tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961641320692339172024-03-13T12:24:54.380-07:00inSyteI’m Greg Kiser, the author of inSyte, a contemporary novel about a politician and his Holy Pursuit of God’s plan, the Navy SEAL who has to take him out, and a wolf-like killer hunting the Navy SEAL.
My novel is available on Amazon, or follow this url:
http://www.gkiser.com/gk/GO_FOR_IT!!.htmlGreg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-56565791477782895872013-02-01T05:20:00.000-08:002013-02-01T05:20:00.305-08:00What's your routine regarding writing? Anyplace special you go to write?<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">I write everything in my home office.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Nice computer set up, everything on Microsoft Word.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>What may be unique is that I write everything in the morning.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Early morning.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Typically between 4:00am and 7:00am.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Those are my peak times where I’m the most creative and can get totally absorbed in the story.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">That’s writing.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Now editing is a different story.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>To edit, I’ll wait a few days to let what I wrote settle.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Then I’ll print it out maybe 10 pages at a time and I’ll read it out loud.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’ll use accents in the right places for the various characters.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This helps get the dialogue more natural and really helps to polish the writing.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">A lot of times it looks fine on the printed page, particularly to the author.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But when you hear it, you can tell it’s off.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Anyone else reading it would detect an unnatural flow.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It would bug them.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You miss it as the writer.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But you pick it up when you hear it.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Writing’s the easy part in a way.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s the hour upon hour upon hour of editing that takes more time – but is so necessary to have a nice finished work.</span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-32023185368919197402013-01-15T05:19:00.000-08:002013-01-15T05:19:00.592-08:00Who most influenced your writing, and who most influenced your reading?<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Times; panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">I had a close friend in high school who influenced my reading.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We both read a lot of sci-fi back then. Isaac Asimov was huge.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Some Robert Heinlein.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Stranger in a Strange Land – who could forget that?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Then somebody turned me onto Stephen King.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He had a new novel out called The Stand.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Wow – that book rocked my world.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I was in my late teens and a friend of my mothers handed me the book and said it was interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I remember thinking – this book is about 800 pages and some woman in her forties thinks it’s interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I don’t think so.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">But I started reading it because I had nothing else to do one night.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>No TV, no ipods, no internet.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This was the dark ages of the late 70’s.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Well, we had TV but not in my room.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">I finished the novel in maybe 3 days.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">So Stephen King has been very influential to my writing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And Thomas Harris.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I think Cheslov is a cross between Randall Flag in The Stand and Hannibal.</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family: Times;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-language:EN-US"> </span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-69347728858969462742013-01-01T05:19:00.000-08:002013-01-01T05:19:01.101-08:00If you could change anything in today's world what would it be and why?<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">I’d change our political system, the one we have here in the US.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s terribly broken.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Some people say our country is the next Greece.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Well, Greece can not possibly fix their financial problems without getting bailed out by another country, notably Germany.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">But the US – we could fix all of our deficit problems, go from deficits of 9-10% of GDP to only 2% of GDP (that would put us at the bottom of the list of industrialized countries in that ratio).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>All by ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The Bowles – Simpson bi-partisan deficit reduction recommendations would do it.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">But our political system has devolved to the point where this country is paralyzed.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">I think it’s a result of the non-stop scrutiny of 24 hour news channels.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>People tend to posture non-stop. Meanwhile, nothing gets accomplished.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-28546302184949135702012-12-15T05:18:00.000-08:002012-12-15T05:18:00.190-08:00Do you feel a deep connection to any of the characters in "inSyte"? If so who and why?<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Hmmmm.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Deep connection?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Can’t say that I do.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Each of my characters is a work of fiction.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Are there life experiences that worked their way into my novel?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Most definitely.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">At it’s core, inSyte is a character driven novel.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Each character’s motivations are always clear so the plot is easy to follow without being predictable.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I also strive for nicely understated humor to break up the intensity. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">You always know who’s head you’re in, ie the point of view in any chapter is quickly apparent.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The perceptions of the characters are different for the same circumstances, which adds depth.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">And I have a lot of dialogue.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Dialogue speeds up pacing and is an important element in making a book read quickly.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Dialogue also helps to illustrate the characters.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">My characters are multi-dimensional and interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Even the smaller characters are well-drawn.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">My novel is a thriller and there’s plenty of action and tension.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I paid a lot of attention to the dialogue to add tension by inter-cutting, avoiding having people speak in complete paragraphs and even sentences.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Showing the impatience, projecting a more natural flow.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">More than just dialogue, there are a number of physical conflicts.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Otherwise known as fight scenes.