Words of Redemption

Write What You See Teaser - July 2008

2008-07-24T13:03:30Z

Wow, I didn’t realize that it’s been a month since the last Write What You See challenge.

But here we are, nearly into August, and it’s time for another round of image-triggered storytelling.

Last month, I was pleased to get a few takers. The submitted stories were all unique, creative and funny.

This month, I hope you’ll consider joining in as well.

Click here for a lengthier description of this bit of fun.

The rules are simple: I post a picture each month, along with some prompt¹ to get you started.

All you have to do is write a short, short story, using that photo as inspiration.

Your story can be six words (seriously, it’s been done) or six hundred.

In the next week, post your story on your blog. Next Thursday, I’ll post mine, along with a form you can use to link back to your own story so that we can all read and enjoy one another’s stories.

If you don’t have a blog, you can leave your story in the comment section here, or in the post I’ll put up next week.

Okay, here we go.

This month, at least one character in this story should find themselves in this place. As far as where “this place” is, that’s up to you.

If you prefer not to invent the place in this picture, click here to find out its true location.

One week. Are you in?

or no prompt

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The Finite Skeptic

2008-07-22T21:02:04Z

I’ve been re-reading Orthodoxy, bit by bit, over the last few weeks and I came across a passage that continues to be just about the greatest thing I’ve ever read on paper¹. If I feel so strongly about it, why wouldn’t I share it here.

“But the new rebel is a Sceptic, and will not entirely trust anything. He has no loyalty; therefore he can never be really a revolutionist. And the fact that he doubts everything really gets in his way when he wants to denounce anything. For all denunciation implies a moral doctrine of some kind; and the modern revolutionist doubts not only the institution he denounces, but the doctrine by which he denounces it. Thus he writes one book complaining that imperial oppression insults the purity of women, and then he writes another book (about the sex problem) in which he insults it himself. He curses the Sultan because Christian girls lose their virginity, and then curses Mrs. Grundy because they keep it. As a politician, he will cry out that war is a waste of life, and then, as a philosopher, that all life is waste of time. A Russian pessimist will denounce a policeman for killing a peasant, and then prove by the highest philosophical principles that the peasant ought to have killed himself. A man denounces marriage as a lie, and then denounces aristocratic profligates for treating it as a lie. He calls a flag a bauble, and then blames the oppressors of Poland or Ireland because they take away that bauble. The man of this school goes first to a political meeting, where he complains that savages are treated as if they were beasts; then he takes his hat and umbrella and goes on to a scientific meeting, where he proves that they practically are beasts. In short, the modern revolutionist, being an infinite sceptic, is always engaged in undermining his own mines. In his book on politics he attacks men for trampling on morality; in his book on ethics he attacks morality for trampling on men. Therefore the modern man in revolt has become practically useless for all purposes of revolt. By rebelling against everything he has lost his right to rebel against anything.”

- GK Chesterton, Orthodoxy (Emphasis mine)

This is not just beautiful prose. Today it gives me pause, and encourages me to analyze my own rebellion.

I do consider myself more than a bit of a rebel within the circles I run².

But I’m also more mystic³ than skeptic, which means my insurgency must have a cause, lest it become insurgency for its own sake.

So I protest war because I believe in the value of all human life, including those who want nothing more than to end mine.

I protect the environment around me because I do not believe that subduing the earth is the same as rendering it uninhabitable.

And I fight poverty, not to justify my undeserved wealth, but because dignity is a birthright of all human beings.

I am not, as Chesterton describes, a rebel in search of any cause. Rather, I rebel because of what I uphold to be true.

or, in this case, on a digital screen fashioned to look as much like paper as possible without actually being paper.
of course, perhaps I’m being melodramatic
as some would define it, this means that my faith is wholly knowable, but that I can not know it within myself completely. Or more simply put, God has all the answers, while I do not.

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In Memoria Libri, Or Ding Dong The Novel Is Dead, Or What I Learned From Quitting

2008-07-17T13:28:35Z

“The world’s greatest lie: At a certain point in our lives we lose control of what’s happening to us and our lives become controlled by fate.” - Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

On November 1st, 2007, I began two journeys.

One to write a novel, another to become a writer.

Today, one of those journeys is being laid to rest unfinished.

