Textual

This section of the website deals with those creations of mine that rely on the power of words.

He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words ~ Elbert Hubbard American editor and writer, 1856-1915

Words words words.

Words are able to build us up and they are able to destroy us. Words create impressions, images and expectations. They build psychological connections. They influence how we think. Since thoughts determine actions, there's a powerful connection between the words we use and the results we get.

A good example of this is if you talk about a person vs. a body in business. A person is a living breathing being with feelings, connections and needs. A body is a resource requiring management. Another example; If you view an activity you are doing as something you have to do, vs. something you choose to do, you will feel entirely different about it and your performance on it will indicate that.

I'm a very visual person, and yet, I love reading a good book. The right words can conjure up images in my head. Listening to a great speaker, hearing a good radio play, or the right lyrics to a song can also be profoundly fullfilling for me.

In my words

Most of my writing is not intended to carry quite so much power behind it.

When I was young I started writing. At first just small stories, but I found that I dreamed so much and so often that I just needed to get these visions down on paper. Over the years this has grown into a large collection of stories, poetry and other works.

This is the first time I have put them somewhere accessible to the public. If you do like what you see, drop me a line and let me know. A single word of praise can, in itself, be one of the most powerful things of all.

Whatever is in any way beautiful hath its source of beauty in itself, and is complete in itself; praise forms no part of it. So it is none the worse nor the better for being praised. ~ Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor, AD 121-180

Well, so maybe not everyone agrees on the value of praise...

We are motivated by a keen desire for praise, and the better a man is the more he is inspired by glory. The very philosophers themselves, even in those books which they write in contempt of glory, inscribe their names. ~ Marcus Tullius Cicero, Anciet Roman Lawyer, Orator and Scholar, BC 106-43

That's better. Take that Marcus Aurelius!

Genre's

Over the years I have dabbled in quite a few generes. This matches my reading interest, where one day I may pick up a copy of Atlas Shrugged , The Life of Pi or Tuesdays with Morrie , and the next, a copy of Tigana or Elantris . Writing and reading to me is about quality, not genere and I often view it as a challenge to try and write something in a different genere just for the heck of it. In the end, a good story is one that carries with it a lesson or moral.

Here are some quick thoughts on my exploration of each type of literature.

Poetry

I hate poetry. Well, at least I used to. I even wrote (and believe it or not, published!!) under the name I. O. Pheattery. If you're good with anagrams you'll see why. One of my favorite forms of poetry is a form that was used by one of the big American papers (the Chicago Tribune I think), where the author had to tell a complete story using exactly 50 words. The challenge to to both use no more and no less words than 50, but to also tell a complete story that elicts emotional response from the reader, and is complete with plot, character and moral.

Erotica

Really, these are labeled erotica because there are sex scenes. Really though, I tend to prefer slower, romantic stories. Those who know me would be both shocked to discover I write erotica, and also firmly in agreement that I'm a sucker for a sappy movie or romantic story.

Fantasy

A great many of my novellas would be catagorized as fantasy. As a genere I think it has come a long way from the days of Andre Norton and J.R.R. Tolkein. Many works of fantasy today contain all the plot elements of great novels like Les Miserable or War and Peace, and many do not contain any goblins, dwarfs, hobbits or the like. My fantasy sometimes does and sometimes doesn't include elves, but never hobbits. I agree with Golum. Dirty hobbit, nasty hobbits. Who needs em?

Science Fiction

Some of my writing would be categorized as science-fiction. This is a genere that I think is actually not as elegant as it once was. Robert Heinlein was a master of the form. Some modern authors, such as Orson Scott Card though give me hope that this genere won't slip into a world of technobabble and cyberpunk novels.

Fiction

This is a hard category these days. More and more I see vampire books, or spy thrillers on the shelves of the fiction section and I think But aren't those fantasy and sci-fi books? So, in that vein, my story Hunters as well as a couple of others that are set in the 'present day' but with perhaps the odd technological gizmo or toy to back them up would be Fiction. However I have started on one piece that would be best classfied as purely fiction, intended to be more of a Mitch Albom type book. We'll see how successful I am.

Children's

Children are great. They have an imagination that will outpace yours, run in circles around town and still be back in time for dinner. My childrens storys would be fantasy-type tales, but of a simpler sort than the high-fantasy stuff. Think Narnia or Harry Potter compared to Lord Of The Rings. The Land of Oodd is an illustrated alphabet book however, which was a fun side project. Still only at J, I plug away at a letter or two every year.