Learning from Fiction

17 November

Tom Clancy wrote his Jack Ryan novels and I really enjoyed them. He did make a bad choice with his Teeth of the Tiger novel though. It was savaged by critics and I have to agree with what they said. It featured another Jack Ryan, the son of ex-president Jack Ryan. After that came Red Rabbit, another Jack Ryan story but from early in his CIA career, even earlier than Red October and Patriot Games. His final Ryan story was The Bear and the Dragon. After that no more ‘Ryanville’ he is quoted as having said; that a pity cos when the younger Jack takes over there’s no link in the story to explain what has happened.

Clancy does come out with a few odds and ends or tips that are well worth remembering. Two stick in my mind though, the first being from Jack’s wife who carries a little note book with her; she says a few times, ‘Jack, if it isn’t wrote down, it didn’t happen!’ That is one all us writers need to remember, and hopefully we all do it, even if at times we forget. The second one is from Jack himself when he relies to someone who works for him, ‘Don’t assume anything! To do so makes an ass of me and you.’ Again, it’s a good one and worth remembering. So as well as being entertaining, we can also learn from fiction.

So there I am lying bed last night reading Stephen King’s Cell, when I come across the second of the two quotes, and without any reference to it. That surprised me for a writer of his reputation, but even so it’s not such a surprise with that novel. All writers have off days I suppose and certainly he had one when that book was written. The idea is that humanity gets zapped by something that comes from their mobile phones that sends them all crazy. The ones who are not affected are those who don’t use mobiles or are were not being using one at the time that it happened.

Another of his I didn’t particularly like is Cujo, the mad dog story. In his On Writing he says he can’t remember writing it cos he was full of booze and rugs. I have read a lot of reviews on this one and most of them say how good it is; I didn’t see what the fuss was about, very poor to my mind. Then there’s Under the Dome, if you haven’t read it, don’t bother, far too bity and jumpy.

As far as my writing is going on, this blog is about the limit of it these days, plus a couple of longish emails and posts on Facebook. For quite some time now I have found it very hard to be able to put anything down on paper. Using longhand did help for time I was doing it, but now I am typing it up, I’m finding it a bit of drag. That is probably cos I left it too long to get on with doing that part of it. I was asked if I was going to NANOWRIMO this month but there’s no chance of me being to doing and finishing it right now. I do hope all the others are getting on well with it though.

So today’s photo then … 

A penguin at Bourton Bird Centre.

Today’s funny …

A man is lying on the beach, wearing nothing but a cap over his crotch. A woman passing by remarks, "If you were any sort of a gentleman, you would lift your hat to a lady." He replies, "If you were any sort of a sexy lady, the hat would lift by itself."