tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87227335959979583322024-03-13T23:04:13.129-05:00Write Point of ViewThe musing of a fantasy fiction writer.Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-25604044503521237912011-03-30T06:00:00.001-05:002011-03-30T06:00:00.539-05:00Hippocampus, Seen but Rarely Heard About<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">It’s time once again for another Wednesday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, that means yet another mythological monster brought from the shadows of time-long-past into the light.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="http://www.bardwood.com/graphics/hippocampus2.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" r6="true" src="http://www.bardwood.com/graphics/hippocampus2.GIF" width="200" /></a></div>Near the Aegean Sea, the Etruscans held a significant maritime presence and date back to at least 1000BC. Within their mythology is a curious creature known as the hippocampus. Part house—part fish, the hippocampus is a creature that has survived to the modern age as much in form as by stories. Various artistic representations of hippocampi (plural) can be found as statues, in mosaic displays, and in paintings.<br />
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v300/BigVEE/GoW/forH20-Hippocampus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" r6="true" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v300/BigVEE/GoW/forH20-Hippocampus.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>The mythology of this rarely talked about creature appears to have migrated from Etruscan to Greek lands. According to Homer, Poseidon’s see fairing chariot was drawn by great horses whose hooves where made of brass, but like so many Greek stories, there are always discrepancies. Other authors and artists have depicted Poseidon, instead, pulled by or even astride a hippocampus. This is no surprise. Sailors who worshipped Poseidon out of fear and necessity for their safety were own to drown horses as offerings to the power and vengeful god.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Piazza_di_trevi_-_fontana_di_trevi_hippocampus_crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" r6="true" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Piazza_di_trevi_-_fontana_di_trevi_hippocampus_crop.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The hippocampus was also the theme of several heraldic shields, as were many of the ancient and powerful monsters of mythology.<br />
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It should be also noted that although the hippocampus survived into Greek mythos, many other fish-hybrids from the Etruscans did not seem to be as far reaching. Among them were hybrids of lions (leokampoi), leopards (leokampoi), goats (aigikampoi – such as the astrological sign and constellation Capricorn), and bulls (taurokampoi).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://heraldry-armoury-and-more.com/picture_library/myths/hippocampus2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" r6="true" src="http://heraldry-armoury-and-more.com/picture_library/myths/hippocampus2.jpg" width="191" /></a><a href="http://www.bardwood.com/graphics/hippocamp.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" r6="true" src="http://www.bardwood.com/graphics/hippocamp.GIF" width="164" /></a></div>There is little more written, but the imagery in both ancient and modern times is stunning.Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-70877008942972767582011-03-25T06:00:00.001-05:002011-03-25T06:00:30.367-05:00Good vs. Bad Goal Setting StrategiesTime to discuss something of interest to everyone, writer or not: the art and science of goal setting. I hinted at this in a previous article and it seems important enough to expound in greater detail. The purpose of goal setting is not to create so lofty a spire as to never reach its summit but rather to set a point of reference, a guidepost that you can use to tell where you are, where you want to be, and determine how you’re going to get there.<br />
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Let’s first discuss what makes for bad and good goals. <br />
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A bad goal is one that is either to simple and easily obtained or one that is so difficult that you might never achieve it. We’ll talk a little about the second part of that later, but first let’s consider setting a goal too low. If the objective isn’t challenging enough, then several things will happen. It’s true that you WILL be able to reach said goal, but at what cost? One of the primary reasons for setting goals is to push yourself a little harder than you would normal do without it. Through that experience, you learn: what you can do, what you can’t do, and what you might be able to do with a little more effort. If the target is too small, easy, or simply accomplished than are you going to learn anything from the experience? Probably! You’ll learn that setting sub-standard measurements of achievement can be accomplished with minimal effort. You’ll be proud; after all, you DID accomplish your objective, right? But, you’ll learn something else too: that you can get by doing less than your very best. Is that what you want to train yourself to do? Settle for less?<br />
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This brings us to setting goals too high. Not surprisingly, many people SAY they want to accomplish more than they KNOW they can. When this happens, it’s easy to understand why people become discouraged. Our objective here, though, is to help you realize that your lofty goal is not as bad as it might first seem. The issue is a matter of semantics. Saying that this great endeavor is a “goal” is dangerous, however if you take that same accomplishment and make it a “dream” then things start to fall into place. As an example, I have dreams. My dreams are to finish the draft of my first novel, finish my degree, move to a mansion in the country, and own the latest and greatest home computer systems known to mankind. Are these achievable? Certainly! Can they be done quickly? Not a chance. That’s one of the defining differences between a goal and a dream: time. If the goal could be achieved but will take over a month to achieve it, then consider t a dream instead and something to strive for in the long-term.<br />
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So if you can’t set them too low and they can’t be long, drawn-out dreams how do you know if you’re setting your goals within acceptable limits? This is easier than it may first look. In fact, I’d go so far as to call it common sense that each of us has. The trouble, often times, is that goals seem smaller than we’d like to make them and bigger than we can complete in a reasonable amount of time. Believe it or not, that’s exactly where you want to be!<br />
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Let’s take writing a novel, since this blog is about fiction writing, but the principal applies to nearly any dream, big or small. The average fantasy novel runs between 90,000 and 110,000 words. Let’s use 100,000 as an easy-math average. The first thing to do is set the dream: “I will write my novel in 12 months time.” Please notice that my statement doesn’t say “WANT to write my novel” but rather “WILL write my novel.” This is a positive affirmation, not a guess or hope. Dreams are not hopes—they are achievable and don’t let anyone tell you differently. So if writing a 100,000 word novel in 12 months is the dream, what are the goals? I’m hoping this seems obvious. The goal is to write 100,000 words / 12 months = 8,333 words/month. Weekly, that’s 1,923 words. Assuming you take at least 2 days per week away from writing and only work on the novel 5 days a week, that’s 385 words/day (or around one page double spaced). WOW, only one page a day and I can write my entire novel within a year?!? That’s maybe an hour a day? Maybe more, maybe less—depends on how fast I write. Some days will be good and others I’ll have to skip and make up somewhere along the line. When you take the time to break down writing, or any goal for that matter, into smaller units, it not only looks simpler, it really is!<br />
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As for pushing a little harder than what seems achievable, consider adding perhaps 10% more effort. If you’re writing an hour a day, then +10% means writing 66 minutes instead of 60. Does that 6 minutes make a big difference? Let’s see: if I can write 385 words/hour (using the number from before), then writing 66 minutes means a new 424 words/day (a difference of about 40 additional words). That means a 100,000 word novel could be written in 236 days, and adding in 2 days per week of rest comes to 47 weeks... 5 weeks ahead of schedule. And that was only pushing an additional 6 minutes per day. What would an extra <span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">½ hour do?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Push yourself to set and achieve goals. Set them to reasonable, if challenging levels. Don’t let anyone steal </span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">your dreams. And keep writing!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Q4U</strong>: What strategy do you use to set goals? </span></span>Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-49240536504353875022011-03-16T07:46:00.000-05:002011-03-16T07:46:07.172-05:00Spring Break<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-o0DvKV6L7ts/TYCw7P0xsmI/AAAAAAAAABA/BfgB3KLL9x0/s1600/IMG_0024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" r6="true" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-o0DvKV6L7ts/TYCw7P0xsmI/AAAAAAAAABA/BfgB3KLL9x0/s200/IMG_0024.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve let the blog go this week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spring break = visiting family out of town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For both of my loyal blog followers, I’ll be back soon with another exciting rendition of my take on Life, the Universe, and Everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See you then!</span>Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-86898135892251475892011-03-09T06:00:00.001-06:002011-03-09T06:00:09.765-06:00Naga: Trickster or Constable of the Universe<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rikki-Tikki-Tavi-Rudyard-Kipling/dp/0060587857?ie=UTF8&tag=wripoiofvie-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0060587857&tag=wripoiofvie-20" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buy Rikki-Tikki-Tavi <br />
from Amazon.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wripoiofvie-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0060587857" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />Time for another Mythological Monster <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Wednesday</span>. This week, we’re moving away from Western culture monsters and shifting to the Far East. <br />
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The naga (pronounced nah’-gah with the first syllable slightly elongated) has been written about in such languages as Sanskrit, Chinese, Burmese, Hindi, and a list of other Asian tongues for centuries and found in Buddhist and Hindu religions. In Hindi, one of the primary languages of India, nag (nahg) still refers to a cobra while nagini (nah-gee-nee) indicates a female of the species. For those that remember back a few years, Rudyard Kipling’s immortally popular story of Rikki Tikki Tavi is that of a mongoose’s struggle against a pair of cobras named Nag and Nagaini.<br />