To Become a Writer: The Calling

The latter is a journey I have desired to embark upon for many years. I believe it is a journey of calling and purpose. Not to be a best-selling or even a successful writer, but to simply write and be a writer. “Success” may happen eventually, I suppose, but it is not part of the call. The motive is obedience; the reward is writing itself.

So then why did I wait so long? If I knew over a decade ago that this was what I wanted to do, why wait until last November?

It’s certainly something I’ve wondered from time to time. I’ve found myself asking why I couldn’t have started sooner. I’d be a lot further along if I had, after all.

And while I could blame lack of motivation, perceived busyness and a misplaced desire for career advancement for the sake of advancement for delaying my start, none of that would be accurate. Those are not reasons, they are forces that veil the real reason we wait.

In my case–as in most, I imagine–I’ve decided that I waited because I was meant to, and I didn’t write sooner because sooner wasn’t now.

Perhaps that sounds obtuse to you, but it sounds right to me, mostly because it keeps me from spending any more time wondering why I didn’t start writing sooner. Which means I get to spend all of my time being overjoyed that I’m writing now.

Who needs sooner when now is now?

And so November came, and it was finally time to write.

To Write a Novel: The Vehicle

If the latter journey was calling and purpose, the former was my vehicle. My first mode of transportation in the writing life.

A first novel is a lot like a first car, when the presence of an engine, a roof and four doors are all that matter to an expectant 16-year old. Never mind that there’s a hole in the floorboard, the breaks squeal like a Celtic banshee and the car shakes violently when it passes 40. It’s a car, and that’s enough.

Like a kid driving their first car, I sat down at my desk every day for 30 days and wrote. Often for an hour or two, sometimes longer. I wrote with abandon, concerned only with getting to a certain word count or completing a certain scene. Caring only about finishing by November 30 and being able to say “I wrote a novel.”

I was just cruising around town.

And it was a blast. I’ve never felt so connected to my calling and purpose. I was creating. I was embracing the artist within, who’d been screaming to escape for years.

I was writing and being a writer.

This vehicle was taking me on a journey I’d longed to take for years.

It was as though I’d always dreamt of visiting the pyramids, and this car was taking me there.

But the problem is that my first car, or any car for that matter, can’t get me to Egypt from Colorado. It can get me around town, and even across the country, but I’ll never see Giza if I stay in a car.

But that car can get me to the airport, and from there, I can begin the next leg of my journey.

First novels, like first cars, often see their end in a short span.

Not all, of course. Some novelists are handed the keys to a brand-new Maserati when they begin their journey.

But not this writer. I got the keys to a 1964 Gremlin with a crack in the windshield and upholstery that smells like feet.

And so it’s time to lay my first novel to rest.

Not to be forgotten, just to remain unfinished.

That novel still got me to the airport. It still took me to the next leg of my journey.

I’m selling it for scrap today, but I won’t ever forget that it got me here.

And I won’t forget the most important thing I’ve learned in the last eight months:

In Writing, Everything Serves a Purpose

Even the things that we must abandon. Maybe that’s obvious to you, but it wasn’t to me.

My novel was never meant to live beyond a completed first draft. It was never meant to be published.

It was meant to be attempted.

It was meant to start my journey into my calling, not become that journey.

I’ll say it again:

In Writing, Everything Serves a Purpose

And if I can’t embrace the truth in that statement, I can’t move beyond the things that must remain unfinished and locked away.

Which means I’ll never move to the things that should be finished and unleashed.

It means I’ll settle for pictures of the pyramids instead of getting on a plane to see them.

On November 30th, I completed the first draft of that novel. I did an initial round of edits in December and January, then put my novel on the shelf for a few months to obtain some distance and to pursue other writing efforts.

It was then that I began writing short stories and working on this blog.

My intention was to pick the novel back up in June or July.

But something more interesting happened instead.

In June, I had an idea for a short story that could serve both as a stand-alone story and as a much-needed additional scene in that novel.

That story, The SIlent Funeral, had legs.

It will live on, even though the novel will not.

Perhaps that story will be published and the characters within will have life after all. Not a life as rich as a novel would provide, but a life nonetheless.

Perhaps that story will never be published, yet some things in both novel and story will live on.

