Covers, Covers and More Covers

So there was one thing that came out of that last review that I felt compelled to address. Romantic wrote:

To the author, please consider getting a professional cover done. The current one really doesn't do justice to the level of writing in this book.

Although this is a wonderful compliment about my writing, it's not the best compliment about my skills in terms of cover design. When I first started this journey, I tried making my own covers. That came to a screeching end very quickly (see here, here and here). 

In my defense, as a huge fan of Dick Francis, I was trying to mimick his style. They do look rudimentary and cheap though, so I'm glad I decided against using them long term.

It took me a while, but I found an online but when I found the ones I thought were professional, sophisticated and worthwhile, I invested in them, bought them, worked with the designer and rolled them out (see here).

These were far better, but they still lacked something. They looked too blank I realize now. Truthfully, even though Vapor Trail looks homemade, it was actually the most expensive one I bought. I never liked it though. It never truly represented the story. Romantic was correct.

Thanks to this comment by "Romantic" I went back and found a better cover for Vapor Trail (it's not easy by the way) and updated both the other two. I uploaded tag lines, provided some more flare. Now I'm far happier with them. I can live with these. Let's hope "Romantic," thinks the update is worthwhile.

Why Writer's Write

So this is why people write! I should get reviews more often. A few months ago I wrote about a review that I got online for one of my novels (see here) and then before that another one (see here). Those two were nothing compared to the two I just got over the winter holidays. I've updated my author page with all of my novels now, and it's fun to see the reviews coming in (see here).

The first one I got was for On the Edge (see here) from Michael Best:

The aspect that really hit me was two things he wrote. The first was about the ability to add depth and richness to the story. 

The author skillfully creates a clash of characters, though adding to the depth and richness of the story, it requires the reader to remain exceptionally engaged without missing a beat. Given the nature of the story, that is not hard to do.

The second quote discusses the allegorical quality applied to the story. Was I trying to do that? Yep. What's funny is that Vapor Trail has a far more sophisticated touch of that than On the Edge. 

Dick Hannah’s book has an allegorical quality to it, in that, Joe Malone is symbolic of today’s war vet and emblematic of the struggles to adapt to civilian life. Leaving the cruelty of war, expecting to find peace and acceptance, becomes an illusion upon return to civilian life for the MC, as is the case in the real world.

The second review was for Vapor Trail (see here) and it's just as fun to read, this one from someone named "Romantic:"

I have to say, it feels good to say that character development was so good. Thanks so much!

Mechanically well done, dialogue exceptional, plot believable and tense (in just the right places)...but for me, it was the character development that really shot this one through the roof.

It feels so good to be recognized for your craft. This must be why writers strive to keep producing. I can tell you this much, reviews like these make me want to write more!

Adult Learning Credo

I ran across an Adult Learning Credo in my class the other day. I loved it, wanted to remember it, and so have created this post:

When I only hear, I forget.

When I hear and see, I remember a little.

When I hear and see, and ask questions and discuss with someone else, I begin to understand. 

When I hear, see, question, discuss, and do, I acquire knowledge and skill. 

When I teach someone, I master what I have learned. 

 

 The other day I wrote about Houle's The Inquiring Mind article. One of the issues I have with Cyril Houle’s article on The Inquiring Mind, is a problem I’ve had with several other articles I’ve read throughout our classes; simply the sample set used for the conclusions. 

In The Inquiring Mind Houle admits his sample size is small; “Originally it was planned to collect about twenty case studies but the number was increased to twenty-two in order to be sure that variations in all the characteristics mentioned above were included” (Houle, 1961, p.. 13). Having a sample set from which to base conclusions of only twenty subjects hardly seems significant enough for any conclusions to be drawn. Increasing from twenty to twenty-two actually made me laugh. Sure that’s ten percent of the total sample, but when the total case study sample size is so small, the increase hardly seems worth it.

The issue I have is the fact that Houle takes his case study samples from known groups of people. Houle states “they are so conspicuously engaged in various forms of continuing learning that they could be readily identified for me by their personal friends” and “they all had goals which they wished to achieve, they all found the process of learning enjoyable and significant, and they felt that learning was worthwhile for it’s own sake.” This makes the sample set selected seem even more unique and exclusive, hardly a good sample set from which to hard conclusions. 

