billconrad
billconrad
Bill Conrad
258 posts
This is a blog about writing and other fun stuff.
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billconrad · 2 days ago
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The Day I Became an Adult
    From a young age, my biggest goal was to be an adult. Why? Every single adult in my life was so amazing. What was not to look up to? They were tall, had endless wealth, freedom, at least one car, and did not have to attend school. Additionally, every adult was allowed to stay out late, watch any television program they wanted, and do as they pleased. As opposed to me, who was forced to follow all kinds of rules.
    The problem was that there was a tidal wave of obstacles between young me and adulthood. I had to study, behave, and do what I was told. But then, it happened. I graduated from high school. That made me an adult. Right? I was happy to have graduated, but I did not feel like an adult. Besides, I had four years of college ahead of me.
    Five years later (I had some issues), I graduated. And while I had anticipated I would immediately feel like an adult, I did not. Instead, I felt like an older kid. Besides, I had no job, and life was tough. After all, adults have it easy.
    However, I then got a job and moved into a rented house with three roommates. Unfortunately, I was making copies at Kinko’s, but I was living on my own and had freedom. Still, it felt like I had regressed because I was not using my college degree.
    Life got so bad that I had to move back in with my parents for a year. This setback harshly turned back my adulthood clock. Then, I got a real job and was able to purchase a house (with a 25-year mortgage). FINALLY, I was an adult. Living on my own, responsible, a homeowner, and free to do what I wanted. Yet, I was not. An adult should not be lonely.
    After a few unsuccessful relationships, I got married to a wonderful woman. Yay! But even with all that going on, I did not feel it. Could I introduce myself as “Bill, the adult?” It did not seem like the truth.
    Of course, I had all the markings of an adult—gray hair, a paycheck, savings, a car, a fantastic wife, and a house. And there were the “child” activities I no longer did. Ride dirt bikes, watch cartoons on Saturday morning, eat candy, play board games, or do everything my parents said.
    Still, there were big changes. My wife and I were self-sufficient, meaning that we did not depend on our parents. We were a team. Just like two adults!
    I was told all my life that being in a successful marriage is the textbook definition of being an adult. Still, I did not feel like I had officially joined the club. Fortunately, something happened that would surely change this. We had a wonderful daughter.
    We did all the everyday things with her, and she indeed added a powerful element to our family. Yes, we were a family. Being a family requires two adults and at least one child. Still, I did not feel it. Sure, we put in all the effort to make my daughter happy. And we took on all the responsible tasks, such as sending her to school and setting limits. This all occurred while we were engaged in other adult activities, such as working, saving money, going on vacations, and paying our bills.
    I put a lot of effort into convincing myself that I had cleared this last hurdle. It seemed true at first, but I knew something was missing. And I knew it had to do with my daughter.
    Late at night, about 10 years ago, I heard a scream. I leaped out of bed, slammed open the door, and slipped on the carpet as I was making the turn to my daughter’s room. I burst in, ready to do significant harm to the person hurting my daughter. It took a few moments of rage for me to realize she was having a nightmare. So, I held onto her tightly as she cried, and my adrenaline level subsided from 10,000%.
    It took time for her to recover, and that is when I noticed my wife was hugging both of us. I hobbled back to bed and massaged my ankle. It hurt, but there was no permanent damage. At that moment, something deep dawned on me. I did not give a darn (you know the swear word I was thinking of) about my ankle. I felt only relief that my daughter was fine.
    At that lightning-bolt moment, I knew I had become an adult. Why? My daughter’s needs were the only needs that mattered. I finally joined the club and have never looked back.
    Why discuss this now? I am in the outline stage of a new book series and have been working on character biographies. I use this brief document to establish fundamental details about background, relationships with other characters, and personality. I have learned the hard way that the most critical part of a character biography is the flaws. These gems provide the most depth in the reader’s eyes.
    My idea for one main character is that he lost his daughter in a car accident, which sent him into a life-altering negative spiral. The plot is going to begin with him no longer feeling like an adult because he cannot support his daughter.
    As I built the biography, I wondered how to craft this background. So, I took a high-level view and started at the beginning. When did this character first feel like he had achieved adulthood? Obviously, that occurred when his daughter was born. Umm, that sounded too predictable (corny).
    I suddenly realized I could use my life experience. I stood and yelled to an empty room, “Readers will love that!” Yet, I have a strong warning for writers.
    One of the mistakes I made in my first two books was using my life experiences directly as story material, character development, and dialogue. Readers can easily identify and dislike stories that are clearly the author pretending to have a better life than their own.
    Thus, I will modify the above life experience to ensure it is not a direct copy. I look forward to crafting a powerful scene where my character pours his heart out. Will the scene work? At this rate, my loyal readers will have to wait about five years to find out.
    You’re the best -Bill
    August 26, 2025
    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:
    Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.
    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.
    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.
    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.
    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.
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billconrad · 5 days ago
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Therapeutic Writing
    Writers often use life events as source material. One of the benefits is publicly sharing personal issues, which allows a person to work through problems. Plus, writers have an almost supernatural opportunity/ability to create an imaginary world with all kinds of characters. This blank slate lets a writer experiment, lie, and confess. We can even change the outcome of an actual event to lessen or heighten its impact.
    Some books are genuinely therapeutic, such as an autobiography. Creating such a book allows a person to explore multiple childhood and adult events. A writer could also make a political or other type of book that contains a critical opinion. This freedom allows a writer to confess, vent, and explore. Writing is creative, intellectual, educational, and relaxing, which certainly qualifies as therapy if done correctly.
    What about me? From a young age, I discovered that writing allowed my mind to wander, and I was able to explore personal issues. It was apparent that after a good writing session, I felt better. Still, I never associated writing with mental benefits.
    That all changed on a recent walk. It occurred to me that the stories and articles I created had far more benefit. As I pondered, it became clear that I had made many personal discoveries and learned a great deal about the people in my life. In many ways, writing articles provides even more mental benefits. I get to tackle any topic and say what is on my mind. That freedom is liberating, and I certainly have taken advantage of it.
    There is another unexpected benefit that is less direct. When developing a plot, I think a lot about people. What motivates them, why they made certain decisions, and what makes them work. To help, I think about the people in my life—specifically, the events before, during, and after an event. Then I ask myself questions. Why did they do this? What could have made it better? What could have made it more exciting? What change could have prevented a problem? Why didn’t they realize the obvious consequences?
    Writing has also helped my relationships and improved my decision-making process. I am also better at analyzing people, which I directly attribute to writing because a writer needs to be laser focused on motivation.
    Am I a better person because of writing? Err, probably. It is not easy to look in the mirror. How about this? Let’s turn the clock back to 2017 and split Bill into two people. One will be an author while the other will not.
    What would non-writer Bill be doing? I likely would have done something productive. Yoga? Racquetball? Scuba diving? Or perhaps I might have started a large project, such as a business. Such activities would certainly open some doors leading to growth.
    True, but there would be added stress, money issues, and painful life lessons. In thinking about it, writing would probably have been better for me from a mental perspective.
    Would I recommend writing as therapy? I have certainly experienced stressful, demoralizing, and painful times. Bad reviews top that list. Still, I have used writing to clear a lot of junk out of my mind. Overall, I am more focused and have new tools for solving life’s problems. I also grew as a person because it requires a bold person to release something to the public.
     I conclude that writing certainly helped me, and it probably would help others. That is perhaps something I need to discuss with my therapist. I mean, write about more benefits in future articles.
    You’re the best -Bill
    August 23, 2025
    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:
    Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.
    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.
    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.
    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.
    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.
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billconrad · 9 days ago
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My Advice for Book Editors
    I have worked with nine professional and four amateur book editors. Throughout many articles, I have shared my experiences, but I have not provided advice to editors. I thought this would be a fun topic to explore.
    Writers hire book editors to improve a document to the point where it can be published. Editors will point out that there are multiple approaches, including a quick pass, beta read, basic edit (proofreading), comprehensive edit, copyedit, and developmental editing.
    Allow me to begin by stating that I do not know what it requires to be an editor or how difficult it is. This means that I do not have any insight into or knowledge of their techniques or hardships.
    What I do know (a little) is how to self-edit a document to the point where I am comfortable providing it to a professional editor. My self-editing process typically requires around 20 passes and at least six months. No professional editor would get any value by explaining my cobbled-together method.
    I suspect that a good editor does what I do during those six months, except much faster. In other words, they are fixing logic, dialogue, grammar, and flow all at the same time. To do this level of repair in a few days is beyond my comprehension, but it does lead to my first piece of advice.
    It is essential to establish clear editing goals. I have received edits that changed the entire story direction, deleted chapters for no stated reason, changed character names (in one part of the book but not others), and skipped editing entire chapters. The editor had an entirely different view of what I wanted.
    To avoid this situation, I recommend using a checklist or flowchart to define what the author expects. This will allow the editor to take a high-level view to set their price and tell the writer what to expect. “I cannot check the flow and dialogue at the same time. That will take two passes and cost you more.” “If you do not want me to check facts, it will be less expensive, but there may be issues I miss.”
    Building on that last piece of advice, before a quote is provided, the editor should thoroughly review/understand the document status. Meaning if it is in rough shape, they should let the author know in advance.
    Of course, any bad document can be edited into a good one, but with so much heavy lifting, the original document’s charm will be altered. Thus, the writer needs to understand that the editor will be taking control.
