THE STORY SO FAR: PART 55

IF READING IS GOOD, IS READING MORE BOOKS BETTER? OR ARE OTHER SKILLS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT?

I tell every would-be writer to read more—and generally speaking that is good advice—but what I don’t stress enough is that inter-personal skills are even more important; vastly more important.

I apologize for that. I have been reflecting my own love of books, and glossing over my own weaknesses, rather than giving the best advice.

Let me declare a simple, fundamental and self-evident truth. People skills are far and away the most important, because if you want to achieve just about anything in this world, you need the help of other people. If you treat them with coldness and disdain, even if you have written the greatest 21st century novel to date, they probably won’t help you. Indeed, they will probably try and cut your throat (even if only metaphorically). Even if you are agreeable, and the chemistry isn’t right—fate can be fickle that way—the outcome can be problematic, no matter how hard you try. However, such setbacks apart, you need to be able to empathize and understand people to write about them—and all writing is, in the end, about people.

My own people skills leave much to be desired though they have improved enormously over the decades. A difficult home life and bullying at school left me both defensive and aggressive; and it took me some time to learn that if you offend someone’s dignity, he or she will never forgive you. So much for generosity of spirit!

But, over time, I have learned much and mellowed—and I have always been empathetic. What I don’t have, and will never have, is the easy charm of some of my writer peers, and I regret that, while accepting it. On the other, I have learned that, generally speaking, I like people, am interested in their lives; and that they will talk to me—generally quite freely—and that is no small asset in this business. Fundamental to writing is learning; and that requires listening. Not everything is in books.

Where reading is concerned, I still believe that writers should read extensively, and that reading helps one’s writing skills. Nonetheless, I confess that I was shaken when I calculated that at the rate of reading two books a week for sixty years—and I have frequently exceeded that number—it appears I have read 43,800 books to date. Not a misprint. I really do mean forty-three thousand, eight hundred. And that would be a very low estimate! Good grief!

What a massive waste of money and time some would argue! I flinch a bit about the money—though I have made much use of libraries over the years, I have long been a compulsive book buyer. But as to the extent to which the quality of my life has been enriched by all that reading, all I can say is that I feel an exceptionally lucky man—albeit somewhat embarrassed! Expressed so baldly in numbers, it really does seem quite a lot of books. I don’t think of them in numbers, of course. To me they represent a series of extraordinarily enriching experiences which prepared me well for my real life adventures.

Books sewed the seed of high adventure in me; and I have to say that life has not disappointed.

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 54

I’M TRYING VERY HARD NOT TO WRITE ABOUT THE UPCOMING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS; BUT I’M NOT BEING (ENTIRELY) SUCCESSFUL IN THAT REGARD

So why am I trying not to write about the elections?

The primary reason is a matter of self-discipline. I am endeavoring (not to be confused with succeeding) to confine this blog to my life as a writer, the events and issues that directly influence my writing, and the experiences that I have had that have helped form my outlook on life—and which I am prepared to discuss. That is most matters, because it is my nature to be candid, but there are some memories that I won’t or cannot discuss because either I am forbidden to do so for legal reasons; or I’m ashamed for some reason or another. Few of us have led perfect lives and, unfortunately, I am certainly no exception. I don’t have any horrendous matters to hide, but I do have some embarrassing ones. Some will undoubtedly appear in my memoirs. Others make me squirm, and I shall try and pretend they never happened. I won’t be entirely successful. I am either cursed or blessed with a conscience; and I listen to it.

But you write about economic matters from time to time? Very true, but appreciate that I write non-fiction as well, and here my primary focus is on the economy. I know that action orientated Big Thrillers and economic writing make an odd conjunction, but I trust you will allow me such a diversion—and I do find our enduring struggle to find an acceptable economic system endlessly fascinating. Indeed, I might even say “thrilling.”  

Forgive my jest. I hate to be too serious for too long—even when I’m being serious. In truth there are other reasons why I am determined not to write much about these particular elections—starting with the simple fact that I’m not overly fond of either presidential candidate, and I am truly stunned by the lack of imagination being displayed in terms of finding solutions to our mass of serious, but not overly complex problems. The answers are out there, and many have been well proven by other countries, but we appear remarkably unwilling to learn from such successes. To learn from others does not seem to be part of the current American culture. 

However, the main reason is that I want to write about all such political matters through my EAGLE & CUCKOO books. In short, I’m saving my firepower so that my fictional feathered friends can demonstrate how matters should be conducted. If you haven’t heard about my Eagle & Cuckoo books, let me refresh your memory.

The trilogy are satires in the fine tradition of Gulliver’s Travels, Alice In Wonderland, and Watership Down. However, in this case their primary focus is on the U.S. and our deteriorating condition (Economic, Health; Environmental—pick one of these, or virtually any other sector).

Practically all demonstrate that this country is in (preventable) decline. The books are not only satires, and extremely amusing, but they are also action packed thrillers – so you can read them for sheer excitement if, god forbid, your sense of humor has been excised.

The underlying thesis is that since Americans have become so corrupted by love of the almighty dollar and Fast Food—and who can deny that?—then the only living creature who has the necessary integrity to reverse America’s decline is Eagle, head of all the eagles and the very symbol of American greatness. Cuckoo is his intellectual mentor, ally and sparring partner—and so the two get to work. They are opposed by the Forces of Darkness headed up Satan’s envoy, Warlock, who—when in human form—masquerades as a well known, and rather plump, U.S. politician (who was formerly Speaker of the House). Battles of all shapes and sizes ensue. The Forces of Darkness are ever formidable; and they want Eagle dead. Very dead would be better still. Fortunately, Eagle & Cuckoo have allies—and they are very smart.

There will be three books in the trilogy. Only the first has been completed as yet.

HOW EAGLE & CUCKOO SAVE AMERICA: THE BEGINNING

HOW EAGLE & CUCKOO SAVE AMERICA: THE CONTEST

HOW EAGLE & CUCKOO SAVE AMERICA: THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF

You will be able to read the first fifty pages of the first of the E&C books–AND ALL MY NEW BOOKS--when my new web site comes out fairly shortly. This blog site will keep you posted.

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 53

WHO NEEDS EXPERIENCE WHEN YOU HAVE IMAGINATION?

That marvelous British character actor, Wilfrid Hyde-Whyte, was once asked in a radio interview what advice he would give to a young actor. I have never forgotten his answer. It was delivered with a chuckle—something of a Hyde-Whyte specialty. It was: “My dear chap, never tread the boards until you are over forty.”

He did not mean his words literally. He meant that one is unlikely to be able to perform as a serious actor until you have considerable experience of your craft, and life in general, under your belt. By “the boards” of course, he meant the theater. He appeared in numerous British movies, but the theater was where he learned his craft.

Does his advice apply to writing as well? When you are a young writer in your early twenties, the idea of having to wait for two decades to reach the necessary level of professionalism must seem intolerable. Nonetheless, I believe that, broadly speaking, it is true.

But surely, when writing fiction, imagination is an adequate substitute?

I was challenged by my editor at the time – somewhat testily - on exactly this point. Why did I have to visit a particular location in order to write about it? Surely, I could imagine it? Well, of course I could, and sometimes I do write about places I have not visited, but it is my belief that nothing beats first-hand experience. In particular, there is the opportunity to sense a mood and notice details that add authenticity to one’s writing. Guide books are strong on history and the descriptions of buildings, but are generally weak on the human factor.

At that moment I had no problem at all understanding why he was the editor and I was the writer. He simply could not imagine the stimulating effect of experiencing the real thing  in order to write fiction (however odd that may sound)—especially when one’s fiction is grounded in reality; as mine tends to be.

My flash of anger passed, as it should have. He was thinking in terms of deadlines; and I was focused upon writing the best book that I could.

Back to my point about experiencing life. I happen to think it is particularly important, but the good news for the young and the impatient—the latter term is arguably redundant—is that imagination is such a powerful and varied attribute that virtually anything is possible. So listen and learn, but never accept the limitations imposed on you by others—including me.

 

 

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 52

“BOOKS ARE ONE OF THE FEW THINGS IN LIFE THAT ARE TIMELESS, AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUCTED BY THE TICKING OF THE CLOCK”

The above truly necessary and worthwhile statement was written by an Arizona publisher, Tim Schaffner, and is taken from a piece entitled GOOD BOOKS ARE WORTH THE WAIT published by Publishing Perspectives on June 11 2012. It made me want to cheer.

