THE DAY KENNEDY DIED
With this being the anniversary of the Kennedy assassination, I thought I’d re-blog a post i made some time ago.
November is the month of thanksgiving, when the weather no longer bounces between summer and winter, when the chill of fall sets in with a vengeance preparing us for the hard cold of winter. It is also the month John F. Kennedy died at the hands of an assassin.
During November 1963 I was a junior at East Side High School. I already had a deep interest in science and forfeited my study hall to work in the school biology lab. I designed an experiment to study Medallion heredity. The experiment required two black and two white mice, which I purchased, and began mating the mice in all the various combinations possible, trying to predict the color of the littermates. I soon ran out of space in the cellar where I was keeping my mouse colony and asked permission to move my many mice to school I pressed on, until I began seeing litters with brown siblings, something I had not anticipated. This brought an end to my experiment and an introduction to the unpredictability of science.
It was while I was working in the school lab one November Friday afternoon that someone came in and said that the president had been shot. I recall reacting to the news with horror and disbelief. The emotions of I felt will always stay with me, the sense of experiencing a moment that defied all logic, the vitality of our young president in jeopardy. I sensed that the world had changed; this quiet November afternoon would become a milestone in history. All I knew was that the president had been shot; there was still hope of survival as I headed home from school that day. But as I walked the mile and a half home from school, I saw something I shall never forget, something that dimmed my hope. On my way, I saw clusters of people standing on corners and most were crying. The residents of Newark are not known for their emotional displays so this sight was disturbing. It was the first signal I had that something was extremely wrong, that the world had changed, and not for the better.
When I reached home, my father was already there, not unusual for he began work early in the morning and was home before me most of the time. I would find him sitting in the kitchen with his beer and paper, but today he was in the parlor watching the TV and he was crying too, something I recalled seeing only once before. The last time I saw my father cry was when my mother lost a baby girl shortly after birth. Ironically, my sister died almost the same time the Kennedy’s lost their third child and also for the same reason, underdeveloped lungs. As my father sat weeping before the TV, he told me that the president had died.
The days that followed were surreal. Long before the age of cable and satellite dishes, there were only three major networks and a few independent New York stations broadcasting to Newark. All normal broadcasting ceased; TV carried nothing but news and insight into the assassination. On the radio, all normal programming came to a halt. The radio played nothing but somber music and news of the assassination. Everyone watched the news all weekend, watching history unfold before our eyes. Shortly after Kennedy died, Oswald was captured. The nation viewed live, the instrument of their sorrow. We watched Oswald’s murder at the hands of Jack Ruby, adding confusion on top of the misery. Everyone’s thoughts were in turmoil as these historic events concluded with JFK Jr. saluting his father’s casket.
The day Kennedy died; I learned something of the unpredictability of life.
STRUGGLING TO GET IT WRITE: ONCE AGAIN, A WRITER’S OBSERVATIONS AND THE POTENTIAL STORY
Once again, I shall visit the importance of the power of observation in a writer’s life, and once made, to lock it into your memory for future reference. Come to think of it, here’s a question. Does the power of observation form the writer, or does the need to write develop the power of observation? In other words, which came first, the writer or the observer?
I’ve been walking our dog, Millie, taking advantage of the pleasant autumn weather before they’re replace by the harsh days of winter, and in the process, reviewing memories.
My family enjoyed tent camping, and one of our favorite destinations was Rickett’s Glen State Park located in the middle of northern Pennsylvania. A large man-made lake (a site I used in a horror story) is set in the park amongst the campsites and trails. We always brought along our canoe or Folbot (a collapsible kayak) and set up camp at a site right on the lake’s edge so that a short walk had us in the water.