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As a fantasy creature, naga are gods or other deities that take the form of snakes, often having human hybrid features, but most notably the reptilian aspects of a king cobra. Depending on the religion and particular story, they are seen as both good and evil, though they do tend toward the negative side.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.monstropedia.org/images/b/b3/Naga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" l6="true" src="http://www.monstropedia.org/images/b/b3/Naga.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In Hinduism, it is the naga, Shesha that holds the world upon his head. This is a great honor for Shesha and shows the positive aspects, while at the same time, other naga vied to trick their cousin, the great eagle king Garuda, into stealing away the elixir of immortality from the gods and give it to them. Garuda tricked the naga so that the cut containing the elixir was stolen away before they could drink. But, a few drops fell upon the grass, and when the naga licked at the grass, it cut their tongues. Ever since, their descendants (snakes) kept the forked tongue to remind themselves and us of this treachery.<br />
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Modern Hindi tradition makes the naga guardians of water: wells, rivers, and the like. They are relatively peaceful spirits that protect the waterways and environment. However, if one should dare to desecrate the sanctity of the natural world, the naga are quick to take vengeance.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/2006_0922_wat_phrathat_doi_suthep_buddha_mucalinda.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" l6="true" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/2006_0922_wat_phrathat_doi_suthep_buddha_mucalinda.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Buddhism also has its share of naga, but unlike the creatures of Hinduism, they are sometimes indistinguishable from Chinese dragons. This fact may be one of the reasons that the serpentine dragons of the orient are more snake-like than their Western cousins. Buddhist naga typically have long snake bodies with one or more heads. They are said to inhabit and protect both water and deep underground. Some are even said to have the ability to transform into human shape. Depictions of these human-like naga are often shown with a tell-tale sign: one or more cobra headed snakes extending from their backs and over their human heads.<br />
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Truly a creature worthy of respect, the guardians of water and earth, the protectors of nature, the vengeful spirits of her wrath, naga are a deeply seeded tradition in Eastern culture that has survived even into the contemporary world of oriental beliefs.Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-90760281478842810492011-03-04T06:00:00.008-06:002011-03-04T06:00:09.026-06:00How to Take Critique GracefullyRecently, a writer friend of mine has had quite a bit of intermediate success. That seems like a mouthful, and it is. Her book is yet to be published; however, in the last few months, she’s had an agent requesting information from her, had a publisher approach her about a “secret project,” and also been accepted into an exclusive mentoring program where published authors assist their protégé in becoming the best writers they can be. In talking to her and another good writer friend of mine, we discovered that everyone has an opinion about what we write, good or bad.<br />
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This brings up the topic of critique: how to accept compliments with grace and how to interpret criticism without becoming personally emotional. Many writers feel that their work is their “baby,” and rightfully so. It is a labor of love that we writers pour our souls into. When (and if) we dare to let others read our work, we usually want honest reactions in our heads, but our hearts tell a different story. Receiving negative feedback feels akin to loosing ones puppy to a streetcar accident. Fortunately, writers have one advantage over this issue; our work is neither a baby nor a puppy. In fact, I propose that it is something both more intriguingly important and yet less significant.<br />
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Our “brilliant work of staggering genius” is, in the end, just one work of art, whether it’s a poem, painting, or the most intricate purple prose. The amazing thing about creating art is that the act is limitless in terms of imaginative potential. Or to put it more bluntly, you can always start over. In contrast, there will only ever be one puppy like yours and only ever one child like yours. Those are unique and worth fighting for. Art, on the other hand, is something of a different matter. You can always make another.<br />
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So, how does one accept criticism? The answer is with a great deal of patience and understanding. Let us say, for example, that you’ve just received an email from a “friend” who graciously agreed to read through your story and offer her suggestions. You anxiously click the email and open the attachment. Eyes scanning quickly, you spot red marks all over the page. It looks like the scene of a bloody battle. Once the initial shock of the gore wears off, you start to scan your friend’s hints with a wary eye. The natural response is to become defensive. That’s OK. Let yourself feel that emotion, but only for five seconds. Count: 1... 2... 3... 4... 5... <strong>*whew* </strong>Feel any better? OK, maybe not yet, but we’ll get there.<br />
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Now, take a close look at the critique. Don’t worry about responding yet. Just scan what she wrote. Read through and get the overall impression. Now, let that sink in for a moment. Remember, this friend just took the time to not only read your work but also to respond to it. It would have been easier for that person to simply take a quick glance (if at all) and say, “Looks good!” That’s not the case with your work. Your friend really wanted to try and help - which bring me to an important point. No one in their right mind spends time critiquing another person’s work unless they have the best intentions. Think about that. Would you critique their work with the goal of hurting their feelings? It’s more likely that you saw flaws and wanted to point them out.<br />
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Now that we understand the critique isn’t a personal attack, let’s look at what types of comments you might see and also how to interpret and react to them. I’ll use some of the remarks that I’ve received on my own work as reference (generalizing, of course). There are many more possible scenarios.<br />
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<strong>• This doesn’t make sense!</strong><em>“What? That do you mean it doesn’t make sense? I wrote it! I know what I’m talking about! “</em><br />
And, perhaps you do. But, a comment like this (or something with the same meaning) indicates that the reader is confused. At the very least, it may be cause for you to look over your material more carefully. Often times, confusion is created when a critical element or detail is missing. Perhaps you thought you included the color of the murderer’s dress but in reality missed it. Did the rusty, broken-down car suddenly sparkle in the sun when it shouldn’t have? Was north by that big pine tree in one paragraph and then in the direction of the bolder 200 feet away in the next? Look for clues as to WHY the reader doesn’t understand. That may give you insight as to what is missing.<br />
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<strong>• The sentence is too long, short, or confusing.</strong><br />
There’s something to be said for style, here. If it’s confusing or doesn’t make sense, look for reasons why the reader doesn’t understand. If the sentence is too short or too long, perhaps it’s worth considering revision, perhaps not. Look at the pacing and rhythm of the sentences. Try reading them aloud (into a recorder if needed) to see how they flow. Imagine the work being read as an audio book. Would it work “as-is” or does it need tweaking?<br />
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<strong>• Wouldn’t he do this instead?</strong><br />
<em>“It’s my character. I’ll make him do what I want!”</em><br />
Amazingly, readers have a keen eye for finding lines of dialog and actions that are out of character. As a writer, it is easy (especially late in a story) to mentally merge character traits together. This is in part because we stare at them for so long within our own minds. Readers have the uncanny ability to find these discrepancies, in part, because their only window into the character’s personality is what you’ve provided. If the wallflower suddenly springs to life at the homecoming dance, there should be a good reason. Likewise, if a character sounds uncharacteristically smarter, dumber, or arrogant or if they do something that seems out of their nature, a reader will find it. Take a look. Did you really mean to do that or was it simply a slip of the pen?<br />
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<strong>• The shift from thought/situation X to Y is too fast/slow.</strong><br />
This is, again, a great opportunity to read the passage out loud. How does it sound? Might the reader be on to something? Should you change the pace, or is there a particular reason why you want it that way?<br />
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<strong>• I know you mean X, but it looks like your saying Y.</strong><br />
I get this one allot, personally. It’s usually one of my favorites because it means I’ve got the right idea, but the wrong words (or more often the wrong word order). Consider rewriting the sentence or paragraph in a different way that clarifies what you intended. This is again an example where some readers (not necessarily your critique buddy) might get confused. The comment is meant to help you sort it out before it gets into the hands of a less well-trained eye.<br />
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<strong>• Maybe you should add this piece of information I’m providing into your story.</strong><br />
<em>“Who died and made you the writer? Who’s the author here? If I wanted the story like that I would have written it that way!”</em><br />
Slow down - take a breath. OK, now reread what your friend wrote. Does the suggestion have merit? Do you see why she gave you that comment? What would happen if you took the suggestion and added the information/event/situation? Does the story collapse or does the suggestion make it stronger? Is there a reason to not add the information? I find this all the time, myself. For example, in one scene of my book, a group of limitary cadets is gathered in the mess hall. Their newly appointed commander bursts through the door and, the cadets quickly rush into formation: boots sparkling a glossy black with their burgundy berets tightly seated on their heads. Sounds great right? OOPS!! My critique friend pointed out that the cadets were indoors. Military tradition typically says headwear comes off to show respect when indoors. So, is this something I need to change or leave as-is? That depends on the story, and it’s something only you can decide.<br />
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<strong>• This might sound better if you moved it somewhere else in your story.</strong><br />