    I would have greatly appreciated it if the first editor I used had said, “Look, this book is in rough shape, and I will have to charge you $$$. How about you fix XYZ, give it back to me, and then I will only charge you $.” This suggestion would have helped immensely and made me a loyal customer. Instead, I paid $$$ and received a book that still contained major problems. Side note: It took three different editors to bring the book to the point where it was ready to be published. And a second edition… Yeah, it was in rough shape.
    A significant aspect of this initial conversation is to establish a predetermined course of action for addressing an important problem. “In Chapter Eight, Sally kills rabbits. Readers will hate this story.” Now, the author has the option to stop the editing process or to have the editor ignore the problem.
    This leads to my second piece of advice. Turn down a bad project. One editor hated my second book, but still did the editing. I had to pay big before getting the insulting/worthless edits. No refund. I left a scathing review and know this editor lost work because of it.
    What would have made the situation better? I would have appreciated a one-page document describing the problem and would have gladly paid the editor for their feedback and insight.
    This painful experience leads to my third piece of advice. I have learned the very hard way never to write or edit in a bad mood. Yet, editors must make money. I have certainly gone to work in a bad mood and seen the results. Angry interactions, lousy work, and hurt feelings that lasted far beyond that day.
    I have seen strange behavior in edits, such as mean comments, poor edits, incoherent thoughts, and missing glaring problems. I am sure this is a result of not entering the process with the right mindset. My advice is that before editing, take a step back and evaluate the mood. Perhaps a walk around the block to clear your mind.
    Building on this, editors need to maintain a consistent comment tone. Several editors I worked with left snarky, rude, and condescending comments. This basic customer service somehow got missed.
    Funny side story: One editor left the comment, “I have corrected the same obvious mistake five times, and I am not doing it for the rest of your book.” The problem they identified was a complex issue involving present/past tenses. It was not at all evident to me how to locate/fix the problem. The rest of their edits were good, but their attitude turned me off from hiring them again.
    My fourth piece of advice is the most important. In a word processor, it is common to turn on track changes. This mode is essential in the editing process because it shows where changes have been made. The old and new text is displayed in a red font.
    The problem occurs during ���red editing,” meaning editing a document while looking at the tracked changes. Here is an example of a before-and-after edit. “Bill walked walked down the street.” “Bill walkeddown the street.” I deleted the repeated word, but in the process, also deleted the space.
    I made this mistake because the red editing did not clearly show the deleted extra space. This is compounded by the fact that word processors use a red underline to highlight problems.
    The problem becomes more complex as new errors get introduced, particularly those involving missing or extra commas. So, I always recommend editing in the black or “show no markup.” Here is an excellent site providing a modification to MS Word that introduces a hot key to switch between the modes.
    My fifth piece of advice is to provide an edited document as a sample of the editor’s style and ability. However, it is unethical to give an edited customer’s document. I recommend going to a fan fiction page and downloading a public domain story. Such stories will be of awful quality, but short, making them perfect for an editor to show what they are capable of. I have learned the ultra-hard way that if an editor cannot provide a sample document, do not hire them.
    Building on this last piece of advice, I do not recommend a freebee edit. “How about I edit your first chapter for free to show you what I am capable of?” I have fallen into this dreadful trap twice. The problem has three parts.
    First, it leaves a bad taste. “What, you do not believe I can edit?” Second, the editor devotes more effort to the freebie chapter and less to the rest of the book. Third, the time between the freebee and the actual edit means the first chapter does not receive a comprehensive edit, as the editor completes all edits before reading the rest of the book.
    My sixth piece of advice is to use MS Word exclusively. Open Office, Google Docs, and other similar tools are not the gold standard. They all have software bugs, especially in formatting. Yes, MS Word is expensive, and yes, it does not play well with other word processors, but it is a professional tool that ultimately saves time.
    Yet, those reasons are not why I recommend it. The problem is when there is a problem. With MS Word, you can always find an answer, a workaround, or a detailed description of the issue. This broad knowledge base spans MS technical support, user forums, the help menu, articles, third-party books, and colleagues.
    Plus, add-in programs like Grammarly work best in MS Word. And exotic things like different languages, strange fonts, templates, integrating something from another program, or working with the IT department will always work best with MS Word.
    A good example of unknown issues with other word processing programs occurred with my daughter. She was using Google Docs, and somehow, an entire paragraph got indented. Together, we could not figure out why, despite 20 minutes of internet searching. The only solution was to copy everything into Notepad, paste the raw text into a new document, and then reformat everything. (Pasting/converting into MS Word only made the problem worse.)
    One editor used OpenOffice on my document without my permission, and the conversion removed all the italics. Their edits were great, but I will never use that editor again.
    My seventh piece of advice regards the use of tools like Grammarly, ProWritingAid, Hemingway, LanguageTool, and Wordtune. It is critical to know the tool and its limitations, but there is another problem, especially with professional editors.
    I use Grammarly and ProWritingAid to polish my document before I send it to an editor. Therefore, the document is the best it can be from a grammar tool perspective. I count on the editor to take my document to the next level. Meaning a professional editor understands English better than the tools. Specifically, they examine each sentence (independent of the rest of the document) to ensure it has no problems, as opposed to a tool that only follows high-level rules that may not apply to that specific sentence.
    I recommend that at the beginning of an edit, the editor do a quick pass with one of these tools. This will reveal how much effort the writer applied to their work and identify and correct obvious flaws, which will save editing time. After hand-editing the document, I recommend running the tool to identify any issues created by the hand-edit.
    I suspect all professional editors know what I recommended in the last paragraph. However, I have received many edits that did not do this last step because I saw glaring grammar mistakes. This poses a significant problem for an author like me. Was that an intentional edit, or did they make a mistake? A fifteen-minute Grammarly pass by a professional editor would have eased a lot of my heartache.
    There is another problem with these tools. They can transform a “fun” document into a “business” document. So, take great care in accepting a tool-based edit, because in an ideal world, the author ignored the tool advice and made a sentence their way to convey something out of the ordinary.
    My eighth piece of advice is to use AI chatbots ultra-sparingly and never directly. A good use is to generate a summary for private use, conduct research, gather ideas, or identify problems. I never use these tools to create content or to update a document for better readability.
    Also, an AI-generated or AI-altered document is becoming easy to recognize. Meaning readers are starting to dislike this kind of content. I have noted before that AI loves micro-paragraphs, and these are a dead giveaway.
    Six months ago, a professional editor I used for the first time pushed my entire document through an AI chatbot. The “improved” results, while grammatically correct, were awful. There was no refund despite my demand for one, and I left a scathing review on four editing websites. (Yes, I was pretty upset.)
    Feeding a document into AI makes it public domain because AI saves all files. Professional editors must never allow private documents to have this exposure and will leave themselves open to lawsuits.
    My ninth piece of advice is to make use of an outline where possible. I have found this invaluable tool during development, debugging, reviewing, and creating the summary/book blurb. It shows the overall plot from a high level, which is essential when identifying the big problems that are not visible at the sentence level. Big questions can be asked. “Is this a good idea?” “Will people like this?” “What if I change X to Y?”
    My recommendation is for the editor to make big (important) notes on the outline. “Why would Sally do this?” If this note were made on a sentence, it might not be clear from the larger story perspective.
    What if the book were written without an outline? An editor can quickly create one, perhaps a page. Then, it is possible for both the author and editor to see the big picture. “We need a chapter to explain the missing car.” “Sally spent ten paragraphs looking for her dog. That is slowing down the story.”
    My final piece of advice is not advice; more of a perspective. Every editor I worked with proudly stated, “I do all my edits according to The Chicago Manual of Style.” What this means is that they settled on the standard in that book. And this is a good thing, because this book represents the gold standard. Well, sort of.
    The problem is that the English language is a hodgepodge of flimsy rules with endless exceptions. The goal of a good editor is to make a book that readers love. This translates to presenting the reader with outstanding sentences, which means that the rules in The Chicago Manual of Style should not always be followed, especially with dialogue.
    Then there are the unwritten rules. For example, avoid beginning multiple sentences with the same word. “I went to the store. I purchased cheese. I left with a full bag.” Another is reminding the reader who is speaking. “Hello,” Bill said.
    I have seen many edits that result in poor sentences, but there is an included comment, “Rule X from The Chicago Manual of Style.” My reply is, “Now it reads all wrong, and defending a poor edit with an established rule is making things worse.”
    I feel the ideal approach is to edit with the mindset, “I do my best to follow The Chicago Manual of Style, but use my experience to make your book the best it can be.”
    In a month, I will be searching for a new editor for my latest book. So, if you know somebody…
    You’re the best -Bill
    August 20, 2025
    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:
    Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.
    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.
    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.
    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.
    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.
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billconrad · 12 days ago
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Choose Your Own Adventure
    In grade school, “choose your own adventure” books became popular with kids. This type of book works by the reader reading a few paragraphs and then being presented with a decision. “There are three paths ahead of you. For left, page 20; for right, page 100; for straight, page 150.” Then the reader makes a choice, goes to that page, and continues reading. This writing style allowed the reader to determine their fate among a selection of plots. The appeal is more exciting because they made a choice.
    An alternative approach to this technology is text adventure computer games like Zork or Oregon Trail. Both entertainment genres were also popular in the 80s.
