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This is in memory of a friend of mine who died on this day.  Though we’d never met (we almost did, but our lines got crossed…), we’d corresponded (best I could figure), over 30 years. This is a very nicely done video done by Paul Helfrich, Bob Terrio, and Rodney Davidson. Great job, guys!

A friend forwarded me a post by M. J. Rose that caused me to throw a powerful fist into the air, shouting “Yeah!”  It’s a post dealing with an issue I’d posted about back in February of this year (Forget Facebook, Hang Twitter!). It says it all and even has some stats to back it up.  This is what I’ve been looking for (thanks, K)!

Thing is, will publishers even take note, let alone to heart? Since I’m an optimist, I’ll say “yes.” I think that even they will see that the light. After all, it’s about return on effort (“ROE”), and this whole social media thing is still quite new–especially in publishing.  Everything’s still in development, so if the Suits want a better return on their investment , you can bet, however long it’ll take them to “get this,” they will, and start behaving more like M. J. Rose says, giving writers more useful tips on how to perform the whole social media/PR thing. Everyone wants more money.

Thanks, M.J.!

Friday night I found this show, called Ghost Adventures, on the Travel Channel. On Friday’s show was an episode called Old Fort Erie, at Ontario, Canada. It was about this fort having been the scene of a nasty battle in 1814. But what really got me in this show, and I’ve seen a couple episodes of this guy, Zak Bagans and his crew’s, work–and really like it–is this is the first time I’ve ever seen–on TV–any so-called “evidence.”

Now, when I see shows like this, though I always consider them scripted, I still consider them “real,” as in the content is not made up. On this point, I’d love to hear from people in “the business” to let me know if I’m off the mark. Can content like this really be faked and put on TV as real, and there be no ramifications to the show/producers?

So, to this end, there was a scene in the kitchen, where the Ghost Adventure guys got one of the re-enactors (who also happened to have had ancestors in this very battle) participate. He was later so shook up by what he’d experienced, he left the kitchen. What shook him up is on this video clip. This is the first time I’ve ever seen such “proof” on TV about any kind of ghost sighting, and which is why I ask if there’s anyone in the TV/movie business who can tell me that such show content can legally be faked. In this clip is the shadow of an arm and elbow moving. Creeeeepyyyyy! The hand looks exactly like something out of the original Max Schreck Nosferatu movie!

Over the past week, as I listened to some of what was on the news and also talked with some about a certain individual who was “taken out” last weekend, I found the responses very interesting. From those who I might have expected quite a different response, I found appalled surprise at those who literally danced in the streets in NYC’s Ground Zero. Now, while I understand the “felt need” from those individuals for their response, it saddens me that any of us rejoices for the killing (and I chose this term deliberately) of any individual.

In my humble-and-not-so-humble (I’m told) opinion, Death is not the end. It’s a shift in consciousness and focus. I get it that not everyone agrees, that’s fine, but that’s not why I object to cheering about another’s killing. I object to it because of the intent surrounding that applause. Why are people cheering certain individuals’ deaths? Is it because those people were so against something that others were against and now that person is forever gone? I’m not getting into rights and wrongs, here, but the philosophy of intents and actions, because (to me) this discussion also involves probable realities and selves and is a bit deeper than I want to get into while keeping things brief.

Here’s something to consider. While we blame a lot of the negative on “others,” might we also consider another point of view? That we all have a part in what is manifest in everyday life?

I recently read a quote from Richard Kendall (second-to-last paragraph) that was given by Seth. That quote is “YOU ARE NOT SO MUCH A PART OF A MEANINGFUL UNIVERSE, AS THE UNIVERSE IN PART.” At the very least it takes away the “distance” aspect of us living in the universe (we are not so much a part of it, baby, we are it), and shedding that misidentification leads to: if we are the “universe in part,” then doesn’t it stand to reason that we have a direct hand in creating it? Even if your point of view is God creating the universe and us and everything…from what were we created?

Something else? Something else not of the universe?

Of course not.

So, if we are the “universe in part,” then might not our actions, our thoughts, our very existence affect the universe? If everything is literally connected to everything else, and we all directly affect everything, how can any one of us point blame at any one individual for anything?

This extends from our every day awareness into the unconsciousness of all of us, but my point is that each of us are who we are, grow to the best of our abilities (again, right and wrong, deviations from the norm are another discussion), and populate the universe with our actions. But I maintain that we all have a hand in it, consciously or unconsciously. That within each of us is some “metaphysical structure” we bring to existence and within which allows for the manifestation of all we see. I don’t believe God (I prefer the term All That Is) creates everything
without our input. I believe All That Is allows for our direct creation of existence. Is the Medium for our expression for individual and en masse value fulfillment. Sure, All That Is is directly involved, but we are All That Is in part. There is no separation.

