The Writer's Pulse

Amazing! Fantastic!

Freedom! Democracy! Power!

Glittering generalities are a form of propaganda that elicit strong emotional responses through the use of vague and hollow, though perceptually meaningful, words and phrases. Here are a few examples:

In the above examples, we have Obama’s trademark campaign slogan, “Change we can believe in,” which says a lot without saying anything.

“Things go better with Coke,” while sounding warm and fuzzy, is not a substantial claim, and it leads to the questions “What things go better?” and “How does drinking Coca-Cola make things go better, anyway?”

Finally, in the video ad for Sony’s Playstation 3, we’re subjected to a short demonstration of the “smarter” cell processor (See? It can solve floating Rubik’s Cubes!), but we still don’t know exactly what’s so special about it.

Glittering generalities are fluffy and insubstantial. They sound great. They make you feel good. They mean different things to different people. But in the end they’re meaningless — the source of the generalities does not elaborate or otherwise form a logical, meaningful argument. In fact, to someone thinking logically, the generalities themselves will lead to many unanswered questions.

A glittering generality can also act like a shield that protects the source from having to commit to anything certain. Like the sort of fluff you might throw into a high school or college research paper the morning it’s due. Yeah, I’ve been there. Words and sentences that sound good but don’t mean anything, that don’t add to your argument, but rather work to “pull the wool” over your readers’ eyes.

Anyone taking a closer look or analyzing the “claims” of glittering generalities will see the fallacy in the statement. But it is the hope of the person making the generalities that the audience will be so distracted by the sparkling and glittering emotional connotations of their words and phrases that they won’t notice the logical error.

I’m trying to get through The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien’s creation myth of Middle Earth and the history of the elves. It’s not a long book, really, but it’s very dry. In my opinion, of course.

It’s the first book on my Spring/Summer reading list, though, and I will get through it. I promise you that.

Of course, when I say list I actually mean big stack of books.

But that’s not what I’m here to talk about.

Why reading will improve your writing

Reading is a very important activity. It keeps your mind sharp and helps you form a repository of styles and words and ideas. It doesn’t matter if it’s a book or a newspaper or a magazine, just the simple act of reading will increase your general knowledge and slow the aging process.

As a writer, reading is one of your most important tools. And I’m not just talking about the great literary classics or the best newspapers or the high-minded scholarly journals.

Reading works of all kinds — the good, the bad, the unfortunate — will allow you to see what’s out there, what works and what doesn’t, and how other authors handle certain aspects of the craft.

It’s also useful to read genres outside your area of interest. For instance, I tend to dislike high-fantasy: the kinds of stories that do have elves and dwarves and hand-drawn maps on page two. They’re not my style, but from time to time I’ll pick one up and see what all the fuss is about.

Sometimes I’ll enjoy a good fantasy (Harry Potter comes to mind. I scoffed at the idea of reading a kid’s book at first, only to realize later that they’re actually pretty entertaining). Other times I won’t, but at least I’ll have ventured into foreign territory and enlightened myself to a different style of writing and storytelling, and I’ll be better off for it.

It’s not always about reading the best-written stuff you can find, or even the stuff you like. It’s about expanding your horizons and increasing your wealth of knowledge.

So read. Read everything. Read your cereal box in the morning, if that’s what it takes. Read your favorite blogs, check the news on your cellphone, but also don’t forget to pick up a good, old-fashioned paperback from time to time.

Feel the pages at your fingertips. It’s a very different experience than anything you’ll get digitally (even from those Kindle things).

How often do you read (especially print publications)? What have you been reading lately?

Have you bought a Kindle 2 yet? Yeah, me neither.

But they’re popular, and now Amazon is looking to pump some blood back into the newspaper industry by making a Kindle with a larger screen (say, the size of a sheet of paper):

“As early as this week, according to people briefed on the online retailer’s plans, Amazon will introduce a larger version of its Kindle wireless device tailored for displaying newspapers, magazines and perhaps textbooks.” – Big-Screen e-Readers May Help Save Newspapers

Some aren’t convinced that this will do anything to save those old, yellowed newspapers, and I have my own concerns about how a larger Kindle will be more popular than a laptop/netbook/cellphone.

Is this enough? Will Amazon, and other creators of “e-readers,” be able to harness technology to rescue a failing industry in the same way Apple popularized digital music downloads with their iPod? Even then, will enough people buy these new Kindles to even have a positive impact?

This may be one of the last chances for newspapers (along with Journalism Online), so it will be interesting to see if any of these new developments help the industry survive.

Updates:

• The Wall Street Journal is reporting that “some students at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland will be given large-screen Kindles with textbooks for chemistry, computer science and a freshman seminar already installed.” – Amazon to Launch Kindle for Textbooks It’s better than lugging a backpack full of stones (I mean books) around all day.
• Damon Darlin of The New York Times shares his first impressions of the new Kindle DX. So that’s what it’s going to be called, then.
• 05/08/09 – From Gizmodo: “Amazon Wants 70% of Newspaper Revenue for Kindle Distribution?” Yes, that is definitely going to help save the newspaper industry. Yay Amazon.

Will this ever take off? You tell me.

Sam Banerjee has launched a new website to explain his revolutionary printing style, which is designed to reduce eye strain and help dyslexic readers:

In the ZigZagText printing style, alternate lines of text in a document are reversed. In the first line, the words go from left to right, and in the second line they go from right to left, and so on. I believe this makes the document easier to read, because your eye does not have to jump from the right side of the page all the way back to the left after reading each line. This printing style is also thought to be especially helpful for some dyslexic readers, who often lose their place in a document.

