The Writer's Life

Thursday, January 8, 2015

The Writer's Life 1/8 - Wins & Losses

There were eye-opening stats about the music industry in an article in today’s NY Post. Downloads of individual songs fell 12.5% in 2014. This isn’t surprising, as most people have probably caught up to digitalizing their most beloved older tracks. Album sales fell 11.2%. This isn’t surprising, either. No doubt most people simply pick and choose the tracks they prefer, in most cases two or three. The most surprising aspect of the business is the growth in vinyl sales, up for the ninth straight year, 51.8% in 2014. Why anyone would return to that delivery method is beyond me. Even if one has the acute hearing to detect superior sound, it’s only a matter of time before dust gets into the grooves and the snaps, crackles and pops appear. America’s sweetheart, Taylor Swift, had the most album sales, a staggering 3.7 million. The top single was Pharrell Williams’ Happy, which sold 6.45 million copies!

I had a chuckle while going through my email this morning. I have a new follower on Twitter - a PhD! I wondered why the heck she would latch onto the likes of me. Turns out she’s running a business, which offers advice and promotion to writers.

While reviewing my monthly statement from Schwab, I was seized by an impulse. Time Warner has peeled off at least three times in the past few years. I acquired it - or it acquired me - when the company purchased AOL, which I owned. It was one of the best things that ever happened to me in investing. TWX has since boomed. It set up a separate division of AOL, throwing me six shares, and recently branched off another way in TIME, in which I received nine shares. I sold those 15 shares, which brought in about $500. I'm so tempted to sell every stock I own, as I expect the bubble to soon burst. A friend already has. He's expecting total disaster, believing the collapse in the price of crude oil, a precise indicator of past crashes, justifies bailing out.

Since AuthorHouse has not met my request to offer Close to the Edge on Kindle, I decided to do it myself, so I went to Staples with the floppy disc on which my only file copy sits. I don't even know if it's a final draft. Unfortunately, it wasn't recognized by either of the machines the lady at the information desk tried. I wonder what will happen if I ask the publisher to send me a copy of the file they use to print books. My guess is there would be no response. I want to have something to do once I finish getting Rising Star ready for publication, as the punishing cold may sideline the floating book shop for a long time. The only other alternative would be re-typing the entire manuscript.

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/

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

The Writer's Life 1/7 - Fragments

Michael Barone's op-ed piece in today's NY Post is dismaying. Under the banner The Collapsing Family, he cites evidence of the ever changing make-up of America. He mentions a new book by Mitch Pearlstein: Broken Bonds: What Family Fragmentation Means for America's Future. The author provides a statistical breakdown of the two-parent home: Asians 86%, whites 75%, Hispanics 67% and Blacks 37%, and this includes households where there is a step-parent, which are sometimes disastrous. The saddest part is that no new measures are suggested to combat the problem. Liberals want to raise taxes to pay for programs similar to those that have failed, conservatives want to give two-parent households tax breaks, an incentive to stay together. I have no ideas myself on what might reverse this trend. In fact, I don't know that it can be changed. Perhaps it's simply the natural evolution of a free society. Perhaps I've been too hard on leftists, laying too much of the blame on them, although they continue to propose and institute fixes that further the damages. Fortunately, there are a few voices of reason in the black community. Thomas Sowell continues to write common sense essays despite the vitriol he attracts, and Jason Riley had the nerve to go against the grain in his book Please Stop Helping Us: How Liberals Make It Harder for Blacks to Succeed. Unfortunately, they are likely simply voices in the wilderness. The likes of Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and Barrack Obama command the stage.

I just heard about the terrorist attack on the offices of a satiric French magazine that dared to lampoon Islam. I doubt that kind of attack will happen here, as our elites go after every religion but Islam. Imagine if Christians retaliated in the same manner here. There would be an attack at least once a week.

Another day closer to spring -- that's what I tell myself when the weather turns frigid. At least being confined to the apartment allows time for work to get done. I've read about 80% of the proof copy of my rock n roll epic, Rising Star. I may finish the current phase by tomorrow. I sent Create Space an email about the two issues baffle me: the lack of page numbers and the fact that on many pages the text does not extend to the bottom of a page. In most instance it stops a few lines short, in a few a half page short. This adds unnecessary length and heft to a long novel. I'm tempted to resort to a ten point font to scale it back, although the twelve point reads so much easier. And I have to fight not to hurry the process.

