The Writer's Life

Saturday, February 14, 2015

The Writer's Life 2/14 - Valentine

Caution: avoid anything underlined in blue. Keep cursor out of the box.

I watched an interesting film last night, courtesy of Netflix. The Congress (2013) stars the lovely Robin Wright as herself, an actress facing the inevitability of being offered fewer roles as she ages. How close it actually is to her real life is anyone’s guess, but it is brutally frank about her career, which, outside of a few fine films, has not fulfilled its promise. She is offered a final contract wherein she will be digitally preserved, all her subsequent appearances generated by computers. The most difficult caveat is the promise she will never again appear other than in CGI. She is appalled at first. She caves when she realizes her son’s medical treatment will be financed. Flash forward 20 years. She is on her way to address a gathering celebrating the Miramount studio. To gain entry, she is required to take a drug, which leads to an animation sequence that takes up about half the two-hour running time. A contributor at IMDb pointed out that this seems in direct contrast to the theme of digital content. It makes a lot of sense to me. Why go to animation in a film about CGI? As far as a theme goes, I suppose this is a cautionary tale about the surrender of individuality for comfort. While I wouldn’t call the use of Wright’s real name a gimmick, I don’t think it would have made any difference had a fictional one been used. The pace of the film is leisurely, the tone melancholic. I was unable to find definitive stats on its box office take, but I’d guess it was a big loser financially. Artistically? I’m not sure. This is the type of movie that requires several viewings. A joker at IMDb suggested someone watch the film while under the influence of LSD, and report back. 8600+ users at IMDb have rated it, forging to a consensus of 6.6 of ten. I hesitate to rate it myself, as it is so unconventional. Harvey Keitel and Paul Giamatti lend their considerable talents in support. Jon Hamm does the voice-over. The film is based on a novel, The Futurological Congress, by the most successful Polish author ever, Stanislav Lem, who also wrote the highly acclaimed Solaris. Wright was not a character in the book. The Congress was directed and adapted for the screen by Ari Folman, an Israeli, whose work was heretofore unfamiliar to me. Except for an abundance of profanity, there is nothing in it to be squeamish about. I did find one scene very touching. In conjuring the best moments of her life, Wright imagines her toddlers on swings, her husband, whom she kisses, at her side. I immediately thought of the father of her children, Sean Penn, whom she divorced. Although a gifted artist, he seems a creep. Even so, I'd guess the split caused Wright great pain.

I have a new favorite actor - Vince Vaughan. He was interviewed recently by Playboy. Here is an excerpt: "America today is not capitalistic. The problem is corporatism. The government has too much authority, and it's dangerous. It stifles productivity and freedom and prosperity and peace. I find most people nowadays are more complacent or accepting that the government can successfully do everything for us. It can't. It can't." I'm surprised to hear such thoughts from Hollywood while a liberal resides in the White House.
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5

Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/rP7o9

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/

Friday, February 13, 2015

The Writer's Life 2/13 - Deep Freeze

Caution: avoid the phrases underlined in blue, which will probably lead to pop-up ads. Keep your cursor out of the box.

Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13. It is theorized that it originated from the fact that Judas was the 13th apostle. According to Wiki, fear of Friday the 13th is covered by two terms: paraskevidekatriaphobia and friggatriskaidekaphobia. I doubt I'll ever use either in a novel or short story. They're great space eaters for a blog, however.

As I was taking my morning walk in the sub-zero windchill, a song popped into my head, perfectly logical given the circumstances: Reasons To Be Cheerful Part 3 by Ian Dury and the Blockheads. I just looked up the lyrics, a lot of which would be unfamiliar to folks outside the UK. One phrase has always baffled me: "...Woody Allen, Dali, Domitrie and Pascale/ Balla, balla, balla and Volare..." I'd still swear he is saying something like: "...and the palla-palla-palla-kalime." I believe the band was the first to introduce me to the phrase: Sex and Drugs and Rock n Roll, the title of their other club hit, although I do remember a female paraprofessional at John Dewey H.S. using it too. Which actually was first, I'll never know, but it's a dead-on subtitle for my rock n roll epic, Rising Star.