Still curious? Here’s an example of the Zig Zag Text format in action:

> The road grew worse and worse. . . . They drove into the wood. Here
water ,in deeply sank wheels the ,round turn to room no was there <
> splashed and gurgled through them, and sharp twigs struck them in the
.face <

Benerjee is looking for publishers and authors willing to use this new format.

What do you think? Great new idea? Weird?

You may have noticed the “Save Chuck” image I have in my sidebar. Well, if you don’t know what Chuck is, or what’s going on with it, let me clue you in.

Chuck is a television series that airs on NBC at 8/7c. It’s about a regular guy named Chuck who accidentally gets a top-secret government computer program called the Intersect installed in his brain, and now it’s up to his two CIA handlers, Sarah Walker and John Casey, to protect him from their adversary, Fulcrum.

The show has evolved from its beginning premise, and if there’s a third season it stands to get even more interesting.

But then, that’s the problem.

You see, Chuck is currently “on the bubble,” with the possibility that NBC won’t renew it for a third season. I’m going to stop myself from saying the dreaded C-word, here, because there is still hope.

Guys, don’t freak out.

Chuck fans are fiercely loyal: so far, they’ve drummed up a ton of free publicity for NBC by starting a Subway campaign, sending in Nerds candies, writing letters, harnessing the power of social networks, tweeting, whatever. They’re crazy, they want a third season, and I’m right there with them. If you’re a Chuck fan, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

During all of this, NBC has become my new pen pal (even though they never respond).

Here’s the last e-mail I sent them:

Well gee, NBC, you guys really know how to keep the suspense going. We won’t find anything out on Monday, now? [in response to this article]

It blows my mind that a show like Chuck is even “on the bubble,” whatever the heck that means. It’s in the single most competitive time slot on television and yet it’s still garnered one of the most loyal followings I’ve ever seen, and its ratings are very consistent. If nothing else, that should tell you how important it is to keep Chuck. I honestly don’t know what you could replace it with that would be any better.

If you can’t think of anything, I’ll go back to my original suggestion: change its time or put it on USA.

Let us fans know what we can do to help, too, but don’t keep saying “tune in live.” I’ve been watching Chuck at its air-date, on television, every Monday night since its premiere. But I don’t count because I don’t have a Nielsen box, and I guarantee that most of the other Chuck fans screaming for a renewal don’t have one, either.

We probably don’t fit into that “Nielsen family” demographic, anyway (and I’m beginning to think that “Nielsen families” are akin to mythological beasts, things you hear about from time to time but never actually see, like the Loch Ness monster). We’re something different.

Get creative. Focus more on the Internet and more interesting ways to incorporate advertising. You have a chance to try something new, because the Internet and technology is the future, not some archaic system like the Nielsen ratings (which has been around since, what, the 1950s?).

Chuck is the perfect show to test the waters with. Take off your spiffy business suits and try something different. You’re currently riding a wave of free publicity: harness that, because that publicity doesn’t have to end with renewal.

Yeah, it’s long and rambling, but I couldn’t help it. I don’t usually do things like this, anyway, so I’d might as well go all in.

Does Chuck Have A 3rd Season? has been keeping tabs on the progress, along with Please Save Chuck. I first heard about the fan movement from Give Me My Remote, and that’s where I got the image in my sidebar.

I’ve also been checking the Chuck IMDB message board for any news the members post, as well as the ChuckTV.net forums.

Oh, and TV by the Numbers is currently hosting 15 Days Of Chuck, with updates on Chuck every day until NBC announces their full schedule on May 19.

What can you do to help Chuck?

• Watch Chuck on Hulu
• write NBC some e-mails (Scroll to the drop-down menu, select Chuck, and send your message)
• Spread the word on Twitter
• Make a donation to the American Heart Association in the name of Chuck Bartowski
• Buy Chuck – The Complete First Season, or pre-order Chuck: The Complete Second Season

Chuck is just a great, funny, brilliantly written show with countless 80′s pop-culture references (reminds me of Psych, sometimes) and an awesome soundtrack. And heck: Scott Bakula of Quantum Leap just guest starred, as well as Chevy Chase, so that just increased its awesomeness.

So save Chuck. The fate of the universe depends on it.

Updates

• Nikki Finke (who is apparently sort of reliable when it comes to these things) is reporting that a “major renewals announcement” will take place tomorrow — despite previous statements that they’d be held off a week or two — and that Chuck is very likely on that list. Let’s hope she’s right.
• Does Chuck Have A 3rd Season? now reads “Rumors Abound.” The plot thickens…
• TV by the numbers is now also reporting on a possible renewal announcement Monday.
• Another reliable source, Ausiello, is saying Chuck‘s renewal is “a safe bet.”
• 05/04/09 – NBC has announced some of its fall schedule and…Chuck‘s not on it. Looks like we’ll have to wait a little longer.
• 05/05/09 – Hopping back over to Nikki Finke’s blog, turns out negotiations are still going strong for Chuck (and it’s fate is tied to Legally Mad, a show NBC doesn’t want at all).
• 05/06/09 – The Have A Heart – Renew Chuck Campaign has begun! Chuck fans are getting very creative, and now they’ve started a campaign in which fans can show their support for Chuck while donating to a great charity. Also visit the Have a Heart – Renew Chuck blog.
• 05/12/09 – Does Chuck Have A 3rd Season? now reads “To Be Continued?.” Stay positive.
• Oh, right, I forgot to mention: Chuck has been renewed!