A character will be reborn in another guise.

A scene will be reset with different stakes and new faces.

A conversation will transport itself from one universe to the next.

And this blog, every short story and every novel I ever write from now until my time on this earth is done, will be in debt to that novel. The first leg of my journey.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a plane to catch.

Your Turn

What does your current journey look like?

What have you been waiting to start that can start today?

What about a journey that needs to come to an end?

What are you in the midst of that is getting you jazzed each day?

Tell me here. No passes. Everyone in the pool.

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What’s On My Kindle - July 2008

2008-07-08T13:43:43Z

Yesterday, I mentioned that my regular pre-Kindle reading list posts were going to evolve into a monthly dump of what I’m reading on and off the Kindle.

Here’s the update for July. A wide variety of books…

One thing I’ve realized this year as I’ve been tracking my reading closely is that there is almost no rhyme or reason to my reading. I suppose some smarter than I like to read thematically, or with a set list that doesn’t change.

I read like a near 30-year old with mild ADD and a impulsive streak, which I am.

I suppose if you want to glean anything from my reading list, you could say that my reading habits are ordered chaos.

Except for the Chandler and Leonard books below. Those are related to my next novel, which I’ll start in November. That’s all I’m saying.

And the Prose, Card and Maas books. Writing books.

But other than that, pure chaos.

What’s On My Kindle

I’ll use this section to list recently finished and started Kindle books, along with those I hope to start over the month.

Recently Finished

“The Man Who Was Thursday” (G. K. Chesterton) - Clever, funny and somehow surprising even though it was predictable. Chesterton is the man.

In Progress

“Orthodoxy” (G. K. Chesterton) - Best read a bit at a time, this one is putting the highlight function of the Kindle through it’s paces.

“American Gods: A Novel” (Neil Gaiman) - Neverwhere, which I really enjoyed, was the first thing I’d read by Neil Gaiman. Seems that most consider American Gods to be his best work, so I thought I’d give it a try. So far, I can see why.

Up Next

“Reading Like a Writer” (Francine Prose)

“The Big Sleep” (Raymond Chandler)

“Get Shorty” (Elmore Leonard)

What’s Not

This is everything else. Books in print and in audio that I’ve also recently finished, started or hope to start.

Recently Finished

“Peace Like a River” (Leif Enger) - One of the best books I’ve read in a long, long time. This is how you incorporate faith into fiction and preserve reality.

“Notes From Underground” (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) - After wanting to read this book for years, I finally finished this one yesterday. Tragic, sobering and brilliant.

“Deadly Viper Character Assassins” (Mike Foster & Jud Wilhite) - A book about pursuing integrity and grace, two things I always need more of.

Still Reading After All These Years

“The Stories of John Cheever” - I know I’ll be reading this book forever, but I don’t care. It’s worth the slow, meandering read.

In Progress

“Elements of Writing Fiction - Characters & Viewpoint (Elements of Fiction Writing)” (Orson Scott Card) - I must admit that I’m having trouble getting into this one, and I can only seem to manage a few pages at a time before feeling the urge to put the book down and pick something else up. Like the next book…

“Writing the Breakout Novel” (Donald Maass)

“Why Guys Need God” (Michael Erre)

“The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures” (Dan Roam)

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Amazon Owns Me (Or “I knew He’d Break Down Before the End”)

2008-07-07T14:12:54Z

So, after three months of patient waiting and reading through a pile of books I vowed to complete, I finally ordered myself a Kindle.

The bad news is that I didn’t exactly read all 16 books on my pre-Kindle reading list. I finished 12 and had 4 remaining when I decided to stop waiting and pull the trigger.

I cracked. I am weak. I’ve accepted this.

The good news is that I will still read those books. Seriously. I’m realizing that the Kindle can’t possibly be a complete replacement for all of my reading, mainly because not everything I want to read is available on the Kindle. Quite a few great books are, but many aren’t¹.

Besides, I expect that Sarah will want to read some books on the Kindle as well. So I’d better have some print books in reserve…

So fear not, I will finish that 800-page behemoth, “The Stories of John Cheever.” I’m on page 500 after all, it’s too late to stop now.

Plus, in the words of an old college friend, John Cheever “rocks my face off.”

