Writer at Large

Let me begin by expressing my gratitude where rightfully due: to Laureen for (strongly) recommending this book, and to Holly for loaning me a copy until I could get home to purchase my own.

I’ve needed a good, swift kick in the proverbial pants, writing-wise, of late. My inner editor has been screaming loud and long. And, when she hasn’t been screaming, she’s taken to whispering vague (but still demoralizing) bits of criticism in my mind’s ear. (One of these days I really need to figure out whether my muse and inner editor are related, hero and arch-villain, or two disparate personalities within the same being. But that’s a discovery to pursue at a later time.)

This little book was exactly what I needed, when I needed it. (Yeah, yeah, I can see you nodding smugly over there…) I was so moved by what I found within its pages that, while reading it during a recent plane flight, I actually dug my notebook out of my onboard luggage and completed the first three exercises and nearly all of the fourth.

Let me say this about the book so far. The chapters are short, the writing personable and personal—and to the point, and the lessons based on experience are dead-on. This one definitely looks like a keeper, and one that I will likely return to whenever the muse and editor are deadlocked.

I've been following this discussion for the past week or so: The Publishing Death Spiral.

I'll leave it to you to make your own judgment on the opinions espoused within, but I do find Part Three pretty much dead on. My questions are:

• How long will it take before the inevitable evolution wins out?
• And what happens to authors in the meantime until it does?

(I know there's a lot more questions to be asked, but I thought I'd start with just two...)

What I'm Listening to Now: Valentine Pontifex by Robert Silverberg

The third in the Majipoor series, this book covers the period about ten years after the events in Lord Valentine's Castle. The book is performed by several readers, which adds to its variety and effectiveness.

HeroCon 2008

Yeah, I know this report is a little tardy, but still . . .

On October 18th, I spent some of the day at the inaugural HeroCon 2008, a fun-filled day of all things City of Heroes/City of Villains. I went to two panel sessions and one workshop:

• Walking the Cat-Walk: Fashion in City of Heroes
• Getting Your Foot in the Door: How to get a job in the industry
• Making Movies with City of Heroes

I only took 10 photos, none of which are all that spectacular. But I post them here anyway for your amusement and bemusement.





It was interesting to see the wide breadth of ages (and cities of origin) of people who came to HeroCon. I was by no means the oldest person there. That was reassuring. :) There were a lot of couples there, both of whom were involved in the game. (I wonder if there's ever been a study . . .)

NaNoWriMo 2008

In five hours and thirty minutes Pacific Standard Time, NaNoWriMo 2008 officially begins. Expect only weekly updates here as time permits. As always, you can follow my progress here.

I have several articles of clothing and other paraphernalia that read, "So Many Books, So Little Time." I actually like, for me, the dual nature of the message. Not only are there so many books to read, there are also so many to write.

Many authors believe that their work is more effective when read aloud. Certainly most children's books are designed in exactly this fashion. When reading a story, our minds add our own dramatic pauses, place emphasis on specific words and phrases, and attempt to capture the accent and tone behind the dialog. What our minds do to the words might not at all resemble what the author intended, as the mind can be a slippery and stubborn thing, determined to have its own way. This is, in no way, necessarily the fault of the writer (although it can be).

Like many denizens of Silicon Valley, CA, I have a fairly long, mind-numbing, knuckle-clenching commute. Most of the time is spent in so-called rush hour, doing the opposite of just that. Although music is always welcome, I've come to accept the vice of audiobooks—oral readings of books and stories. Some are dramatic, full-cast presentations of the work; most are not. Some of read by the author; most are not.

It's always interesting and enlightening to hear a story read by it's author. The author, having originally written the words, knows exactly where he intended the reader to take note of a phrase, pause for breath, or take a moment for introspection. Nearly all of the authors I've heard perform their own work do it very, very well: Harlan Ellison, Peter S. Beagle, and Spider Robinson come immediately to mind. (The last was a complete surprise to me. I've never had the pleasure of seeing Spider in person, so was surprised to discover that he had read "Stardance" himself. I never would have imagined that he had that voice.) For some authors, the effect is much less effective. As much as I enjoyed reading Neuromancer (during a cross-country trip to Toronto), William Gibson's oral presentation of his own work is, to put it kindly, more than mildly distracting.

Like many readers, there are probably as many books that I would like to return to as there are new ones that I would like to read. I've found that audiobooks during my commute is a very pleasant solution. Not only does it serve to pass the time and allow me to re-visit those books, but it also gives me the opportunity to hear someone else's interpretation of the words and characters. In a way, it also returns to the oral storytelling traditions of the past. There is something comforting and yet also evocative to have a work read aloud to you.

I know of many authors who claim that one of the ways in which they "test" a work in progress is to read it aloud to understand how it "sounds". Reading it aloud provides a clear indication of the rhythm and flow of the words that cannot always be determined by reading it silently to oneself. (I often compose scenes during short walks by working it out aloud. It's a fun exercise and people look at you only slightly more askance than they do someone talking on a cell phone.)

I sometimes wonder if the incidents of road rage might diminish if more people listened to literature (of any kind) in their vehicles rather than the inflammatory rhetoric of certain pundits and talk-shows hosts. Just an unspoken thought . . .

The book value of an asset or group of assets is sometimes the price at which they were originally acquired (historic cost), in many cases equal to purchase price. (Wikipedia)

When I was a young boy, I received an allowance of $2.00 a week (provided that I did all my chores and did not talk back to my parents). Back then, paperback books cost about 65 cents. This meant, if I saved extra pennies, I could buy three books a week. When the price went to 75 cents, it became two books plus some extra change—annoying, but tolerable. When the prices rose to 95 cents and then $1.25, it was a devastating development. It meant I had to start re-reading books I already owned. Not a bad thing, but it meant that I was falling behind on new books that came out. (This problem persists to this day, but the limitation is no longer financial, but a lack of time to keep up with all the new releases.)

Recently, I went to the local bookstore and purchased a paperback book. The cover price was $6.99. Even accounting for inflation, that's a bit of money for a bunch of sheets of paper glued together with a fancy cover. The last hardcover book I purchased (which I still do from time to time when impatience overwhelms me) was priced at $24.95. Wow! Both paperback and hardcover prices seem a bit high to me, even accounting for inflation, the costs of paper, printing, and advertising. On the other hand, what value am I getting for my entertainment dollar?

Let's see . . . the last time I went to see a movie, the ticket cost me $7.00 (about the same as that paperback book). Seven dollars for about two hours of entertainment. I don't know about you, but I would be hard-pressed to finish most books in two hours. Add in the factor of being able to read at your own pace and convenience. (Movies on DVD are a different story. I'll leave that proof as an exercise for the reader.) Suddenly, that $6.99 paperback looks like a bargain in comparison!

What about hardcover books? Certainly, they are more of a stretch on the budget, but in terms of entertainment value per hour, the cost still strikes me as fairly compelling. Using $7.00 for two hours of entertainment as a measure, does a hardcover provide more than seven hours of entertainment? Except in rare cases, I would say that it does.

So what is the value of a book?