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Sam Knight's Blog, page 9
May 22, 2017
Straight Outta Tombstone
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Come visit the Old West, the land where gang initiations, ride-by shootings and territory disputes got their start. But these tales aren’t the ones your grandpappy spun around a campfire, unless he spoke of soul-sucking ghosts, steam-powered demons and wayward aliens.
Here then are seventeen stories that breathe new life in the Old West. Among them: Larry Correia explores the roots of his best-selling Monster Hunter International series in “Bubba Shackleford’s Professional Monster Killers.” Jim Butcher reveals the origin of one of the Dresden Files’ most popular characters in “Fistful of Warlock.” And Kevin J. Anderson’s Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I., finds himself in a showdown in “High Midnight.” Plus stories from Alan Dean Foster, Sarah A. Hoyt, Jody Lynn Nye, Michael A. Stackpole, and many more.
This is a new Old West and you’ll be lucky to get outta town alive!
Can’t wait to take your chances? You can get INTO the town on July 4th, 2017. The anthology is up for pre-order now on Amazon and on Barnes & Noble.
If you want to have a sneak peek, head on over to Baen’s website (http://www.baen.com/straight-outta-tombstone.html) where you can, for free, read three of the stories online, including Bubba Shackleford’s Professional Monster Killers by Larry Correia, Trouble in an Hourglass by Jody Lynn Nye, and The Buffalo Hunters by Sam Knight (that’s me!).
I have had comments that the opening of my story, The Buffalo Hunters, was a little unbelievable. Aside from the fact that my story is supernatural fiction set in the Weird West rather than the Old West, I am proud of myself as a writer, and ashamed of us all as humans, to report that the opening scene on the train is very much based upon fact. If you would like to know more about that, I have a post on the origin of my idea for The Buffalo Hunters here: http://samknight.com/?page_id=2445
I would also like to mention how proud I am to have my story included with some incredibly talented authors:
Bryan Thomas Schmidt & Ken Scholes
May 20, 2017
Short Stories: Good for the Novelist, Good for the Career, Good for the Soul
This year I did a panel at the Pikes Peak Writers Conference, along with Fleur Bradley, Shannon Lawrence, and Stant Litore, titled Short Stories: Good for the Novelist, Good for the Career, Good for the Soul.
The panel went by too quickly and we all but ran out of time singing out praise and reasons for writing short stories. I had several people come up and ask questions afterwards, so I thought I would put up some of the things we went over on the panel. I hope it gives you some nourishing food for thought.
Short stories are an oft-overlooked gateway to many advantageous things in a writer’s career. Here are some good reasons to consider writing, and maybe even publishing, some short stories:
If you can’t finish a short story, what makes you think you can finish a novel?
Seriously. You have an epic decalogy planned but you think you can’t handle a measly two to eight thousand word short story? Think about that for a moment.
And just what exactly is a chapter in a novel? It’s a short story. Or it should be. Each chapter needs to have its own smaller story arc to keep the momentum of the story moving forward. This translates into the need for a hook, a conflict, and a resolution. The only real difference is that at the end of a chapter, something should happen that keeps the story moving forward instead of resolving and ending the story. (Until the last chapter, of course!)
Writing short stories can be good practice for controlling the pacing of the chapters in your novel. Outlining short stories can be good practice for outlining your multi-generational epic space opera. Editing short stories is just good practice for any writing you do.
Limiting the space you have in which to tell the story can help you learn to condense a story and avoid being unnecessarily verbose in your novel, such as finding ways to make sure you’ve described a scene without over-describing it, or learning how to include a “message” or a “moral” in the story without having the moral be the story. It can also help to increase your focus on dialog and characterization and help you learn to take advantage of preconceived and even stereotypical notions to surprise readers.
