THE STORY SO FAR: PART 32

DO REAL READERS READ E-BOOKS… AND WILL PHYSICAL BOOKS VANISH?

Given that my whole objective is to learn how to blog briefly, you would have to wonder how I come up with these headings! It would take a book to answer these questions properly. Let me point an accusing finger at my subconscious. The damn thing seems to be addicted to long copy. I shall pound it into submission.

The evidence is that real readers really do read e-books because they love the low prices, the immediacy, and the convenience. Nonetheless, they may well buy physical copies of books they particularly like as well.

I don’t believe, for a second, that physical books will vanish. However, I do think that e-books will eat heavily into the traditional paperback market (paperbacks being seen as inherently disposable) and will have a substantial, but not fatal, impact on hardbacks.

I live in hopes that e-books will shake up traditional publishing – currently dominated by six vast corporate entities – to its roots. I don’t think the corporatization of publishing has done either the writing or reading communities any favors. 

Let me close with a couple of quotes from an interesting newsletter emanating from www.ebook-editor.com This particular blog was written by guest blogger, Elyse Douglas.

“Fewer people are reading more, but in more formats than ever before, according to the results of a series of telephone surveys carried out by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.”

“There are three things to keep in mind with regard to publishing an eBook, however. First, garbage in, garbage out—even if it that garbage has a beautifully designed garbage bag. If one is a lover of the craft of writing, one should insure that the book is carefully written, edited and proofed. Secondly, a professionally designed book cover is essential. It separates the amateurs from the pros. Third, the big one. Publicity. If you do not promote your work, it will lie off in the high weeds somewhere and never be seen, even if it’s the most dazzling flower in the field.”

As John Grisham recently said on CNN: “The emergence of eBooks is phenomenal. A year ago, my last book, “The Confession” was published. It was the first time we released the digital version of the book the same day as the hardback. After one year, my total sales are 40% digital and 60% hardback and the numbers have gone up. That’s obviously good news for me because more people are reading the books.”

The signs are encouraging, but the outcome is far from assured. I would like to see a dynamic marketplace where the sheer merit of the authors’ work would shine. The corporate handful who currently control publishing would prefer their sheer weight of promotional money to continue to dominate. Why not indeed? The weight of money of a privileged elite currently controls our lives from conception to death, and its physical consequences. That is not freedom.

 

NEWSFLASH! NEW BOOKS ARE ON THEIR WAY AT LAST!

Just so you know, I am on a steady countdown to launch a range of new titles on Amazon, and other major sites, within weeks rather than months. I will provide specific dates when I have them.

I will be launching – over a period of several weeks – three new titles. Thereafter, additional new titles will be appearing at, very roughly, intervals of one every month or two for several months.

The initial titles will be:

• THE BLOOD OF GENERATIONS. This will be the fourth action-packed novel in the Fitzduane series. In it, a survivor of the notorious WW II massacre at Malmerie, France, tries to enlist Fitzduane’s help in tracking down one of the chief perpetrators. That perpetrator, aging but still lethal, now runs one of the largest corporations in the world and has planned revenge against the Allies. In the climax, Fitzduane finds himself fighting over the same blood-soaked ground in Nazi occupied France as his father and mother had experienced in WW II when both were agents who had been infiltrated behind enemy lines to prepare for the June 6 invasion in 1944. Their mission-impossible is to either delay or destroy the formidable and ruthless SS Thousand Year Panzer division. With an intersecting story set both today, and back in 1944, this is a Big Thriller on an epic scale inspired by actual events.
• SATAN’S SMILE. Harry Fremont is a battle-weary scientist turned FBI agent who, for years, has specialized in hunting serial killers. His father is Thurlow Fremont, one of the principal developers of the Hydrogen Bomb. Posted to Livermore, home of the nuclear Livermore National Laboratory, to investigate a series of vicious throat cutting murders, Harry soon discovers that there are other forces at work; and that ‘The Lab’ is the target. Meanwhile, Stonecutter, the master terrorist, is planning a vastly more lethal spectacular event than anyone could have imagined. Distracted by inter-agency politics, and confused by his love for a fellow FBI, agent and his attraction to nuclear scientist Tina Lazaroff, Harry battles against the clock to stop much of California being turned into a nuclear wasteland. In a sentence: Serial killing meets nuclear terrorism.
• HOW EAGLE & CUCKOO SAVE AMERICA: THE BEGINNING. The Council of The Place For Reasonably Good People (where you go after you die if you have been reasonably good) are concerned that the U.S. is in rapid decline so appoint their watcher, Cuckoo, to find a solution. Cuckoo finds that so many Americans have been corrupted by dollar worship and Fast Food, that the only living creature up to the task is Eagle, head of all the eagles – and the very personification of character and integrity. However, Eagle is an eagle so has to know a lot more before he will be up to the task. Accordingly, Cuckoo proceeds to teach him. Meanwhile, the forces of darkness headed by one of Satan’s main agents, determine to destroy Eagle. A hilarious satire combined with an action packed thriller, Eagle & Cuckoo (E&C) may well be one of the funniest, most exciting, books you are ever likely the read; and offers a fascinating perspective on the reality of modern America.