The pressure on popular authors by traditional publishers to churn out a book a year – to fit their publishing schedules – has had a disastrous effect on the quality of the writing of many authors. Some, who naturally write short books, respond positively to such pressure; but if you are in the Big Thriller business, it is an unrealistic request. Writing a Big Thriller is gruesomely hard; and typically takes—as long as it takes.

Writing a Big Thriller is a mammoth, exhausting, emotionally draining task—which is not well served by a production-line approach. Not only is the quality of the writing damaged, but so is the quality of the author’s life. Such pressure breaks up marriages, leads to children being neglected, and is primarily based upon nothing more than pure greed—both corporate and personal (as in the corporate executives). Authors  conform because they are pressured to. The language used may be indirect but the message is clear: Toe the line, or we will drop you.

Since we authors like to be published, and have to be to earn an income, we have a tendency to conform despite our ideals. One might like to write lofty works illuminating the human condition, but normally simple economic survival comes first. In short, we are human; and most of us bow to pressure; and, privately, many of us are ashamed of it.

Corporatization has been a disaster where publishing is concerned. It has shrunk the number of major publishers to a handful—thus reducing competition--and has instituted an environment where all that counts is the next quarter’s financial results. As a consequence, the careers of many fine writers—and numerous publishing employees—have been destroyed.

Currently, Random House and Penguin and are having talks about merging. If they do, the consequences will be more lost jobs, even less competition, and entirely negative effects as far as authors are concerned.

The one plus? The new name of the new organization will be cute. The name “Random Penguin” does have a certain appeal.

One of the great ironies of free market capitalism is that it invariably strives towards the elimination of the free market, and the institution of monopolies.

There are laws that are supposed to prevent this, but—especially during Republican Administrations—they are rarely adequately enforced.

Year by year, fewer and fewer corporate entities dominate this economy, our political system, and this country; and these corporate entities are, in turn, controlled by a frighteningly small number of people. Clearly such a situation is inconsistent with a healthy democracy--or, indeed any kind of democracy—yet we seem to be doing absolutely nothing about it. Again and again, those who vote (not nearly enough) vote back into office politicians who, primarily, are selected and backed by the Ultra-Rich (or their agents), and who demonstrably pay scant attention to their constituents—a fact which has been substantiated by formal research. This makes the U.S. electoral process little more than theater designed to placate the masses as far as important issue are concerned.

Why is this? Three words come to mind: IGNORANCE; FEAR; and FATALISM.

Ignorance begs the question: Are Americans deliberately being kept ignorant? Where education is concerned, I’m not sure. Where our culture as a whole is concerned, I have no doubt at all that the answer is: “Yes!” Simply put, American social conditioning—which encompasses everything from education to advertising to the media to religion to politics—is so incredibly strong and effective that it mutes both the desire and the ability to think rationally. Instead, it has become the American way to respond to myths with one’s emotions. Facts, if they do not conform to one’s prejudices, are dismissed. Such an approach does not bode well.

Fear plays a much greater role in American life than is generally admitted. This situation exists because this a highly authoritarian culture where most people are dependent on the corporate world, and where the consequences of losing one’s job—in the absence of an adequate social safety net—are severe; and can be catastrophic. In such a fraught environment, fear is an inevitable and pervasive byproduct. The U.S. is the largest consumer of tranquilizers, legal and illegal drugs, and comforting Fast Food for very good reason. Such things help assuage the fear; if only temporarily.

Fatalism follows fear; and fatalism creates a political vacuum which the Ultra-Rich (the 1% if you will) are only delighted to exploit. Check out the figures. Since 1973—nearly forty years—most Americans have seen virtually no increase in real earning power; and it has been in actual decline since the Great Recession. As for the 1%, as the economy has recovered, virtually all the gains have flowed to them.

Years ago, the love of my life and I went for a romantic vacation on Achill Island  That is just off the West Coast of Ireland, in case you are wondering (near Fitzduane country if you have read my books).

Anyway, as we were meandering along after dark looking for a camping spot, we caught a rabbit in our headlights. The poor thing was so terrified it just froze. This was fatalism extended to its ultimate stage. My lover eased herself out of the car, and keeping out of the glare of the main beams, walked up to the rabbit, picked it up in her arms, stroked it—and broke its neck.

I find it hard to describe my reactions at the time. Shock, awe, and lust competed for my attention. The year was 1964 and I was twenty. She was a phenomenal woman and a decade plus older than me; and vastly more experienced. I was not a reluctant pupil. She was my Mrs. Robinson—with one difference. We loved each other.

Later that evening, she gutted it, skinned it, and cooked it for supper in cider—with carrots, onions and potatoes--over our camping stove. It was decidedly tasty.

Where financial matters and the majority of the American public are concerned, the 1% has learned that breaking necks is normally not required; and that gutting and skinning the U.S. populace (financially) is more profitable if carried out while people are still alive. It is also easy if such people are largely ignorant, fearful, and fatalistic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 51

BUT WHAT COULD BE BETTER THAN A BOOK? COULD IT BE WRITING ONE?EITHER WAY, I LIVE IN HOPES THAT IF THERE IS AN AFTERLIFE, IT IS EQUIPPED WITH AN EXCELLENT LIBRARY, AND A CORNER IN WHICH TO WRITE

I learned to read late-ish; primarily, I suspect, because no one thought of teaching me to read. My mother was careless about such matters, and busy with her social life. I do recall being sent to a convent pre-school prior to being packed off to boarding school several years too young (I was five and a half), but the nuns who ran the pre-school– terrifying creatures in their traditional regalia in those days – seemed more interested in teaching us to tie bows – an essential life skill apparently; and I have no recollection of reading being on the agenda at all. Religion seemed to dominate, but we learned that by rote. We were little Catholic Talibans, so to speak.

Church mass and other ceremonies seemed to be mostly in Latin; which was, as they say, all Greek to me in those days. Mind you, later on I became quite good at Latin just when the Pope was inspired to have religious ceremonies take place in the local language—English in my case. I was ticked off by that, because I rather liked the rhythm of Latin even when I didn’t understand it. Typically, it was chanted in church, and one could doze off quite agreeably to it, and the odor of incense. Later, I was to read Caesar’s Gallic Wars in it; and I have remained a Julius Caesar fan even since.

One of many interesting details about Caesar was that he could maneuver his troops at extraordinary speed, even though most of his troops marched on foot. If he had been in charge of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, he would probably have been there in a week—instead of three. What is more, Caesar normally marched and fought with his men. Would a modern general do as much?

But let me return to my obsession.

True, I do suffer from a form of dyslexia which impedes some of my cognitive processes, but I don’t think it impeded my learning to read; because when my teacher at boarding school, the estimable Miss Johnson, finally discovered (after some months) that I couldn’t read—and was inspired to teach me--I learned with great rapidity; and reading became my passion, my obsession, my all consuming interest. 

Why not, indeed. Boarding school was no fun, as far as I was concerned, particularly because I was the smallest and youngest boy in school so was an easy target and bullied extensively (Eventually, thanks to books, I was to learn to fight back with considerable skill and success—but that is another story).

In short, real life sucked—at least for a time. On the other hand, escape and adventure were as close as the nearest book; so I read everything and everywhere – sometimes to the great distress of those around me. After all, if I was taken to a circus, I should be enjoying the circus, not have my nose buried in a book. Yet, that was just what I would do. Sports—apart from track and cross-country running--left me cold; and where cricket was concerned, I would volunteer to bat last, and then climb into the the coffin-like box that normally held all our gear—and, head resting on a cricket-pad, read. The box shielded me from the chill wind that normally whipped through the valley. My school was in Yorkshire, England, a chilly sort of place, though replete with much beautiful countryside, and an adequate supply of ruined monasteries left as a consequence of Henry VIII’s decision to make himself head of the church, and richer into the bargain. Religion and money have an alarming tendency to congregate together.

But what could be better than a book? I carried one everywhere, and judged clothing by whether a book could be fitted into the jacket pocket. Later, I got a book-bag so I could carry several books and transfer instantly to a new title after finishing my current read. I haven’t changed much in that regard.

Books published during, and shortly after, WWII tended to be fairly short because paper was in short supply. Hard to believe in this age of plenty, but such was the situation. In fact, rationing of some items continued in the UK until the early Fifties. In contrast, Germany, which had lost the war, abolished rationing in 1948.