Vic'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, January 6, 2015

The Writer's Life 1/6 - Epiphanies

We're only six days into the new year and the most pleasing story for all of 2015 may have already occurred. In his op-ed piece in today's NY Post, Rich Lowry comments on an article in the NY Times concerning the complaints about the implementation of Obamacare at Harvard. “For years,” the Times writes, “Harvard’s experts on health economics and policy have advised presidents and Congress on how to provide health benefits to the nation at a reasonable cost. But those remedies will now be applied to the Harvard faculty, and the professors are in an uproar.” Lowry says: "In other words, they’re getting the change they believed in — good and hard. As a wag commented on Twitter, karma is a pre-existing condition." How beautiful is the music of poetic justice. The entire column is filled with gems. Find it here: http://nypost.com/2015/01/05/when-obamacare-came-to-harvard/

NFL Review: There was only one surprise last weekend -- the Steelers going down rather easily to the Ravens. I guess RB Le'veon Bell, who missed the game due to injury, is as indispensible to Pittsburgh as Big Ben. I believe this has made New England's path even easier... At playoff time, the Bengals have become as predictable as any team in any sport in history. I bet gamblers cleaned up on that outcome. How does Cincinnati turn the corner? Better players... The controversial officials' ruling seems to validate that this is the Cowboys' year, as does the fact that QB Aaron Rodgers of the Packers, Dallas' next opponent, is injured. One of the reasons I no longer invest a lot of time and energy into pro football is the handling of holding calls on either side of the ball. Sometimes the most egregious fouls are ignored or unseen. Too often the penalties are questionable. The Lions and their fans must be sick over the crucial reversal of the pass interference call, while Cowboys fans exult. It seems the only solution is to make holding legal, which would probably curtail scoring considerably, which would not go over big with fans... Don't see how the Panthers can win in Seattle, or the Colts in Denver.

RIP Allie Sherman, 91, former head coach of the NY Giants, who lost three straight title games in the early 60's, two to the Packers, one to the Bears. His overall record was 57-51-4, the team succumbing to age in his final years at the helm. He was the son of Russian immigrants, and played QB at Brooklyn College. He was the epitome of class, especially when disgruntled fans began calling for his head. I'm ashamed to say I was amused when they chanted: "Goodbye, Allie, goodbye, Allie -- we hate to see you go." It was before I understood how debilitating the criticism is for a coach under fire and his family, which is in part what my second novel, Adjustments, is about.

My thanks to Zoom Panel surveys, which rewarded my efforts with a $25 Amazon gift certificate. Since we are in the midst of a stretch of real winter that keeps one indoors, I got a lot of reading done today. I have only 102 pages to proof of my rock n roll epic, Rising Star. I haven't found any errors in the past five chapters, although I did make slight changes.

Vic'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, January 5, 2015

The Writer's Life 1/5 - Breathing

I found the following at Google News and whittled it down considerably: "On Saturday a ceremony honoring U.S. Navy veteran Dario Raschio, age 100, was held up for 15-minutes when more than 100 protesters burst on the scene shouting 'Hands-up, don't shoot!' in reference to the fatal shooting of Michael Brown. Others cried, 'I can't breathe' in reference to the death of Eric Garner. Protesters outside beat on the windows and held up signs until the centenarian silenced them by crying into a microphone in a shaky voice, 'Just give me a chance! Show some respect for the occasion.'" They can demonstrate until the end of time, but it won't change the fact that they are infinitely more likely to be killed by a black male than a white or any other police officer.

I had great luck today. I posted a note on my Facebook page saying the floating book shop was going on hiatus until the weather moderated. Listening to the forecast on the radio, I assumed the cold front was already upon us. As I returned from the recycling center before ten, I realized it wasn't cold. It was too windy for my usual nook, but I asked myself: What if the Chase bank on Bay Parkway blocks the wind, which it has done so often in the past? What did I have to lose to check it out, especially since prospects for the rest of the week seem bleak? If it was bad, I'd come right home. It was fine, especially after the band of clouds that covered 25% of the sky moved away. The sun felt great. And business was good. My thanks to Nan C, who bought A Hitch in Twilight. She's working on a book of her own. Thanks also to the other buyers and to the elderly Russian gentleman who donated about 20 of his wife's novels, among then Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally, and to the Polish woman who gave me a canvas bag filled with paperbacks. There's nothing like dumb luck to put life back into a guy selling his books on the street. I may check if the bank blocks the wind from Wednesday forward. I hope the employees don't get sick of me.

Vic'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, January 4, 2015

The Writer's Life 1/4 - Return of Vinnie

Here’s the most interesting book title I’ve seen recently: They Made America: From the Steam Engine to the Search Engine by Harry Evans.

I'm more than halfway through the proof copy of my rock n roll epic, Rising Star. I've found 25 errors in 262 pages of the file. Some are hard to spot, such as a missing word, "to" or "do." One mistake really annoyed me. Instead of "pipe" dream, I typed "pie." How did it take so long to spot? Ugh!