E&C will be a trilogy, albeit each book will be a self-contained story. A self-contained story, from this author’s perspective, has a Beginning, a Middle, and an End; and is satisfying in itself.

• In the HOW EAGLE & CUCKOO SAVE AMERICA: THE BEGINNING, we get to know the characters, see Eagle as he evolves from simple aviator to combat leader, and experience the most hilarious courtroom scene yet written – featuring the Supreme Court and a re-incarnated Clarence Darrow.
• In the HOW EAGLE & CUCKOO SAVE AMERICA: THE CONTEST we follow Eagle as he morphs into human form, develops his political platform, and runs for the presidency.
• In the HOW EAGLE & CUCKOO SAVE AMERICA: THE LEADER we follow Eagle as he is sworn into office and leads the re-building of America with extraordinary success.

Will there be other E&C books? I truly hope so. I have a lot of ideas on that front. But, as always, it all depends upon the market reaction.

Watch this space for the latest details. We, who appear to be doing nothing, are actually surprisingly busy (but are slower at getting out titles than I would like).

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 31

THIS BUSINESS OF REMEMBERING… I FORGET WHAT TO DO… I THINK

When I started reading newspapers and magazines seriously – some time in my early teens, or maybe a little earlier - I used to wonder how reporters remembered things (and important things at that). I imagined excellent shorthand, a vast filing system; and rigorous fact-checking.

What can I say! I was young, innocent and idealistic; and recorders were far from common in those days. Since my school was in Yorkshire, England, the first newspaper I read regularly was the Yorkshire Post. I well remember being glued to it during the Suez crisis in 1956. I hungered for information, and back in those days we were not allowed either TV or radio at school. We were at boarding school to work, and play rugby and cricket. We were being educated to become leaders of men; and help run the British Empire. A noble fate, one might say, but the empire was shrinking fast. Besides, I was Irish, and all in favor of countries which wanted independence.

In my late teens, while I was at university in Dublin, I had notions of becoming a journalist so made several friends who worked for Ireland’s leading serious newspaper, The Irish Times. While hanging around there, I looked in vain for reporter’s notebooks filled with meticulous shorthand. Instead, I would see journalists grabbing copy paper, jotting down a few notes during a lengthy meeting, and then crafting a story based upon a general sense of what they had heard. Some care was given to names and similar specific data, but, broadly speaking, there was a huge reliance on short-term memory; and very little on coping meticulously through the files. The news, they all realized was perishable; readers were not too fussy about absolute accuracy; most articles were relatively short (though not by today’s standards); and careful analysis was someone else’s problem. Apart from all that, the Pearl Bar awaited. They were a hard-drinking crew in those days, and probably still are. Such foibles apart, the Irish Times was – and remains – an excellent newspaper (though not without its faults).

I tried to learn shorthand during my first year at university, but was the only male in the class (which was off campus and off my curriculum), and eventually fled through sheer embarrassment. I used to find notes from various women left in my coat, and was too young and inexperienced to know how to handle such attention. Trust me, I learned, but a little too late to avail of such opportunities.

In 1981, when I went to Switzerland to research the fictional background of my hanged victim, I decided the time had come to take this research thing seriously, and invested in two Olympus microcassette recorders and a plug-in loudspeaker. At the time I thought I was being extravagant, but it turned out to be one of the best investments I have ever made. Since then, I have tried other recorders, but have always reverted to Olympus equipment, though now I have switched to digital gear. Highly recommended. And no, I have neither connections nor tie-ins with the company at all. I just have the confidence, gained over decades, that Olympus will deliver terrific sound, and will work. 