Having devoured mainly children’s books up to the age of about ten—because those were all I was permitted to read, or could find, I then gravitated to detective stories, westerns, science fiction, historical novels, war books of various types, spy novels, sea adventures; and then finally encountered the Big Thriller. I had arrived at the Promised Land, and I was not to be disappointed.  

True, not all were big – Ian Fleming’s JAMES BOND thrillers were quite slim – but most provided:

• Interesting, and often exotic, settings combined with a feeling of authenticity frequently based upon the author’s actual experiences.
• Well researched context; either a dose of history, current affairs, or both.
• Intriguing, often larger than life, characters who endured extraordinary privations, but normally triumphed in the end.
• Compelling plots, not infrequently inspired by real events.
• Fascinating technical details on just about everything (if you read enough books).
• Enough sex to add a frison to the whole mix (and to intrigue a teenager).
• Plenty of action.
• A high degree of readability. Good thriller authors are particularly good at writing about complexity with clarity (This discovery had a major influence on me).  
• Enough length to keep a fast reader engrossed for a couple of days—or more. Typically, that meant 400 pages plus, though some were longer (which delighted me).

When you come right down to it, Leo Tolstoy’s WAR & PEACE—apart from being a highly acclaimed literary novel, is a Big Thriller; and certainly it contains all the elements I have listed. It is also  extremely readable, though many people are put off by its size. They really shouldn’t be. It’s a highly accessible read. I remember devouring it when I was about thirteen, and being bowled over by it. I thought it was phenomenal; and I still do. And I fell in love with Audrey Hepburn when watching the movie, which I saw, by accident, before reading the book. The year was 1956 and I was twelve at the time.

Big Thrillers were typically written by authors who had considerable experience of life, and had had more than a few adventures themselves. Quite a number were originally well traveled journalists, who came equipped with a network of contacts and who were well practiced in research. Many had experienced combat.

The Big Thriller emerged, at least as far as I was concerned, in the Fifties and Sixties. The following are some notable examples:

• THE DECEIVERS by John Masters (1952)
• SOMETHING OF VALUE by Robert Ruark (1955)
• EXODUS by Leon Uris (1958)
• WHEN THE LION FEEDS by Wilbur Smith (1964)

Little did I know how hard it would be to write such a book, or what I would have to experience first. But, I was lucky enough to succeed—eventually with GAMES OF THE HANGMAN.  A name or two away on the New York Times Best Seller list was that of James Mitchener, author of more than 40 titles including one of my favorite books, THE BRIDGES AT TOKO-RI. My reaction was that I had probably entered The Twilight Zone.

Such achievements apart – and success has a tendency to be fleeting and to induce complex side effects– the real surprise has stemmed from how much I have learned to enjoy the actual process of writing. Combine the joy of reading with the deep satisfaction that comes from writing; and the cares and confusions of our chaotic world seem minor irritations.

That said, I shall probably howl at the moon if the November 6 2012 elections do not turn out to my satisfaction. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 50

TERRORISM IS AS NOTHING COMPARED TO THE THREAT WE FACE FROM AN ENEMY WITHIN—A PREDATORY FINANCIAL SECTOR THAT HAS DISTORTED OUR ECONOMY AND IS PRETTY MUCH OUT OF CONTROL

I find it ironic that we worked ourselves up into a positive frenzy after 9/11—to the point of thirsting for blood, whereas our reaction to the greatest blow yet inflicted upon the U.S. has primarily been fatalistic acceptance combined with resentment of the new president who was expected to clean up the mess. To be fair to him, he did, albeit imperfectly(I have strong views on this subject), and at the price of vastly increasing the National Debt—as if he had any other choice. For thanks, he has been blamed for increasing the nation’s indebtedness by the very same party which helped to create the problem in the first place. Such behavior raises the arts of hypocrisy and ingratitude to new heights. 

The greatest blow, of course, was THE GREAT RECESSION which inflicted staggering damage on this country on a scale which most of us still do not yet seem to have grasped. It destroyed millions of jobs, gutted savings, created untold misery, and undoubtedly, by way of stress induced illness, caused the death of far more people than were killed on 9/11. It also created a level of debt which will haunt our children for generations, and and contributed to yet more neglect of our already crumbling infrastructure. In terms of significance, it might well be thought of as the economic equivalent THE BLACK DEATH which ravaged Europe in the Middle Ages. It was, and remains, that serious. Its effects continue; and will be felt for generations.

A number of contributing factors led to the Great Recession, but the primary villains are the major banks and related financial institutions which so dominate our economy. Were they prosecuted en masse or attacked with Hellfire missiles fired from drones? Not a bit of it. Instead they were re-financed with taxpayer money--our money—and are now even bigger and more powerful than ever. Beyond that, the Federal Reserve is making unprecedented sums available to the major banks at minimal interest rates – thus ensuring that savers receive minimal interest on their accounts as well. In effect, subsidizing the banks equates to a tax on the average American who has the good sense to put some money aside. And as for the retired, well, they just have to take their lumps--because the typical interest they receive currently is less than inflation. In effect, the real value of their savings is steadily eroding.

The Financialization of our economy (Big Banks) is closely linked to the Corporatization of the economy (Big Business)which, in turn, is connected to the corruption of Congress (Big Bribery), and our political institutions in general, through unprecedented sums of frequently anonymous money.

The net result of all this, apart from democracy becoming little more than a façade, is a lopsided economy where a few – the 1% if you will – get richer and richer (and further corrupt the process) and the vast majority of American see their earnings drop every year. 

The man exaggerates, I hear you cry! Would that I was. Unfortunately, what I am saying is absolutely true – and can easily be checked if you are so inclined. Hedrick Smith’s book WHO STOLE THE AMERICAN DREAM? is a good place to start.

My business is writing thrillers, as you probably know. To that end, years ago I outlined a financial thriller in which a foreign agent set out to undermine the U.S. Economy—as being the best and only way to destroy a country of this size and innate resilience. My working title was GAMES OF BLOOD & GOLD. I may write it yet, though I fear events are overtaking me.

As I examine the figures right now, I see that a foreign agent has not been required. We are doing a pretty good job at destroying the economic viability of this Great Nation – as far as most Americans are concerned -just by ourselves.

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 49

TERRORISM IS TYPICALLY A LONG TERM PHENOMENOM; WHICH REQUIRES LONG TERM SOLUTIONS

Eleven years ago, I attended a lunch given by General Jack Keane, the then Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. Such lunches were given to help “the Vice” keep himself informed; and to develop connections outside the largely closed and incestuous world of the Pentagon. I thought they were a thoroughly good idea.

About a dozen of us were present. I was sitting between Jack Keane and General Karl Eikenberry, who went on to become ambassador to Afghanistan. I have rarely met a more intelligent and likeable man.

The conversation was mostly focused on 9/11 and its aftermath. That was scarcely surprising because the attacks had taken place only some weeks before, the damage to the Pentagon was still fresh, and Americans were still coming to terms with the concept that the U.S. mainland was a target.

What struck me about the conversation that enlivened lunch was the general assumption that the perpetrators of 9/11 would soon be caught or killed; and that we were dealing with a short-term situation. Eventually, I couldn’t restrain myself and pointed out the last IRA campaign in Ireland – one of a series, let me add – had lasted thirty years, and I thought it likely that we would be in a similar situation where Al Quaeda was concerned.

There was a sudden silence in the room, and I was met with looks of absolute incredulity. The majority of those assembled were thinking in terms of months at the most – and regarded my statement as ridiculous. Who is that Irish idiot? In turn, I was struck by the apparent ignorance of these assembled experts. Did nobody read? Were they not aware that most terrorists movements were contained, at best, but were rarely eliminated. Instead, either they achieved their objectives, or were—even when savagely suppressed—likely to surface again, frequently in a mutated form.

Now that eleven years have passed with Al Quaeda, albeit damaged, still extremely healthy in many parts of the world, I believe I can reclaim my credibility. However, my bruised ego apart, speaking as someone who has studied the subject for most of his life since his teens—over fifty years, I would like to make some of observations on the matter.