 In my organization we are running an experiment regarding Virtual Reality simulations vs non VR simulations in terms of in planting long term memory. In just the two months we have been running the experiment we have collected well over 400 data points or users who have been a part of the experiment. This it seems to me is still not adequate to start drawing conclusions on the efficacy of VR, yet Houle drew conclusions based on 22 close friends or colleagues. 

For anyone who wants to read it and determine for themselves, here's the reference:

Houle, C. (1961). The inquiring mind. Knowles, M. (1990). The adult learner: A neglected species. Houston. TX: Gulf Publishing.

Power and Leadership

I recently worked for a company that had a senior leader who acted in a manner that was like a bull in a China store. It wasn't that he focused on abusing the supervisors and being the hero of the line workers, instead, his manner was abuse for all equally. I found it an amazing leadership style and also I vowed never to become a part of his team. Instead, I had the unique ability to observe his methods, the results, and his teams' responses to his leadership tangentially. Whenever that tangent took me too close to his sphere of influence I found myself affected in very negative ways so I always made sure to keep my distance.

His seemed to be a leadership style that revolved around the quick win with no thought to what might happen in the long-term to the employees, the business, nor the morale. To make a long story shorter, that senior leader is no longer with the company but has moved on to become a CEO of another company in the same industry. He left behind in his wake quite a bit of destruction in terms of operations that can not be completed at the price he negotiated, personnel who are lost in terms of how to successfully do their jobs, and low morale by his teams who must stay with the company he left. 

All this being said, I was amazed by the short-term gain and the long-term gain. It reminded me of the constant feed of news stories from the early 2000's that described how CEO's and boards were wrecking large companies and organizations for the long-term, but taking huge short-term payoffs for one or two years worth of significant upticks in stock prices or profitable returns. At that time it seemed everyone was in it for the quick win. This is exactly how this senior leader I describe above viewed the world. 

Lately, thankfully, I feel we see less and less of this short term gain style of thinking. Part of this could be attributed to leaders looking for more ways to inspire long term retention within their employee base. I feel that leaders look after their employees and mimic what they see from their employees. If employees are looking for a quick buck and move quickly from job to job, you'll see that reflected in the leadership. Perhaps its a vicious circle with arrows going both ways. But in the recruiting world I used to occupy we saw a distinct movement toward greater job security by the employees we recruited in recent years (most likely brought on by kids watching their families deal with the financial downturn in our industry in 2009 and 2010 and not wanting to deal with that type of turbulence). I wonder what kids who have to watch their parents through the pandemic years will ask for from their jobs when they become a part of the workforce and how leaders will adapt to that desire from them.

Microaggressions

 As I mentioned the other day, I build and am int he process of building training for our leaders in our industry (see here). Well, I was talking to Cami the other day about our training, specifically about training so that our leaders can understand and talk to our newer employees coming into the field. Millennials and Gen Z'ers want different things out of life (see here). Are we doing what we can to help them? To work with them? Based on my reading of Brookfield's book (see here, here and here) we are not, and my discussion with Cami brought this into focus. 

Chapter 7 of Brookfield's book was a doozey. I hated every moment and I came away thinking that the guy was quite a little racist in his own right. Is he trying to make up for it? Sure. Is he actually making things worse? I think so. 

He relates a story about microaggressions. He is a firm believer in Critical Race Theory (CRT) and that everything boils down to race. He believes microaggressions are prevalent and valid. He teaches this and promotes it all in his classroom settings according to his book. The story about the microaggression is telling. 

He told a story about taking attendance in the class and forgetting to call on one young lady. She was black. When she brought up the fact that she had been left out he realized how his missing her was a microaggression on his part and apologized and related that it was a microaggression to her. She said she felt that from him. 

How bout he just forgot? How come we just can't have it be a slip of the mind? If he didn't intend to be racist, is it? Is it a microaggression? 

If I fail to call on Christine in a meeting, is a sexist microaggression? What if I fail to call on Karen? Is that a racist microaggression? If I don't have time to talk to Tom is that a microaggression against him cause he's Chinese? What about if I do all these same things to Tommy? Another white male? Is that not a microaggression in that case because he and I share a common skin color? 

It all becomes quite ridiculous. 

