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The New, Improved Bob Blog
Author: bob05.06.2008
7 May 2008
I’ve decided this blog needs to be better. It needs a schedule and a purpose. Well, several purposes. Because I’m that kind of guy. With several purposes. So. My goal is to post every Tuesday.
Why Tuesday?
Why not Tuesday?
Because it’s there.
What will be the several purposes?
Talk about Who Dares Wins as I rewrite the book and do workshops and presentations.
Talk about Bob-Land which consists of writing, speaking, on the road, and various inane observations including comments on Crusie-Land.
Rant about books and movies because I’m a writer and I look at things from a different perspective.
And run blog sale specials for my on-line store that will only be up for the week the blog is up, then will be removed.
Who Dares Wins:
A tenet of WDW is that our greatest defenses are built around our greatest weakness. More on that in a future post. A corollary to that is that what we think is our greatest character trait is often our greatest defense. Therein lies the rub. While we think we are doing something positive, in reality we are defending ourselves.
So it behooves us to look at what we think is ‘noble’ and ‘good’ about us and try to see how we are using something to actually hide a defect of character that subverts that good trait.
For example: you take responsibility for others and take care of them. All fine and good, but perhaps you’re doing that so you don’t have to look at yourself and take care of yourself? And if you can’t take care of yourself, you really can’t take care of other people.
Bob Land: I started to feel like The Fourth Horeseman of the Apocalypse this last week. I flew in to Denver, en route to a conference, and they had a snowstorm there that kept us on the ground in the plane for two and a half hours. Then when I got Oklahoma City, they had a fierce hailstorm. The conference went well, nonetheless. Although I couldn’t get the projector to work right during my last talk. All the slides were elongated so people could only see the middle of the slides, not the sides. I’m sure they missed nothing important.
Except the ‘secret’ handshake of publishing.
Books & Movies: No Country for Old Men. Sorry. Didn’t get it. It struck me as a literary film. Where they got way too cute. Especially deciding to skip over the climactic scene and sort of have you figure out what the hell happened on your own. And what exactly did Tommy Lee Jones accomplish? Nada. Nothing.
Next week: Viggo Mortenson redeems himself. Which he couldn’t do in A History of Violence.
Blog Special:
A hardcover of The Novel Writers Toolkit: A Guide to Writing Great Fiction and Getting it Published. Retail: $22.99 On this week’s blog special for only $10 plus S&H:
Expired
May 6th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Promises Promises…
The two things that impressed me in NC4OM were the cattle gun and that haircut. My friend was impressed with the silencer on the shotgun. Otherwise, it was bleh, friendo.
May 6th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Tuesday is a good day.
Today’s Tuesday is gloomy and misty here in So Cal. Had enough thunder and sprinkles to wet the ground.
May 6th, 2008 at 10:05 am
Once again, Bob, I must compliment you on your paragraphing. New and improved blog is much easier to read.
My sons just informed me this weekend that Tuesday is when all the new CD’s and DVD’s drop. Do books drop on Tuesday’s?
So your blog is right up there with cutting edge pop culture.
Where it should be.
May 6th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Yes, Wapak, Tuesday is also “new books hit the shelves” day which makes it a very appropriate day on which a writer should post.
Bob said, “perhaps you’re doing that so you don’t have to look at yourself ”
Yep. I’ve seen that strategy before.
May 6th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Oh Bob, how we’ve missed you since the Crusie/Mayer Online Workshop last year.
Thankfully, an ever true Cherry mentioned your blog over on Jenny’s Aargh Ink and I revisited.
Unsolicitied feedback: love the look of your website and blog, but I can barely read the yellow type, really, can’t visually focus on it, my eyes want to look away and my head is saying, ‘But it’s Bob, god-among-men!’
May 6th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Wow. Every Tuesday.
What a shame you won’t be here on a Tuesday. The one who’ll be able to blog about your visit is me. That’s the end of the month, folks. And no, I have not cleaned out the coffeemaker because at the moment my kitchen is in pieces. Also I don’t do that.
What a SHAME you’re not going to be here on a Tuesday. Because you know with that short term memory problem you have, by the time Tuesday rolls around . . .
May 6th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
It’s all going to be on schedule? Geez. Military guys! Purpose is overrated. Just go with the flow. Although, new and improved Bob blog is kind of catchy.
The sun must be out in the great PNW banishing the doom and gloom. You’re talking. A lot.
Some deep stuff here, boyo.
See you next Tuesday.
May 6th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
“… and various inane observations including comments on Crusie-Land.”
Comments written on a Tuesday… perhaps you ought to remember that this day is ruled by Mars, which has been known to start wars.
I see Jenny has begun sparring already.
May 6th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Excellent! A reason to be glad for Tuesdays.
We’ll have to form a Sure Happy It’s Tuesday group. And a glee club.
May 6th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Sure Happy It’s Tuesday….. Group. Let’s not get t shirt made right away, ok?
Very clever
I want in the glee club. We’ll have to practice for our visit to Bob in June……whoa- who forgot to tell him we were coming for drinks and target practice?
