Green Group discussion

· As a writer, do you use an outline or just let the creative juices flow?

Deborah wrote: "Timothy you described the New Guinea phenomenon of "the Cargo Cult" - will you comment on that?"

Thanks for asking, Deborah. The Cargo Cult is something that sprang up independently of other groups, all over the island. The short answer would be, it's a mix of poorly-understood Christianity, and local ancestor worship, in the attempt to acquire the white man's material goods.

Let's allow one of my characters, the Uhuli chief, Mula, to explain:

'"Some people believe you lot—you whites—are their dead family come back to life."
"Ok," Johnny said, and thought about the old Mambu.
"I saw [an effigy of:] a plane," Footy said.
"Yes mate," Mula said. "It go like this. God have a son, who die for everyone, that’s wot they say, right? The son go to heaven and make big houses, plenty big houses for us, right?"
"I guess so," Johnny said. "Something like that."
"We see you white blokes. You come along, cut a path in the bush. You talk to a magic box. I know it’s wireless like me own, but some of these fellas, they bloody primitive! Then a baloose—a plane—it come! And the cargo come out. These fellas here, they want that cargo! Right mate?"
"Right mate," Footy said.
"So what does that have to do with God?" Johnny asked.
"Ahh," Mula said. "Where does the cargo come from? From big houses far away, the white men say. Some people think Jesus go to heaven and make the cargo for his children. But the white man, he get it first. Then he want it all himself. He don’t share with God’s children!"
"Whoa!" Johnny said. "Now that’s what I call a good yarn!"
"These Taifora, they make the magic, but the goods don’t come. How do they explain that?" Footy asked.
"Ahh, they just don’t get the magic right," Mula grinned. "One day, soon enough, they gonna get it. Then the baloose come!"
"That is so nuts, it almost makes sense," Johnny said.
"More like, the most buggered story ever told," Footy added.'

...excerpt from TEETH - The Epic Story With Bite
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982539800/

Today in Papua New Guinea, the Cargo Cult is alive and well - it is just a less religious form of materialism, and may be expressed by a warrior with a homemade shotgun, holding up your car:

"You've got it, I want it - give it to me!" Sad but true.

What can we look forward to in your continuing saga?

Charles wrote: "As a writer, do you use an outline or just let the creative juices flow?"

There are so many ways writers organize material for a big project like a book!

I've mentioned James Clavell: he told me that he liked to have a general idea of the arc of the story, and then he'd fill it in as he wrote, so he had the same sense of excitement the reader did.

I follow that model, more or less. Once I know my subject matter, I start researching. In this case, I have read hundreds of books that range from history to ethnography. I've researched everything from marsupial possums called "cuscus," to the forging of samurai swords, and more.

This is my first full-length novel (and I drafted the whole trilogy before I went back and rewrote and edited Vol 1), so I expect that I went down a lot more dead-end trails than I hope to in the future.

When I was staring out, I wrote myself down a lot of box canyons, and had to abandon those paths! Then I'd take a deep breath, retreat and regroup, and start over on something else.

I didn't really get going, although I had a lot of fragments, until my characters were marching down the massive, mythical Raub River.

And then, at last, hurrah, eureka and hallelujah! I had happen what I'd heard other novelists say, but which I hadn't experienced until then: the characters began to act, live and breath, and the story began to tell itself through me.

That is pure magic! Of course, the whole creation of this book was a massive amount of hard work as well, but for a writer, is there anything else worth doing?

Donald wrote: "What can we look forward to in your continuing saga?"

Hey Donald - another author heard from! Well - how can I say this without giving too much away? The characters who survive TEETH are destined to live on.

Coming up is a flashback to our young soldier's introduction to war. He was a green seventeen-year-old boy in this theater under General MacArthur. American troops were landed on New Guinea - and ordered to walk across the entire rugged, pestilent, mountainous island. It was a horror story that took more than forty days. And then they were marched directly into the Japanese guns.

Then the story will pick up from where our heroes end up in TEETH on the beaches of the South Pacific.

Is there life for a soldier after war? We'll find out. Can romance blossom in the new world of peace? I think so! The cliff-hanger at the end of TEETH must resolve.

And then I will hint at something I've not mentioned before: I see a trip coming up to what is left of the Enemy Empire, following the only attack with atomic weapons of mass destruction in human history. It promises to be a thrilling and thought-provoking ride.

" The Group Talks with Authors " , an hour with Timothy Dean and his novel " TEETH " was the second day of this event. Many thanks at Timothy Dean to take time to chat with the group. I hope you have enjoyed the talk. An amazing discussion with an active participation of the Green group community. Thank you ! See you tomorrow for the third day of " The Group Talks with "... Timothy Dean and "TEETH" !!