You can use short stories to explore ideas that you think might make a good novel. Perhaps you’ll realize that the idea really only merited ten pages and not four hundred after all. Short stories can help you to establish copyrights to your Intellectual Properties. A copyright is a copyright whether it is for your decalogy or for a short story. You will have established, and protected, the basis for the world your stories take place! (Remember, although you don’t HAVE to register a work to have copyright, it makes a BIG difference should problems arise. Don’t take chances with your big ideas. $35 is cheap compared to some of the headaches of the future.)
You can use them to create the backgrounds for your secondary characters, helping you to better understand their motives and desires. You might even end up with content good enough to use to promote or accessorize your novel! Or you may end up with enough to publish your own collection of short stories.
Which brings me to reasons not necessarily directly related to writing novels.
You can sell your short stories for money! Really! There are places that buy and publish short stories. Not only that, it’s possible to sell your short stories multiple times! When your rights revert back to you on your short stories (which depends upon your contracts. Always read contracts!* See notes at the end of this!) you can publish your own collection of your short stories or maybe re-sell them as previously published to venues that might really want your story again!
Publishing short stories can also kick-start your writing career. Having published short stories shows you can write and work with editors, and having several short stories published can show you are in this for the long haul. Agents and publishes notice this, and the exposure adds up, and can be kept up between your novels being released. Editors and publishers may even start asking you for stories. Contests can be great exposure as well, but beware of the entry rules! *See the links to the warnings below.
This can lead to making new connections. Many local authors and publishers get involved in local anthologies, and that becomes a great way to meet and get involved in your local community. (Contrary to what many people say and would like to beleive, a huge part of getting published really is who you know. Just like most other jobs out there.)
Writing short stories can also help you break out of “writer’s block.” A short story doesn’t really detract too much from the novel you are working on, and it gets you writing again. Sometimes that little push is all you need to start that motor up again. Not to mention that actually selling a short story feels great and is a huge boost to your self-confidence.
You can also use short stories to learn how to outline or, conversely, learn how to “wing it.” You can try out new genres, experiment with new writing styles and perspectives, and maybe even see if a new pen name fits you well.
No matter how you look at it, there is a little something for everyone to gain from trying their hand at short stories.
* see more on contracts here:
Thoughts on Contracts from your friend Sam Knight
Also, please heed this warning:
What Every Writer (and you, too!) Needs to Know About Terms of Service RIGHT NOW!
May 18, 2017
Thoughts on Contracts from your friend Sam Knight
When I send out contracts, I tend to include warnings in my emails like this:
**PLEASE READ YOUR CONTRACT**
Make sure you read and understand ANY contract you get from ANYONE! Get a dis-interested third party to explain anything you do not understand. Make sure you are happy with what you understand before signing it!
Historically, people who have signed contracts that they did not read and/or understand have very much regretted it. You shouldn’t inherently trust a contract. With anyone. EVER! I mean it! Learn from other people’s mistakes.
If there is anything in a contract you don’t understand:
1) ask
2) don’t trust the person(s) who wrote the contract or who stand to benefit to be honest. Ask someone else too. Preferably someone who has your best interest at heart.
3) verify this with a disinterested 3rd party. Like a lawyer. (You are MUCH better off with a lawyer familiar with the industry. Other lawyers not as experienced will miss the hidden “gotchas!”)
While there is a lot of standard “that’s just the way it is” BS in boilerplate contracts, that doesn’t mean you have to sign a contract . YOU NEVER HAVE TO SIGN A CONTRACT. If someone is pressuring you to sign a contract right now! or the offer goes away! you can bet there is a reason that is not good for you.
In most situations, most things are negotiable.
Check for errors. Sometimes there are cut and paste errors with names and titles on forms like these. Make sure your name is correct and spelled correctly. If you are using a pen name, make sure it shows the pen name correctly and your real name correctly. (NEVER do business under your pen name without disclosing your real name. You could end up in trouble for fraud.)
