Ted Clifton's Grain of Salt Commentary

I grew up in an household where reading was honored.  This was mostly based on my father’s love of books.  There wasn’t a lot of family discussion about books, but it was obvious they were important.  My father’s bookcase was held in high regard and given a prime location in the living space.  Both of my parents grew up in households that did not have a lot of possessions.  Books would have been a luxury.  My father in particular was raised in very humble conditions.  As his own new family became more prosperous in post WWII America he purchased books and they became his treasures, a luxury he had never experienced as a child.  Coming from this background reading became a habit and a source of great pleasure for me.  Reading books was something I just did, it was natural.

Taking an unscientific survey during Thanksgiving, it is apparent people are reading less and in many cases not at all.  I have read the stories about the decline in hours spent reading books and knew this was happening; but it is still kind of shocking to talk to relatives and realize the new normal is to not read; at all.  Not one book in years or maybe decades, I can’t imagine not reading.  Of course, I write books so I have lots of reasons to be shocked at this trend.

And it is a trend.  The decline in reading has been going on for a couple of decades.  Lots of factors but the most likely culprit is TV.  You would think the number of hours spent watching TV would have peeked somewhere in the past and leveled off, nope.  It is increasing.  People are watching more and more television.  Some of this, I’m sure, is due to the increased options being offered, streaming services and vast numbers of channels on cable.  With the average hours of daily TV watching increasing substantially in the last ten years; there is no time to read.

Reading, TV watching, smoking are all habits.  Once you stop some activity the habit goes away and usually something else fills that need.  TV apparently has filled the entertainment, information need of books.  Many people will think so what, entertainment and information from TV is just as good as books.  Maybe so; but most experts (whoever they are), say it is not the same.

In a article for The New Yorker, Caleb Crain observes: “In a culture of secondary orality, we may be less likely to spend time with ideas we disagree with,” (He) wrote. “I suspected that people might become less inclined to do fact checking on their own; “forced to choose between conflicting stories,” they would “fall back on hunches.”  Note–“secondary orality”—(is) a sociological term for a post-literate culture.

A post-literate culture–doesn’t that sound alarming?  To me it does.  Our brains function in certain ways and it matters how we get our information.  Reading seems to reinforce many good qualities about “thinking” that do not seem to transfer to such things as television watching.

I don’t have any answers to this trend of fewer readers reading less; but I do find it disturbing.  And not because of book sales.  I think it makes us less capable of deeper more complex thoughts.  I believe we lose the ability to digest nuances in all sorts of matters, from basic living circumstances, to politics to personal relationships.   I also believe we become more susceptible to misinformation; especially well-crafted propaganda.

Or maybe it is more simple than brain functions declining; it is that the love of books is disappearing.  It makes me sad.

On a happier note—–

Free download of one of my short stories “A Christmas Tradition” is available on my web site www.tedclifton.com.

Thanks for reading!

As an author I’m obviously very interested in the trend where people say they can no longer read for pleasure because they can’t maintain concentration.  Great article in The Guardian that discusses this and relates it to our use of social media and our always on communication tools, which seems to teach us to scan but not to concentrate for very long on what we are reading.

Here was a key paragraph about reading for pleasure:

“One thing that many people who feel they have lost the ability to concentrate mention is that reading a book for pleasure no longer works for them. We have got so used to skim reading for fast access to information that the demand of a more sophisticated vocabulary, a complex plot structure or a novel’s length can be difficult to engage with. Like anything, single-minded attention may need relearning in order to enjoy reading for pleasure again, but close reading in itself can be a route to better concentration. To help that, read from an actual book, not a screen: screens are too reminiscent of skim reading and just turning pages will slow your pace. Read for long enough to engage your interest, at least 30 minutes: engagement in content takes time, but will help you read for longer.”

I know there will always be people who read for pleasure and who love books; but those numbers are decreasing.   The ability to concentrate, of course, is more critical than just reading books for pleasure.  This article mentions interruptions and distractions leading to a drop in IQ.

“In 2005, research carried out by Dr Glenn Wilson at London’s Institute of Psychiatry found that persistent interruptions and distractions at work had a profound effect. Those distracted by emails and phone calls saw a 10-point fall in their IQ, twice that found in studies on the impact of smoking marijuana.”

Dumber and no ability to concentrate on complex matters; wonder what that will lead to?

The final book of the Muckraker series Murder So Final will be available soon–most likely in November.   Still a few editing steps, but it’s close.  In light of the above article I started thinking about these books.  You talk about a challenge, the Murder books maybe an example of a good story that some might find too complex.  Not by design but because of the time frame of the books and the true nature of the story there are lots of characters.  So many that some may find it hard to keep it all sorted out.

I’m in the process of putting together a character list with some brief info on each character–there really are lots of them.  That’s not to say the story is confusing, just detailed.  I think these books tell a fast moving story with lots of twists and turns, along with humor and irony; but of course I helped write them.  This character list will be included in the “back of the book’ section in Murder So Final.

