Category: writing

Reading Discworld

What book could you read over and over again?

Any entry from Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series.

Pratchett had a rare talent for molding words into the most fascinating and enticing sentences and using them as the building blocks for a fun world and enjoyable, interesting and likeable characters.

It’s a hard thing to precisely describe the style of certain authors. The truly gifted have a fully developed voice that is recognizable as their own and no one else’s.

I read through the whole series over the course of several years. I could very well do it again, and love every minute of it.

***

Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life.

“Hermes is not having the best time. He walks a fine line, and his duty as messenger of Olympus weighs heavily on him. Being a god in the modern age means living in a world that no longer believes in gods. How much can one deity accomplish when no one respects him anymore? And why do his instincts tell him that he, the son of Zeus, is losing favor with his own family?

Tensions abound. The upstart Young Gods play dangerous games using entire cities as their boards. Formless monsters strike from the nighttime shadows, terrorizing hapless mortals. Agents of rival pantheons scheme to thwart Olympus’ designs. In the thick of it all, Hermes does what he does best: trick, lie, and cheat his way to victory.“

Professionals on Writing

Living is easy. Writing is hard. Let’s hear what the experts have to say:

“The scariest moment is always just before you start.”

Stephen King

“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter — it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”

Mark Twain

“The best time for planning a book is while you’re doing the dishes.”

Agatha Christie

“Cut out all these exclamation points. An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald

“I write for the same reason I breathe — because if I didn’t, I would die.”

Isaac Asimov

“You fail only if you stop writing.”

Ray Bradbury

My Best School Teacher

Who was your most influential teacher? Why?

Our best teachers are the ones who push us to our limits. For me, that was Mrs. Wall, 9th grade English.

A summer reading assignment of The Once and Future King by T. H. White. Weekly essays. In-depth dissections of grammatical structure in complex sentences. Reading plays out loud in class. And never, ever letting up on improving our writing skills. It was a hard, hard class for everyone in it. I felt exhausted at the end of every week. Heck, the weekends, too.

And it was the best thing that ever happened to me in school. I had always loved reading, and I was already toying with the idea of becoming a writer, but Mrs. Wall’s class was what made me into a writer. She instilled the modicum of discipline and grit in me that is needed to write a book; to write every day, revise, and take criticism to heart.

I don’t know where she is now, or if she is even still alive, but my thanks to Mrs. Wall and the misery she subjected me to, because her lessons got me through the rest of high school, through college, and are still with me now.

***

Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life.


“Hermes is not having the best time. He walks a fine line, and his duty as messenger of Olympus weighs heavily on him. Being a god in the modern age means living in a world that no longer believes in gods. How much can one deity accomplish when no one respects him anymore? And why do his instincts tell him that he, the son of Zeus, is losing favor with his own family?

Tensions abound. The upstart Young Gods play dangerous games using entire cities as their boards. Formless monsters strike from the nighttime shadows, terrorizing hapless mortals. Agents of rival pantheons scheme to thwart Olympus’ designs. In the thick of it all, Hermes does what he does best: trick, lie, and cheat his way to victory.“

Tattoos are Not For Me

Tattoos are not for me, and though I admire their artistry

My body would not make for a good tapestry

Colorful patterns, curving lines and creatures

Would look poorly on my shape

Good tattoos depend on anatomy most fine

And limbs and torsos that gracefully align

For if the body should expand after the tattoo is drawn

The artistry would be a mocking jape

Tattoos, as well, involve a modicum of pain

Coming in for sharp sessions again and again

I am averse to such things and not partial to needles

So why endure something I hate?

And now you can see

Why tattoos are not for me.

***

Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life.

“Hermes is not having the best time. He walks a fine line, and his duty as messenger of Olympus weighs heavily on him. Being a god in the modern age means living in a world that no longer believes in gods. How much can one deity accomplish when no one respects him anymore? And why do his instincts tell him that he, the son of Zeus, is losing favor with his own family?

