Falcons game next year, if I can. I'm really turned off by the rule changes, especially the magical touchdowns, which I hate in the college game, too.
Book Stuff
I'm still working on getting AoM prepared for the writing phase. Because part of it takes place in virtual reality, I need to maintain tension in those scenes, when it would be easy to lose it, since it's not "real" any more. I'm wrestling with things like that and story elements. There's a certain logic that has to be maintained beginning to end for the story to work and have impact for the reader. And I'm trying to up my game based on all I've learned from past books and the feedback from the freelance editor. I'm hoping for good things.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, February 3, 2017
Book Preparation for AoM
Now that the latest B'vellah book is out, I've been working on getting the book after AoE, the next book, ready to write. I didn't do anything on AoE this week like I thought I might. I mentioned I might put it up as a pre-order, but I want to go through the first chapter in light of the editor's advice and fluff it up a bit with more description. I may do one more pass through the entire book checking for skimpy prose. Plus, I needed a little break and had too much to do.
Messengers isn't very commercial. It's a bit of a niche concept. AoE and AoM, the book after AoE, should be more commercially appealing. Messengers is very Christian/Messianic with a lot of paraphrased verses and Biblical themes. AoE and AoM will have Christian characters with Christian morals and values but not be allegories the way Messengers is. My hope is that Christians will like them for the positive message and a general audience will like them for the story without being too put off when something spiritual shows up.
AoE and AoM are set in the near future after the collapse of the dollar but when society is recovering. The setting will be somewhat influenced by Biblical prophecy but won't be an attempt to portray what the future would be like during the Tribulation or anything like that. One example is that people buy and sell with RFID tattoos, but it's not the mark of the beast yet. I use the concept without the real context. An intelligence assessment I saw a while back predicted the U.S. would divide into 5 or 6 countries after a crash of the dollar. Based on that and current reality, Texas is part of Mexico. Idaho potatoes are an import product, the west coast is its own nation, etc.
In the books people can experience virtual reality with helmets and haptic equipment like they do today or get cranial implants. AoE is about a girl trapped in a virtual reality spy game, when her implants are blocked from logging her out of VR. AoM is about her dad, who plays a detective online but then has to solve a real crime using his game-learned skills. I'm still developing the story for that. It finally occurred to me how the main character can discover a clue the police missed. That was very important. They can only go over what's in their reports. If something is overlooked and didn't get into the reports, they don't know it's not there. One clue will be like that and open up a new line of investigation.
This week I spent three nights transcribing a story structure workbook into a file I could print and fill out. The book is 139 pages but has a lot of empty space and colorful yet unnecessary prose whose only purpose is to help fill out the page count. I was able to edit it down to 39 pages that include all the checklist questions and extra exercises while keeping all the necessary and useful prose. I still have a lot of empty space to answer the questions, some of which will have no answer because they're multiple choice questions that have only one answer for a given story. It was a lot of work that I hope will help me flesh out future books and brainstorm plot twists and turns.
So, that's the state of the books. Something I need to think about is whether to try to get an agent for AoE. I really could use a professional editor to do that, but I can't afford one right now. It's not an absolute requirement. It would just help a lot and could make the difference in selling the book or not. Something else to think about is whether to start fresh with a pen name. I have reasons to do it and reasons not to.
Have a great weekend.
Messengers isn't very commercial. It's a bit of a niche concept. AoE and AoM, the book after AoE, should be more commercially appealing. Messengers is very Christian/Messianic with a lot of paraphrased verses and Biblical themes. AoE and AoM will have Christian characters with Christian morals and values but not be allegories the way Messengers is. My hope is that Christians will like them for the positive message and a general audience will like them for the story without being too put off when something spiritual shows up.
AoE and AoM are set in the near future after the collapse of the dollar but when society is recovering. The setting will be somewhat influenced by Biblical prophecy but won't be an attempt to portray what the future would be like during the Tribulation or anything like that. One example is that people buy and sell with RFID tattoos, but it's not the mark of the beast yet. I use the concept without the real context. An intelligence assessment I saw a while back predicted the U.S. would divide into 5 or 6 countries after a crash of the dollar. Based on that and current reality, Texas is part of Mexico. Idaho potatoes are an import product, the west coast is its own nation, etc.
In the books people can experience virtual reality with helmets and haptic equipment like they do today or get cranial implants. AoE is about a girl trapped in a virtual reality spy game, when her implants are blocked from logging her out of VR. AoM is about her dad, who plays a detective online but then has to solve a real crime using his game-learned skills. I'm still developing the story for that. It finally occurred to me how the main character can discover a clue the police missed. That was very important. They can only go over what's in their reports. If something is overlooked and didn't get into the reports, they don't know it's not there. One clue will be like that and open up a new line of investigation.
This week I spent three nights transcribing a story structure workbook into a file I could print and fill out. The book is 139 pages but has a lot of empty space and colorful yet unnecessary prose whose only purpose is to help fill out the page count. I was able to edit it down to 39 pages that include all the checklist questions and extra exercises while keeping all the necessary and useful prose. I still have a lot of empty space to answer the questions, some of which will have no answer because they're multiple choice questions that have only one answer for a given story. It was a lot of work that I hope will help me flesh out future books and brainstorm plot twists and turns.
So, that's the state of the books. Something I need to think about is whether to try to get an agent for AoE. I really could use a professional editor to do that, but I can't afford one right now. It's not an absolute requirement. It would just help a lot and could make the difference in selling the book or not. Something else to think about is whether to start fresh with a pen name. I have reasons to do it and reasons not to.
Have a great weekend.
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