StormHerald.Com - The Personal Website of Christopher Walker - Latest Comments

Re: Challenge Mode: Overdrive

Brad Swift — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:36:25 -0000

Saw from Twitter you're looking for readers of your draft. Having recently finished a YA fantasy myself and had great input from some readers, I know the value of it. I might be interested, but would enjoy reading the first chapter or two. Thought I might them here but don't seem to.

You might also consider using www.fastpencil.com. I put my drafts there and then direct people to the chapters as they're revised. Hope to hear from you.

With Vision,
Brad
W. Bradford Swift
Author of visionary fiction and nonfiction - Books that entertain while enlightening & encouraging readers to expand their awareness of greater possibilities.

http://www.wbradfordswift.com

Re: Challenge Mode: The Mushy Middle

Josh Radke — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 14:33:14 -0000

"I think it’s possible that I don’t like writing the middles of books.
The resultant drop in my motivation to write and the fact that this is
the least interesting part of the book for me, combined with me
wondering if I will ever finish this make this a likely possibility."

Yep... yep.

Re: Challenge Mode: Writing Vacation and ConCarolinas Recap

Josh Radke — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 23:11:25 -0000

Just 'Radke' for the handle. It's rarely on, heh. But always on if someone requests it.

Maybe next time, indeed :-D

Re: Challenge Mode: Writing Vacation and ConCarolinas Recap

Christopher Walker — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 19:48:27 -0000

Ah that's right, but I don't have your handle I don't believe. It was touch and go with Jim. The connection kept dropping. Probably due to the hotel wifi (and the fact I was downloading last night's Doctor Who in the background so the Gilbertson crew wouldn't get spoiled on the mid-season cliff hanger this morning, heh).

Anyway, sorry! Maybe next time?

Hmm spotted two proofing errors. A lower case I and a their instead of a they're. That's what happens when you're in a hurry folks!

Sent from my iPod

Re: Challenge Mode: Writing Vacation and ConCarolinas Recap

Josh Radke — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 18:57:12 -0000

Hey, I have Skype.. would have loved to have spoken with the Crew! ;-P

Re: Challenge Mode: Tee Has A Kindred Spirit

Christopher Walker — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 11:58:58 -0000

Hey Rob, thanks for the commenting.

Maybe he has realized.

And maybe SW City is just as important to him as it is to me and he's expressing that in a different way that happens to conflict with mine. It wouldn't do to just throw bombs around, accusing him of being egotistical, and all that. If anything I would have to convince him that there's a way for both our needs in this thing to be met.

Re: Challenge Mode: Tee Has A Kindred Spirit

Robert Rodehorst — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 07:53:08 -0000

Honestly? Fuck him. If he truly valued your friendship, he'd realize how important this was to you (not to mention the rest of the SW City folks) and let you do this. Dude needs to get out of the way of his own ego.

If he's really that concerned how the story is written, then you can collaborate with just him, as I'm sure the rest of the SW'ians aren't that worried about it. Hell, you guys have already practically collaborated on the story via the SWiki, so why not novelize it?

Re: When Satire Becomes Propaganda

Amanda Chaffin — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:40:43 -0000

I like the saying "If you aren't enraged you aren't paying attention".. that comes to mind in this post. That website is far worse than the Onion: it seems like their goal is to downgrade Christians and cover it up by proclaiming freedom of speech. It's pretty disgusting. It's one thing to poke fun of certain stereotypes but making an entire website dedicated to one specific belief or group of people sounds like propaganda to me. Damn shame too..

~Arche~

Re: I Have Strong Opinions. But Dammit, I Want People To Like Me!

Anthony James Neace — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:57:26 -0000

Sorry that I've not replied! Looks like Goob's got me, though. :D

I generally agree with Goob's comments and especially the 'wall of text' bubble. It sounds like you plan on including that and hopefully that rule will help you out a bit in the future. :)

Re: I Have Strong Opinions. But Dammit, I Want People To Like Me!

Christopher Walker — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 22:14:50 -0000

I agree with you. Not everyone is just or honorable.