My suggestion here is to try it and see if shifting things around makes the story stronger. What can it hurt to read a few paragraphs aloud and determine if what the reader s offering might be a better way to convey your meaning.<br />
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<strong>• What’s the purpose of this part? Could you clarify more?</strong><br />
As shown above, readers can be easily confused. Whose fault is that? Is it theirs for not being smart enough to understand what you meant? What nerve they have for not being able to read your mind! Seriously, though, it’s more likely a case where something doesn’t make sense because there’s something missing. It might be the motivation of a character, an object that you meant to introduce in a previous scene, or the direction of the wind. You might have intentionally mentioned a character wearing a blue cotton dress, even though it seems unimportant at that moment but will come to be staggeringly profound later on. (I think of the Wizard of Oz in this last scenario.) Consider what you can do to either make the writing more concise and clear, rewording to make the flow better, add or subtract details as needed, or any other adjustment that might be needed to ensure there is no doubt in the reader’s mind about what you are trying to say.<br />
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All that to say this:<br />
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You have a great story!! What your readers want is a way to understand it. If they do not, then we can’t blame them. We can only blame ourselves. Writing is a skill that takes time to hone. Take what time you need to make it the best it can possibly be, and use your critiques as a stepping stone to greatness.<br />
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<div><blockquote><em>“The most successful men in the end are those whose success is the result of steady accretion... It is the man who carefully advances step by step, with his mind becoming wider and wider - and progressively better able to grasp any theme or situation - persevering in what he knows to be practical, and concentrating his thought upon it, who is bound to succeed in the greatest degree.”</em><strong> - Alexander Gramm Bell</strong></blockquote></div>Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-66421549861455937072011-03-02T06:00:00.001-06:002011-03-02T06:00:13.690-06:00The Mysterious Basilisk<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Coat_of_Arms_of_Moscow.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" l6="true" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Coat_of_Arms_of_Moscow.png" width="168" /></a>It has been called the king of snakes. The enigmatic basilisk is a marvel of ancient ingenuity. What other wondrous creature could be concocted in such a way that no normal person could see it without succumbing to its deadly power. Around 78 AD, Pliny the Elder wrote Naturalis Historia (Natural History), one of the few works to have survived from the Roman era intact. He describes the catoblepas, a cow-like creature with the ability to kill whomever looks at it, then goes on with the following (translated from Latin):</div><br />
<blockquote style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>There is the same power also in the serpent called the basilisk. It is produced in the province of Cyrene, being not more than twelve fingers in length. It has a white spot on the head, strongly resembling a sort of a diadem. When it hisses, all the other serpents fly from it: and it does not advance its body, like the others, by a succession of folds, but moves along upright and erect upon the middle. It destroys all shrubs, not only by its contact, but those even that it has breathed upon; it burns up all the grass too, and breaks the stones, so tremendous is its noxious influence. It was formerly a general belief that if a man on horseback killed one of these animals with a spear, the poison would run up the weapon and kill, not only the rider, but the horse as well. To this dreadful monster the effluvium of the weasel is fatal, a thing that has been tried with success, for kings have often desired to see its body when killed; so true is it that it has pleased Nature that there should be nothing without its antidote. The animal is thrown into the hole of the basilisk, which is easily known from the soil around it being infected. The weasel destroys the basilisk by its odor, but dies itself in this struggle of nature against its own self.</em></blockquote><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Leonardo da Vinci added that it was the smell of a weasel’s urine that killed the basilisk and often the weasel itself.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em><br />
</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Basilisk_aldrovandi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="135" l6="true" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Basilisk_aldrovandi.jpg" width="320" /></em></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Throughout history, many writers have commented on the basilisk, each adding their own twists to the story, but none as unusual as the birth of the basilisk. These deadly creatures are often confused and even intermixed or indistinguishable from the cockatrice, another just as deadly monster. But while the cockatrice is reportedly the egg of a rooster incubated by a snake or toad, the basilisk is just the opposite. It is supposedly the egg of a snake that is sat on by a rooster until hatching while the star Sirius is ascending in the night sky. In the Northern Hemisphere (as in ancient Rome and Greece), the rise of Sirius meant the coming of summer. As a result, it’s said that the basilisk takes on some characteristics of the rooster, including a crown on its head. Other scholars had decided the birthing was a ridiculous notion, but still they agreed regarding the creatures deadly abilities. Here are just a few of their ideas/additions:</div><ul><li>It was not the gaze itself that killed, but rather the corruption of the air between the basilisk and the victim.</li>
<li>Its breath was a poisonous fume.</li>
<li>The basilisk could breathe fire.</li>
<li>It could kill with the sound of its hiss.</li>
<li>Touching a basilisk would kill. This ability also included accounts where the victim might die if the basilisk touched something the victim was also touching, like a sword or spear.</li>
<li>It grew in size (considerably) depending on the author and is described as a much larger creature.</li>
<li>On some coats of arms, the basilisk is given legs and wings, as to be a small dragon.</li>
</ul>For all the expanded abilities of the basilisk, writers also added a few more weaknesses to the monster, usually much more common vices than the musk of a weasel:<br />
<div></div><div></div><ul><li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/IMG_3734_-_Milano_-_Stemma_visconteo-_sull'Arcivescovado_-_Foto_di_Giovanni_Dall'Orto_-_15-jan-2007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" l6="true" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/IMG_3734_-_Milano_-_Stemma_visconteo-_sull'Arcivescovado_-_Foto_di_Giovanni_Dall'Orto_-_15-jan-2007.jpg" width="166" /></a>Roosters could kill a basilisk, either by claw or by call. This inspired travelers in Medieval times to sometimes carry roosters with them while traveling, to protect them against the basilisk.</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The caw of a crow could kill it.</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The creature would die if it saw its own reflection in a mirror.</li>
</ul><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So, why was there such a fascination with this creature? Ancient alchemists believed that the basilisk held the key to creating gold. Theophilus Presbyter had supposedly found a recipe, using the basilisk, to turn copper into gold. Another story states that the ashes of the creature could convert silver into gold.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>The basilisk even makes an appearance in the Bible in the book of Isaiah 14:29. "Do not rejoice, whole country of Philistia, because the rod that beat you has broken, since the serpent's stock can still produce a basilisk, and the offspring of that will be a flying dragon." The King James translation reads, "out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent." This again shows the intermixing of the basilisk and cockatrice.<br />
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Few creatures have seemingly captured the imagination of both ancient and modern writers. This was truly a terrible beast!Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-79139565998791963582011-02-25T19:11:00.000-06:002011-02-25T19:11:56.492-06:00The Publishing PieI missed my Friday morning blog, so here’s a “Late Edition” just for you!<br />
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While cruising the Internet, I came across a great video from the O'Reilly Tools of Change conference with guest speaker Margaret Atwood. The conference was apparently held to promote new emerging technologies in the publishing industry. Mrs. Atwood provided an author’s perspective on new changes that are coming down the highway, ever faster toward us, and reminds publishers what they need to remember: not to eliminate their "primary source."<br />
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In particular, I loved her analogy of writers compared to a dead moose. *chuckles*<br />
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You’ll just have to watch and see.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="305" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-6iMBf6Ddjk" title="YouTube video player" width="500"></iframe>Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-75864412178429378142011-02-18T06:00:00.001-06:002011-03-22T07:35:17.667-05:00The Art of Balance<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://ts4.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=471813589611&id=37ed13763584a2105e9949d571bd103e&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.narenkelso.com%2ffiles%2fart%2fbalance_rock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" j6="true" src="http://ts4.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=471813589611&id=37ed13763584a2105e9949d571bd103e&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.narenkelso.com%2ffiles%2fart%2fbalance_rock.jpg" width="320" /></a>The efforts we put into work, school, family, and social life can be a hard enough without our continuous obsession for writing. So how do we go about putting these things into perspective? How to we effectively balance so many aspects of our lives without going mad? Here are a few tips I’ve picked up along the way that work well for me. Some may help you, some may not. Please feel free to add your own suggestions and what you find that works for you in the comments.</div><br />
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<strong>Prioritize</strong><br />
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The first things to consider are my objectives and compare that to the list of things that need to be done: otherwise known as prioritization. From my personal experience, I find that priorities, despite my attempts to etch them into stone, still have a strange way of changing from day to day. To keep from going crazy with these continuous changes, I set aside time each week specifically for deciding what it most important. Some weeks, my main focus is on family - especially around the holiday season. Sometimes, I find that work and/or school must take priority. On those rare occasions that neither of these takes precedence, I attempt to focus on y writing. Oh, that’s not to say things won’t still change. One needs to be flexible, after all. But, with a clear list of what’s important, I can move on to the next phase:: setting my goals.<br />