My buddy Bags mentioned how satisfied he was with Avast PC protection, which he downloaded free. I ran a search on it the other day and it came up with three options, none free. I was immediately suspicious, wary that the worms that have entered my system had diverted me to a trap. This morning I decided to look for virus extractors at Amazon, and the first one that came up was Avast, offered for free. It also installed Google Chrome on my machine. I will try it later. Right now I'm not sure if the pop ups problem has been resolved or reduced, but at least I was able to add my latest book to my Amazon author page, access to which was blocked yesterday. There has been progress.

Funny how things happen. I'd just finished warming up a handicapped friend's car and was on my way to the library when Occupy Jack emerged from the corner deli, calling my name, which Madeline, passing nearby, heard. "Victor!" she called. She had a bunch of books in her cart. Why she would think I'd be selling on such a frigid day is beyond me. I was glad to relieve her of them, even though I had to make a detour to my car. I later brought them to the apartment. Everyone is marketable. Thanks, madam.

Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/

Thursday, February 12, 2015

The Writer's Life 2/12 - Clash

The first thing I did this morning when I logged onto the computer was check my Kindle dashboard to see if there were any new surprises. Sure enough, there were two versions of my rock n roll epic, Rising Star, offered to the public, one for a dollar, another for two. I hung my head, wondering if the snafus would ever end. I unpublished the one for two bucks. Unfortunately, the one for a buck didn't have a page. Off went another message to Amazon. Fortunately, the matter was resolved very quickly and I was able to leave a link with known Kindlers at Facebook. Dare I say the procedure is finally done?

Later, I was asked by Microsoft to rate my recent purchase of Word. I was happy to. I gave it one star and asked if they offered anything that might stop the pop ups I'm deluged with at most sites. So far, there have been only four that haven't been infiltrated: this one, Facebook, Yahoo Sports and Gmail. Amazon gets hit the worst. I'm not expecting any help from Microsoft. In a way I don't deserve it. I should have looked more closely at the template. There was an option to uncheck the extras. Why such garbage would even be offered is another question. I'm sure MS is compensated -- at the expense of customers. I tried to do a system restore, even one that would return my machine to its state at the time of purchase, but nothing worked, not even the disks designed for such events. My only recourse, other than enduring the ads until the machine dies, is to buy a virus whacker. I won't download one, as I can't be confident it wouldn't be coming from the slimes. Microsoft Security Essentials, which has served me well until this episode, seems helpless.

Given the forecast, I was as surprised as hell when I left the house at 11 AM and saw the sun shining. There were only sparse flurries in the air. It was warmer than it'd been all week at that time and there wasn't any wind. I decided to open up the floating book shop. The flurries persisted throughout, well short of intense. I got to thinking of that song by the Clash: Should I Stay or Should I Go? "...You're only happy when I'm on my knees..." I managed to put in an hour-and-forty minutes, then the flakes got so big I had to bail. My thanks to the kind folks who made purchases. All street sales were of Russian books this week.

Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

The Writer's Life 2/11 - Originals

Below there will be evidence of the slimes I've been battling since I downloaded Microsoft Word a few days ago. All the underlined stuff will lead to ads. Please keep your cursor outside the box.

RIP Jerry Tarkanian, 84, legendary outlaw basketball coach, who for 31 seasons produced successful, colorful teams while battling NCAA investigators

. He recruited many dubious characters in his fight against what he believed was the hypocrisy of college sports and its alleged non-professionalism. His most successful run was at UNLV. The Runnin' Rebels won the 1990 championship. Many critics believed, given the talent on hand, he should have won more. His overall record was 784-202, which includes wins stripped by the powers that be. He was impossible to dislike. Who would have guessed, upon looking at him, that he was a basketball coach at a major university? He seemed more likely a warehouse manager. Here are three quotes from him, culled from an article at Yahoo Sports:
"I always like to get transfers, especially from the Pac-10. They already have their cars

paid for."
"9 out of 10 schools are cheating. The other one is in last place."
"The NCAA is so mad at Kentucky it's going to give Cleveland State two more years probation."
He eventually had the last laugh against the NCAA, winning a settlement

of 2.5 million and an apology from the organization. Here's a pic of how I'll always remember this true original:

The struggle to finalize the publication of my rock n roll epic, Rising Star, may have ended at last. In order to get the Kindle

version up and running, I went back to Create Space, knowing they would upload a cover that met size specifications, half the battle. I then attempted to upload the interior file, but it just wouldn't work. Suddenly I realized I'd used the wrong file, the next to last I'd created instead of the one using the CS basic template. I felt so stupid. Once it becomes available I'll buy a copy to see how it looks. If it's okay, I'll begin advertising it to Kindlers. An hour ago UPS delivered the 50 print copies I'd ordered.

