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Home/PlayStation/Jim Ryan Explains The PS5 Price Announcement Delay
Jim Ryan Explains The PS5 Price Announcement Delay
PoisonThyParty December 8, 2020
There is a lot to uncover in this statement, as there is more than one thing going contrary to popular belief. Remember how people were throwing conspiracy theories and speculations all around since the PS5 still hasn't released a price against the Xbox Series X and Series S? People were quick to presume that the delays were due to a ton of waiting to easily compete with Microsoft, while others believed that there is an ongoing problem with PS5 parts in their supply chain. Well, Jim Ryan says otherwise.
The SIE CEO reveals that the prices for both the disc and digital versions of the PS5 was determined early in 2020, even before the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic and the entire lockdown shenanigans took place. People were quick to presume that Sony was taking into consideration the lessened household budgets and the general difficulty to put out restocks on stores. Well, they thought wrong. Although re-stocking and deliveries were always an issue with the PS5, it's far from being the reason for the PS5's price to be what it is today. The disc version was always $499 and the digital version was always $399, its really just that the stars have aligned for them to make the numbers look good enough to go against Microsoft even if the Xbox Series X and Series S went into an earlier price reveal.
Moving forward, the only problem that seems to lie for this next-gen behemoth would be to cater to the public's overwhelming demand. So far, re-stocks from every major supplier are underway for the holiday season so keep your eyes peeled at websites if you still want or need to cop yourself a copy of this console.
What do you think of this revelation? Let us know in the comments section below!
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Been staying at home lately. Being frugal. Not much news.
The job is still a struggle. I've got used to most of my job duties, but it's an overwhelming workload. Really wipes me out by the end of the day. Yes, I'm glad I have a job, don't get me wrong, but I don't want to stay at this forever.
I'd been looking for a bookshelf but have decided against buying one….or a chair. With all the moving I've done over the years, I just don't want to accumulate stuff. I'll only have to deal with it later on when I move…..which I hope to do eventually. Anyway…..what I'm getting at here is….. I still like my home, wherever it may be, to be homey.
The other day I saw three perfectly good planks of redwood in the trash.
What?!! I know, that's what I said, too. So, of course I grabbed them out of the trash and started thinking what I could do with them and an idea came to me almost immediately.
I've had these two really beautiful cast iron brackets for years and have always lugged them around with me. Can't seem to part with them.
I thought that since I've decided not to buy a bookshelf, I could at least make a shelf for my books…. some of them, anyway.
So, here are my books, piled up on the floor…..
….and here they are in my new cozy corner…..
I've got my oldest books and first editions on the shelf, at the end of which, you'll notice, is a spot for my cuppa.
Not the most color coordinated bunch of pillows, but, eh, they're comfy.
Speaking of decorating with found objects, I also found this great old (somewhat beaten up, but that gives it character) frame. It's around 4 feet long by about 14 inches. I've been wanting to display some of the beautiful pieces of fabric I'd bought in Viet Nam and thought it would be nice to put them in the frame. But most of them didn't fit nicely…. they just looked odd in it. So I took some cheesecloth which I stapled into the back of the frame and instead of putting the large pieces in it, I sewed this small piece to it. It's only about 4″ square. I like how it looks.
Isn't it a gorgeous piece of fabric? It's silk and the hand-stitching is incredibly tiny and detailed. I can't imagine the hours of work put into it.
Now that I've gone through my books, I've picked out a few I've been wanting to read, so if you'll excuse me…..
So the three pieces of wood are screwed or glued to each other? Trying to figure out how that's stable.
Okay, so I butted two pieces end to end then centered the third piece on top of the two. Then I screwed the top piece to the two bottom pieces at each end of the top piece. Then I turned the whole shebang over and screwed the two bottom pieces into the center of the underside of the top piece. That's about as accurate a description as I can come up with!


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the butter and sugars. Add the vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the eggs. add half the flour, the chocolate chips, and the chopped pecans. Stir well. Add the rest of the flour and mix thoroughly.
Drop by teaspoons onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until nicely browned.


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We are a social enterprise - a business with a social mission! We exist to help close the attainment gap faced by disadvantaged young people. We reinvest a majority of retained profits into our social mission and we're members of Social Enterprise UK, the national membership body for social enterprises and the leading global authority on social enterprise.
What are Social Enterprises?
Have you ever read the Big Issue, or drank a cup of Cafédirect coffee? Have you ever visited the Eden Project or shopped at the Co-op? All of these organisations operate as social enterprises. Social enterprises are businesses that are changing the world for the better and can be found in our communities and on our high streets.
Definition of a Social Enterprise
The term "Social Enterprise" describes the purpose of a business, not its legal form. It's defined (by Government) as "a business with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or in the community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profit for shareholders and owners".
How do Social Enterprises work?
By selling goods and services in the open market, social enterprises reinvest the money they make back into improving society, allowing them to tackle social problems, improve people's life chances, support communities and help the environment.
The difference between a Charity and a Social Enterprise
Both charities and social enterprises try to further social benefit and achieve philanthropic goals. However, the methods they use to generate income create a fundamental distinction. Whilst charities often fund their good work mainly through donations and fundraising (voluntary income), social enterprises more often often sell products or services (trading income).
Social enterprises aim to generate a profit and some of that profit can be used to pay back investors. This is the social enterprise notion of a blended return; being in business to deliver a social impact as well as (in some cases) an economic return.
This feature of a social enterprise distinguishes it from a charity, which is by definition non-profit. This also means that the funding & investment landscape for social enterprise spans both the charity and the commercial sectors, allowing social enterprises to attract both grant-making / philanthropic funding and commercial investment, such as debt and equity.
How are Social Enterprises regulated?
There is no single regulator for social enterprises. Unlike charities, social enterprises take a range of legal forms so they are regulated by a range of different bodies. For example:
Standard companies limited by share and guarantee are regulated by Companies House
Community Interest Companies are regulated by Companies House and the Community Interest Company Regulator
Social enterprises with charitable status are regulated by the Charity Commission
We accept donations and grants and we're registered with the Fundraising Regulator. We're committed to good fundraising practice.
Fundamentally, being a social enterprise is about adopting a set of operational principles. These include:
Having a clear social and/or environmental mission (set out in your governing documents)
Generating the majority of your income through trade
Reinvesting the majority of your profits to further the social mission
Our Legal Structure
Social enterprises may take a variety of legal forms. Regardless of the legal form chosen, there are two fundamental principles to consider:
It's not the legal structure that makes an organisation a social venture – rather, it's the activities
The immediate, and future, funding and income generating opportunities will have a major impact on the structure chosen
We are a private limited company, registered at Companies House. We have a board consisting of one executive director and two non-executive directors who are accountable for our strategy, activities and performance.
We reinvest a majority of retained profits in our social mission. This charitable purpose is defined within our Articles of Association and has been externally validated by the Charities Aid Foundation. We have the following mechanisms in place to secure that charitable purpose:
Mission Lock: A mission lock ensures the intended social purpose of a venture remains its primary objective in the long term. Our social mission lock has two elements:
A social purpose statement written into our governing documents – the company's object "is to help close the attainment gap"
An operational commitment clause that ensures a majority of retained profits are used to further the social purpose – we can either reinvest in our programme of free talks or outdoor experiences for the most disadvantaged young people, or donate this to another charity with a similar mission
Asset Lock: An Asset Lock is designed to ensure that the assets of the venture (including any profits or other surpluses generated by its activities) are used for the benefit of the community. Our Asset Lock requires us to:
Transfer/sell our assets at full market value, and not below
In the event of insolvency, all assets will be donated to the Venture Trust, a charity with a similar social mission
In addition, we have agreed with a funder SE-Assist Wales that we will pay no dividends for three years, which further strengthens our charitable purpose. The SE-Assist Wales funding is managed by CAF Venturesome who completed an in-depth due diligence process to validate this charitable purpose.
We can and do accept donations and grants, but the majority of our income is generated through trading, by selling inspirational talks and UK and overseas mountain adventures.
Donations Grants
Updated: 7th December, 2020

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Precision machining, priority protection mask machine production
As companies in order to return to work and production, ningbo precision machinery parts processing manufacturer of masks and other protective supplies demand continues to increase. Especially for those in the tens of thousands of giant, internal consumption of mask every day is also a lot of number, foreign procurement alone is certainly not a way to mask machine to ensure their own preferred production supply is a good choice. In labor-intensive industries, in the tens of thousands of companies is not the biggest, ningbo precision machinery processing enterprises have larger giants, the industrial park is the family. Under the epidemic situation, to return to work and production to guarantee first masks and other protective supplies supply, affirmation is not realistic to other suppliers, many of his peers have to choose their own production. Precision machinery parts processing factory in ningbo, home from foxconn, byd, during the Spring Festival begins to allocate the mask production line, for our precision parts processing industry, diy assembly mask machine is not difficult, as long as you can purchase the raw materials, organize production, to meet their own needs, basically, it is not problem, also can reduce pressure on the social supply. For days, ningbo precision machining industry association in organize enterprises to return to work and production at the same time, through the association member enterprise, unified deployment of face mask machine production, need protection mask machine production for epidemic prevention, give priority to meet the emergency. So long as has the precision machining of 3 d drawings, mask machine molding has become a very easy thing.
Anyone who has seen the latest mechanical parts manufacturer SERVICE in operation cannot help but be impressed with how far the technology has progressed over the past few years.
The Global SERVICE Leader. NINGBO HENRY PARTS INC. will build a unique portfolio of HENRY PARTS and related brands, striving to surpass our competitors in quality, innovation and value, and elevating our image to become the SERVICE company most customer turn to worldwide.
Apart from this, exhibit myriad mechanical parts manufacturer benefits, like the prevention of mechanical parts manufacturer by enhancing mechanical parts manufacturer.
The only cardinal rule with adding animation is to keep high-quality on SERVICE.


