We are born. We live. We die.
Okay, now that I’ve reduced our existence to the most basic definition; it sort of makes our lives seem inconsequential. I’ve often thought of ants in mounds, thousands of them, bringing food to the queen so she can lay eggs and make more ants and that is the only purpose of a worker ant over its entire lifecycle, to perpetuate the colony. As humans, we track our time on earth better than insects but, in the end, our only true function is to “make more ants”.
By saying this . . . awful thing, do I have you’re sensibilities abraded? Are you ready to poke a stick in my eye and start an argument over it? If so, good! Because, that just means you’re thinking about it in a provocative way.
Now that I have your attention let’s discuss legacy building; when you’ve drawn your last breath, how do you want the world to remember you? Or, do you even care?
Although only an opinion, I believe, and deeply so, that every human that lives, have lived, or ever will live will at some point in life think about this—some less, some obsessed. To parents, a baby is their legacy; to a wood smith, a piece of furniture is a legacy; to a writer, a book is a legacy and on and on and on; simply stated, something tangible that extends beyond a single lifetime. I would argue that, regardless how conscious of it you are, this has a permanent comfortable place in your head, albeit the subconscious for some. And, that makes me wonder if it’s genetically embedded. What do you think? I think . . . maybe.
To some, how they are remembered is not as important as the fact they are; Charles Manson as example. I believe he very much wants to be remembered for what he did, as reprehensible as it was. The same logic would hold true for many criminals, warlords and the like. But, for the greater number, it makes sense to me that people just want to believe and take comfort in knowing they’ve left this world a slightly better place and that someone will care enough to say so after they’re gone.
What about politicians? Think about this; most people in public office are from wealth, often multiple generations of it. They have already experienced the material side of life and are looking for something more, something that money cannot buy, although public offices can be bought and are on a regular basis in this country. People with the most money win elections. Period! But, that’s an argument for a different day. I’m referring to power, admiration of the masses, the ability to manipulate people and situations—thus, leave their name(s) attached to something for future generations to remember them by. All we can hope for is that, while trying desperately to build a legacy, they actually do leave the world better than they found it. Nonetheless, I say it’s a huge reason they run for office in the first place; to become known for something and then remembered for it. Is this a bad thing, a bad reason? I don’t think necessarily so. There are many motivations; this is just one, but a big one . . . or, so I believe.
This blog began as the result of something I saw recently on a sit-com. Not a place you’d expect to find thought provoking material, right? Well, sometimes we just have to turn over a few rocks, no matter how unassuming those rocks may be, before we discover something profound. Here’s the scenario: A home is broken in to and a pre-teen boy is accused and arrested. The real criminal plants a stolen item on a dead homeless man found by a dumpster in the alley and that man is accused, thereby clearing the boy. As a small group of residents stand around the body and discuss it, they come to the conclusion that he will be just another John Doe, living an unremarkable life and dying the same way. But, the real thief with some remorse says, “At least he’ll be remembered for something.” And that’s all it took for my head to start whirling out these thoughts.
So, as you go about your business today, give a little thought to how you believe the world will remember you. Afterwards, ask yourself: Is this how I want to be remembered? You have the power to make it anything you like but you really need to get started on it.
Now, if I can only follow my own advice. . .
Author of
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007/print & ebook
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009/print & ebook
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press 2010/ ebook only
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX/print only
“Dancing Away”/short story/Untreed Reads/ebook only
COMING SOON
“Phobia”/Booktrope/2011/print & ebook
“Defining Family”/Whiskey Creek Press/2012/print & ebook
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”
“The Last Radiant Heart” (re-release)
“Hackberry Corners, Texas 1934”
“Helping Hand For Ethan”
“The Lost Decades”
Novelist
Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright, Author
Showing posts with label novel writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label novel writing. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth
You know, it’s not supposed to be the geek that shall inherit the earth.
Something I think about often, and worry about a little, too, is that our entire functioning world hinges on those things that can be plugged in to a power source. As tech toys flood world markets at an alarming rate, we as humans, and supposedly sentient beings, are actually losing our humanity at the same speed. We are but a collection of numbers and symbols in a database somewhere and, therefore, living and existing at the pleasure of people who know how to manipulate those numbers and symbols.
