Category Archives for Books

A Proper Interpretation of Fiction

I know. This post’s title sounds thrilling, doesn’t it? Don’t get too excited….

Readers interpret the meaning of stories beginning with the opening line of “once upon a time.” In some cases, with stories that are intentionally transparent and simple so all audience members will understand them with limited focus, this is easy. For instance, a good comedy won’t make you think too hard about its intended meaning. Continue reading →

Fiction is Good for Personal Growth

Fiction is often observed as a pass-time with mostly entertainment value. We don’t imagine that we are learning anything from a historical romance novel while we read it and discuss the book with friends. In truth, people do absorb ideals from fiction—that, or people deflect the values in the fiction that they refuse to agree with. In the second case, we end up more sure of our own set of standards; finding reasons to turn down others’ opinions that we deem foolhardy.

Fiction also reinforces your maturity when you encounter characters with lives that expand your appreciation for human experiences. It is most likely you will never be president of the United States, or the queen of England. But, if you read the right literature, you may understand these life roles better than some people that have filled these civil positions.

The important thing is to have your brain turned on while you read. Think about the story and how you can and cannot relate. Consider whether you agree with each character’s choices, and what you would do in their shoes. Imagine what you would do if you had to advise or assist the characters of the story your reading. As long as you don’t loose sight of reality, in stretching your imagination you will add to your ability to make better choices in the real world.

Grammar Girl – Personal Trainer for the Creative Writer

I can’t say that I am a good writer. I wish I was, and I pay close attention to the rules of grammar I understand so that I apply them. I want my writing to be clear and understandable for everyone. If my readers have to translate what I write into better english, then I’m failing as a blogger and aspiring author. Continue reading →

Real Life People — Fictitious Lives

One of the incredible attractions to creative writing is the opportunity to flesh out characters and lives that otherwise don’t exist. Ah, the power of the written word—with just a few words typed out anyone can make up a mythical persona. Fictional people, whether they be characters in a novel, childrens story book, or elsewhere, inspire real life people to greatness.

We are drawn to fictional lives because fictional people have nothing to loose and their lives are an open book (no pun intended, honestly). The fake man has no reason not to be honest with the real man. Authors can divulge sins of make-believe characters without offending those people in the real world. Then, they can express the depths of the struggling spirit to overcome all obstacles without being too dramatic for the real world, so to speak.

Thus, when I create a fictional character, I aim to tap into the greatest depth of human emotion, intelligence, and spirit. The artificial reflection of fiction serves a great impact on our own lives; the non-real inspire us to make the virtues of the non-real real in our own lives.

Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths New Cover Art

The final cover

I create cover art every now and then. I like the creative. I could do without producing creative for others. : ) I like every mockup I create just about. For each book cover I work on I mockup at least 5 unique covers. Inevitably, the authors choose my second or third favorite of the lot. For once, I wish my preferred mockups would be chosen. Maybe one of these days….

The cover that was chosen was inspired by some new book covers I’ve seen at Barnes & Noble in the past year. Maybe the next time you’re browsing a book store, you’ll recognize a cover or two that also have a torn cover effect. Continue reading →

The Christian Character of Sherlock Holmes

I do not delve too deeply into my undying interest in classic films on this blog. I find them to be most tasteful, thought-provoking, and pleasant movies in general — movies that proceeded the invention of color, and those just after color came to screen. Alas, today’s readers, and web community at large, hardly understand or appreciate classics of any nature. People of any generation, it seems, are consumed with what’s modern for them. Back in the day, Shakespeare plays were modern and exciting to audiences that had the pleasure of being the first to watch a Shakespearian play. Today, we consider such classics as ancient even before we’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing them, watching them, or seeing them for the first time. Continue reading →

Ethical Vampires and Readers are Misunderstood

Vampire DiariesI don’t have to tell you what’s clogging up the young adult fiction section at Barnes & Nobles these days. Everywhere you turn, there is another display with overloaded stacks of books of teen vampire and werewolf stories. Apparently, they’re selling, and all the publishing houses want in on the profits. Culturally centered media outlets are saying all sorts of things about how this reflects on American youth. It’s assumed the vampire craze is a trend that is repeated every time monsters stories — especially vampire related ones — rise to the forefront of pop culture (as they have in the past with the introduction of classic monster stories like Dracula). Continue reading →

The New E-book Reader: Nook

nookI haven’t seriously considered e-readers for personal use until now. In this growing market, something that has been lacking is significant competition with the all-too-well-known Amazon Kindle. Now that B&N has joined the market with their new Nook, I think that the power play for market share will seriously increase — and thus improve the over-all quality of the devices to grab the investment of potential e-reader customers. Continue reading →

Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

The Harry Potter series of books is completed. When the series was hot discussion in years past, little did people know where the series was headed. I’ve heard fans and those disenchanted of the stories amongst Christians. Obviously, a story relating a system of magic is not one to be taken likely for Believers. Magic in the real world is supernatural. Real world magic is either spiritually good or evil. Real world magic is usually engrossed in some form of religious worship — and not worship to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Literal vs. Fictional Magic
In fiction, magic usually takes on fictional characteristics that are inconsistent with real-world magic. While there are stories that relate ideals of magicians, wizards, and witches to be true and good, a many “hocus pocus” stories don’t want to be all that literal. Is Harry Potter attempting to be literal magic or fanciful? Is Harry Potter propose that magic is truly an acceptable, universal, truthful, and positive force of the “real” world?
It doesn’t seem so, based on the telling of the first installment, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” A lot of imagination and creative ingenuity tell a fantasy of a young boy called to a specialized school of magic in a dimension set apart from the world of non-magical people. Most of the magicians in the story are fictitious, and their magical methodology is non-descript. The teachers of magic at this fictional school say that there is a good magic and an evil magic. The evil use of magic is usually called “the dark side of magic.”
Sound similar to another popular fantasy? In relation to how the magic all works in the Potter book, it frequently reminded me of the force in Star Wars. Do Christians everywhere have a moral problem with the force?
Yes. Christians should understand that the supernatural in the real-world is what the Bible describes. There is not an abstract force governing the destinies of man and alien throughout the galaxy. Darth Vader is a fantasy character. So is the evil wizard Voldemort of the Harry Potter fables. If Christians are struggling with what is real and what is fictional when they hear/see these stories, they have major struggles with discernment and probably shouldn’t enjoy such stories. If you have sense and know where to draw a mental line between just good imagination and reality, I don’t think that the fictitious laws of morality and magic should hinder one’s understanding of the real world.
What’s to Like About the Story?
Harry Potter is an intricate story well-told. It’s good youth fiction that adults may enjoy to read as well. The distinctions between right and wrong are mostly consistent with those of the real world (magical or no magical forces). Several mysteries are introduced in this first book and just enough of them are answered (and some unanswered) to keep people entertained and interested in continuing the rest of the series. The characters have good dynamics (relationships). Side characters that appear to have little relevance in the beginning have significant developments of their own throughout and to the very end of the book (before the end of the story, you realize just how important seemingly insignificant characters are).
Harry is tested many times over with making simple, yet difficult, ethical decisions. Faced with bullies, family, peers, trolls, and magic itself, Harry must practice discernment to make the wisest choices in his unusual circumstances. Harry doesn’t always make the right ethical choices, but given his developments we see Harry learns from some of his mistakes; making progress towards maturity in his early youth (I think Harry is supposed to be eleven in this book).
Adults in the school that are meant to be role-models have high expectations of their youthful students. While not all children are positive examples to other students, all children are expected to practice self-control and face their academic and social challenges responsibly. It would seem (because it is implied) that the children are not only taught magic but given a moral standard of the right and wrong use of it — quite a feet for this alternative school to pull off.
What’s Not to Like About the Story?
Given this is a magical, fanciful world of magic, some times I would like to know what’s at the foundation of the magical universe and what governs it. It’s not clear that the world Potter lives in does or does not have God, or a force, or something that defines absolutes. Absolutes are all throughout the story, but you’re left to assume their meaning to life without knowing why there is meaning — there just is.
At times, legendary icons of magic history are mentioned from history. Most of these people named are real-world men and women of history (some aren’t) and in all their cases they really weren’t good examples of moral upstanding. One magician mentioned as a “great from the past” is Agrippa — Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (c. 63 BC-12 BC) [ADD LINK]. If the Agrippa mentioned is the Agrippa of Rome, you can see why conservative and Christian families would object to uplifting such a foe as a positive role-model of times past. Agrippa may not be one of the more notorious historical figures, but there’s little saintly about him either. I’ll also note that it is clever in the story to mention real-world historical people because it returns interest to the real-world and history, but it is misguided at the same time in this book (in my opinion).
In “The Wizard of Oz,” it’s stated very clearly that “there are good witches and there are bad witches….” This statement does not make up for the fact that it isn’t true in the real-world, but it does make it clear that Oz is very different from the real-world. In this story, witches and wizards are just professions, as it were, and it is the individual witch and wizard that is judged on their own merits as good or evil. This is basically the same scenario as in Oz, but it isn’t as clear an explanation. Very young children might not pick up on this position in the story, and thusly respond more open-mindedly to witchcraft in the real-world.
What About the Movie?
After I finished the book I saw the film. Here’s what I think: it’s consistent with the book, but not as well-told or thorough. The book is rushed at moments in the film. Relationships of characters, places, events are not explained, so you are left assuming a great deal more from the film. In favor of the movie, there are excellent elements of cinematography, special effects, and soundtrack. I could tell a lot of effort was put into the film to drive the audience’s interest back to the books.
Conclusion
It’s not a story to be taken lightly. There are good reasons readers should gird their minds when reading the book, but no reason why the story cannot be enjoyable, insightful, and scrutinized by readers. More story-telling like that in the story of “The Sorcerer’s Stone” could lead to some very positive reinforcement of good, clean values and beliefs.

sorcerers_stoneThe Harry Potter series of books is completed. When the series was hot discussion in years past, little did people know where the series was headed. I’ve heard very opposite opinions about the stories amongst Christians; whether it be for good or evil for readers. Obviously, a story relating a system of magic is not one to be taken lightly for Believers. Magic in the real world is supernatural. Real world magic is either spiritually good or evil. Real world magic is usually engrossed in some form of religious worship — and not worship to the Lord Jesus Christ. Continue reading →