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Sphecius est un genre d'hyménoptères de la famille des crabronidés. Il comprend les espèces suivantes :
 Sphecius antennatus
 Sphecius citrinus
 Sphecius claripennis
 Sphecius conicus
 Sphecius convallis
 Sphecius grandidieri
 Sphecius grandis
 Sphecius hemixanthopterus
 Sphecius hogardii
 Sphecius intermedius
 Sphecius lutescens
 Sphecius malayanus
 Sphecius milleri
 Sphecius nigricornis
 Sphecius pectoralis
 Sphecius persa
 Sphecius quartinae
 Sphecius schulthessi
 Sphecius speciosus
 Sphecius spectabilis
 Sphecius uljanini

Lien externe

 Species of Sphecius au département d'entomologie de l'Université de Californie

Crabronidae

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


When it comes to enjoying internet based casinos in Australia, and particularly online pokies, MasterCard has the edge on most deposit options when it comes to players' preferences. With a trusted name providing speed and security at the casino cashier, gamers feel much more comfortable using MasterCard for online pokies payments.
Here you'll find our reviews teams' top site recommendations for Aussies who want to use MasterCard for online pokies games. These sites will offer you a smooth transactions process on real money games, and a good range of the available pokies online.
Most sites will accept deposits using MasterCard, meaning that it can be tough to choose which one to play at, however we rate Ruby Fortune as number one.
MasterCard is accepted at a huge number of casinos located all over the world, only marginally fewer than accept Visa. For sheer convenience, this gives MasterCard a lot of points in its favour.
Say your paycheck hasn't cleared on a Friday night but you're in the mood to hit the MasterCard online pokies. Australia land-based venues are one option, but you can still play on the web by using a credit card and paying it off once the money clears into your account.
Online casino operators are extremely cautious when it comes to security and potential fraud, but it's good to know that most MasterCards come with measures to help you recoup any fraudulent spending you might like to check the small print to see whether you're covered if anything goes wrong.
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Despite all those alternatives we just mentioned, it looks like MasterCard is here to stay for a lot of years yet. We may be heading towards a fully digital society but, for now, having a credit card is one of the best ways to make a purchase offline or online.
If MasterCard is your preferred payment method, you'll be glad to know that many online Australian pokie casinos readily accept this method of payment. In fact, it's rare to find an online casino that does not accept MasterCard.
To use your MasterCard at your preferred online pokie casino go to the cashier page. Choose MasterCard as your method of payment. Enter your account information and the amount you'd like transferred. Then confirm your deposit and have it processed. Your online pokie casino account will be credited instantly.
Always make sure that any online casino as which you play utilizes 128-bit encryption technology and that you are contacting them through a secure connection. Doing so will help protect your personal and banking information.
In order to play real money pokies at an Australian online casino, you'll need to create an account. This is a simple process. After either downloading, installing, and launching the casino software ir opening the instant-play version of your casino, you'll be asked to join. You'll be taken to the membership page where you'll provide the online casino with the necessary information.
You'll be asked to provide your name, address, birthdate, and country. Plus, you will have to supply your email and phone number. You will also be asked to pick a screen name and password. Depending on the casino, other information, such as whether you're male or female, may also be collected. Once you have completed and submitted the membership form, you'll receive an email with a confirmation link. Go to your email and click on the link to confirm that you're a member.
Once you have confirmed your account, you'll be able to make a real money deposit. Australian players can do so using credit or debit cards, e-wallets, rapid transfer services or other methods. In order to make a deposit, you'll need to go to the cashier page and select a banking method. You'll then provide the required information, including the amount you want to deposit. Don't forget to include the bonus code, if needed, or to select your bonus. Once you click the deposit button, chances are that the funds will be in your account instantly. You can then begin enjoying your favourite real money online pokies.
To find the best Australian online pokie casinos you won't have to go very far. That's because our team of online pokie experts has reviewed a long list of sites and determined which are the very best. To find a top pokie casino simply check out our shortlist on this page. Each one of the Australian online casinos we have selected is fair, safe, and secure; offers great bonuses and promotions, and provides players with a big selection of pokies and other casino games.
Can I use a prepaid Master card?
Provided you have enough on the card to cover the deposit, this is fine. Because you can only use the amount of money you have on the card, prepaid MasterCards are like using a debit card. Many Aussie players actually like this hard limit, because it means they can't accidentally gamble their way into their overdraft.
Prepaid MasterCards are also very useful for paying out your winnings. Once you've cashed out from the casino using your card, you can withdraw those winnings at any ATM in Oz without the fees that using a credit card at one often generates.
Is it safe to use Mastercard online pokies?
Australia has always been cautious when it comes to online spending, but in this case those reservations are unfounded. Online casinos have all sorts of safety measures in place to protect your credit card details and information, but MasterCard also monitor for suspicious spending and aim to protect against identity theft.
Hopefully you'll never need to know anything about all of those security measures beyond the fact that they're in place to protect you, but MasterCard is still one of the safest payment methods around.
Is it alright to use my MasterCard to fund online gambling?
Players in Oz are fine to use credit cards to fund real money gaming on the web because laws that refer to online gambling only affect how casino site operators must behave, not players themselves. You can feel totally confident using your card at Australia pokies online; MasterCard have been processing such transactions for decades now.
Are there any fees associated with using a MasterCard?
Australia online pokies won't incur any fees, so you'll only have to watch out for them if you've incurred fees when spending elsewhere on the web.
There's a huge choice of MasterCard pokies online. Australia has access to so many that it's virtually impossible to narrow down the list, especially given that virtually all let Aussie players use credit cards. We reckon that any one of the sites on this page is, in our experience at least, a good place to spend your AUD.


With MAP Communications, local AZ businesses and organizations are able to rely on a Phoenix answering service that enables them to finally catch their breath and start to see real gains in efficiency. Not only will your organization's resource limitations become a thing of the past, but you will be able to inexpensively expand your phone support hours and connect callers to a team of friendly and helpful virtual receptionists 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Successfully managing any organization requires a lot of planning, hard work, and attention to detail. When you and your team are finding that your focus is constantly getting caught in the weeds because you have to personally respond to every inbound call, larger initiatives can be put on the backburner, or worse; fall through the cracks altogether. With our answering services in Phoenix, you get a highly trained team of virtual receptionists that you can confidently count on to manage your calls efficiently and effectively while you focus on priorities that require your unique skill set.
With any organization, when you rely on too few resources to accomplish too many tasks, you have the perfect recipe for failure. By identifying an area of responsibility that can distract your organization, like answering phones, you are faced with the opportunity to find a more effective solution to handle that distraction while simultaneously improving the overall efficiency of your internal teams. Local organizations that have discovered this opportunity have turned to MAP Phoenix call center solutions and, nearly overnight, have opened the floodgates of efficiency for their callers and their teams.
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Given annually through the generosity of esteemed dispute resolution champion Hon. Guy J. Mangano, this $5000 Award honors scholars and practitioners whose published empirical research has furthered the advancement and understanding of the values and skills of dispute resolution.
You are invited to nominate research (your own or someone else's) published in a nationally respected journal between October 1, 2016 and October 1, 2018. The research should have broad applicability to the dispute resolution field, and includes interdisciplinary research. You can also nominate research focused on dispute resolution in a specific field.
All nomination materials can be received from Thursday, October 4, 2018 to Friday, December 7, 2018 at noon EST.
To learn more about the 2019 Mangano Dispute Resolution Advancement Award, or if you have any questions about the nomination process, please contact Elayne E. Greenberg at greenbee@stjohns.edu.


