I recently read an article about the process of writing a novel. When discussing character development, the author writes, “Perfect characters are boring…. Flaws create conflict. They drive decisions. They make your characters feel like real people.” I don’t want my heroes to “feel like real people.” I want them to be larger than life,…
Over the years, I have heard countless people express a desire to write a book. While that is certainly a laudable ambition, I am unaware of anyone who has actually written a book. I think a primary reason for this is they don’t understand a simple truth: writers write. And I speak from personal experience….
When writing the first draft of a novel, I frequently think, “I didn’t see that coming.” A character says or does something I didn’t anticipate. When I have explained this to friends, they are surprised. They think I know the action and dialog that will occur in each chapter. While I know these things, it…
Good writing is organized, and an indispensable tool for organizing our thoughts is an outline. An outline is a road map for our writing, allowing us to identify a logical order to present the points we wish to communicate. As I noted in a previous essay, thoughts occur to us randomly. If we write in…
In a previous post, I briefly addressed psycho-epistemology—the interaction between the conscious mind and the subconscious mind in the writing process. When we brainstorm, we must rely on the subconscious mind. The purpose of writing is to communicate. Effective writing makes it easy for the reader to comprehend the main point being communicated. This requires…
One of the most important, and overlooked, aspects of writing is the relationship between the conscious mind and the subconscious mind. Ayn Rand called this psycho-epistemology, which she defined as “the study of man’s cognitive processes from the aspect of the interaction between the conscious mind and the automatic functions of the subconscious.” Psycho-epistemology does…
Writing historical fiction presents both challenges and opportunities. The challenges lie in choosing the degree of historical accuracy to include. The opportunities lie in the ability to present events and characters in a more idealistic manner, that is, what could have been and should have been. As an example, the Shattering Paradigms series takes place…
Once again, Republicans are demonstrating that “property rights” is nothing more than a slogan to be used to attract votes. They are proposing legislation that will “crackdown” on corporate landlords through heavy taxation or similar penalties. The right to property means the freedom to produce, use, and trade material values, including housing. Imposing penalties on…
With an estimated 75,500 homeless individuals in Los Angeles County, the Los Angeles mayor is calling upon “the most fortunate” to donate to a new housing program called LA4LA. The mayor stated that the program’s success will depend on the “humanity and generosity of the private sector.” The mayor is counting on altruism—self-sacrifice for others—to…
The following is a section from Chapter 2 of my book, The Affordable housing Crisis: Causes and Cures. The Progressive framework is wrong in every regard. It begins with an inappropriate standard, refuses to consider the full context, and regards the consideration of alternatives as impossible. For Progressives, the standard for evaluating any policy is…
Justin Walker and Pratik Shah are the owners of Justice Inc, a business in Houston that provides intellectual bodyguard services. Traditional bodyguards protect others from physical threats. Intellectual bodyguards protect others from intellectual threats–bad ideas. Shortly after the COVID pandemic begins, Justice Inc finds itself embroiled in a battle against government officials in both the…