Opinion

Od Zar: Op-Ed #4 – Are You Up for an Artistic Bail-Out?

Od Zar, here.  World saving will have to take a back seat for a tick or two.  I’m here to ask you an important question inspired by Mr. Scott’s “What If” post of a few days back.

How would you react if I told you I have a way for you to get through the hard part of your writing career, and get you directly into the wonderful world of Talk Shows, Radio Interviews,  College Speaking tours, Motion Picture contracts, tons of money… the works?

Now, before you get your panties in a twist, I don’t.  Have a way to get around all the work you need to do, I mean, but the question stands.  What if?

I’m guessing that for a good many of you, your first reaction to that question would be something like “hell, yes!  Let’s go!”

I also think that if you gave it any real thought, some of you’d start to have doubts.

I wonder how many of you writers are actually scribbling away under the impression that you will make a living at the keyboard?  I wonder how many of you see your name in lights, getting a call from whatever replaces Oprah’s Book Review in a panting, obsequious voice, begging you to allow your book to be spotlighted?

I have little doubt that many of you secretly (or perhaps not so secretly) yearn for fame and fortune, but would you take the shortcut, the “bail-out” if you could?

Is it the destination you love, or is it the journey?

This is one of those  questions you don’t need to answer out loud (not that I’d mind a comment, or nine), but rather one you should ask of yourself.

Old Scott-face has asked “why do you write” more times than I care to count (so I won’t), but I don’t think he’s ever focused in on this.

It’s in your court, boys and girls.

 

Od Zar: Op-Ed #3 – And The Music Never Stops

Od Zar, here, taking time off from saving the world to talk to YOU!

Here’s something to think about, something I’ll bet has never crossed your mind.

Why do radio stations place (mostly) music all day?

Granted, not every radio station does that, but how did it ever begin?

Prior to the first commercial radio broadcast in 1920, the phonograph (nothing like what came later) would allow people to listen to recorded music at will, but even the wealthiest people did not keep music playing all of the time.

For one thing, it was too distracting.  For as long as there have been thinkers, silence has been prized as a good and proper environment for thinking.  Distraction of any kind was to be avoided.  Of course, that was then, this is now.

While my study of the early days of radio is incomplete, I believe you will find that radio (seen as a way to inform the population on a “one to many” basis)  became almost instantly known as an excellent method to sell products—hence the birth of advertising as we know it today.

The question was, how to hold the attention of listeners long enough to provide advertising information?  I’m sure an “all advertising” station was considered, but it was realized that people would not stand for a constant bombardment of ads.

Aside from the news—a very popular, and innovative use of wireless communication—drama, comedy, and variety shows stepped up to take a bow.

Now the question comes, did radio allow musicians a new and expanded audience, or did the availability of the media draw forth musicians?  However it worked, radio eventually metamorphosed into music platform used to sandwich in advertisements.

How many of you “writers” can only create with music blaring on a radio while you work?  I’ve read many accounts of people who will not consider writing without their iPod, radio, or TV playing in the background.

The question that comes to mind is this: is this background noise truly a help?  Is it a hinder?  Is it a natural extension of the system for putting advertisements into your home, or do the sound of songs, or instrumental pieces enhance, or detract from your ability to think and create?

 

Od Zar: Op-Ed #2 – The Stupid Tax

Guest blogger, Od Zar, here.

Mr. Scott said I could talk about anything, as long as I could tie it into writing.

Tell you what, how about if I talk about anything I want, and you tie it into writing?  There’s a good lad… or lass.

Think of me as a dangerous curmudgeon with a vocabulary.  Yeah.  That fits pretty well.

Want to know what I hate?  I hate stupidity.

I especially hate my own stupidity, but that’s another story.

Many states here in the ol’ U.S. of A. now run a type of legalized gambling called “The Lottery”.  And, while you don’t have to stand in the middle of a circle of so-called friends and get stoned (and I don’t mean the good kind), there is still a bit of the “what th’ hell?” about it all.