In case your definition of the finest BBQ smokers contains those that so are simple to work with set and forget' working and make the meat flavorful a high-quality gas smoker is that which you require. The cheap bbq smokers accessible the marketplace are user-friendly, create clean heat and could possibly allow you to get the very best flavors in your meat.
Among the very prominent characteristics of the master built 2door propane, smokers are they rely on propane. Because of the reliance on propane, they can be relatively mobile. They are able to be transported to picnic sites or fishing camps or to campsites.
To strengthen their portability, these appliances, therefore, are perfect for those who are in possession of a limited outside space and feature a tiny footprint.
Because of the reality, these smokers put reliance on propane; there won't be any soot deposits in your food as propane is famous for burning economically and cleanly.
Lastly, it's very simple to keep up smoking temperatures without a lot of work. As a bonus, this version comes with a push button ignition.
There is no other smoker out there that can meet your requirements when it comes to features, cost and builds quality compared to Dyna-Glo DGY784BDP if you're after that really distinctive flavor which you can just get from a smoker.
As a result of its cast iron burner effective at outputting 15000 BTUs, this version lets you appreciate meals that are smoked throughout the year. The double door layout is really unique and it's meant to decrease the changes when you get the food or if you want to include water or wood chips.
You also include a one year guarantee and will be really satisfied to learn the DGY784BDP is also certified. Nevertheless, given its strong stainless steel structure, you won't make use of the guarantee soon.
Having a whole cooking surface of 1476 inches, the 3895GWLA in Landmann USA is one.
Apart from its layout, in addition, it incorporates useful features like easy access drawers with packages which enable you to acquire entry into the wood chip box along with the water basin . The 3895GWLA features.
There are of course, a number of different features you are likely to adore about this unbelievable smoker, like a substantial duty steel chip box (with lid), a steel water heaters (covered in ceramic), big cotton plastic door handle, flexible side damper ports which include tab guards made from plastic to efficiently manage temperature, along with a flexible leading chimney.
Last, you receive a excellent burner made from a warranty plus cast iron that will not rust.
It runs on the set of wood pans/cartons which can be full of wood chip. On an average, it may give 3 hours of smoke together with the quantity of wood over these boxes can carry. As compared to other propane smokers of the size, this one is relatively simple to assemble. A striking characteristic of the propane gas smoker is the fact that it keeps its temperature much better compared to other versions. It uses a double burner system with all the burners.
Being one of the biggest smokers this manufacturing company offers as well as the biggest gasoline smokers in its price range, it has a big capacity and may be used for cooking meat.
The burners come together to provide a complete power of 10,000 BTU. While the wood chip pans have a porcelain coating to them, the cupboards of the smoker are manufactured from solid steel.
The primary advantage of the double-door layout is the fact that users may add wood/water on it without losing something which is a serious issue with most other smoker versions, any heat. It may operate in an extensive array of temperatures, enabling the users to cook a big assortment of meats in accordance with their requirements. Also, compared to the majority of gauges on different smokers, the one in Smoke Hollow 44241G2 44-Inches Vertical LP Gas Smoker provides a reading that's quite close for ensuring the meat has been cooked as desired, to the internal temperature.
This smoker doesn't need lots of work to wash it completely and can be really user-friendly for the beginners. With most of the extra- accessories and stands supplied combined with the smoker, there exists little the users must purchase to generate the most from the Smoke Hollow 44241G2 44-Inch Vertical LP Gas Smoke.
This is fundamentally the gas. It's a similar size and attributes and works exactly the exact same. In addition, it suffers from a lot of the issues.
One quality of this gasoline smoker would be the water and strive that is smoking. Wood chips move in water and the middle around this at a space that is shaped. This sits directly above the burner and it dries out fast, meaning that it might need to be got many times because the water pan holds little fluid.
Like box tubes that are inexpensive, this unit has a door plus no insulating material which flows heat and smoke. Even though the heat can be set from by the gas burner, it's difficult to control when the end could pull the majority of the heat off. The burner is flexible so there's temperature control with this particular smoker, but maintaining a temperature could be challenging, particularly when wood chips may catch the water basin or fire may operate deep turning it to a sort of emitter.
It's significant to locate a gas smoker that can give you a sufficient level of space that is cooking. In case you just cook on your own, you'll be able to likely get by using a little unit that is mobile. Then you need to see a unit that's large enough to hold all your food in the event you plan on cooking for others. In most cases, in the event that you can manage it, you're better off purchasing a unit that is larger than you might imagine you'll want; it to have additional space as opposed to attempting to cram everything into a tiny chamber.
Your unit ought to have the ability to take care of the correct temperature within the cooking chamber, in the event that you try to find a tough unit with the great insulating material. Temperature variations can allow it to be more difficult to cook your foods flawlessly, although flimsy units will smoke your meat.
You don't wish to purchase the lowest priced version as you are able to discover when you obtain a component; the unit likely won't generate the quantity of smoke needed to cook your food if you take care of this. Luckily, that was mid -ranged units begin at around the 150 dollar mark, without costing too much and that means you will get an excellent product.
The stuff your smoker is constructed out of can dramatically alter the caliber of the unit. Look for more heavy units that use insulating material and thick steel. It's going to warp and lose heat when cooking in the event the metal that the smoker is crafted from is thin; in the event that you anticipate making use of your smoker when it's chilly outside, this is particularly important.
If you obtain a component that's a removable stand, water pan, and drip pan, then cleaning it becomes much easier. Examine it to be certain that you'll have the ability to clean it immediately and effectively before you purchase a component.


B. F. Skinner's (1957) "Verbal Behavior" had a limited influence on empirical research in the first few decades following its publication, but an increase in empirical activity has been evident in recent years. The purpose of this article is to update previous analyses that have quantified the influence of "Verbal Behavior" on the scholarly literature, with an emphasis on its impact on empirical research. Study 1 was a citation analysis that showed an increase in citations to "Verbal Behavior" from 2005 to 2016 relative to earlier time periods. In particular, there was a large increase in citations from empirical articles. Study 2 identified empirical studies in which a verbal operant was manipulated or measured, regardless of whether or not "Verbal Behavior" was cited, and demonstrated a large increase in publication rate, with an increasing trend in the publication of both basic and applied experimental analyses throughout the review period. A majority of the studies were concerned with teaching verbal behavior to children with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities, but a variety of other basic and applied research topics were also represented. The results suggest a clearly increasing impact of "Verbal Behavior" on the experimental analysis of behavior on the 60th anniversary of the book's publication.


Welcome to the website for the Suburban Municipal Joint Insurance Fund, a public entity established under NJSA 40A:10-36 et. seq.
Please click on the logo to find out more information on the MEL Safety Institute. The MSI is the safety training department of the MEL that offers a broad range of safety training required by PEOSHA and other regulatory agencies to all MEL affliated members.
Please click on the logo to find out more information on the Municipal Excess Liability Joint Insurance Fund that provides excess coverages to Suburban Municipal JIF members.
Please click on the logo to find out more information on the Environmental JIF that provides environmental coverage to Suburban Municipal JIF members.
Please click on the logo to find out more information on the NJ Sustainable Energy Joint Meeting that is an aggregate buying group of New Jersey municipalities and authorities.
Please click on the logo to find out more information on the New Jersey Safety Institute.


***Major Price Reduction!!!***Welcome to 442 S 55th St! Fantastic opportunity to own this lovely home that has been completely renovated with fine detailing throughout.Walk through the front door and you'll notice right away that there is an open floor plan throughout the first floor. Beautiful flooring, recessed lighting and ceiling fans throughout the entire home, offering spacious open floor concept leading you from living room into dining room, perfect for entertaining. The kitchen has exquisite details throughout complete with wood cabinets, dishwasher, beautiful glass backsplash and brand new stainless steel appliances. There's also a pantry for additional storage. Upstairs consists four Bedrooms, carpeted wall to wall, and a lovely 3 piece bathroom. Basement is large and full, great for storage. The back yard is perfect for barbecues, get togethers, gatherings, and more! Schedule your showing today-this won't last long! This home is in perfect location and minutes away from, playgrounds, shopping, food, transportation and schools! You won't be disappointed! Seller assist is available!