One problem I have is that microaggressions seem to be identified and defined by the receiver. I didn't say victim on purpose. I think that microaggressions and CRT in general make us all into victims. I like the idea of not being a victim. One famous instance of this was when the flight attendant on I think a Southwest Airlines flight said, "Eeny meenie miney moe, take a seat we have to go." All very silly and harmless. Except one lady said that it was racist. She said that nursery rhyme has racial undertones. I know that I used that rhyme all the time as a kid. Never once did we have overt or covert racial intentions in using it. I didn't even know that it could be racial till someone told me. Isn't that on the receiver to understand the intent? Should that flight attendant know the history of all nursery rhymes before making up her own? How bout we just all have a bit thicker skin. 

Thick skin is a prerequisite for anyone with a name like Dick by the way. 

Regardless, what stunned me was that college aged kids in the 2000's were being taught from Brookfield's book. If this is what they had been taught, we are in trouble. Now, it's on us to craft and develop a training that helps our leaders lead them. I'm sure microaggressions will be a part of that training. But, wow, these generations are gonna have some issues if they can't be a bit tougher. 

World's Worst Protester

I embrace the fact that I'm perhaps the world's worst protester. A few posts ago I wrote that I gave up on my Nike protest (see here). Well, maybe "gave up" isn't the right word. I broke through the picket line to buy some shoes to finish out my running challenge (see here and here). When a door closes a window opens. With the breaking of one protest, I started another. This one is far more muddled.

I killed my Facebook profile the other day. Deleted the whole dang thing. Over ten years of history and content and it's gone now. Obviously a limit was reached. It had so little value to me, and their policies weren't worth keeping it around. 

I didn't get rid or Twitter. Why/ I love checking out twitter because of the content like the one posted above. Who goes around posting pictures of smiling dogs all in a row? Well, someone I follow that's who. I can't get enough of it. Despite that, I thought what Facebook, Google and Twitter did with their content checking was pretty atrocious during the election. I'm not fan of Trump (see here), but the fact checking is absurd. Me? I think they should just let anything be posted and allow the reader to figure out the truth. No need for Twitter or Facebook to massage the content.

So why am I still on Twitter? Where else can I go to see a dog skateboarding (its a video, worth watching, click it or see it here), or a goose on a moose pic. Twitter, despite the fact checking, still has enough content that makes me smile to make it worthwhile. Lately, there's the post of Miss Great White North keeping me interested as well as the random animal pics and videos. But as soon as Twitter jumps the shark and the animal pics go away, then so do I. For now, they still have me even if Facebook doesn't. 

Wishing for More from the Marlowe Murders

Some of my favorite stories to read are Agatha Christie whodunnits. There's nothing better than a well thought out, well-formed, compelling, well-thought-out mystery. Every now and then I'll put down the books or the work and I'll go get a copy of the ABC Murders, or Murder on the Mews, or Death on the Nile. I've read most of her stories, so most all the time nowadays I'm re-reading instead of reading. 

I was hoping for a story like that from Laura Giebfried's The Marlowe Murders (Alexandra Durant mystery Book 1). I was not pleasantly surprised. 

I found the pacing off, and the story disjoint and not fun to read. It was tough to care about what was going on and the characters seemed forced. I really wanted to like this book and there were undertones of writing that I hoped would pan out. Sadly, it didn't pan out. There were just enough oddly written phrases and too complex descriptions of setting and characters that I gave up halfway through. 

I'm sorry it wasn't a tad more tightly written because I feel like Laura could have had a remarkably good story. Sadly, it just wasn't this one this time. 

Book Review of No Place for Mercy

I was eager to read No Place for Mercy by Brian G. Walsh because I've always been a fan of short stories, I grew up with Louis L'amour stories about Bowdrie (see here) and have read all of the short story anthologies of Alfred Hitchcock. Secondly, I've just published my own anthology of short stories and wanted to see how Walsh's stacked up to mine . . . . or mine stacked up to his.

They stack up well. 

Walsh has a way with words and phrasing. His analogies are vivid and compelling. His prose make the ready want to read on. This one about mistakes shaking you like a rag doll got me:

She smiled with nice, even white teeth, probably paid for by her pimp. A beautiful young girl, probably no more than 18. Some day she'd wake up and realize the true cost of making this life decision. She'd learn what Cleon had learned, that some mistakes never let go of you, they shake you like a rag doll until you break, but Cleon wasn't in a lecturing mood tonight.

