Their Hearts Run Cold: 30,000 Words

You know what?

Altus still hasn't done his bad thing yet.

And I think that's because I'm rethinking things. I've got a little nugget of thought that's going to help me add a twist to this book that maybe readers won't expect. Altus may still do something bad, but, well, you'll see what happens.

The story is still coming more slowly than the first installment. Maybe that's good, and maybe that's bad. But I'm finding solace in this quote from "Dune" author Frank Herbert:

A man is a fool not to put everything he has, at any given moment, into what he is creating. You're there now doing the thing on paper. You're not killing the goose, you're just producing an egg. So I don't worry about inspiration, or anything like that. It's a matter of just sitting down and working. I have never had the problem of a writing block. I've heard about it. I've felt reluctant to write on some days, for whole weeks, or sometimes even longer. I'd much rather go fishing, for example, or go sharpen pencils, or go swimming, or what not. But, later, coming back and reading what I have produced, I am unable to detect the difference between what came easily and when I had to sit down and say, "Well, now it's writing time and now I'll write." There's no difference on paper between the two.

I just need to know: Am I putting everything in to what I'm writing? And am I even cognizant enough of my own skills to answer that question honestly?

My answers: Most of the time, yes. That goes for both questions.

Want to read parts of my novel in progress? Send me an e-mail at misterfweem (at) yahoo.com, and I'll add you to my reading group at the Targhee Writers Blog.

Guilty Guiltiness, Part II

Frank Herbert is an interesting writer. God Emperor of Dune, like his other Dune books, is a set of conversations. Very static situations, interspersed very conservatively with action sequences that are over in the matter of a few pages. He treats action with kid gloves, while giving conversation full focus. So why am I caught up in this book? Admittedly, it's a simpler read than Dune. But might that be due to the fact I'm now familiar with Herbert's architecture, so that reading this book is easier than when I was a Dune acolyte? I found the same with Tolkein's The Silmarillion. Tried to read that as a youngster and just couln't get through it. No Bilbo whatsoever. But in the meantime, I've read LOTR over and over again. Michelle got The Silmarillion for me a few Christmases ago, and I was able to sit and read it, and actually enjoy it. The difference was I'd filled up on Tolkein before coming back to this book. Frank Smith is right in Understanding Reading that it's easier to read if you can rely on your prior knowledge.

Reminds me of Phil Connors' line from Groundhog Day: "Maybe that's how God got to be God. He's just been around for so long, he knows everything." I know that's not a direct quote; it's a paraphrase. But it's close enough to the original I'm not bothered.

On to other news: THe raids on the FLDS compound in El Dorado, Texas. Glad they did it. Utah and Arizona should have gotten more involved in breaking this mess up when the group was still in Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona. Don't know why they didn't. But then there's a lot of sentiment in that area that this is a question of religious tolerance, elthough it's hard to see why when we, tolerant of religion, wouldn't want to see our own children forced into ploygamous relationships. There's a big disconnect here. You didn't see people saying Elizabeth Smart's kidnappers, who put her into a polygamous relationship, should have been allowed to do so. But, they argue, that was a kidnapping. Not voluntary. I counter: What's gone on in El Dorado, marrying off children to grown adults, didn't sound all that voluntary either. Shame on them.

A Guilty. . .Guiltiness

Yes, you've read right. I'm reading a Frank Herbert book. I know he has that reputation of believing he's smarter than everyone else in the universe, and for writing books that could very well be soap operas if they weren't so damn long, but there's just something compelling about reading Herbert. You can count on his characters being arrogant, God-like, weak-minded and sneaky when they need to be. Sure, you could say the characters don't change from book to book, just the names do. Go ahead. I say it. But his books are still a joy to read.

My favorite? The White Plague. I'd like to see someone make a movie of that one, but as with his other books, it would be a hard one to translate onto the screen. I like this one because there's an air of plausability about his tale of bioterrorism that you just don't get in other tales, because he has the talent to fill things out. The only thread I didn't much understand was the killing of the Pope in Philadelphia. He lost me on that.

I hear that someone's making a third attempt at filming Dune. Good luck to them. . .