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It All Began With An Earthquake, or How I Spent My Summer Vacation
Robin, my son James, and I were on our way out of the house, on our way to the airport, when the house started to shake. At first it was just a rattle of a lamp shade, just like it always did when my son ran up and down the stairs like an elephant. Only it continued to shake for longer than it usually took him to bound down the stairs. Then there was a faint roar like a big truck on the main road outside. Then the floor began to shake. Earthquake.
I went downstairs and we stepped outside the house even as the walls were threatening to shake off mirrors and paintings. By the time we hit the grass, it was over. The dog was shaking and neighbors were coming out asking what just happened.
Little did we know that this was just the start of our adventure. All we would be missing was an Indian friend for my son named named Hadji and a dog named Bandit. (figure it out.)
As much fun as it might have been to hang around to share stories of the quake, we had to go. We barely caught the bus to the airport, flagging it down at the last second, this too was the start of a pattern.
The bus was filled with people leaving work early due to the quake. Those in high-rise buildings had the best stories and everyone was eager to share. We raced to the airport only to find our flight delayed. This was bad as it meant we would miss our connecting flight in Denver. As we touched down in Colorado, I received a delayed voice mail saying due to the delay, we had been re-booked onto a new flight--one leaving in thirty minutes and we were trapped in the back of the plane.
We raced out and surprisingly reached the gate with a full fifteen minutes to spare. Only this was a new airline, and they didn't have proper notification of our joining them. The gate steward struggled to get us on. They processed my son and checked him through but due to a glitch in the system they couldn't get us on board. At the last minute, as the door were literally closing, they threw our identification back at us and told us to just run for it. We raced up the gangway and on to the plane entering like Indiana Jones slipping under a stone door.
We arrived in Vegas at midnight. The temperature was still one hundred degrees. If you've never been to Las Vegas, the first thing you notice are the slot machines waiting in the airport, at the gate, as you exit the plane like a friendly family welcoming you. As it turns out there are slot machines everywhere. I was actually surprised they hadn't invaded the restrooms.
Vegas and I aren't meant for each other. Vegas, I determined, is for people who want to party in a serious way. I found it to be a cross between a dive-bar and a carnival midway with bright lights, the smell of urine, cigarettes, car exhaust, and fellas coaxing you to try games, that while they might not be rigged, aren't exactly fair either. Some of the casinos were nicer than others of course, but over all the best thing I saw there was the fountain at the Bellagio. The most annoying thing was the strange lack of WiFi. Nearly everything in Nevada is contained in casinos, Starbucks included, and the casinos (at least the one we were at) only had wired connection, and ours was broken. We were forced to travel to the outskirts of the city in order to find a coffee shop with free WiFi. As it turned out the WiFi access was consistently inverse to what one would think. We could get free WiFi at a remote cabin deep in the mountains of Yosemite Valley, but not in Vegas or at the Marriott near Fresno, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
The good news was that we weren't planning to stay long in Vegas. We were heading out to Death Valley the next morning. The bad news was that the area was experiencing record high temperatures--record high temps in the hottest, driest place in the world. We loaded a cooler with ice, bottled water, a few snacks and cold cuts--we didn't want to end up eating lizard and drinking the sap from cactus--and headed in.
The city of Vegas vanishes quickly and all there is is desert. Our car had an outside thermostat and we watched it rise as we cruised along in air conditioned comfort. We exceeded 100 early on, but not much more than 106. Then as we entered the park, as we began descending into the valley my son noted it was 108. This would have been a new high for us, except that he was looking at the radio frequency and not the temperature gauge. It was actually 118. The temperature had risen ten degrees in as many minutes.
All around us was dirt and rock. It was like being on the surface of the moon--at least what I imagine it would be like--the sunny side perhaps. We pulled off at the park sign and for the first time opened the doors.
Taking a trip to Death Valley in August feels a bit like space travel. Our car was our ship and we took "space walks" outside that had to be limited by time because of exposure. Everyone was required to carry water and wear a hat and sunglasses.
We unsealed the car doors and were hit by the blast of heat. Yeah, it was hot alright. We did a little rock climbing noticing the tremendous difference between shade and sun. We were only outside about twenty minutes but it was enough to break a solid sweat. Something that I didn't even notice until returning to the car because the hot, dry wind hid the fact.
Robin at Zabriskie Peak
We continued onward, and as we descended deeper, the temperature continued to rise. 119, 120, 122. The heat had reached 123 when we arrived at Furnace Creek, the destination and the location of the park headquarters. 123 degrees does interesting things to you. The skin of your fingertips prickles like your being stuck with pins and since the ground is about 200 degrees, it's like standing on a skillet. You feel the hot burn coming up through the soles of your shoes.
We entered the gift shop were I got a proper cowboy hat, I know why they wore them now, then we had lunch at the saloon. We were not at the lowest point yet, but we were at the location I needed. So while Robin made plans to press on deeper into the park, I took notes with my iPad and snapped photos. I took mundane photos, photos of things that I might need for my book. Other tourists looked at me oddly. They were snapping shots of the mountains and covered wagons. I was taking photos of their car, and the other tourists, the bar menu, and the gift shop.
After lunch we drove deeper. Long stretches of nothing but rock and dirt and forbidding mountains. I got the very real sense this was a dangerous place. We stopped at some dunes and then left the paved road and headed up a dirt road toward a remote canyon that Robin had a hankering to explore. By now the temperature was 124 degrees.
Because the road was rough and we had the potential of sliding off and getting stuck, something that would definitely would have been a problem, I was stupid and concentrated on the road and not my gauges. As I was gunning it up a steep slope the air conditioning stopped. The vents were just blowing hot air. I looked down and saw the temp gauge was pegged. The car was about to overheat.
Recalling my younger days of driving a rattletrap Dodge Dart, I shut off the air conditioning and threw on the heat. This immediately dropped the car's engine temperature, but of course the car's interior suffered. Just imagine driving in 124 temperatures and not just without air conditioning, but with the heat blowing full blast like it was the height of a New England winter.
We made it to the top, parked the car, and shut it off. We needed to give it a rest, so we went hiking up into the canyon. We darted from shadow to shade like kangaroo rats scurrying through a 1950s western.You could just see the cowboys and Indians.
Robin in Mosaic Canyon
We followed what was clearly the carved path of an old river with smooth curved stones. When we went through our water we turned back.
Going down was easy. We ran into another car who was coming up and I flagged them down to explain they ought to watch their temp gauge only their English wasn't very good and I'm not certain they understood.
This was a common throughout our trip. Just as American youth have been known to visit Europe in summer, it turns out that July and August is the time when foreigners visit the American west. There were mostly French, Italian, and Japanese and all in-park restaurants had instated "tipping included policies" as apparently Europeans don't tip.
Lastly we went to Badwater. This is the bottom, the lowest place in Death Valley, and the hottest. It is a giant salt flat that looks just like a lake from a distance and like muddy snow up close. It is the sun's anvil, a reflecting mirror that when you walk out on it you feel as if you just entered into a convection oven.
Robin and James on the salt flats of Badwater
This was incredible insofar as heat goes. Heat came from above, burning down, and heat came from below as it bounced up off the white surface of the flats, and the heat swirled around you in the form of burning gusts of desert winds. Here we were around 300 feet below sea level, and despite the scorching heat a small pool of water was there and had been for years. Full of salt, this "bad water" is what gave the place it's name.
We headed out of the park after that, but stopped in the desert after dark and spent an hour just staring at the stars and listening to the only radio station we could pick up that was a call-in talk show about UFOs. Disturbingly interesting as we weren't far from Area 51. If this was a Johnny Quest episode, you just know we would have seen a saucer that night. (yes that's the answer if you couldn't figure it out.)
News of the hurricane was everywhere. It was made very clear that the eastern seaboard was about to be blown out to sea and never seen again. Given this we felt the odds of returning to Virginia on Saturday was unlikely. Unable to even contact the airlines due to the high volume of calls, and our discontent with Vegas, we decided to do something radical. Envisioning a day or two of being trapped in an airport, we said screw it, and turning our round trip car rental into a one way to San Francisco, we went exploring.
Statues at Hoover Dam
After visiting the Hoover Dam and swimming in Lake Mead we crossed the Mojave desert. With the intention of reaching Sequoia National Park, we took this nice little gray line on a state map. We later dubbed it Bob's Road. Robin called it other things--things I shouldn't repeat.
Bob's road was a tiny road that went up into the mountains. It switch backed it's way along the edges of cliff, cliffs with no guardrails. Robin, in the passenger seat, and being afraid of heights, clutched the arm rest and...let's just say she wasn't a happy camper. After reaching the top I noticed we were getting a bit light on gas. Anxious to find gas and a place to stay for the night before it got dark, we became concerned as the road narrowed, turned to dirt, and then as the sun began to set, the road just ended.
Me...somewhere along the road
We spoke to some locals and learned that to get gas we had to go back down. Robin was shaking her head before the guy finished speaking. To her credit she climbed in the backseat and read her Kindle as we went back. It was a good thing, because at the very worst bend, where the road narrowed to near one lane we met another car coming up. When i think of that moment, I imagine little rocks breaking free as our tires crept around that edge. Outside of that we were fine.