A very good collection and I enjoyed it very much. 

Networking and Building Relationships in Program Planning

Program Planning is a TOUGH class. I've been having a hard time with it, and really there has been no key "ah HA!" moments, but mostly just a series of clouds that become mist or fog, but then that becomes pea soupy again far too quickly. 

Today we discuss Program Planning and Exploring Foundation Knowledge of a Program Plan. In this module, we went over negative and positive uses of power, and depth of influence, and capital C Culture vs lower case c culture. Again, this is not my milieu, but I play along and do my best. 

Today I was on the hot seat about building relationships across and within. Why is that necessary in program planning and how can it be done and assured. Now, THIS is where I was able to make some inroads into the class. 

In my job we build courses and programs on behalf of our members. If one contractor or facility owner comes to us for a course, of course, we will build it for them. We are experts on training delivery. They're coming to us to help them deliver worthwhile training. How does building relationships and networks help? 

Well, if we build that course so tightly and within the confines of that one contractor then it will be limited in its scope of delivery to just those employees who might work for that organization. We have to utilize our network of other contractors and organizations to make those relationships we already have work for us, to strengthen the training. By working with those networks and using our relationships we can make a strong trainer not just for the original organization that asked for it but also for the entire industry. Additionally, we can decrease the cost for that organization by opening up the training to others and a far larger audience. 

The best thing about our organization is that we have so many networks that we can call on and utilize to the benefit of not just the member but also the industry. 

PHEW, finally the mist thinned a bit on this class. 

Adaptive Learning and Workouts

 This may be harder than I thought. Last week I wrote about my newest little exercise challenge. My last one was running (see here) this next one is more centered on weightlifting (see here). I also wrote last week how much these things influence my past writing and novels (here) and my writing now. I have to say, that if I was looking for a challenge that was tough, extended and had the potential to only get tougher the longer it goes, this would be one. 

I worked out today and it was a killer! 

The worst part about it (well maybe not the worst) is that my new Apple Watch app can't track multiple workouts. For example, my workout today (not the one shown in the pic above) included a weight workout, a jog, and a bike ride. All that the app shows is one total workout. That's it. It would be nice to be able to switch mid-workout, between the different aspects of the workout and get data from it. 

I'm a data junkie, and a good thing too. Right now a big part of adult learning is based on a technique called "Adaptive Learning." This is the idea that learning can be tailored to the exact needs of the learner. Instead of having someone waste time with training, they might already have, the learning experience is adjusted to the learner's needs and depth. 

We have a database of all of our learners at work. Some are new to the industry, many have been there and in our database for years. If we could take that information and only provide training that is relevant to the learner then we won't waste the learner's time and energy on things they already know. 

The Apple workout app has a feature called "trends" that I'm really looking forward to utilizing. It's basically reactive adaptive learning. Taking data from 180 workouts and distilling and displaying trends that are present and could be worthwhile for the user to know. 

What's this doing on this blog? 

This is a facet of Adaptive Learning that I have not concentrated on as much. Since I was a Director of Recruiting I've always been a fan of allowing our learners own their own records. What about using the Adaptive Learning concept we could help show trends to the learner and to the administrators who send them for training. 

What trends?

I don't know yet. Already we have a project to use adaptive learning techniques to give harder more sophisticated training to learners with years of experience, and more simple quizzes and tests to learners who are newer to the industry. But what trends could we provide?

Might Be Looking at Poetry Differently Going Forward

I took a moment to read Across the Room by Shannon Sonnenberg-Pietila and honestly I was quite happy that I did. I am not usually a reader who is attracted to nor am I consumer of poetry, but for Across the Room I might change my views. Simply put the poems are deep, worthwhile, and poignant. 

The title comes from the third poem in the book that might have been the one that hit me hardest. How many times have I seen that person who I wonder what they're thinking? Are they looking like I think they are? And worse is she looking back? How does that change my thoughts on my life? And that makes my thoughts go back to the first poem, the one that ends with the couple sitting on the couch, wondering who will push pause first. 

