Re: How Do I Have Better Conversations?

I read a fascinating Slate.com article recently about how to improve the quality of one's conversations.  The content of the article was taken from Quora and basically argued that, in order to have better conversations, one must be steeped in factually knowledge as well as a deep thinker.  The writer encouraged the person asking the question, among other things, to spend time reading reference books and to really analyze works of art.  Here is the article: http://www.slate.com/blogs/quora/2017/01/24/how_do_i_have_better_conversations.html .
I thought that the article was fascinating, but at the same time, I wanted to disagree with it.  Does some really need to memorize countless facts in order to be a good conversationalist?  Can't one be a creative conversationalist as well as a factual conversationalist?  I assume the writer gives the advice based on experience, but at the same time, I wanted to question it.  As just one example, I am currently reading Alan Dean Foster's Alien.  Would a conversation about that book really be less valuable than a conversation about Robert Balay's Guide to Reference.  I leave it to you to be the judge, but I thought that it was an interesting issue, anyhow.  And it may impact my reading habits in the future!

Forthcoming novel projects

This weekend was a pretty productive one in that I thought a bit about what my next novel would be and also thought of an idea for a second novel.  My first novel will be entitled "Christmas at the Galleria" and will focus on a young college student's encounter with a young woman, also a college student, at the Galleria.  I really hope that it gets published, and I hope that those who read it will like it.

My second idea for a novel will be (maybe unfortunately) more Alien fanfiction.  It will be a crossover between the Alien films and the Matrix series.  I'm pretty sure it hasn't been done before (I couldn't find it in WorldCat).  It will be called "Aliens in the Matrix."  Since I don't have the rights, I don't intend to publish it, but I do intend to self-publish it and give it to friends and family.  Fun!  What a great idea!

All for now.  See you next time!

Holiday Books and a Holiday Movie

During this Halloween, this Christmas, and now the beginning of this New Year, I've been enjoying some great books and movies.  It would take me forever to describe them all.  However, for Halloween, I read the novel A Monster Calls and for Christmas I read a Christmas anthology called Let It Snow.  Then today I saw the movie version of A Monster Calls.  My thoughts on these are below.

A Monster Calls (book and movie)

I first learned about this book when I saw the trailer for the film version.  The trailer blew me away, and when I looked up the book on Amazon, it sounded very interesting.  The book is illustrated, and though it is geared toward young adults, it deals with some pretty dark themes.  The main character, Conor O'Malley, deals with bullying, the impending death of his mother from cancer, and regular nightly visits from a monster who seems to know his fate.  The book is a beautiful work that expands on the nature of loss, suffering, and mortality.

The movie is different, but also quite good.  Conor is somewhat softened in the movie, his rough edges and rebelliousness toned down a bit.  The characters are also given a bit more space to breathe, especially the mother, who takes on near mythic dimensions here.  The film is beautiful to look at and overall is very well done.  It really makes you feel for Conor's difficult situation and, at the end, entertains the possibility of his rising above it.

Let It Snow

I gave this book to my family for Christmas, and it is a really great holiday treat.  The stories interlock and intersect in fascinating ways, each involves Christmas, and each, in its own way, is a love story.  The first story is probably my favorite (Flobie Santa Villages!), but the other two are also really good.  The John Green story really had a huge impact on me, and reminds me that I need to check out more of his work.  The whole thing is very charming and uplifting.  I just wish it had more stories.

Too bad the holidays are over!  See you next week!

Brainstorming in Writing

When trying to think of an idea to write about, either in formal or creative writing, it is always important to brainstorm.  There are many different strategies and approaches to brainstorming, but it is important to select the strategy that works the best for you.  Personally, I find that, when it comes to creative or ad writing, it is best not to overplan or overthink things but to literally pick up and run with the idea that appeals the most to you.  Usually the first idea that springs to mind, particularly when it comes to creative writing, will have a visceral appeal that other, more preconceived ideas won't.  When it comes to formal writing, such as essay or journalistic writing, conversely, I find that more analysis and planning is necessary and often the most fruitful method.  This is largely because, for these forms of writing, I rely more heavily on specific quotes and examples to build my arguments.

For brainstorming, you also have the option of drawing a visual "idea cloud" that links together the various ideas you plan to use in your writing, thus visually establishing how these ideas will relate to each other.  Major ideas can be represented with big letters or in a big cloud, and smaller ideas can be represented with smaller letters or in a smaller cloud.  Though I can't seem to find an example of one of these online, I have seen computer programs that can generate them.  You may prefer to draw them or use Microsoft Word.

That should be enough to help you get started.  I hope this gets you started on the path to making some great stories and essays.  I will see you next week!

Passengers

This New Year's weekend I managed to see the film Passengers with Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt.  I highly recommend this film.  It has gotten poor reviews for the most part, and it's not entirely successful, but I would still call it one of my favorite films of the year.  What I liked the most about it was its ability to defy genre, being a science fiction story, a love story, and an adventure story all in one.  Lawrence and Pratt both inhabit their parts very well, and the film's setting complements their love story nicely.  Make time for this one!

Hope everyone had a great New Year's!  Here's to 2017, and I'll see you next week!