We reached the Sequoias the next day, and wandered around a grove of the largest trees in the world, many about 2,500 years old. Then we moved north to Robin's favorite place...Yosemite.We'd been there about sixteen years before, but our son was only an infant then, so we took him back.
If you've never been there, you likely can't imagine it. You travel over hills and mountains with great views then you crest the ridge and start down into this isolated valley. You pass through a tunnel or two and then, wham! There it is--this vision that is too perfect to be real.
The largest single piece of bare granite cliff called El Captain, and the famous bald granite cliff Half Dome. Waterfalls, mountains and a river running between all of it. At the bottom of the valley there are lush meadows of flowers walled in by towering rock walls spilling waterfalls like some Jurassic Park movie.
Normally there is never any lodging available here due to the high demand, but that day there was also a fire. Yes, a forest fire started by an exploded propane tank that burned down a hillside and torched four thousand acres in twenty-four hours. It had closed one of of the three roads into the valley. It also (along with an earthquake a few days earlier in the park--can you believe that?) scared a number of people away. As a result we managed to land a "cabin-tent"
Our tent is the one on the left with the door open
and spent the night in Yosemite beneath a starry sky, sitting in a log built lodge that had 20oz dark draft Mammoth beer and free WiFi of all things.
The next day it was on to San Fransico and our flight home. So we faced, dealt with, or benefited from two earthquakes, record high temps, a hurricane, and a forest fire.
Our four day trip turned into a week, I'm rather sore from rock climbing learning I am getting too old to keep up with my seventeen-year-old son, and I took to buying souvenir T-shirts just to have clean clothes. Still, it was very fun. The only problem is that tomorrow I will have to fly out again to Atlanta for DragonCon.
No rest for the weary, as my mother always said. Hope to see you there. I'll be the tired looking one.
Posted by Michael J. Sullivan 9 comments
Still Wandering
Okay so I've found new apps that made this attempt far easier.
Just a quick update. Robin found us a new return flight after spending all day on the phone while I drove--yes AT&T has cell access in the deserts. The flight isn't until Tuesday, and will be leaving from San Francisco so we crossed the Sierra Nevada, climbing out of the moonscape deserts and up into Sequoia National Park and wandered around the giants. Then yesterday we pushed north and entered Yosemite, where we climbed waterfalls, went biking, and spent the night in a one of the tent-cabins they have here. This morning I am sitting in the lodge as it is surprisingly, one of the first places we've found with wifi in days and I'm writing this post as a squirrel runs about the couches and stone fireplace.
Hope everything is better on the east coast, and that if you are reading this that you have power and aren't just at a coffee shop.
We survived Death Valley, and the earthquake, but the hurricane is playing havoc with air travel, so instead of flying home today, Robin, my son James and I are wandering aimlessly in the American Southwest.
We crossed the Mojave desert yesterday and had an "exciting" adventure last night where we took a wrong turn and found ourselves low on gas on a treacherous mountain road as the sun was setting. The road was one of these twisting no guardrail, sheer drops that nearly gave Robin a heart attack and prompted my son to declare it to be the highlight of the trip so far.
I am now making this post from the lobby of a Comfort Inn somewhere near Edwards Air Force Base.
I am writing this post on my iPad, which is near impossible to do. Jamie Rubin does this all the time, but I was unable to upload a photo without the help of Robin's computer. So be even more forgiving of errors.
Sorry but I won't be able to make my usual Writing Advice post tomorrow. Wifi has been sketchy out here, and today we will be heading up into the mountains so I doubt I will be able to broadcast.
The Research Trip
Heading off for my first research trip tomorrow.
When I used to write realistic novels, I never had the opportunity, or resources to invest in first hand research—going there. I also didn't have the Internet, or a nearby library, so this made writing accurately rather difficult. I remember avoiding scenes that would require detailed descriptions of anything I had no means of finding out about, but which readers might know. Then I began writing Invented World Fantasy stories and research was never such a crucial aspect of the writing process. With my new book that has changed.
The bulk of the new novel is set in the DC area, but there is a scene in New York and another in Death Valley. The trip to New York was easy. I just tagged along with Robin when she went to the BEA, and while she was at the convention I wandered the Upper East Side taking notes and photos.
Tomorrow will mark the first purely novel-research-based trip. While I am taking Robin and my son with me, this is not a vacation. If I were planning a vacation, Death Valley in August would not be it. Known to be the hottest, driest and lowest place in North America, the forecasted temperature there is expected to be 120 degree highs and 85 lows. The ground—the rocks and sand—can easily reach 200 degrees—hot enough to melt sneakers. It's like planning a recon mission to a distant planet.
Robin has her heart set on staying out there until after dark to see the stars, and at the moment we are planning on spending the night—not in a hotel, not in a cabin, not even in a tent as I've learned that in the heat no one wants to sleep in a tent. No the plan is to just sleep outside. Hopefully we can commandeer a blanket or something. I'll put my son on scorpion, black widow, and rattlesnake watch.
So after landing in Vegas, we'll need to rent a car, buy a cooler, fill it with ice and bring a minimum of a gallon of water per person per day. The car will be air-conditioned of course, and there is a store and gas station in Furnace Creek, (our primary destination), but cars have broken down before, and cell phones won't work out there.
So we have our wide-brim hats, LED flashlights, sunscreen and map, and will disappear into the desert and should emerge Saturday. So if I don't make my routine Sunday post…something might have gone wrong.
It's not as dire as all that. I've heard they get crowds of tourists even this time of year. Still I suppose it is good for you to know that Orbit has all the manuscripts for the series and my tragic disappearance won't affect the release of the books.
Writing Advice 10 — Dialog
Dialog is one of the big three tools a novelist uses to tell a story, the other two being description and reflection. Given that this is one of the three pillars, this will be a longer than normal post, and I will still be hard-pressed to cover everything.
Some folks find dialog easy to write, others have trouble. What that usually means is that a writer is having difficulty making the conversation sound real, but honestly that is advanced level dialog, and this is still a basics class. So we are going to be going over the basics, because it is surprising how often new writers don't know them.
Dialog is when a character speaks. While this seems obvious, there are two kinds: External and Internal. External is the one most people think of. It is when a character opens their mouths and speaks. Before I get into the nuances, let's go over the basic structure because I've found a lot of writers don't know how to physically construct dialog on a page. This is something I'm often baffled by because it is demonstrated in just about every novel.
Dialog consists of two parts, the communication and the tag. The tag is the comment that designates who did the speaking like: Bill said.
Dialog starts with a (") and ends with a (") Okay so most people know that much, but what comes next they appear to have a huge problem with: Every time a new character begins to speak you create a new paragraph.
"I said no!" Bobby shouted.
"I don't care!" Jane shouted back.
"I said no!" Bobby shouted. "I don't care!" Jane shouted back.
I realize that there are some successful books that don't follow this rule. The Road by Cormac McCarthy doesn't use punctuation either. It is my opinion that both practices are wrong. (And if you've read my post on Grammar Nazis, you know that I think everything concerning the "rules" of writing and English, are opinions of someone. It doesn't mean I'm right, and it doesn't mean I'm wrong.) I considered these practices wrong because these techniques impede the clarity of the message, and as an author, anything that makes something harder for a reader to read, I'm against.
Even in the very simple case above, a lazy reader might think Bobby was the one who shouted "I don't care." But the problem becomes far more devastating as the writing grows more complex such as using action tags in place of dialog tags.
"I said no!" Bobby opened the door. "I don't care!" Jane had had enough.
In this case you really have no idea who said what. Bobby could have said both lines, or neither. Look at how the meaning changes when broken differently.
"I said no!" Bobby opened the door.
"I don't care!" Jane had had enough.
"I said no!" Bobby opened the door. "I don't care!"
Jane had had enough.
"I said no!"
Bobby opened the door.
Paragraph breaking in dialog is a huge tool in helping the reader understand what is going on.
Let's take a closer look at tags.
He said, is a dialog tag. It is properly written: "I love you," he said. Note the comma and the lower case H on he.
He laughed, is an action tag. Rather than directly stating the obvious, an action tag describes what immediately follows the dialog and so long as it is in the same paragraph, it indicates by association, who just spoke. "I know, I know." Bobby laughed. Note the period at the end of the know and the capital H on he. He laughed is a commonly misdiagnosed tag. New writers frequently think it is a dialog tag and write: "I know, I know," he laughed. Only people can't laugh words. And while you can spit, you can't spit and talk at the same time. You can hiss words, but only if they end in an S. You can reply, joke, comment, explain, mumble, whisper, shout, and yell, but you can't choke, laugh, smile, frown, or sigh a line of text. The difference is designated by the use of the period, verses the comma at the end of the speech.
Now while tags are necessary to know who is speaking, good writing limits the number of tags. Reading something like this is annoying:
"Who was that?" Bobby asked.
"Who was who?" Jane replied.
"At the door just now." Bobby said. "Who was it?"
"Oh, that?" Jane said. "Nobody."
"Really?" Bobby asked.
Not only is it annoying it is also unnecessary. It could just as easily have been written:
"At the door just now. Who was it?"
"Oh, that? Nobody."