I read another review that said that the poems lacked polish, but I liked that lack of polish. It provided a harsher more realistic view of life, love, and relationships. It makes me look forward to other poems that might be coming to see how the poet grows, changes, evolves, and develops. 

I'm not by nature a love or poetry, but I loved this book. 

A New Fount of Passages

I'm following a new person and you want to talk "Zounds!" This gal is zounds in terms of the passages that are worthwhile that she posts. I can't keep up. Just this morning there was: 

Some lessons sting long after others . . .  we long to savor each memory  . . . but you, were my most foolish.

Running with an Old Friend

 I found myself near downtown in my old stomping and running grounds to run with an old friend. She was immediately surprised by my shoes.

Why? 

Because a while back I swore of Nikes. Although I have no trouble with players who might want to express their problems with the police by kneeling during the anthem, I don’t support it. I recognize the right, but think it’s a fairly shallow way to protest and worse it’s conflating two separate things, the anthem and the police. Is it any wonder patriots and military might be upset?

Regardless, I don’t want to support a company that gives funds to someone who started that trend. How much did Kaepernick get from Nike last year? Or the year before? Why?

So I swore off Nike a while back. I’m a guy who probably bought 6 or 7 pairs of Nike a year for twenty years. That’s quite a few pairs. I even wrote them and told em I was done. All the other runners I know think Nike’s stink. Not me. I know they don’t last, but I’ve always like em providing you don’t rely on them for too long. 

Well, in the middle of my 100 days of running challenge (see more here) I broke down and bought a pair of Nikes. I had my reasons. My knee was hurting. Whatever it is about Addidas and New Balance, my knees just appreciate Nikes. 

It’s interesting  isn’t it the phases a of our lives. What matters at one time matters less at others. 

Long story short . . . I’m back to New Balance. My return to Nikes was short lived. So although she saw them, she won’t see them again the next time we go run together 

Another 100 Days

 Last month I finished my 100 Day of Running Challenge (see more here) and today my friend asked me if I had given up running for a while. 

Just the opposite really. 

It was nice to include what I learned on my 100 day running challenge into my novel this year for NaNo. It helped make the character deeper, more resilient, and helped her find the impetus and reason for change. 

I’ve started a new homemade challenge. This one follows the same 100 days that I had with my running challenge but instead of running it’s more about lifting. 

The rules I’ve made up for myself are:

• Gotta be one of my workouts that has focus and full body (ie. 24 exercises, 16 that focus on a primary muscle group, 8 that are variable)
• Every third day legs 
• Can’t run more than 50% of the workout time
• Run can’t be a solo (needs to be mixed into the lift, otherwise I’ll just run run run)
• If I do want a longish run .... sometimes you just have to have a good long run .... gotta lift first. Can’t tell ya how many times I’ve run with the intention of lifting after the run and failed to follow through. 
• If I get hurt or sore .... lift less weight and more reps ... no excuses to stop. 
• Finally, once a week minimum, take 15 to 30 minutes after to yoga stretch the muscles. 

See! Should be easy peasy lemon squeezy!

So far so good. My kiddos are joining me when they can. 16 days in and going strong! 84 more to go!

What's this have to do with writing? 

More than most might realize. I was surprised how much my last 100 days challenge played a part in developing the main character in my last novel. Though that 100 days challenge, through her, she showed vulnerability, consistency, stick-to-it-tiveness, passion and compassion. It was a far bigger part of the story than I thought. 

All of my previous novels (see here) have had exercise playing a pivotal role in the novel's story. That's because exercise and fitness has played a big part in my life. It's a big part of so many people's lives these days. This next 100 days I can tell is going to be a tough one. Let's hope it provides fodder for a great novel or two!

Listen to the Panel

A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to be a panelist on a webinar that discussed the most effective engagement tools for virtual meeting experiences and virtual classrooms.  I had the chance to work once again with Sally (see below pic and here). Sally worked for me for many years and was one of my best trainers. She represented the field level view for the panel. We were joined by two faculty members from an Adult Learning doctorate program, and me who was bridging the gap between the fieldworker and academia.

The reason I bring this up, besides the fact that I think panel discussions for hundreds of people is fun, is that in the past few months I've had some highs and lows with webinars, and the organizers from some of these low ones, sure could have used the advice that Sally and I doled out!