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The various fight scenes have been described by reviewers as horrifying and terrific.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This is not a novel about fighting, by any stretch, but there is physical conflict.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Great fun.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Anyway, back to the connection – no, I don’t feel a connection.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They are all made up.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin">But my favorite is Cheslov.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He was the most fun to write.</span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-13693358082026121812012-12-01T05:17:00.000-08:002012-12-01T05:17:00.883-08:00Do you feel your writing style differs from any other authors? Why or how?<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Of course my writing style differs from many writers. Just as you can look at the top commercial novels of any decade and see differences in the writing styles.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">It may be better to illustrate who my writing is similar to.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Kirkus Reviews described my writing as equal parts Crichton, Clancy and King.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">I could not ask for a better comparison ;).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Pretty high company.</span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-31531757320809070492012-11-15T05:17:00.000-08:002012-11-15T05:17:00.783-08:00Will books become extinct?<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:major-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Just a matter of time before books become obsolete.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But not extinct.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Continuing from my answer above, there’s just no need for paper books. Oh sure, there will always be collectibles. It will always be fashionable and tasteful for homes to have books.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">But in a decade or two, when broadband is truly ubiquitous and the computers and ipads and cell phones we use today are the size of a blood cell and you have access to every novel ever written for your virtual reading pleasure – well it becomes easy for one to imagine that physical books are obsolete.</span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-82299324849607726702012-10-15T05:16:00.001-07:002012-10-15T05:16:00.223-07:00Which do you think will gain the most profit e-books or print?<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">ebooks, definitely.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They already have the most profit per item.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Eventually they’ll overtake print books on total volume.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">My mother is 80<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>years old and reads two or three paperbacks each week.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I asked her recently if she would like to read ebooks.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She could save a lot of money and I showed her how nice they look on an iPad.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Her response?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>No interest whatsoever. Of course she wasn’t raised on computers and displays the way people below the age of about 35 were.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-9748751417416177672012-10-15T05:16:00.000-07:002012-10-15T05:17:05.128-07:00Bad Reviews<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Well, if you can’t handle bad reviews then you’re in the wrong business.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’ll want to understand specifics.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Is this a good reviewer who has legitimate points?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Or someone who, perhaps, this just is never going to be the kind of book they would like.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sort of like me reviewing a rom com –it’s just not something that’s going to really grab me, sorry.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">If it’s the former, then I listen.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And listen hard.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Because that’s the thing about being the writer – you can never really read your book as an unbiased observer.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Right?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Impossible.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Unless maybe you put it down for many, many years and then read it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>No, probably not even then.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">So I listen to ‘professionals’, what they think, and I have gone back after reviews and actually made edits based on input – particularly if I hear it from more than one reviewer.</span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-9975206212002485982012-10-01T05:15:00.000-07:002012-10-01T05:15:00.735-07:00Advice to new writers?<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Don’t let ANYBODY read that initial draft.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It will suck.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Oh – and don’t let ANYBODY read that initial draft.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It will suck, indeed.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Also, be ready for criticism.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You may think it’s the best novel, potentially, ever written. It’s not.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You need direction from others to make your book be all that it can possibly be.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Finish your first draft and then refine, rewrite, make it real.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Until you love it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’d say a<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>year or more.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>For me it took 3 years after the initial draft to get it where I wanted it to be.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">And at least one year before it was ready for anyone else to read.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Because before that, it sucked.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>To be clear, I never thought it sucked when I finished writing sections.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Only when I re-read them months later.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">You see, here’s another bit of advice.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Don’t spend too much time on the polishing when you first get the words down.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You’re just building the foundation.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The polishing and finishing comes later.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-7312421847467550102012-09-15T05:14:00.000-07:002012-09-15T05:14:01.042-07:00What's my writing style?<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Real.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Direct.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I spent many, many hours searching and deleting ‘had’. I rewrote to put as much as I could into present tense.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I read through sentences and deleted words that were unnecessary.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I read all the dialogue aloud to ensure I had contractions and cuss words but not too much of either because I wanted it to be real.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Real.</span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-17732698416255531152012-09-01T05:13:00.000-07:002012-09-01T05:13:00.818-07:00If inSyte were a movie, describe your cast<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">What a great question!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’ve actually thought about that.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Why not? It’s fun.