Tensions abound. The upstart Young Gods play dangerous games using entire cities as their boards. Formless monsters strike from the nighttime shadows, terrorizing hapless mortals. Agents of rival pantheons scheme to thwart Olympus’ designs. In the thick of it all, Hermes does what he does best: trick, lie, and cheat his way to victory.“

Don’t Do It

If you could delete one word from being used, what would it be?

Do.

A two-letter word that has gotten far too big for its britches. A little verb that has become far too self-important. A word that has been fed and fed until it’s grown so fat that it’s smothered the rest of the English vocabulary.

What do we use “do” for? To accomplish, to finish, to work, to perform, to act, to emphasize, to partake, to accept, to think, to engage, to pursue, to execute, to carry out, to give, to pay, to produce, to decorate, to cheat, to travel, to behave, to arrange, to cook, to serve, to mimic, to kill, to suffice, to put, to use, to treat, to get along, to behave, to happen, to function, to fit, to satisfy, to fulfill, to make. And more.

And what is wrong with that, you might ask? Look at that list. Aren’t those words just there for the taking? Why replace a rich tapestry with a boring blank sheet? Why kick out all those words and saddle their many definitions on a single one? In the end, if a word is burdened with so many meanings, then it comes to mean nothing at all.

Don’t do it.

***

Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life.

“Hermes is not having the best time. He walks a fine line, and his duty as messenger of Olympus weighs heavily on him. Being a god in the modern age means living in a world that no longer believes in gods. How much can one deity accomplish when no one respects him anymore? And why do his instincts tell him that he, the son of Zeus, is losing favor with his own family?

Tensions abound. The upstart Young Gods play dangerous games using entire cities as their boards. Formless monsters strike from the nighttime shadows, terrorizing hapless mortals. Agents of rival pantheons scheme to thwart Olympus’ designs. In the thick of it all, Hermes does what he does best: trick, lie, and cheat his way to victory.“

A Literary Sleight of Hand: Writing Characters Who Aren’t Good People

Work on my third book is, as they say, “proceeding apace.” Third draft is halfway done, and I’m actually somewhat happy with it.

It’s an interesting subject I’ve chosen. My two published works, A God Walks Up to the Bar and The Trickster’s Lament, are urban fantasy following the Greek god Hermes in our modern world. Writing gods is fun and fascinating. When you’re writing a guy like Hermes, and you look at what him and his ilk get up to in mythology, you realize that you can’t really start out the story with him being too likeable.

Hermes is a funny guy, and he’s smart, perceptive and entertaining to write and read about. But he’s not necessarily a good guy. He’s egotistical, vain, manipulative and more than a little callous. Which begs the question: How do you make readers want to keep reading about such a person?

The first step, I find, is character development. Hermes is not a static character. He grows and changes over time, and hopefully he’ll change for the better. The second is the time-honored strategy of comparing and contrasting. Does your story have an awful person as your protagonist? Make their opponents even worse.

Michael Corleone was godfather of a murderous Mafia family, but at least he wasn’t a drug dealer. Darth Vader killed children and endorsed the destruction of entire planets, but at least he wasn’t as sadistic as his emperor and still held love for his son. Peter Pan is a selfish child who never matures and is a nasty little brat, but his nemesis Captain Hook is a bloodthirsty pirate who, you know, wants to kill children.

Maybe it’s a cheap trick. Make somebody bad look good by standing them up alongside people who do worse things. A part of writing is getting inside people’s heads and figuring them out. When writing any protagonist, whether hero or villain or in-between, you have to figure out how to stoke the desire in audiences to keep reading about them. And if they do things that the audience finds … distasteful … then you may want to consider the good old strategy of compare and contrast. Give them lines they won’t cross. Give them a code. It doesn’t have to measure up to the reader’s own personal morals, but give them standards. And then pit them against antagonists who violate those standards.

It is, in many ways, a literary sleight of hand.

But Hermes, at least, isn’t a villain per se. He’s not nice, but he does have standards, fairly strong ones, and he is aware of some of his own vices. And he may even change for the better if he survives this upcoming book.

