VERA IS TAKING EXTENDED LEAVE .. and we're sad to see her go!

As many of you know, Ian and Vera were team reviewing this month. Unfortunately, because of her heavy university workload, Vera has to take extended leave. This means she won't be doing any reviewing for a while.

This is sad news for us, but we're all hoping it won't be too long before she's able to return to her Globusz position.

I'm sure you’ll join us in wishing Vera success with her uni studies.

On behalf of all the team I'd like to convey our sincere thanks to you Vera. We appreciate all the time you gave to club activities. We'll miss your cheery emails.

Warmest regards and our very best wishes,

Suzanne

GLOBUSZ PUBLISHING ~ Where the virtual defines the future ... and synergy has a whole new meaning

Slips of Speech - and how to avoid them.

Ian and Vera are team-writing the review of this great classic.


They will have it ready for you soon.


This is one for us all! Certainly worth waiting for.

We'll soon see if two heads really are better than one.



GLOBUSZ PUBLISHING ~ Where the virtual defines the future ... and synergy has a whole new meaning

A NEW WHITEBOARD FOR CLUB MEMBERS

Hi everyone,

I have just created a new blog for you to use as a whiteboard. I think it will be useful when you're discussing work and developing a draft review. It should help members who are team-writing.

This is the link:
http://oz-whiteboard.blogspot.com/


GLOBUSZ PUBLISHING ~ Where the virtual defines the future ... and synergy has a whole new meaning

It's time to get serious, I say! (Alex)

I'm making an investment in my corporate smarts hedge-fund. I've been tossing the idea around for weeks, and now it's time for action. How's that grab ya? You're pretty impressed, right?

The time for fun is over and I've gotta get serious. So I'm having a crack at this eBook. In two weeks, I'm off overseas again, and this will be a great title to impress the person who sits next to me on the plane. They'll think i'm a really clever dude. I could get lucky; my travel companion might be way-up-there brainy. And they might help me out if the stuff's a bit over my head. Whatya think? Good idea?

Increasing Efficiency in Business, A Contribution to the Psychology of Business by Walter Dill Scott. SYNOPSIS: We've built machines to become more efficient in business, but humans remain human -- and inefficient. But must that always be the case? According to renowned business psychologist Walter Dill Scott, managers can help workers find their "second wind," the point at which they move past their previous limits and achieve top performance. Applying psychology to business, Scott wrote, "when a man is doing what he believes to be his best, he is still able to do better; when he is completely exhausted, he is, under proper stimulus, able to continue." In Increasing Human Efficiency in Business, Scott explores how to create motivation for success. He looks at factors such as imitation, competition, loyalty, concentration, wages, pleasure, "the love of the game," relaxation, and habit formation. He hopes to find each worker's latent powers and hidden stores of energy to discover "wider horizons of honorable and profitable activity."

It might be a while before i post my comments. Be kind; the delay won't be because I'm slack. It'll be just because my employer actually expects me to meet deadlines. I tell my boss all the time, that i've got more important stuff to attend to, but he just doesn't get it. He keeps checking my time sheets to make sure i'm not fudging the figures. Poor guy. He should get with the program and join the club too. www.globusz.com/ebooks/Increasing/index.htm

See ya guys.

Hey Lindsay, just gotta tell ya, that i loved your Zen review. Don't let anyone tell ya it's over the top. It's great. From the comments even the author thinks you did him a favour. Can't wait to read your next review. I'll be checking the blog all the time i'm away. And showing it to my workmates. They think you're a cool chick. Cya! This is Alex, over and out.

A Suspense novel seems a fitting next choice

Hogback sounds like an excellent choice for my next eNovel. It has the potential to engage me, while at the same time providing a diversion; which can be a highly effective tactic. It worked well during the Battle of Gettysburg.
http://www.historynet.com/jeb-stuart-battle-of-gettysburg-scapegoat.htm

SYNOPSIS: Hogback is a suspense novel, which explores the age-old dilemma of good versus evil. The story begins recounting two seemingly unrelated events happening in different parts of the world on the same day: The first in Vietnam and the second in the small, eastern Georgia town of Washington. The son of the town drunk was an easy target for an over-zealous lawyer and a weak judge who were manipulated and bought by the ruling family of the county. The teenager’s desire for revenge on the family that framed him was unfulfilled because of their death from car accident just prior to his release from prison. His anger and quest for revenge takes him on a trail of vengeance to seek out any wealthy father and son who controlled small towns in Georgia.

I love a good suspense novel, and Hogback appears to have all the right ingredients. If the pace is fast, then it shouldn't take me long to get through it. I'll post my comments soon. I bet you can't wait to see what I come up with. An interesting aspect of the human condition, is that many of us are fascinated with train wrecks. If you're expecting one, I think you will be disappointed.
Back soon,
Lindsay.

http://www.globusz.com/ebooks/Hogback/index.asp

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How harsh is too harsh?

Hi guys (and onlookers).

I've been following the debate between Lindsay and Eugene Binx, the author she bagged for over-use of obscene words in Zen and the Art of Standup Comedy. Right from the start, I wanted to comment, but after the latest exchange I took the dog for a long walk while I thought things over.