Kindle - Early Impressions

It’s a fantastic device and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve only had it for about two weeks, but I really have no complaints². Here are some of the things I love about it:

The display - They’ve finally nailed this technology. It really is just like reading print as far as I’m concerned. I’ve tried to read on my share of Tablet PCs and backlit displays, so trust me when I say that this is NOT like reading on a computer screen. It’s like reading a paperback, plain and simple. The way it should be. Think reading a book on an iPhone will be as pleasant? Doubtful.
The built-in dictionary - Using the scroll-wheel on the device while reading a book allows you to look up a word or words on a given line using the built-in dictionary. In the three books I’ve read on the device so far, this feature has been invaluable. I’m padding my vocabulary with all kinds of polysyllabic words–like patois–which I plan to use to win friends and influence people. Look out world…
Integrated search - Beyond the built-in dictionary, the Kindle also provides a built-in search feature that searches for a term of phrase across all the books on your device, the web and Wikipedia. This last part is my favorite and it’s added a depth and richness to my reading that I really, really love. Fellow Kindle enthusiast, Coloradan, and Twitter friend Len Edgerly wrote about this feature as well in his Kindle review. You were right, Len. That’s a killer feature.
Highlighting and Note-taking - I like to highlight interesting passages in books. And I love to capture brilliant quotes and the thoughts of others much more intelligent than myself. The Kindle interface for note-taking and highlighting is good, not great. But what is great is that all of your notes and highlights are grouped in a single file that can be pulled from the device as a simple text file. That’s something I’ve needed for a while. Methinks I must use my programming chops to create a program to parse these files for import into other programs. Next step, Amazon? XML. I mean, c’mon, It’s all ball bearings³ these days.

All in all, I am very pleased with this purchase. It’s been a joy to read books on this device. highly recommended.

Is There Anything You Don’t Like?

Yes, as a matter of fact, there are a few things:

The device is too expensive - Even at the current price, the Kindle is about $100-150 too much for all but the insane gadget-mongering early-adopter techno-geeks like myself and my friend Phil, who always gets all the cool stuff before I do. Don’t expect the Kindle to be a real killer app until they drop the price. Of course, if they drop the price while raising the total cost of ownership like Apple is doing with the 3G iPhone, they’ll have missed the point. Don’t do it Amazon. Don’t be that guy. Make the device cheaper, but keep Whispernet free.
Search is manual - This is a nit-pick, but it bothers me. When using the search feature, you have to manually type in what you are searching for. Not a big deal most of the time, but I’d like to be able to select the search term similar to looking up a word in the dictionary. When I’m doing wikipedia searches on the crazy names and places Neil Gaiman uses in American Gods, it would be nice to just be able to select the word rather than typing it in slowly to make sure I get it right.
The books are too expensive - Boy, I’m picky, huh? Seriously though. Amazon and Apple both are missing the boat in how they are pricing digital content these days. Apple was spot on with 99-cent songs. But 2-buck shows, 4-dollar movie rentals that expire in 24-hours once-started, and 10-dollar books are starting to smack of a digital-content marketplace that has allowed too much influence from commercial interests. Bottom line, I like that the books are cheaper than their in-print companions. There just aren’t quite cheap enough. That being said, there are plenty of great classics available in the 1-2 dollar range. So we got that going for us, which is nice.

So What’s Next?

I have this crazy idea that people actually want to know what I am reading. I call it crazy because it is probably more indulgent than true.

Of course, maybe I’m wrong and you want to know what I’m reading.

In any case, the pre-Kindle reading posts are going to morph into a “What’s on My Kindle” series. And rather than posting weekly, or every-other week, I’ll probably just do this one monthly.

Should be a similar format, but I’ll probably step out of form and comment on a few of the books I’m reading.

And despite the title, I expect that the post will cover all things I am reading, Kindle and non-Kindle forms alike.

In the meantime, why not treat yourself to a Kindle? You’ll be glad you did.

especially books on writing. Many of those are still print-only
aside from the ones below, of course
and XML

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The Many Uses of a Sunday Paper - Write What You See June

2008-07-09T20:37:00Z

It’s time for the results!