***

Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life.

“Hermes is not having the best time. He walks a fine line, and his duty as messenger of Olympus weighs heavily on him. Being a god in the modern age means living in a world that no longer believes in gods. How much can one deity accomplish when no one respects him anymore? And why do his instincts tell him that he, the son of Zeus, is losing favor with his own family?

Tensions abound. The upstart Young Gods play dangerous games using entire cities as their boards. Formless monsters strike from the nighttime shadows, terrorizing hapless mortals. Agents of rival pantheons scheme to thwart Olympus’ designs. In the thick of it all, Hermes does what he does best: trick, lie, and cheat his way to victory.“

Tuesday

Poor, poor Tuesday. What is there to say about you? All the other days are praised or cursed, but what does Tuesday get?

Monday is a day despised, the beginning of the long slog, the harbinger of work and drudgery. Everyone hates Monday.

Wednesday is the halfway point, the glimmer of hope, where everything after is all downhill.

Thursday is the Day Before Friday, or Friday Eve, if you prefer, and ends with the resounding declaration, “One more day until the weekend!”

Friday is the end of the slog, the joyous day of freedom when the weekend is at its longest and moods are brightest.

Saturday is the day of fun and relaxation, a day where one can kick back and catch a breath. Everyone loves Saturday.

Sunday is the day of rest, but it carries the double edge of being the Day Before Monday, when fun is mingled with the imminence of the new week.

But what about Tuesday? What does anyone have to say about Tuesday?

It’s not as miserable as Monday, but not as hopeful as Wednesday or Thursday nor as exciting as Friday. And it’s certainly not a Saturday or Sunday. Tuesday simply … is. There is nothing to say about Tuesday. It is a day ignored, a day to be endured, a day to be forgotten. No one cares about Tuesday.

Poor Tuesday.

***

Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life.

“Hermes is not having the best time. He walks a fine line, and his duty as messenger of Olympus weighs heavily on him. Being a god in the modern age means living in a world that no longer believes in gods. How much can one deity accomplish when no one respects him anymore? And why do his instincts tell him that he, the son of Zeus, is losing favor with his own family?

Tensions abound. The upstart Young Gods play dangerous games using entire cities as their boards. Formless monsters strike from the nighttime shadows, terrorizing hapless mortals. Agents of rival pantheons scheme to thwart Olympus’ designs. In the thick of it all, Hermes does what he does best: trick, lie, and cheat his way to victory.“

T.S. Eliot on Writing

Whoever said that writing is easy? If you ever feel discouraged or inadequate as a writer, remember that it’s not just you.

What profession is more trying than that of author? After you finish a piece of work it only seems good to you for a few weeks; or if it seems good at all you are convinced that it is the last you will be able to write; and if it seems bad you wonder whether everything you have done isn’t poor stuff really; and it is one kind of agony while you are writing, and another kind when you aren’t.

T. S. Eliot

***

Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life.

“Hermes is not having the best time. He walks a fine line, and his duty as messenger of Olympus weighs heavily on him. Being a god in the modern age means living in a world that no longer believes in gods. How much can one deity accomplish when no one respects him anymore? And why do his instincts tell him that he, the son of Zeus, is losing favor with his own family?

Tensions abound. The upstart Young Gods play dangerous games using entire cities as their boards. Formless monsters strike from the nighttime shadows, terrorizing hapless mortals. Agents of rival pantheons scheme to thwart Olympus’ designs. In the thick of it all, Hermes does what he does best: trick, lie, and cheat his way to victory.“

On Writing Unpleasant Characters

Work on my third book is proceeding apace. Slow but steady wins the race, as they say. I’m currently in the third draft and hope to have something ready for editors by the end of summer. Book #3 about the modern day adventures of the Olympian god Hermes is on its way.

I am reminded that it’s been quite some time since I actually talked about my own writing. And as I think over it, especially thinking of those of you who have read my previous work, I ponder over the character of Hermes himself.

