Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Credibility, Word Choice, Pronounciation, and Spelling

Word choice, spelling, and pronounciation in writing are all about credibility. The words you use and how you pronouce them and spell the, is very important in communicating who you are. For example, our president, George II, pronounces the word "nuclear", as if it were "nucular." I typed a college term paper for a friend who spelled nuclear, nucular, 104 times in 15 pages. Sarah Palin also pronounces nuclear nucular. And she says she got her knowledge through books. Hmm. Mabye she just doesn't read the right books.

In writing, if you have somebody who's supposed to be a garage mechanic talking like a MIT mathematician, you lose credibility with the reader.

If what I say interests you, post a comment. And Christmas is coming. If you have a friend or loved one who loves mystery, order a copy. You can do it right here.

Writing for me is an entrepreneurial activity. For my entrepreneurship blog, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for entrepreneurial activity, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Dystopic, Anti-Utopia

From Wikipedia, the free, on-line encyclopedia,

Dystopia (from the Greek δυσ- and τόπος, alternatively, cacotopia, kakotopia, cackotopia, or anti-utopia) is the vision of a society that is the opposite of utopia. A dystopian society is a state in which the conditions of life are miserable, characterized by human misery, poverty, oppression, violence, disease, and/or pollution. Some academic circles distinguish between anti-utopia and dystopia. As in George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, a dystopia does not pretend to be utopian, while an anti-utopia appears to be utopian or was intended to be so, but a fatal flaw or other factor has destroyed or twisted the intended utopian world or concept.
The Kearney school is kind of anti-utopic because it was founded to train young classical musicians in the art of performance and pursuit of ideals, yet it's fallen short of its goal. I suppose every progressive enterprise has its dystopic elements.

If you're interested in these concepts, read the entire Wikipedia article and follow its references and its links.

I'm flirting writing an anti-utopic mystery for my next one. Because our general assumption is that society will continue to improve and that we are in fact capable of making our lives better through our own efforts, dystopias challenge us to think about our society differently.

If this interests you, post a comment.

Christmas is coming. If you know of a friend or loved one who enjoys mysteries or classical music, order him one right through this blog.

Writing to me is entrepreneurial. For my entrepreneurship blog, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for entrepreneurial real estate go to www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Getting the reader through the middle

Every story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Alice said that writing was easy. You just began a the beginning and then just pushed right through to the end. Alice was a pretty smart girl. The middles are the hard part. Stories often drag. To combat this natural tendencies for stories to slow down a third of the way through, the writer can employ a couple of tactics. First, he can introduce a new sub-plot, though it has to be one that deepens the main story line without distracting the reader. Or, the writer can shorten the sentences, paragraphs, and chapters to move the reader through. Still, it's a daunting process. My approach was to introduce new material about the students, which is a form of subplot.

If you find you have something to say, post a comment. Christmas is coming. If you have a loved one or friend who enjoys mysteries or classical music, order him a copy through this website.

Writing is for me an entrepreneurial activity. To read my entrepreneurship course, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for entrepreneurial real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.com.blog.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Problems with Point of View

Between p. 107 and 117 I put in there the results of a taping session. Henry is off interviewing faculty while Will is working on the checks. Why did Henry structure the investigation that way. Did he want to investigate Will a little? I don't know. Anyway, Henry upon return plays the tapes of his interviews, in which he has uncovered a lot of people with motive to kill Ian. This device gets crucial information I need in there that I can't except by having Will go with him. I suppose he could have rigged up a wire, but this is not Henry's style. So, the tapes allow me to get information in there that Will doesn't know and allows me to have the two discuss it.

Christmas is coming. Have a friend or relative order a copy right from here.

Writing for me is entrepreneurial. If you feel one way or another about the book, post a comment. For my entrepreneurship course go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for entrepreneurial real estate go to www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Characterizing of the police

Sherlock Holmes never thought much of the capabilities of the police. A couple them were okay. From Wikipedia, the free, on-line encyclopedia: "Holmes comes to recognize the different merits of individual detectives, such as Inspector Gregory's efficiency in investigation or Lestrade's tenacity and courage." But Holmes didn't bestow admiration lightly, and usually only after the detective had recognized Holmes' superiority. Anyway, on pp 105-106 Henry's apartment has been broken into. The police, as usual, get it wrong. But what what were the breaker inners looking for?

Christmas is coming. If you know anyone who would just love a good mystery, send them this book. And if what I say grabs you, post a comment.