What I will say is that I find that a recording helps my recall enormously. It also scares Army generals. I was told that when spending time with the 101st Airborne (Air Assault) and found it to be mostly true. Generals live in fear that some indiscreet comment will cost them their command, or their next star. Don’t laugh. Recall what happened to Patton, and, more recently, to General Stanley McChrystal.

Why two machines, you may ask? Well, even the best equipment can break down, and, if it does, it will normally be at the most inconvenient time and place. I would add that really small equipment, apart from being innately vulnerable, tends to get lost with alarming frequency. Pick robust equipment you can see and find. Life in the field is, as they say, different; and I guess you can add brutal.

The illustrated machine is an Olympus LS –100. It may well be more than you need, but good gear is normally worth the price.

One final thing: Practice with your equipment until you can operate it blindfolded and your muscle memory takes over. If you are going to the right places, it will almost certainly have to.

 

NEWSFLASH! NEW BOOKS ARE ON THEIR WAY AT LAST!

Just so you know, I am on a steady countdown to launch a range of new titles on Amazon, and other major sites, within weeks rather than months. I will provide specific dates when I have them.

I will be launching – over a period of several weeks – three new titles. Thereafter, additional new titles will be appearing at, very roughly, intervals of one every month or two for several months.

The initial titles will be:

• THE BLOOD OF GENERATIONS. This will be the fourth action-packed novel in the Fitzduane series. In it, a survivor of the notorious WW II massacre at Malmerie, France, tries to enlist Fitzduane’s help in tracking down one of the chief perpetrators. That perpetrator, aging but still lethal, now runs one of the largest corporations in the world and has planned revenge against the Allies. In the climax, Fitzduane finds himself fighting over the same blood-soaked ground in Nazi occupied France as his father and mother had experienced in WW II when both were agents who had been infiltrated behind enemy lines to prepare for the June 6 invasion in 1944. Their mission-impossible is to either delay or destroy the formidable and ruthless SS Thousand Year Panzer division. With an intersecting story set both today, and back in 1944, this is a Big Thriller on an epic scale inspired by actual events.
• SATAN’S SMILE. Harry Fremont is a battle-weary scientist turned FBI agent who, for years, has specialized in hunting serial killers. His father is Thurlow Fremont, one of the principal developers of the Hydrogen Bomb. Posted to Livermore, home of the nuclear Livermore National Laboratory, to investigate a series of vicious throat cutting murders, Harry soon discovers that there are other forces at work; and that ‘The Lab’ is the target. Meanwhile, Stonecutter, the master terrorist, is planning a vastly more lethal spectacular event than anyone could have imagined. Distracted by inter-agency politics, and confused by his love for a fellow FBI, agent and his attraction to nuclear scientist Tina Lazaroff, Harry battles against the clock to stop much of California being turned into a nuclear wasteland. In a sentence: Serial killing meets nuclear terrorism.
• HOW EAGLE & CUCKOO SAVE AMERICA: THE BEGINNING. The Council of The Place For Reasonably Good People (where you go after you die if you have been reasonably good) are concerned that the U.S. is in rapid decline so appoint their watcher, Cuckoo, to find a solution. Cuckoo finds that so many Americans have been corrupted by dollar worship and Fast Food, that the only living creature up to the task is Eagle, head of all the eagles – and the very personification of character and integrity. However, Eagle is an eagle so has to know a lot more before he will be up to the task. Accordingly, Cuckoo proceeds to teach him. Meanwhile, the forces of darkness headed by one of Satan’s main agents, determine to destroy Eagle. A hilarious satire combined with an action packed thriller, Eagle & Cuckoo (E&C) may well be one of the funniest, most exciting, books you are ever likely the read; and offers a fascinating perspective on the reality of modern America.

E&C will be a trilogy, albeit each book will be a self-contained story. A self-contained story, from this author’s perspective, has a Beginning, a Middle, and an End; and is satisfying in itself.

• In the HOW EAGLE & CUCKOO SAVE AMERICA: THE BEGINNING, we get to know the characters, see Eagle as he evolves from simple aviator to combat leader, and experience the most hilarious courtroom scene yet written – featuring the Supreme Court and a re-incarnated Clarence Darrow.
• In the HOW EAGLE & CUCKOO SAVE AMERICA: THE CONTEST we follow Eagle as he morphs into human form, develops his political platform, and runs for the presidency.
• In the HOW EAGLE & CUCKOO SAVE AMERICA: THE LEADER we follow Eagle as he is sworn into office and leads the re-building of America with extraordinary success.