Using only two tags in five lines of speech, how can a reader know who's speaking? By using the new-paragraph-per-new-speaker technique. Can this be done if there are more than two people in the scene? Yes, so long as only two people are doing the talking. The reader assumes that the person speaking is the person who had spoken the last line of opposition. There is a limit however, because after about five lines readers tend to forget who's who. So to remind them you need to drop in an indicator, either in the dialog itself, or an action tag, or a dialog tag.
Jane's heart was racing. "Just forget about it, okay?"
Instead of using the action tag: "Jane's heart was racing," You could also designate the speaker via the dialog by writing:
"Are you jealous because he's a man and you're afraid I might run off with him?"
Now assuming Jane has been established as a heterosexual female, this line of dialog can replace the need for a tag because the reader knows Bobby wouldn't say this.
Eliminating tags makes for a cleaner read, but sometimes when dealing with three or more characters all talking, you can only get so far with alternating lines, and using action tags can interrupt the flow of a conversation and kill a rising tension, or slow an exciting moment. Then it is best to just drop in a dialog tag to keep things understandable. When this happens, using said, replied, and asked, are your best bets. Anything flashier tends to stick out in a bad way and will stop the reader. I do tend to throw in an explained or commented from time to time just because I've used the others already and don't want to repeat the same words in close proximity, but keeping tags as simple as possible is important. And try never to use an adverb as part of a dialog tag.
"I don't like you," she said furiously.
Adverbs like this are just another form of Telling. This line is telling the reader that the speaker is upset. But the same can be shown by just improving the dialog to:
"I hate you!"
This doesn't need an adverb to explain how the speaker feels.
Another aspect of dialog that people frequently get confused about are the uses of em dashes and ellipses. Em Dashes are used to indicate an abrupt pause in dialog while ellipses indicate a trailing off.
"You know what you are? I'll tell you what you are! You're so—so…oh I don't know what, but you are!"
Here the em dash indicates that brief pause created by a stutter in speech, whereas the ellipse indicates that a character is taking a few seconds to think, to trail off in thought. Em dashs at the end of a sentence indicate a person has either been interrupted or has self-edited, while an ellipse shows they just never bothered to finish their thought
"We don't care what you think!"
All this is done without having to say:
"I think—" he was interrupted.
"I think…" he trailed off.
These tags are redundant.
Now getting back to the Internal dialog, this is when a character uses direct thought—usually indicated by italics and a shift to First Person, if writing in Third. If you're already in First then everything is in direct thought already so no italic is needed.
He walked to the door and closed it. Why do I keep putting myself through this?
In this way the writer jumps directly into the character's head and we hear his thoughts written as dialog. This is not contained in quotes so it needs italics to set it off as different from the rest of the story.
Usually it is considered bad grammar to use contractions outside of dialog as contraction's only purpose is to mimic speech patterns. Therefore it is improper usage to write:
Bobby came home that night and made himself dinner because he didn't think anyone else would.
The word didn't in this sentence should not be contracted because no one is speaking it.
The only other time contractions can be properly used outside of spoken dialog is in direct thought. Since direct thought is an internal dialog, the character is actually speaking to themselves in their head, and when people do this, they use contractions. So the line can be written:
Bobby came home that night and thought, I'll have to make myself dinner because no one's gonna make it for me.
Now if a book is written in first person, the whole thing is direct thought, so contractions are used all over the place. Once again, this is one of those rule-things, and in art, rules are there to be broken, and novel writing is as much art as it is craft. Zadie Smith is one of those writers who breaks most of the rules. She writes in third person with a shifting PoV and a prose style that is very conversational—as such she feels the need to use contractions to form the tone of her style. This is her Voice (something I will talk about later.) But again, rather than trying to sprint for the gold in the Olympics one ought to start by getting the hang of crawling first. So you might want to master playing by the rules before breaking them, because the rules were invented for a purpose—they make it easier for the reader to understand what it is you are trying to tell them.
There is also indirect thought, which is what happens in Third Person Close. This is sort of a false internal dialog:
This was not just some fight—not a fight at all. She planned this. That whole thing about her parents cornering her for a surprise talk about college was a lie. She was the one who plotted the ambush, a clever bushwhack at a friendly pizzeria where she could walk out when it got uncomfortable. He wondered if her parents were even involved. The whole story might have been an excuse.
This isn't direct thought, it is simply the narrator describing up close and personal what is going on in the character's head without actually becoming that character. The result is reflective thought that is heavily colored by what could be an unreliable narrator, or at least one who is only presenting a narrow viewpoint at that moment. So it isn't really dialog and shouldn't be handled as such.
Now that we've covered the mechanics let's look at another common problem with dialog. This is another of those diseases that stem from Telling rather than Showing. The problem arises when a writer wants to give information to the reader and to avoid exposition in narrative, they think they can get away with it if they disguise it as dialog.
"What's wrong, honey?"
"Oh it's Barbara. You know, my friend that I've known since high school, who lives next door and is always over here? The one with the dark hair and emerald green eyes, who is more attractive than I am so that I am always jealous of her whenever you look her way?"
"Oh, yeah. What about her?"
I am over emphasizing, but you get the idea. The problem can also be as simple as having one character speak to another using their name. This is a cheating way to avoid tagging the dialog and is a form of Telling that should be avoided.
"I don't know, Bob, this isn't coming out so good."
"You know what, Jane, I think you're right."
No one speaks this way except slick sales people who were taught in sales school that if you repeat someone's name to them, they subconsciously think you are friendlier.
When you think about it even the, he said, tag is outright Telling, but it is a more accepted form of Telling, but also the reason dialog tags should be avoided when possible.
I was recently re-reading an old manuscript of mine and noticed how often my dialog was being used to tell the story rather than present what the characters would actually say. Two scientists would meet to discuss theories that they both already knew, with lines like: "As you know professor Bill…" which is absurd, because if he knew why would you reminded him of what he knows. So it is important to restrict dialog to only what a person would actually say in a given situation. Even something as simple as: "Bill, look out for that falling rock!" is wrong. No one would say all that. Rather, they would just say: "Look out!"
Another problem to avoid is to realize that inside quotes you can do anything. There are no rules of grammar or spelling. Inside quotes anything goes. This is because inside quotes, thanks to Mark Twain, we are now free to mimic how people actually speak, rather than how they should speak. So not only can you use contractions, you should. And you should rarely allow characters to speak in complete sentences, because few people ever do.
If you want to learn how people really talk, try going to a coffee shop with a laptop. Sit down and type exactly what you overhear from neighboring tables. You'll get a lot of: "Ah…and—ah. You know?" These are probably the most used words in the English language. While this is accurate to real speech, as a writer you don't really want to write this because it is just as irritating to read as it is to listen to. So as a writer writing dialog you want to present the concept of realism, without actually writing the way people actually talk. This is done with broken sentences: "I can't—I don't know—I just can't come out and just say it like that. Damn. Okay maybe." Most of the sentences in the dialog above are grammatically incomplete, and yet they present the haphazard sense of genuine dialog.
Dialog also can be a huge tool in characterization. How a person speaks will indicate who is speaking even before the reader reaches a tag. The obvious way is to use slang, or phonetic dialects: "Ya'll gunna, be thar?" The problem with this is that it makes the reader have to stop and decipher the language, and as I've said, I hate anything that makes reading harder for the reader. You can do the same sort of thing without the phonetics and just dropping words. Instead of "Is everyone going to be there?" you can still write, "Everyone gonna come?" and it doesn't stop you like the phonetics, but still gives that same change in tone.
One of the tricks I used in the Riyria Revelations was to utilize contractions in speech with the lower classes and rarely use it with the nobility—particularly when they were speaking publically or trying to intimidate someone. Not using contractions in speech causes the dialog to sound stiff and formal—just the way I wanted my nobility to sound. The lower the class, the lower the education level, the more contractions and dropped words.
Then of course there are just favorite words or phrases. Saldur always uses the phrase "my dear" when speaking to women. Captain Seward had a propensity to curse deities with phrases like: "Good god!", and "Good Maribor!" as he was a bombastic character. Some use large vocabularies, and others very small ones. Some swear, others never do. In this way you can Show characterization rather than Telling it to the reader. You don't have to write that a character is sophisticated and refined, just have them speak that way. After a while you will notice that each of your characters have specific dialog idiosyncrasies that are part of their their make up. Edith Mon never used the word "your." Mince constantly uses the phrase, "By Mar!"
Dialog is an extremely powerful tool, and one of the best because it speeds up the pace, and if done correctly, can solve all kinds of problems with characterization, and description, without resorting to Telling.
Next week I'll touch on the second primary tool of writing—Description, which will pretty much conclude the Basics of Writing. That's the bell, and remember, no running in the halls.
I Talked With Moses
Moses Siregar III of Adventures in SciFi Publishing that is, what did you think?
It was about the time that news of the deal with Orbit was becoming public, and Moses invited me to do an audio interview. We had a good time, but since he did not air the interview for several months afterward, I forgot about it.