Shirley Jackson aside, the lottery we’re talking about is one where you pays yer dollar and takes yer chances.

But what are the odds you’ll win?

One blog I visited recently suggested that:

1. Death by bee sting or snake bite?  1 in 100,000
2. Dying by flesh-eating bacteria?  About 1 in 1,000,000
3. Your chances of getting hit by lighting are 1 in 2,650,000.
4. Your chance of winning the lottery?  Somewhere between 1 in 18,000,000 and 1 in 80,000,000.

On the other hand, some of the money brought in by the states is used for Education, or transportation infrastructure.

And, yes, somebody has to win, and win big.

While everybody who plays has the same chance as everyone else to win, nobody who refrains from playing has the slightest chance to win.

Still, I think of it as the stupid tax, the voluntary tax.

But then, I’m a dangerous curmudgeon with a vocabulary.

 

Od Zar: Op Ed #1 – 99¢ Only!

Hi, folks!

Guest Blogger Odysseus Zar, here.  You can call me Od.  In fact, I’d prefer it.  Most people can’t spell Odysseus anyway, and who needs to be embarrassed?

You probably know me from my hit Radio Drama: Zar Patrol, but I’ll forgive you if you’ve never tuned in.  Most of the time I am out there among the fiends, the villains and the far-flung planets fighting for truth and liberty with my business partner, the beautiful Dawne Patrolle, and my faithful (and semi-sentient) vest, Veskit.

Erm, by the way, that picture is not me, but it’ll have to do for now.  I’m better looking, and my gear (if not my physique) is much slimmer.  Oh, and that rocket down below isn’t mine, either.  I don’t have a rocket.  When I go to Mars I drive, but more about that, some other time.

I’ve been asked, nay, cajoled if the truth were known, to stop in from time to time with an opinion piece.

Our host, Mr. Scott has asked that I keep it civil (tricky) and aim each piece toward writing (if I must).

Here goes.

First off, I’d say that writing is next of kin to reading, so if I talk about something I’ve read, it’s all in the family.  Agreed?  Good.

By now, unless you’re living on the dark side of the moon—a cold and dreary place, but not bad for a brief getaway—you have probably seen, and possibly even shopped in what has come to be known as a “Dollar Store”.

If you’ve never visited one, relax.  It isn’t a money market.  You can’t buy dollars.  The more reputable of them sell things for a dollar or less, never for more.  The quality of the products isn’t always top-notch, but sometimes you can get a bargain, and for us (semi)-Super Heroes who live on a fixed income, a bargain is a bargain.

These stores are doing well, at least on the Left Coast where my secret underground headquarters is, erm, hidden.  (We’re now in a sub-basement in an abandoned high school because our second story in a vacant lot place was too easily seen.)

Where was I?  Oh, right.  Dollar stores.

If you know me, you know I’m not one to quibble…  well, that isn’t precisely true.  Actually, I make run of the mill nit-pickers nervous… but there is a new chain of stores going up out here called (now get this) 99¢ ONLY Stores.

Well, boys and girls, I’ve just gotta say I’m mad about this.

Undercutting the competition by a penny is a pretty low thing to do.  But these guys aren’t doing that.  They’re only pretending to give you a better deal.  If you look at their web site www.99only.com you’ll see they claim that everything they sell is priced, not at 99 cents, but rather at 99.99 cents.  This isn’t even a decent rip-off.  It’s bad advertising with impossible pricing!  Try to get change for a 99.99 cent item.  What are they going to do?  Give you a coupon worth 1/100 of a cent?  I don’t think so!

Yeah, yeah, Mr. Scott, I remember.  It has to be about writing.

Well, you write about people, I assume.  What kind of people would be taken in by a store that takes 1/100th of a penny off the price of something?  How far would they drive for that kind of savings?  Come on, people!  You’d have to spend $100 to save full penny!

So, I’d like to know what kind of person would buy into this silly notion.

Your move.