Always heed the rule of getting a disinterested 3rd party’s opinion if you aren’t sure about contract stuff. Your editor or your agent is NOT a disinterested 3rd party. Yes, your agent wants you to make money so they can make money, but the best way for them to make money is not always the best way for you to make money.
Also, be aware that EULAs (Terms of Service) on websites are contracts. Take warning and read this as well:
What Every Writer (and you, too!) Needs to Know About Terms of Service RIGHT NOW!
May 5, 2017
An Example of Symbolism
And then I remembered how silly and clunky those things were when they came out.
Yes, I am old enough to remember when they came out. And they were pricey and looked like a stainless steel brick. History shows a mixed reception of the DeLorean at the time. They caught the public eye. They ended up on back-order because to many people wanted one. But I remember people I knew laughing or rolling their eyes at them, especially when hearing things like the doors leaked in the rain, and no one I knew seemed a whit surprised when the company began to fail.
I had forgotten the story about Johnny Carson, very much in the public eye at that time, being an investor in DeLorean and having his DeLorean break down during the test drive after he first received it. The DeLorean was plagued with problems and became a joke (at least in my area of the world) much as the Pinto had (a car that was recalled because it could possibly explode if rear-ended).
Then the movie came out. Yes, THAT movie. But by then, if I remember right, John DeLorean had already made a mess of himself by getting caught up in the news with drug dealing. At least that was the way I remembered it. I just now looked it up and was surprised to find he got off because of “entrapment”. Either that part didn’t make much news, or I didn’t care enough to remember. I do remember seeing him on the news asking, “Would you buy a used car from me?”
It was a joke. Of course not. None of us would have.
Seeing that DeLorean on the road today made me think about symbols and the power they hold over us.
When the DeLorean came out, I laughed at it. I wasn’t old enough to buy one, or even drive, to be honest, but I truly found it laughable. And now, today, I found myself unable to take my eyes off of one as it drove down the street.
I hadn’t realized this until just now, but when the DeLorean appeared in Back to the Future, I laughed. We all did. I am pretty sure it was supposed to be a joke.
“…it’s a DeLorean… What—”
(Doc interrupts and explains stuff)
“Wait a minute… Wait a minute… Doc. Are you telling me you built a time machine—out of a DeLorean?”
“The way I see it, if you’re going to build a time machine out of a car, why not do it with some style!”
Right…, I thought when I saw this in the theater for the first time. Doc has no sense of style or utility! Plus, they’re cheap! (I couldn’t find any resource on this to back me up, but if my memory serves correctly, DeLoreans were becoming pretty darn cheap around the time a movie studio would have been deciding what kind of car they could buy multiples of in case they crashed one while making a movie. No one wanted to buy a car notorious for leaks and breakdowns from a drug-dealing crook!)***
That joke didn’t last. Somehow, amazingly, the Back to the Future movie managed to negate one of its own jokes, turning it on its head and making it a factual comment instead.
huh.
Why? Because the DeLorean became the symbol for those movies and those movies have themselves become a beloved symbol of a “better time”. (It wasn’t really better, but you know, hindsight wears 20/20 prescription rose-colored glasses.)
And now, I can see something I used to laugh at, mock, and think ill of, and it mesmerizes me and makes me think of things I love and give me good feelings, and I like it….
Symbols are powerful.
And it scares me to realize the reverse of this example is also true. I don’t usually make much in the way of political statements, but I would just take a moment to say that in the last few years I have seen symbols twisted to apply to things they didn’t before. To mean things they didn’t before. To get us to beleive, accept, agree with, and want things we didn’t before.
I’m not going to tell you what to beleive. I’m not going to bother you with what I beleive. I do want to suggest that you should be cognizant of the power symbols seem to hold over us, as I am trying to be aware of the power they hold over me.
That all being said, I am beginning to understand why some book covers and movie posters do better than others. And some books and movies, for that matter.
I hope to be able to apply this lesson to other areas in my life.
***
I did find this. Note the date at the bottom of the page.