Today I noticed a thread comment on the SFFWorld forum that had a link to the interview. (Posted July 1.) For kicks and giggles, I listened. It had been so long I forgot what was discussed and found myself completely transfixed with the discussion. Usually I cringe listening to myself speak, but I thought I had done fairly well.
In the broadcast I discuss everything from the origins of the word Riyria, to what the future holds for Royce and Hadrian and my writing career.
So if you are interested in hearing me speak, or if you just have an hour to kill—yeah it lasted an hour, can you believe that—try this link and look for the little speaker icon below the books.
Writing Advice 9 — Pacing
Pacing is the speed of the events that take place in the story, but it really is a lot more than that and runs deep into the very sentence structure of the novel.
Holding the story out at a distance so that most of the detail is obscured you might see a pattern to the events, the high exciting points, and low duller points. In this very general scope, it would not be the best choice to have all the action pressed together at the end of the book with nothing in the front but character and setting development. This creates an unbalanced plot that can cause readers to get a false impression of your story. Someone who wants an exciting book might stop reading before they get to the action, and those that want a more thoughtful story might be upset when the actions blasts off.
A story doesn't need to be evenly spaced—in fact you will want to avoid a consistent pattern. Usually it begins with a bang, then relaxes a bit, allowing characters some development time—which is hard to do during action scenes (why, I will explain in a minute)—then there will be a spike of action, then a slow build of events, then the drop to the anti-climax and the rise to the climax and then the resolution. This is a very general pattern and can be varied dramatically, but the idea is to not create deserts and floods but to keep the pacing running in a more enjoyable range. It is also important to vary the pace of heart pounding scenes with reflective character development scenes. Everyone likes variety.
I remember when I first saw the original Star Wars I thought it was a great film, but the one complaint I had was that it felt too rushed. I wanted a little pause after the characters escaped the Death Star, I wanted to learn more about Leia and Han, and the universe in general, but things just kept flying at hyperspace speeds. As a viewer I didn't feel I had time to become fully immersed into the world, to get to know the characters or reflect on the repercussions of the events that had already transpired.
Having a varying pace in a story creates a sense of perceived depth through variation. The slower sections provide footholds and dividers, allowing the reader to mentally partition off areas of the book. Taking Tolkien as example again, the Council of Elrond can be seen as the division point in the first book of the trilogy. Everything before is of one tone, while what comes after is a bit different. The council also provides a moment to take stock and breathe, before diving into the adventure again. Such an oscillating pattern creates hills and valleys to the landscape of the story that can be looked back on as distance, generating the idea of time passed, miles traveled.
A story running too fast, screams by in a blur. Events are hard to recall, and the sense of depth that helps provide a story with weight and believability, just isn't there. At the same time you don't want a story that drags. Too much straight description will weigh your story so much it will drag it to the bottom and drown it. Description should facilitate the story not dominate it. You don't want the reader feeling blind, or deaf and you want them to know where they are and when they are. And if there is something really interesting and unusual, then yes, take the time to describe it, but nothing is needed beyond this. Extra descriptions added to create a greater sense of place, or color, or mood, usually just drag a scene.
I recently set a scene in a coffee shop. I actually went to one and sat down and for hours described what the place looked like and what was happening. I later used this as background for the scene. I had way more than I needed, and as a result I used more than was necessary. A lot of it was great stuff that I was disappointed to cut, but the pacing was being crippled by the added descriptions. The story went from an exciting thriller to an essay on coffee shops and the people who visit them.
You should also remember that while the event-pace should vary, the literary-pace should remain consistent. Literary-pace here meaning "style." Clearly there is a very different pace between a Dickens novel and one by Hemingway, but it is more style than event-pacing. More things might happen in a Dickens novel than in a Hemingway book, but the speed might feel faster in the Hemingway due to the style. If you are writing in a thick descriptive prose, stay that way. If you are writing light, don't slip into long-winded, flowery wording. Stay focused and cut those clever sentences when they clash with your style.
This leads us to a more detailed look at pacing.
Zooming in it needs to be noted that there is a speed to the words themselves. Depending on how a sentence is constructed, it has a sound, a rhythm. When added to others, words become notes, sentences bars, and paragraphs, melodies. All together it creates a music. And just as music the tempo can be varied to create tension, action, or calm.
1. The man entered the convenience store and walking to the back, took a gallon of milk out of the fridge, and then ran away with it.
2. The man entered the store. He grabbed a gallon of milk from the fridge. He ran.
3. The man entered, grabbed a gallon of milk from the fridge, and ran.
The idea in all three of these are the same. The pacings are different. Why? Obviously more words are used in the first. More importantly, it is a long compound sentence. Number 2 is what writers are often told is a good solution to creating an action pace: short sentences. This creates a staccato sound, a harsh rasping sound that jerks the reader, but I found this is nowhere near as fast as the comma series sentence shown in number 3. For where a period halts the reader, the comma causes them to only slow down a step. It just feels faster.
In scenes where you want to depict fast action, rip through it with commas, and less conjunctions. Condense the ideas and leave out the descriptions. Include only what is necessary and let nothing else get in the way.
Getting back to that promised explanation of why it is hard to do character development in action scenes—this is why. In the middle of a fight, or a chase, if you pause to provide a moment where the character is reflecting on their life, or interpreting the world around them, not only will it kill the excitement of the scene, it will appear false. No one notices what's playing on the jukebox when in a bar fight. All mental concentration is constricted with laser focus on specific details and the mind has no time to reflect or ponder or muse. This is in effect the same as one sees in a movie or tv show when the editing is tight, fast, and jerky. Sure it is hard to follow, sure it's even annoying, but it does impart a visceral sense of threat, confusion, and action. Nothing at all might be happening on the screen—a guy might be sitting on a park bench feeding pigeons, but the editing and camera movement alone will put you on the edge of your seat and start your heart pounding merely by the suggestion of intensity. The same is done with words. Short. Fast. Abrupt. Ideas flying, racing, pummeling relentlessly. It is the sound of a drum roll, the sharp rapid strings in the background of a horror film. The reader has no conscious idea why the scene is so exciting—but it is.
But don't write like this all the time. Short simple sentences are annoying in large doses. In fact, when dealing with rhythms and sounds, you'll want to vary the lengths and speeds in general, but use more compound sentences in quiet moments and shorter sentences in action scenes. Learning to "hear" the music the words make is a skill that needs to be acquired through experience. Reading your own stuff aloud helps. Hearing someone else read your words to you, works even better. Then you can hear when you are "running hot" or "dragging."
This hot and cold aspect relates to the balance between dialog/description/reflection. Using any one too much will cause the story to run hot or cold. In reading your own work, you should be able to see when you have been using a lot of description, or too much reflection or dialog. The pace of the story stagnates at one speed.
Often times when I write dialog I will forgo any description because I am focusing on the conversation. Later I go back and add in the descriptions and gestures, and tags. I'll note when I have written pages of dialog and realize, the story is running "dialog hot" and needs to be cooled down with some description. I'll search for the idea pause in the dialog and insert something—anything. I was recently writing a scene of two people talking on a bus. Not much happens at night on a non-stop bus. I had already described the traffic outside and what everyone else was doing and the interior of the vehicle. Still I needed a description break. I arbitrarily made a woman get up and go the bathroom at the back of the bus passing the characters and causing them to pause in their conversation as she went by. This event had no purpose in the story except to help ground the reader in the environment and break up the flood of heavy dialog. That said you also don't want to break into a smoothly flowing dialog with annoying breaks that kill the tension, or excitement, so you need to know when to insert and when to let it run hot.
That's the bell. Next week: Dialog. No running in the halls.
No, Really, I Have a Spine
In a previous comment it was mentioned that there was no reference on the Orbit UK cover indicating that the books were part of a series. This was a huge problem with the original release of Crown as AMI refused to have any indication on the book that it was part of a series. They were concerned that no one would buy it until all the books had been released. This was a real fear as I know several of you who refused to start the series until all the books were out...or at least supposed to be out. Although some of you actually bought the books and left them unread. Talk about faith.
As a result of the AMI release of Crown I suspect there are a good number of folks out there that have no idea Avempartha exists. That's not likely to happen this time as each book has a sample of the next book inside, and as you can see, the volume is clearly noted on the spine.
It would also make a pretty good bookmark as well, don't you think?
And as you can see, the book will have a sizable weight, making it possible to dodge the slings and arrows of, "the book is too darn short!"
Twice the book for less money than the originals, not a bad deal.
UK Covers
The Riyria Revelations is also being released by Orbit UK. They have their own cover designs that are a variation on the US ones, only a bit more up close and personal. And of course they also have to add all those extra Us, as in "favour," and change all the "gray"s to "grey." As kid, I always wondered why Tolkien was such a bad speller.