Writing is for me an entrepreneurial activity. For my entrepreneurship course, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com. For my entrepreneurial real estate go to www.yourstopforrealestate.com.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Compression

Compression is a key to effective story-telling. Get rid of useless, redundant, words. Useless, redundant words slow the reader down and undermine narrative drive. You should compress your prose and keep only words that move story along. Hemingway said that one word out of place could ruin an entire novel. I don't know about that, but you get the point, I'm sure.

If you're interested in this or anything I've written post a comment. And Christmas is coming. If you know a friend who likes good mysteries or classical music, order it for them. They'll love you for it.

Writing is to me an entrepreneurial activity. For my entrepreneurship course, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for entrepreneurial real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Getting Reader Feedback

A persistent problem is finding the right people to read our stuff. If we pick people who like us already, there's a risk they won't give us honest feedback. Yet those who do not know us are not likely to want to read what we write. The best solution is to hire a professional. They are most likely to be disinterested and have experience to boot. But we have to pay them.

Christmas is coming up. If a friend or loved one likes a good mystery or classical music or both, send him or her this book as a gift.

Writing is for me an entrepreneurial activity. If you're interested in something I say, post a comment. For my entrepreneurship course, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for entrepreneurial real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.com.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Length and Pacing

Short sentences, paragraphs, and chapters move the reader along more quickly. Long sentences, paragraphs, and chapters slows the reader down. Scientists have found that the reader reads, his or her brain reenacts the scenes you write. Writing "John got up from the wicker chair in which he was sitting, ambled slowly over to the door, opened it carefully, went all the way down the hall to his bedroom, opened, so it wouldn't squeak, the top drawer of his five-drawer dresser, found a blue sweater from among the red, yellow, and white ones, and put it on," really slows the reader down. Writing "John put on a blue sweater from the bedroom" moves the reader right along. Sometimes you want to slow things down, other times not. Secret is, using chapters of various lengths helps your story. Whatever you do be conscious of the impact of length on pacing.

If something about this grabs you, post a comment. And Christmas is coming up. If you know a friend or loved one who likes to read mysteries, send them a copy for Christmas.

Writing is for me an entrepreneurial activity. For my entrepreneurship blog, go to www.hatman2.blotspot.com and for entrepreneurial real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Final Revisions

Revising is not writing. Only writing is writing. But revising is polishing. It's going to be what people read. It's just as important as writing, maybe more important, but certainly more nerve-wracking than writing because the bar is raised. No more saying to yourself, "I'll clean that up next time." This is it. The way you leave it is the way people will read it. You want to hold on as long as possible, not to see your baby go out to face the real world. You'll have people reading it saying, "This book really sucks." If that's not scary, I don't know what is.

If something I say resonates with you, post a comment. And Christmas is coming. If you have a friend or loved one who likes good mysterys, order them a book. You can do it right from here.

Writing is for me an entrepreneurial activity. For my entrepreneurship course, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for entrepreneurial real estate go to www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Contrast and Character

Contrasts are good in writing. They highlight both things being contrasted. On p. 105 Will discovers Henry's apartment has been broken into. The marketing represented for the apartment complex is there wringing her hands. The contrast of her demeanor with Will's characterizes Will a little bit. Remember, characterize, characterize, characterize.

If you find anything I say interesting, post a comment. I revel in responses. Remember Christmas is coming. If you have someone who loves mystery novels, order one for them. You can do it right from here.

Writing is for me an entrepreneurial activity. For my entrepreneurship course go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for entrepreneurial real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog

Friday, September 19, 2008

Will's Dueling Agendas

On p. 103, as Fenton continues to push, Henry becomes alarmed about the danger they may be in. He sends Will on an errand. Will takes the opportunity to check out Ian's house. I structured the story so the two story lines would drive each other along. I hope it worked.

Christmas is coming. If you have a friend or loved one who likes good mysteries, why not buy them a copie for Christmas.

Writing is to me an entrepreneurial activity. If something I say grabs you, post a comment. For my entrepreneurship course, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my entrepreneurial real estate go to www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Risk Management

Yesterday a couple of issues arose with Book Surge. They're no big deal in the long run if I get them settled now, but dealing with them takes away time from what the old world of writing part of my brain told me I should be doing: actually writing. But, the world has changed now. Now, we're our own publishers. So I have to reconceptualize writing into a wider portfolio of tasks. Now the writer is also a risk manager.

Remember, Christmas is coming. Order a book for a loved one or friend. They'll love you for it.