May 3, 2017
A Little Pat on the Back
A little pat on the back. That’s all most of us need to get us through the day.
Writers are no different. We just need a little pat on the back every now and then.
Bad reviews, negative comments, and rejection letters can really add up. It can be hard to keep going on, putting yourself out there, making yourself a target for criticisms. I try not to focus on the bad things. But it can be hard. I’ve had a couple of one or two star reviews, along with comments that made me wonder if they were really talking about my book, because the words didn’t seem to fit. Kind of like repeatedly using the word “wet” when talking about the lunar surface. You might find a way to say it once that makes sense, like “it’s not wet”, but if you keep saying that, it makes me think we are talking about different things.
So I do my best to ignore those and move on.
But it takes a lot of good things said to a writer to erase the hurt caused by even one bad. Even a bad one that makes no sense that you eventually have to put out of your mind as not really related to you. Those still hurt.
So when I get a good one, I hold on to it. I treasure it. I cherish it.
And I want to share a couple with you. One publically, the others edited to protect the innocent, as I didn’t want to seek their permission to put these up, or embarrass them if I did. (Or myself if they said no!)
I moved back to Colorado in 2010 and started trying to get published. It took over a year to get my first story published. It took another year for the next one. It took over three years to publish something that someone actually went out of their way to compliment.
That someone was Aaron Micheal Ritchey. (He doesn’t know this. If you tell him quickly, you may be the first to do so.) He said, “Sam Knight left me feeling satisfied.” He gave me permission to quote him on that. I asked him moments after the words came out of his mouth. You know, after I stopped laughing. He didn’t realize I was Sam Knight when he told me that. That was how we met. The story was Captain SamJack’s Terror Emporium.
Now, I’m not going to say I was on the verge of giving up writing at that point, but I will say it recharged some seriously low batteries somewhere deep in my soul.
It took nearly another year before such another “feel good” came my way. I submitted a story and didn’t really expect much from it. I mean, I really liked the story, but, you know, that didn’t mean anyone else would, and I had fallen into a routine of not expecting compliments. I don’t fish for them, and I don’t much care for when I see other people fishing. Which means it had been a while since I had received one. Then I got the acceptance e-mail. (Names and content have been edited to protect the innocent.)
“Are you kidding me? For years I get an endless stream of (X kind of) stories or stories about the (Y thing), or stories about the (X thing with the Y thing). And just about each time I think “Why can’t anyone ever send me a story about (Z)? Why? Why?” Then, low and behold, on the last day of submissions, is a story about (Z). Wow. A contract will be forthcoming.”
I have proudly shown this e-mail to many people. If you are the one who wrote it, and you still recognize it after my edits, I just want to say thank you. Your enthusiastic acceptance has kept me plugging along many a night.
In 2014, again nearly a year later, I and a story of mine were mentioned by name in a Publisher’s Weekly starred review of an anthology. This, I thought, was pretty darn cool. Most of us writers do. (A “starred review” means Publisher’s Weekly is telling people “Hey! Check this one out!”)
This also carried me on for quite a while. Just about hurt myself patting myself on the back over it. Not really. But seriously, it helps. Going for long stretches without positive reinforcement is rough, especially when you can’t seem to buy a review. (Not that I would, but you know what I mean. Or maybe you don’t. See footnote at end of this.)
Getting an opportunity to co-author with Kevin J. Anderson was another such moment. If he thought I was good enough to work with, well… I must be! Right?
Right? I dunno. Maybe. It’s hard to keep up the excitement of one event over an extended period of time. Life seeps in the cracks and slows us down.
A “meh” review here, a nasty comment there, and a writer quickly falls into the dumps.
But then Kevin asked me to co-author with him a second time. That’s some serious positive affirmation there. I hold that as near and dear as the others on this list.
