Ask the Author: Mark Flowers
Answered Questions (7)
Mark Flowers
Though making money and receiving recognition are always welcome, that is not my reason for writing (that in mind, I'd love to do some public speaking too). However, my first reason for writing is to be informative and to dissuade many misconceptions that exist about many public policies. The right answers to national problems exist, but our leaders seem to get hung up on ideology far to frequently, almost to zealot status. Some ideological answers might be right under some conditions, but certainly not all and not always forever - this is the major theme of the book.
My second reason was to offer a solution for ending world poverty, something I am very passionate about. In fact, part of my solution (the website) is in the process of being implemented by the United Nations, after I submitted it to a committee this past summer.
Finally, I wrote the book to supplement my students' learning in class, since the information is presented in much the way I would present it during lecture, with a goal of maximizing understanding, and to add clarity to many basic economic questions.
My second reason was to offer a solution for ending world poverty, something I am very passionate about. In fact, part of my solution (the website) is in the process of being implemented by the United Nations, after I submitted it to a committee this past summer.
Finally, I wrote the book to supplement my students' learning in class, since the information is presented in much the way I would present it during lecture, with a goal of maximizing understanding, and to add clarity to many basic economic questions.
Mark Flowers
Read what I already wrote, add details to existing paragraphs, and then free write. Have an idea of where you want to go, but let the story take you where it wants. The pages already have the story, it's only a matter of revealing it.
Mark Flowers
It's fun to tell people I have a book in print. I suspect the more books I write the more attention they will bring.
Mark Flowers
Open the file, make a table of contents, and start writing.
Mark Flowers
I have a novel in the works, "Nefariously Intrepid," and am exploring the option for a second non-fiction book called, "Economics FAQ." Somehow I think the non-fiction will get finished first, even though the novel is about a third of the way done already.
Nefariously Intrepid will be the most fun to write, however. It is about a man who travels down the path of self-destruction, and although he begins as somewhat of an "Equalizer," it is questionable whether he remains good or becomes bad. His murders, torchers, and actions are all meant as good deeds for humanity, though he doesn't really view humanity as anything more than robotic. That's the biggest clue I'll give on that one.
Nefariously Intrepid will be the most fun to write, however. It is about a man who travels down the path of self-destruction, and although he begins as somewhat of an "Equalizer," it is questionable whether he remains good or becomes bad. His murders, torchers, and actions are all meant as good deeds for humanity, though he doesn't really view humanity as anything more than robotic. That's the biggest clue I'll give on that one.
Mark Flowers
I don't know how to answer this question. Each day I get up and go through my routine. When I walk into my kitchen I get my coffee, then sit down at my desk and waste 45 minutes on email or other random things. Only then does my mind typically come to be prepared for anything work related. The best thing I did to get started, however, was to simply double click the file. Once that file was open it seemed there was little choice except to begin writing and researching. That was also the hardest part.
Mark Flowers
I took a population data class in grad school and wrote an outline, but the outline completely changed when I began writing. The motivation truly came from the Harry Truman quote, "give me a one handed economist, all my economists say on the one hand ... on the other." Ideological entrenchment always bothers me and this quote seemed to be a pinnacle of that. It is nice to narrow choice when it serves a greater purpose, but it seems we sometimes rule out choices based on preference or convenience rather than practicality. The entire book is about increasing the number of options in order to find the 'best' option.
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