    Their glory days lasted approximately five years and then faded into obscurity. However, I predict that choose your own adventure type books will come back in a modified form. Meaning that eBook readers will have the ability to do a choose your own adventure story. Or, a basic story framework will be combined with artificial intelligence to create a rule-based plot.
    What about skipping all the work and having AI directly generate a story? The problem with AI is that it has limited creativity because, at its core, it is a random number generator. “Tell me a story about horses.” The AI model has 10 popular story types, randomly picks one, and randomly adds horse details. While there is a complete story, the quality is lacking.
    To explain, let’s consider the movie Star Wars. It had a complex plot with detailed characters. Let us also recall that Star Wars contains humor, new concepts, and emotional bonds. Creating such a bold and new story required a lot of creativity, which will remain challenging for AI.
    Another blow against AI is that, one hundred years from now, people will still get the same joy from reading Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea.” One could argue that there have been better stories since, but it is still a must-read.
    Why do I predict that interactive stories might occupy as much as 30% of future entertainment? The problem facing modern authors and readers is that so many books have already been released. Take the romance category. There are over a million titles to choose from, making it difficult for anything new to stand out.
    Girl meets guy, and he falls in love with her. Well, what if it were a guy meets girl scenario? Would that make it more appealing? What if the reader gets to pick the story type and characters? Thus, the author can target a specific kind of reader, which offers a quality that a classic book can never have.
    Will my prediction of the resurgence of choose your own adventure books come true? Turn to page 20 for yes, or page 30 for no.
    You’re the best -Bill
    August 16, 2025
    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:
    Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.
    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.
    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.
    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.
    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.
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billconrad · 16 days ago
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Separating the Artist from Their Work
    My favorite podcast is called The Dollop. In it, two comedians talk about non-mainstream history. However, it was a rocky start because they laughed at their jokes, and if you are a MASH television show fan, you know the damage that a laugh track can do. It took about ten podcasts to ignore this fake behavior.
    A recent podcast explored a popular minister who got into trouble. As they discussed this person’s fall, one host revealed he was a talented musician. Late in his life, he released another record, which became popular.
    The other host joked that people should not have purchased that album because of the controversy. So, the other host quipped, “Hey, separate the artist from their work.” This statement has been rattling around my bonkers mind, and it seemed like a good article topic. Or is this another budget therapy session? Yeah…
    The idea is that a dreadful person can still make positive artistic contributions to society, and here are some examples: Francis Bacon, Kevin Spacey, Steven Seagal, Chris Brown, J. D. Salinger, and Neil Gaiman. All of these people are talented artists, but they deeply harmed the people around them.
    Essentially, the statement is asking us to give these people a break. In other words, we should disregard their personal life and focus on the gift they have given.
    The two artists I wanted to concentrate on are Steven Seagal and Neil Gaiman. Growing up, I enjoyed Steven’s early films. They were loaded with great lines and over-the-top action. And Neil, what a wordsmith! Such powerful stories. I wish I had 10% of his creative ability.
    Late in their careers, it became public knowledge that both men had deplorable personal lives, leaving a trail of misery. I find such destructive behavior to be completely unacceptable. But what about their work? Should I still enjoy it?
    Well, as the statement goes, we should place their personal lives aside and enjoy their creations. Yeah, no. Both men are monsters who should be behind bars. And their art? Deleted from history with a vengeance. However, there is more to this topic. What about art intended to offend?
    Some art is controversial, dubious, contested, disgusting, pornographic, hateful, offensive, or fearful. Artists do this to jog our minds, spark insightful discussions, shake up society, attract negative publicity (because they believe all publicity is good), or because they are bored with traditional art. While I generally do not like this type of expression, I certainly see that it has value and should not be universally condemned.
    Still, that was not quite the thought that made me want to write this article. What about separating me from my art? Indeed, several people have reacted negatively to my books or articles. So, instead of a bad person with good art, I am a good person (in my mind) with (potentially) bad art. Still, I am asking people to separate the two.
    A good example occurred in a recent article when I discussed the lack of books or films about Covid-19. I wrote it without intending to be mean or controversial, nor did I request writers to enter this story territory. Yet, people were offended. And if I indeed crossed a line, readers have a right to be offended. I certainly get offended by awful material.
    Well, I learned a lesson and will not write about Covid-19 again. That is fine, but the question remains. Should the people I offended give me a break? Separate me from my art? If these very words offend you, will you give me a break? My real question is: Do I want you to give me a break? Do I want to hear, “Hey Bill. Good people make mistakes. It is fine. Keep writing.” Can I go on without hearing this?
    Honestly, I am struggling with an answer. Society presents tough questions, and we need tough answers. Meaning we must be tough people in order to keep society moving. Yet, we must be ethical and not tolerate those who bring society down. Yet, my article offended. Umm… A cook must break eggs to bake a cake, meaning people will always be offended.
    Artists release material and get unexpected reactions. The problem lies in the next step because the offense cannot be undone. Pick up the pieces? Ignore the criticism? That sounds like a cop-out.
    My answer is that I am not sure I want people to give me a break. What I do know is that I feel bad for the few people who were offended by my work. Well, writing this article has given me a lot to think about. Fortunately, there are biking and hiking trails nearby to ponder this topic.
    You’re the best -Bill
    August 13, 2025
    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:
    Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.
    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.
    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.
    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.
    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.
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billconrad · 19 days ago
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Writing Curse Words
    Society deems certain words to be profane, grossly insensitive, or offensive. Their purpose is to sting readers or listeners, achieving a similar effect to an exclamation point!!!
    Curse words are used to express anger or to make a strong point. Ideally, such offensive speech should only be used in dire circumstances, but society has certainly slipped.
    “Good” parents encourage their children not to cuss, and “bad” parents raise their kids in a sea of profanity. Society considers people who often curse to be crude, with limited employment and friend options. Yet, certain social groups expect rude language and the use of swear words.
    In the past, mainstream media did not contain any swear words. Only rated-R movies and adult-themed books had offensive language. Now, the airwaves, books, magazines, and the internet spew profanity at every turn. Last night, I saw a broadcast commercial that vocalized the F-word, and recently saw a public billboard with the S-word.
    My parents did not encourage foul language, and I choose not to use it in my present social interactions. Yet, I did some research for this article and found something that challenged my views.
The highlights are:
Cursing may be a sign of intelligence
Swearing may be a sign of honesty
Profanity improves pain tolerance
Cussing is a sign of creativity
A person may throw expletives instead of punches
    The above article highlights some benefits of cursing, and I admit that some occasions require it. What about my books and articles?
    It is not in my nature to offend my readers, and curse words certainly have tremendous power to enrage. Thus, I have written only one curse word in all my books and none in my articles. The reason I used one for that scene was for humorous impact, not to show crude behavior.
    Yet, I understand that by not cussing, I limit my characters and the impact of my articles. People expect the villain to swear and the good guy to lose it in a tirade of obscenity. Plus, all anti-heroes must cuss up a storm. For my articles, not swearing certainly limits what I can say, write about, and provide for necessary impact.
    I accept this limitation, but there is a way to address the problem partially. Instead of actual swear words, I can describe the activity. “Bill swore at James.” Readers certainly understand what is going on, and to me, this is a better result than an actual swear word, which means that the reader can fill in their blanks in a way that is suitable to them, as opposed to the writer’s choice of specific profanity. Still, the impact is missing, but I am fine with the tradeoff.
   Perhaps I need to push the envelope. How about one cuss word per article? Hmm. I will try #*$%& harder to offend you.
    You’re the best -Bill
    August 09, 2025
    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:
    Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.
    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.
    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.
    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.
    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.
0 notes
billconrad · 22 days ago
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What Fictional World Would I Like to Live In?
    My daughter is in her first year of college, and her writing professor presented a question to the class: What fictional world do you want to live in? Her classmate’s answers spanned the spectrum of anime, adventure, drama, cartoon, Minecraft, and science fiction. She asked me the same question, and my answer was, “Umm, I don’t know. Let me think on that.”
    Fiction can take us anywhere. Take Ken Follett’s “The Pillars of the Earth” series. An incredible novel set in 1800s England. It is loaded with drama, romance, politics, and some of the best scene descriptions of any book. Why not live there? Umm… What if I get an infection? Antibiotics will not exist for another 50 years.
    How about another direction? One of my favorite television shows is Rick and Morty. Each episode is loaded with fantastic technology, exciting plots, outrageous characters, and nearly anything is possible. Plus, I do not have to be the main character since the other characters have lots of fun. True, but in many episodes, somebody dies. In one episode, an entire planet went poof!
    How about a romance? The movie Outsourced was fun, realistic, and a good story. Plus, nobody was injured, and all the medical science we have today is available. And the plot? Everything worked out fine. I could do that! But could I? I have a wife and daughter. Leave them for a far-flung romance? Pass.
    Alright, I might be taking this too seriously. How about Futurama? Suddenly, I am in the future: just me and a fantastic world of fun, humor, and science fiction adventure. Yes, my family wouldn’t be there, but the main character overcame the loss of his family, and so could I. Umm, I would be devastated.
    I may be missing the point of the exercise. It is supposed to be: “Pick the universe that would be the most enjoyable. The one you wish you were born into.”