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<strong>Setting Goals</strong><br />
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It’s important to set realistic and attainable goals. Set your goals too high and you never achieve them, creating frustration and the feeling of helplessness. Set them to low, and although you easily accomplish them, there’s no satisfaction or desire to push harder and further. So, what makes a “realistic” goal? Let’s try an example. When I’m writing longhand (yes, I do tend to do that for my first drafts), I know that I can fill about two to three pages in a steno notebook per hour, front and back. The way I write, that equates between 350 and 500 words per hour - let’s say 400 on average for easy math. I have a busy week planned, so I’ll only have about an hour each day to write. Simple multiplication makes that goal 2700 words/week. That’s certainly doable, but I want to push myself just a little more. Rounding that to 3000 words makes sense. It means throughout the week I’ll have to find an additional hour to write, but figuring that it’s only a few extra minutes a day, it’s agreeable. If I really want to stretch, I might even shoot for 3500.<br />
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Even if I should fail to reach this goal, at least I had my sights set on something. Without a goal, it becomes easy to meander off and not accomplish anything at all, with no expectations. Easy on the mind, but it lacks for the soul.<br />
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<strong>Focus</strong><br />
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Once a goal is set, the next step is to focus on the task at hand. Depending on my priorities for a given week, I take one of two approaches.<br />
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Set Aside Time<br />
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One method is to divide the day into segments and decide what activity needs to be performed within each time block. This creates a schedule that’s easy to follow and elevates the expectation that I should be working on something else. If something is more important or more time consuming, then I schedule more time for that activity. While performing the scheduled activity, focus only on it. Don’t let your mind wander to other things; there’ll be time enough for those when they arrive for their appointment. I find this can free my worried mind when I have allot that must be done.<br />
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Complete the Task Then Move On<br />
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This approach is to work on a single task until it’s completed before moving on to the next. I find the approach works well, particularly when school or work are involved. Again with this method, stay focused and don’t become distracted until the task is finished. It builds a considerable amount of confidence and self worth when I can say that I started (and completed) the objectives I laid out before me. At the end of the day, I have a list of things I can say are done. Is there a better feeling?<br />
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I must admit, however, that I often find myself using both methods. Writing a novel, for example, is a long process. Sometimes I want to write for a particular amount of time. Other times, I want to write a particular number of pages before I stop. Most often, I write in scenes and want to finish the scene before I quit for the day. Consider playing with these two methods and seeing what works best for you.<br />
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<strong>Rest</strong><br />
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Rest is the silent killer. Too little and one looses perspective, makes sloppy mistakes, and becomes mentally unstable. Too much, and one becomes lazy, uncaring, and loses sight of one’s goals. So how do we know when it’s time to work and time to rest? I suspect each one of us will have to decide that for himself/herself.<br />
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Me? I try to rest at least one day a week, doesn’t matter much which day, but on that “day of rest” I do nothing, or everything. I make no goals and have no expectations. If I feel like writing, I write. If I feel like shopping, I shop. If I feel like doing yard work, I do. And, if I feel like none of the above, I may watch TV, go out to lunch, visit the computer store, or any other number of things that make me happy. The point is, this is my day, when I can do whatever it is I want without constraint to goals or worries.<br />
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Each of us must decide how must rest we need, but it’s important, in my opinion, to give in to indulgence and let our weary minds relax - if only for a short while. Rejuvination can often lead our subconscious to many wondrous ideas.<br />
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<strong>Q4U:</strong> How do you balance your busy life? What types of things do you do to relax?Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-14296683318237898102011-02-10T15:43:00.000-06:002011-02-10T15:43:06.961-06:00Time to Start AgainIt’s amazing how quickly time can fly. In one moment, I’m writing like a mad-man with the Devil hot on his heels and in the next, everything comes to a screeching halt. Six months ago, I set out to start this blog site. Everything looked great save for the time it took to work on the blog. That same, scant amount of time had to be shared with worry over an evaporating employment situation and at the same time that I was completing the first draft of my first novel. With all of that out of the way, reentering college after a twenty year break has preoccupied my mind for the last month and a half.<br />
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Now, once again, I begin to embark down the road to recover my wits - that is to say, start writing again. Oh, it may b a journey wrought with potholes and curbs, filled with many moments where “real-life” takes precedence over the world of fantasy. Still, writing is a part of my life that I have ignored for far too long.<br />
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Well, here’s to hoping that I can make the final (and necessary) push to complete my manuscript without any considerable delays. It will be slower going this time, what with spending so many hours each day dedicated directly to higher education. None-the-less, the story has grown cold and I will need to once again begin from the beginning to rekindle the momentum lost.Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-21635845062601902872010-09-10T06:00:00.004-05:002010-09-10T06:00:01.493-05:00Expanding Horizons with Local WritersTuesday night, I spent a fair portion of the evening surrounded by new friends and collogues – mostly writers in training. This made the second local writers group meeting I attended and the first with this particular organization. Without question, I could see an immediate difference between the two groups, despite the fact that every member of the first also attended the second.<br />
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I thought it might be beneficial to express my impressions, since I had never attended any form of local writer’s association until late last month – and given that I’ve been on this quest to publish a novel for long enough – it’s high time I should extend my reach beyond my own keyboard.<br />
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The first group, Panama City Writers’ Association, is a loose critique organization dedicated to discussing and reviewing whatever topics come up during the meeting itself (unless something is planned ahead of time). For the last 10 or 11 years, this group of writers gathers to talk about whatever is on their mind at the moment. Since this was the very first one-on-group meeting I ever attended, I really had no idea what to expect. After a bit of introduction time with the new guy (me), we spent a portion of time talking about everything from character development to the best way to grow oranges. The topic varied widely from writing to non-writing in a loose and (dare I say it) unorganized fashion. I suppose I anticipated more structure than this particular group offered. Though, the people were certainly friendly enough and more than willing to listen to my rambles about the latest setbacks with my WIP.<br />
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The second group, Gulf Coast Writers, is a very different organization of people. Run by a college professor and membered by established writers (some novels, some short stories, some articles), the session on Tuesday was divided into distinct moments of agenda. First the standard meet-and-greet, followed by a fairly good discussion about “books on writing” in which many members around the table presented their latest and favorite tomes on creating prose.<br />
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The remainder of the hour and a half session focused on critique of one and two page works from various attendees ranging widely in style and goal, from the beginnings of a short Halloween story to the query letter for a finished thriller novel. It’s had to say if they were willing to simply put up with my critiques or actually had a vested interest in my comments, but the atmosphere induced me to speak my mind - which was quite a shock for me since I’m more noted as a wallflower.<br />
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Through these groups, I learned of a local writer’s conference later this month. Although I doubt I will be able to attend due to previous engagements, I might have been able to arrange going to the one day seminar had I known about it months ago – something I would have learned if I were braver and adventurous enough to join these groups before now.<br />
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All in all, I’d have to say it has been an interesting experience to see other aspiring authors face-to-face from the local community - to know that I’m not a complete island on this ocean of the authoring adventure. I will most likely return to both of these groups and continue to do so for a time. I have much to learn and perhaps this will offer another avenue to educate myself. Perhaps I’ll even brave bringing in some of my own work for critique – now that’s a scary thought!<br />
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Q4U: Have you looked for and/or joined any local writer groups in your area? You might be surprised what you find out, if you’re willing to take the plunge.Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-31775291507059316522010-09-03T06:00:00.002-05:002010-09-03T12:40:11.871-05:00Off WeekWell, as much as my loyal fans (both of you, LOL) will be disapointed, I haven't much to write this week. Truth be told, that "real life thing" has been a bit of trouble over the past several days, and I haven't made much time for writing - including here, unfortunately.Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-40025280225855017812010-09-01T06:00:00.013-05:002010-09-01T06:00:07.247-05:00The Wild CentaurIt’s Wednesday! That means it’s time for another mythological monster. This week: the centaur.<br />