But that too, fades. Until I really think about it. But like all types of things, it always comes down to a “what have you done for me lately” type of thing. (Not you, Kevin, I mean in general, but you know, if you’re looking…) And then us writers start to feel sad again. It’s been a long time since someone was excited about something we wrote and it’s hard for us to keep up our positive attitudes.
So what inspired me to write this? In the last week, I’ve received not one, but two of those precious moments.
One was regarding the self-editing book I just put out, Blood From Your Own Pen. (I don’t have a page up for it yet, but you can read a little about it here: http://samknight.com/?m=201704&paged=2 ) I’ve taken a little heat for self-publishing it. I’ve been criticized for my cover. Normal things. Things I am used to. Things that slowly eat at me even when I know they shouldn’t.
But then I got this message:
“On our submission guidelines page, I want to put a link to this book and make it a requirement to read before they submit anything”
I have to admit, that made my day. My entire week even. That erased any doubt in my mind that I had wasted my time putting that book together.
The other note I received was regarding a story submission I sent in. Part of the response was: “Okay, that was freaking brilliant … I’ll get edits and a contract to you within the next couple of weeks. Thank you!”
“freaking brilliant”
I had to savor that phrase for a little while.
Those last two wonderful comments, freely given to me, unsolicited, by two wonderful people have erased any bad thoughts from one and two star reviews. The nasty or irrelevant comments. The self-doubt. The loneliness of a clicking keyboard when I am feeling insecure.
Admittedly I know this feeling will fade. It always does. The negatives will come again, but for just a moment, I am feeling loved. I am feeling like maybe I’m not just spinning my wheels, like I will get where I want to be.
So here is the Moral Of The Story:
If you are an author, find those golden moments and hold on to them. Put them in a safe place where you can pull them out and hold them in the light so you can see the pretty sparkles when you need to. We all get compliments like these, we just don’t all hold on to them and treasure them like we should. They will carry us through.
If you like an author, leave reviews. Tell other people to leave reviews. Tell the author you like their stuff. Ask them to write more. You never know if your comment will be the one that comes at just the right moment to keep them strong, to keep them going on. To keep them writing something you love. If an author gives you a treasure you will always cherish, you can easily give the same back with a quick letter, a quick e-mail, blog post, review, or even just a kind word in person.
And if you’ve done that for someone, on their behalf I thank you. Those really are precious. It’s quite possible someone you think doesn’t even remember meeting you has words that you spoke to them tucked away close to their heart forever.
Footnote:
Sock puppetry is when an author pretends to be someone else and then leaves reviews on their own works. Why would they do this? To drum up business, to get people interested in their stuff. Some even hire places to leave reviews. You know the same way some people pay to get “likes” on Facebook or “follows” on Twitter. Why? It drums up business. But it’s not really honest and can get you in a lot of trouble with places like Amazon if you get caught.
Why would people risk getting caught? Because it is so darn hard to get anyone to leave you a review. Some of us can’t even get family members to leave reviews. You can give away hundreds of free books to people who promise they will leave reviews and few, if any, will.
April 25, 2017
I will be at the Pikes Peak Writers Conference this weekend
I am excited to be a part of the faculty this year at the Pikes Peak Writers Conference, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, April 27-30, 2017.
I will be presenting the following workshops:
SHORT STORIES: Good for the Novelist, Good for the Career, Good for the Soul
Presented by Sam Knight, Shannon Lawrence, Stant Litore
Short stories are an often overlooked gateway to many advantageous things in a writer’s career. We will offer up some really good reasons to consider publishing a few: making new connections, learning new genres, experimenting with (and improving) writing styles, and more!
THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE YOU SUBMIT TO AN EDITOR – ANY EDITOR
Presented by Sam Knight
As the editor of five anthologies, I’ve come up with a checklist of items many new authors overlook before submitting their stories. Many panels touch on this topic, but none have included a bullet point checklist for the author. Topics include spelling, story vs chapter, guidelines, formatting and more.
WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW IN ORDER TO SELF PUBLISH?
Presented by Sam Knight
So you’ve decided to self-publish something, but the learning curve is holding you back. What do you have to know in order to get this thing done?
I hope to see you there!
April 18, 2017
I will be at StarFest April 21-23 with my new book!
I am excited to announce I will be at StarFest this weekend, April 21-23.
Here is the list of Panels I will be on (barring last minute changes!):
Putting the “Punk” in Steampunk (Fri 9pm)
The 1800’s happened everywhere, not just in upper-class Britain. Come explore ways you can add diversity to your Steampunk stories and costumes, and chat about what ‘punk’ really means in Steampunk. With Peter Wacks, Sam Knight, Tonya DeMarco, Carolyn Fritz, and Chaz Kemp (M)
Steampunk Character Creation (Sat 7:00pm)
Have you ever wondered how authors come up with characters? Not everyone’s lucky enough to have a crazy Uncle Ned or Cousin Betty to base one on. Come hang out, and help us develop a spunky Steampunk character in this interactive panel. With Tonya DeMarco, Sam Knight, Chaz Kemp and Carolyn Fritz (M).
The YA Protagonist – From Creation to Adulthood (Sunday 9:00am)
Has every teen hero been explored? What are publishers looking for? Is it okay for your characters to age? Explore the unexplored regions of Young Adult fiction with Rebecca Moesta, Peter J. Wacks, Sam Knight, Amity Green and Shelly Wright (M).
The Completely Unexpected Media-Tie In Panel (Sun 10:30am)
Join our panel of Tie-in Titans as they discuss Predator, Planet of the Apes, X-Files, Star Trek, Star Wars, Superheroes and more! With Kevin J. Anderson, Rebecca Moesta, Dayton Ward, Kevin Dilmore, Sam Knight, Peter J Wacks, and David Boop (M).
Why Do I Need an Editor? (The Self-pub/ Indie panel) (2:00pm)
Self editing. We all think we can do it. But should we? What tricks does the writer mind play on us? For the writer striking out (mostly) on your own, this is the panel you need before you post that short story, chapter sample, or book! With Rebecca Moesta, Betsy Dornbusch, Tonya DeMarco, Scott Beckman and Sam Knight (M).
I am also excited to announce that I have copies of my new book in hand and will have them with me.
Some of you might remember I edited anthologies for MileHiCon 47 and 48.
Those are not the only things I have edited. I have two more (published) anthologies:
And I have had my editing services available for a while now. You can check that out here:
As I edited, I came to realize I saw many of the same mistakes over and over again. I also realized that there was no quick and easy compilation for reference on “beginner” mistakes. Well, none that I know of anyway. So I made one.
Sometimes there are little things you didn’t know about that can change everything, and that’s why I decided to write this guide. It is a compilation of things that have taken me sixteen years to learn, and I am going to give you the chance to learn it all in sixty minutes! Yay! Talk about a return in time investment!
The insights collected throughout this book are all things I wish I could have had in a book, in my hand, the day I decided I was finally going to put my butt in the chair and write a novel. Having this would have moved my learning curve up by years. Literally. So many of these were mistakes I made over and over again until some kind soul finally pointed it out, or until I had seen it (and hated it) in enough other authors’ stories to finally recognize it in my own.
Before you pay an editor to bleed red all over your manuscript with their pen, grab hold of as many of these rules as you can and squeeze them until the metaphorical blood drips from your imaginary fist. Use it to fill your own red pen and then go bleed red on your story first.
You will get more benefit, and learn more, from an editor who doesn’t have to correct these kinds of mistakes for you. And it will cost you less in the long run.
You will never find anyone else in the writing world whose blood is less precious or expensive than your own.
April 14, 2017
Planet of the Apes: Tales from the Forbidden Zone– on sale cheaper than I can get it!