Will there be other E&C books? I truly hope so. I have a lot of ideas on that front. But, as always, it all depends upon the market reaction.

Watch this space for the latest details. We, who appear to be doing nothing, are actually surprisingly busy (but are slower at getting out titles than I would like).

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 30

WHAT IS THE MOST INTERESTING THING YOU HAVE EVER FOUND?

When re-starting this blog, I decided that it would be more stream-of-consciousness than planned. I did not want to spend too much time on it, and I lived in hope that my subconscious would keep me adequately fed with ideas. Frankly, I was doubtful about the latter, but I thought it was worth a try.

To my pleasant surprise, my subconscious – so far - has not let me down. I sit, and touch the keys;, and the rest seems to flow. The writing still takes work (writing always takes work even when you think it doesn’t) but the effort is satisfying rather than onerous.

The above heading, for a change, did not come from my subconscious. I was having a late breakfast, after working for a couple of hours beforehand, and I heard Steve Scher (see photo), who broadcasts a truly excellent talk show on NPR KUOW in Seattle, discuss the question with a musician guest while in the middle of a pledge drive. As best I could gather, the musician uses found items as inspiration for his songs. I don’t know any more because I was anxious to get back to work, so did not listen to the full interview. Still the question intrigued me. What was the most interesting thing I had found?

The first item that came to mind was a largish weather balloon that I found when walking across Dartmoor many years ago. Dartmoor is where the Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes story, The Hound of The Baskervilles is set so perhaps hiking across it alone was not the greatest idea. However, I was far more concerned with being sucked down into a bog than being eaten by a hound, so I regarded the rather large balloon and attachments with relief. They appeared to be on solid ground. An attached notice offered an excessively modest reward if returned from whence it came; but the thought of carrying it for twelve miles or so did not appeal.

I walked on, eyes peeled for the bright green, apparently solid surface which would, in reality, be a boggy area that would suck me down to my doom. Eventually, I found such an area, and felt I had to test it; but only sunk to my knees. Though I am sure the suspicion never crossed your mind, sometimes, we writers exaggerate a little about the dangers our characters face. On the other hand, in the interests of the integrity of our research, sometimes we get killed. That’s a damn nuisance from a writing point of view. Hard to finish a book under such circumstances.

In my case, I returned to the rather cozy little town of Chagford, in the county of Devon, England feeling much invigorated after walking twenty plus miles; and looking forward to grilled trout, a bottle of wine, a good read, and an early night. Why early? Well, this was a walking holiday, and I was upping my game each day. 

I then wracked my brain to come up with something exceptional that I had found. I could recall small pieces of change, a rusty cavalry saber, and various dead animals, but nothing particularly dramatic came to mind.

Then it came to me that the most interesting thing I had ever found was the freshly hanged body of a young man in a small wood near the village of Llantwit-Major in South Wales. The above are the cliffs I used to walk along every day (a rather strange activity given that I hate heights). A little further on, there was a dark and dripping wood; and therein, hanging from tree, was the body.

Why didn’t that memory occur to me immediately? It had, after all, been a life-changing experience, and had led me to write Games Of The Hangman. I have no idea. Perhaps I have never thought of that tragic hanged figure of being a ‘thing,’ though a corpse is just that. I caught him when he was cut down, and he was still warm. Dead or not, he remains a person to me. In the book, he is Swiss. In real life, he was Dutch and his first name was Wim. I know no more.

 

NEWSFLASH! NEW BOOKS ARE ON THEIR WAY AT LAST!

Just so you know, I am on a steady countdown to launch a range of new titles on Amazon, and other major sites, within weeks rather than months. I will provide specific dates when I have them.

I will be launching – over a period of several weeks – three new titles. Thereafter, additional new titles will be appearing at, very roughly, intervals of one every month or two for several months.