Timothy wrote: "Rick wrote: "the horrific Gulf oil spill has devastated wildlife- what effect on the Gulf Crocs do you anticipate...as we all know that drilling and pollution of both fresh and salt water lakes and..."

Hi Timothy,

The number of crocodiles are estimated 200 000 - 300 000 individuals. Today, the main thread is the destruction of their traditional habitat.

You wrote,

" I think we need as an international community to pressure governments in every country to set up marine (and land) reserves, where wild creatures can breed, provide new stock, and live in their natural state.

As humans, if we want other creatures with which to share this world - and I say we do! - we need to set up the reserves, patrol them to keep the poachers out, and not "manage" the vast biosphere to death! "

You have travelled in a lot of countries around the world. Why do you think " It's soo important to preserve and to manage " the vast biosphere to death!" ?

Thank you

Timothy wrote: "Charles wrote: "· What marketing approaches have you found most successful in promoting your book?"

Marketing: word of mouth, sites including Goodreads, online relationships with readers and other..."

Yeah that word of mouth stuff works awesome. Especially with me cause I'm a loud mouth New Yorker that likes to blabber about all the books he reads and Teeth was so easy to get people excited about :o)

Steven wrote: "Yeah that word of mouth stuff works awesome. Especially with me cause I'm a loud mouth New Yorker that likes to blabber about all the books he reads and Teeth was so easy to get people excited about :o)..."

Yes Steven - you big TEETHED New Yorkers are the best!

One of the best things about this whole experience has been the opportunity for me to meet people like you, who just loved the book and wanted to get friends to read. You're worth your weight in gold (the check is in the mail!).

Hi Timothy,
You have given much thought to environmental issues. Are you actively working to help the ecology?
This discussion has been excellent! Thank you.
Deborah

Michelle wrote: "Timothy wrote: " I think we need as an international community to pressure governments in every country to set up marine (and land) reserves, where wild creatures can breed, provide new stock, and live in their natural state..."

Hello Michelle! How's France today???

Well, I'm no expert on that, but I have seen quite a lot of our planet, and watched what some areas are doing.

Let me tell you a story! One of my favorite few days of scuba diving of all time was at the remote, offshore Philippine coral atoll of "Tubbataha" (located in the Sulu Sea, about 100 miles from the point of departure for our live-aboard dive boat - Puerto Princessa on the island of Palawan).

Here, I dove with and filmed the giant Manta rays (what a thrill!), and numerous sharks etc. I must say, while I love being in the water with big animals, some of the most breathtaking scenes are the colorful, tiny fish, in the teeming millions! The Philippines offers a greater diversity of fish, and some of the most gorgeous coral reefs in the world.

Of course, to remain one of the world's natural wonders, and a Unesco World Heritage Site, it is necessary that the government has armed guards who live on the remote reef all year around, and patrol in gunboats. Otherwise, fishermen would not be able to resist the swimming goldmine, and would bankrupt it - as, sadly, they have done in other parts of the Philippines.

I've also been diving in areas of those 7,000 islands where fishermen have dynamited the reef. While I have sympathy for poor fishermen who are simply trying to get a few fish for their families, or make a little money, this terrible practice is not the answer! It's not just that the dynamite breaks up the coral reef - the blast kills everything in reach: fish, other marine creatures, and the reef itself. Ten or fifteen years later, those blighted white circles of death on the reef are still there!

Those fishermen may not know it in the instant of their need, but they are killing their future, and that of their children!

In addition - on the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, I've been diving over huge flats of white, dead reef. It's hard to describe the sadness and even fear you feel as a diver when you see these killing fields. One of the main reasons, ironically, is an overabundance of nutrients in the water, from the run-off from chemically fertilized farms. That goes into the rivers, which goes into the sea - and kills the coral reef.

The idea with nature reserves, both in the ocean and on land, is that you have a vast piece of wilderness that is actively protected from poaching, or human hunters of every kind. These need to be in places that are un-industrialized and unpolluted.

And then you leave them alone! You do not have humans picking through them all the time! The role of the protection agencies is simply to protect the borders.

These areas serve as breeding grounds for tens of thousands of species, from microscopic all the way to the big animals (and plants).

Even if we, humankind, screw up very badly in our relationship with the rest of life on our Earth, in this way, there will be seed stock to migrate from the protected reserves, and repopulate the areas our activities cause such horrific depletion.

The challenge is, it's difficult to see the commercial value of such sites in the short term, or with most politicians' tunnel vision on their own career, and the next election.