• Most terrorists have a legitimate grievance, which, if left unaddressed, will ensure the terrorist’s organization’s indefinite survival.   
• Most terrorist actions are carried out with publicity in mind. Short of laying their hands on nuclear weapons and other methods of mas destruction, terrorists can rarely inflict significant damage to a nation state.
• Most smart terrorists try and get the government they are attacking to over-react; and most governments oblige them.
• The U.S. has not handled the terrorist threat particularly well. I debate whether we should have ever have tried to occupy Afghanistan; and the invasion of Iraq was a disaster.
• We may be unwilling to accept the fact, but U.S. actions and policies across the globe are at least partially responsible for Al Quaeda and similar movements. We are not blameless.
• The solutions to terrorism are almost invariably political and almost always involve talking to one’s previously demonized enemy and reaching some sort of compromise.

I am making these comments in the light of half a century’s study of terrorism and the experience of writing three stories of High Adventure – all of which feature terrorism. They are: GAMES OF THE HANGMAN, RULES OF THE HUNT and THE DEVIL’S FOOTPRINT.

My next Big Thrillers, THE BLOOD OF GENERATIONS and SATAN’S SMILE, also feature terrorism, but of a different sort.

I loathe terrorism – I lived with it for long enough in Ireland – but think it is important to understand it. However, I don’t think it is the greatest threat we face. I shall write about that tomorrow.

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 48

SOMETIMES I THINK THE ONLY ADJECTIVE THAT REALLY MATTERS (WHERE PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED) IS ‘DECENT.’

My problem with the above statement – which I believe with a passion – is that I am far from sure I can do it adequate justice within the context of a blog. A blog should be a supplement to one’s working day; and not consume it. Of course, there are exceptions to this--if one is a professional blogger—but, for most of us, it is no more than a daily outreach, with the the main work of the day being something else entirely. That means, in effect, that there isn’t the time to to become too philosophical.

When I was a kid--and I’m now 68, so we are mostly talking the Forties and Fifties—when dinosaurs ruled the earth (I’m not quite sure when one stops being a kid) “decent” essentially meant being adequately dressed. The question: “Are you decent?” was constantly asked outside bedroom doors, and so on. It seemed to be mainly asked by aunts. Since my mother was an only child, and my father lost in the mists, “aunt” was an honorary title which I took at face value. Besides, I have never been particularly good at understanding relationships like: “First cousin once removed.” Good grief, my mind said. Life is too short for this. Though I seem to becoming increasingly fond of both my siblings and extended family as I age, I haven’t changed my mind about such complexities.

Later on, I seemed to have encountered the expression “decent” mostly in the context of death. I lived in Ireland in those days and the expression: “He was a decent man” was often uttered about the corpse. Strangely enough, I do not recall it being said about a woman, though I am reliably informed that women die too.

Dictionary definitions of “decent” vary, but miriam-webster.com comments: Conforming to standards of propriety, good taste, modesty etc. as in behavior or speech. The word ‘conforming’ appears frequently in other definitions of  “decent.”

I see the word quite differently. To me, a “decent” individual is someone who is--regardless of superficial faults--essentially empathetic, kind, thoughtful,  sympathetic, supportive, trustworthy, and blessed with integrity and a sense of humor. Do they have to conform to social norms? Absolutely not!

A sense of humor is an absolute must. Virtue, without humor, tends towards the intolerable.

 

 

 

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 47

HOW CAN A NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLING AUTHOR ENGAGE WITH HIS OR HER READERS?

NEW BOOKS, THIS BLOG, REPLYING TO YOUR E-MAILS, AND MY HUMUNGOUS NEW WEBSITE IS A START.

BUT, WHAT DO I MEAN BY ‘HUMUNGOUS?’ HOW ABOUT OVER 500 PAGES – AND COUNTING?

I have thought about this matter a lot because I know perfectly well that without my readers, I would have scant credibility as an author. They – you – validate my work, reward me financially by buying my books, and – mostly through your e-mails – keep my spirits up during difficult times. I find it impossible to express my gratitude adequately. The operative word is “impossible.” It can’t be done. But, I can try – and perhaps I can come close.

Clearly the best way to try is to write more books. That is what you all want; and that is what I can supply. However, when traditional publishing ruled the roost, I was entirely dependent upon them – publishers – to take my manuscripts and and turn them into printed books. I have written many books since my first three; but they have not been published.

Despite achieving considerable success – both in sales, and in critical acclaim, and in becoming a New York Times Best Selling author – I was dropped by by my leading publisher. In the U.S. Best Selling authors mostly – are made by corporate entities. The reader is relevant, but  only up to a point. Primarily, weight of money wins. As with politicians, candidates for success are backed financially, and sheer weight of money normally punches through. The wishes of the masses scarcely count because it is a simple fact that, with enough money, they can be manipulated.

If you find that depressing, you have my sympathy; but it is important to face up to the reality that advertising, propaganda and and all the other tools of propaganda – work; and work devastatingly well. 

Let’s return to the specifics of my situation: My publisher wanted a mega best selling author, but decided I was not to be that person; so it switched its investments elsewhere. The reasons involved the sacking of my champion inside the firm, financial irregularities in the company’s books, personal chemistry (or the lack thereof), and the fact my editor and I were – to put it politely incompatible. For reason that have never been clear to me, he loathed me from Day One and was – as my then agent so memorably commented: “Not someone you want to have lunch with.” I did not share the same initial animosity, and tried to work with him. Eventually I realized that I was dealing with someone with serious hostility issues, had him removed; and, as a consequence, made an enemy for life. I have never regretted my decision. I had no choice in the matter.

Hell hath no fury like a senior editor scorned. Worse, he soon went on to become a major figure in what had become an overly concentrated publishing industry; and so I was blacklisted. There wasn’t a formal blacklist. Instead, the word was put out that I was a good writer “who did not sell.” I was damned by faint praise. Such a condemnation was highly successful. As with the movies, there is a lemming-like quality about today’s traditional publishing, and if an author is damned by one influential figure in the industry, he is likely to be damned by all. The quality of one’s writing has nothing to do with it. The real point is that backing a controversial author could jeopardize one’s career. True – you could be right; but, more to the point, you could be wrong; and that was – and remains -a career breaker. In a world where there are always fresh manuscripts, and which has become corporate and risk averse, why take risks? Besides, herd instinct is strong.

I might well have given up writing except that I suddenly began to get fan e-mail – and in quantity. My e-mail address hadn’t even been in my first two books (and traditional publishers are notoriously bad at passing on traditional letters). However, I did manage to get my e-mail address into the paperback addition of my third book; and that opened the floodgates.

Suddenly, I was receiving hundreds of an e-mails, and soon it was thousands. All loved my writing; and all wanted more books. How could that be reconciled with the views of publishers? It was academic. No publisher was interested in my fan mail. It counted for nothing as far as they were concerned. To this day I remain shocked by that. Surely one should listen to one’s customers?

I was naïve. Where corporate entities and corporate culture are concerned, group-think wins nearly every time. It does because that keeps your job safe. In effect, fear is what drives and dominates much of corporate culture. It is authoritarian, ruthless, and normally mindless; and one’s constitutional right to freedom of speech does not apply within the corporate environment. In the land of the free and the home of the brave, when you work you are decidedly not free –and very few are brave.

It strikes me that we need to think much more than we do about the institutions that rule our lives. Corporatization, in its present form (an important qualification)  is crushing this country; and many others. I’m not against Capitalism. I just think its excesses need to be smoothed away, because any system based upon unfettered greed just has to be flawed. It is also ridiculous. There is so much more to life. 

In order to put bread upon the table, and because I was motivated by 9/11 and a desire a help my adopted country, I worked on military matters for some years (invaluable research for future books as well) and then Amazon launched the Kindle in late 2007 and changed everything.

I am normally quite perceptive, but I will confess I was slow to understand the full significance of e-books and related matters initially. Then it finally dawned on me. My God! I can publish and market my books myself.

Shame on me for being so slow, but, to be fair, there were reasons; and the transition from author to entrepreneurial author who publishes his own books, and those of others, is no small thing. An author – his personal cares apart – merely has to worry about writing (Heaven as far as I am concerned). An author publisher has a mass of commercial concerns as well. In particular, he has to ensure that the books he publishes sell. They don’t have to be Best Sellers, but they do have to pay the rent.

Such thinking – prompted by many thousands of fan e-mails – led me to examine how I could improve my communication with my readers. This blog is but one example. Next came the idea of sharing the events that had turned me into a writer, and molded my writing, in the form of the kind of web site which you could either dip into for five minutes, or explore for hours – if you were so inclined. It would be written like a long conversation with a friend. Why not, indeed? Most readers write to me as if they know me and somehow think of me as a friend; and I try to write back in exactly that way. Beyond that, virtually all the readers that I have met in person have become my friends. I seem to attract some fascinating people as readers (and am rather proud of that).