May 7th, 2008 at 6:05 am
I’ve been trying to think of something I consider “noble” about myself and can’t come up with anything. Just lots of character defects. Now I can’t decide which is more depressing: that I have no noble traits or that my defects are so defective they haven’t inspired me to develop any nobility to cover them up.
Next time I’m tempted to do something good, I’ll be sure to stop myself. So I don’t subvert the goodness. Which is, apparently, non-existent.
Geez, Bob. That was cheery. You think maybe once in a while you could post something a bit less cynical about human nature? Or give us a clue about how all this doom and gloom translates into the “winning” part of WDW?
If you posted on Monday we could have a Great to Realize It’s Monday club. I’m sure we’d elect you president. Or grand reaper.
May 7th, 2008 at 7:35 am
You have plucked Tuesdays from the bin of Boredom & Oblivion. Tuesdays are now special. Careful. Friday will get jealous.
Couldn’t let us stay defective and defensive, could ya?
So I’m not crazy. Old Country for No Men did have a weird ending. Thank you. Still love Tommy Lee Jones.
May 7th, 2008 at 7:51 am
Sure Happy It’s Tuesday. Har.
You’re just now starting to feel like the 4th Horseman? I thought that was always something you long prided yourself on being. “We’re doomed” and all that. Or is that one of those defects of character you’re trying to subvert? Not that I think it’s a defect. It’s one of your charms.
Help! I can’t get the Buy Now button to work. Doesn’t look like it’s linked right. Or is it just me? Maybe I’m doomed, too.
May 7th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Of course just found out the Paypal link doesn’t work. which must be a tuesday curse. I think I fixed it. Now I have to replace all the .pdf links as I’ve updated all my brochures. Never a dull moment. BTW, will be in Orange County this weekend presenting for the OC RWA group. Last trip until I go to Crusie Land.
May 7th, 2008 at 9:33 am
Thanks Bob! Off to spend money.
May 7th, 2008 at 11:23 am
Great new blog! Nice to know you’re a many purposes kind of guy!
And sooo much to comment on now!
The WDW point was fascinating–about what is noble and good might hide a defect that subverts that good. Something to chew on psychologically. Knowledge of self and also how aware one is of true self, in the moment. Also how honest. And always that element of Fear, too, to delve in and find … what? A psychological adventure!! (Sorry, I’m in the middle of reading WDW.)
So, Bob, what did you think of Viggio Mortenson in “The Perfect Murder”?
And when’s target practice?
May 7th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
What happens if you have no defects Bob? Not saying that’s true of me but my DH says he doesn’t have any.
Wapak has warned you. There is a group of CBs getting together on the West Coast pretty soon and Hannah invited them to come for drinks.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:11 am
Oh geez, were we supposed to go looking for something noble about ourselves? Cuz mostly I try not to be that deep. I mean, if you go looking, there’s no teling what you might find. And besides, when it comes to noble actions I follow the Bob theory - movement draws fire. It’s a Bobism, so it can’t be a defect.
Reread “Lost Girls.”
May 8th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
What’s this? Hannah invited the CBs to share her water bowl? Oh, Bob. You poor thing.
Darlin’, I hate to tell you this, but really — you should be prepared. I invited ONE CB to visit me. Do you know how many showed up to spend the weekend? SEVEN. No, I am not kidding.
You’re doomed.
Well, look on the bright side. CBs do make lovely house guests. Really, they’re delightful. They bring gifts. (I bet Hannah knew that.) They talk non-stop. And gesture wildly. And laugh. A lot. But probably that wouldn’t bother you. Right? You should just nod and smile once in a while. Okay, just nod.
Don’t hurt any of them, Bob. The rest of us take a dim view of that kind of thing. Besides, most all of them have virtual lives they need to get back to, so they don’t linger in the real world very long. Oh, but wait, it’s Bob-Land. They may stay forever. Think of it as a test of your noble traits.
It might behoove you to enroll Hannah in obedience classes before she subverts anything else. Her next guest list might include Milton.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Huh. BCB invites one CB and gets seven. I invite three or four and get… oh dear …
I know what I’ll do. Rather than give people my Oregonian address, I’ll send them directions that’ll land them a couple of hours North. Yeah, that’ll work.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Tuesdays are good.
Visits to Bob-Land are always so entertaining.
I’m eagerly awaiting more WDW.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
The Secret Handshake! You know, they keep changing that and I’m never certain I’m totally up-to-date. Guess that’s why it’s secret. Every year it changes–like the tax code. Keeps it interesting! So are they using one hand now or two?
May 11th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Is it Tuesday yet?
May 11th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Ok you’ve got 48 hours. I’ll be back.
May 11th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
Bob, you said you were going to blog on Tuesdays. But, that doesn’t mean that you can ONLY blog on Tuesdays. You can blog on other days. 7 days is a REALLY long time for CB’s.
In dog days, isn’t that like 49 days? Ask Milton when you see him, ok? He’s turning into quite the spy dog for Jenny.