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Centaurs are a hybrid creature, a mix of human and equine anatomy. Early depictions of centaurs showed man-like forms with the hind quarters of a horse attached at the waste of the man. It’s no wonder that in later images, and in the most common modern view, this original form migrated to the body of a horse with a man’s torso attached at the equine withers, where the horse’s neck should be. This forms, from the front, a man-like image with the horse’s lower body representing what would be normal human legs.<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Centaure_Malmaison_crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Centaure_Malmaison_crop.jpg" width="191" /></a></div>Like many of the mythological creatures, the exact origin is unknown. The first accountings appear around the Bronze Age and continue through the Roman Empire period of Europe. Some scholars believe the idea of the centaur comes from a non-riding culture seeing men on horseback for the first time. There is some evidence to support this theory. Homer, the author of the Iliad and Odyssey poems, simply calls them “pheres” (or, “beasts”) which could indicate the mythological monster as easily as it could mean savage men riding on beasts. Pindar was the first known author to describe centaurs as an unquestionable combination of man and animal in a single form.<br />
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Stories range from poet to poet, but generally, the centaurs began life as decedents of the Greek gods. In one specific variation, Centaurus (the son of Ixion and Nephele - sun and rainclouds) mated with Magnesian mares to produce human/equine offspring while his brother, Lapithus, became the father of the Lapiths race of men.<br />
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The most famous story in Greek myth involving centaurs is the war between the half-men and the Lapiths people when the centaurs, on the day of the king’s wedding, made off with their human cousin’s women. The Lapiths would hardly stand by and let this happen, so the two warred with the centaurs losing the battle.<br />
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Female centaurs are found first in 4th century BC and are considerably less common than accounts of their male counterparts. Still, they have been found rarely in the poetic record, including Ovid, who mentions a centauress that commits suicide after her husband is killed in the Lapiths war.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Centaur_skeleton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" ox="true" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Centaur_skeleton.jpg" width="200" /></a>Interestingly, the Lapiths tribe of Thessaly, who were the mythological kinsmen of the centaurs as shown above, was described to be the developer of horse-back riding within the fertile crescent of the Mediterranean. It’s said their horses were the descendents of the original centaurs.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">In many stories, centaurs represent the untamed, wild spirit of man and animal unified into a single natural force. Sometimes, they are wise and teach mankind - such as Chiron, the great tutor of heroes such as Achilles, Jason, and Heracles. Other times they are bloodthirsty and crave battle, as in the account of the Lapiths war. They are sometimes seen as a metaphor of the struggle between the carnal mature of men against civilization.</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">One thing is certain. The centaur is a well known mythological creature in modern times. Not a fantasy reader alive doesn’t have an already slanted view of what this being looks like, from <span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Sorcerers-Stone-Anniversary/dp/054506967X?ie=UTF8&tag=wripoiofvie-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"></a><span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Sorcerers-Stone-Anniversary/dp/054506967X?ie=UTF8&tag=wripoiofvie-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Harry Potter </a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Sorcerers-Stone-Anniversary/dp/054506967X?ie=UTF8&tag=wripoiofvie-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wripoiofvie-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=054506967X" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wripoiofvie-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=054506967X" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span></span>to <span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Spell-Chameleon-Xanth-Book/dp/0345347536?ie=UTF8&tag=wripoiofvie-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Spell for Chameleon</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wripoiofvie-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0345347536" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span>.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-2429958239694377352010-08-27T06:00:00.013-05:002010-08-27T06:00:00.700-05:00Finding a Character's Voice<blockquote><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img-fan.theonering.net/rolozo/images/edelfeldt/gollum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" ox="true" src="http://img-fan.theonering.net/rolozo/images/edelfeldt/gollum.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><em>“Sneakin', sneakin'! Hobbitsess always sssooo polite, yesss. Ehm..nice Hobbitsess. Smeagol brings them up ssecret ways, that nobody else can find. Tired he is, and thirsty he is and he guidesssess 'em and he searchesss the path..yess. And then they say: Sneak!” -- Gollum: Lord of the Rings</em></strong></div></blockquote>Each character in our story should be designed so they are memorable as possible. When I think of the multilayered elements that make up a unique and memorable character, the sound of their voice in dialogue always stands up for me to take notice. Gollum from Lord of the Rings, Hagrid from Harry Potter, Emperor Palapatine from Star Wars: Each of these characters had interesting background stories and physical traits, but what really brings them to life is the unusual way they spoke, a combination of motivation, dialect, and vocabulary.<br />
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So, how do we bring that voice out onto the page and into each line of dialogue (and even their thoughts, if we write from their POV)?<br />
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One technique that could help get you into the head of a character is to write strictly from their POV. Not as part of the story itself, but as a separate exercise. By this I mean, take a black sheet of paper, get into the mindset of that character, and then start writing. Don’t stop until the page is full. Write a letter to the character’s mother; write an editorial essay as if they were in school; scribble a journal entry that fills a page with the character’s words. Write whatever they are thinking and feeling in their own voice. Don’t stop to ponder their words, just let the characters thoughts become your own and guide your pen.<br />
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If you have characters that sound similar, or even if you want to refine the more unique sound of your antagonist, give this technique a try and see what comes of it. You might be surprised.<br />
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Keep writing!!Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-80104158967945152612010-08-25T06:00:00.002-05:002010-08-25T06:56:44.753-05:00The Fiendish Harpies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/54/1154-004-1A7D1A4A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="200" src="http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/54/1154-004-1A7D1A4A.jpg" width="122" /></a></div>The harpy is a creature from Greek mythology that is shrouded somewhat in a mystery about their appearance. In some of the oldest depictions, the harpies and sirens were much alike - women with enormous wings. Later renderings show them as having the bodies of eagles or vultures and only the head remained female. Some variations even show harpies as having bird bodies and the heads and chest o women, exposing naked breasts.<br />
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Some images show beautiful faces and some horrifically ugly. Regardless, the all displayed a twisted sense of cruelty and no moral compass to speak of.<br />
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Regardless of their appearance, these were some nasty customers.<br />
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<strong>The story of Phineas</strong><br />
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The most well know tale is that of Phineas, King of Thrace. Phineas had the gift of foresight, but Zeus (the lord of the Olympian gods) believed that Phineas revealed too much information. In punishment, Zeus blinded the man and put him on an island. The island held an incredible banquette of food that renewed itself each day.<br />
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That doesn’t sound all bad - vengeful god takes away one thing, but gives another, right? Umm... not quite. Every time Phineas tries to eat from the banquette, the harpies show up. They snatch the food right out of his hands before he ever has a chance to eat. In addition to such torture, the harpies then spoil the rest of the food as part of Phineas’ punishment.<br />
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This goes on for some time until the Greek hero Jason arrives on the island. Through his efforts, the harpies are run of to never bother Phineas again. In appreciation, Phineas uses his gifts warn Jason about the Symplegades, or clashing rocks, and how to pass them during the hero’s voyage.<br />
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This story shows not only the cruelty of the harpy, but from a fiction writing standpoint, we see the intricacy of one subplot impacting another in the grand scheme of things.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/DVinfernoForestOfSuicides_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/DVinfernoForestOfSuicides_m.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Other writings</strong></div><ul style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">There are many other stories of the harpies in Green myth, but most are fleeting cameo roles.</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">They tortured souls traveling to the vile planes of Tartarus (the Greek version of Hell - for lack of a better term).</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">They tortured the Trojans by stealing their food and starving their men.</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">In Dente’s depiction of Hell, harpies victimized the souls of those who committed suicide in the second ring of the inferno.</li>
<li>Surprisingly, there are a few cases, though not many, of harpies found on medieval coats-of-arms.</li>
</ul>So, there you have it. The harpy - malevolence at its finest.<br />
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<div></div>Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-74453073876473174342010-08-23T06:00:00.001-05:002010-08-23T06:00:00.569-05:00Quote for TodayI saw this on Kill Zone and thought it worth repeating here:<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">"If you want to write fiction, the best thing you can do is take two aspirins, lie down in a dark room, and wait for the feeling to pass. If the feeling persists, you probably ought to write a novel." – Lawrence Block</span></strong><br />