    My answer is: “That mental leap is difficult because I am very attached to the universe I am living in.” Live a little. This is just a thought experiment. Your family will still be there during and after the experiment. Here, I will get this started. You are now in the cartoon universe of Richie Rich and have a trillion dollars. Go!
    I have met wealthy people and seen how their money does not bring them happiness. While I would like a few more bucks, billionaire land is not a desirable universe.
    Just disconnect from everything. You are Luke Skywalker. Confident, attractive, desirable, and essential. Umm, didn’t several people try to kill him? I prefer to be a moisture farmer in the Star Wars universe.
    Try harder! I enjoyed the writing and setting of Star Trek Lower Decks. Plus, only a few characters get injured. The episodes are fun, exciting, not too serious, with some romance and lots of new things to see. I guess I could stick my little toe into that deep pool of a different universe. Finally! Now, what adventure would I like to go on? Remember, this is just a thought experiment; everything is fine.
    I suppose it would be interesting to try alien food, meet beings from another world, and see futuristic technology. How about a bit of adventure? Explore a safe planet. And then what? Something more adventurous. I could use my skills to save the ship. I guess.
    My problem with this thought experiment is that I find an alternate existence difficult to relate to. Yet, that is not entirely true. I have three book series in which I have mentally spent a lot of time imagining myself in the story. How about living there?
    Yes, my characters experienced a mix of drama, success, and fun. And for all practical purposes, I was mentally living there. So which one would I pick? I suppose my spy novel, Cable Ties. I modeled every scene and character to be as close to reality as possible.
    So… I would be living my life as usual, but be in a giant plot to steal data? Errr, I want no part of that. Leave it to the professional law enforcement. And my other books? My Interviewing Immortality novel features ruthless characters, while Pushed to the Edge of Survival offers harrowing drama and otherworldly interactions. My quiet life has too much drama.
    Why, just this morning, I was trying to sell something on eBay. The person paid for the item and was about to take the package to the post office. Now, they insist on a shipping discount. ENOUGH DRAMA!!!!
    Let’s pretend I lived in the Harry Potter universe. That would up my stress level 100 times. Why do stories contain so much harm, adversity, pain, and discomfort?
    The answer is that writers must elevate their stories and universes to make their narrative compelling; otherwise, readers would not buy their books or attend their films. The result is dangerous, unrealistic, foolish, and illogical. Plus, writers invent all kinds of things that sound/look fantastic, but are horrific. Luke Skywalker’s Light Saber? No, thank you.
    I guess I am to suck in my humble life, but I do apply a tiny effort to push boundaries. Like today, I am going on a bike ride. I do this knowing I could get hurt. Still, I am going to do it. Well, how about a tiny step? Mentally take that bike ride on a distant planet. No need for drama, just different trees. I could even imagine myself on the Star Trek Lower Decks holodeck and program it for 100% safety. That is the absolute smallest step outside my comfort zone, and I know it would be fun.
    Fine, I surrender. So, I’ll do it. When I go on my bike ride, I will imagine the trees are not from Earth. But just for the beginning of my ride. Well, maybe the first ten feet.
            PS, I went for my ride and saw a rattlesnake in my path. Drama! Then I got a flat tire. Mega-drama! But then something unexpected happened. I re-inflated the tire and continued my ride without the tire going flat because I have a “slime” tube, which sealed the puncture. Hmm, seems quite fantastic; as if I were on a holodeck…
    You’re the best -Bill
    August 06, 2025
    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:
    Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.
    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.
    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.
    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.
    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.
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billconrad · 26 days ago
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The Mistakes in My First Book
    My first book, Interviewing Immortality, hit the Amazon shelves on July 29, 2017. Since then, I have published three more and am on the edge of a new release.
    I had learned a lot since that fateful day, and I thought it would be fun to explore the mistakes I made and the necessary changes for the second edition.
    One of my biggest complaints is that the book was written in the first person. People dislike this style because of the constant use of phrases like: “I did…” and “I was not....” I get it, because I also do not like books that take too deep a dive into the first-person style. Yet, I still feel that the story demanded this perspective because it is about terrible events happening to one guy. Meaning that the perspective needed to be, “This is what I went through.” If I wrote in the third person, “James did…” “He was not…” or used a narrator perspective, the result would be impersonal and awkward. So, I still feel I made the right choice, but this book serves as a warning to myself about writing in the first-person.
    My most prominent style flaw concerned proper dialogue integration. Bill said, “Go over there.” This last sentence seems so simple, but gaining the confidence to stick to one of the many proven methods took three books to master. What I wish I had done was read a book for writers that covered the topic. My problem was that I did not realize how bad my first draft was.
    There were many homonym spelling mistakes and other glaring typos that readers pointed out. Today, automated grammar checkers are much better at catching those types of errors, but that is not the entire story. What I submitted to editors was so lousy that many mistakes slipped through the cracks.
     I have several writing ticks, and my worst is starting something and then restating it. “He walked up to the door, opened the door, and walked through the door.” For some reason, I cannot spot these glaring errors, and my first book had over 200 sentences that need clipping.
    Readers also complained about the ending because I left them hanging. I did this intentionally because this was the first book in the series. There were two options for fixing the first book.
    I could have either applied more details to close the story or put other writing projects aside and published three books in the series simultaneously. I chose not to do either. My flawed reasoning is that in life, we do not always get a solid ending. For example, my great-grandfather lost a small family fortune in 1955. To this day, nobody knows where it went, and my book ended similarly. The difference is that I answered these questions in subsequent books. Still, I should have been better at preparing my readers.
    Another major problem was flow. This is when the reader gets stuck, going from one sentence to the next. A good example of inadequate flow is changing topics mid-paragraph. Yet, a writer can go too far and make the work bland. It is a delicate balance that was not mastered in my first book.
    What about the overall format, plot, characters, and theme? I recall a quote by Michelangelo. “The statue was always in the stone. I removed only the extra bits.” The same is true of my first book. My job as a writer was to get my story down on paper adequately. I achieved my goal, but I now see that I could have done a better job.
    When I wrote my first book, I was blissfully unaware of how an outline would refine the plot, spot errors, and make the writing easier. This simple document or diagram shows how a plot unfolds and allows the writer to see the big picture. Had I used this device, I would have eliminated mistakes that took endless edits to correct and had a better-organized story.
    Another problem was that the main character was a writer. People (wrongly) compared my book to Misery by Stephen King. I should have made him a blogger, which would not have changed the story, but in the reader’s eyes would have made a better book. In the second edition, I did not make this change because I had already written the second book, and that change would have been too difficult to fix.
    The final problem was insufficient self-editing before handing the book over to an editor. I should have spent six additional months, which would have eliminated 90% of the reader complaints.
    Given the above issues, there was no choice, and in December 2021, I published a second edition. I focused my edits on grammar, dialogue integration, my writing ticks, and flow. Each page received a good scrubbing, resulting in 12% of the words changing.
    Part of the flow improvement involved eliminating small sections to maintain reader interest and adding paragraphs to explain missing details. The result was 99% the same story, but it read much better. Overall, the book was eight pages shorter.
    I am still proud of my work and give myself an A- grade for effort, but the first edition was a C in the reader’s eyes. I still think I have a solid story premise.
    I suppose it is called learning and life experiences for a reason. Writing that book got me to where I am today, and it was a good choice to leap into publishing blindly.
    You’re the best -Bill
    August 02, 2025
    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:
    Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.
    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.
    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.
    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.
    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.
0 notes
billconrad · 29 days ago
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If I Cannot Email It, It Doesn’t Exist
    At the beginning of my education, learning how to write was a big struggle. Why was it so important to learn this skill? Handwriting is fundamental to our knowledge base. It gives us the ability to record thoughts and observations. With it, we can create stories, reports, records, transactions, plans, and goals. Without it, we cannot communicate.
    Fast forward to my life today, and my handwriting has not improved. So, I make a point not to use a pen, and I also avoid printing documents. This approach is not a green crusade; it is a core philosophy, which is, “If I cannot email it, it doesn’t exist.”
    This way of life began during the dawn of my computing first steps, the word processor. With this fantastic tool, I could create a document, allowing me to capture the thoughts in my bonkers mind and print them. And the result? While the grammar, spelling, and content were atrocious, the words were crystal clear. This sudden freedom was incredible, like taking the first breath of fresh air.
    And there was more good news. With a few keyboard presses, I could apply changes, including fixing an error, deleting a section, or copying a section. Then, as if by the wave of a wizard’s arm, I could print the corrected document. I could even change a single letter and reprint the entire document.
    There was even better news. I could make a copy of that digital file and give it to a person on a five-inch floppy disk. What this meant is that a humble person like me (and everyone else) could distribute words to the entire world.
    Today, I create a wide range of digital files, including computer programs, digital pictures, books, videos, audio, lists, databases, 3D models, and my resume. Even my phone can take a photo and send it to somebody.
    Yet… That is not what my philosophy is about, so allow me to provide an example. My former boss at the fourth company I worked for was adamant that I keep a notebook. So, I did; we all did. My notes and drawings were abysmal; lousy even by my standards.
    Meanwhile, I generated excellent reports and properly stored them on the company server and my local drive, ensuring they were backed up.
    When someone asked me about a project I had worked on, I would email them one of my detailed documents. If I did not have the exact information available, I would write a well-worded email to address their request. What did they get? Precisely what they asked for, and if not, we would professionally go back and forth via email to get the answers they needed.
