The Character I Have Created

My writing tends to be about subjects that I am not a big believer in, which I find kind of weird. For example, the Caleb Devin Chronicles is about a space alien taking over the Earth. I do not believe that there are space aliens coming to take over the Earth, but yet I write about them.

Writers are actors who use a different stage

The next book series I am starting mixes science fiction with religious mythology. While I love science fiction, I am not a religious person. But I still find religious subjects fascinating, and I never seem to run out of ways to twist Christianity to meet my plot device needs.

It also seems to me that the more adamant I am against a subject, the more I enjoy writing about it. I absolutely dismiss the idea that we have ever been visited by space aliens, and I won't be waiting by the television any time soon to watch the big invasion of Earth on CNN. I simply do not believe in space aliens. However, I have a long list of space alien-based stories I will be writing in the future that I am excited about.

When I kind of step outside myself for a little while and examine the way I write, I am able to see that the author in me is a character I have created. The author in me is interested in topics that hold no interest for me under any other circumstances at all. It is the author in me that asks the "what if" questions and always comes back with answers that have to do with space aliens, monsters, demons, angels and holy wars. It could also be that those topics are just cool to write about. 

If you have ever considered writing a story, then remember to open up your mind and be prepared to write the coolest stories ever about things you would normally have no interest in. I think that some of the best writers are different people when they sit down to write stories. Good writers are actually playing a character they created when they write. Is Stephen King really that creepy and spooky in real life? When we saw him do a live reading on the campus of Harvard University, he did not seem that way.

The ability to be someone else and write from a different perspective is one of the biggest attractions for fiction writers. Biographers and non-fiction writers like to deal in facts and get obsessed with presenting information exactly as it is found. I don't think that biographers have that author character they play when they sit down to write. Biographers and non-fiction writers seem to me to be very straightforward people, which goes with the territory.

Fiction writers in any genre tend to adopt an author character that will write about many things that the writer would normally want nothing to do with. Some fiction writers have several author characters they play, which strikes me as confusing. I play one author character and it is a character that is completely different from my real personality. That is one of the many things that makes writing fiction so much fun,

Connecting With Your Community

I was reading over some of the news websites and I could not help but think of how depressing the news has been the past few years. With riots all over the country and random mass murders taking place, it can make the future seem pretty bleak.

In the wake of this type of news, I started to wonder what anyone could do to put a stop to all of this senseless violence. Can we elect public officials who can take action? Should we consider new laws to try and disarm criminals who tend to ignore the law in the first place? Is there any point in even leaving the house anymore?

Then it occurred to me that a problem this big cannot be tackled all at once. There was a time in the United States when people were proud of where they were from. Teenagers got involved in high school sporting events with rival schools because they wanted to show off their school colors. It seems like, as people become more detached from each other thanks to mobile technology, this notion of pride in one's community is lost. People just don't care about where they live anymore, and it is causing the fabric of our society to unravel.

If you want to make this country a better place, then start with the community right outside your door. Don't worry about cities and towns hundreds of miles away, because those places do not directly affect your quality of life. You should work with your neighbors to make your town a better place, and the rest will take care of itself.

The United States is a place where small towns are supported by small businesses. More people work for small businesses than for large corporations by a large margin, and more people live in small towns than in big cities as well. If we can start sewing back together the fabric of our small town society, then maybe the rest of the problems will start to take care of themselves.

Perception Tainted By Delusion

Anyone who knows me knows that I follow the situation with North Korea pretty closely. I do it because I am constantly amazed at how the Kim Jong-Un government persists on being a good example of perception tainted by delusion. North Korea has no money, is low on food, and has what can best be described as a rudimentary military. Yet, Kim Jong-Un insists on trying to get attention on the world stage by pushing his country closer and close to war with South Korea and the United States.

I would imagine, although I do not know for sure, that North Korea feels that China would assist if hostilities ever broke out on the Korean peninsula. But I also have to believe that China's current economic crisis and the fact that Kim Jong-Un has basically brought this trouble on himself would make China prefer to sit any conflict out. Without China, North Korea is essentially helpless, but yet that is not the way Kim Jong-Un sees things.

He has a large military with a significant number of troops, but I look at the North Korean army in the same way that I looked at the Iraqi army. Each army was a collection of a lot of people who were not properly trained, malnourished, and ill-equipped to fight a war. A ground assault against North Korea would probably last the few weeks that it took the U.S. military to get into Iraq and topple Saddam Hussein's government.