On my return I find Suzanne has posted a couple of comments. They're helpful, and perhaps she's trying to calm something at risk of becoming bitter. Still, I'd like to add my two bob's worth. I'm not troubled if Eugene has used the F word seven times in seven sentences. If it helped develop our understanding of his novel's main character, or of its setting, that's fine by me. On the other hand, if it's gratuitous – put in just to shock us – I'd fall into line with Lindsay. I haven't read Zen and the Art of Standup Comedy.

I have Lindsay's opinions, but I don't know her general attitude to obscene words in popular novels. Are they distasteful at all times, or only when used gratuitiously?

English literature, popular or highbrow, would be much poorer if we admitted only those books one could read aloud on a crowded Sydney bus.

So I don't know whether Lindsay was too harsh. I hope Eugene isn't discouraged, and that he pushes on with his writing. He should think over Lindsay's comments, but if he disagrees, so be it. Write on Eugene, and I'll take a look at your next book.

Meanwhile, I think we should welcome robust discussions such as we've just had, but perhaps revise the format in which we conduct them.

First, we should invite authors to respond with full posts (not just appended comments) when we criticise their work. Before I read Eugene's comment, I'd already read Lindsay's reply. It's as if she held on to the microphone.

When we decided we would read different books, then tell the others about them, we became reviewers, as well as members of a book club discussion. That gives us some limitations and some more responsibilities, as the literary critic Kerryn Goldsworthy has explained. Our first task is to tell others whether a book is worth reading. But we should also remember our criticisms, if offered constructively, may nurture the talent of a novice writer.

[For you Globusz guys in New York, two bob is not very much money – two shillings in the currency Australia abandoned in the 1960s. So my two bob's worth is an inconsequential opinion but you're going to get it anyway. ]

The sketch? That's me, drawn by Sydney newspaper caricaturist Tony Rafty in 1982. I use it as a sort of signature when I'm blogging. -- Ian Skinner

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The Author Thinks I Was Too Harsh!

Hi Eugene,
Good to hear you defend your work with such passion. You make an interesting case, but I still think your Zen eBook relies far too heavily on foul language as a reader engagement tool; and that detracts from the writing quality.

Sorry, but your technique just doesn’t cut the mustard. I think the methodology fails, and that’s why I couldn’t take the work seriously.

You asked why I didn’t hammer you about Norman’s obsession with sex. Good question, because you do use his sexual exploits to build the persona. And the story relies heavily on his ability to get every woman he meets into bed. Sure it's true that all the women throw themselves at him, and actually instigate the rather crazy bed-hopping. But Norman doesn't stop to think about the consequences of his involvements.

Answer: I accepted your fictional character for what he is. A shallow youth, who lacked the maturity to understand that sex, has little, if anything, to do with relationship building. His behaviour fits the mould of a young man driven by a desire to take, without any thought for personal responsibility. Now come on; surely you don't expect us to believe that poor old Norman didn't know that getting into bed with his own aunt wasn't a good idea? His aunt was a lonely woman; what was Norman's excuse? How many women did he have on the go at the same time? It was pretty hard to keep count.

Still he did learn a lesson or two along the way. He discovered he was capable of experiencing feelings for others, albeit, fleeting, and shallow ones. And when push came to shove, his choices were always based on what he wanted, and expected.

He should have gotten his comeuppances when Betsy double-crossed him, but his depth of emotional maturity, robbed him of the genuine pain-response, that others might feel when a loving (a gross over statement) relationship ends.

Sorry Eugene. I’m sticking with my initial critique, but I do wish you well with the new novel.

Cheers, Lindsay.

NOTE: Read the author's comment - scroll down to my earlier post: Am I being too harsh here? You be the judge. posted: Sunday March 30

Don't forget to check below for comments. Just click to read.

Meanwhile, I've enjoyed a pleasant sea change

Eugen Herrigel has a lot to answer for. He kicked off this whole "Zen and the Art of . . ." thing with his Zen in the Art of Archery published in Germany in 1948. People who know about these things said it was good on zen and good on archery. Pity the copycats couldn't be the same.

Wikipedia says there are now 200 books with similar titles – and that's before you start counting blogs. The other day someone gave me Zen and the Art of Lawn Bowls!

Robert M. Pirsig rekindled the genre in 1974 with Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Being a keen biker (still am!), I accelerated past Pirsig's warning:

What follows is based on actual occurrences. Although much has been changed for rhetorical purposes, it must be regarded in its essence as fact. However, it should in no way be associated with that great body of factual information relating to orthodox Zen Buddhist practice. It's not very factual on motorcycles, either.

It was quite an interesting account of a motorcycle tour across the US, and I'm glad I read it. But I never did fall into line with all those other people who said Pirsig's book changed their lives.

Today, if anyone offers a book titled Zen and the Art of Something, let's poke it with a sharp stick. It's probably limp and lifeless, giving off a faint whiff of the 1970s.

Sorry you had to find out the hard way, Lindsay.

As for standup comedians spraying obscene words at their audience (or their readers), isn't that so 1970s too?