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Here goes:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Mitch:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Ryan Gosling</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Kate:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Kristen Stewart</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Cheslov: Daniel Craig</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Woody:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sean William Scott</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Mayor:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Alec Baldwin</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Phelps:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><a href="http://www.tv.com/%8Eeljko-ivanek/person/16766/summary.html"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">Željko Ivanek</span></a></span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-70139106906732326682012-08-20T05:13:00.000-07:002012-08-20T05:13:00.706-07:00How much of your actual life gets written?<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">The best parts.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Because that’s what gives it color, richness.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There’s one scene where my protagonist and his love interest meet at his apartment.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She’s looking at photographs on a book shelf and she sees one of him as a child with his family. The thoughts she has are directly related to thoughts I had looking at a picture of my young niece many years ago with her family.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">It’s the little moments in life that must be woven into your book to make it real.</span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-79661176363586313982012-08-15T05:12:00.000-07:002012-08-15T05:12:01.596-07:00Are character names important?<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Absolutely the names are important.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Are the names to your children important?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I named my female lead Kate.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That’s sort of a popular name for leading ladies in movies and books and there’s a reason.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Kate is a strong name, wholesome, all-American (and Irish, of course).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Clean, has that long ‘a’ sound.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Crisp, clear.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Beautiful.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">As opposed to, say, Bobbie.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Bobbie happens to be one of my favorite names for a girl.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I had an aunt named Bobbie and she was my favorite aunt when I was a kid.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She was young and pretty and infinitely cool.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But she also happened to be born in the country.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I had no problem with that growing up, but I probably wouldn’t<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>give my main character that name.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Unless, of course, I wanted her to be a country girl.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>See?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">My main antagonist, Cheslov – for that, I just needed a Russian name.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I wanted to avoid the obvious names you see all the times – like Borlov or Boris or Vlad or Vasily.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So I googled and googled and finally ran across Cheslov.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As soon as I saw that name, I thought it was perfect.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">For my protagonist – Mitch – I wanted a simple, single syllable, manly name. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Woody had to be sort of goofy.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Molly had to be care free.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Paxton had to be a little geekly.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The Mayor is really just the Mayor.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>His name didn’t matter as much.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-14442662044551762622012-08-01T05:10:00.000-07:002012-08-01T05:10:00.295-07:00Cheslov<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">My favorite character is Cheslov who is an antagonist… but not necessarily THE antagonist.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I struggled at times with dialogue and scene creation for other characters.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But for some reason, it just flowed with Cheslov.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">My book takes place in 2020.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Cheslov is Russian, born around the turn of the century.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Around 1900, that is.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Somehow he ends up in Tampa in 2020 as hired muscle for the Mayor.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>How did he survive to 2020 if he was born in 1900?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Something happened in the woods of Rostov.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">It’s like that with Cheslov, he’s just naturally creepy.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I think Kirkus reviews put it pretty well when they wrote the following in their review of inSyte:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">“</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">Woven throughout a story with many finely crafted twists, turns and revelations is the charismatic, mysterious, murderous Cheslov Kirill. As a classic merciless political operator, Kirill is unforgettable and chillingly, complexly rendered, especially for a man who uses a school of sharks off the Florida coast for corpse disposal.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">But he’s also charming, likeable on some level.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He is the character everyone who reads my novel seems to talk about.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Some are darkly drawn to him.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Most found him fascinating in his evilness.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But he’s the one people remember.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Me too.</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"></span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-51030985509341973232012-07-15T05:11:00.000-07:002012-07-15T05:11:00.127-07:00Beatles or Monkees?<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Well, they’re both very entertaining.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But the Beatles, definitely.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Because they wrote and played their own stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And they changed the world.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As adorable as the Monkees were, you can hardly say that about them.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">And we watched the Beatles grow up in real life, evolving and expanding their music.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Listen to their early stuff – hits like ‘She Love You’ and ‘Love Me Do’. It was good, yeah.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But they really hit their stride with ‘Yesterday’ – that’s when they brought the parents and grandparents into the tent, changed the world from crooners (Sinatra, Andy Williams) to rockers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Spawned it all.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Any serious person over the age of fifteen would have to say The Beatles.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-10778671709838922062012-07-01T05:09:00.000-07:002012-07-01T05:09:00.117-07:00Best Advice I received as a Writer<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin">Never, ever use the word ‘suddenly’ in a novel.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That advice came from an Elmore Leonard book on writing my wife gave me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There’s a lot in that simple mandate.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin">I take the point to be that you should show the reader what’s happening, draw them into the story so that they are surprised by an event, that an event seems to hit them ‘suddenly’ because their head is so totally in the story.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Not because a narrator tells them that something is happening “suddenly”.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It took me a while to understand that but I get it now.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Keep it simple.