The park is a popular place for families, and the occasional group of teenagers, to enjoy nature and bond. I distinctly remember one camping trip when, as usual, the park was full of families, mostly with young kids riding their bikes along the dirt and gravel trails and enjoying the vacation. The campsite next to us, however, gave off distinctly different vibes. Occupied by a solitary man, perhaps in his fifties, with a modest tented campsite along with a kayak for one. I watched him one morning as I cooked breakfast. His breakfast consisted of a couple beers, then he carried his kayak to the lake and was gone. The rest of the campground was filled with laughter and the sounds of children at play.
I often think of that lone camper, for observing him provided a wealth of story possibilities. All the other campers seemed to enjoy their time in the park – nothing there.
Here are some links where you may purchase my work.
Melange Books
http://www.melange-books.com/authors/walttrizna/index.html
Barnes & Noble. Com
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/walt-trizna?store=book&keyword=walt+trizna
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=walt+trizna
STRUGGLING TO GET IT PUBLISHED: SCI/FI & HORROR MARKETS
In the past I introduced you to Duotrope, a fantastic resource for writers’ markets. It’s still my favorite go-to place to place my work. The site provides you with the ability to make a highly specific market search, and then save the search if your first submission should be rejected (a little writer humor). But, there is always a ‘but’; it is not free. You can, however, give it a trial run free of charge.
For those of you who produce science fiction and horror, and on a tight budget, i.e. broke, Ralan.com is for you. The site provides a wealth of market information as well as additional information critical for writers no matter what your genre such a host of links to finding and checking on the credentials of agents.
This site may take a little more effort that Duotrope, but for you sci/fi and horror writers, the price is right.
Ralan.com
http://www.ralan.com/index.htm
Duotrope
Here are some links where you may purchase my work.
Melange Books
http://www.melange-books.com/authors/walttrizna/index.html
Barnes & Noble. Com
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/walt-trizna?store=book&keyword=walt+trizna
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=walt+trizna
REVISITING A POEM: SNOW
With winter knocking, no banging, on the door.
With parts of the country already measuring snow in feet not inches, I thought it appropriate the we revisit my poem, Snow.
SNOW
A poem inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s, The Bells.
See the delicate snowflakes fall,
Falling, falling, falling.
Whitening the earth, awaiting below,
Falling, falling, falling.
See the mounds of glittering white,
Building, building, building.
As they hide the ground from sight,
Building, building, building.
See the ceaseless falling snow,
Falling, falling, falling.
Will it stop, no one quite knows,
Falling, falling, falling.
See the drifts accumulate,
Building, building, building.
My longing for spring will no longer wait,
Building, building, building.
SEE THE DAMNED WHITE BLANKET GROW,
HIDING, HIDING, HIDING.
MY CAR, MY LAWN, ALL I KNOW,
HIDING, HIDING, HIDING.
SEE MY MADNESS, MY URGE TO KILL,
GROWING, GROWING, GROWING,
CROSS MY PATH, AND I’LL DO YOU ILL,
SMILING, SMILING, SMILING.
CONTINUING ON J.D. SALINGER AND THE CATCHER IN THE RYE
I spent some time reflecting on my impressions after reading the Catcher in the Rye and came to the conclusion that my age and the span of time since it was written were the primary factors in my interpretation of the work.
Counted among the ranks of senior citizenry when reading this novel, I found the main character, Holden Caulfield, whiny and immature. Perhaps, if I could somehow shed fifty years my impressions would be quite different. But since that is unfortunately impossible, I won’t dwell on its potential outcome.
However, I would like to address some thoughts about the novel’s impact when it was first released and how it is viewed today. The language and the fact that a prostitute appears within its pages made the work extremely controversial when it was published in 1951. I look at my own work and my use of questionable language is much more prevalent than Salinger’s, but then, my talent does not approach is so my stories slip under all radar undetected. Salinger’s novel is listed among the top ten censored books, and most frequently banned book in schools from 1966 to 1975. It is studied now in high schools but still, on occasion, provokes adversity.
What I find interesting and the reason I look forward to reading Salinger’s mysterious output produced during those 45 years of seclusion is that his classic work, once considered risqué, might now be considered a YA novel.