The end result is a web site which is over 500 pages long, but carefully indexed through links so you can read as much or as little as you feel inclined. If you like my writing, and have a sense of humor, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

When will it appear? I have learned not to be too precise where computer projects are concerned, but since some exceptionally talented individuals are working on it, I don’t thing it will be too long. I’ll keep you advised through this blog.

Dear Readers: Think of my humungous blog as a humungous “Thank you!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 46

SOME TRUTHS (HARD & OTHERWISE) ABOUT BEING AN ENTREPRENEURIAL AUTHOR

When I think I’m accomplishing nothing (something of an exaggeration even when I am not being as productive as I would like) it is salutary to recall where I was as recently as only six months ago, and see how far both operational matters, and my understanding, of the project have progressed. Nonetheless, some of my friends and readers (and many are both) are decidedly frustrated with me because I seem to be progressing so slowly.

I sympathize with them, but most have no experience of setting up a venture so don’t understand; and I’m not sure excuses contribute much to the debate – even when they are both valid and reasonable.  And reasons sound remarkably like excuses. Sometimes, you only really understand something when you have been through it.

For instance, though I have a vivid imagination and am widely read (a phrase with two meanings), I only really started to understand what it was like to be shot at when I came under fire and had someone killed close by. Just for starters, the control you think you have over your body just isn’t there any more. You might not visibly lose it, but the effect of fear upon one’s system is near overwhelming. Also, it is not just immediate. There tends to be a reaction both soon after the occurrence; and much later - and sometimes it occurs again and again. Post traumatic stress is very real, and still does not get the attention it deserves.

But let me get back to being an entrepreneurial author. The stress is different from being under fire, but it is still stress; worse, it can continue for years; and it can be gut-wrenching. With luck, I’ll stop you becoming an entrepreneurial author with PTSD. Here are some of the fruits of my experience; and no, I am not a pessimist. Perhaps I used to be, but, over time, I have built up a lot of faith that things will work out if you have paid your dues.

1. COUNT ON IT: PEOPLE WILL LOSE FAITH IN YOU; BUT NOT ALL.

2. YOU NEED A SUPPORT SYSTEM, BUT IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE LARGE.

3. IF YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING FOR THE FIRST TIME, ALMOST EVERYTHING TAKES LONGER THAN YOU MIGHT THINK.

4. IF YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING FOR THE FIRST TIME WITHOUT ADEQUATE RESOURCES, IT WILL SEEM TO TAKE FOR EVER.

5. IF YOU ARE A WRITER, YOU PROBABLY WON’T HAVE ADEQUATE RESOURCES.

6. THE TRANSITION FROM ENTREPRENEURIAL IDEA TO VIABLE BUSINESS VENTURE DOES NOT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.

7. NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU PLAN – AND YOU SHOULD PLAN -  THINGS WILL GO WRONG. IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO THINK OF EVERYTHING; AND YOU PROBABLY WON’T.

8. THINGS ALSO HAVE A HABIT OF WORKING OUT - JUST WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT.

9. DEADLINES ARE SOMETIMES NECESSARY, BUT DOING THE JOB RIGHT IS VASTLY MORE IMPORTANT. CREATIVE WORK SHOULD ALWAYS BE AS GOOD AS YOU CAN MAKE IT (and preferably better).

10. THE HARDEST, YET MOST IMPORTANT PART OF ANY VENTURE IS ASSEMBLING YOUR TEAM. AND EVEN IF YOU ARE A ONE MAN BAND, YOU NEED A TEAM.

11. JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN’T SOLVE A PROBLEM DOESN’T MEAN YOU WON’T. SOME THINGS JUST TAKE TIME, PERSPECTIVE AND SERENDIPITY.

12. THE PACE OF PROGRESS IS RARELY EVEN. THINK OF IT AS LIKE CYCLING ON COBBLES ON A BIKE EQUIPPED WITH IRREGULAR WHEELS; AND THE TIRES ARE FLAT.

13. IT IS A THOROUGHLY GOOD IDEA NEVER TO LOSE YOUR TEMPER. REMEMBER: COOL IS KING.

14. IT CAN BE USEFUL TO BE SELF-CRITICAL; JUST DON’T OVERDO IT. IF YOU ARE NOT CONFIDENT IN YOURSELF, DON’T EXPECT OTHERS TO BE.

15. NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU WORK, YOU WILL HAVE YOUR OFF-DAYS. CUT YOURSELF SOME SLACK.

16. PERSEVERE, REGARDLESS OF ANY AND ALL PROBLEMS, AND YOUR ODDS OF SUCCESS ARE GOOD.

17. WHEN YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL, AND THE DOUBTING THOMASES START TREATING YOU WITH RESPECT AGAIN - AND THIS MAY TAKE YEARS - CUT THEIR THROATS BE NICE AND SAY NOTHING. IT’S ALWAYS A SHAME TO LOSE A READER.

 

A good friend of mine – and someone who is very much a member of the team (and follows developments in some detail) – recently wrote:

“I see a quickening pace overall and a rollercoaster of ups and down as time and other resources remain in constant demand.

FITS & STARTS, SPRINTS & STOPS - are the order of the day for your immediate future  At the end of each stop, as you gasp for breath, cash or time you will be able to see progress filling in behind you.

You are a content driven enterprise and you have the content by the bucket-full.

Wishing you the very best of luck and success as this venture launches.”

“Fits and starts; sprints & stops!”  The man puts it well, and tells it like it really tends to be.

 

 

 

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 45

AN ARTICLE IN ATLANTIC.COM BEARS THE DISCONCERTING TITLE: “WRITERS ARE TWICE AS LIKELY TO COMMIT SUICIDE!”

OUCH!

I was very tempted not to comment on this piece by Lindsay Abrams (October 19 212) but then decided it would be cowardly not to. After all, I am endeavoring to give you some insight into the mindset of this particular writer, and the topic of suicide is one I’m all too familiar with, and not overly fond of thinking about; though, of course I do.

I used to think that suicide was rare. I was brought up a Catholic (I no longer practice) and that religion teaches that the ultimate sin is that of despair – essentially abandoning all hope – and that, in such a context, suicide is a truly terrible thing.

As I have aged; and, unfortunately, have acquired considerable direct experience of suicide – though I have never attempted the act myself – I have become much more understanding and sympathetic. First of all, the principle reason why people kill themselves is normally because of illness in general. Secondly, there is a major connection with mental illness in particular. In the first case the decision is rational, because when you know you are going to die anyway – and probably in great pain - why not chose the time and the place, and die with dignity? Secondly, where mental illness is concerned, people, by definition, are not fully in control of their faculties. There are other reasons too, including despair after losing a loved one, but again one could argue that “the balance of the mind was disturbed.”

Overall, I have become much more understanding of such tragedies, and tolerant of them. Indeed, I often feel: There, but for the grace of God, go I. Yes, I may not be a practicing Catholic these days, but an upbringing by Benedictine monks is not something that simply vanishes; and it is a beautiful expression of some of our finer feelings: Empathy, compassion and humanity.

When I found the hanging victim – and presumed suicide – that led to my writing GAMES OF THE HANGMAN I was badly shaken initially. Then a feeling of enormous sadness suffused me. Later, when a policeman cut the rope, and the head and upper half of the body fell into my arms – and it was a pretty grizzly sight – a deep sense of compassion gripped me, and I just want to hold him and bring him back to life again. It was not to be. Instead, after some moments, we laid the lifeless body down on the leaves and covered it with a blanket. Subsequently, there wasn’t much of an investigation – there rarely is where suicide is the assumption – and that lack haunted me, and drove me to write the book.

Before and since then, I have lost more family members, friends and acquaintances through suicide than I really care to contemplate.

The research quoted in the Atlantic article was Sweden’s Karolinska Institute and was based upon census data representing 1.2 million people. The findings substantiated the popular notion that creativity and mental illness are linked (though one could also argue that, all too often, the actions of creative people are merely deemed to indicate mental illness). The control in this study, by the way was “accountant” – presumably the very definition of normalcy!