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Keep it direct.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Keep it real.</span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-68938534636882057812012-06-15T05:06:00.000-07:002012-06-15T05:06:00.591-07:00Favorite inSyte Scene to Write<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">I always had this notion, even as a young child.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>What would I do if I were in a fight with someone (hey, I’m not a fighter, but as a little kid I thought of these things and just never let this particular one go) and they were wearing some kind of a mask, say a Halloween mask or whatever.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">I was beating them, had them beat and then the mask fell off.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And I realized I was actually fighting a werewolf.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Would I freeze? Knowing I was stronger and I had won, would fear get the better of me?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sort of a silly thought, but that stuck with me and I knew I wanted to put it into my novel.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That actually comes out in one of the crucial conflicts, a fight scene between an ex-Navy SEAL and my antagonist who is part wolf, mostly man, named Cheslov.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">So that’s my favorite scene.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Yeah, that fight scene.</span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-31013935861313502282012-06-01T05:05:00.000-07:002012-06-01T05:05:00.792-07:00Writing Quirks<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;} @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:none; mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style=" font-family:Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:major-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:10.0pt;" >I hate to be boring.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Especially to me!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’ll write a chapter and walk away.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When I read it a month later I’m appalled.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I find my mind wandering even while I’m reading my own words.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Pretty bad, right?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:none; mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style=" font-family:Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:major-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:10.0pt;" >So I rewrite.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Spice up the action, change the verbs, more show – less tell, more realistic dialogue.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:none; mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style=" font-family:Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:major-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:10.0pt;" >Sure, I do all that.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:none; mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style=" font-family:Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:major-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:10.0pt;" >But the most important thing I do (ie, my quirk) is to delete.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Words, sentences, paragraphs –anything that does not directly advance the story comes out.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s like polishing to bring out the inner beauty.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As Apple used to say, Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication.</span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-38895609791941659642012-05-15T05:04:00.000-07:002012-05-15T05:04:00.248-07:00Writing Tips: Conflict<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">OK – so you have the high concept.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Now what? Well, you have to have conflict.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>For me, I created a moral dilemma between the protagonist, the ‘monster’ Cheslov, and a local politician who thinks he has a direct connect with God.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Next – ratchet up the tension at every opportunity.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I made my protagonist an ex-Navy seal so he could pretty much deal with anything.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Made Cheslov part wolf, paranormal.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Then went into detail explaining how screwed up the politician is, he’s hooked on drugs due to his wife’s death, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Keep ratcheting up.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Then create an outline – and write, write, write to fill in the outline.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Don’t worry about adjectives or effect or the best dialogue or even grammar/punctuation.</span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-71483511323321234082012-05-01T05:03:00.000-07:002012-05-01T22:32:03.633-07:00Writing Tips: Confidence is Key<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Just know that if you get in front of the keyboard at the right time of day for you, then you’ll write.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Think about your characters, where the story is going to go.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You don’t have to have it all planned out.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It doesn’t have to be the next Da Vinci Code in terms of plot development.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It just has to flow, to take on a life of it’s own.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Don’t start off thinking about how the hell you’re going to write a 300 page novel.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Just start off and let the journey occur.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Think about it and make your characters come alive and write their thoughts and lives and then let the interactions occur and you’ll be amazed and surprised and hopefully delighted by the results.</span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-25548877175408504082012-04-15T05:02:00.000-07:002012-04-15T05:02:00.954-07:00Writing Tips: Character driven plot - rare gems<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">They make the best TV and movies too.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Think about Breaking Bad – hell yes the story is outstanding.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But the cast, the cast!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Walter, Jessie – sure.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But also Hank, Skylar, the various villains.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So you don’t mind when they switch scenes because the cast is great so all of the subplots are intriguing.</span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-52264152586655355362012-04-01T05:02:00.000-07:002012-04-01T05:02:00.125-07:00Writing Tips: Characters make a great story<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">For me, anyway, it’s all about the characters.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’ll give a book 50 to 100 pages.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>By then if I haven’t connected with at least some of the characters then I generally won’t finish the book.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Unless, maybe, the plot is just a killer, like The Da vinci Code, or something like that.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Preferably, I’m looking for the protagonist to blow me away because most of the time you are reading from his/her point of view.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">But occasionally it’s enough if the antagonist is blowing me away, such as the Hannibal series by Thomas Harris.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Now, you put together a novel that has two or three characters that I can identify with? <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Or more?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That’s a novel I’m not going to put down.</span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-23276720127639721242012-03-15T05:01:00.000-07:002012-03-15T05:01:00.260-07:00Writing tips: Getting Started<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Think of a high concept.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>For me, that’s the ability to tap into the internet with your mind. So you can surf the internet the way you peruse your own memory today.