I also agree that some people just don't want to think about what they believe and are happier in their matrix. But I didn't want to say so because this includes some of my friends and I didn't want to appear boorish. Might as well cop to it now... >_>

BTW your name sounds familiar but I can't place quite where we've talked. What are your other online aliases?

Also, don't get me wrong. I am _not_ judging myself only by others' reactions to me. I have a healthy sense of self, but that also includes placing consideration on others' reactions to me. If I am getting hate, being attacked, or being ignored too frequently then something with my approach is wrong. I want to better it if possible. To me this means questioning whether it has to do with three things. My knowledge: am I just spouting nonsense? My wisdom: Am I skillfully choosing which people to engage and then engaging them properly? And my character: Am I being an asshole?

So far, for the most part, I've decided it has more to do with whom I'm deciding to speak to on that deeper level.

I also don't want to be liked by everyone. As you said, some people are determined not to be liked and others are not worth the price I would pay in compromising my morals. But I do want worthwhile people to like me. And those people include some who are turned off by debate but just want to be respected and be respectful. I can do that and not engage in those particular subjects with them.

Of course, part of this quixotic quest has to do with the fact that I'm going to be needing to maintain a fanbase in a couple years. Pissing off half of them with a political rant and then arguing with them about it is just not good business. :P

Re: I Have Strong Opinions. But Dammit, I Want People To Like Me!

Christopher Walker — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 22:03:23 -0000

Brevity is useful when it is possible, but unfortunately its near-impossible to communicate nuanced ideas in a single paragraph, let alone a sentence. Our soundbite culture is IMHO a big contributor to the lack of discourse in our culture. Each side thinks the other is batshit crazy when in reality they are usually not. I _am_ brief--at least as brief as I can be without some critical piece of information being lost. But that doesn't serve me well if people are going to go tl;dr on me. So this needs some experimentation, I think. More analogies, less theory maybe.

What I like is the "wall of text" bubble and not crossing it, and to let the other person do so first and using that as a signal that this person wants to have a decent discussion. I will implement this rule and see if things become more fruitful.

Re: I Have Strong Opinions. But Dammit, I Want People To Like Me!

Azmo — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:33:57 -0000

Very interesting Blog post. Thank you.

Honestly I think your only missing one thing. Not all people are just and honorable. In fact, from my own personal view, most aren't.

It's my belief that if you go into a discussion, debate or argument assuming that truth is the only goal you are automatically doomed for failure. To many the goal is not truth. The goal is much more simplistic. They want to be right or they want to win a perceived competition. What is most important to them is not to be proven, or look, wrong... For many, and you can find examples of this everywhere, their first instinct is not to tell the truth, but to protect their perceived image through lies, misinformation or withholding of information. When this is one's natural instinct, how can you expect to have a fair and truthful discussion with them?

To judge yourself based on their reactions to you is unfair to you. I'm not overly liked by many people. I have a few friends and family that love me and that's about it. I used to agonize over the people that didn't like me and I searched hard for what my possible malfunctions could be. I agonized over friendships that fell apart and I always assumed something must be wrong with my personality. However, as I've gotten older I've come to a few conclusions.

I am different than the majority of my neighbors and acquaintances. But, not in a bad way as I used to perceive. I am honest, I have honor, I communicate and I share. I respect others and I respect the wishes of others. These, unfortunately, are actually very rare traits in humans especially in today's society. People will love you for these traits so long as they don't interfere with their own agendas. As soon as your honor comes down on their greed or your standards conflicts with there lack of morals your relationship will begin to sour.

The other posts in here make excellent points about how sometimes people just don't want to discuss things and, honor or no, in those situations their advice is very good. However, I would suggest not overlooking the fact that you simply may be a much better person than whomever you were trying to have a discussion with in the first place.

If your only goal is to be liked, that's easy. Just do and say whatever it is everyone else wants. They will love you for it. However, that doesn't go very well with telling the truth.

You and I don't agree religiously or politically. We've also had discussions on other topics that we did not see eye to eye on. However, all our discussions have occurred within a level mutual respect and honor. Two people from different places sharing different views in order to learn and find truth in life or decisions. While this is possible with us and it's possible with your other friends here, it's not possible with everyone, or even 65% of everyone.