Planet of the Apes: Tales from the Forbidden Zone is on sale at Amazon for a price lower than I can purchase my own discounted “author copies” for resale! I don’t know that there will ever be a better time to get your copy than right now.
The print book is even cheaper than the ebook!
April 6, 2017
A Mini on Merfolk
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According to Legends and Superstitions of the Sea, and of Sailors in All Lands and at All Times by Fletcher S Bassett (1885) p. 178, there were many Danish legends about “sea-people” who were often seen “on the strand” with their children. Which would mean on the shore.
One tale recounts a “merwife” was captured while “grazing her cattle”. The retaliation for which was the town being “covered” in sand.
Another tale speaks of a “merman” who “enticed a maiden to the bottom of the sea” where she raised many children. She later abandoned him, failing to keep a promise after returning to the land. The ballad “Agnete of Harmandear” was written about the “Foresaken Merman.”
Bassett then goes on to say that “H. C. Anderson tells a story of six mermaids who were allowed to rise to the surface at a sixteen years of age…” Basset summarizes the famous story, but includes right on in with all of the other legends of sea-people, with no other indication it is fiction other than the way he presented it as “H. C. Anderson tells a story…”
Is this kind of intermingling of facts with folktales and fiction how we end up with legends of fantastic creatures that don’t really exist? Does someone make up a story and then someone else recounts it until others start to believe it as fact?
Perhaps.
But consider this: Jerome Clark, in his book Unexplained! (1999), p.454, reports on a “Royal Danish Commission”, in 1723, to put to rest the fantasy of mer-folk once and for all. It was intended that, proven fictitious, the mer-folk would no longer be a topic people were allowed to speak of, punishable by law. Unfortunately, the investigating members of the commission encountered a merman “near the Faroe Islands” who “stare(d) at them intently with its deep-set eyes” until they were “unsettled” enough that their “ship effected a retreat”. The merman continued to warn them off. He “Puffed out his cheeks and emitted a ‘deep roar’ “. The enactment of the law was abandoned.
If the “Royal Danish Commission” put the issue to rest that there were mer-people, we should be done considering them fantasy, shouldn’t we?
An event reported in Routledge’s Every Boy’s Annual, by Edmund Routledge (1882), p.534, reports a very similar encounter, in the very same year, but with a few details slightly altered. Instead of the “Royal Danish Commission” investigating mer-folk and then seeing one, it was “four Danes underwent a legal examination, respecting a merman which they affirmed they had seen.” Instead of the commission’s boat encountering a merman, these men spotted a floating body and they took a boat out to investigate. When approached “the monster blew up with his cheeks, and made a kind of roaring noise” before diving and disappearing.
Is it possible this was the same incident, but told in a different way? Instead of a legal authority witnessing something, was this really instead a legal investigation of men claiming to have seen something? Are sightings like these all just tall tales later recounted as facts by someone who believed in someone else’s fictitious story? Stories get changed and details get added to in the retelling, leaving a trail of trivialities that can almost, but not quite, be followed back to the truth, stacking up until things begin to at least seem credible.
Many famous ship captains, including Columbus and John Smith, reported seeing mer-folk here in the Americas, far from the waters that gave birth to the legends. But were they pre-disposed to seeing something others had told them to existed? Or maybe they wanted to add to the legends themselves. Or maybe they were all pranksters at heart.
Maybe. But then, the Native American Indians already had their own legends.
As do people from all around the world.
Do we all have the same predisposition to the same types of fantasies?
Maybe.
March 14, 2017
Sam is up to something.
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Aren’t I always?
But this one was a little different.
Nearly every convention I attend, I get asked questions about writing. Nearly every new writer I meet has tripped on many of the same stumbling blocks I did as they learn how to write.
I don’t mean the ABC’s or how to spell, I mean things like misplaced modifiers and comma splices.
Things that I wish I had even known about, let alone understood, when I first decided I was going to be a writer.
Things I will tell you all about.
Soon…