In this instance, the lead force attacking North Korea would be South Korea. The Korean War is the war that never ends and, unfortunately, it looks like any ending to this conflict would come at a great cost to the North Korean people. This is a population that is brainwashed into thinking that the United States is just waiting to attack and that Kim Jong-Un is the greatest leader in the world. It is a perception tainted by delusion.

As Kim Jong-Un moves his country closer to a conflict it simply cannot win, I have to wonder how much of Kim's perception is tainted by delusion as well. I would think that, if there is real intelligence to gain on the United States and South Korea, that Kim Jong-Un has access to some of it. But yet he insists on threatening the United States and taking pot shots at South Korea.

I feel sorry for the people of North Korea because there is no way this can end well for them. They are already starving and now they may have to put up with having their homes destroyed and their lives disrupted thanks to the delusions of their leader. In the end, Kim Jong-Un is just another person who proves that perceptions tainted by delusions can not only be wrong, they can be really dangerous as well.

Godzilla Blu-Ray Releases

I am a Godzilla nerd and I am also in the process of converting my Godzilla VHS tapes to DVD. But in the process of making the transition, everything changed and now it looks like a slew of Blu-Rays are coming out. This is not a surprise as it is all part of promotion for the upcoming "Godzilla" movie being released on May 16, 2014. I wanted to give G-fans a rundown on what is supposed to be released and when.

I want to point out that I am not including links to any of the Blu-Rays because I try to stay away from too many links in my content. But I am going to include some pictures with citations that you can probably follow back to a site where you can buy the movies.

Being Released On April 1, 2014

King Kong vs. Godzilla

Image via Amazon.com

I have never been a fan of this movie, but it is the movie that helped to launch Godzilla in the United States. Since Goji fans owe this movie a debt of gratitude, I will recommend that you get it.

Godzilla vs. Biollante

Image via Amazon.com

I have my Blu-Ray copy of this movie already because it was released early, which is probably why it is so hard to find copies of it now. If you see this one available, then pick it up because it looks like quantities will be limited.

Being Released On May 6, 2014

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah / Godzilla vs. Mothra

Image via Amazon.com

There are a few sets being released on May 6 and they are all worth getting. These are the newer movies where Godzilla squares off against King Ghidorah, and then Mothra. These are fun movies and they have a very different look than those 1960's and 1970's movies you are used to.

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah / Godzilla vs. Megaguirus

Image via Amazon.com

It is hard to describe the movie with Destoroyah as it was marketed as the movie where Godzilla dies, but he doesn't. Both of these are great movies and worth buying.

Godzilla vs. Mechgodzilla II / Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla

Image via Amazon.com

I love the original 1960's era Mechagodzilla movie, but the new ones just seem to fall short for me. But, then again, I love the Spacegodzilla movie and that gets panned by everyone.

Godzilla vs. Hedorah

Image via Amazon.com

Godzilla and the Smog Monster go at it with the world's environment at stake. This is one of the more politically charged Godzilla movies, but it is a good one.

Godzilla vs. Gigan

Image via Amazon.com

The Gigan movie is a good one, but it was part of a string of G-movies that were poorly produced and eventually caused the downfall of the original franchise.

Godzilla: Final Wars / Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.

Image via Amazon.com

These are two perfect movies to pair together because they are movies where Godzilla simply kicks ass all around.

This is a really basic list of what is coming out. There will be more to come, and there will be all kinds of new Godzilla toys as well. I probably won't dedicate anymore blog space to Godzilla, but I had to give at least one spot to my obsession.

By the way, if you are waiting for the Godzilla vs. Megalon Blu-Ray release then just buy the DVD. The Blu-Ray release was completely fouled up by an American company and now that Blu-Ray might not see the light of day for years.

Would Vladimir Putin's Management Style Work For Your Small Business?

Image via Flickr by Jedimentat44

Russian president Vladimir Putin has been in the news a lot lately because of his actions involving Ukraine. As far as Putin and Russia are concerned, Crimea is now an official part of Russia. The paperwork was all signed and made official by Russian and Crimean leaders earlier this week.

The problem is that the United States, Ukraine, and the rest of the world do not recognize the Crimean government as being legal, which means that the annexation treaty is not valid. According to Putin, everything is just fine and the West should mind its own business.

Sounds great, doesn't it? If you have the brass cojones to ignore the rest of the world, then you can start expanding your empire at will. Wouldn't it be great if you could do the same thing for your small business? You could just go out there and claim whatever you want as your own and grow your own little empire. Unfortunately, it does not work like that in the real world.

Putin Is Not "All There"

German prime minister Angela Merkel has close ties with Putin and Russia, and she has been trying to prevent any real tensions regarding Ukraine. The problem is that Merkel describes Putin as "in another world" and that he was out of touch with reality. In other words, Putin is nuts.