Basically what I am trying to say is, you can't be honorable and truthful and also be liked by everyone. I don't believe it's possible.

Re: I Have Strong Opinions. But Dammit, I Want People To Like Me!

Rob Rodehorst — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 22:25:21 -0000

I think Ant's on the right track. Speaking from experience, no one likes a know-it-all. As Ant said, most people just want to have their opinions heard, and may occasionally engage in some "light" debate, where "light" is defined as "big on ideas, low on facts". But as soon as you come charging in with your wall of text and sources and references, etc, it takes all the fun out of it. Now the other person feels like "Oh God, now I have to *research* this stuff? Too much work!"

If I may offer one bit of advice: Brevity. If the person posts a short missive, your response should be just as short. Wait for them to break the "wall of text" bubble first, then you'll know they're interested in a serious debate.

Oh, and for the love of God, don't get into a debate about semantics. I realize you prefer precision in language, but that's just never going to happen with a language as complex as English. Just use your context clues like they taught you in grade school and move on.

Re: I Have Strong Opinions. But Dammit, I Want People To Like Me!

Christopher Walker — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 18:27:10 -0000

I have often thought that the primary reason things tend to go south is because people naturally assume the worst possible tone from the text I try to write.

I rarely get this sort of response from talking face to face. I've thought about it some and I think I prefer talking in letter-form instead of face to face. And that's because I can take the time to compose my thoughts and tailor them directly to the person. I think that's a way I can show respect to the person. The con is being prone to being misinterpreted.

With face to face you don't have that misinterpretation factor, but you often are not prepared unless you memorize talking points (Ick) or are already intimately familiar with the subject. Although face to face is an area that I could challenge myself in, that would be fair to say.

Also, I would love to hear your thoughts on how I can pick smart opponents. I've explained how I've tried to do it in response to Anthony's post below. Obviously its not as effective as I want it to be.

Re: I Have Strong Opinions. But Dammit, I Want People To Like Me!

Christopher Walker — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 18:19:35 -0000

See, how I've always done it was...

When I encounter other people... if it *looks* like a coherent argument I assume they--like me--are open to talking about it.

If it's a Slogan of the Week or a dumb joke or raw anger, I avoid. You know, something that makes it seem as if intelligent life doesn't live there.

If it's in between or not obvious, like a link to an article without commentary, I test the waters, like you say. See Baro's post on Facebook. A non-response or noncommittal shrug would have signaled they weren't interested. But they almost inevitably get defensive. This always told me that they wanted trade ideas.

Or at least, I thought it did. :)

Cause I always did things according to how I would want to be treated. If I didn't want somebody invading my status with a wallotext, I would post on Twitter, or use a lot of snark and not really put forth much of an argument. If I did want to entertain other points of view, I would spell out what I meant and why.

Maybe I am unique here and am missing how most people communicate. Maybe people don't put that kind of thought into how they want their musings to be received and/or aren't willing to entertain other points of view. With both yours and Spiritualtramp's post, and my own suspicions, I think its pretty clear that I just suck at figuring out who's venting and who wants to dig in.

How do you know when NOT to engage? My methods aren't working.

Re: I Have Strong Opinions. But Dammit, I Want People To Like Me!

Anthony James Neace — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:34:03 -0000

From the exchanges that I've seen, it may not be that complicated. :P It's happened to me to -- sometimes its not a matter so much of you offending the sensibilities of the people you're attempting to debate with, but rather that, well, they didn't sign up for that. I think someone is trying to express a sincere opinion that they've thought out, but in actuality they just wanted to vent on Facebook, or perhaps just make a stupid joke.

Sometimes people don't want to jump into the fray. As someone who also enjoys trying to learn why or how my friends have formed their opinion , I've noticed that sometimes people have the need to 'get it out there.' They don't want to debate it or argue it, because they've got to be at the gym in 26 minutes, or go to work, or pick up the kids... but let it be known: 'this is my opinion.'

I think that knowing when NOT to engage in debate is an important part of being aware of your friends.