I think, though, I want to take this discussion in a slightly different direction. Let me set a hypothetical scenario for you. Let’s say it’s the year 2012 and Osama bin Laden’s replacement is much savvier about technology than his predecessor—not how to use it, but what ceases to happen without it. Politicians and power moguls can argue all they like that we have too many redundancies in our grid system to worry much about terrorism on electricity production. I’ll only buy into that premise to a point. For the most part, I choose to believe that such talk is self-serving to maintain central control even as many different companies distribute power. The reason is simple, distributors distribute, they don’t produce.
How many remember the northeastern power outage of 1965; how about the one in 2003? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_Blackout_of_2003 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_Blackout_of_1965
It’s not worth boring you with technical jargon or excuses for the outages. I’m not intelligent enough for that anyhow. But, what is fascinating to note, is how little it took to take down a huge chunk of the northeastern United States in an instant. And both times it stayed down for a frighteningly long period. Now, multiply that by two or three other central power producing locations.
I think you know where I’m going with this; the U-S, with the possible exception of the military, would be blind, deaf and dumb. How long do you think it would take for panic and mayhem to set in, sides chosen and warring tribes to emerge battling over scraps of food?
I challenge each one reading this to look around and count the number of young people you personally know that have no clue how a loaf of bread is made or what from, where ham comes from or how to make it, how to make cheese or butter, have never gathered eggs from a coop, have no idea how to spin yarn, sew, weave, build a chair from tree branches, or even something as simple as walking into an open pasture and knowing what is edible and what is poison. This list could go on and on. Unfortunately, these are the people that now rule the world and are currently breeding offspring that think their futures hinge on new products from Apple and Microsoft or how well the stock of one investment company does versus another, or what political party will best serve them.
I think I’ll get to work writing a novel of catastrophe and call it, “The Geek That Inherited The Earth” or maybe, “The United States Unplugged”. Of course neither have much hope of a happy ending if I insist on too many truisms. I would have to go whole hog and create a fantasy world because, really, who’d believe society could collapse just because someone pulled the power plug. Absurd. Right?
Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press 2010/ ebook available
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX
“Dancing Away”/short story/Untreed Reads
COMING IN 2012
“Defining Family”
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”
Something I think about often, and worry about a little, too, is that our entire functioning world hinges on those things that can be plugged in to a power source. As tech toys flood world markets at an alarming rate, we as humans, and supposedly sentient beings, are actually losing our humanity at the same speed. We are but a collection of numbers and symbols in a database somewhere and, therefore, living and existing at the pleasure of people who know how to manipulate those numbers and symbols.
I think, though, I want to take this discussion in a slightly different direction. Let me set a hypothetical scenario for you. Let’s say it’s the year 2012 and Osama bin Laden’s replacement is much savvier about technology than his predecessor—not how to use it, but what ceases to happen without it. Politicians and power moguls can argue all they like that we have too many redundancies in our grid system to worry much about terrorism on electricity production. I’ll only buy into that premise to a point. For the most part, I choose to believe that such talk is self-serving to maintain central control even as many different companies distribute power. The reason is simple, distributors distribute, they don’t produce.
How many remember the northeastern power outage of 1965; how about the one in 2003? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_Blackout_of_2003 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_Blackout_of_1965
It’s not worth boring you with technical jargon or excuses for the outages. I’m not intelligent enough for that anyhow. But, what is fascinating to note, is how little it took to take down a huge chunk of the northeastern United States in an instant. And both times it stayed down for a frighteningly long period. Now, multiply that by two or three other central power producing locations.
I think you know where I’m going with this; the U-S, with the possible exception of the military, would be blind, deaf and dumb. How long do you think it would take for panic and mayhem to set in, sides chosen and warring tribes to emerge battling over scraps of food?
I challenge each one reading this to look around and count the number of young people you personally know that have no clue how a loaf of bread is made or what from, where ham comes from or how to make it, how to make cheese or butter, have never gathered eggs from a coop, have no idea how to spin yarn, sew, weave, build a chair from tree branches, or even something as simple as walking into an open pasture and knowing what is edible and what is poison. This list could go on and on. Unfortunately, these are the people that now rule the world and are currently breeding offspring that think their futures hinge on new products from Apple and Microsoft or how well the stock of one investment company does versus another, or what political party will best serve them.