Writing is for me an entrepreneurial activity. For my entrepreneurship course, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for entrepreneurial real estate to www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Generalizing Without Data

On page 101, Fenton pushes Henry to tell him what he knows. Henry says he doesn't know anything yet. Fenton pushes him further. Then Henry utters a pure Holmesian line: it's inapproprate to generalize without data. Fenton knows what Henry's doing because both of them know about Holmes. Long live Sherlock.

Christmas is coming. If you think a friend or loved one would want to have a good mystery as a present, order it here.

Writing is for me an entrepreneurial activity. If something I write resonates with you, post a comment. If you want to read my entrepreneurship course, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com. For entrepreneurial real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Paragraphing

The length of paragraphs is an issue. Around p. 83 I see some really long paragraphs. I'm not sure I would do it that way again. Long paragraphs slow readers down. Long sentences, with lots of punctuations, often, but not always, slow readers down. You want to move readers along.

Christmas is coming. If you want a nice present for someone who reads mysteries or is interested in classical music, click on "buy this book" and purchase it. They'll love you for it.

Writing is for me an entrepreneurial activity. For my entrepreneurship course, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for entrepreneurial real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Tone

Keeping a consistent tone was one problem I wrestled with throughout the book. Consistency of tone is something that all fiction writers strive for.

Laurel Yourke defines tone as: "The expression of the author's attitute toward the subject, e.g. humorous, ironic, or satirical." See Take your Characters to Dinner (Lanham, MD: Univeristy Press of America, 2000, p. 203).
When you write long fiction, you're going to be at it for a while before you come up with a draft. And during that time you do other things, think other thoughts, etc. You're never exactly the same person from day by day, even moment to moment. And each day you're going to write just a little differently. This will come out in your writing unless you focus on minimizing it. Short stories are not so challenging in this regard because there's enough time to get your mind around the story at each sitting.

Christmas is coming. Your friends can click on amazon.com and order the book as a gift.

Writing for me is an entrepreneurial activity. If something I say resonates, post a comment. For my entrepreneurship course, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for entrepreneurial real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Characterize Through Other Characters' Eyes

As we write, we should be relentlessly characterizing. This will build and reinforce narrative drive. On pages 82-83, Henry interviews Ralph, the security guard on duty that night. Ralph gives some testimony about Henry's character and what was done to him at the school leading up to Henry's "retirement". This makes us sympathize with him and root for Henry even more. I hope it helped the reader keep reading. Of course it's what a character says and does that helps us trust him, but if others reinforce what we see, trust is even stronger.

Christmas is coming up. If you think Henry would be a good companion for you over the holidays, order a copy as a present.

Writing is an entrepreneurial activity. If anything I say grabs you, post a comment. For my entrepreneurship course, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for entrepreneurial real estate, www.yourstopforrealestate.com.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

On the Evils of Exposition

For a story to succeed, the writer must convey information to the reader. After all, the reader doesn't have any context at the start. It must be filled in through exposition, narrative, or dialogue. "Show, don't tell" is the rule, but sometimes you just gotta explain, particularly if there is some technical detail the reader has to know to understand the story. It's how you do it that counts. Too much narrative or exposition can undermine narrative drive. Relying too much on dialogue can make your characters seem inauthentic. On p. 81, Henry takes Will through part of the Kearney School. In the first few drafts, I had a huge long thing about all the structural intricacies of the place. It was fun for me, but it weighted down the story. So, I cut it back to just a few key lines. I thought it better to leave it for the reader to imagine in the details.

If something I say here strikes a cord, post a comment. And Christmas is coming. Know a friend or loved one who wants a good present? Order it from amazon.com

Writing is to me an entrepreneurial activity. For my entrepreneurship course, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for entrepreneurial real estate to www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Demographic shift in classical players

Most of the students Henry interviews pp. 60-80 are Asian girls. When Orlando Cole started at Curtis in the 1920s, most of them were Jewish boys. This mirrors a real shift in the classical music fields. Forty years ago, women didn't play in symphony orchestras either.

Christmas is coming up. Order a book for a friend or loved one. And writing for me is entrepreneurial. Read my entrepreneurship blog, www.hatman2.blogspot.com. For my entrepreneurial real estate course, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.com. If something strikes you, post a comment.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Different forms of writing

Since I started writing fiction, my major mode of expression changed. In college and after, I wrote historical analysis: papers, my dissertation, articles, etc. As a market research consultant I wrote expository stuff: methodology, literature reviews, drawing meaning from both qualitative and quantitative analysis of surveys and focus groups and making recommendations for action based on them. Then in the early 1990s, I began writing fiction. A new medium of expression. That experience was transformational. Teaching entrepreneurship and practicing real estate led me to blogging, and all aspects of my professional life are coming together. I see connections between all of my writing, my real estate, and my practicing entrepreneurship, and my music as well, so I'm blogging. It's all exciting and fun and helpful to people I hope. What I mean to say is that each genre, for lack of a better term, allows me to express myself. And any form you may choose will help you, if you do it rigorously, consciously, with an eye toward always improving the form. You might find, letter writing, done seriously, and with thought, can be an artform that you want to pursue.

