ROWstatic 3-11

Hi everyone! Well, this was an entirely dull week – nothing going on – wait, you know better. *smile* Actually, this was a superb week and I totally got my socks knocked off yesterday with a surprise commenter that I’ll share with all of you in a minute. One goal is completed and being reset, another is a tenth of a step from coming back and I have a review of a fun little book for you.

First up – the review – because I love suspense.

Review of Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement

This might be the oldest fiction I’ve read to date, 1953 original print, but it was such a fun and powerful story that I couldn’t put it down and finished it in two days. Mesklin is a dangerous world for humans, seas of liquid methane, gravity rising to 700 times that of Earth on the poles – add to this a small problem, the humans lost an incredibly expensive and pivotal scientific probe on the pole of the planet with no way to retrieve it. Enter Barlennan, merchant, pirate, opportunist and 15 inches of raw sentient alien caterpillar and his crew.

Clement follows along as the humans guide Barlennan and his intrepid crew on a cross planet ride that showcases not only the bizarre differences of an alien world but also the similarities. Mission of Gravity is a prime lesson in how sometimes the smallest of us, with determination and drive, can resolve problems beyond the capability of greater beings by use of tenacious will. Never underestimate a caterpillar that dreams of being a butterfly.

Mission of Gravity is an exceptional tale and earns its laurels, in my opinion – well worth the read if you’re looking for a fun tale that is both compelling and full of entertaining surprises.

And now – my surprise commenter.

Last week I reviewed the greatest a little craft book called the Writer’s Journey by Chris Vogler. You never know who might be reading your posts – you never know who just might decide to pop in – and yes folks, Chris Vogler himself popped by yesterday and dropped us a comment:

From Chris Vogler:

Chris Vogler

“Gene — Thanks for the incandescently glowing review of my humble little book. I wrote it just for you! I’m just so thrilled when people “get” it, especially the part about it being “an essay on the human experience.” That came as a surprise to me when I started putting the book together. It sounds like you’ve fully absorbed that as well as what I hope are useful concepts and techniques for writers. I was touched by the positive feedback from your sizable following. I’m still exploring the Journey, and have put my latest findings into another book, “MEMO FROM THE STORY DEPT.: Secrets of Structure and Character”, co-written with my story analyst colleague, Columbia film professor David McKenna. I dug a little deeper into the structure of fairy tales, the early development of character writing in Aristotle’s time, and what we can learn from the venerable traditions of vaudeville. So, best wishes with your own explorations and many thanks for sharing what you’re finding with your fellow writers!

Chris Vogler
Author of “The Writer’s Journey”

Needless to say I was stunned speechless thrilled and ordered my copy of Memo From The Story Dept. this morning. By the way, notice “I was touched by the positive feedback from your sizable following” – that’s YOU! *smile* Love you all – thanks for taking the time to stop by, comment and offer support – I’m honored to be on this journey with every one of you.

And now, this week’s update.

-Write 7k of fiction per week. Yes. Things are going so well on this, testing scenes, world-building, character building, etc., that I am hoping to bring back the WWBC goal over the course of this week. I’ll make it official next Sunday (if all goes according to plan) and my lovely mentor, Donna Newton, gives me the thumbs up. Stay tuned.

-30 minutes of treadmill 5 days a week. Okay, I’m still stuck at four on this one. I am doing my best to get to five but the busy nature of my weeks is offering more resistance then expected. I’ll keep pressing on this goal, no worries because I’m still getting a good amount of exercise each week.

-Read two fiction and two craft books by March 21. Made it 12 days early, which means I’m bringing in a new group of four. This reset will be: Read one craft, one non-fiction and two fiction books by April 30. The books: Danse Macabre by Stephen King (counting this as craft), The Ancient Mediterranean by Michael Grant (non-fiction), An Alien Heat by Michael Moorcock and The Eight by Katherine Neville. I’ve already started Danse Macabre – King is always a fantastic read.

-Maintain sponsor duties. I visited 28 of you last week. Little reminder to be sure to include your update on the Linky Tools listing so other ROWers can stop by and offer their support.

Go after those goals, my friends. Make every day count – Carpe Diem.

Peaceful Journeys!