The initial titles will be:

• The Blood Of Generations. This will be the fourth action-packed novel in the Fitzduane series. In it, a survivor of the notorious WW II massacre at Malmerie, France, tries to enlist Fitzduane’s help in tracking down one of the chief perpetrators. That perpetrator, aging but still lethal, now runs one of the largest corporations in the world and has planned revenge against the Allies. In the climax, Fitzduane finds himself fighting over the same blood-soaked ground in Nazi occupied France as his father and mother had experienced in WW II when both were agents who had been infiltrated behind enemy lines to prepare for the June 6 invasion in 1944. Their mission-impossible is to either delay or destroy the formidable and ruthless SS Thousand Year Panzer division. With an intersecting story set both today, and back in 1944, this is a Big Thriller on an epic scale inspired by actual events.
• Satan’s Smile. Harry Fremont is a battle-weary scientist turned FBI agent who, for years, has specialized in hunting serial killers. His father is Thurlow Fremont, one of the principal developers of the Hydrogen Bomb. Posted to Livermore, home of the nuclear Livermore National Laboratory, to investigate a series of vicious throat cutting murders, Harry soon discovers that there are other forces at work; and that ‘The Lab’ is the target. Meanwhile, Stonecutter, the master terrorist, is planning a vastly more lethal spectacular event than anyone could have imagined. Distracted by inter-agency politics, and confused by his love for a fellow FBI, agent and his attraction to nuclear scientist Tina Lazaroff, Harry battles against the clock to stop much of California being turned into a nuclear wasteland. In a sentence: Serial killing meets nuclear terrorism.
• How Eagle & Cuckoo Save America: The Beginning. The Council of The Place For Reasonably Good People (where you go after you die if you have been reasonably good) are concerned that the U.S. is in rapid decline so appoint their watcher, Cuckoo, to find a solution. Cuckoo finds that so many Americans have been corrupted by dollar worship and Fast Food, that the only living creature up to the task is Eagle, head of all the eagles – and the very personification of character and integrity. However, Eagle is an eagle so has to know a lot more before he will be up to the task. Accordingly, Cuckoo proceeds to teach him. Meanwhile, the forces of darkness headed by one of Satan’s main agents, determine to destroy Eagle. A hilarious satire combined with an action packed thriller, Eagle & Cuckoo (E&C) may well be one of the funniest, most exciting, books you are ever likely the read; and offers a fascinating perspective on the reality of modern America.

E&C will be a trilogy, albeit each book will be a self-contained story. A self-contained story, from this author’s perspective, has a Beginning, a Middle, and an End; and is satisfying in itself.

• In the How Eagle & Cuckoo Save America: The Beginning, we get to know the characters, see Eagle as he evolves from simple aviator to combat leader, and experience the most hilarious courtroom scene yet written – featuring the Supreme Court and a re-incarnated Clarence Darrow.
• In the How Eagle & Cuckoo Save America: The Contest we follow Eagle as he morphs into human form, develops his political platform, and runs for the presidency.
• In the How Eagle & Cuckoo Save America: The Leader we follow Eagle as he is sworn into office and leads the re-building of America with extraordinary success.

Will there be other E&C books? I truly hope so. I have a lot of ideas on that front. But, as always, it all depends upon the market reaction.

Watch this space for the latest details. We, who appear to be doing nothing, are actually surprisingly busy (but are slower at getting out titles than I would like).

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 29

 THE BLOG ITSELF

Do we (the people) read blog archives? I am sure we do, on occasions; but I suspect that normally we do not. In fact, that has long struck me as one of the weaknesses of electronic blogging as opposed to a physical journal. Books tend to be linear; and to be either read, or dipped into, in such a fashion. In contrast, a blog tends to emphasize immediacy; and, by its nature, to focus almost exclusively on the latest entry.

Is that a good thing?

I’m far from sure. Context is missing. Let me remedy that omission in relation to this blog – not that I want to stop you wandering through the archives. But, in essence, context frequently – though not always – provides some rationality to actions, which seen in isolation, would appear to make no sense at all.

For example: I am writing this blog because I want to communicate to my potential readers; and I am launching several new titles shortly.

In truth, this blog is something more than that. It is also an attempt to reach out at a very human level for no commercial reason at all. Why so? Because communication – when it works in the face of all the normal obstacles and prejudices – is a great and wonderful thing.

My god, that sounds so sentimental. On the other hand, it reflect a personal – and hard-won - belief.

 

THE CONTEXT OF THIS BLOG

The context in this case is quite straightforward. I am on a steady countdown to launch a range of new titles on Amazon, and other major sites, within weeks rather than months. I will provide specific dates when I have them.

I will be launching – over a period of several weeks – three new titles. Thereafter, additional new titles will be appearing at, very roughly, intervals of one every month or two for several months.