If this moves you post a comment. Entrepreneurship informs all of my professional activities. For my entrepreneurship course, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for my entrepreneurial real estate blog go to www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Henry Harrier and Henri Poirot

Henry begins to interview students on p. 66. This part of the book draws most heavily on Agathe Christie. I definitely had Henri Poirot on interviewing the guests on the Orient Express. Is he just looking for information or his he looking for something else.

If you find what I write interesting, post a comments. For me, writing is entrepreneurial. For my entrepreneurship course, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for real estate go to www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Hypotheses in Detective Mysteries

I just wrote a segment on hypotheses for my entrepreneurship course, www.hatman2.blogspot.com. Then I remember Holmes's several comments on hypotheses. He said once, it's a capital offense to hypothesize before you have all the data. But he often came up with working hypotheses. He said, for example, that if you eliminate all probable explanations, the improbable has to be true. He was, after all, a scientist. What about those alleged monographs Doyle pulled out of his bag of tricks, such as the one on tobacco ashes? Laurel Yourke would call them cavalry solutions. Doyle, too, formed Holmes on a medical school professor who had an uncanny ability to diagnose cases correctly. I can't remember where, but Henry pulls out some Holmsean logic.

Writing for me is entrepreneurial. If you are interested in what I say, or take issue with it, post a comment. To read my entrepreneurship blog check it out at the address above. For real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.com.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

A Curious Literary Agent's Response to this Mystery

I still don't understand this one. Back when I was still trying to find a mainstream publisher to publish this book, one of the agents who had requested a copy of the whole manuscript returned it to me with the reason that it was "too Agathe." Too Agathe? What's that about? Agathe Christie's mysteries have sold more copies than just about any other mystery writer, movies made from her books, like Murder on the Oriental Express continue to be shown and remade. It struck me as a curious, yet painful reason for rejection. At least she did pick up the strong influence of that mystery in my writing.

Writing for me is entrepreneurial. Check out my entrepreneurship course,www.hatman2.blogspot.com and my real estate blog, www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog. Better yet, download a copy of my book from this blog and order a copy through Amazon.com. After all, Christmas is coming.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Value in publishing

There's a field called mental accounting. Wikipedia, the free, on-line encyclopedia describes it this way:

The way a person subjectively frames a transaction in their mind will determine the utility they receive or expect. Acquisition value is the money that one is ready to part with for physically acquiring some good. Transaction value is the value one attaches to having a good deal. If the price that one is paying is equal to the mental reference price for the good, the transaction value is zero. If the price is lower than the reference price, the transaction utility is positive.
What's this got to do with writing? Everything. When a reader considers buying a book, he or she looks how much hard money he or she is going to have to put down. But they also look at the value to them of getting something more than worth the money. You have to give them that if you them to buy your book. Sometimes we get so lost in story and character and exposition and narrative we forget why we are publishing.

If you find this interesting post a comment, download it, or buy a copy of it. Christmas is coming up. Wouldn't it be a good gift for someone who loves mysteries?

Writing for me is entrepreneurial. If you want to read my entrepreneurship course, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com. For real estate to www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Creative forgetting

Creative forgetting has a meaning other than what I present here. In that sense, it means the conscious non-remembering of unpleasant events, whether on an individual level such as abuse suffered as a child, or genocide as occurred in various parts of the world. Google it and read about that.

What I mean by creative forgetting is the deliberate driving from one's conscious memory what one has written. That is, forgetting what you wrote in Story A so one can go on to Story B. Meantime, your unconscious mind will be working on what you've written in Story A so you'll be better able to work on it when you come back to it. The only problem is that you have to re-remember what you wrote in Story A when you come back to it.

If you like what I'm writing, post a comment. Writing for me is entrepreneurial. For my entrepreneurship course go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for real estate 2.0 go to www.youronestopforrealestate.com./blog.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Still working on my synopsis of my play.

I'm still synopsizing (Somewhere Under the Rainbow,my play. Is "synopsizing" a word? If not, it should be. Anyway, I don't remember the synopsis for the Kearney book being so problematic. Plays seem so simple, but they're more compressed and more complicated than full-length novels. Making any long thing short is a problem. Attributed to the British playwright George Bernard Shaw is: "I'm sorry for writing you such a long letter. I didn't have time to write you a shorter one." Whether he actually said it or not is unimportant. You see the point.

