Goodreads All Sorts discussion

Hello.

I'll start posting my previous reviews and other assorted nonsense here soon, but for now I'll start with a link to my latest review:

Sam and Twitch is a police story that does a good job of answering the "why" of the story but not the "how". http://bit.ly/16KwVNT

Have fun.
Gamal

"other assorted nonsense"

I like this. What a great phrase. I look forward to what this might entail. :)

What will independent publishing look like in five years?

I was recently invited to write a guest blog on this subject. Here are some thoughts I came up.

http://bit.ly/11y1dmd

How do you think independent publishing will evolve?

Have fun.
G

Mastery: A Book Review

Before I can write any review about any Robert Greene book, I have to reveal some bias. I’ve considered myself an indirect apprentice to Mr. Greene and his work since 2004. After my divorce, The Art of Seduction changed not only my life but the way I look at society and human interaction. I’ve read it several times since that first exposure and it might be one of the most influential books I’ve read in the past decade.

Greene has written five books to date and the concept behind his voice is always the same. He describes a method of achievement based on a central idea and represents that concept with certain historical figures. Art of Seduction focused on people like Casanova and Cleopatra, The 48 Laws of Power used Machiavelli and Talleyrand, The 33 Strategies of War dissected luminaries like Sun Tzu and Napoleon. Mastery continues in this same vein; highlighting figures like Mozart, Einstein and Darwin. The difference between this work and his others is the target of his analysis. While all his other books described methods for dealing with others, Mastery creates a model for improving your own personal abilities.

The Premise

The idea behind Mastery is simple at first glance. Greene argues that the achievement of all the great artists, inventors and business leaders is always the product of a specific process that the rest of us can duplicate. He claims that genetics, luck or divine intervention play no role in the success of anyone from Benjamin Franklin to Freddie Roach. He then goes on to describe the process and provide historical examples to support his theory.

The Process

There are five steps in Greene’s road to Mastery:

1) Finding your life’s work through exploring your natural inclinations,
2) Practice through apprenticeship,
3) Gaining knowledge through mentoring,
4) Self-expression through creativity
5) Mastery


While the process only has five steps, it is not short by any means. A person can spend their entire childhood before they find what they really want to do with their lives. An apprenticeship typically takes 7-10 years or 10,000 hours. Mentoring can reduce the apprenticeship time, but it will probably only shave off a year or two. Self-expression and mastery may not come until after years and years of patient practice, if it comes at all. Mastery is not an easy road and the path Greene describes is littered with pitfalls.

First Impressions

I’m listing my opinion of the book as first impressions because I think Greene’s books have to be read several times to fully appreciate the message. My thoughts on it may change over time, but this is what I think so far.

On the positive side, Mastery is an overarching book on development that transcends money or fame and like all of Greene’s work it is tied to extensive historical examples. This book can be helpful to anyone in business, art or the sciences. It also has applications for parents looking to help their children develop and it is especially relevant to writers looking for the motivation to develop their craft.

The downside of the book comes down to the editing. Some the extensive examples are repetitious and tediously long. There are elements of the process (most notably the relationship between the apprenticeship and the mentoring) that feel vague and contradictory. Finally, the ending of the book is weak and uninspiring compared to his best work because it doesn’t tie the concepts together well and the end and it doesn’t deliver the same air of authority that the other books did.

To sum up, Mastery is a worthy addition to the power, seduction and war library, but it is not the best of the collection. Hopefully an abridged version will be released soon so I can dig into it again.

(Note: This review is for the unabridged audio version of the book.)

Have fun.
Gamal

My review of the “self-help” book Surveillance Countermeasures:

While the book does go into a lot of theory and practice for avoiding observation, it makes several assumptions that reduce its effectiveness for a wide audience.

http://bit.ly/RKC1SB

Have fun.
Gamal

Facing Violence draws you into a world that most people in a civilized society imagine but do not really understand.

http://bit.ly/QQTV6y

Are you a writer who creates a plot before starting your book, or do you write from the seat of your pants? My latest essay has my thoughts on these two styles.

Plotter vs. Pantser: Which Road Did You Choose? http://bit.ly/10GC7dK

Have fun.
G

More nonsense!


JELLY BEANS!


/throws some in the room and scampers away/
(said in best Jackalope voice)Fast as fast can be, can't catch me!

Kat wrote: "More nonsense!


JELLY BEANS!


/throws some in the room and scampers away/
(said in best Jackalope voice)Fast as fast can be, can't catch me!"

Thank you Kat. I hope you have a lot of jellybeans. I can spout nonsense for years...just ask my ex-wife. ;-)

hello Gmal.... just stopping by to leave some hugs and say hello... "hello"

Denisa wrote: "hello Gmal.... just stopping by to leave some hugs and say hello... "hello""

Thank you Denisa.

Hello. :-)

Gamal wrote: "Denisa wrote: "hello Gmal.... just stopping by to leave some hugs and say hello... "hello""

Thank you Denisa.

Hello. :-)"

8)

The discussion I started last week about writing styles generated a lot of good discussion. I wrote another essay about inspiration and how much a writer needs to start writing. If you get a chance to read it, please let me know what you think.

http://bit.ly/12XsHih

Have fun.
G

I enjoyed your essay on inspiration. I only write poetry myself, and find inspiration comes two ways;
either it is a flash-bang, almost writing the poem itself, or it is a plodding, word-association process that sometimes takes a painfully long time to gell into a readable poem.

Michael wrote: "I enjoyed your essay on inspiration. I only write poetry myself, and find inspiration comes two ways;
either it is a flash-bang, almost writing the poem itself, or it is a plodding, word-associati..."

Which methods produce better work for you Michael? When I wrote the plot vs. pants essay, I was specifically thinking about fictional prose. I don't know what impact either one of these concepts has on poetry, so I'd be interested in getting your perspective.

Have fun.
G

I prefer the flash-bang, because it is so exciting to see a poem materialize before my eyes, but my better work comes from the word association, working the language, massaging the message. More times than not, I find myself going off on tangents, and occassionally these excursions produce pretty good poems. I think, in poetry at least, part of the inspiration comes from knowing when to stop. All of a sudden, the Muse says that's enough, write no more. I have learned to pay attention to the Muse.

Have you ever tried a combination of the two methods? I once heard about a zen monk who painted while he was drunk and then finished it when he was sober. Could there be an analogy there between you flash bang Muse method and your massaging the message method?

Thanks for the feedback.

Have fun.
G

That sounds like the guy who painted my house!
I don't know if I would want to manipulate a flash-bang. I'd be afraid to muddy the poem. But you know what, next time this Muse hits, I'll try to combine the methods and see what happens. I'll let you know.

Agreed.

Thank you sir.

The road to a successful novel starts with a good foundation. Here's a method for building one. http://bit.ly/11w5Dap

Hello.

I am releasing a criminal espionage novel next month called Smooth Operator and I’m looking for advanced reviewers for the Amazon and GR pages. If you’d like to get an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review, please send me a message with your email address and I’ll take care of the rest.

Every reviewer will also get a free bonus short story no matter what your review says or how many stars you give it.

Thanks.

Have fun.
Gamal

I’ve spent several months talking about the craft and business of independent publishing, but it’s all theoretical nonsense if I don’t actually publish something, right?

My new novel, Smooth Operator, is going on sale on July 31st. You can find out more information about it here.

http://bit.ly/14EZ8CS

Have fun.
Gamal

Smooth Operator is a story of ambition, lust, and murder. You can read a free preview free before it comes out next week.

http://bit.ly/1aRLQFu

Have fun.
Gamal