However, in the longer commercial term - and as a priceless legacy for future generations of all creatures on our lovely blue-green planet, nature reserves are not only a good idea.

In my opinion, they are absolutely necessary.

Deborah wrote: "Hi Timothy,
You have given much thought to environmental issues. Are you actively working to help the ecology?
This discussion has been excellent! Thank you.
Deborah"

I lived in British Columbia for many years: there, I was fortunate enough to experience some of the most gorgeous, rugged, spectacular wilderness areas of the world. I've been out on the water with enormous wild Killer Whales - and on land to observed Grisly bears in their habitat, hundreds of Bald eagles (another misnomer, since they simply have beautiful white feathers on their heads) fishing for salmon, and much more.

There, I was part of efforts to save the last stands of old growth forest. Logging, still #1 in the province, has clear cut such huge swaths of timber, it is said you can see the bald scars from the moon! There are only a few stands left of magnificent never-logged giant Douglas firs and the whole biodiverse wild forest.

Of course, the logging companies are against protecting this forest - and loggers themselves, looking at ever-decreasing work, will go out and confront violently anyone bent on stopping, as they see it, their ability to feed their families.

In these cases, you cannot trust the logging industry: it has proven time and again, it will take the last tree. So I believe, regardless of the short-term economic challenge, for the greater good of society and the future, we have to protect such a priceless legacy.

I'm not a tree-hugger in this sense: the harvesting of trees is a valuable, necessary and practical industry.

But again - we need the very last stands of natural growth, and the huge old trees, and all the other flora and fauna of these rainforests.

No company-planted "forest," with its mono-species, is equal in any way to the wilderness!

It's now been proven that revenue from (managed) tourism to these areas, will match, and then exceed, the shortsighted and short-term cutting of the forest.

I think each of us has to decide where we draw the line, and then do whatever it takes to join with others in making a difference.

To continue on the theme of personal responsibility and the ecology: I think we must do the best we can within our own households.

We have a compost bin outside - an old garbage pail with a tight-fitting lid that we put our green scraps into. I cut a "door" down near the bottom through which I can dig out the rotted humus for my roses. We grow tomatoes, and fresh herbs, as well. This saves money - and they taste better!

We buy very little processed food: this makes health and economic sense as well. We recycle all the glass, plastic, paper etc. that we do end up with. In enlightened communities I've lived in, the municipal governments send around recycling trucks to pick up these materials.

In the rural area I live in now in Arizona, we have to bundle this stuff up and take it to a recycling center in town. Sure, it takes a little effort and time, but I believe it's simply our civic duty.

When the price of gasoline went so high, we, with tens of millions of others, said - "fine: the gasoline companies want to profit off hard times and international fear - and make extraordinary windfall profits by raping our wallets? We'll cut our amount of driving in half!" And we did - and even though the bottom dropped out of the petroleum market as a result of everyone saying "no!" by cutting back (and the price at the pump today is artificially propped up by market manipulation) - we won't go back to the old ways.

Our next car will be electric - or a hybrid that gets at least 40 miles to the gallon.

In addition, last year, we put a windmill generator. It's not a great producer of power, which is disappointing, but it's a small way we can help be more self-sufficient, and cut down consumption of company-produced energy.

I installed two pellet-burning stoves. These do a great job of heating most of the house in the winter months! Our other option was to continue to use the installed propane-burning furnace. When the cost of energy peaked, the propane price was ridiculous! Pellet stoves burn fuel made from compressed waste material - the sawdust produced by mills that used to be thrown away. Now it heats our home. The price of propane has dropped again - but we don't use it at all.

The thing is, one person doing this is a drop in the vast ocean. But a few hundred million, each doing their little bit, IS an ocean! Here's the real question:

What can you do, starting today, to make a difference?

Timothy, great ideas! Too many people think that they can't make a difference on their own, so they do nothing. But you're right, a few hundred million of us doing even a little bit matters.

I wish I had enough money to transform my entire house. For now, here are a few of the things we do at home:

1. Recycle everything possible. (My family calls me the recyling police.)

2. Our pool is run on solar heat. Maybe someday our entire home will be.

3. I buy very little processed food and as much organic as possible. I don't eat meat but, for my family, I buy free range.

4. We keep our air conditioner as high as we can tolerate and our heat as low as we can tolerate. (And I hate to be cold, so that's a sacrifice!)

5. I don't cook much. Honestly, it's not just that I don't like to. Imagine all that electricity I'm saving!

6. We try to do all our weekend errands in one run, planning the trip out so that we aren't zigzagging all over the city.