Since it was so mild today, I had to give the floating book shop a shot, despite the threat of rain. I took a limited amount of stuff and set up beneath the staircase leading up to the elevated train at Bay Parkway and 86th Street, just about right where neighborhood legend Vinnie the Retard used to play his two-string guitar. Soon I heard someone singing. I gazed about, searching for the source. It was coming from the bus shelter, about 30 yards from me. I couldn't see the guy, but the machine head of the guitar was visible. Due to the constant noise at that time of day, I couldn't tell how good the musicianship was. The singing was so-so. Of course, the first thing I thought of was Vinnie, to whom passersby would give money. I'm not sure if that's what this new guy was seeking. Later, he passed. The guitar had no strings and a hole bigger than the one in Willie Nelson's. Someone spoke to him and he explained himself in a loud voice, saying how he wasn't hurting anyone and just trying to brighten people's day. It certainly amused me. As for business, it wasn't good. Although several people browsed, no one bought. At least it provided a three-and-a-half hour break from the apartment and the proofing. Since the next two days are supposed to be wintery, I imagine I'll be doing a lot of reading.

Vic'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/

Saturday, January 3, 2015

The Writer's Life 1/4 - Essentials

Rip Donna Douglas, 82, who rocked the hormones of adolescent males in her turn as Elly May Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies, which ran 274 episodes on CBS from 1962-1971, and in syndication long after that. With so many cable channels available, I would be surprised if it wasn't still running somewhere. IMDb lists 38 credits for her, all but five in TV. She had a wonderful sweetness about her. Here's a pic:

At one time Michael Vick may have been the most hated man in America. His abuse of dogs was reprehensible and made bold headlines, the story seemingly endless. He did jail time for his savagery. The salary he lost led to bankruptcy. To his credit, he is just weeks away from paying off the nearly $18 million he owed his creditors, which is remarkable, given that he chose Chapter 11, which is more demanding than Chapter Seven, which would have allowed him to wipe away all his debts without paying a nickel. I'm sure many will never forgive what he did, but this is most impressive. Kudos. (Story from the NY Post, which got it from ESPN, edited by yours truly)

As I was driving toward Bay Parkway, where I hoped to set up the floating book shop, snow flurries began to fall. Lacking the patience to wait out the precipitation, I headed home. If the forecast is right, book selling may be on hiatus for a while, as severe cold is expected to follow tomorrow's rain. Fortunately, I've had a bit of luck to bolster my spirits. This week Exchanges and A Hitch in Twilight sold at Amazon, my first web sales since July, not counting my niece Tanya's purchase of my short story, The Bat. It looks like I'll never receive royalties for Exchanges. At Amazon, nine print and 16 Kindle copies have sold. My guess is that amounts to around $40. I'm not going to hound the publisher, WheelMan Press, which I'm sure is not raking in big bucks. First of all, I appreciate him making it available. Second, the guy's been in a wheelchair his entire life, and no doubt pours his heart and soul into his own novels. And I've now learned that I can publish at no cost except the purchase of books at Create Space, which is probably what several small press outfits are doing, unbeknownst to authors. Still, it looks better to be published by someone else, even if the method is essentially the same.

Vic'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/

Friday, January 2, 2015

The Writer's Life 1/2 - Errors

I'm disappointed in myself. I missed a lot of errors during the previous proofing of my rock n roll epic, Rising Star. Last time I found 31 in the 450 page file. I've already found 16 in the first 147 pages this time. Three were periods that did not belong where they were. Most were misspellings, i.e., using "good" when I meant "god." I used "ironic" carelessly and replaced it with "odd." I somehow caused a line break by not filling a sentence out to the margin, which caused the next line to have only one word. Since there are no page numbers in the proof copy, I've had to bookmark each error so that I can find it easily when I make the change in the original Microsoft Works file. I was going to wait and do them all at once, but there are too many. I've messaged my literary angel, Victoria Valentine, about solutions to the lack of page numbers and the fact that in many instances the text does not occupy an entire page. Since I was unable to figure out how to get a chapter to start on a new page, I simply allowed five spaces between each, hoping for uniformity. I like the way it looks except for those instances where the new chapter is the last line of a page. It also saves 20-30 pages. The book is thick enough. I have no idea when it will be ready for sale. I want to get as close to zero errors as possible.

Despite the change from a two-team to a four-team championship system, I still don't have much interest in it. TCU, which finished with only one loss, the same as three of the participants, routed Mississippi, the ninth-ranked team in the country, 42-3, in the Peach Bowl. An eight-team system would have included them.

The floating book shop had its first sale of the new year today. My thanks to the lovely young woman carrying a white rose, who purchased Euripides' Medea, and to the gentleman who donated two books in Russian, one of which, if I understood him correctly, is by Sir Walter Scott. His accent is heavy. Most passersby looked at me as if I was nuts, but I didn't think it was that cold. My toes didn't go numb. And the stiff wind was at my back, fortunately from the south, otherwise it would have been unbearable.

Vic'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/