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Source: Writing the Novel (1979, Writer's Digest Books)Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-22153032681831702472010-08-20T06:00:00.001-05:002010-08-20T06:00:10.059-05:00Fleshing Out CharactersThis week, I’d like to talk a little about how to bring characters to life, or in other words how to bring reality into characters.<br />
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Every character in our stories deserves the attention of a detailed background whether the lead or a minor personality. They have goals, ambitions, family, and other traits on top of what we normally think, such as eye color and height. Here is a list of the things I fill in for each of my characters. Some are more appropriate than others and I don’t do every single one for every single character. But I do enough to bring out that character’s personality.<br />
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In addition, I typically write anywhere from a paragraph to a full page on any given character before starting the story. This brings my mind up to date and helps cement that character before they ever speak a line of dialogue. My hope is that you’ll be able to use these ideas in breathing more life into your own. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><u>External Traits</u></strong></span><br />
<ul><li><strong>Name</strong>: Full name, Nickname</li>
<li><strong>Place of Origin</strong>: City, town, state, country</li>
<li><strong>Race</strong>: As applicable</li>
<li><strong>Age</strong>: In the time scale of your story (years, moons, etc) </li>
<li><strong>Sex</strong>: (Yes, No, and Sometimes are not the correct answers LOL)</li>
<li><strong>General Appearance</strong>: height, weight, eye color, haircut (and how the character feel about it)</li>
<li><strong>Distinguishing marks</strong>: What makes this character more easily recognized compared to the other characters in the story</li>
<li><strong>Voice</strong>: Is it squeaky, robust, deep, giggly, etc.</li>
<li><strong>Occupation</strong>: What they do for a living or for money</li>
<li><strong>Personal Habits</strong>: Dress, manners, etc.</li>
</ul><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><u>Internal Traits</u></strong></span><br />
<ul><li><strong>Motives</strong>: What drives this character to act the way they do</li>
<li><strong>Goals</strong>: What do they want (be very specific. World Peace is not a goal. Joining the Peace Corps to feed the hungry in Haiti is.</li>
<li><strong>Vulnerabilities</strong>: What will cause the character to break down emotionally or physically?</li>
<li><strong>Enneagram</strong>: As discussed in last <a href="http://writepov.blogspot.com/2010/08/multiple-personalities.html">week’s blog on personalities</a></li>
<li><strong>Likes</strong>: Long walks on the beach, sunsets, ponies, etc. LOL</li>
<li><strong>Passions</strong>: Name at least one thing the character feels strongly about and why</li>
<li><strong>Dislikes</strong>: Turn offs, things they just can’t stand to be around</li>
<li><strong>Quirks</strong>: Odd behavioral habits that are out of the norm for their society</li>
<li><strong>Background</strong>: Here I write 1 page for a main character and a paragraph or two for a minor character</li>
</ul><br />
<strong><u><span style="font-size: large;">Character Thoughts</span></u></strong><br />
<ul><li><strong>Attitude</strong>: Main outlook about people or events</li>
<li><strong>Self Perception</strong>: What does the character believe is their major flaw? What is their major strength?</li>
<li><strong>Other’s Perception</strong>: What does the character believe others think of them?</li>
<li><strong>Parental Influence</strong>: How does the character view their parents?</li>
<li><strong>Relationships</strong>: With love interests and/or other family members</li>
<li><strong>School Life</strong>: Is the character educated? Where? How was their performance? What is there attitude toward schooling in general?</li>
<li><strong>Free Time</strong>: Hobbies or personal passions that fill in disposable time</li>
<li><strong>Places I've been</strong>: Favorite vacation locations, or places this character has been (good or bad) that sets them apart from the rest of the cast</li>
<li><strong>Places I'd like to go</strong>: Here’s a chance to create some wish-lists for you character</li>
<li><strong>People I know</strong>: Has the character ever met a famous person? Do they have special connections that other characters might not?</li>
</ul><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><u>Author Thoughts</u></strong></span><br />
<ul><li><strong>What do you really like about this character?</strong></li>
<li><strong>What do you really hate?</strong></li>
<li><strong>What do you plan to reveal about this character that no one else knows?</strong></li>
<li><strong>What will be this characters epiphany in the story and how will it change them?</strong></li>
</ul><br />
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This is certainly not a comprehensive list. Add your own traits, ideas, questions, character thoughts, and anything else you think is appropriate. It’s a lot of work; I won’t lie about that. But it’s worth every moment when the characters leap of the page.<br />
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Keep on writing!!<br />
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<strong>Q4U</strong>: What other aspects of a character do you include when rounding them out?Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-1490121775811578502010-08-18T06:00:00.004-05:002010-08-18T06:00:01.689-05:00The Noble GriffinLet’s continue our Wednesday “Mythological Monster Day” tradition, now in its second week. LOL<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Venice_-_Statue_of_a_griffin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Venice_-_Statue_of_a_griffin.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>The Griffin (or griffon or gryphon) was a symbol of pride, elegance, and majesty for centuries. It’s described as a creature with the head of an eagle and body of a lion. In most versions the griffin also had the wings of an eagle. The front claws varied over the centuries with early versions shows as having lion paws and later variations with eagle talons. Ironically, by the around the 12th century, images of griffins once again showed the front claws as that of a lion. Because the lion is considered the lord of the land and the eagle the lord of the sky, the griffin was a very important symbol of power.<br />
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It’s hard to tell exactly where the legend of this creature comes from as most records are lost to time and spoken about in such detail over a millennial span. The earliest knows depictions of the griffin date back to the 15th century BC. Statues of griffins adorn important architectural structures and were used to guard treasure. In Europe, through the Renaissance period, nobleman used the griffin on their coats-of-arms and heraldry. <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Knossos_fresco_in_throne_palace.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="150" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Knossos_fresco_in_throne_palace.JPG" width="200" /></a>According to legend, a griffin's claw was believed to have medicinal properties and its feathers could restore sight to the blind. Claws fashioned into goblets (which were typically made from antelope horns) and griffin eggs (usually ostrich eggs) were considered highly prized in the medieval courts of Europe.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>The symbolism of the griffin can also be found in Christianity. The medieval Catholic Church saw the griffin as representative of Jesus. Born of earth (lion) and divinity (eagle), griffin images are found on many of the cathedrals still standing today.<br />
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This odd combination of fierce beast and noble creature has sparked the imagination for thousands of years. Let it inspire you to create fantastic worlds.Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-86076521986767675182010-08-17T06:00:00.001-05:002010-08-17T06:00:01.981-05:00Ten Things to AvoidHere's a blog I found interesting: <a href="http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2010/08/ten-things-not-to-do-if-you-want-to-get.html">Ten things not to do if you want to get published</a> on <a href="http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/">Kill Zone</a> by Kathryn Lilley.<br />
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For those who are a bit savvier on the publishing business, these may not be profound statements. But, if you're still in the learning phase, or even think you have room to grow (which should be everyone), have a look.<br />
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Kill Zone is a blog written by a collection of well published suspense and thriller authors. The blog is typically full of wit and great information. The best part, in my opinion, is the comments found with each post. Not all of these authors agree when one of them goes on a tyrate about something that annoys them in the publishing and story writing universe. The internal banter can sometimes make this a blog worth reading.Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-72264231019124749412010-08-16T06:00:00.005-05:002010-08-16T06:00:03.044-05:00Time off work -- Time to go to workAfter a rather rough week at my 8-5 job, It's time to take a few days off. The plan is to do a bit of writing and a bit of housework and a bit of anything else my wife comes up with on her "honey do" list. <br />
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This is a time for reflection. I’ll likely spend the greater part of the next three days working either on my blog or novel. Either way, one of two things will happen. I’ll either spend the whole time glued to my computer or I won’t touch the magic box for 72 hours. Too early to tell yet, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens.<br />
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Tomorrow, I’m planning to attend a meeting with a local writer’s club. I’ve never been around other aspiring authors face-to-face, so it’s a little nerve wracking for one like me who’s naturally filled with social angst. My plan of attack? Don’t bring anything more than a black notebook with me. LOL. Despite what my critique critics say, I have a great deal of self doubt about the quality of my work (hence the anxiety). If I bring nothing with me, I don’t have to share. :D A bit of cheating, however it’s the only way I’ll make it through, I think... Well, that and a Xanax. LOLRichard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-11655139108672725132010-08-13T06:00:00.032-05:002010-08-13T06:29:11.973-05:00Multiple Personalities<a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1404737533"></span><span id="goog_1404737534"></span>Today marks one month of Write Point of View. To celebrate, let’s do something different this week.<br />
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I’ve been reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Write-Great-Fiction-Gloria-Kempton/dp/1582972893?ie=UTF8&tag=wripoiofvie-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Dialogue: Techniques and exercises for crafting effective dialogue</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wripoiofvie-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1582972893" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Gloria Kempton. Though I can’t say this book will change your life forever, she did bring up a few things the sparked ideas.<br />