• Today I was on a webinar on the "Walk the Line" initiative. Sounds fairly straightforward. The problem was that no one bothered to tell the group what the heck the initiative consisted of. They went right to the results and to the conclusions without framing the issue. They must have gotten quite a few chat requests to explain what the hell it was because, at 38 min in, the presenter was asked to stop and explain to the group. Scaffolding. Teach on top of those things you've already taught the learner. Don't jump in at the end. 
• Also today, they tried to use a poll app. This is always hit or miss. Today, big swing and a miss. Not because of the app. Rather it was the Master of Ceremonies. He was not a talker. Lots of dead air, and like the Walk the Line initiative itself, no one bothered to explain to the audience how to actually take part in the poll. Over communicated and make things overly simple.
• A month or so ago I was in an online meeting with 75 people. I don't know who decided to start with introductions, but it was a bad choice. It took over 15 minutes to get through introductions, and I'd say a good 30% of the audience didn't have their names listed on the call sheet so it became a lot of the host saying "could whoever is calling in from 451-1281 introduce themselves and tell us who they are. Fiasco. More than fifteen people? Eschew introduction. 
• Finally, another meeting. Maybe two months ago. The first meeting of this group since Covid so their first online experience. They always started their live, in-person meetings with the pledge of allegiance. They thought that would be a nice way to do it again. Some stood (crotch level cameras ofvouce) some didn't (disgracing the flag) some didn't even try. Fiasco. Don't do group activities. 

Themes Throughout the Book

There is definitely a theme of lost love in A Column of Fire the last time I saw this was earlier in the book (here). But it cropped up again quite explicitly with another character. 

Barney finds a girl, Bella, and they are immediately attracted to one another. An immediate and overwhelming attraction (aren't those just the best). He's considering what to do with his life now that he's found her.

Would Bella go home with Barney? It would mean giving up everything she knew, including a successful business. He was afraid to ask her the question. 

He did not even know whether Bacon would permit a woman on board for the voyage home. So should Barney give up his old life and settle here in Hispaniola? What would he do? He could help Bella expand the rum business. He could become a sugar planter, perhaps, though he had no capital to invest. It was a big step to take after less than a month in a place. 

But he wanted to spend his life with Bella. He had to talk to her about the future. The unasked question was always in his mind, and perhaps hers too. They had to face it.

Follett, Ken. A Column of Fire (Kingsbridge) (pp. 396-397). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

Sadly, the decision is taken out of Barney's hands when the ship he works for must leave immedaitely as they are under attack. After the attack he looks back at what he is leaving. 

Barney looked back. The galleon was limping toward the harbor. Hispaniola was already receding. 

And so was Bella. Barney went to Bacon at the wheel. 

“Where are we heading, Captain?” 

“Home,” said Bacon. “To Combe Harbour.” When Barney said nothing, he added: “Isn’t that what you wanted?” 

Barney looked back at Hispaniola, disappearing now into a haze under the Caribbean sun. 

“It was,” he said.

Follett, Ken. A Column of Fire (Kingsbridge) (p. 404). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

NaNo This Year

 I wrote a few days back about my NaNo journey this year (see here), and how even though I didn’t make it to 50K words, it was still a worthwhile effort in many ways. 

I was reading in Carol Roberts’ The Dissertation Journey the following passage:

You don’t have to write something good initially. Thinking that you do only causes self-disparagement and self-recrimination. Remember, first drafts are only first drafts and are for your eyes only. Let them be sketchy thoughts, rambling sentences, clumsy word patterns using poor grammar, and so on. Just get everything out of your brain and onto paper. Don’t obsess and ponder ideas too long. Don’t judge it, just write it. Getting ideas on paper gets you moving. You now have something to work on and revise. Accept the fact that you will be writing several drafts, and take the pressure off the first one by concentrating only on your ideas. Most writers agree that it’s easier to revise than to create. Writing is a complex and slow process, so don’t expect it to flow effortlessly. Few writers write only when they feel inspired. If you wait for inspiration, or write only when you feel like it, your chances of completion are nil.

Great advice and particularly good considering my own NaNo. Just because I ddin’t hit 50K doesn’t mean what I have written is no good or not worthy. Just wait till I get a chance to rewrite it!

