Arlene McCarren and Nancy Taiani have each written memoirs following painful losses and have found the writing process itself to be healing.

They will be reading excerpts from their books and will discuss their writing with the University Women of West Essex.

When: Thursday, March 21 8:00 PM

Where: West Caldwell Public Library.  
30 Clinton Road, West Caldwell.

My new ebook, and the merits of publishing digitally

Available now, everywhere! The Gospels of Rage ebook, delivered to anyone who can reach the internet! See http://www.scribbulations.com/gospelsofrage.cfm for your copy!

Years ago, when I worked as an intern for a small start-up  company called eBay, we used to dream of a time when the internet could reach everyone, even those without a great deal of wealth and those distant from cities where technology was concentrated. I am pleased that this has become a reality, even if eBay cannot reap all the rewards, because they do not deliver digital goods, but real ones.

This dream was accomplished with the smart phone and tablet computer not so long ago. Now people connect to the cellular or satellite networks with a computer that fits in the palm of your hand and costs less than a few hundred dollars. This is amazing, frankly, because now billions of goods and services are available to any of us instantaneously. 

Think then on how many more people you can reach with a digital book. Right now, you can get mine, and in fact any I ever write, for as long as the internet continues to provide. So enjoy this time of literature delivered into your hands via live streaming. It maybe only by virtue of this that people on the other side of the world will be able to read our work.

-F. F. White

Searching for search

I am often asked... sometimes asked... somebody asked me once... "Is there an easier way to find things on the scribbulations website?"
Well, the menu bar is pretty good.
But, in case it doesn't quite do it, I have added a search box. It searches just the scribbulations website not the whole web, (I hear there are other ways to do that).

So my question is: Does anyone know of a better search box than the one I installed? This one is by freefind.com and is only free if you accept ads. Anyone out there with their own website? What did you use?

When you give the new search box a try, let me know if it does what you need it to!

Ed

Author Talk, Oct. 17th

Arlene McCarren and Nancy Taiani have each written memoirs following painful losses and have found the writing process itself to be healing.

Join them as they read excerpts from their books and discuss their writing.

When: Wednesday, Oct 17^th, 7:00 PM

Where: Clifton Public Library –Allwood Branch

                44 Lyall Road, Clifton

Anticipation

There really is no adequate way to describe the anticipation one feels when a book you authored is ready for publication. The first time have it in your hands makes all the work worth it.
Work? Why should we think of writing as work? My old Post office job was work--this is challenge. One interesting aspect is the source of compliments, as well as indifference.
People I hardly know seem to enjoy the writing much more than I expected, whereas those I've known better and longer too often seem blase, indifferent to the books. You never know who will and won't buy your book. After Twilight People I tried to balance my disappointment with some ignoring it with the pleasant surprise connected with strangers reactions.
Right now it is drizzling out and concerts have been cancelled. I saw a free movie, Mildred Pierce, at the library. I can take a nap or go to the gym or start a new short story. I'm tired of watching gymnasts do the same routine. Maybe I'll write about a rebellious gymnast who defies her coach and creates her own moves.

On critics and criticism

Having now past the launch of my first book, my next task is two-fold. I need to market the book and myself to a broader audience and gather critical feedback from them. The first task is fairly straightforward - introduce a treasured creative effort to people in an appealing way. I find that most people like to meet people who have finished creative projects and can usually spare a little time to admire the fruits of your efforts. However, critical review and response is, by its nature, something people are reluctant to dispense. It is far safer in creative circles to be either unassuming or silent, and other times people are afraid of 'sounding stupid' even though nearly every opinion is an extension of truth.

It might not seem so, but criticism is a cultural taboo. Praise is always welcome but digging into someone else's work, especially when they often have no way to change it, seems unfair, and fans of their work won't appreciate your analysis unless you are clever. I found this out the hard way, as my first few reviews on Amazon were consistently and repeatedly marked as unhelpful and some of them were even trolled by the ungrateful.

I encourage everyone to be critical despite the stigma. Being a critic is an intellectual legacy we all share. Often, whether or not you are considered a good critic has to do with your delivery and when it is done well, criticism is very helpful. The most successful critics I know, either in how they help me refine my work or in their coverage in respected journals, are consistent in a few general ways. Incidentally, when you read criticism of your work, it's good to look for these signs to identify someone who has a true stake in your chosen art-form:

1. They convey experience and informed perspective. This might seem textbook, but a good critic can connect different things together for comparison and distinguish differences. This sometimes produce unflattering comparisons, but a critic's perspective is revealed by their sources. This also informs you of the caliber they ascribe to your work.
2. They don't skimp on specifics. Even if a critic only talks about their enjoyment or dislike of a piece of work, they can point to specific parts that evoked a reaction, or did not. Surely, each part is not as important as the whole, but reductive glosses and generalizations are not very critical, whereas close reading is.
3. They state very clearly what something is. Often, art resists clear definition. This can stem from its subjects, its style, its context, its delivery, or a myriad of more subtle factors. A good critic can identify the essence of a piece and at least one clear purpose for its existence. This takes some practice and usually a good vocabulary, but knowing what you are talking about and informing others is a fundamental function of the critic. A review is helpful if it makes some clear statement about what is being reviewed.

In conclusion, be critical, but when you speak or write critically, consider the important things critics can provide. If you have friends who have finished their own creative projects, try to review their work as this helps them in the long run, even if your opinion of the work is not high.

- Forest F. White

Updating Your Website - The Philosophical Angle

Websites are beautiful things. And as we know, things of beauty are a joy forever. Well, maybe not so much. The life of a website is perhaps more like life in the Middle Ages - nasty, brutish, and short.

The drive is for new content, updated content, relevant content... Ah, what happened to content that lasts, content worth keeping, content for the ages?

If, to use another famous phrase, time is money, then a constantly updated website is far more expensive than a static one. Keeping your content fresh requires more and more investment in what is, by definition, ephemeral. It strikes me that there is something wrong with this equation.

Perhaps I am becoming old and cynical, but does the drive for the "constantly new" generate merely a gush of material of little value, which in the long run, no one cares to keep? If so, why do it?

I applaud the folks who are trying to archive the internet--motivated by the belief that there are things worth keeping. I was both encouraged and amused when I heard one group had resorted to printing books of webpages, since books are less prone to device failure :-)

 I hope our online future is long and happy. I also hope we get hold of the difference between quantity and quality.



Comments welcome.