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Do people still want happy endings in stories? Years ago, I had to force myself to write them, since my typical ending left everything in ruins, characters shellshocked, passions burning, relationships extinguished. Judging by the mainstream books and movies, happy endings are still wanted, and needed. I guess the goal of most readers is entertainment, not soul-searching. I recall a friend describing the Thelma and Louise ending as the worst he’d ever seen, because they drove off the cliff of a canyon, killing the main characters. It wasn’t happy enough, or happy in way he expected. I think it caused too much soul-searching when they opted to die rather than return to their former lives.
If you haven’t watched Vonnegut’s “shape of stories” blackboard talk, it’s hilarious in how he simplifies the Cinderella happy ending. The Cinderella story arc results in the happiest possible ending. Although, I think . . . → Read More: On the Subject of Happy Endings (no, not the Urban Dictionary kind)
I’m jumping in with both feet to the indie publishing world. With Drill & Sanctimony now published, I am starting to edit a thriller that I’ve spent five years working on. Once again, time to get out the hedge trimmer and start cutting. More details on this forthcoming release to come. With this next novel, I intend to set the price to 99 cents for Kindle and make it free on the web site, and if possible, $9.99 for paperback. Stay tuned!
The newly published novel Drill & Sanctimony is now available on Kindle for 99 cents. Click here to purchase on Amazon.
In Voltaire’s Candide, one of my favorite books, there is a fellow named Mr. Pococurante, who is refined, has money, knows people, has lived a full life – and is miserable. In my previous post I discussed the concept of people enjoying their sense of outrage, and seeking it out. The cable news channels live on outrage and anger and fear. You might even say that the pundits’ livelihood depends on them taking pleasure in having no pleasure.
I think nothing distills this notion quite like chapter 25 of Candide, when Martin and the main character have a walkabout with Pococurante and he complains and is disgusted with his perfect life. At the end, Martin and Candide have this exchange:
Candide said, “…there must certainly be a pleasure in criticising everything, and in perceiving faults where others think they see beauties.”
“That is,” replied Martin, “there is a . . . → Read More: The Pleasure of Having No Pleasure
Do you think that’s true? Or do some people prefer to be outraged all the time, and even if they got their way in all things, would they still be outraged? I myself like to be outraged at times. When I’m feeling perfectly serene, I often seek out news or opinion pages that disrupt my calm. It’s almost as if I want to be irritated.
But I think some people need to feel offended and that’s why they are paying attention. I’ve talked with several people recently about this phenomena. I asked two of my friends: when you have downtime in the office, do you relax, or do you seek out a news site? One said he reads Fox News and the other reads the Huffington Post (so obviously these friends are on opposite sides of the political spectrum). I asked my friends if reading either of these sites relaxes . . . → Read More: Remember this bumper sticker? “If you are not outraged you are not paying attention.”
Tension is a drug. It’s pushers are the 24-hour news cycle, the instant portfolio updates from any hiccup in the economy, the never-ending horse-race campaigns for office, the AM Radio pundits who assure you the left/right is full of idiots, hand-wringers of business versus environment, extremists on every side of the spiritual dice, cancer studies, helicopter moms and sideline dads. There is a lot of noise. We have been bombarded by images and ads and worry, and now we require it. We need to be presented with choices and messages and things that either fortify our beliefs or frustrate our common sense. Take away the tension and the wheels come off the bus, because as long as there is tension, everything is normal, or normal as we know it.
Warning: This was a writing exercise. If tension was really a drug it would be regulated or illegal. In actuality, . . . → Read More: Addicted to tension? Tension is the new drug
Yes, yes there is. Someone posted this question to me after seeing that chapter 4 of Drill & Sanctimony is titled “Fat Camp”. Indeed, for overweight and out-of-shape recruits there is a thing called FTU, or Fitness Training Unit. This is more commonly known as Fat Camp.
A Yahoo discussion gives a good overview on what this unit does in an average day. Not surprisingly, the unit attempts to get Privates into shape. In Drill & Sanctimony, the main character, Paul Sprungli, lands in Fat Camp but evades all serious exercise while running a contraband market from his bunk.
 With Drill & Sanctimony, I’ve added a new non-commissioned sergeant to the list of well-known quick-tempered mid-level Army types. I believe they can live up to Merwin J. Toomey from Biloxi Blues, played by Christopher Walken, but probably not up to Gunnery Sergeant Hartmann from Full Metal Jacket, played by R. Lee Ermey. But then I wasn’t trying to outdo either of those movies, I was trying to twist the trope itself. In fact, angry drill sergeant has been done repeatedly since Roman times – but never before in a co-ed training scenario.
Drill Sergeant Pint – A short, dedicated, by-the-book soldier, with war tours under his belt, and while he appears to be the classic boasting soldier, he . . . → Read More: Basic Training and Angry Sergeants and Twisting Tropes
Just thought I’d share some of the early feedback on the novel. The first reviewers gave me some one-liner feedback on the first chapters.
“Quite similar to the humor in Biloxi Blues yet it seemed fresh and not the least bit derivative.” – posted on CreateSpace preview.
“This is the best preview I’ve read so far on Createspace. Nice job!” -posted on CreateSpace preview
I hadn’t thought of Biloxi Blues while writing it, but I may need to watch it again.
Drill & Sanctimony is available in paperback! I’m pleased with the final product, with a special thanks for Matt Carr for the cover image. The toy soldier photo embodies some of the “what you see is not what you get” theme of the story.
Drill & Sanctimony is a modern odyssey of a young man who is a product of late twentieth century American culture. He is excess oozing from all sides. He teems with expectations fostered by movies and video games. He lives with a sense of unwarranted entitlement. This story is a descendant of Stripes with Bill Murray. The main character, Paul Sprungli, expects an Army experience like he has seen in the movies, particularly Full Metal Jacket, but he is unaware of the Army’s co-ed training environment, and finds that none of the Hollywood expectations are met when he arrives. His appetites dominate him, and his delusions create repeated . . . → Read More: Drill & Sanctimony now available in paperback
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