Random Thoughts – Page 63 – The ramblings of an addled mind.

Star Trek Economics – A Lesson in World Building

Star Trek Cast - the original series — Promo photo found on Wikipedia

This morning my wife, Marie, and I were talking economics over breakfast. This was not the stereotypical husband/wife economics discussion, which usually seems to be about how high the bills are and which one of them is going to sell a kidney to pay those bills. No, we were actually talking “economics” when out of the blue Marie asks, “And what about those people on Star Trek: they never get paychecks, never pay bills, never have to buy stuff, never get fired. How do they do that?”

The remainder of this post is a distillation of our discussion of that topic, and it seems relevant to this blog because it is a valuable lesson in world building. Continue reading “Star Trek Economics – A Lesson in World Building”

Practical Pricing of eBooks

ebook pricing price Lately I’ve been reading quite a few articles offering advice on pricing an eBook. They range from the adamant insistence that all eBooks should be 99 cents to the almost snobbish claims that artistic integrity demands that eBooks be priced the same as paper books – and hard bounds at that! Most of the proponents of a particular view have a good point to make, but these points are all too often used to whitewash the entire spectrum of eBook genres and their authors with a one-size must fit all attitude. I vigorously disagree with that, and I’d like to chime in on some of the other views I’ve heard discussed and add one or two of my own. Continue reading “Practical Pricing of eBooks”

Listening Ears

Communication is one of life’s most necessary events. The ability to convey our thoughts to another person and to receive their thoughts as well is indeed a blessing. Words, whether written or spoken, become the vehicle by which we express what is on our minds.

Words beautifully arranged in perfect composition or in eloquent speech, however, do not necessarily mean communication has occurred. We may write or say what we really mean, but unless the one reading or listening is on the same frequency we may not accurately communicate. Words sometimes fail us because of the human tendency to misunderstand. How frustrating when our best attempts to communicate are misinterpreted. Good communication occurs when we work hard at giving and receiving the same signals.

It is not always other people’s fault when they misunderstand what we think is clear speech. We may need to sit where they sit and listen with their ears to what we are saying. Seeking to understand another’s misunderstanding is one of life’s most loving expressions. We all have an emotional as well as a mental vocabulary. Some words have an emotional meaning which is not found in the dictionary. The cultural and psychological circumstances which birthed us have a lot to do with what we hear and what we say. To grasp this reality is an aid to good communication. Continue reading “Listening Ears”

Moment of Truth

Hurt, resentment and a bit of anger welled up from my heart and swirled around my brain stem begging to be vocalized and hurled at my unsuspecting wife. Not long ago I would have opened my mouth and given release to them, but years of training were finally paying off and caused my jaw muscles to clench for a moment while I reviewed the situation. What had actually just happened? Is this response appropriate?

It began a few minutes earlier that bright sunny, Sunday morning. My wife; Marie, and I got into the truck to go to church. I turned the key, fully expecting to hear the familiar quick rowr-rowr-rowr of the starter motor turning over the engine followed by the purr of combustion indicating a successful start. Instead all we heard was the rapid metallic fluttering of a solenoid failing to engage. I knew that sound all too well. Continue reading “Moment of Truth”

AVOID LITEARY PRATFALLS

Ken Consaul is, like many writers, a man of diverse backgrounds. He has been a custom home builder, general contractor, cabinet shop owner, restorer of classic cars, waterbed salesman, loan officer, and several less savory vocations we will not discuss. He is a painter and writer and makes reproduction antique furniture as a hobby. He blogs on occasion at bonnershouse.com

Ken Consaul is the author of Bonner’s Road West, a family saga about two young people, their fortunes joined by the tragedy of a cholera outbreak. Together they decide to continue on to Oregon with another party of emigrants. They marry and, at Fort Laramie in Wyoming, hear tales of the discovery of gold in California. They split from their party and form another, determined to make their fortune in the new territory. Serialized into five segments, Bonner’s Road West is available at Amazon.

It’s the middle of the night when inspiration jolts you awake. What a great idea for a new writing project, you say. Leaping from bed, you start writing down ideas so you don’t fall asleep and then forget everything by morning (BTDT). The words line up effortlessly. The sentences are concise, clever, and lead effortlessly to the next gem. Finally, with notes appended for future scenes, the muse departs and you return to a self-satisfied rest. Continue reading “AVOID LITEARY PRATFALLS”