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Try to remember the lyrics to a song.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Might take a few seconds, then you remember.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You find that information in your brain, obviously.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sort of a local hard drive, to use computer terms.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Now imagine you’re transparently tapped into the Global internet 24x7. Try to remember the lyrics to a song.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They’re there instantly.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Feels like you found them in your brain, just like before. But you didn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You found the words on a server in Germany.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Doesn’t matter, all transparent to you.</span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-37721543801532395692012-03-01T05:00:00.000-08:002012-03-01T05:00:13.295-08:00Even further back in time...<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} span.commenttext {mso-style-name:commenttext; mso-style-unhide:no;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="commenttext"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">And what of the ten years before that?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Now we’re talking twenty years.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But I can conceive it, I can feel it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I can hold it in my mind.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="commenttext"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">And what of twenty years before that?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I was around, walking and breathing and always looking up.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was the early sixties and my parents and all of their friends were at the top and then my brother and his friends were up there too and I was at the bottom.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Looking up to the people in my life and also looking up to the culture, always looking up and observing and accepting everything as reality, my reality, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">the</i> reality.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="commenttext"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Now I’m holding forty years in my mind. I know what its like to live through that passage of time.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="commenttext"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">And what of forty years before that?</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="commenttext"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Now I know what it’s like to be in the nineteen thirties.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I can feel it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="commenttext"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">And what of 80 years before that?</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="commenttext"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Now I’m in the eighteen fifties.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And it seems impossible, that’s so long ago. Everyone is dead.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And everyone who knew them is dead and its all just distant names.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I mean, how many of us even know any of our great, great, great, great grandparents names?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I don’t.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But they all lived.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Way back then.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Just like we live now.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Days were long and twenty times a day something really pissed you off, something that seemed so important at the time but seems so trivial today.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Beyond trivial.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Less than trivial.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Meaningless.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="commenttext"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">And what of one hundred a sixty years before that?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And three hundred and sixty years before that?</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="commenttext"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">In moments I’m back to ancient Rome and they had lives exactly like ours today.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They thought they were in a post modern error with unbelievable technology capable of aqueducts and coliseums and cement and all the other conveniences of what seemed to be a modern life.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It always seems modern.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Until you look back.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="commenttext"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">I’ve probably lost you by now, I think I’ve lost myself. It’s tough to play this game with someone else.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’m not a writer, if I were a writer I could probably play the game better with you.</span></span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-796164132069233917.post-79981622171730805412012-02-15T04:57:00.000-08:002012-02-15T04:57:00.721-08:0010 years after<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:3.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} span.commenttext {mso-style-name:commenttext; mso-style-unhide:no;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="commenttext"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">I like to play this little game in my mind.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I think about something that happened, I don’t know, ten years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Something real.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Vivid.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I shut my eyes and there it is, there I am.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Everything’s the same but different.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It doesn’t have to be anything special.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Maybe lying in a bed, looking at the paint on a window and thinking, realizing at that moment that time is just a weird bitch of a thing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You hold a worn black and white photo, turn it over and see a faded stamped date and it seems impossibly distant, unreal.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A prop to support present reality but not something that actually happened, not people who actually lived and breathed and had twenty four hours in every day and considered their world, their reality to be an actual <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">present</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Merely a prelude to a future <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">present </i>that is all about the now.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="commenttext"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Some say the world couldn’t possibly have been the same back then. Something’s been lost.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I say the world couldn’t really have even existed, right?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I mean, where was I?</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="commenttext"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">But right then, right there, in my decade long memory I remember, I mean I was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">there</i> and I remember everything was the same.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The cool feel of the air on my skin, the softness of the flannel sheets against my back, my eyes resting on brush marks of paint on the window sill it was all the same and I knew in the future I question the reality so I stared, ten years ago, to indelibly imprint everything and it worked.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="commenttext"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">So ten years have gone by but I can connect the dots seamlessly from one <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">present</i> to another.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></span></p>Greg Kiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10332726176471073378noreply@blogger.com0