    What did they do with the information or files I provided? They used my content to enhance their work, stored it for later use, used it as the basis for a new design, or forwarded it to their peers who did the same.
    Meanwhile, my boss maintained over a hundred notebooks. When I had a question, he would photocopy a page out of his notebook. This knowledge storage approach was incredibly frustrating, and I told him point-blank multiple times, “If you cannot email it, it doesn’t exist.” He disliked my philosophy and continued down this path. What was his result? Allow a side tangent to explain.
    At the same company, I took over a project from an employee who left. He documented the design in four notebooks and two drawers jammed with file folders. Fortunately, the official drawings were in digital format. It took him two years of hard work to generate this mound of paperwork.
    The notebooks and file folders had endless pages of hand calculations, hand-drawn graphs, handwritten observations, and mounds of printed test data. It was well organized, but I could not make any progress with it. Why?
    The design was complex, making it unclear how it worked. What was missing was a basic overview, a basic description, pictures of the tests, and explanations of how the tests were conducted. Most importantly, no single document described the entire project or why certain design decisions were made.
    What about the data captured during a test? Yes, and that was all printed, but the original files were deleted. Bonehead! What about the official drawings? They were digital and clear. The problem was that they only explained how to manufacture the item.
    As a result, the technicians and I were unable to troubleshoot. So, I started documenting from scratch, beginning with the released drawings. In the process, I attempted to refer to the paper files and notebooks, but they were too cryptic. It took two months to fully understand the design, answer people’s questions, and develop formal documents.
    In creating my documentation, I avoided handwritten calculations, as I was unsure which one matched the released design. Instead, I developed my calculations based on the digital files.
    I kept the paper files for a year and then tossed them. When people had questions, I emailed them my files. Why did I throw away the paper? I could have at least scanned them in for posterity.
    The answer is that the random pages were incomprehensible because it was impossible to know where to start. And there was a bigger problem called double documentation. This occurs when there are multiple places to obtain information. In other words, it is unclear which file is the most up-to-date. What the company needed was a central repository of clear information to allow employees to understand the design quickly.
    Still, one could argue that my document was incomplete because it lacked test data. True, but what it did have was a clear starting point for a knowledgeable person to determine answers. A test cannot explain anything unless it is conducted within a specific context.
    My philosophy goes further. Some people hoard their digital files, never allowing them to be on a public server or be emailed. I think of this kind of data like the gold at Fort Knox. The people in charge are certainly not going to give me a single nugget. Meaning that, from my perspective, the gold does not exist. Now, if somebody gives me one of those gold bars and I take a picture of it, then I can email it. Only then will it exist in my life.
    Take this article. I can email it to you, and then you can store it on your computer, read it, forward it to a friend, send it to a website, or delete it. This makes my creation valuable. Now, if I wrote this article in a notebook? Who cares? I would argue that the effort is worse than not writing at all.
    What about my daughter’s generation? They would insist that email is obsolete. “If I cannot text it to you, it does not exist.” I suppose I agree, but texting only works until it does not. The problem occurs when trying to save, archive, store, or use a text message. At least with an email or file on a USB drive, the data can be moved around.
    What about my grocery list? Yes, I am still old school and do not use my phone. Instead, I write down the items on a Post-it. True, but that is also my point. That Post-it is a one-time use device, meaning it has no future value.
    What would my former boss think of this article? Many people feel that a handwritten or printed document is more valuable. To them, email, searching, indexing, and archiving are not nearly as important as an original. They would point out that something done by hand is special, personal, and a one-of-a-kind original. Translation: Some documents were never meant to be emailed.
    What about a legal document? It is called “signed” for a reason; somebody took out a pen and signed it. Original signed documents cannot be emailed. While there are digital signatures, I agree that a signed document is the only legally acceptable form. Still, I can scan a hand-signed document or any other original and email it.
    It is what happens next that proves my point. Once I have the digital file of a scanned document, I can make multiple backups. If the original document is destroyed, I still have numerous copies; in theory, forever, unlike a single document, which can only exist in one place.
    Why did I write this article? My philosophy might seem arrogant. Here is a computer guy blabbing about making everything digital. Somebody might want to give me a kick in the bum and say, “Feel that? That’s not digital.” All true, but not my goal.
    Instead, I am examining an approach to information. When I create or obtain something, I am always thinking about how to make it the most useful. This philosophy is part of that process, and I hope it has given you something to think about. Or, am I crazy? Yeah, that’s more likely.
    You’re the best -Bill
    July 30, 2025
    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:
    Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.
    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.
    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.
    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.
    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.
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billconrad · 1 month ago
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Improving the Book Market
The modern book market has undergone significant changes in the last decade. Sales are down, readers are disinterested in traditional categories, and competition is fierce.
    Well, how would I improve the situation if a genie were to offer to help? I understand my wishes need to be realistic; otherwise, my first wish would make me a bestselling author.
    All joking aside, there is something essential to consider. My wish would not be to change readers. People like what they like, and as a result, they are reading less often. Another problem in the book market is that a great deal of writing ground has been covered. I do not think there will ever be a genie powerful enough to eliminate all past books and wipe the minds of readers for the books they have read.
    This wide array of choices is both a blessing and a curse. Readers have endless options, but it is challenging for them to make a choice. The result is that authors do not sell as many books, and small-time authors like me are an increasingly smaller fish in a shrinking market.
    Does this mean my wish is to bring back big publishers with deep pockets? No, we must accept our modern reality. The same can be seen with the demise of prominent newspapers and (soon) the large television networks. Do I wish to eliminate established authors or established books? No, I like big authors and outstanding books. Both give me something to aspire to and are entertaining.
    Well, what’s my wish? I wish book websites would do a better job of promoting new authors and stop selling classic books as new. I work hard writing, and it is unfair to pit me against a powerhouse author or a classic book in the “new books” category.
    Will my wishes come true? Yeah, no.
    You’re the best -Bill
    July 26, 2025
    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:
    Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.
    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.
    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.
    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.
    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.
0 notes
billconrad · 1 month ago
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AI Scraping
    I recently came across this article, but I must warn you that it is a cryptic read.
    This article examines the issue of AI scraping, which occurs when an automated system downloads all relevant information from a website. AI developers use this data to train their models and generate content. There are multiple issues with this practice, including copyright infringement and server slowdowns. But first, let’s rewind the clock.
    Way back in 2022, machine learning, also known as AI, was not yet a familiar concept to everyday users or websites. What existed was search engines. Companies like Google sent out vast queries all over the internet to locate data that their users might be interested in. Thus, if you searched for “spinach recipes”, Google would sort through its database of collected information to produce a list of sites that had “spinach recipes.”
    Other entities also automatically gather data, including database companies, governments, criminals, hackers, and bulk data collectors.
    This torrent of searches created problems for website owners who did not want their data removed or had slow servers. So, they placed an invisible file within a website that tells search engines: “Please do not automatically take my data.” Legitimate companies, such as Google, respected this, but unscrupulous entities did not.
    The following line of defense is the CAPTCHA. I am sure you’ve visited a website, and a box appears asking if you are human. Sometimes these are a puzzle, such as reading text with lines or identifying which pictures feature motorcycles. Why always motorcycles?
    Today, most automated data capturing is done by AI companies. Some go to great lengths to sidestep every possible attempt to prevent their systems from scooping up every scrap of data. There are even dedicated companies that collect data for sale to smaller AI companies.
    The above article discusses CloudFlare’s efforts to prevent automated systems from stealing its content. Why is this important? Let’s say I am a big spinach fan. Love the stuff! So, I spent hours creating recipes, collecting them, comparing the results, and taking pictures of my delicious creations. Then, I post my hard-earned info to a popular recipe site.
    After an AI scrape, all that knowledge is suddenly merged into an AI model, enabling it to become an expert in spinach cooking. Meaning that there is no need for a human to look at popular cooking websites. This is something every spinach-cooking expert wishes to avoid.
    What does this have to do with me? Well, I am a (very minor) content creator. Yes, the humble words coming out of my bonkers mind have enriched this world a minuscule amount. Yay? And I would prefer that AI not take credit.
    Do I spend my evenings worrying about this? After all, the things I care about are selling and protecting my books. So no, I am confident that no AI company would spend $2.99 to download one of my books because it contains little value. Yet, I do have concerns about my articles because they contain content I cherish. Let me explain.
    I recently wrote an article discussing micro paragraphs, which is the new trend in sentence/paragraph writing style. A few people read that article, and as a community, we would call it a pea-sized bump in the infinite knowledge highway.
    What did my article contain? From a high level, I clearly explained an observation, cited examples, and made a solid conclusion. During my research to create the article, I discovered that I had gained new writing technique insights, which translates to new knowledge for our planet. This type of content is what AI companies desperately desire, and this humble article is far more valuable than all four of my published books.
    Why? My article was well-stated, on point, and incredibly relevant to AI training, making it valuable to both readers and those using AI. I guess that makes sense, but what about my other posts that were far less relevant?
    Let’s examine my first article, “Why I Write.” At its core, it is an opinion piece. Spoiler alert! Many people write for various reasons, and mine are no exception. So, an AI data scrape would find zero value in my words. Right? No, even that article has great AI value.