I think I’ll get to work writing a novel of catastrophe and call it, “The Geek That Inherited The Earth” or maybe, “The United States Unplugged”. Of course neither have much hope of a happy ending if I insist on too many truisms. I would have to go whole hog and create a fantasy world because, really, who’d believe society could collapse just because someone pulled the power plug. Absurd. Right?
Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press 2010/ ebook available
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX
“Dancing Away”/short story/Untreed Reads
COMING IN 2012
“Defining Family”
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”
Friday, April 22, 2011
Wandering Mojo
It seems as though I must reinforce my mojo with increasing frequency. The mojo I speak of is my work as a novelist.
Prior to beginning this blog post, I found myself looking at a blinking cursor on my computer monitor while glancing to chapter notes of the current manuscript I’m working on. Yet, fingers lay idle upon the keyboard. At one point during these few minutes the irony of what I was in the midst of occurred to me: I had no intention of typing a single word, just blankly attempting to fulfill some vague commitment to the cosmos to write some everyday which isn’t happening. For most of a month, I’ve engaged in this inane ritual repeatedly. Why?
It’s tantamount to a sprinter donning running clothes, putting on spikes, hammering in the starting blocks, getting into them and setting up for the big race, posing in a start posture, waiting for the crack of the gun, but it never goes off. Like this hapless track star, I don’t seem to have control of the starter pistol, yet desperately need to be in the running.
At some point near the end of March, I joyfully finished a draft on chapter seven. Since then, chapter eight only has that title centered across the top of the page, nothing else, nary a single word. Every morning, I open MS Word, find that page and stare at it for a time, eventually moving on to something else.
I know what you must be thinking: “Writer’s block, huh?”
In my humble opinion, it can be safely said this is not the case, not in the strictest definition anyhow. Writer’s block, to me, indicates a writer’s sudden inability to determine the direction a story should take. This is definitely not my problem. I know exactly where I want the story to go over the next twenty chapters (plus or minus). I even have chapter eight mentally mapped. I just can’t convince myself (or, should I say, I can’t kick myself in the butt hard enough) to make it happen.
If anyone should see my wandering mojo, please send him home. He’s lost, cold, under-nourished and can’t seem to find his own way back—poor little guy.
Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press 2010/ ebook available
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX
COMING IN 2011
“Dancing Away”/short story/Untreed Reads
"Prank" and "Tornado: Wichita Falls 1979"/Canis Latran Anthology
COMING IN 2012
“Defining Family”
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”
Prior to beginning this blog post, I found myself looking at a blinking cursor on my computer monitor while glancing to chapter notes of the current manuscript I’m working on. Yet, fingers lay idle upon the keyboard. At one point during these few minutes the irony of what I was in the midst of occurred to me: I had no intention of typing a single word, just blankly attempting to fulfill some vague commitment to the cosmos to write some everyday which isn’t happening. For most of a month, I’ve engaged in this inane ritual repeatedly. Why?
It’s tantamount to a sprinter donning running clothes, putting on spikes, hammering in the starting blocks, getting into them and setting up for the big race, posing in a start posture, waiting for the crack of the gun, but it never goes off. Like this hapless track star, I don’t seem to have control of the starter pistol, yet desperately need to be in the running.
At some point near the end of March, I joyfully finished a draft on chapter seven. Since then, chapter eight only has that title centered across the top of the page, nothing else, nary a single word. Every morning, I open MS Word, find that page and stare at it for a time, eventually moving on to something else.
I know what you must be thinking: “Writer’s block, huh?”
In my humble opinion, it can be safely said this is not the case, not in the strictest definition anyhow. Writer’s block, to me, indicates a writer’s sudden inability to determine the direction a story should take. This is definitely not my problem. I know exactly where I want the story to go over the next twenty chapters (plus or minus). I even have chapter eight mentally mapped. I just can’t convince myself (or, should I say, I can’t kick myself in the butt hard enough) to make it happen.
If anyone should see my wandering mojo, please send him home. He’s lost, cold, under-nourished and can’t seem to find his own way back—poor little guy.
Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press 2010/ ebook available
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX
COMING IN 2011
“Dancing Away”/short story/Untreed Reads
"Prank" and "Tornado: Wichita Falls 1979"/Canis Latran Anthology
COMING IN 2012
“Defining Family”
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
The Last Radiant Heart Debut
Last weekend, I debuted my new novel, “The Last Radiant Heart”, at a book signing at Hastings in Lubbock, Texas and the next day thirty miles down the road in Brownfield.
Two reasons for these two locations: Part of the setting and plot in LRH are near these two towns and, secondly, I grew up there. Both were successful and I want to thank everyone for caring enough to stop by, visit and buy my book.
I hope everyone within the scope of this blog will pick up a copy today. I invite you to go to www.virtualtales.com where you’ll be able to read the first four chapters. I’m positive you’ll find it entertaining and invite your comments about it at wrightthing@hotmail.com .
Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/ ebook available now 2010
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX
Two reasons for these two locations: Part of the setting and plot in LRH are near these two towns and, secondly, I grew up there. Both were successful and I want to thank everyone for caring enough to stop by, visit and buy my book.
I hope everyone within the scope of this blog will pick up a copy today. I invite you to go to www.virtualtales.com where you’ll be able to read the first four chapters. I’m positive you’ll find it entertaining and invite your comments about it at wrightthing@hotmail.com .
Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/ ebook available now 2010
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX
Saturday, September 18, 2010
No Time For Negativity
I’ve given considerable thought to the sequel for a novel that, itself, remains unpublished as of this writing. That creates an interesting conundrum: How much effort and thought time do I invest in such an endeavor before the first one finds a publisher that will take it on?
This is where I could allow negativity to cloud my forward thinking on the matter. The questions are like buzzing mosquitoes around my ears. I keep swatting them away, but they keep coming back: What if the first one is never published? Will I have wasted weeks and months? Will a sequel be the equivalent of pouring good time after bad?
No matter how upbeat and positive one may be, I think it’s impossible to prevent such questions from assaulting the creative process, maybe even stopping it altogether.
I once heard a wonderful line by an Italian actor in a ‘70s vintage movie called “The Gumball Rally”. He was sitting in the passenger side of a sports car and offering instructions to the driver on how to win. As he spoke, the driver began adjusting the rearview mirror. The Italian fellow abruptly stopped talking and broke the rearview mirror from its bracket and tossed it out of the car. He then said, “You wanta to winna the race? Then you no worry what is behind you.”
I believe this to be perfectly applicable to writing novels. If the desire to write something is strong enough to consume ample thought time, then all the negative thoughts in the world shouldn’t matter. Just do it!
You want to win? Then don’t look back. Forge ahead. The quality of your work will be evident when you act on the fire within you to write it and not cave to pessimistic perceptions that may or may not be valid.
This is as much to reinforce my own resolve as it is advice.
Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/ ebook available now 2010
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX
This is where I could allow negativity to cloud my forward thinking on the matter. The questions are like buzzing mosquitoes around my ears. I keep swatting them away, but they keep coming back: What if the first one is never published? Will I have wasted weeks and months? Will a sequel be the equivalent of pouring good time after bad?
No matter how upbeat and positive one may be, I think it’s impossible to prevent such questions from assaulting the creative process, maybe even stopping it altogether.
I once heard a wonderful line by an Italian actor in a ‘70s vintage movie called “The Gumball Rally”. He was sitting in the passenger side of a sports car and offering instructions to the driver on how to win. As he spoke, the driver began adjusting the rearview mirror. The Italian fellow abruptly stopped talking and broke the rearview mirror from its bracket and tossed it out of the car. He then said, “You wanta to winna the race? Then you no worry what is behind you.”
I believe this to be perfectly applicable to writing novels. If the desire to write something is strong enough to consume ample thought time, then all the negative thoughts in the world shouldn’t matter. Just do it!
You want to win? Then don’t look back. Forge ahead. The quality of your work will be evident when you act on the fire within you to write it and not cave to pessimistic perceptions that may or may not be valid.
This is as much to reinforce my own resolve as it is advice.
Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/ ebook available now 2010
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX
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