Since the term “writer” covers a multitude – for instance there is a huge difference between a salaried journalist and the insecure financial life of a writer of creative fiction – the article goes on to nail my area with the clear statement: “Authors were almost twice as likely to commit suicide as the general population.”  Hmm! Hard to dodge that one.

I guess I could argue that since the research seems to have been based upon Swedes, a notoriously moody lot who over-tax their alcohol, that it doesn’t apply to me.

Instead, I shall merely say, that as far as I am concerned, the rewards of writing far out-weigh the risks of being in such a category; and that some of the company of authors I am in, is remarkably distinguished.

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 44

A FEW VISIONARIES, MAVERICKS, THE DECIDEDLY ECCENTRIC, AND OTHER ENTRPRENEURIAL GREATS I HAVE BEEN PRIVILEGED TO KNOW

I am prompted to write about the above because of the piece I wrote yesterday praising such people. Most of the creative people I knew, or know, were, or are, movie stars or actors,  or directors, or authors; but the following far from comprehensive selection all  invented physical things, some of which went off with a bang.

DESMOND LESLIE: As far as I was concerned, ‘Uncle Desmond’ (an honorary title) was the most exciting friend my mother had. He was tall, good-looking, had a beautiful voice – and a wicked sense of humor. He was a Spitfire pilot in WWII, a relative of Sir Winston Churchill, and the family home was a castle in County Monaghan in Ireland. He was also a pioneer of electronic music and in the Fifties he designed the first effective sound mixing desk. I remember him showing it to me when I was about seven. In effect, Desmond enabled modern pop music. Little did I know that John Lennon would be married in his castle, and that he, Desmond, would become the subject of some awe in the music industry with fans such as Mick Jagger. He died in France in 2001.

MACK MCKINNEY: Mack was one of Ross Perot’s first employees when he set up EDS. Finding that too constraining, he set to work to create a free text database before such things generally existed. The net result was an extraordinary software program called askSam which pretty much saved my writing life. I suffer from a form of dyslexia and at the same time collect a vast amount of data. How could I find what I wanted near instantly, with such a flawed memory, without using the kind of structured database that was normally the only option then; and which required more expertise than I possessed to program? Mack provided the answer, and I was so impressed that I went to visit his operation in Perry, Florida. There, he took me into the swamps in a canoe – scaring me stiff – and then we spent an evening carousing in a fashion that can best be described as ‘memorable.’ Currently, Mack, and his delightful wife, Bea, are retired in Texas. Bill Gates, another of my software suppliers, was never as kind, or as much fun, let me tell you.

ROBERT EDISON FULTON: Bob, his wife Anne, and I became very good friends even though he was in his nineties, and I was close to half a century younger. Fortunately, apart from being slightly deaf, he was still sharp as a whip. In fact, the couple stayed with us when they visited Ireland. I contacted him initially because I wanted to feature one of his inventions in one of my books, and he invited me to stay. He also offered to meet me at the airport. As it happened, my flight was delayed, so fearing he might miss me, he chatted up a troop of tall, leggy, Las Vegas dancers who were in between flights, armed them with copies of my books which were everywhere in paperback at the time – and which featured my photo - and sent them on their mission. Let me tell you I was entirely taken aback to be greeted by such beauties – but decidedly flattered. Bob then appeared with a mischievous smile on his face. The man was a consummate inventor and a delightful human being. We talked a great deal, and I have rarely encountered a more interesting man. In WW II, he invented a gunnery training device which taught U.S. Nary pilots how to shoot (to good effect, as history shows). After WW II, he developed the first flying car – the Airphibian – that became government certified. It is now in the Smithsonian. And then he invented the Fulton Extraction System which allowed an aircraft to extract a man from the ground without landing – and without being a helicopter. An aircraft dropped a package containing a suit, a deflated balloon, and helium. The person on the ground climbed into the suit which was connected to the suit by way of an ultra-strong braided tape. He then inflated the balloon with the helium, and up it went for many hundreds of feet. A specially equipped aircraft would then capture the tape with prongs, and the person in the suit would rise off the ground until he was trailing behind the aircraft. He would then be reeled in. You would think the person would be wrenched to his death, but such is the power of geometry that his ascent was actually quite comfortable. The system – also known as Skyhook – was in active use by the CIA and the Air Force for decades. You can Google it for details.

DR JOHN HUNTER & DR HARRY CARTLAND: I tend to think of John and Harry as the Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid of inventors in that I have never been quite sure who does what in their relationship. Either way, I met them because I had been researching the Supergun (you will recall the backstory which got George Bull assassinated) and then was invited to Lawrence Livermore National Lab to see the Supergun that John and Harry had developed. Better yet, I could see one actual firing. Naturally, I jumped at this invitation (actually I was living in Ireland at the time) but the shoot was worth it. A supergun has ‘super’ tacked on for a reason. You could work up a sweat sprinting the length of the barrel. The whole valley shook when it was fired, and the flame of the muzzle blast would have impressed the largest of dragons. Afterwards, the double act told me that their eventual plan was to use their hydrogen powered supergun to shoot supplies – and possibly satellites - up into space at a much lower cost than rockets.  Since I am a sucker for crazy projects, I very soon became actively involved – for some considerable time - but that is an other story. The pair are currently alive and well, and living in California with their respective charming wives. Both are exceptionally talented men and no crazier than most pioneers. Their supergun may yet become operational reality. Rocketry remains alarmingly expensive and is an environmental disaster. In contrast, hydrogen’s byproduct is no more than water because the hydrogen combines with the oxygen in the air to make H2O. If you have $500 million seed money, this is the project for you. If nothing else, you will be thoroughly entertained.

DR. EDWARD TELLER: Teller, of course, is known as ‘The Father of the H-Bomb’ and was also one of the founders of Livermore. In addition, he was the inspiration for Dr. Strangelove (played in the movie by Peter Sellers). I met him because John and Harry’s supergun shoot ran a week late so they decided I had best be entertained by meeting one scientist after another. Memorable people. However, Teller was the star attraction and he lived up to his billing. What is more, our encounter had an audience. John, Harry and crew – there were quite a bunch there – had a lot of fun watching this formidable old man hammer me verbally while I tried to interview him. I guess I just about held my own, but it was quite an experience. The man’s scientific contributions were extraordinary. He died shortly after we met. I doubt our encounter was the reason. He was 95.

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 43

ONE OF THE BEST BLOGS AROUND CONCERNING MATTERS ENTREPRENEURIAL, AND THE SHEER EXCITEMENT OF CREATIVITY, IS ‘CRASH DEV’ WRITTEN BY CHRIS DEVORE.

HIS LATEST PIECE IS BRILLIANT!

We book-writing types tend to think of ourselves as creative people – and artists at that - and, as such, set apart (and above) the crude brutality of routine business. True, typically, we earn less – frequently a lot less – but we console ourselves with the thought that we are doing something we love; and that we have creative freedom.

There is much validity to that viewpoint, and when I left business to write I certainly held such a view, but, over time, I have modified  such arrogance; or have had it hammered out of me though experience.

I still regard much of U.S. style unfettered capitalism as quite as crude, brutal, and mindless as indicated (and not particularly effective at improving the quality of life of the population as a whole), but I now believe creativity knows no boundaries, and I am huge fan of entrepreneurs, the entrepreneurial spirit, and innovation in general – especially when de-coupled from the notion that all that matters is the accumulation of wealth. True, most of us like money, and all of us need it to some extent; but fundamentally it is a false god when seen as the prime motivator. It is a tool in the tool-box of life; but that is all it is.

Really great people are driven by ideas, the pursuit of excellence and the desire to break new ground; and they are exciting both to know and to work with. And many are great fun into the bargain, because enthusiasm is infectious.

Chris Devore runs a Seattle start-up investment house – with his partner, Andy, called FOUNDERS-CO-OP and blogs at www.crashdev.com

On October 17 2012, he wrote a short, but brilliant, piece which sums up pretty much exactly what I feel as as it relates to software (which is his area of focus) but his observations have vastly wider application; and are incredibly exciting.

Best to read the whole piece, but here is an extract:

“To a newcomer, the economic flows -- or lack thereof -- in early-stage startups can seem completely upside-down. Founders barely get paid, mentors pitch in for free, everyone works like a dog and they all act delighted to be there.

What's going on here? There are good reasons for things being the way they are today, but they require a little explaining...