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One in particular centers on the principal of finding a character’s voice. This is something I personally struggle with in many respects. After spending 75,000 words with the same characters, they seem to fall into one of two camps. Either they have become distinct voices that I can use during revision and thereby create a unique personality. Or, they all start to sound alike - speech patterns, vocabulary, etc. This especially rings true when their motives and backgrounds are similar.<br />
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So for today’s blog, I thought I’d explore some specific personality traits that can help bring life to your characters. Real people whether good natured friends, neighbors down the street, or perfect strangers have certain personality traits that are hard to mask. This is brought even more to the forefront in fiction, where we try to bring a hint of melodrama into dialogue. After all, who wants to read a boring book about boring people, right?<br />
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Quote from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Enneagram-Made-Easy-Discover-People/dp/0062510266?ie=UTF8&tag=wripoiofvie-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Enneagram Made Easy</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wripoiofvie-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0062510266" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Renee Baron and Elizabeth Wagele:<br />
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<blockquote><strong><em>The Enneagram is a study of the nine basic types of people. It explains why we behave the way we do, and it points to specific directions for individual growth. It is an important too for improving relationships with family, friends, and co-workers.</em></strong></blockquote><blockquote><strong><em>The roots of the Enneagram go back many centuries. Its exact origin in not known, but it is believed to have been taught orally in secret Sufi brotherhoods in the Middle East. The Russian mystical teacher G. I. Gurdjieff introduced it to Europe in the 1920s, and it arrived in the United States in the 1960s.</em></strong></blockquote>To paraphrase, the Enneagram personalities are a classification system we can harness to develop better characters through more realistic and diverse motives. I’ll let you do your own reading further into this study, but for now, I’ll present the nine personalities of the Enneagram as a place to start.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Footnote: On a side note, you may see/hear these personalities called by many diffeernt names - but they all generally mean the same thing.</strong></span><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.davetomlinson.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/9-ways.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="203" src="http://www.davetomlinson.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/9-ways.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><strong>#1 - The Reformer / Perfectionist</strong><br />
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This personality type knows they are right and you are wrong. They do not do this out of malice or for posturing, necessarily. Typically, the reformer wants to help make you right by informing you that you’re wrong. I don’t mean to bring religion into this conversation, but religious zealots can fall into this group with the goal of enlightening others. In fiction, Hermione Granger of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Sorcerers-Stone-Anniversary/dp/054506967X?ie=UTF8&tag=wripoiofvie-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Harry Potter</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wripoiofvie-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=054506967X" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /> fame comes immediately to mind.<br />
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<strong>#2 - The Giver / Supporter</strong><br />
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This person will give of themselves until it hurts. It doesn’t matter if they agree with what’s happening or not, they (for whatever reason) can’t stand to see other people wanting. The Giver is often taken advantage of, but it doesn’t stop them from wanting to provide whatever they can. When I think of the Giver, I often consider a battlefield nurse during the early days of the Red Cross. You might also find this personality in an abused housewife, who donates all of her love to an unworthy husband. What about the woman who watches their neighbor’s kids, even though thaty can’t stand the brats -- brings a cake to the birthday party they were invited to -- or loans money to help pay bills knowing full well they may never get it back. Givers are typically women. It’s been bred into today’s society. But, that doesn’t mean men can’t fall into this personality as well.<br />
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<strong>#3 - The Achiever / Motivator</strong><br />
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Here’s someone that’s always on the go. They are motivated by their own brand of success and will do anything it takes to get there. I think of the young urban professional (YUPY) when this personality comes to light, always on the go, always something to do. Achievers keep their schedule book full and rarely have time for other things that might detour them from their goals. These are the movers and shakers and nothing is going to slow them down.<br />
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<strong>#4 - The Artist / Romantic</strong><br />
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Oh, to be a drama queen! Artists range from unbound highs to depressing lows. They have unachievable goals and always look to something greater, but they rarely see themselves able to attain those goals. Artists make mountains out of molehills. Although they are full of creative ideas and warm up to people fairly well, these are the same folks who burst into tears at the drop of a hat, angrily shout at others before they can gain control of their words, and express terror before there’s anything to be afraid of.<br />
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<strong>#5 - The Observer / Thinker</strong><br />
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The Observer is the quiet one -- the wallflower in the corner during their homecoming dance. This personality doesn’t say much. They prefer to watch from a distance and only interact when absolutely necessary. When they do finally speak, they tend to blurt to the point where they won’t shut up. :) These can be fun characters because they are highly introverted. If they are a POV character, we explore them more through internal rather than external dialogue. When they are not a POV character, it’s harder to let the reader know what’s going on in her mind -- but when she does finally express herself, watch out!<br />
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<strong>#6 - The Questioner / Loyalist</strong><br />
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These people question everything: “What are you doing? What will the neighbors think? Do you think that outfit is appropriate for school? When are you going to take the trash out? Do you like giving me all this grief?”<br />
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This personality is often concerned about what other people think of them and their family. They are constantly concerned about being embarrassed and want nothing to happen that could set their neighbors against them. What’s fun about this personality is that they almost always throw questions into their dialogue -- typically replacing statements about how they feel with rhetorical questions.<br />
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<strong>#7 - The Adventurer / Generalist</strong><br />
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The Adventurer just simply loves life. Everything takes on a happy tone. They see the good in all things. “She’s in a better place now.” “I love the rain. Everything smells so fresh afterward.” She’s usually working on one project or another or jet setting about on interesting travels to exotic places.<br />
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<strong>#8 - The Leader / Protector</strong><br />
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The Leader is the one in command. They speak with authority and everyone else tends to listen. These people are constantly worried about looking stupid, so they will do anything in their power to prevent it. It doesn’t matter if people like them or not just so long as they don’t make a fool of themselves. They also have a strong drive to protect the ones they love. In fact, it’s been said that many criminals have a Leader personality and end up in trouble because of their own contrived sense of defending their loved ones.<br />
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<strong>#9 - The Peacemaker / Diplomat</strong><br />
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The Peacemaker is a combination of several other personalities. Their primary focus is to keep people coming together, find compromises amongst them, and better society as a whole. The Peacemaker just wants to get along with everyone they come into contact with. Like the Giver, the Peacemaker, in her attempt to help everyone cope, will often forget about their own needs. Unlike the Giver, the Peacemaker does this because they are less worried about their own desires and can simply forget them.<br />
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<strong>Conclusion</strong><br />
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So this is one way to find your character's voice. Think about the characters in your fiction. Chances are, they fall closely into one of the above categories. What can you do to bring out more of that personality into your fiction through internal and external dialogue? Consider bringing these traits to the surface for your reader's enjoyment.<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"></div>Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-26994713425816266432010-08-12T06:00:00.001-05:002010-08-18T09:34:41.178-05:00ARGG!!!It's looking more and more like my story issues are deeper then I originally thought. The motivations of my characters is part of what's causing the problem. It's not as intense as it should be by this point in the story. The solution - up the ante, increase the tension, multiply the danger by a factor of two. You know what that means, right? A complete rework of the story going all the way back to the beginning. I'll still be able to use some of the center, but the beginning and end - complete rewrite. *sigh* Just wish it hadn't taken 80,000 words to figure this out.<br />
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It feels, at this point, I have wasted 4 months of work. In reality - if I'm willing to let myself admit it - is that I would not have realized the problem UNTIL I wrote 80,000 words. So it really means a strengthening of story from good to hopefully great. Is it worth it? Absolutely. Do I want to do it? Not a chance!Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-79523319004322154912010-08-11T06:00:00.003-05:002010-08-11T06:00:08.375-05:00The Lernean HydraI’m declaring Wednesday as “Mythical Monster Day.” The plan is (hold onto your tunic) to take a closer look at a different mythological monster every week. How profound is that? :)<br />