    Let’s say somebody asks ChatGPT to “list reasons why an author would write books.” Then, a processor in some dark room would search its vast database for relevant topics (including my article) and compute an answer. Although there are thousands of sources on “why authors write,” my article still holds great value. This is because it was singularly on point, not too long, and readily available. As compared to, let’s say, an entire book by an author who spent 20 chapters explaining in detail why they chose to write.     Of course, I am powerless to prevent the thousands of robust systems from collecting every article I have written. My problem is that I wish this were not the case. Why? I put a lot of effort into these articles with a not-so-hidden attempt to promote my books. (And this is budget therapy, but that is another topic.)
    I want to yell to the AI companies: “Do your own work! Stop stealing mine!” Yet, you might point out, I have not copyrighted the very words you are reading. Meaning that anyone is free to read them, print them, email them, or consider them their own. In reading these words, I probably would not care. But when AI uses my thoughts? I do care.
    The linked article above is a call to arms to prevent AI from claiming the best of humanity as its own. But if you have read this far, you might have learned something. AI is doing the same thing: learning. That’s fair. Right?
    It is, but no. It feels like somebody is cheating. I cannot instantly become an expert on spinach, yet AI can. Oh well, it seems like I cannot do anything about it. Well, that is not true because I have an ace up my sleeve. You.
    Why did you read this far? It was your tenacity. You were curious and, with some luck, I satisfied your interest. Meaning you may have learned something and perhaps had a touch of enjoyment. The ace up my sleeve is that to AI, this hand-crafted article was one of billions of files. Meaning that the few people who read this will have gained something special, and no AI model will ever appreciate what that was.
    You’re the best -Bill
    July 23, 2025
    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:
    Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.
    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.
    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.
    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.
    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.
0 notes
billconrad · 1 month ago
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When Plots Go Bad
    It is easy to identify something obvious that one dislikes in a story, such as one that is unbelievable, off-topic, or upsetting. Yet, sometimes plots are terrible, and it is difficult to pinpoint exactly what the problem is.
    To help build a fantastic story, authors have many tried-and-true techniques, such as the three-act story structure, the hook, and the dramatic conclusion. Yet, many outstanding stories do not contain classic elements, and I can dispel this mythical requirement with two words. Forrest Gump.
    From a high-level view, the movie has nothing going for it. The plot is an unremarkable life story; the romance is flawed, and the viewer gets hit by multiple deaths of beloved characters. From a three-act, hook, and logical perspective, this movie is a complete failure. Yet, I loved that movie, and many other people would place this movie in their top five. (The book did not impress me, but that is a future topic.)
    Let’s examine another popular movie, Avatar. It contains a three-act story with a hook and a dramatic conclusion. Plus, the special effects, music, acting, and excellent premise dramatically pushed what was possible. And audiences agreed.
    Yet, I was not fond of the movie. It had underdeveloped characters, obvious logical, technological, and biological faults, and the story was a blatant plot rip-off of the less-than-successful Disney film Pocahontas. However, that is not the core problem.
    My dislike stems from the filmmakers’ demand that viewers take on the plight of a mythical creature. I liken this to being forced to live with a hippie roommate. Do you know any giant blue beings who communicate through their tails? I do not either, which makes it hard for me to relate to their struggle.
    How can writers prevent these issues? I have learned the tough way to identify story problems at the outline stage. How would this tool have helped Avatar? I would have used a completely different plot structure, starting with a world without humans. This would have established a comfortable foundation, allowing viewers to bond with the blue creatures. Next, pleasant humans would be gradually introduced who would see the value of the natural resources and become greedy. This result would be dramatic and relatable. Perhaps a common foe would have been helpful. My point is that rather than slamming things together, the plot would build to create a powerful story, rather than something forced.
    From my writing experience, poor plot results from not analyzing the big picture, and my second book was a perfect example. My first draft had a weak beginning, an arrogant main character, and a weak main character. It took a year of editing to correct these flaws. Of course, this was before I discovered outlines… Live and learn.
    I began my sixth book project with an outline, and this tool identified a fundamental problem. My plot drifted, I did not stick to the core premise, and there were more side tangents than stars in the sky. It took four months of outline work to correct the issues. Had I started writing without an outline, the book would have been a disaster.
    What flaws should a writer try to identify at the outline stage? A plot must connect with readers, keep them interested, and leave them entertained. To ensure this is the case, I review the outline several times with different questions in mind. What is the main character’s role? Does the core story make sense? Is there enough drama? Is there too much drama? Is this story exciting? Are there any logic problems? If character X were female, would this be a better story? I have a list of 21 such questions and am constantly adding to it.
    One problem I have seen (more often in films) is the inclusion of an irrelevant character, and a good example is Jar Jar from Star Wars. All characters must contribute to the main story, and I spend time at the outline stage analyzing how each one contributes, interacts, and adds to the enjoyment.
    From a broader perspective, I examine how the plot unfolds. This is where the three or five-act play structure can be found and where I get the most use out of an outline. The fundamental question I want to answer is, “Will readers like my book?”
   Then I show my outline to somebody and ask for opinions. There are problems if the feedback is, “Hey, you have a story about a race car driver. Where are the racing scenes?” “Why does the hero lose every battle?” “The main character sounds like a jerk.”
    Why don’t authors see the issues ahead of time? It is challenging to attain a high-level view. And looking into the mirror can be difficult. Yet, thinking is cheap, and heart-wrenching reviews are… Well, bad.
    You’re the best -Bill
    July 19, 2025
    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:
    Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.
    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.
    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.
    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.
    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.
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billconrad · 1 month ago
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AI-Generated HOA Stories
    Three weeks ago, I had a home owners association (HOA) issue. They did not like my gate color and sent me a nasty letter. Oh, the humanity! Of course, being a good neighbor, I have kept the gate and its paint in good condition. And it was the same color as when I moved in. How do I know? The previous owner left cans of paint with writing on the sides, such as “inside wall” and “outside gate,” which I have used to maintain the gate. Additionally, I have digital photos of the house for insurance purposes, which confirm that I have not changed the color. Side note: My neighbor has a gate five feet away with the same color, and the HOA did not send them a nasty letter. Typical…
    The problem is that the HOA changed the official fence color. (Yes, somehow, they classified my gate as a fence…) So, I rode around the neighborhood and saw that half the gates or fences were the new color and the rest were the old color. (Why on earth would anybody care about gate colors???) And one was bright green…
    Rather than make a fuss, I painted my gate the approved color. The entire episode irritated me, and in the process of searching for “HOA gate color rules,” I found many other people’s HOA frustrations.
    There are not one, but three YouTube channels dedicated to HOA nightmares. Sign me up! I began watching the many outlandish HOA horror stories. Wow, their audacity! Quite entertaining.
    The creators of these channels all followed the same pattern. They had an AI animated scene showing arguing people, a narrator explaining what the HOA did, and how the homeowners responded. Here is one such YouTube channel:
    Last Thursday, I had a few minutes and clicked on a video. The HOA began charging a local rancher to drive through their neighborhood even though he had an easement granting access. The nerve! Well, the video named names and locations, so I searched the internet to learn more about the dreadful incident.
    And what did I find? Umm, nothing. I then broadened my search to “HOA charges a rancher fees.” There were a few hits, but nothing matched. So, I watched the video again to gather more details, and that’s when I noticed it.
    All the AI patterns: long-winded descriptions, precise focus, re-emphasizing the same topic, repetitive language, heightened drama, subtle mistakes, unusual English, and a lack of authenticity. It was all there.
    When I looked at the comments, many people stated that it was AI-generated. The incident angered me more than my original HOA issue, and I blocked all the YouTube HOA story channels.
    Why was I so upset? It was not real. I clicked on those links to learn more about what HOAs were doing and how homeowners addressed their HOA problems. Instead, I viewed AI-generated nonsense. What is so wrong with this type of entertainment? It is dishonest, like a machine is tricking me.
    Now hold on. I have allowed myself to be tricked by a machine—for example, the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland. I am not a pirate, and the ride was not in the Caribbean. Still, I enjoyed the experience because I knew it was fake in advance. Is this not the same thing?
    The difference is that the HOA video did not have a disclaimer. And there was an insidious aspect of this video; it was pulling at my heartstrings. I felt like I was being duped by an online scam or a con artist. Not cool! But I have more bad news. This is just the beginning. Hyper-focused AI-generated stories are on the rise, and they are getting better. Is there any good news?
    In past articles, I have claimed that readers/viewers are becoming increasingly adept at identifying AI-generated content. Like me, they are not happy about it. I now see more reviews like, “This looks like AI wrote it.” I assert that a major AI-generated backlash is forming in our society, and here is some proof:
    Yet, there is an added insidious element. When I was in college, I had a good friend who was also an electrical engineer. We attended classes and had a lot of fun off campus. So, it was only natural that we took Basic Electronics 102 together. I learned a great deal about the topic, and we gained a lot from each other’s prior electronic experience.
    Fast forward to my second job, and I was working on a circuit. I couldn’t figure out what was going wrong, and my coworker was confused by my approach. So, we went to a whiteboard, and I explained how transistors worked. “No, you have that all wrong,” he said. I was adamant, and he pulled out a textbook. Dang, I was woefully incorrect.
    I reflected on where I obtained my incorrect information and realized that my knowledge originated from the 102 class, where my friend explained how transistors worked. The thing is, he applied great effort to explain the topic; it made perfect sense. He answered all my questions and was confident in his knowledge. How did he get so confused? I had no idea.
