January, 2010

Hook Problems?

The Book Doctor is in. Check her out as she’s giving great insight into any 50-word hook you offer.

Contest List

You may have noticed I’ve posted a contest Gadget. I would have sworn I had once blogged about a website that hosted contests for writers who wished to promote east-west relations. I cannot find that contest and I’m kicking myself from east to west now, but if you know of that contest or any others I should list, please feel free to flick me in the head and post your suggestions.

My kid’s birthday party is this afternoon and I have Mommy Brain.

The Intimidation Factor

I just read Janet Reid’s statistics from the summer of 2009. See for yourself: http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2009/12/statistics-to-torture-yourself-with-in.html I have to admit, I’m a wee bit overwhelmed by her numbers. I have to remember, finish editing, submit and write the next one.

Upcoming Innovations

A friend recently pointed out to me the upcoming changes in the publishing industry and she used http://safaribooksonline.com as one example. I do recommend you check it out. It gives a tantalizing view of the future.

Isaac Asimov would be thrilled. Imagine a hand-held device allowing authors to research, compare, take notes, write and play in a digital format. You might point out that many hand helds already do this, but not quite like what Safari claims is possible.

Those of you who are writing historical novels, imagine a digital format of your book on such a device: along with your novel, your device could hold links to videos that might encourage the reader to enjoy an interactive reading experience. Your hand-held might hold audio files to enable an audio version of your book, or it might help your readers with correct pronounciation of your characters’ names, your device might have a screen saver of an animated version of your characters or a graphic version of your novel as well as the original. Interactivity is on its way folks.

It’s both exciting and terrifying in all of its open-ended capacity. But to quote a favorite movie: “Without change, something sleeps inside of us and seldom wakes. The sleeper must awaken.”

Many thanks to DaVonna Smitley for alerting me to this topic. I hope all of you slept well. ;D

The Tomb of a Megalomaniac or Great Leader

The tomb of Cao Cao was unearthed recently. Those of you who know I’ve written a novel of magical realism based on the “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” might be interested to know Cao Cao is the equivalent to Hu Xiongli, my villain.

If one examines the historical facts, Cao Cao was “often praised as a brilliant ruler and military genius who treated his subordinates like his family. He was also skilled in poetry and martial arts and authored many war journals.” – Wikipedia entry.

If one looks at the literary history of China, Cao Cao appears as “a cruel and merciless tyrant.” – Wikipedia

The literary history I speak of is, of course, the “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” and the folklore it is based on. It was written by a confucian scholar and since Cao Cao’s actions were based on anything but Confucian thought, he is villified in the Ming Dynasty novel. Since literature tends to carry more weight than straightforward history, Cao Cao is not well thought of. For instance, the Chinese way of saying “speak of the devil” is: “Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives.” The food dish typically referred to as “General Tsao’s Chicken” is in deference to him, as it is both hot and spicy. There are so many ways this man has touched and twisted the history and culture of his people, it’s fascinating to study him.

One of the quotes attributed to him is: “Better for me to wrong the world than for the world to wrong me.” That says something about his character.

In my research, I discovered a tale where he was invited to the household of a loyal retainer for dinner. Cao Cao got drunk and became paranoid as to his host’s intentions. Seeing assassins everywhere, he jumped up and killed his host and the man’s two sons, then killed the wife at the dinner table. He regretted his actions almost immediately, and gave them posthumous titles, but that doesn’t mean a whole lot in the face of his actions.

Nonetheless, his tomb is said to be of a modest, unadorned nature in comparison to other such burial grounds.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1238887/Cao-Cao-Chinese-archaeologists-uncover-vast-tomb-infamous-3rd-century-ruler.html#ixzz0baTDr6Ye