On monday, I posted the photo for the first Write What You See challenge, with instructions to write a piece of flash- or micro-fiction¹, post the story on your blogs and return here on Friday to throw them into the mix.

Here’s the photo again:

I know that you’ve all written wonderful stories and are now queuing up to let us know about them. That part is simple, enter your name and the URL to the post for your story in the form below.

I’ve already gotten a couple of entries in the comment section of Monday’s post and will enter them into Mister Linky so that you can be sure to read them. Thanks LL and Lauren for turning in your work early.

And if you can’t get something up today, feel free to post it this weekend or next week. We take ‘em all here.

Once again, if you have a story, but are not a blogger, you are welcome to post the story below or email me (bsatrom AT Gmail DOT COM) and I’ll post it for you.

Did you think I’d start up this challenge and not throw in myself? My humble entry–to go along with the picture above–is below. If you do nothing else today, kindly leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

The Many Uses of a Sunday Paper

“That’s him?”

“That’s him.”

I must have moaned or retched because Richard looked over at me.

“Don’t judge a book by it’s cover, love.”

“Or lack of cover.”

“Indeed.”

Richard lifted the camera from our cafe table and began to take pictures of the scene across the courtyard.

“Is that really necessary?”

“Just doing my job, Annie-girl.”

“I’d say your job is about done, Dick.” He cringed. Englishmen named Richard hate to be called Dick. “Do you really need photos?”

“Don’t you want to know his name, Miss Layton?” He continued to take photos without discretion. The men across the yard remained ignorant subjects of his documentary.

“I’ve come this far, haven’t I?”

“His name is Rhinaldo Vance. And he’s a cretin.”

“Save me the commentary, Richard. I’m not paying you for moral judgements.”

“Suit yourself, but I think you’ll find I’m right. In any case, he is the ringleader of this little crowd of bikini-clad Italian exhibitionists.”

There were six of them—all in bathing suits—and Rhinaldo was standing at the front. A few of the men were sitting on a semi-circle concrete bench that bordered the small beach. A few others were chatting animatedly and preparing for a swim. Rhinaldo—the man whom Richard had tracked down for me—was standing alone, reading the paper. The way he’d positioned the paper made it impossible for me to tell if he was even wearing a swimsuit. For my own sake, I hoped he was.

“What’s he into?”

Richard lowered his camera and looked at me over his sunglasses.

“In to? My dear, not all Italian men are La Cosa nostra, as you Americans are so fond of thinking. He’s just a normal middle-aged Italian male. He runs a local bar, has a wife, attends Mass every Sunday…”

“Wearing more than a newspaper, I hope.”

“I should think so.” The English can be so humorless sometimes. “He also likes to spend his Sunday afternoons at the beach with friends.”

“That I can see. That’s all you know? Nothing criminal, then?”

“Nothing at all.”

I sighed. Criminal activity was my out. I’d practically prayed for it, but no such luck. Instead, here stood a normal man with a penchant for near-nudity. But I’d have to do what I came for anyway.

“Nice work Richard.” I handed him a thick envelope. “The other half.”

Richard took the envelope without delay and scanned its contents.

“Pleasure doing business with you, Miss Layton.” He finished his espresso and left without another word.

I looked at Rhinaldo Vance—the reason I’d come thousands of miles—and took a deep breath. I wanted nothing more to turn back and go home. Mother had told me I’d regret this, and I was beginning to agree.

I stood up and walked across the courtyard.

Rhinaldo saw me coming, folded up his paper and tucked it under one arm.

I smiled and extended my right hand. We shook, and that’s when I knew.

Even though he’d never had a chance to do so when I was young, this man—my father—would waste no time embarrassing his daughter now we’d met.

basically a short, short story

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The Silent Funeral - A Preview

2008-06-24T12:52:02Z

If we’re Twitter friends, you may have noticed–from early morning tweets–that I’m working on edits for a short story.

It’s not Until Durango, that one’s done… again.

This one is tentatively called “The Silent Funeral,” and it’s actually part of the novel I started working on last November.

So yes, I am finally working on my novel again.

About a month ago, I got an idea for a key scene that was completely missing from the first draft of the novel¹ and I decided to try to write this scene as a standalone short story.