The initial titles will be:

• The Blood Of Generations. This will be the fourth action-packed novel in the Fitzduane series. In it, a survivor of the notorious WW II massacre at Malmerie, France, tries to enlist Fitzduane’s help in tracking down one of the chief perpetrators. That perpetrator, aging but still lethal, now runs one of the largest corporations in the world and has planned revenge against the Allies. In the climax, Fitzduane finds himself fighting over the same blood-soaked ground in Nazi occupied France as his father and mother had experienced in WW II when both were agents who had been infiltrated behind enemy lines to prepare for the June 6 invasion in 1944. Their mission-impossible is to either delay or destroy the formidable and ruthless SS Thousand Year Panzer division. With an intersecting story set both today, and back in 1944, this is a Big Thriller on an epic scale inspired by actual events.
• Satan’s Smile. Harry Fremont is a battle-weary scientist turned FBI agent who, for years, has specialized in hunting serial killers. His father is Thurlow Fremont, one of the principal developers of the Hydrogen Bomb. Posted to Livermore, home of the nuclear Livermore National Laboratory, to investigate a series of vicious throat cutting murders, Harry soon discovers that there are other forces at work; and that ‘The Lab’ is the target. Meanwhile, Stonecutter, the master terrorist, is planning a vastly more lethal spectacular event than anyone could have imagined. Distracted by inter-agency politics, and confused by his love for a fellow FBI, agent and his attraction to nuclear scientist Tina Lazaroff, Harry battles against the clock to stop much of California being turned into a nuclear wasteland. In a sentence: Serial killing meets nuclear terrorism.
• How Eagle & Cuckoo Save America: The Beginning. The Council of The Place For Reasonably Good People (where you go after you die if you have been reasonably good) are concerned that the U.S. is in rapid decline so appoint their watcher, Cuckoo, to find a solution. Cuckoo finds that so many Americans have been corrupted by dollar worship and Fast Food, that the only living creature up to the task is Eagle, head of all the eagles – and the very personification of character and integrity. However, Eagle is an eagle so has to know a lot more before he will be up to the task. Accordingly, Cuckoo proceeds to teach him. Meanwhile, the forces of darkness headed by one of Satan’s main agents, determine to destroy Eagle. A hilarious satire combined with an action packed thriller, Eagle & Cuckoo (E&C) may well be one of the funniest, most exciting, books you are ever likely the read; and offers a fascinating perspective on the reality of modern America.

E&C will be a trilogy, albeit each book will be a self-contained story. A self-contained story, from this author’s perspective, has a Beginning, a Middle, and an End; and is satisfying in itself.

• In the How Eagle & Cuckoo Save America: The Beginning, we get to know the characters, see Eagle as he evolves from simple aviator to combat leader, and experience the most hilarious courtroom scene yet written – featuring the Supreme Court and a re-incarnated Clarence Darrow.
• In the How Eagle & Cuckoo Save America: The Contest we follow Eagle as he morphs into human form, develops his political platform, and runs for the presidency.
• In the How Eagle & Cuckoo Save America: The Leader we follow Eagle as he is sworn into office and leads the re-building of America with extraordinary success.

Will there be other E&C books? I truly hope so. I have a lot of ideas on that front. But, as always, it all depends upon the market reaction.

Watch this space for the latest details. We, who appear to be doing nothing, are actually surprisingly busy (but are slower at getting out titles than I would like).

 

 

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 28

From my perspective, one of the great mysteries of writing is that I don’t really know how the process works. You would think I would know after writing most of my adult life, and starting my professional writing career – after various false starts – in 1986 – but I don’t. In fact, I don’t really know where many of my ideas come from. I can trace back certain influences, of course, and the origins of some specific scenes, but much of the rest is a mystery; and I guess that is part of the magic.

You do understand, I trust, that writing really is magic. As to what kind of magic, I guess that depends on what you write.

What I do know is that although I think a great deal about my characters, and what I am going to write, matters really only take off when I physically start to write. In fact, I have now reached the stage where the mere sight of a keyboard makes me want to write. In short, writing begets writing. Putting it another way, even if you don’t know what to write about, start writing anyway, and the thinking will follow.

Yes, I know that sounds bizarre, but it’s true.