    Fast forward five years. My roommate got married, and I attended the wedding. During the reception, I asked why my friend was not at the wedding. Well… There had been a major falling out between him and our group. It turns out that he is a pathological liar. The light bulb went off. In college, he intentionally misled me. Evil!
    The problem is that transistors are a fundamental part of electronics, and my foundation had a huge void. It took a lot of effort to rewire my brain (an electrical engineering pun) to think with correct knowledge.
    Now, I have the same bad HOA information locked in my bonkers mind. In other words, my mental foundation has flaws, and I could mistakenly use this information. Society refers to this as “fake news.” Why is this a problem? I do not want to mislead anybody or think incorrectly. Yet… Here I am, loaded with AI junk.
    What could happen? Let’s say I am in an HOA discussion and I mention the time “they blocked that rancher from using the road.” This sounds like a good example of an out-of-control HOA. The problem is that it is pure fiction, which means that the premise for my discussion is incorrect.
    What if I wrote an article all about HOA problems and cited the incidents in the video? That would further spread fake information, causing all kinds of issues with the people who used my “information.”
    Would my readers be upset? You bet! And would they direct their anger toward YouTube? No, they would be upset with me, even though my misrepresentation is not my fault. There would be no choice for me but to accept all blame and deal with the consequences and guilt of misleading my readers. Not cool!
    And I am not alone. AI-generated junk is everywhere,* and here is an article discussing it:
    * “AI-generated junk is everywhere” sounds like the line from a song. Funny how life imitates art.
    This HOA story incident was a wake-up call for me. From this point forward, I must apply great effort to identify this type of “entertainment” and avoid it at all costs.
    You’re the best -Bill
    July 16, 2025
    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:
    Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.
    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.
    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.
    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.
    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.
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billconrad · 2 months ago
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What Makes Me Unique
    I was looking for new blog ideas and came across a site that listed a bunch. The idea “What Makes Me Unique” sounded intriguing, but there is a slight problem.
    At my core, I’m a conservative person, meaning I resist bragging, drawing attention to myself, or acting controversial. Still, I thought it would be an excellent personal growth exercise to push this envelope by exploring what I feel is special about myself.
    I consider myself an average person—a middle-aged male who lives in a large city with a fantastic wife and daughter. For fun, I mountain bike, hike, hang out with my friends on Thursday/Friday nights, and buy junk at the swap meet. Overall, my life is not too exciting, but I enjoy every day and feel blessed to be alive.
    What are the exciting events or circumstances stand out? I was SCUBA diving during an earthquake. I imagine only a very low number of people have experienced this situation, but I am sure that everybody has at least one crucial or unique story. Does my SCUBA event qualify as a big deal? Not really.
    As I stated, I do not like to brag, but in truth, my electrical engineering skills are noteworthy. I admit to having a genuine gift in this area, and I appreciate my engineering mind. Is being technically gifted unique? It would be if I achieved awards or invented something groundbreaking. And I also am quick to point out that I have met and worked with more talented engineers.
   There is one aspect of my life that I do think makes me unique: my writing. Few people dare to publish fiction. Again, I dislike bragging, but this is a bold and public step. People invent stories all the time, but refuse to publish. It takes a bold person to put themselves up against established authors and take the criticism.
   Are my stories unique? How good is my hook? What do readers think of me? I am not sure because I have not received enough feedback to form a consensus.
   What I can answer is that, at least in my mind, the fictional ideas I have developed are realistic (as fiction can be), relatable, and entertaining. On a personal level, I enjoy my creations, and the few people who have read my material seem to agree. Or at least they have not left too much negative feedback.
    Is there a scale for my uniqueness? Umm, I’m a three out of ten. In conclusion, I have a few unique aspects, and that suits me fine.
    You’re the best -Bill
    July 12, 2025
    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:
    Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.
    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.
    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.
    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.
    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.
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billconrad · 2 months ago
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How I’d Survive in My Novels
    Authors can create anything in words. A different universe loaded with flying whales? Sure. A rooting-tooting bunch of cowboys? Easy. A book allows the author and the reader’s mind to be and do anything. How does this work? Simple, the author thinks about a topic and writes up a storm. The only problem is that their imagination limits them.
    This means that they must visualize some part of themselves in the action, and I am no exception. Long before I wrote my first book, I spent hours before falling asleep thinking about adventure stories. I was the lead character and got into all kinds of trouble.
    When I decided to become an author, I chose my top three ideas, and the writing battle began. Unfortunately, I made a big mistake. In my first two books, my main male character was modeled too closely to me. I did not understand that distancing a character from myself would have provided more freedom to explore the plot—rookie mistake. Fortunately, I added a few differences. So, I thought it would be a fun exercise to explore how I would do in the environments I created.
    My first book is about a less-than-perfect, and mildly successful, author who gets forced to interview a woman who has been alive for over 500 years. Now, I admit to another mistake. I have since learned that readers immediately compare my plot to Stephen King’s novel, Misery. While my book has nothing to do with his novel, I should have made my main character a blogger, influencer, or English teacher. Live and learn…
    How well would I fare if I were transported into my imagined reality? First, I must point out a key difference. I am not a less-than-perfect person. Yes, my life is boring, but I have far more confidence, higher ethics, greater intelligence, and am less susceptible to manipulation than my main character. This leads to a problem with my mental exercise. The immortal woman in my story searched for a specific kind of person whom she could scare into doing her bidding. Thus, only a weak individual would have survived in my story.
    If I were in this situation, she would have captured me, asked me to write her story, and I would have refused. Then, she would have disposed of my body. A poorly written one-chapter book… Yikes!
    Yet, there is more to this hypothetical situation. Sure, I have covered the basics, but humans are survivors. Could I navigate the situation differently, resulting in a different plot? So, I put on my thinking cap and developed an alternate possibility.
    This woman is open to reason and there is a slim chance I could successfully state my case. “I have a family. Please do not kill me.” My only other option would be a fight to the death. While I am certainly not a martial arts person, I would have put in every ounce of strength to survive. Therefore, the story would contain a capture, a passionate argument, and a short, yet intense, fight scene. So… three chapters? More noodle effort required.
    Let’s consider my strengths. I am more logical and realistic than my main character. Therefore, I would have identified her needs and allowed myself to become the kind of person who could have survived. Notepad in hand, I would have learned about her life just like my main character, and I can see myself enjoying the process because she is a fascinating individual.
    In conclusion, if I allowed my morals to slip, I would see myself as a survivor. It would not be a great story because the main character would yield to her every wish. And it would make a lousy first book because I wanted a foundation for subsequent works. Meaning the theme of overcoming flaws would not exist, and I use this series of flaws to allow my character to grow over the following four books.
    Yet, as I think about this possibility, I come to another conclusion. This outcome has a slim chance of success because my female main character is very perceptive and likely would have seen through my ruse. That is why my compelling story kept me entertained for so many years…
    My second book also had a main character that hit too close to home. An electrical engineer with a family on an Alaskan cruise. Big surprise! I developed this plot while on an Alaskan cruise with my family, and I am an electrical engineer. Fortunately, like my first book, the main character and I have differences. He was more intelligent, but had less confidence, personality, and physical strength.
    In the story, this male character and a young woman survive a cruise ship disaster. They hike through the foreboding Alaskan wilderness with many adventures. How would I do in this situation?
    My first reaction would be to spend more time waiting to be rescued rather than trekking through the rugged wilderness. This decision is more logical and the result would be that my companion and I would have starved to death. And there is another problem, besides being an adventure, this book is a romance.
    When I developed the plot, I took great care to set up the exact circumstances that would destroy the values of an upstanding married man enough to enable him to fall in love with his companion. This was a bear attack combined with confronting the loss of his family.
    I am not the type of person who holds in their emotions; therefore, I would have immediately mourned for my family. Plus, while a bear is a daunting predator, I have better self-defense skills than my main character. Of course, that last sentence is easy to write in my calm office. So again, I put on my thinking cap and thought about how the real me would react.
    The interactions between the two characters on the cruise ship would be different. The man is easily intimidated by a confident and attractive woman. She takes advantage of his deficiencies to help her situation, which leads to the beginning of a relationship. So, I do not think a romance would ever occur. But what about an adventure?
    I have a strong drive to survive, so in desperation, I can see myself heading south in the Alaskan wilderness. The difference is that in my book, the decision process only took two pages, whereas I would require at least half a chapter to think it through. The result, while tough, would be an interesting bear attack and nothing else. Six mildly adventurous chapters conclude with the two main characters departing company with a hearty handshake. Yay, romance…
    My third book is a classic spy novel, and by the time I wrote this story, I had learned my lesson. None of the characters are based on me or any aspect of my life. So, what would have happened if I wrote myself in? The answer is not much.
    My story begins with two hunting buddies finding a secret installation that intercepted government communication cables. So, let’s pretend I was one of the hunters. I can see myself doing exactly what they did. Not very exciting. Why? I did not write an adventure story. It is an international mystery that governments solve through law enforcement.
    The same is true of all the other characters—for example, the FBI agents. To become an FBI agent, one must undergo training and then work alongside fellow agents. So, if I were magically put into the plot as an FBI agent, I would do precisely what the FBI agents did in my plot.
    This was the overall theme of my book. I wanted to create a realistic spy novel, far different from a James Bond kind of mega-hero. In my plot, characters fulfill their roles, and other characters are inadvertently drawn into the plot. I did this because this is how the real world works.