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Well, OK. So it’s not THAT unique an idea - but what the heck. This is my blog. :P<br />
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Let’ start things off with one of my favorite creatures from Greek Mythology - the Hydra.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Antonio_Pollaiuolo_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Antonio_Pollaiuolo_002.jpg" width="141" /></a></div>Heracles (or Hercules to the Romans) was a great and tragic Greek hero. He was the son of Zeus (Lord of Olympus and the god of thunder) and a mortal woman named Alcmena. Zeus’ wife Hera, furious at her husband’s infidelity, set about to destroy the half-god from the moment of his birth. At each deadly encounter, Heracles managed to avoid death. When he reached adulthood, Hera (goddess of women and marriage) found her chance. She put madness into Heracles’ head that resulted in him killing his own children. To repent for the crime, Heracles set off to complete a series of tasks commonly called “The Labors of Heracles.” The second of these labors was to kill the Lernean Hydra.<br />
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Stories vary depending on the author and time period, so here I’ll recount my favorite version.<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The Hydra was a reptilian beast, serpentine in nature, with nine heads and a venomous bite. To make the matter more complicated, one of the heads was immortal. To lure the creature out of hiding, Heracles shot flaming arrows into the beast’s lair. Once exposed, he battled with the monster in hand to head combat. Some variations indicate the central head spewed fire, which would have certainly complicated matters.</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Like any good mythological story, there are so many variations, it’s hard to keep track. Some stories make this monster as big as a house. Others depict is as little more than a dog-size reptile. Regardless of its physical size, this thing was lethal.</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/Hpix/1990.05.0243.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="133" src="http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/Hpix/1990.05.0243.jpeg" width="200" /></a>As Heracles severed each head from the monster’s body, his horror multiplied. For each head killed, two grew back in its place. This symbolized the hopelessness of his task and the increasing likelihood of the hero’s death. Talk about upping the ante of a conflict! He eventually discovered a solution. As he removed each head with his sword, he used a flaming brand to cauterize the wound. This prevented the head from growing two more anew. But, the deadly central head, which was immortal, could not be killed so easily. It’s unclear if Heracles severed the head and then buried it beneath a bolder or if he buried the entire remaining monster. But, what we do know is that this was one tough mythological monster.</div></div>Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-47601857239496405312010-08-10T06:00:00.003-05:002010-08-10T06:00:02.751-05:00What to Ask an AgentWhat do you say to an agent when you finally get "The Call?" Find out bellow!<br />
For anyone who missed yesterday's post by <a href="http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/">Rachelle Gardner</a>, here's a link:<br />
<a href="http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2010/08/what-to-ask-agent.html">What to Ask an Agent</a><br />
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Rachelle is always full of great information. If you're not already a follower, I highly recomend becoming one.Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-3028074460997941032010-08-09T06:00:00.001-05:002010-08-18T09:34:41.178-05:00Time to RearangeAh... The trials and tribulations of the ever persistent need for perfection. <br />
<em>Note to self: </em><br />
<blockquote><em>Don’t forget to move scene A to section B and rearrange the details from scene C to make them all fit together seamlessly.</em></blockquote>This week’s personal writing note is all about rearranging my plot to make it stronger. I initially set out to write the several thousand words needed to complete the chapter I’m working on only to discover at the end, it didn’t really work well. This is a case where I didn’t realize it at first. I was too close - focusing on the narration of the moment without taking the chapter as a whole into account. Event A follows event B follows event C. All looked great on the sentence level.<br />
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Then I made the necessary mistake of reading the chapter from the beginning. The scenes bounced from one event to the next without consideration of the flow between them. Most importantly, I found that the last two scenes - highly important to the overall plot - didn’t fit next to each other. They need more space - more time for the reader to absorb one moment before the next will make any sense.<br />
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So after that lovely round of babbling, I find I need to rearrange the scenes to make them work. That means going through everything with a fine toothed comb - extracting details, shifting them to rework various plot points - adjusting motivations as required - then seeing what happens.<br />
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Q4U - Ever had to rearrange your plot to make it work? What problems and issues did you not expect while doing so?Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722733595997958332.post-78284863364624385522010-08-06T06:00:00.037-05:002010-08-06T06:00:08.334-05:00Building Realistic Worlds - Part IV<strong>The Devil's in the Details</strong><br />
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<div class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged" sizcache="163" sizset="0"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Devil-goat.jpg" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Devil-goat" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/Devil-goat.jpg/300px-Devil-goat.jpg" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="155" /></a></div>For fiction, we clearly do not have time to explore the endless nuances of a created world. There are only just so many pages of text to use when transporting our reader from their ordinary, mundane lives into a world filled with magical robots, or fire breathing elves, or whatever other amazing thing you’ve stuck in your head. We still have to tell the actual story somewhere in there. Knowing what details are noteworthy enough to put on page and which should be left in your stacks of notes is too big a subject for today’s article.<br />
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For the time being, I’m going to cheat a little and direct you to another site that will help you flesh out your world in ways you may not have thought possible. In August 2009, <a href="http://www.sfwa.org/">Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA)</a> published an article (really a series of questions) intended to make you think about your world. This thought provoking list brings important details, big and small, into center stage.<br />
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Here’s a sample copied directly from <a href="http://www.sfwa.org/2009/08/fantasy-worldbuilding-questions/">the article</a>:<br />
<ul><li>How long have there been people on this world? Did they evolve, or did they migrate from somewhere/when else?</li>
<li>Are there non-human inhabitants of this planet (elves, dwarves, aliens)? If so, how numerous? How openly present? What areas do they occupy?</li>
<li>How do differences from Earth (multiple suns, moons, etc.) affect the climate in various areas?</li>
<li>How much conflict has been or might be caused by these imbalances in resources? How much active, peaceful trade?</li>
<li>Is magic legal here? All magic, or only some types? Do laws vary widely from country to country, or is the attitude generally similar?</li>
<li>What does this country import? Export? How important is trade to the economy? How is currency exchange handled, and by whom? What is the system of coinage, and who mints it?</li>
<li>What eating utensils are used, if any? Forks, eating knife, spoons, chopsticks?</li>
<li>What things, while edible, are never eaten (what’s not kosher)? Why? Are some common human foods poisonous to dwarves or elves (or vice versa)?</li>
<li>How do gestures and body language differ between countries? Between species? Are there things that don’t matter in one area that are mortal insults in another (eating with the left hand, etc.)?</li>
<li>What will people swear a binding oath by? What do people use as curse words?</li>
<li>What are the social taboos — what things are “not done,” like wearing a bathing suit to the office? What things are not talked about? What would happen if someone did? How do these taboos vary among the different races?Is population shifting from rural to urban, south to north, mountains to coast, etc.? Why — invasion, plague, gold rush, job opportunities, etc.? What effects has this had on the places being left? The places gaining people?</li>
<li>What do people at various levels of society do for fun?</li>
<li>How many people usually live in a typical house? How large is a typical house?</li>
<li>Are cities generally laid out on a square-grid system of streets, or do they just grow? How wide are the streets and alleys?</li>
<li>How are farming/food-producing areas divided up between humans/nonhumans? What kinds of conflicts are likely to result? (Example: Expanding human farms encroaching on a forest that dragons or werewolves use for hunting.)</li>
<li>What is the level of literacy in the general population? Is literacy considered a useful/necessary skill for nobility, or something only scribes/clerks/wimps/bourgeoisie need? How common are books? How are they produced?</li>
<li>Which days are general holidays or festival times? What do they celebrate? Are there any that are only celebrated in particular countries, cities, or regions?</li>
</ul><br />
The list goes on and on! I highly encourage you to <a href="http://www.sfwa.org/2009/08/fantasy-worldbuilding-questions/">check out the full article for yourself</a>. If you can answer a significant number of these questions already, then you’re well on your way to master world building. If not, then this should give you something to think about.<br />
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Build safe and dream big! <br />
<div class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged" sizcache="164" sizset="0" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Earthlights_dmsp.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Composite image of the Earth at night." height="150" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Earthlights_dmsp.jpg/300px-Earthlights_dmsp.jpg" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" sizcache="164" sizset="1" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Earthlights_dmsp.jpg"></a></span></div><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Earthlights_dmsp.jpg/300px-Earthlights_dmsp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=b64bd94a-6a54-49f6-8535-5070510d49d7" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Richard Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08673036701755653670noreply@blogger.com1