NaNo This Year

 I wrote a few days back about my NaNo journey this year (see here), and how even though I didn’t make it to 50K words, it was still a worthwhile effort in many ways. 

I was reading in Carol Roberts’ The Dissertation Journey the following passage:

You don’t have to write something good initially. Thinking that you do only causes self-disparagement and self-recrimination. Remember, first drafts are only first drafts and are for your eyes only. Let them be sketchy thoughts, rambling sentences, clumsy word patterns using poor grammar, and so on. Just get everything out of your brain and onto paper. Don’t obsess and ponder ideas too long. Don’t judge it, just write it. Getting ideas on paper gets you moving. You now have something to work on and revise. Accept the fact that you will be writing several drafts, and take the pressure off the first one by concentrating only on your ideas. Most writers agree that it’s easier to revise than to create. Writing is a complex and slow process, so don’t expect it to flow effortlessly. Few writers write only when they feel inspired. If you wait for inspiration, or write only when you feel like it, your chances of completion are nil.

Great advice and particularly good considering my own NaNo. Just because I ddin’t hit 50K doesn’t mean what I have written is no good or not worthy. Just wait till I get a chance to rewrite it!

Interesting Way to See Love and Life

As I mentioned the other day, I'm in the midst of reading a novel set in the 16th century (see here, no, it's not Outlander), and I ran across this passage that hit me. This is between two women at a party looking out over the crowd. One, Margery, is young and being forced to marry someone she doesn't love. The other, Susannah, is older and settled in her ways. 

"Do you love him?"

She hesitated again, and Margery could see that she was torn between discretion and compassion. "I shouldn't answer that."

Bells and Whistles Online

I had a great teacher the other day, Dr. Z. He was one of the better instructors I've had in an online class. I think that his practice and abilities at becoming a great online facilitator have been honed over those 15 years to a point he's a master at the forum. Of all my classes he has been the first to use Canvas and all of its tools to its maximum potential. 

As Cox states in our reading on Learning Style Students Attitudes Toward the Use of Technology in Higher Education and Adult Education Classes, "the new axiom in the world of technology-enhanced learning is that teachers must allow content to drive technology and should be cautious not to let technology drive the content" (2008, p. 6).  But this also goes back to the discussion we had the other day about great teachers being able to overcome poor curricula, or great curricula being able to elevate mediocre teachers. I think the same can be said with technology and online classrooms.

The ultimate solution isn't bells and whistles alone, but I think about the changes in telephone technology just in the past twenty years and look forward to the same changes to online classrooms in the future. The phone has not changed much in terms of how we use it in the past 20 years. Whether it’s a flip phone an iPhone or an old-style payphone you put the receiver to your ear and you talk. But the iPhone provides many more tangential benefits to the user than the old-style payphone ever did. That’s the change I look forward to seeing in the online classroom environment.

Right now, as I mentioned before, we are working on a VR style exercise where we were putting the VR user into real-world scenarios that resulted in a fatality. We are asking that learner to navigate his way through the scenario and afterward we intend to re-train him through analysis of the real-world event afterward. I like to imagine a virtual online classroom for the entire class could put on virtual reality goggles and get to watch the learner through the exercises and discuss en masse from multiple training destinations. They set up new variables around another real-world situation and ask the next learner to try his hand at the new task. 

Technology alone is not the only answer to effective online teaching, but the tangential benefits can potentially make it easier for the learner to engage and make memories, make it far more accessible to the learner and to a more diverse audience, and help less-skilled instructors up their game. 

Cox, T. D. (2008). Learning styles and students’ attitudes toward the use of technology in higher and adult education classes. Institute for Learning Styles Journal. 1(Fall). pp. 1-13.

A Column of Fire First

 Been a while sine I read for fun. I think the last several books I read for fun were almost a year ago. WEB Griffen books. Finished an entire series. Really enjoyed digging into some military thrillers. Now that my classes for the year are ostensibly done, and although I still have some homework on the schooling front, I'm taking a moment to catch my breath and read for pleasure. 

A couple of years ago someone gave me A Column of Fire by Ken Follett. I've always enjoyed Ken Follett books (see here). Little did I know that A Column of Fire was actually a second in a series about Medieval England and France. I read the first in the series over a decade ago, so it was nice to pick this up and realize I've already read the prequel. The Pillars of the Earth was actually the first Ken Follett book I ever picked up. Since then I've read most of his other books, I've actually read several books on writing where we studied Follett. Overall, A Column of Fire should be just the break I need. 