Therefore, what are we really cheering when we cheer on the killing of anyone?

Like, what the hell, right?

Gotta have a platform.

Have to make it a priority.

Only five minutes a day!

Do it or doom yourself to obscurity (i.e., no sales)….

A PLATFORM.

Ooooh, the very word strikes fear in grown children.

“What is this ‘plat-form’ of which you speak?”, you might very well ask. Ah, go back and click the “plat-form” hyperlink. But, in a nutshell and according to the linked Christina Katz article, it’s what makes you more visible and appealing to your readership. A way to make a name for yourself, to…pun intended…stand above the crowd.

And we all know what else has one stand above a crowd, elevated platform, trap door, 8-13  turns of rope, and all?

I just finished reading a Writer’s Digest article about “50 Simple Ways To Build Your Platform In 5 Minutes A Day.” It was in the March/April 2011 issue, page 40. I have to admit, I loved the article. It gave all kinds of neat little ways to do just this, and I am going to be revisiting this article multiple times as I attempt to implement its ideas.

But, really, five minutes?

There are very few publically acceptable things one can do in five minutes, and as I reread this article, I believe this was more about pulling in readers than actually spending only five minutes a day doing some of this stuff (though the argument could be made), because, once you start doing it, you’ll end up spending way more than just five minutes. That’s the thing about promotion, once you get into these things, it’s easy to keep going, cause time flies. But, read the article…there’s a lot of great, specific, and easy to do ideas, five minutes or not.

Luckily, I don’t yet have a book deal (self-published novel notwithstanding), so I have all the time in the world to get around to these….

Which brings me to Bree Ervin, of Think Banned Thoughts. She posted about how can people like us squeeze even more out of our busy days, while still trying to work a minimum of two jobs, maintain relationships/raise families, and keep any semblance of sanity and a healthy body.

In a word:  we can’t.

At least not without sucking from other already pared down areas of our lives. The sad truth of this is that the only way to do something like this, is for some other area(s) in our lives that have already been deemed important enough to keep doing is made to suffer.

You could not wind down from your insane day in whatever way you’ve been doing so and invest in more caffeine…

You could get back in front of that PC when you get home from your day job instead of talking and interacting and being with your loved ones…

You could get one of them laptop lap desks and bring both into the bathroom when you’re on the john (but, yeah, this one gets complicated when it’s time to, you know)…

You could not go to the gym–hey, that’d free up an hour or two! Why not give up physical fitness altogether? Who needs it, if all you’re really doing all day is sitting behind computers, right?

And kids? Easy one. Let em free range! If it works for pets and cattle, it should work for children even better because they can actually make decisions. Just set out bowls of water and Cheerios…

Am I wrong?

Make it a priority.

Problem is…if we give up so much of what makes us us, something wrong happens. I know, plenty have and are doing it. Are fanatical about it. Have no time for those who can’t seem to find the same time or priorities, and publishers are getting more and more demanding about every author devoting more and more of their lives than they actually have to doing this kind of stuff.

Giving up the body.

Sure, noble. But, thing is, many of us are already giving up the body for our day jobs and what writing time we can carve out of our days. And there’s only so much body to go around.

So this is where the difficult part comes in, Bree. You’ll actually end up writing less. Yes, less, because all you can do is try, and by that I mean you’ll have to round Robin what will suffer in your already packed, everything-already-deemed-important life. When we blog, or do any of those other 50 “five-minute thingees,” we won’t get manuscript work done. That’s it. We’ll occasionally only get five hours of sleep, or see thirty minutes of our loved ones before those five hours of sleep, but that’s how it’s done. But you have to keep doing the other things that make you, you.

And, of course, making it up to family in other ways. That’s just how life works, unless you can Zen Master it by warping time (working on that one, myself…).

And…if anyone lands a full-time writing gig, they can quit their other jobs, but writing full time won’t exactly be a picnic, neither. Then you’ll have to do all those 50 things and more. AND have to work with an editor to rework your manuscript that you already thought was “finished” and get that in yesterday, and have to start and keep going on your new manuscript. And Facebook. And Twitter. And Book signings and conferences. And <fill-in-the-blank-cause-the-busy-just-keep-getting-busier-never-less-busy>. There will be no reprieve, but at least then, you’ll be doing exactly what your whole life’s struggle has been about.

Writing.

Just try not to lose yourself or your loved ones in the process.

Rick Hanson, a friend of mine who has since passed away, and was author of the Adam McCleet series (which I love!), once told me that he’d sometimes wished he’d never gotten a book deal because he was always rushing to beat deadlines and it seemed to take the fun out things. He also had a day job. Miss ya, Rick.

Hang loose, friends….