What are your thoughts?
Here are some links where you may purchase my work.
Melange Books
http://www.melange-books.com/authors/walttrizna/index.html
Barnes & Noble. Com
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/walt-trizna?store=book&keyword=walt+trizna
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=walt+trizna
SALINGER by DAVID SHIELDS, SHANE SALERNO, THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J. D. SALINGER
Until recently I knew little about J. D. Salinger other than the fact that he was the author of the Catcher in the Rye, that he was out there remaining secluded, and then he was dead. I could not remember if I had ever read his classic.
After catching some of the documentary by Shane Salerno on PBS about Salinger, I decided to read the biography he and Shields wrote about the author. I found it to be a compelling read exploring the complex personality of the writer and the influence of WW II on his work, and how an off-shoot of Buddhism, Vedanta, influenced his life and made him the man he became after the war. Shields and Salerno brought home the point that Salinger could not tolerate phoniness in people and the life that surrounded him. This, of course, is the primary theme of Holden Caulfield, the main character in the Catcher.
After reading Salinger’s biography, I decided to either read or reread the Catcher. After finishing the book, I can say that I either totally missed the great revelations supposedly contained within the pages of the work, wouldn’t be the first time, or the book is like a good poem, you take away from the reading what you bring.
Holden Caulfield, Salinger’s alter ego, cannot tolerate the phoniness in all he sees around him. At the age of sixteen, he has an opinion on everything and yet has accomplished nothing other than being kicked out of a series of exclusive prep schools.
It seems to me, and here is where I may be missing something, that Caulfield is the biggest phony of them all. His total existence is dependent on his lawyer father’s ‘dime’. The language in the novel is true to the era, but dated by today’s standards. This should make the future publication the 45 years of constant writing Salinger supposedly accomplished in solitude interesting. During those years, Salinger was allegedly working diligently in fleshing-out the Caulfield family along with the Glass family, the subject of much of his other works.
The setting for the Catcher strongly reflects the 1940’s. It will be interesting, taking into account Salinger’s isolation from the world, how he handles the development of his characters, their language and lifestyles. Needless to say, Salinger’s publishing future provides great anticipation.
To be continued…
Here are some links where you may purchase my work.
Melange Books
http://www.melange-books.com/authors/walttrizna/index.html
Barnes & Noble. Com
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/walt-trizna?store=book&keyword=walt+trizna
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=walt+trizna
STRUGGLING TO GET IT PUBLISHED: ABSOLUTE WRITE
Previously, I introduced you to the helpful site for writers, Preditors & Editors, where you can go to investigate the reputation of agents and publishers. This site provides the chance for writers to avoid making poor decisions while attempting to get their work published. This present post concerns another extremely helpful site with the same purpose, Absolute Write.
Absolute Write is a popular and important site to use when approaching the publishing industry. Many times, when you search the internet for a specific agent or publisher, a reference made on Absolute Write will be one of the first hits. This site deals exclusively with opinions of writers telling of their experience using agents and publisher. You can follow a thread of conversations about agents or publisher you may be interested in contacting and see how other writers felt about their interaction with these individuals or businesses. Anyone can read, but to make a comment you must join, which I highly recommend and which is free.
Here’s a link to the site:
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/
Here are some links where you may purchase my work.
Melange Books
http://www.melange-books.com/authors/walttrizna/index.html
Barnes & Noble. Com
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/walt-trizna?store=book&keyword=walt+trizna
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=walt+trizna
STRUGGLING TO GET IT PUBLISHED: PREDITORS & EDITORS
You’ve spent endless hours giving birth to your baby; you’ve finished your novel. Now that effort is ready to enter the world of publishing. Be careful, do your homework. You may not believe it, but another major, perhaps greater, effort is about to begin.