If you like what you're reading, post a comment. And Christmas is coming up, so order a book for a loved one who loves reading good mysteries. (No one ever said I lack confidence.) Writing for me is entrepreneurial. Check out my entrepreneurship course: www.hatman2.blogspot.com and my real estate 2.0 blog, www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Leakage

Leakage is when aspects of a character's persona become apparent. That could be in dialogue, exposition, or narrative. To me, a character is like a box. It has boundaries. It grows when it challenges those limits and is able to overcome them. Little by little, elements of character "leak" out of him or her.

If something about this grabs you, post a comment. Writing is to me entreprenurial. My entrepreneurship course is at www.hatman2.blogspot.com and my real estate blog is at www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog. And if you want a copy of the book, download it here or go to amazon.com and buy it. After all, Christmas is coming up.

Monday, September 1, 2008

My play

I've been spending the last week writing a synopsis of my play, Somewhere Under the Rainbow. I finished the draft of the synopsis, but it's much too long. The problem is how to present the essential nature of the drama without excess words.

I began the play the day of 9/11. I like it the most of all the things I've done. I think because has a minimum of narrative and exposition. You just write down what people say. Plays are on the one hand simpler, but on the other far more complex. I'm in the process of trying to find a company to put it on. It's a tough thing to do. Then there's the production of it that intermediates between the printed page and the audience. With a novel, you go right from printed page to the audience.

Have you ever written a play or tried to or thought about it or know somebody who has either written one or thought about doing it, post a comment. Writing is entrepreneurial. For my entrepreneurship blog, go to www.hatman2.blogspot.com and for real estate 2.0, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog.

Synopsis:

Ian Kearney, the director of the Kearney Music School, an elite musical training school in Philadelphia, dies after a fall from a balcony during a recital. World-famous cellist, Henry Harrier, recently forced from the faculty, returns to investigate Ian's death when his prized former student is arrested. Henry shows through his brilliant and single-minded pursuit of the truth that, as usual, they have it all wrong. This Sherlock Holmes-type mystery leads the reader through the world of classical music and lays bare the conflicts which dominate the lives of talented adolescents when placed under the pressure of studying for a demanding, stressful, and often elusive career as a classical music performer. Henry Harrier is part John Le Carre's George Smiley, part Arthur Conan Doyle's Holmes, and part Orlando Cole the beloved teacher, renowned chamber musician, and until his own retirement, the premier cellist of the Curtis Institute.

Author Profile:

Tim was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on January 30, 1946. In 1951 he moved with his family to Schenectady, New York, where he lived through high school. He attended Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, Ohio, from 1964 to 1968. He graduated in 1968 with a B.A. in history and philosophy. He received his Ph. D. in history in U.S. history in 1980 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison after spending 2.5 years in the U. S. Army. Most of his army service was completed in Wuerzburg, Germany, from 1969-1971. In 1972 he returned to Madison to complete his doctoral study. His dissertation, Those Who Moved; Internal Migrants in American 1607-1840, combined the statistical analysis of genealogical and biographical data with the study of traditional literary diaries, letters, and journals.

Tim was a market and survey research consultant from 1983 to 2000 and a smoking cessation researcher from 2000 to 2003. His consulting practice focused primarily on conducting community health needs assessment. He authored hundreds of market research reports and published a number of his assessments in Community Health Needs Assessment published by McGraw Hill in 1996 and in a revised volume published in 1999. In 2000 he joined the staff of the Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention of the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he conducted smoking cessation research. He published several articles in peer-reviewed journals and spoke at national smoking cessation conferences.

In 2003 he moved to Philadelphia and earned his real estate license. He now practices real estate, works on publishing his novels, and studies and teaches entrepreneurship.Tim has written a dozen novel-length stories, a volume of short stories, and about a 3-foot stack of pages poetry. He is currently working on earning his 4th million in real estate sales, publishing his novels, and working on an entrepreneurish handbook as a support for his students.

Tim is a trained violist and an experienced string quartet player. He is an avid listener to classical music and regularly attends classical music concerts. He has two grown children by his first wife and a stepdaughter with his second wife. He likes to cook, read, write, entertain, develop relationships, and help other people. Formerly Tim used to travel frequently. He doesn't so much anymore. Now he regards the combination of real estate practice, writing and publishing, and the teaching and studying of entrepreneurship as enough of a trip.