7. We never water our lawn. (It's a weed, after all. Though my neighbors probably wish we'd water it on occasion.)

Darcia wrote: "Timothy, great ideas! Too many people think that they can't make a difference on their own, so they do nothing. But you're right, a few hundred million of us doing even a little bit matters..."

Darcia - good for you! Those are all terrific ideas.

I'm hoping that the huge revolution in book publishing right now will have a massive impact on how many trees are cut down to make books!

Frankly, I like the feel of a "real" book in my hands. I like the heft of the thing, and the turning of pages as I go through. I like to be able to take a book in the tub if I want - or to the beach - and if it gets all wrinkly and full of sand, well, so be it!

I don't even have an ereader yet, although my book is available on Kindle etc., and I've had to rely on friends with devices to tell me how it looks.

However - it won't be long now: I'm simply waiting for the market to shake out. And for the price to drop! I think we'll see good lookin' ereaders under $100 before the end of this year!

Look how the price of Kindle fell like a stone when iPad entered the book market (in addition to iPhone, iTouch, iPod)!

Old dogs like me will learn new tricks - and I hope the end result is, people all over the world reading more, with a less negative impact on the ecology.

I also celebrate the decline and fall of the big publishing gatekeepers, and their crony agents. This online and digital revolution puts authors directly in touch with readers again. More power to it!

I agree about physical books. I will always prefer them and will always have a house full!

When eReaders first came out, I swore I'd never get one. But I did. Many of our fellow indie authors publish strictly in ebook format. Plus, in all honesty, ebooks are cheaper. I have to admit, I love my Reader. It's so much more comfortable than sitting in front of the computer screen with that glare. And it doesn't suck up as much power as a computer, either!

Darcia wrote: "Timothy, great ideas! Too many people think that they can't make a difference on their own, so they do nothing. But you're right, a few hundred million of us doing even a little bit matters.

I w..."

Bravo ! Thank you Timothy, Darcia for sharing with us all the good points about your habits and how you have changed some of them to make a DIFFERENCE. For more than two years, The Green group community share, discuss and debate with a great responsability about sustainable issues all around the world.

To change our habits isn't always easy but it's our OWN responsability as Timothy has pointed it. The more we debate, the more we increase our knowledge......And it will help all of us to adapt our practices now and for our future on Earth.

Timothy wrote: "To continue on the theme of personal responsibility and the ecology: I think we must do the best we can within our own households.

We have a compost bin outside - an old garbage pail with a tight-..."

May I propose to you this study, Timothy . It's the 2010 Environmental Performance Index. In the order, the first 7 countries around the world with their results. There's a HOPE !
Iceland, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Sweden, Norway, Mauritius and France.

http://epi.yale.edu/

Line dry all the laundry you can! If your homeowners association bans this, try to get it changed. I don't line dry all of my towels and bedding yet, but I'm working towards it.

Timothy wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Timothy wrote: " I think we need as an international community to pressure governments in every country to set up marine (and land) reserves, where wild creatures can breed, provid..."

Thank you for the story, Timothy. France is fine ???

" However, in the longer commercial term - and as a priceless legacy for future generations of all creatures on our lovely blue-green planet, nature reserves are not only a good idea.

In my opinion, they are absolutely necessary. "

I totally agree with your opinion. To preserve Biodiversity is an important challenge and absolutely necessary. The Year of Biodiversity is an activity we have started this year at " The Green group " and I have enjoyed to add recently an article about the creation of an International platform on Biodiverstity ans Ecosystem Services

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/3...

Here's the link of " The International Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services "

http://ipbes.net/

Kathleen wrote: "Line dry all the laundry you can! If your homeowners association bans this, try to get it changed. I don't line dry all of my towels and bedding yet, but I'm working towards it."

Hey! Great idea Kathleen! I installed a laundry "umbrella" in the backyard this year. It was taking about 90 minutes a load in the electric clothes dryer to get them dry. Crazy, here in Arizona, where it is bone-dry naturally!

Now sheets dry in half an hour - towels, in 45 minutes. Without "softener" chemicals (who knows what they are anyway?), the towels are stiffer - but that's a good thing. They do their job better!

We're saving $$$ - and enjoying the scent of the great outdoors.

Thanks, Green Group for hosting me!

Thanks Moderator Michelle.

Timothy wrote: "Thanks, Green Group for hosting me!

Thanks Moderator Michelle."

You're welcome Timothy. You're a Greener member !
Once again , thank you for this great three days, " The Group Talks with Authors" Thank you at all the members, The Green group is a fascinating community. We love Books (any format, any genres), we love Authors (New Authors, Contemporary Authors and Writers of the History of World Literature)

Timothy Dean will answer at all the questions added by the members during our Summer book club. Enjoy!

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/3...