He is, I hope, a likeable protagonist. Certainly, I strive to make him interesting. But he is not, I think, a pleasant one.

Why is that? Well, that’s all part of character development. I don’t like to read or write about perfect saints. They have no room to grow. They’re stagnant. But even so, a protagonist who starts out arrogant, presumptuous and selfish can grate on the nerves. We know plenty of people like that in real life, so why read about one?

Thus, I have to make him a little sympathetic. It’s my responsibility to make readers want to read about a fellow with a big ego.

There are plenty of ways to do this. I prefer the method of making my protagonist suffer. Oh, yes, if he is possessed of insufferable character, then make him suffer! We all understand pain and trials. Even if the guy is a jerk, seeing him go through the wringer can squeeze out a few drops of sympathy. Not everyone deserves to go through this and that.

Also, I make his adversaries worse than him. Sure, Hermes can be haughty, but at least he isn’t a bully, a slaver, a callous killer. He still has a conscience deep, deep down. Even if he doesn’t want to acknowledge it.

Speaking of which, my stories are told from a first-person perspective, which offers tons of insight into his thinking process and views. He is a conflicted individual. He feels isolated and uncertain, at times. That’s a human trait. We have all struggled with ourselves, with what to believe, what is right or wrong, our identity, our place in the world, even what to say or not say at any given time. That humanizes him.

It makes an Olympian god a little more bearable if he has flaws. Readers like flaws. It makes for an interesting character to read about. After all, the absolutely worst thing I could do as a writer, far from even writing an unlikeable character, is to write a boring one.

I hope you enjoy reading more about Hermes’ adventures, even if you do want to wring his neck at times.

***

Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life.

“Hermes is not having the best time. He walks a fine line, and his duty as messenger of Olympus weighs heavily on him. Being a god in the modern age means living in a world that no longer believes in gods. How much can one deity accomplish when no one respects him anymore? And why do his instincts tell him that he, the son of Zeus, is losing favor with his own family?

Tensions abound. The upstart Young Gods play dangerous games using entire cities as their boards. Formless monsters strike from the nighttime shadows, terrorizing hapless mortals. Agents of rival pantheons scheme to thwart Olympus’ designs. In the thick of it all, Hermes does what he does best: trick, lie, and cheat his way to victory.“

Ranting about Planned Obsolescence

If you could un-invent something, what would it be?

I must warn you, today is something of a rant. Take it as you will.

Planned obsolescence. Machines nowadays, especially electronics, are designed to last only a certain number of years before needing to be replaced. If I could go back in time and unmake this form of technological “innovation,” I would.

I mean, having to buy a new computer or mobile phone every few years is a hassle of money and time. I try to keep mine as long as possible, defying their gradual decline. I like things to be permanent. I like technology to be supportive, not a safety net with a big hole cut in the middle.

What happens if the phone factory collapses into rubble or all the schematics needed to make the hottest new model are lost? Then we’re stuck with old phones that will eventually no longer receive updates and stop working properly, and we won’t have a way to replace them with the new, fancy-schmancy versions. Then society collapses, and we’re all back to the Stone Age because our technology is no longer built to last. This is how Mad Max really starts, people!

… All joking aside, I really don’t like planned obsolescence. I believe it to be detrimental to technological progress and a real pain in the neck for ordinary folks. You could say that I hope it one day … becomes obsolete.

***

Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life.

“Hermes is not having the best time. He walks a fine line, and his duty as messenger of Olympus weighs heavily on him. Being a god in the modern age means living in a world that no longer believes in gods. How much can one deity accomplish when no one respects him anymore? And why do his instincts tell him that he, the son of Zeus, is losing favor with his own family?

Tensions abound. The upstart Young Gods play dangerous games using entire cities as their boards. Formless monsters strike from the nighttime shadows, terrorizing hapless mortals. Agents of rival pantheons scheme to thwart Olympus’ designs. In the thick of it all, Hermes does what he does best: trick, lie, and cheat his way to victory.“