Guest Blog Quid Pro Quo
Mr. Sprunk, my first guest poster has graciously invited me to litter his blog with my words. I wrote a little ditty in answer to the frequent question: Where Do You Get Your Ideas?
So click over and take a gander to see the answer. And be friendly to Mr. Sprunk and leave a comment or two.
Writing Advice 8 — Mini Stories
I have a friend who exclusively writes short stories. I tried to convince him to try a novel, but he insisted he wasn't comfortable with that form. I told him that writing a novel was just putting together a series of short stories. He didn't accept that. I think the issue was in the definition of "short story." Most short story writers view it as a medium very different from a novel. For example a short story begins at the height of the event and captures just that, so a novel can't be the culmination of what would be a series of climaxes, and in this respect I agree, but that's not what I meant. So, in order to avoid this confusion, I've played a game of semantics and have redefined the statement as: A novel is a series of Mini Stories that comprise a larger one.
So what is a mini story and how does it differ from a short story?
A mini story has a beginning middle and an end, but it doesn't have to be the apex. There doesn't have to be a character arc, twist, or reveal. It merely needs to put forth an idea, discuss it and then resolve it. Just about everyone of my blog posts are mini stories, but I wouldn't call them short stories. They begin with a premise, discuss it, and often conclude with a new way of looking at the beginning thus creating a circular concept that concludes as a whole idea.
In the post Genesis I describe how I started writing. The post begins when I found a neighbor's typewriter and typed the line: "It was a dark and stormy night." I was fascinated by this tool and what it allowed me to do. I wasn't allowed to play any further with the typewriter and this aspect of the post is abandoned as I go on to talk about how I learned to like stories through reading The Lord of the Rings, but when I was done with it I wanted more and could not find anything else like it. I was depressed. Now up to this point this "story" is still open-ended. It is what I call a linear plot, meaning that it starts at point A and moves straight to point B. It is a mere series of events, not a story. What made it a story is that in the end, my boredom led me to complain to my mother and she taught me a lesson by insisting I clean out the front closet. There I found my older sister's old typewriter, and the post concludes with the line: "I never finished cleaning out the closet." In this way, the series of events turn back on themselves and connects to the start forming a circle and a story. The end explains the beginning and gives reason for the middle.
Not everyone sees a story in this way. I have read many short stories, and seen a few movies, that are just a series of events that start at a random point and end at a random point. Personally I don't recognize these as stories. Stories for me must have a point. If you are at dinner and say, "Oh, let me tell you what happened at work today." Those with you expect they are about to hear something with a point, rather than say… "I got up, got in the car, drove to work, did stuff, and then came home." If you did, I think those at the table might look at you puzzled and even ask, "Yeah, so?" Stories need a setup and a payoff to hold them together as a unit, otherwise they are just random events told in order.
How does this apply to writing a novel?
Let's look at The Lord of the Rings again. The story is of Frodo taking the ring to Mordor, but it is made up of dozens of smaller stories. The first being the Long Expected Party, a small story of the coming birthday bash for Bilbo. There is mystery, foreshadowing and then the big reveal and even a nice little epilogue where Gandalf catches him before he sneaks out of Hobbiton. Then there is the story where Gandalf tells the history of the One Ring, and the tale of Frodo's trip to Cricket Hollow. The larger novel is broken down into much smaller mini stories. In this way, chapters can be small stories inside a novel. What this does is provide the reader with a constant diet of interest. Most readers can't consume a whole novel in an hour. As such, the reward or even the anticipation of a reward is too far off to be gripping. What a reader wants is to be consistently rewarded as they read along. This means the characters need to encounter challenges and mysteries as they move through the story. But this isn't enough. The characters need to figure some of them out and overcome each until they arrive at the big endgame climax. Imagine how Tolkien's epic might have read if it really was just Frodo plodding to Mordor without any little plots in between.
Mini stories on this scale challenge the characters and form the basis of altering their perceptions of themselves and the world. It also does the same to the reader. Presenting this information in story form, makes it entertaining to experience.
But this is not all. Mini stories can be scaled even further. If chapters are mini stories within a novel, a few pages, or even a single paragraph can be a mini story inside a chapter. Sometimes even a single sentence can contain a story when back-loaded to provide for a powerful reveal.
"He collapsed thinking he had failed, thinking he was lost, but as he lifted his head there it was, on the hill, beneath the tree—home."
This sentence shows a mini trip from despair to victory. It is a little story unto itself. So just as matter is made up of molecules and those of atoms and so on, books—good, strong, motivating novels—are made up of stories within stories, within stories. Ideas that loop back upon themselves making clever patterns, resolving questions, supporting ideas. These are the stuff of novels.
Mini stories can also be, and most often are, scenes. A scene is action that takes place in a single location. And just as in a film, it's bordered on either end by a cut to another scene, or in a play, by a dimming of the lights, and or, a change in the backdrop.
One of the most common errors I find is the lack of editing, and what I am talking about here is the cutting of one scene and jumping to the next relevant event. All too often a writer doesn't understand this concept and just writes everything that happens. If a story is of a person discovering they are out of milk and getting more, an inexperienced writer might write of them opening the fridge finding the milk missing, getting their coat and keys, walking to the car, getting in, backing out of the drive entering traffic, going down two lights, entering the store parking lot, parking, walking into the store, getting the milk, paying for it, getting back in the car, driving the same two lights, entering their drive, exiting the car, entering the house, putting the new milk in the fridge. The problem with this is that it's boring and unnecessary. The same could be done by writing how the character discovers they are out of milk and grabbing their coat and keys. Then the scene would cut to a new one at the store where he buys a new gallon. The scene cuts again and he is home at the table drinking a glass of the newly purchased milk. If nothing of significance occurs between important event A and important even B, skip it.
Scene writing allows you to skip the dull parts and keep the reader locked in the juicy stuff. It also allows you the freedom to set a tone and style to the story. Of course knowing when and how often to jump scenes is an art in itself as it defines a good deal of the novel's pacing.
That's the bell. Next week: Pacing. Remember, no running in the halls
What's Going On — 8/3/11
It's official. Contacts have been signed. Money has changed hands, and all of the print versions of the old Riyria Revelations have been retired and discontinued.
Should the series grow into something substantial, those of you who have a set of these, perhaps soon-to-be-rare first-edition books, can consider yourself part the elite group of readers who started on the ground floor. You hold a special place in my heart as those who gave me a chance when you had no reason to, who paid decent money to read the words of a guy you never heard of, from an unknown publisher.
You posted reviews on Amazon when I asked, and even when I didn't, and you protested the one-stars with courteous comments. You joined Goodreads groups, nominated and voted for my books to be read. You reviewed my books on your blogs even when you never reviewed independent books, or had never reviewed a book before—and you were kind. You followed my blog, posted comments, and spread my posts around. You twittered tweets, faced Facebook, fanned forums, and saturated cyberdom with my name.
You asked me for interviews like I was somebody worth talking to. You raved about my cover art—art that I struggled with, just hoping not to embarrass myself. You quoted my books on your websites and listed me as a favorite author.
You took a chance reading and discussing my books at your book clubs, even when your clubs didn't read fantasy. You rallied around me in the BSC tournament and carried me to victory against the best of the best.
You bought two sets of paperbacks—one to keep safe, one to lend to friends, and then you bought an ebook version to read. You ordered books and shipped them around the world, from Sidney, to Bangkok, to Bucharest. You told your friends, pestered your family, and let your children and parents borrow them. You even pirated my novels, announcing them worthy of theft and ultimately getting them onto the hands of those who couldn't afford them.
You named your online game avatars after my characters. You even suggested Royce and Hadrian as names to be considered for your grand children. You took the time to write me fan mail that picked me up when I was feeling defeated, and forgave me for missing the release date on the final book. You told me that my novels were more than escapism to you, that they meant something greater and provided something special—something I never expected.
You said I made you laugh, made you cry, made you cheer. And before anyone else, before I ever felt it was true, you bestowed upon me the title of author—you said I was good.
You gave me a gift I can't repay—you gave me my dream.
Enjoy the books. Remember who you are, and what you mean to me.
The Riyria Revelations are dead—long live The Riyria Revelations!
It All Began With An Earthquake, or How I Spent My...


SMILES, Samuel (1812-1904). Writer and social reformer.
Autograph Letter Signed to Albert Megson, 3½ pages 8vo on black-edged paper (spike hole, traces of former mounting on the last page), 4 Pembroke Gardens, 4 July 1876. Discussing he possibility of his writing a life of Thomas Wright.
The Thomas Wright referred to is undoubtedly the philanthropist and prison visitor who had died the previous year. Though not a wealthy man, Wright devoted his meagre resources to helping convicted criminals to return to society as useful citizens.
Smiles did not, in the end, write his biography, but included a chapter on Wright's work in his Self-Help published in 1890.
The image shows the first page only.