Thank You Dan Wells

This morning I was having problems with an electronic gadget, so I took it into the store to get fixed. It always takes a long time, so I decided to grab a book to read. I grabbed Dan Wells's latest. I've been looking forward to reading it for some time.

I got to the store, explained the situation, then I sat down to wait and read.

It was a good time, no one bothered me. I did notice one person behind the counter look in my direction a few times, but whatever. My device was fixed in, surprisingly, record time, and I was on my way.

It wasn't until I left that I realized I was reading a book that was clearly titled "I Don't Want to Kill You".

I'm not saying that the book had anything to do with my uninterrupted reading time or even the speedy repair, but you never know.

Has anyone else gotten better service or more attention using this little trick? If so, I'd like to hear about it. If not, it might work for you.

Becoming a Writer

Most software projects have testers. These are the people who get paid to break my code and report problems for me to fix. Without them, my work is a lot harder.

Over the years, I've worked with many people who made the transition from tester to programmer. It seems like a good fit: both of us work with software, we speak the same "language", and we're both detail oriented and have technical expertise.

But it isn't an easy transition. There's one hurdle that I see many people struggle with. You see, testers and programmers have a different view of software.

A tester knows what the program is supposed to do, and they know lots of ways to break it. They know what they are looking for, then perform tests to verify there's nothing wrong.

Programming is different. No longer are there right and wrong answers. There are often many right answers--many different ways to make the software work. Answers that all appear correct to the user, but they each come with a different set of limitations. In fact, there are even wrong answers that will still appear to work correctly for now, but will come back to bite you later.

It's no longer a black-and-white world. It's not whether something passes or fails. It's about more than that.

What's interesting is that I see a similar transition when my friends who are readers become writers. As a reader, we get into the story, the characters, the setting, the writing. We can spot when an author makes mistakes like plot holes or confusing story lines or bad grammar. A well-written story feels like it is inevitable. "Of course he'd make that decision," we say to ourselves even though the decision surprised us.

But as a writer, there isn't anything inevitable about a story even though many beginning writers think so. I used to think so, too. You feel like the story is driving you. Once you are done, you bristle when someone gives you negative feedback. You struggle with how to tweak your story without ruining it.

Well, let me tell you. There are no right answers anymore. There are many ways to tell your story once you get to the heart of it. You an cut out whole characters, change locations, have people make different choices, introduce any conflict you want at any time or take it out again. And you can still have your story.

Once I realized this, I wasn't just telling a story, I was crafting a story. I could experiment. If the changes didn't work, I'd put it back the way it was. I started looking at other stories, not just for entertainment, but so I could see how the masters crafted their scenes, flowed their dialog, and built their settings.

It's a different way to look at story, but for a writer it's much more useful.

Here's an experiment for you. In your current story, go back to a previous scene and change something major. Have a character get hurt so they can't have that conversation or can't accomplish their goal right then. Or put a different character into the scene and watch what happens. For me, the story re-flows around the change all the way to the end. I can then decide which path to take.

Have fun. Experiment. And keep writing.

* I went searching for a picture that would show that "there's more than one path you can take." I think Mike Fleming captured it with this one. I like it. If you like it too, you can check out his work on Flickr.

The (Not Yet) Great Gatsby

A few weeks ago author and vlogger, John Green, announced he would be reading The Great Gatsby and commenting on it through the summer. Since I've never read it before, I thought about picking up a copy, but never did.

Until author, blogger and former literary agent, Nathan Bransford, asked "Which book do you most wish you had written?" His answer: The Great Gatsby.

I couldn't argue with both John and Nathan, so that day I swung by the used-book store and picked up a paperback copy complete with notes scrawled in the margins from the previous owner. I'm now six chapters into the story.

It's not my kind of book. This isn't meant to be derogatory in any way. There are many, wonderful books out there and we all have different tastes. What makes this book interesting is that it could be my kind of book.

If you'll permit me to share a personal anecdote in illustration. You see, my wife and I like visiting art museums. Every few years we decide to see what's on exhibit, but we are different in our approach.

My wife, she prefers to skim through halls sampling many different works until she finds something that speaks to her. Then spends time admiring the details, reading about it, and surveying the works around it.

I, on the other hand, plod through the halls. I prefer to study each work--teasing out the fine points and reading the factoids until I appreciate something about it.

In the end, we both feel enlightened and have tired feet and are ready to go out to eat. My wife's approach allows her to see many more works and discover some that move her. My approach allows me to open my mind to new ideas, new techniques, and appreciate the amazing complexity involved in making something appear simple.

So, here I am with The Great Gatsby. I said before it's not my kind of book, but it's not unpleasant. In the first six chapters I've discovered many things, but two stand out.

First, F. Scott Fitzgerald was a master of flawed characters. Each one flawed in their own, unique way. In fact, unlike many books I've read, this book seems to be built on the characters flaws more than their strengths.

Second, He is also a master of word craft. Sentences, lines, paragraphs, and sections have cadence and rhythm. At times it feels like the words themselves are drawing me forward through the story.

So far, I'm enjoying myself. I think I'll stand here and gaze a bit longer. Who knows what other parts I'll learn to appreciate.

* Mansion photo courtesy of pmschlenkler can be found on Flickr. The Great Gatsby cover image was found online. If you are the copyright holder, I will remove the image if requested.