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.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Credibility, Word Choice, Pronounciation, and Spelling
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
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.