Putin Is Not Your Business Role Model

As part of my daily routine, I like to read responses to big news stories on the Internet and there has been a shocking number of business professionals who feel that the Putin approach is the right approach to business. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In some political climates, an autocrat can be successful because he forces those around him to bend to his will. Putin spins information in such a way that he tries to make himself look like a hero to his people by manipulating the media. There are several reasons why Putin's approach would never work in the business world.

Negotiation Is The Foundation Of Strong Business

Putin does not negotiate; he takes things. In the business world, you simply cannot take business from a client. You have to negotiate with that client and earn that business. You cannot take a smaller company and make it part of your company. You have to negotiate a sale or merger that will allow your company to assimilate the assets of the other company into your business culture.

Vladimir Putin does not understand the power of negotiation. When you learn to negotiate properly, you can acquire and achieve more than you ever could by taking things. Work on your negotiation skills and you will earn far more than you could ever take.

Every Strong Business Needs Allies

Putin is alienating Russia and he doesn't seem to care. In the business world, you cannot alienate your company if you want to succeed. Strength and power in the business world come from what you have and who you know. If what you have attracts a more valuable class of allies, then you have a significant advantage over the competition.

Keep Your Small Business Strong

Small businesses survive by establishing strong relationships with customers, vendors, and employees. A small business grows when it is able to negotiate deals with clients and beneficial transactions with others in the business community.

The "storm the castle" approach of Russian president Vladimir Putin can seem romantic and appealing, but it is just a one-way ticket to disaster for your small business.

Details Like the Ocean Tides

The wife and I just got back from celebrating our wedding anniversary in Kennebunkport, Maine. We love going to Kennebunkport, but we don’t spend any real time staring at the Bush compound where W’s daddy lives. I find it kind of funny that there is an area set up along the side of the road so people can park and take a picture of George H.W. Bush’s house. It’s a nice house, but he is only there during the summer.



I have decided that I am going to get into the study of tides and oceanography, or whatever they call it, because I really need to know where the ocean goes each and every day. If you have never seen a tide come in or go out, then you are missing something pretty interesting.



Everyday around 2:30pm, the water would start rushing into the port area and fill up the port basin and the area where the little shops are. It is moving so fast you would swear that it is moving downhill. At around 7:00pm, you can see it rushing back out of the port area just as quickly. I am not an expert on ocean tides, so this little ritual fascinates me. Even if I were an expert on ocean tides, I still think that the sight of the ocean moving rapidly in opposing directions each and every day, like clockwork, would freak me out.



The great thing about places like Kennebunkport is that they force you to be patient in order to enjoy the little miracles of life. As we were driving out of New York State, two plane paths had crossed in the sky. From our vantage point, it looked like they intersected, but that was probably not the case.



As the two paths expanded and started to dissipate, they did so in such a way that it created the image of a large bird in the sky. The wife got a picture of it and it is pretty cool. They look like clouds that are completely out of place, and that is what makes it look so interesting.



We stopped at a lot of places and the wife took a lot of pictures. She is getting really good at capturing a moment. She has several pictures she took of simple ocean waves that I think are good enough to frame and sell. Then she managed to snap a picture of a perfect spider web that was enhanced by the morning dew and an ideal kiss of light from the morning sun. The funny thing about that picture is that she hates spiders, but she hung in there long enough to get a great picture.



I am always a “big event” kind of guy. I won’t get my phone out to take a picture unless it is something really spectacular. But, on our trip, my wife taught me the value of paying attention to the very details that make up our life.



The whole idea of her ability to see the monumental events in common occurrences struck a chord with me as I was looking the pictures over this morning. It occurred to me that, right up until our trip to Kennebunkport, my wife was fully prepared to enjoy the next phase of our life together, and I was not.



Someone once told me that if you pay attention to your wife, then you can never go wrong. Oh, wait a minute; it was my wife who told me that. But she is right. I am so caught up in the big picture changes that are happening to both of us that I was not prepared to take in the details.



A simple wave rolling in over the rocks is significant because we don’t get the chance to see ocean waves every day. Maybe she has been trying to teach me about the details in life all along and I never really paid attention. How ironic is that?



I still have a ton of things I need to do to start achieving my professional goals for the next few years. I have stories to write and products to sell. But I get it now about the importance of the details in life.



As I get older, it becomes even more important that I not let the details slip by me. I am not going to get many more chances to transition to a next phase in my life, so I better pay closer attention to my wife and make sure that I savor the details along with conquering the big picture challenges. In the end, it is all an important part of our life together and the future of our growing family.