There is only one objective you should have when writing something really important. You want one person to take it to another person and say, “you gotta read this.” – @adcontrarian
From The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch, in his section responding to John Horgan’s 1996 book, The End of Science: Facing the Limits of Knowledge in the Twilight of the Scientific Age:
“Horgan accepts from the bad philosophy of ‘postmodern’ literary criticism its willful confusion between two kinds of ‘ambiguity’ that exist in philosophy and art. The first is the ‘ambiguity’ of multiple true meanings, either intended by the author or existing because of the reach of the ideas. The second is the ambiguity of deliberate vagueness, confusion, equivocation or self-contradiction. The first is an attribute of deep ideas, the second an attribute of deep silliness. By confusing them, one ascribes to the best art and philosophies the qualities of the worst. Since, in that view, readers, viewers and critics can attribute any meaning they choose to the second kind of ambiguity, bad philosophy declares the same to be true of all knowledge: all meanings are equal and none of them is objectively true. One then has a choice between complete nihilism or regarding all ‘ambiguity’ as a good thing in those fields. Horgan chooses the latter option: he classifies art and philosophy as ‘ironic’ fields, irony being the presence of multiple conflicting meanings in a statement.”
A necessary part of fiction is the reader’s “willing suspension of disbelief”. I think that part of writing an effective story is to convince your reader to suspend their disbelief.
Based on this article at Fast Company, there might be things we can do to enlist the reader’s own brain in suspending their disbelief:
So read poetry, write poetry, and be a poet. It’s OK. We’re big kids now!
HEAR YE HEAR YE THE GLORIOUS NEWS!
REJOYCE AND BE GLAD!
LET THERE BE DANCING IN THE STREETS!
It is here.
So go grab a copy and find out just what my heroine does about her embarassing blackmailer problem.
Read the glorious stories by the other 16 authors, including my wife’s story (learn what to do about husbands who suddenly insist we must leave the country right now and start driving like maniacs).
Then flood the internet with 5***** reviews and BE GLORIOUS!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Calay!
Not here yet but the gloriously-itchy trigger finger of our gunslinger (yes, I did just finish reading Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series, so I hope you understand what I mean by ‘gunslinger’) Gail pulled the trigger. (No, she didn’t do herself harm due to stress overload.)
Instead! The Anthology arrives in the Magik Kingdom of Amazon in [3-5 days from 3/29]… so the GLORIOUS COVER REVEAL has been rescheduled to TOMORROW, March 31. So rearrange your social media calendars and plan to BE GLORIOUS AT THE FACEBOOK PAGE!
You MUST see the cover! Even screaming Billy the Squid (who is eaten alive by his family in a short short story I just finished two days ago) would cease screaming as the GLORIOUS COVER wiped away all his pains, soothed his troubled soul, and welcomed him into the eternal kingdom of endless joy. (Not only do all dogs go to heaven, so do squids.)
Its GLORIOUS COVER REVEAL happens April 3, 2017 on the DARK PARADISE: Mysteries in the Land of Aloha Facebook page (which will dramatically descend from the heavens and appear on said date, all glory be to god and editor Gail M Baugniet of the Aloha Sisters in Crime Hawaii chapter, amen).
Along with the cover, there will be tidbits about plot lines, the authors (one of them my awesome wife Shauna) and writing information we’ve picked up along the way. Like the best way to find typos is to put your story into a book layout program? Of course, when you PUBLISH it, grammar nazis will still scream that you used a jot when you should have used a tittle. (Note to grammar nazis: “jot” and “tittle” are SYNONYMOUS.)
The anthology offers 17 mysteries set in Hawaii, including my 5.9% contribution (yes I can do math despite being an English major) humble (but GLORIOUSLY so!) story about a young Japanese woman with the kind of embarrassing problem everyone has – a greedy blackmailer.
You’ll also find Shauna’s glorious story, “The Stranger,” in which a happily-married Jenelle learns some shocking and deadly information about her husband – like just WHY they’re dashing to the airport to flee the islands.
So on Monday, April 3, pop in at the Facebook page and have a glorious visit with everyone. Then I think you’ll agree with me that the cover is the NUMBER ONE CANDIDATE for greatest book cover of 2017. It would win the Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes for book covers hands down. When it appears on bookshelves, all other covers will bow in adoration. (Can you tell that I really like this cover? I am PROUD to have a story behind a cover this great.)
Find out more about it and its other stories from some of the other authors appearing in the anthology. They’ll also post about the cover reveal today and I’m sure many will be hanging out at the Facebook page when it goes live:
So be there and be GLORIOUS!