The first line wasn't especially enthralling, but it was a nice opening scene to create a setting and introduce characters.

Ned Willard came home to Kingsbridge in a snowstorm. 

He sailed upstream from Combe Harbour in the cabin of a slow barge loaded with cloth from Antwerp and wine from Bordeaux. When he reckoned the boat was at last nearing Kingsbridge he wrapped his French cloak more tightly around his shoulders, pulled the hood over his ears, stepped out onto the open deck, and looked ahead. 

At first he was disappointed: all he could see was falling snow. But his longing for a sight of the city was like an ache, and he stared into the flurries, hoping. After a while his wish was granted, and the storm began to lift. A surprise patch of blue sky appeared. Gazing over the tops of the surrounding trees, he saw the tower of the cathedral—four hundred and five feet high, as every Kingsbridge Grammar School pupil knew. The stone angel that watched over the city from the top of the spire had snow edging her wings today, turning the tips of her feathers from dove gray to bright white. As he looked, a momentary sunbeam struck the statue and gleamed off the snow, like a benison; then the storm closed in again and she was lost from view. 

He saw nothing except trees for a while, but his imagination was full. He was about to be reunited with his mother after an absence of a year. He would not tell her how much he had missed her, for a man should be independent and self-sufficient at the age of eighteen. 

But most of all he had missed Margery. He had fallen for her, with catastrophic timing, a few weeks before leaving Kingsbridge to spend a year in Calais, the English-ruled port on the north coast of France. Since childhood he had known and liked the mischievous, intelligent daughter of Sir Reginald Fitzgerald. When she grew up her impishness had taken on a new allure, so that he found himself staring at her in church, his mouth dry and his breath shallow. He had hesitated to do more than stare, for she was three years younger than he, but she knew no such inhibitions. They had kissed in the Kingsbridge graveyard, behind the concealing bulk of the tomb of Prior Philip, the monk who had commissioned the cathedral four centuries ago. There had been nothing childish about their long, passionate kiss: then she had laughed and run away. 

But she kissed him again the next day. And on the evening before he left for France they admitted that they loved one another.

Follett, Ken. A Column of Fire (Kingsbridge)

I love that he "looked ahead," very poignant. I also really liked the stone angel and that her feathers went "from dove gray to bright white." Also, never knew that a "benison" was a blessing. 

I'm almost halfway through just four days in. Loving every moment. 

Didn't Quite Make It

So, with all my prep and outlines and notes and pre-draft writing compiled along with my NaNo writing, I just didn't make the cut off. I hit 45,538 words in November for this novel. Not bad all told, especially when you consider that I had so many other things come up. This, I can say without hyperbole, was the single most busy NaNo I've ever had. This month threw more at me than any other November when I tried NaNo. So, actually, I'm quite pleased with 45K words. 

Why?

Becasue I started editing and rewriting (actually the more critical part of novel writing than the rough draft writing that is NaNo) a NaNo submission I had from three years ago. I wrote it about an elephant sactuary in Africa. A thriller. A complete and utter off the cuff NaNo submission and the other day between classes I started writing it again. It's not bad. I have just over 40K words of that ready to go and ready to edit. It's a great starting place. 

This one too will be a great starting place. I may not  have won but I'm glad I spent the time to get something down. Three or four years from now I'll find this submission and find I have 40K words on it and I'll be able to plug away on it as well. Despite three or four significant folks in my life telling me I was too busy, I'm glad I didn't listen and I took some time to write. 

As Carol Roberts writes in The Dissertation Journey:

“I discovered that my primary reward was not so much the exhilaration of standing on top of the mountain at journey’s end, but rather who I became as a result of the climb.”

What has been the result of my own climb? A better outliner? More understanding of finding time daily to write? 

I had without a doubt the best outline of any NaNo I've worked on. I got my cousin to start wrting his first NaNo submission (see here) . . . how did he do? Remains to be seen. I got three or four folks to give us updates for this blog (see here), which was nice to see. Overall, despite missing it by 5K words, there were some significant wins. I'll build on them for next year!