Today's posts have been good because other people come in and participate, but this won't always be the case. I think you may get a better response out of your friends if you work on 'testing the waters' a bit before engaging in a debate. This may be best because if you go out and research your argument and spend a half hour typing it out, only for that person to ignore you... you've just wasted your time. I can understand the mindset; I don't want someone invading my one-off status with a big ol' wallotext. :P

Better for all parties involved, in my opinion.

Re: I Have Strong Opinions. But Dammit, I Want People To Like Me!

spiritualtramp — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 13:16:27 -0000

I have similar inclinations (as you well know). Though we disagree on many things, you and I have engaged and I haven't been left feeling like you think I'm not Christian enough or a complete idiot.

A lot of it comes down to both parties assuming the better of the other person. Too often people get into fights over the internet because text doesn't convey tone very well, particularly on Twitter. Then many folks look at that text and assume a tone the writer doesn't mean.

So pick smart opponents who wish to engage you in places where you can have longer form discussions, preferably in person.

Re: Ten Questions To Ask Yourself Before Opining On Wisconsin

Christopher Walker — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:56:36 -0000

Thank you. I tried to be neutral. Instead of asking questions that would direct people to my political point of view, I tried to ask questions that would theoretically get them closer to the truth of the situation.

Re: Ten Questions To Ask Yourself Before Opining On Wisconsin

Jeffraven — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 16:43:15 -0000

These are definitely good questions to ask oneself before forming an opinion.

Re: The Publishing Shake-Up And Me

Christopher Walker — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 14:42:17 -0000

I'll keep an eye on him as well, then. Thanks for the replies!

Re: The Publishing Shake-Up And Me

spiritualtramp — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 14:33:52 -0000

All I can say for sure is I'm keeping an eye on Brand Gamblin. He's certainly used podcasting as one of many tools for Tumbler.

Re: The Publishing Shake-Up And Me

Christopher Walker — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 14:30:14 -0000

Oh I'm keeping an eye out for any promotional opportunities podcasting can offer me. I'm just sure it is not useful for how I was going to use it and how it has traditionally been used, which was to build up an audience and then submit to traditional publishing via an agent, mentioning the number of listeners the podcaster has to the agent in the query letter in hopes of attracting the agent to sign-on with the author. Hope that clarifies my point in the post above.

Here's my thought process so far. Becoming a popular author-podcaster was my way to catch the agent's eye. Independent E-Publishing is as-good a way to build audience to catch an editor's eye, if not better because I can make money while doing it and the sales would allow me to negotiate from a position of strength for rights I would like to keep, or at least remain non-exclusive or limited in term.

This leaves the question of how to tackle podcasting, since I have just ousted it from its previous role. I think and want podcasting to have a new role as one of supplementing sales. I'm not discounting it entirely. I'm just not certain yet how to utilize it with this new plan that's forming in my mind. I need to find examples of how podcasting has supplemented (and enhanced) e-book sales for other authors. Know of any?

Re: The Publishing Shake-Up And Me

spiritualtramp — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 12:11:19 -0000

I wouldn't give up on podcasting entirely. I'm going to work on releasing my next novella as a podcast and an epub simultaneously.

Re: The Publishing Shake-Up And Me

Christopher Walker — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 00:00:07 -0000

Thanks for reading! Yes, one of the reasons I've written this post tonight is because I saw your tweet about reading Dean Wesley Smith's "Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing" blog series. While I was cleaning today I had my text-to-speech app on my iPod read me the first three chapters with all of the comments.

That third chapter was his first on Agents.

I have to admit, he makes some good points. I had bought into the Agent myth, as he puts it. I'm still kind of there, mostly because I don't know the first thing about selling things, but am falling off of it. I'll keep reading/listening to his blog series. Thanks again for the link!

Re: The Publishing Shake-Up And Me

Indiana Jim — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 23:27:35 -0000

Don't query Agents first. I've fallen off that bandwagon. Check out Dean Wesley Smith's thoughts on the matter first (via the link I shared in Facebook), because what he has to say is really an eye-opener. Everything he has to say is an eye-opener, but especially the bit about Agents. We have bought into a myth about Agents and no longer have the right perspective about them.