    So, yes, I would be scared when the bad guys were mean, but I would react in the same way I do in daily life. Allow me to provide an “exciting” example from my real life.
    Four weeks ago, I was driving home from the local movie theater at 9:30 p.m. when I saw a man running on the sidewalk. I took no interest. Suddenly, he spun around and fired a gun twice. (He may have been shooting at the person chasing him.) The event scared me silly, and I called 911 while driving away, almost hitting a car. Side note: I provided the police with my dash camera video and assisted with their investigation. So far, the case remains open.
    But… Is that event worthy of writing into a book? Absolutely not, but that was not how I wrote my book. I created each fictional event not to be exciting. When combined, the total formed a thrilling plot. So, based on my recent shooting experience, I would have been frightened, but that’s it.
    I have two upcoming books, which are about four years away from publishing. One is a dystopian science fiction romance, and the other is a dystopian young adult survival/drama. How would I survive in these words?
    For the romantic book, I admit that the main male character is hitting too close to home again. As I polish the outline, I will try to distance myself from him. So, how would I survive this bleak, futuristic world?
    At its heart, my story is a romance, not an adventure or drama. Thus, I would do fine. Meaning, the most significant battles are with the legal system. Yet, I must ask myself, “Would I make the same mistakes and decisions?”
    Like my first two books, my main character has flaws that I do not have, so there would be differences, but I think the result would be the same. At its core, my story is about a man falling in love with a robot. Can I see myself in this situation? I suppose, but it would be tough to overcome my morals. (I admit it. I like women. Robots… Yeah, not so much.) I plan to make this dilemma the heart of my story. Get it? Heart. Yes, that was a pun.
    My other story is about teenagers, and at this stage of development, the main female character does not have another main character to interact with. Can I set aside my reality and imagine myself as a female teenager navigating a tough, futuristic situation?
    This is a difficult task because my story has many differences from the present day. Let me remind you that, like you, my brain is a product of living in today’s society. Everything I have learned socially and technically would not be present in this character. How could it? You and I are not living in a bleak future. So, let me put my thinking cap on again.
    My character has far more inner strength, street smarts, a survival drive, and life experiences that are more challenging than my own. I must conclude that I would not be strong enough to survive in this future. Until this very moment, I had not considered this. Hmm. I guess I could be a minor character. But… all the minor characters are jerks.
    This exercise taught me a lot about myself and my writing. I think I will do it again in a year and compare the results. Stay tuned.
    You’re the best -Bill
    July 09, 2025
    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:
    Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.
    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.
    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.
    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.
    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.
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billconrad · 2 months ago
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Text Generators
    I finally get to write about my favorite topic: generators. I have a 6.2-kilowatt, 120/240-volt, 60-Hertz generator. Every day, I… Oh, wait. This article is about books, writing, and stuff. Hmm. I should probably dive into that topic.
    A text generator combines a basic word database with a random number generator using simple rules. This tool requires significantly less programming than an AI-powered chat box like ChatGPT. The first generator I used was a National Enquirer headline generator. It contained a list of popular names, events, and situations, and combined them into titles. Here is one such site:
http://www.rpginspiration.com/tables/Tabloids.ipt
    With this site, I generated the following two headlines:
Mussolini Is Being Maintained Cryogenically for Nefarious Purposes
Incontrovertible Proof That the NSA Tried to Raise an Army of Dinosaurs
    I spent hours playing with a National Enquirer headline generator on my Amiga computer in 1989. This included adding to the database and creating new rules.
    When I write, I use text generators to invent character names, unusual names, and exotic science-fiction items. How does this work?
    Let’s say I want a new character’s name. After developing a basic background, I then click male or female, and the site generates ten names. If one pops (meaning the name matches my mental picture), I use it. If not, I keep clicking until I find one.
    How does the name “pop?” Let’s say I want a mean male character. Here are ten generated names:
 Laurence Rogers
 Phil Fitzgerald
 Mario Jensen
 Calvin Barker
 Joey Diaz
 Shane Phelps
 Joseph Hodges
 Leon Rowe
 Marcus Cobb
 Russell Hoffman
    Hmm. Shane Phelps sounds like a jerk. Perfect for my villain. Of course, you know that a name is a name. The key is to envision the personality that a name evokes. Here is my favorite random name generator:
https://namey.muffinlabs.com/
    I use this site for ethnic and fantasy names:
https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/
    A small part of my writing requires inventing some piece of technology that does not exist. Writers call these words technobabble, and here are three generators:
    The Multisynaptic Hyper Infuser is broken. Priceless.
    Here are two character-generating sites:
https://www.seventhsanctum.com/index-char.php
    You can even generate an entire planet with graphics and detailed specifications:
http://donjon.bin.sh/scifi/world/index.cgi
    While writing this article, I learned about idea generators, and here are three:
        There are also story generators to jog one’s mind into a creative place:
    Here is an old site that has over a hundred generators:
http://chaoticshiny.com/
RPG Drinking Game Generator? Political Buzzword? Makes me laugh.
   And another site that has many generators with links to other generators:
https://www.seventhsanctum.com/
    Writing about text generators makes me wonder if somebody is working on a book generator. I searched and couldn’t find one, but what about an article generator? That would mean you could read endless material, and I would be obsolete. I am sure glad those do not exist.
https://originality.ai/blog-post-idea-generator
    You’re the best -Bill
    July 05, 2025
    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:
    Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.
    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.
    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.
    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.
    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.
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billconrad · 2 months ago
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Micro-Paragraphs
    I recently took a deep dive into examining how AI improves an existing document and discovered a trend. Nearly all the AI chat boxes I tested broke up paragraphs into multiple short paragraphs. There were even single-word paragraphs. To me, this read seemed out of place, and I wanted to learn more about what was happening.
    Since I began writing books, my style has evolved, but my initial goal of helping my readers connect with the story in my bonkers mind remained. Thus, I avoid long paragraphs and short paragraphs. I intend to give readers a break while maintaining their interest. My benchmark is a minimum of two medium-length sentences, and I try not to exceed five. The exception is dialogue, where short paragraphs are used to indicate who is speaking.
    Yet, multiple AI chat boxes employ this micro-paragraph style. Here is a Microsoft Copilot prompt to “improve the readability” of an existing paragraph.
     “Sure thing, Captain!” she called back. “Won’t be a minute!”
    Nick stood alone, relishing the rare quiet. Soon, the rest of the crew would join him, but for now, it was just him—adrift in the vastness of space, the stars stretching endlessly around him.
    They had fought for this. Earned it.
    Freedom.
    It hadn’t always been that way.
    To me, this reads all wrong, but it occurs to me that I may be ignorant of how modern successful writing is done. To investigate the matter, I did a quick survey of new (not classic) fiction authors who recently released popular works. These are the first six books that appeared in the Amazon “editor’s best books of the month” selection. They all had excellent reviews, and I skimmed the first few pages.
House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
Berserker Obsession by Asa Maria Bradley
Inked by Rachel Rener
Death Row by Freida McFadden
Rewind It Back by Liz Tomforde
Abscond by Abraham Verghese
    Although only a small selection, the results were revealing. With one exception, they read how I would expect. Their well-written paragraphs were medium length with good flowing sentences. The outlier, House of Flame, had short, choppy paragraphs, similar to what I saw in AI-generated paragraphs.
    Now, I must take a side track. I have written a few articles about AI chat boxes, which have allowed me to understand what they are capable of. I also use ChatGPT during the outline stage to vet my ideas. However, I never allow AI-generated words to be in my books or articles unless I thoroughly prepare my readers with a warning. Why?
    Three reasons. It is neither fun nor ethical, and readers are becoming increasingly adept at spotting AI-generated words, which is precisely what I saw in The House of Flame. I am not sure if the author used AI to “up” a poorly written book, or if it was entirely AI-generated. However, all the AI fingerprints were there: precise dialogue integration, unwavering sentence structure, long-winded descriptions, and the use of specific words that I now recognize AI overuses.
    However, seeing an AI-generated work with many positive reviews made me think about the bigger picture. Who is using AI the most, and what are they using it for? Kids are using AI to text. Ahh, short sentences and micro-paragraphs now make sense.
    So now what? Should I alter my writing style to include micro-paragraphs? Yes, this technique pumps up the action, but my instinct yells out NO!!!!! Yet, The House of Flame had excellent reviews and good sales.
    I hate doing something because the world perceives it as cool (bell-bottom jeans), but I must accept that this generation of readers has changed. Micro-paragraphs read well to new readers. What should I do? These paragraphs look unappealing, and more to the point, I have put in a significant effort to refine my style.
    Time for some reality. I admit that I am trying to write in the footsteps of my beloved authors. I do this because this style is the standard, it is what I am used to reading, and because I want to be successful.
    Could the world revert to enjoying classic writing styles? “Curl up and enjoy a good book with big paragraphs.” I make myself laugh. Micro-paragraphs are the new reality in writing, and despite my distaste, I must accept that this is what the modern reader wants.
    Writing this article was a wake-up call. I suppose I could ease into this process with a few mini-paragraphs and throw in a few micro-paragraphs. Girrr. That last sentence boiled my blood.
    You’re the best -Bill
    July 02, 2025
    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:
    Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.
    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.
    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.
    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.
    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.
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