Over the past 10 years -- thanks to cloud infrastructure and open-source software -- the cost of technology innovation has collapsed. This, in turn, has radically recast the economics of early-stage innovation.

Skilled teams of maker-founders can now build and distribute world-class software with no outside financing required (at least until the business starts to scale). The financing event that used to mark the beginning of a startup's life -- raising a few million dollars in Series A venture -- is now a growth financing event that comes 12-18 months later (if at all).

Because there's so little financial capital at work in the system, early-stage innovation tends to attract people who don't rate money very highly on their hierarchy of needs. From my own experience, early-stage community members:

• are fascinated by the power of technology to create positive change;
• love to be in the flow of new ideas; 
• seek to advance their own thinking by spending time with thoughtful and intellectually curious peers; 
• self-identify as entrepreneurs and enjoy the company of others on a similar life journey; and/or
• have accumulated business and life experience relevant to tech startups and enjoy sharing their lessons learned with a new generation of founders.”

Chris’s ending is so powerful it makes me want to stand up and cheer; and the man can write. 

“For me, the early-stage innovation community is the most beautiful, inspiring, intellectually stimulating, emotionally rich and welcoming pocket of modern culture I've ever found. But if Willie Sutton were still around he wouldn't be caught dead working at -- or selling to -- an early-stage startup.”

 

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 42

I ONCE KNEW A DARK AND SECRET PLACE, WHERE ONE COULD DRINK ILLEGALLY AFTER A PERFORMANCE. CONVENIENTLY, IT WAS JUST ACROSS FROM THE GATE THEATER

As I have mentioned previously, my mother was outrageous, charismatic, and unstoppable. As a consequence, whenever we went to the Gate theater, after we had gone back-stage, we would troop across to Groom’s Hotel to have a drink or two. ‘We’ typically consisted of my mother, step-father, my sister Maxine, and myself; and sometimes we had a friend or two along.

I won’t attempt to describe Ireland’s liquor laws in those days, but the gist, as it relates to this story, was that this was illegal for at least two reasons. Firstly, it was after hours; and secondly I was a minor throughout this period; as was Maxine, who is younger than me by nearly two years. On the other hand, the owner of the hotel was the secretary of Ireland’s main political party, and government ministers often drank there. As a consequence, the Gardai (Ireland’s police) rarely raided the place even though they knew perfectly well was was going on. Unlike the U.S., Ireland does not pride itself on being a nation of laws. It is more a nation which understands human nature. It is one of Ireland’s most attractive qualities.

It was legal to drink after hours if you were resident in the hotel. Accordingly, although Grooms only had something like twelve rooms, many dozens of the regulars were technically booked in there – including a useful sprinkling of judges. If all had slept there at the same time, they would have had to have been packed in like anchovies. Looking back on it all, I suspect the rooms were put to other uses. The theatrical life is fueled to no small extent by sex.

I loved Grooms because it was a chance to see all kinds of famous actors close up, and more often than not, one or more would join us at our table; if we could get a table. Sometimes, the place was as crowded as a Tokyo subway car in rush hour – and I speak from first hand experience in both locations.

Not only local actors went there, but visiting actors invariably found their way there too. We had quite a crop of these because we had a movie studios some miles south of Dublin, Ardmore Studies, (it is still very much in action) and there was normally a film being shot there. My favorite, that I can recall, was Robert Mitchum, who came to Ireland on a number of occasions – and spent  considerable time there filming Ryan’s Daughter directed by David Lean of Lawrence of Arabia fame.

Rumor has it, Mitchum once punched someone who was pestering him in the back room of Groom’s Bar, but I fear I missed that particular incident.

They say you should write about what you know. Thanks to my outrageous mother and the theater, I came to know a great deal at quite an early age; and some of it was even legal. That said, I was never tempted to become an actor despite the glitz, and the glamor, and the numerous truly stunning women.

My first serious girlfriend was an actress; but book writing captured me instead. Nonetheless all my published books have been optioned for the movies.

My eldest daughter, Kira O’Reilly, is a successful performance artist, and my eldest son, Christian O’Reilly, is an award winning playwright and one of his works has been filmed. One way or another, show business seems to be in our blood.

The black sheep of the family, my son, Shane O’Reilly, is a banker. Zut alors! What can one say!

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 41

IRELAND HAS AN ASTONISHING LITERARY TRADITION FOR A VERY SMALL NATION

I was sent to boarding school from the age of five (something I regarded at the time as “cruel and unusual punishment” – though I did not yet know the phrase) but there were some compensations – in addition to numerous disadvantages - to being the eldest son of my quite extraordinary mother.

The compensation that came to mind, when I referred to Ireland’s remarkable literary tradition yesterday, was the fact that from an early age – perhaps eight or nine – I was taken to the theater a great deal.

My mother was never an actress, although I suspect she would like to have been, but she loved the theater with a passion, and mixed in theatrical circles as often as possible. There, since she was entertaining, charismatic, and a generous hostess, she was accepted freely. Besides, her theatrical connections were extensive. She had met my step-father in an experimental theater, my sister Maxine was a budding actress, her sister-in-law and her husband, Genevieve Lyons and Godfrey Quigley, were highly successful actors, and she was close friends with Lord and Lady Longford who owned and ran one of Dublin’s leading theaters, the Gate. It was in the Gate, by the way, where Orson Welles, still only in his his early twenties, helped to establish his earlier reputation. He was, to put it mildly, a phenomenon.

I was both fascinated and transported by the theatre in a way that was quite different to the movies. Whereas I love movies, and like nothing more than to relax with a good movie after a long day, the theater has a magic of its own. Just for starters, there is the fact that it is harder work (good exercise for the mind). You have to suspend disbelief, put up with the fact that most sets are clearly artificial, and then accept the reality that many performances are marred by the fact that one or more of the cast are still quite blatantly still learning their trade. Nonetheless, the fact that the theater is live creates a palpable tension in itself; and then there is the exciting discovery that although so much is artifice, one can still be transported by a very special kind of magic.

Has exposure to the theater contributed to my writing? Profoundly, I suspect, because the theater had a decided effect upon my imagination. There I was in an all male, rather grim boarding school for much of the year, whereas my visits to the theater back home in Dublin, Ireland, were occasions of glamor, and color, and excitement. And there were real live women there; and many were exceedingly attractive!

Better yet, since we normally went back-stage after a performance, to congratulate the performers in their dressing-rooms, I often got to see these beautiful creatures in a state of undress.

To understand how exciting that was to a sex-starved teenager, you would have to lock yourself up in an all male boarding school in Yorkshire, England, for months on end, for three terms a year, just when your hormones were at fever pitch.

Ironically, the damn place is now co-ed. My imagination fails at this point. 

But, I digress. My real message is that the theater is a wonder we neglect at our peril; and it informs the human condition to great advantage. All of that apart, it is a social occasion, and a great deal of fun.

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 40

“MADNESS! MADNESS! COULD WRITING BE A DRUG?”

Yesterday, I stopped work about 7.00 pm, which is pretty normal for me, and wandered into the kitchen to see what I might need to buy for supper. There, sitting on the counter, was my uneaten breakfast. I had apparently forgotten – yet again - to eat both breakfast and lunch.

Don’t misunderstand me. I enjoy my breakfast, and get hungry like anyone else; but I enjoy writing more, and, if the words are flowing, I have a very hard time tearing myself away from whatever I am working on.

Similarly, when I get up in the morning, I don’t automatically go to the kitchen to make a mug of tea (as would have been my custom in the past). Instead I go to may computer to check my e-mail and read over my previous days work. Then, the chances are good that – sparked off by something I have read – I will start writing. And the next thing I know, half the day has passed. And I haven’t even had a single mug of tea (I hate cups). As to why I drink tea rather than coffee, I guess this is my Irish blood. We are a tea  (and alcohol) drinking nation. Where writing is concerned, such propensities seem to have served us well. We have an astonishing literary tradition for such a small nation

I don’t know exactly how I learned to focus with quite this intensity, and for such sustained efforts, but I guess it boils down to sheer will-power. For years, I tried to focus, and again and again would be distracted by something or other, and my attention would wander. Next day I would try to focus all over again, and once more would fail. And that wretched cycle of failure would persist for decades – though I still managed to write. Then suddenly I achieved the ability to focus with the intensity that I had always thought writing both deserved, and required; and I was ecstatic. This business of being ‘in the zone,’ as far as writing is concerned, is about as good as it gets. The rush and the peace and the satisfaction and the joy defy adequate description.