If I hadn't had a lot of Russian books to sell, I might not have opened the floating book shop

today. After I'd set up, I doubted I'd last an hour, as the icy wind was blowing right into my face. Fortunately, it diminished, and the brilliant sunshine provided enough warmth for me to put two hours in. My thanks to those who bought and donated.

Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

The Writer's Life 2/10 - This n That

The time of kings has long passed in the western world. These days many scoff at them, as if they were simple tyrants who contributed nothing to the advance of civilization. How odd that the leader of a small country, King Abdullah II of Jordan, has taken the lead in the fight against Islamic terrorists, while the President of the world's most successful democracy hems and haws.

Vaccines have been in the news lately, as some parents choose to forgo them, wary of the possible side effects, particularly autism, they may have on a tiny percentage of children. Spoiler Alert! What if there were an inoculation that prevented fear? This was the ambition of the villain on last night’s episode of Gotham. Guilt ridden about not having saved his wife from a fire, he is driven to develop a serum that would eliminate trepidation. Warped, he studies people who suffer severe phobias, i.e. of a swimming pool, and leads them to their death, then extracts the raised level of the pertinent juices from their corpses, and injects them into himself and his teenage son. He is shot dead in a confrontation with the GCPD. His son is institutionalized, no doubt to become a villain on a future episode. Excellent idea. Kudos to the writer, Ken Woodruff.

RIP Ed Sabol, 98, founder of NFL Films, those dazzling shorts that were more entertaining than most games. He won 52 Emmys for his work. In my youth I was enthralled by takes on particular games or on skilled players. I can still hear the marvelous voice of narrator John Facenda describing Green Bay’s Lambeau Field as “the frozen tundra.” Thank you, sir.

When not in use, I’m leaving my PC in sleep mode and pulling the plug on the internet. Since I downloaded Microsoft Word, my machine has been hijacked. If I shut down completely, my desktop disappears and I have to work in a roundabout way out of a task manager. After about an hour of use, the desktop suddenly re-appears. I don’t want to wait that long. I figured out how to eliminate some of the ads that pop up on my screen, but many persist. One outfit, Strong Signal, is diabolical. Left click on one of its ads and instructions on how to opt out appear in HTML, at least I assume that’s what they are. I will search for a translator. I’m not optimistic. The people who design these things are much more savvy than I. Access to my Cruzer backup stick is blocked. Fortunately, I’m able to ignore the ads at least 75% of the time. They occasionally block something I need to click on or automatically open an unwanted page, which is annoying. I wouldn’t be surprised if the computer crashes soon. I’ve had it seven years. Almost time for a new one.

It was cold and windy. I put in only an hour and a half at the floating book shop. My thanks to the Russian gentleman who purchased three books in the his native tongue. He was coughing up a storm. I did not take my gloves off to stuff the money into my pocket. Later, I used it at CVS. It never touched my flesh. I've tossed the gloves in the laundry bag.

Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/

Monday, February 9, 2015

The Writer's Life 2/9 - Relief

RIP legendary North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith, 83. He was not only successful, he was the epitome of class. He guided the Tar Heels to national titles in ‘82 and ‘93. His won-loss record is impressive: 879-254, a winning percentage of .776. He also restored the Olympic team to glory in ‘76, following the debacle of the '72 games, when the referees gave the Soviets several chances to steal the gold medal. And he did it using college players, as professionals were banned from participation back then. I was interested in what percentage of his players graduated, but I failed to find any results. I'd guess it was middle of the pack or lower. Still, he gave a lot of kids a chance to succeed. Well, done, sir.