Tell you a story. I once had my novel, The Beast Awaits, accepted by a small publisher. Excitement poured for every cell of my body, then I did my homework and you know what hit the fan. I went to Preditors & Editors and found they recommended staying away from this publisher. The reason, their contract took away a great deal of the author’s control. My novel remains unpublished, but at least I’m not in a situation that would be detrimental to my work. Once you are ready to publish, Preditors & Editors is one of the go-to sites before signing on the dotted line.
Getting your work published can be a little tricky to say the least. More posts will follow concerning where to look when choosing a publisher or an agent. Stay tuned.
Here’s a link to Preditor’s & Editors:
http://pred-ed.com/pubagent.ht
After some thought, I’ve decided to add, at the end of every post, links to sites where you can find my work. I hope my faithful readers, along with first-time visitors, will take a look.
Melange Books:
http://www.melange-books.com/authors/walttrizna/index.html
Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/walt-trizna?store=book&keyword=walt+trizna
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=walt+trizna
STRUGGLING TO GET IT PUBLISHED: ASSOCIATION OF AUTHORS’ REPRESENTATIVES
For those of you seeking a publisher, one of the first steps might entail finding an agent. For many publishers, the only way to approach them is through an agent. Agents are, to a great extent, the gatekeepers for publishers. They make their money from a percentage of the income generated by your book so an agent will not take on a book unless it has potential. If you don’t make money the agent doesn’t make money.
As in every profession, there are members who are less than honest. First, you should NEVER, NEVER, EVER, EVER pay for an agent to read your work. If the agent has a reading fee run like hell. Another more the nebulous con is that the agent agrees to represent your book but suggests that it needs edition. This could be a valid suggestion. However, the problem arises when the agent suggests and editor with which they have a prearranged agreement. With the suggestion of an editor, this could be an honest evaluation or a scam. I strongly suggest you do your homework. That’s where I hope to help the writer by a series of posts giving you sources where you can check on the reputation of agents and also publishers.
This initial post will introduce you to the Association of Authors’ Representatives (a.a.r.). This organization has a strict set of standards which their members must follow. One, of course, is not charging a reading fee. Use the link I have provided to explore the organization. You will find you can query by genre, agent’s name or agency. This is a useful tool in your search for an agent. Next: Predators & Editors.
ISAAC’S STORM BY ERIK LARSON
I just completed reading Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson published in 1999. This was my second reading of this impressive and informative work on the great hurricane which devastated Galveston in 1900.
I wanted to revisit this book during hurricane season. Looking back, it would have been more enriching read done the year Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Mississippi coast or Sandy the New Jersey coast and surrounding area. More on Sandy and my Seaside Heights connection in an upcoming post.
This book will give you an appreciation of the current state of storm tracking and weather forecasting. I recommend you read it to compare today’s weather service with that of the late 1800’s when storms appeared from nowhere unannounced with prediction dependent on inflated egos and politics. Larson does an excellent job delving into the competition between the American weather bureau stationed in Cuba and the Cuban forecasters; how they were at odds on the future of the storm passing Cuba. The Cubans speculated that the storm would head into the Gulf of Mexico and impact Galveston and the Americans that it would veer north along the Atlantic coast discounting the accumulated experience of the Cubans. The competition between the two groups was such that the Cubans were forbidden to communicate their forecasts by telegram the Washington. At the same time, the Americans were forbidden to use the word hurricane in a forecast unless it was a certainty and Washington granted permission. The result of this egocentric approach was a storm of monumental proportions taking Galveston by surprise and claiming more than 6000 lives.
The title of the book is referring to the fact that the name of the head of the Galveston weather bureau was Isaac Cline. In addition to an observer to the storm he was also a victim losing his house and pregnant wife. Larson does an excellent job of following Cline and other Galveston residents through the horror and devastation. He also goes into great detail on the formation and development of a hurricane.
I am a huge fan of Erik Larson’s work, especially this gripping tale of death and destruction in Galveston in 1900.
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