Perfect, Episode Thirty-three ♦ Well Water

I'm happy to announce that a new episode is available on my website.

Perfect, Episode Thirty-three ♦ Well Water

Removing Semalt from Google Analytics

If you use Google Analytics, you may have seen "semalt.semalt.com" as a source of some of your web traffic. Depending on how much traffic you get to your site, these visits from Semalt's crawler might skew your stats.

If you don't like that, there's a simple solution:

1. Go to http://semalt.com/project_crawler.php
2. Add your URLs in the form provided at the bottom of the page 
3. Click the remove button.

That's it.

One note: if you use subdomains (eg: blog.mydomain.com and www.mydomain.com) you will need to enter each of those domains in the form - use the enter key to go to the next line.

I used the form a week ago. Sure enough, Semalt has dropped off my stats (as well as all these bizarre instant views from a number countries around the world). So as far as I can tell, this isn't spambait, just a group of folks in the Ukraine trying to make a living - too bad their website isn't a bit more user friendly. I had to spend more time searching for the above link than I liked.

Perfect, Episode Thirty-two ♦ The Fork

Now available

Perfect, Episode Thirty-two ♦ The Fork

Please let me know if you enjoy Perfect. Leave a comment below or visit Perfect's Facebook page.

Perfect, Episode Thirty-one ♦ Another View

Now available

Perfect, Episode Thirty-one ♦ Another View

Sorry for the delay, but it just wasn't ready for publication yesterday as planned.

Thanks for your continued support.

Perfect Episode Thirty ♦ The Ferryman

Now available

Perfect, Episode Thirty ♦ The Ferryman

Perfect, Episode Twenty-nine ♦ Saint Jo

George and Anita are spending some time with their new friend Clearie in Saint Jo near the Missouri River. Both Anita and George are trying to figure out what to do next. They could stay in Saint Jo, but there is always the final outstanding clue ‘My pioneers. West. Find me under a red cloud.’

Now available

Perfect, Episode Twenty-nine ♦ Saint Jo

Writing Book Review: Immediate Fiction by Jerry Cleaver

Immediate Fiction: A Complete Writing Course
by Jerry Cleaver

Strengths:

• Offers a complete, easy-to-follow methodology for writing a story that will probably sell – from first page to publication.
• Offers a plan for fitting writing into your busy lifestyle (Ch 12)
• Examines why writers get blocked and what to do about it (Ch 15)
• Includes plenty of exercises to get you writing and thinking about how to write

Weaknesses:

• Some will find the author’s style objectionable for whatever personal reason – too this, not enough of that, whatever
• He may say your sacred writing ritual is bunk – though he regularly says something to the effect, but if it works for you, keep doing it
• An over-emphasis on amping up the drama creates fiction I find uninteresting

Bottom Line:

• Check this one out from your library and see if it/he speaks to you
• Buy a used copy online if you don’t have access to a good used bookstore
• I’d pay no more than $5.00 for a copy

Reaction:
Overall I thought this was a worthwhile read (from the library). Will see if I say, “Gosh, really need a copy to go through the chapter on overcoming writer’s block.” Or maybe something else. I did write down his basic formula (get the book if you want to know what it is) to keep what I’d call his Five Elements of a Successful Story (again, read the book, it applies to everything: short story, novella, novel, play, screenplay, graphic novel, etc) front and center and made some notes – other titles and a couple websites. So that was useful.

Okay, so one of the elements is conflict, but you already guessed that. Here’s my take, my words, of what he’s telling us to do: Don’t just have your character lose his job. Have his boss fire him. And while you’re at it, don’t just have the boss say, “Joe, we need to make some cutbacks. Sorry to see you go…” NO! We need to really pile it on. So not only does Joe’s boss get all nasty, “I’m firing your worthless butt and reporting you to the state regulator for gross misconduct so you’ll never work again.” THEN the mean old boss will conspire with another employee to file a sexual harassment suit against poor Joe AND, just in case that isn’t quite enough drama and conflict for Joe to overcome, let’s go ahead and fill his computer with child porn and call the cops.

Poor Joe!

UGH! Poor reader. When I see this sort of stuff – in print, online, on TV, at the movies – I lose interest and quick. It goes beyond realistic and believable. Maybe that’s enjoyable for others – it clearly sells – maybe you like a movie where A-list stars are dealing with this kind of stuff, but my eyes glaze over and I’m glad I got the DVD from library.

If nothing else, after reading Immediate Fiction I knew what I hate about modern entertainment and what I want to do different. Sure, we still need to connect with characters through showing and emotion. Stories still need conflict and the characters taking action to deal with the conflict – protagonists will fight to overcome; you know what antagonists will be doing. But I yearn for believable characters facing real-life situations. No, not the babysitter bailing at the last minute before the best friend’s wedding – wait, that’s not entirely a bad premise – but definitely not catching the spouse in bed with the babysitter, going medieval on everyone in the county, and then eating the bride for dinner. That’s a bit much.

Unless horror’s your genre.