I do plan on submitting this story for publication as a standalone, but my primary reason for writing it was to recharge and re-engage with a world I’ve been away from for a few months.

Why am I telling you his? Because I wanted to share a preview of the story, but with a twist. last night I stumbled across a great little site called Wordle. Here’s a summary from the site:

Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text.

I just had to try this, so I copied the entire 4000 word text from the second draft of “The Silent Funeral” and let Wordle work it’s magic.

The result is below. If you want to see a bigger version, click on the image to view the original in Wordle.

Pretty sweet, huh?
So, what words on here stand out to you? How would you guess they fit into the story?

There are several missing scenes, actually. And a few that need to go

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Write What You See - June 2008

2008-06-23T12:15:23Z

Last week, I introduced what I hope will be a regular spot of fun here at Words of Redemption: Write What You See - The Monthly Micro-Fiction Challenge.

Click on the link above to catch the details and the general idea if you missed it.

Or, I can give you a brief summary here:

Each month, for WWYS, I’m going to post an image and (maybe) some background information to get you started.

Your job, then, is to take the picture and write a short, short story about it.

And I do mean short. Like 100 words will work. You can write more, but don’t feel like you have to. That’s easy, right?

Here’s the picture for the inaugural WWYS:

Click on the picture for a larger version… if you dare.

Some details: This picture was taken by my lovely wife in Vernazza, a small Italian coastal village, in September of 2007.

Your assignment: Write a story about this picture. The sky’s the limit. You can make the paper-wearing gentlemen your main character, or you can use the photo merely as a jumping-off point. It’s your story. There are no rules.

You have until Friday. Write your story and post it and a link here to your blog on Friday morning. Once you’ve done that, return here and enter your name in the form I’ll have up for results.

If you don’t have a blog, you can email me your story and I’ll post it. Or you can post it in the comment section on Friday.

Happy Writing!

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Write What You See - The Monthly Micro-Fiction Challenge

2008-06-19T14:27:57Z

Next week, I am rolling out a monthly writing challenge. My hope is that it will be a way for writers and non-writers alike to flex their creative muscles once a month in a separate stream from their work–be it your day job or that novel, story or article in-progress that is starting to feel a little too much like work.

If you’re a fan of PENSIEVE’s Poetic license, you’ll understand what I’m going for here: A challenge to stretch yourself creatively. Even if you don’t consider yourself a writer, I encourage you to participate. Often, a creative exercise completely out of my comfort zone and normal modes of thinking is just the “Whack on the Side of the Head” I need.

Trust me, I don’t consider myself a poet by any stretch, but PPL has become something I look forward to each month.

So I’m stealing Robin’s great idea and throwing a new challenge out there for all of us.

I give you:

Write what you see - The Monthly Micro-Fiction Challenge

Aimed at ~~shamelessly driving more traffic to my blog~~ providing another fun, creative outlet for writers and non-writers alike, WWYS is a chance for you to create a story from a picture.

How does it work, Professor?

I’m glad you asked, Billy. Each month, on a Monday morning, I’ll post a picture and some framing details to my blog, Words of Redemption. The details will be things like setting, point of view to use or perhaps an important item to include in the story. I may provide a lot of detail, or I may allow the picture to speak for itself.

Once I’ve posted the picture and the details, I’ll give you until Friday that same week to compose a short story (see the next section) using the picture and any details I’ve provided. You’ll post the story on your blog, link back here, and then add your entry to the Mr. Linky form I’ll be placing on the Friday morning post for that month.

Once you’ve posted your story, you can view and comment on the entries of others and see the vastly different spin we’ve all put on the same picture.

Oh, and if you don’t have a blog, you can send me your entries and I’ll post them here on your behalf.

What–in the name of Cap’n Crunch–is Micro-Fiction?

Micro-Fiction is an ultra-short story. Simple as that. You could call it Flash Fiction if you wanted to. But the key–as far as I’m concerned–is to create a full story (with a beginning, middle and end) in less than 1000 words. The sweet spot is around 400 words, depending on who you ask. Since this is my football, I’ll say you can write anything from 100 words to 1000 words and have it count. We’re not about rules here, anyway.

If you want more info on Micro-Fiction, click here for a good breakdown. Don’t get too hung up on the technicalities, though.