It strikes me that writing has an effect beyond the obvious. Though clearly it is primarily concerned with conveying one’s innermost thoughts to words that can be read and understood by others, I have the notion that the effect of this process has enormous, life-enhancing, significance in itself. It improves your cognitive abilities.

“You’re mad!” I hear you say. Could be. By definition, how would I know otherwise? But, if I am, all I can tell you is that there is a great deal to be said for the condition.

 

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 39

WHAT ARE (SOME OF) THE SECRETS OF PUTTING A NEW VENTURE TOGETHER?

This is a longer blog than normal; but, since the subject is rather important, please bear with me. But how would an author know about such matters? Well, I was in business before I became a writer; and just so you know, book-writing is just about as entrepreneurial as you can get.

I don’t profess to know all the answers to my own question, but as I work away towards getting my books published, I have had a few thoughts on the matter. However, before I elaborate, let me explain a little about my own situation.

I have always been entrepreneurial and creative. I am blessed with what is known as an original mind. Quite why, I don’t understand exactly, but I know that I have always had a vivid imagination, and have been intensely intellectually curious. Part of it is doubtless genetic, but I was also brought up in a creatively stimulating (if over-emotional) home environment. When I was at boarding school (a decidedly less emotional location where histrionics were unacceptable), a rather marvelous math teacher called Father Bede – he was a Benedictine monk - told my mother – during one of her rare visits – that I was both highly intelligent and a dreamer, and he meant it as a compliment. He meant I tended to question the status quo and dreamt of what might be.  He was entirely right; and I haven’t changed in that regard. I will die the dreamer.

Unfortunately, my attributes were offset by certain serious faults. I was impatient; I had a terrible temper; and I lacked what I tend to call emotional resilience. I tended to over-react in the face of setbacks, and to have great difficulty in viewing them calmly and dispassionately. I had not yet learned that matters are rarely as bad as you think they might be; and that most issues can be resolved if you keep your cool and take your time. Easy to say and hard to do, but the truth is: COOL IS KING. Have that tattooed on the inside of your eyeballs. It may be the most important lesson you need to learn.

Suffice to say that my considerable talents were, at least partially, offset by my flaws, so I have been less successful than I otherwise might have been. But, I have had my successes, for all that; and have certainly lived an interesting life. Beyond that, I live in hopes I have learned a few things, and mellowed somewhat; and I’m not dead yet.

A very good friend of mine, Vaughn Forrest to whom my third book THE DEVIL’S FOOTPRINT is dedicated (the fictional character, Cochrane was inspired by him) likes to stress that life is hugely about managing one’s fears. He is entirely right, but he is also saying much the same thing as ‘Cool Is King’ – but, perhaps more elegantly.

So what are (some of) the secrets of putting a new venture together?

• OBJECTIVE: You need a clear objective. Feel free to call it a vision. You may have to modify it a bit in the light of events, but the substance should remain. Where writing is concerned, it may be a story outline. It may be as simple and intangible as an idea which inspires you. Creativity operates in strange and wonderful ways.
• PLAN: A vision is a fine thing, but if you don’t know how to achieve it, you won’t get very far. A plan doesn’t have to be perfect, but you need something; and it is probably best written down. If you are planning to raise funds, you will also need a Business Plan. Books on the latter are widely available. Being a writer, I’m rather biased in favor of the written word and Business Plans, but I will admit that plenty of businesses get started without them. Where a book is concerned, editors like story outlines; but many authors just like to write. If the seed is there, both story and characters have a habit of developing on the page.
• EXECUTION: This boils down to the ability to get things done, and it is a rarer attribute than one might think. Why so? Well, it involves determining priorities, dealing with people, enduring bureaucracies, coping with administration – and much else besides. It is extraordinarily important. Remember ideas are common. It is what you do with them that counts; and the pitfalls are many. It is useful to be a competent executioner. If you are a writer, first and foremost, you execute by writing. True, there is more to writing than that. You have to market your work. But, first you have to write for as many days, weeks, months and years that your work takes.
• PEOPLE: You need people. No one does anything entirely alone (even if they think they do). In business, it is called a management team. Where a writer is concerned, it may be a support system. Either way, we ALL need help. One person – in addition to you - may be enough. It depends upon the situation.
• WEAKNESSES: It is both helpful, and painful – especially to the go - to know yourself really well; and compensate accordingly. This does mean swallowing humble pie, because, no matter how talented you are, you almost certainly have weaknesses too. Best to admit them and compensate for them from the beginning. If you don’t, the stresses of a new venture are likely to expose them. This is why most new ventures operate best when a team is involved. Where writing is concerned, you need solid emotional support, and, most probably a good editor – or at least a few people who can assess your work critically. That said, where creativity is concerned, over time you will discover that you will develop the best guide of all; an inner voice. Learn to trust it. Does that fly in the face of words like ‘team’ and ‘cooperation?’ Yes, it does. But such is the nature of creativity.
• FORTITUDE: You need fortitude. This is a truly marvelous word which the dictionary defines as: Strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage. If I can guarantee one thing about a new venture, it is that you will run up against adversity. Things will go wrong. People will try and stop you. Keep cool, and keep going regardless of any, and all, obstacles. This can be extraordinarily hard to do; but it is what you must do.
• STOICISM: You need to be prepared to live with lack of encouragement from most other people including some, if not many, of those closest to you. That comes as a shock. But, most people are not entrepreneurial, and work in a reactive job within structured systems. Given that reality, they tend to regard the new (unless it is a new gadget from Apple) as an implied criticism of their ways of life. This is no more than human nature. Don’t take it personally. It is just something you have to expect and live with. And, if you are a writer, or otherwise creative, it is worse still. No regular income. Prospects poor. Spends all day alone (probably) drinking). Clearly a social misfit. Endure – perhaps for years; and keep going.
• PATIENCE: You need patience. Boy, do you need patience! Most people can estimate how long things take because they are doing the same kind of thing all the time. But, where a new venture is concerned, you are pioneering and can only guess; and you will frequently guess wrong. Beyond that, almost everything takes longer than you think – particularly the first time around. Take up Yoga. Take cold showers. Go for long walks. Buy yourself a hammock and chill out. You really do need patience.
• EXPERTISE: You really, truly, and absolutely need expertise. This is hard to be precise about, but I am generally of the view that the more you know about your business the better. Sometimes, of course, you have to learn as you go. Writing a first book is a good example. If I had known what it took to write a big thriller I might never have started GAMES OF THE HANGMAN (I lie) – but I will say that although I had never written a book before, I still had decades of other writing experience under my belt. You need at least some expertise. More is better. Professionalism is really what I am talking about. Watch a  pro at work in virtually any field and it is hard not to feel respect; and more to the point – trust. Trust underpins everything. Understand the concepts of trust and decency and there is not much else left.
• RESOURCES: You need resources. This is a complex issue because there is such a thing as having too many resources. That said, it is hard to progress when you are on the breadline. Trust me on that point: I have been there. The trick is to operate as minimally as you can while having the essentials. For instance, if you are a paratrooper, you do not need a brand new uniform, and shiny jump boots, for your first combat jump; but both a parachute and a weapon are highly advisable. If you doubt me, and feel like experimenting without, be my guest.
• HEALTH: You need your health. Doing anything entrepreneurial requires energy and stamina over the long term – and the long term could be years. Setting up a new venture is hard pounding. I give credit to the Duke of Wellington for that last remark. The man both wrote and spoke with humor, style and elegance. He would be remembered for such qualities, but then he defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, and is primarily recalled as a soldier. It’s a sad fate for a man of such literary talent; not to mention the inventor of the Wellington boot.
• LUCK: Some people believe you make your own luck. I don’t think that is entirely true. Bad things do happen to good people, and vice-versa. What I will say is that the expression: “What goes around, comes around,” seems to have some validity to it – certainly as far as I am concerned. When I have behaved badly – something I have been guilty of more often than I would like – there have been adverse consequences (which I well deserved). Conversely, I have been astonishingly lucky on many occasions; probably more than I deserve. Accordingly, I do believe there is some relationship between one’s behavior and luck. Either way, it is probably a good idea to be a decent human being - just in case.

The above reminds me of one of my favorite new venture jokes. I am supposed to have originated it – I wish I had – but I cannot claim authorship.

“If at first you don’t succeed; well… so much for skydiving!”