I'm trying to finalize the Kindle version of my rock n roll epic, Rising Star. Looking through the review copy, I thought I'd finally gotten it right, then I noticed the page numbers didn't transfer. They were faint in the Word file, so I wondered if they needed some sort of finalizing. Unable to figure it out, I sent an umpteenth email to my literary angel, Victoria Valentine of Water Forest Press. She said an ebook didn't need them. Duh! Still, how do Kindle users bookmark when they tire of reading? I'll ask the Lady Eve, who has been waiting patiently for the book. Anyway, that wasn't the last of the frustration. When I tried to upload the cover file, which I'd created at Amazon affiliate Create Space, it was rejected, so I had to send another email. I know my PC skills are middling, but it seems the process should have been easier than it's been.

My sciatica has all but disappeared. Except for an occasional short period of intense pain in my left leg, my condition is just about normal. The stiffness in my lower back has also diminished considerably. What a relief! Given this glimpse into chronic pain, I now have a lot of respect for those who suffer it. Quality of life dwarfs all other aspects of it.

Looks like NYC again dodged the worst of a storm. There wasn't more than a quarter inch of ice in spots at noon, and it should be gone by tomorrow when the temperature is supposed to climb past the mid 30's. If it's not too windy, there will be a book shop.

Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/

Sunday, February 8, 2015

The Writer's Life 2/8 - Pictures

The late Jose Saramago was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1998. A native of Portugal, he wrote about 30 books. Given his pedigree, I was curious to read his 1995 novel, Blindness, which was among a recent batch of a donation to the floating book shop. I was disappointed. The story is simple. People begin going blind, seeing not darkness but whiteness. In the city that is the focus of the narrative, only one person can see, ironically an eye doctor’s wife. Society breaks down. The woman becomes the caretaker of a group of seven. It is bleak, unflattering to humans. I was immediately reminded of The Walking Dead, although there are no zombies present. The works share the same dismal view of mankind. If there is a point to Blindness, I fail to grasp it. No one would deny that life is tough, at times brutal, especially for those trapped in certain societies. And it often seems as if we’re stumbling around in the dark, blind to the mystery of life. It seems the author is saying only a worldwide catastrophe would create equality. As someone who enjoys the fruits of western Democracy, I disagree. There is so much to be joyful about. Saramago’s bio at Wiki says he was an atheist, which, at least in light of this book, is not surprising. He described himself as a “libertarian Communist,” which, given the history of Communism, seems a contradiction in terms. Perhaps he was one of those intellectuals who always lamented that the problem wasn’t Communism itself but the fact that the wrong Communists were always in charge. It is difficult to criticize the style of a work translated from another language, but I hated the writing of this one. It features long paragraphs where several people speak, and there are no quotation marks to provide clarity. I'd guess this is intended as an "all is one" view. None of the characters is ever named. Instead they are referred to as "the girl with the dark glasses" or "the old man with the eye patch." It is a tough read. 619 users at Amazon have rated it, forging to a consensus of 3.9 of five. Some dub it a masterpiece. I disagree. I rate it 2.5.

RIP golf great Billy Casper, 83, who for some reason never got the recognition he deserved. He won 51 tournaments, including three majors, but was rarely mentioned among his elite contemporaries, the big three: Palmer, Nicklaus and Player.

Last night I went to bed wondering if I’d wake up in the morning, if a stroke was on the way. I was in significant pain and felt a headache burgeoning. This has become something I’ve begun to think about more frequently, although, fortunately, it doesn’t cost me any sleep. I have lived to fight another day. I felt much better after I returned from my morning walk, the headache gone. Suddenly, the pain in my back, hip and left leg has subsided. I hope it’s not one of the body’s tricks or the three ibuprofen finally kicking in. Now my neck is bothering me.

Although it was damp, conditions were adequate for the floating book shop. My thanks to the people who made purchases. The day was highlighted by cameras. A beautiful 20-year-old woman, a writer just starting out, asked to take my picture. I was so mesmerized by her lovely blue eyes I neglected to ask her name. Neil of Della Peppo Village, a madcap show on Public Access, came by at two, and recorded an interview about the books that weren't covered in our first talk, which may have been as far back as 2008. And he bought A Hitch in Twilight. Thank you, sir.

Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/