I know there are numerous creative writing courses out there, some taught by some truly talented authors, but I remain convinced that the best way to learn to write is to write a great deal; and every day. By so doing you will bridge the gap between your brain and your fingers. In fact, sometimes I think the fingers teach the brain, not the other way round. That is not literally true, of course, but I have no doubt at all that the sheer physicality of writing interacts with one’s mind in ways we don’t fully understand.

I used not to believe in magic. My mother made it clear at a very early age that Santa Claus didn’t exist. I suspect this was part of a campaign to lower my expectations. She was on an allowance from my grandmother and funds were short. If there was no Santa, I could scarcely expect much of a Christmas present. When I told my fellow munchkins at the Sacred Heart Convent in Dublin’s Leeson Street, they all screamed; and their parents wanted to lynch my mother (and possibly me) . 

Now, at least where writing is concerned, I rather think I do believe in magic.

 

 

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 27

One of the problems of focusing on writing, to the degree that I have learned to do, is that one’s ability to cope with peripheral issues is diminished. I guess one could call this ‘Absent-minded professor syndrome’ or some such. I have tried to think of a more appropriate phrase regarding writers, but haven’t come up with anything stellar as yet.

But wait! Inspiration strikes! How about: ‘Absorbed author fog;’ or ‘The fog of fiction writing.’ Still not quite what I’m after, but you get the idea. My basic point is that focusing on one issue results in fogginess elsewhere.

Bur surely this is the age of multi-tasking? Actually, there is considerable research which indicates that the effectiveness of multi-tasking is an illusion; and that there is no substitute for fully focusing one specific task. Perhaps one can carry our heart surgery and tap dance, but I would prefer my surgeon to concentrate.

Personally, I believe being in the zone is worth the price, because a writer’s productivity, when focused, is enhanced dramatically. Nonetheless, there is a price, and it can be a damn nuisance.

This morning, I cleaned my computer – something I do pretty regularly – and, afterwards, found I could not connect to the internet. This evoked feelings akin to being marooned on a desert island. I now need to be plugged in to function (so much for rugged individualism). The War of The Worlds is over and – at least as far as I am concerned – the technological world has won. I’m not entirely happy with that, but I accept it. It is something of a Faustian bargain, but I currently hold to the view that the advantages, from this writer’s point of view, outweigh the disadvantages. The thought occurs to me that I may revise that opinion; but, so far, it holds.

You are probably ahead of me. Yes, my HP does have a touch key that controls access to the internet; and, yes my cleaning of the machine did turn it into the ‘Off’ position. When ‘On,’ the switch glows blue; when ‘Off’ the switch glows red. You would think I would have noticed such a thing, especially as this issue has occurred before.

Not a bit of it. I was focused entirely on what I was about to write.

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 26

My computer is only three years old, but seems to be dying on me. I feel I should place it in a box, dig a hole, and bury it after a short, tearful service. Or perhaps I should drive to the local crematorium. Personally, I am all in favor of cremation.

Actually, I am being overly dramatic. It’s not much that my computer is dying, but more that I’m outgrowing it. The machine, itself, is working just fine – it’s an HP Pavilion d3, by the way – but it can no longer cope with the way I have taught myself to operate. Simply put, by the time I have loaded up the various programs I interact with, and connect to the cloud in various ways, the darned thing runs out of threads and starts to freeze, scroll jerkily, and otherwise slow me up mightily. And yes, I have tried switching off just about everything I don’t need, and it is still not enough. And yes, I have upgraded my RAM to 8GBs (which seems quite adequate).

I find it ironic that my search for productivity has led me to this pretty pass. There was a time when I felt quite content to have WordPerfect up – just one program – up and running. Now, my list of absolutely vital programs seems to be expanding like Jack’s Beanstalk. Let me list the principle culprits.

• BROWSER – Google Chrome, typically with ten windows open.
• WORD-PROCESSOR – MS Word, typically with several windows open.
• DATABASE – Zotero
• DATABASE – Evernote
• BLOGGING SOFTWARE – Windows Live Writer
• CACHEMAN – So I can monitor resource usage in real time.
• SECURITY SOFTWARE – Norton Security Suite
• BACKUP SOFTWARE – Carbonite
• CLOUD SERVICES – SkyDrive
• HARD DRIVE MONITORING – Sentinel

Why two databases you may ask? Trust me, I have my reasons.

The good news is that I genuinely do work faster this way. Nonetheless, I am now faced with the formidable task of buying another computer, and then transferring all my work.

I’ll miss the HP. It has served me extremely well.

I’ll be getting emotional next.