It began when comedians moved from the theatre stage into alcohol-sodden pubs and clubs, and it coincided with a sort of liberation mood when young people rejected the pursed-lips wowserism they'd experienced from their parents through the 1950s and early 60s.

Shouting four-letter words was so liberating! Wasn't it?

With Alex, it's good to know he laughed like a drunken Irishman as he read The Best of Forwarded Emails. I'm glad he didn't say imbecile Sikh, which must have been a temptation after reading a whole chapter of Sardarji jokes.

Thanks, Alex, for pointing me to Getting IT Right. It sounds just what I need to stay on top of all these newfangled YouTube and Web 3.0 and podcast things I'm supposed to master to stay in the action.

Me? I've had an enjoyable time on a Scottish island. I could nit-pick my way through some faults with Peter Culling's Isle of Enniskerry, but what the hell, it's an enjoyable yarn. Perhaps this sort of thing rekindles Boy's Own enthusiasms from my far-distant youth.

I guess you read the blurb. Jim wins four million quid in a British national lottery, buys a deserted Scottish island which once supported a laird in a big house and some farmers and fishermen in crofts, recruits a diverse group of people wanting to escape city life, and gets the island moving again.

So where could I find fault? First, Culling writes well, but could do better if he learned to revise and revise again (fundamental to a writer's craft) until he chopped at least a fifth of his words, and sharpened up those he kept. He should learn his spellchecker won't pick out "principal" when he intends "principle", or "to" instead of "too".

Jim says he doesn't want the new islanders to think of him as the laird, but he spends much of his time dispensing avuncular advice, and you'll wait in vain to see him spit on his hands and pick up a crowbar or shovel to help those rebuilding crofts or farmyards.

Perhaps Culling should get hold of the Mills & Boon writer's manual, where he could learn to structure his novel with a few crises which threaten the whole project. And because the novel ends with a romantic happy ending, a few bitter misunderstandings and unrequited yearnings along the way would have built tension.

There were problems, such as a vet who couldn't get on with the farmers, and a gang of bovver boys who tried to trash the island, but they were seen off quite easily.

And fundamentally, too, I wonder whether the success of Jim's endeavours leaves him and his islanders living in the same sort of high-pressure, businesslike world they'd set out to escape.

But don't let my quibbles put you off. I think you'd enjoy Isle of Enniskerry. I did.

To save Christine from having to answer those Globusz guys in New York, wowser is one of those wonderful Ocker (that means Aussie!) words describing those prune-faced, anti-fun people who would be called killjoys, blue-stockings or puritans in other parts of the world. Hence wowserism.

Some say it was invented by John Norton, an unsavory Sydney newspaper proprietor around the end of the 19th Century, and some say it's an acronym derived from We Only Want Social Evils Remedied.

Back in the Great Land of Oz. And lovin' it!!

Hey guys,
I’ve been working outside Australia again and have just returned. I’ve gotta say it was fun to log into Writers Café 101 and read the stuff that had been posted. It made me feel great to be part of the club. And I got a good laugh from Lindsay’s last post.

She’s like the wordsmith Grim Reaper. I’m glad I’m not an author. I’d be too scared to let her anywhere near my books. She’d mow me down like a Sherman tank. Here’s a video to help you get a handle on the damage she’d cause. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-7JZIHsRN0

Still I get the message. There she was all set for a bit of light Easter entertainment, only to have Binx crush her like a chocolate egg. I hope it didn’t turn her off her Easter Bunny loot.

While Lindsay was plotting her revenge on poor old Eugene, I was laughing like a drunken Irishman. No kidding. I had a ball with The Best of Forwarded Emails, by Ram G. Kumar.

This is a great little book to carry around on your laptop. Fantastic for de-stressing difficult client, or boss, related situations that go off the rails. I can guarantee it will defuse the most highly charged confrontation and before you know it, the person who wanted to dismember you, will become your best mate.

Kumar has done an excellent job compiling his material. There are so many great pieces it was hard to select a couple for a suggestion list. Why don’t you start with these, then work your way through the whole lot.

The Future of Customer Care
Funny leave letters and applications sent from India
Appraisal Note – Read between the lines

And every red blooded Aussie lad will love the Beer Theories. This is a great read. Do yourself a favour and download it asap.

Cheers, Alex.

AN IDEA: Lindsay add this to the travelling show repertoire. The Sydney Buses' passengers will love you for it. Pass around a hat and buy yourself the digital book reader "thingy" I think you called it. You know, the one you said you really wanted.

I'M SO IMPRESSED I TOLD MY MUM ABOUT RAM.
I downloaded another one of Ram's eBooks for my mother. On a scale of 1 - 10 (1 low), I'd say my mum's computer application skills are about 7.5., so I downloaded Getting IT Right for her. It's a very small work, but packed with great stuff to help computer newcomers get a handle on a few things. I reckon it'd work for a lot of people who just need to brush up of stuff they've forgotten. Come to think of it; just about anyone will find it useful. Even the CompNerds might find something useful in it. Good Gear. Do the download!





http://www.globusz.com/ebooks/GettingIT/index.htm