You should check these books out- I think they are worth the effort.

AUDIOBOOK IN THE WORKS!

The preliminary work for an audiobook of Santa Fe Mojo has started.  This is new to me so each step has an exciting but cautious feel.  When you write a book, or for that matter when you read it–there is a voice in your head telling the story.  This is of course very customize-able.  As the reader you get to hear the voice you want–it fits your impression of the written words describing the characters and the scene.  I guess to me that is the way it should be–you hear the story in the voice that makes sense to you.  I think that is why reading books is more immersive than say watching a movie or TV.  You help construct a key element of the book in your head–the voice. 

Today the market for audiobooks is reaching the same levels as e-books and the audiobook market is projected to grow substantially larger than written books.  Of course some readers will always prefer to “read” rather than “listen”.  But as an indie author I can’t ignore this growing market.  So soon my first audiobook will be available. 

The process involves selecting a narrator.  And yes, for sure, I’m not doing the narration.  It might take years for me to get a clean reading of one of my books; and then it most likely would be bad.  So the fist step in this process is to hire someone who knows what they are doing and who sounds “right”.  Sounds right is of course very subjective.  So this may take awhile.  My guess at this point, this is probably a three month project to have a completed audiobook, but since I’m new at this there could be delays I can’t see right now.  I will keep you informed.  I would appreciate any thoughts you have about audiobooks in general or specific things you have liked or disliked.  Thanks.

UPCOMING BLOG TOUR

Those very words may not mean much–but think about a book tour of book stores only on-line with bloggers who write about books.  The tour will last one week and involve 7 blogs with interviews, reviews of the book and more.  I will be giving interviews discussing my books, writing process and future plans–but never leave home.  (easy way to tour).

LIBRARIES

Next time your in your local library you might request a paperback copy of one of my books.  Libraries quite often honor these requests (there are easy ways for them to order one or a few books) and it would give you a chance to read the paperback version if you have not.  An actual book has a different feel to me than reading the e-book–plus it helps me sell some more books.  Crass commercialization.  Okay, sorry.

Still getting inquires about Four Corner Wars.  This is due to the preview in the back of Sky High Stakes and that it states it will be published in 2016.  Oops, kind of missed that one.  I have written before on this blog about my sinking into a mental block regarding this book.  I never finished it.  To break out of the funk I took on another project; which was co-writing the Murder So ……. books with Stanley Nelson.  That worked and I began writing again, but never finished FCW.

I’ve tried to finish several times but there is still some kind of mental block and of course by now it has been a long time since I was in Ray Pacheco’s world.  But with some hesitation I have decided to try and finish this book, as it is the last Pacheco and Chino book. 

My current schedule of books on the visible horizon are as follows:

Blue Flower Red Thorns the second Vincent Malone Novel is now available as an e-book on Amazon. 

Quick post for a couple of items.

Blue Flower Red Thorns is getting very close–latest version of the cover below.

Also Sky High Stakes just won a Colorado Independent Publishers Association EVVY award for 2018 in the mystery category.

Final stages of Blue Flower Red Thorns; the second Vincent Malone Novel, should be published in mid-September.

Blurb describing book:
Southwest mystery set in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Artistic, high strung egos abound as the high-dollar world of contemporary art comes to Santa Fe’s burgeoning art scene.  Fights, feuds, sex, hate, love abound as financial pressures bring into focus competing objectives by an unusual blend of characters; all leading to murder.  One murder but tons of suspects.  Vincent Malone dusts off his legal investigator skills as he is caught in the middle of this classic whodunit.

Not sure what order the next books happen, most likely after Blue Flower Red Thorns will be Fiction No More, but maybe not.  All are in different stages of completion.

Will be running a series looking at the writing process in the newsletter.  If you have not subscribed to the newsletter you can go to the web site and sign up www.tedclifton.com.  The first installment will be an interview with Stanley Nelson with a focus on editing and the newspaper business.  Stan is an literary editor and author with experience in the newspaper business and publishing.  And, of course, Stan and I co-authored the Muckraker Series.  This “inside baseball” stuff may not be interesting to everyone but we will try to keep it short and hopefully give a little insight into “The Writing Process”.

Santa Fe, New Mexico provides a backdrop for several of my books and, of course, is a important aspect to the story in Santa Fe Mojo.  Included in the next newsletter will be some recommendations from me (with links) for accommodations and restaurants in Santa Fe.  Also my wife and I have really enjoyed attending classes at the Santa Fe School of Cooking.

When you visit Santa Fe you should sign up for classes.  There are all sorts of classes available mostly dealing with southwest cooking.  It is fun, delicious and a great way to meet some local residents and fellow Santa Fe visitors.  Highly recommended.

If you are reading this most likely you are familiar with my books.  Even with that understanding I thought it might be interesting to provide some of my thoughts about each book.

This first one is The Bootlegger’s Legacy.

This book maybe my favorite.  It is not a murder mystery; it is about people whose lives are changing due to personal tensions and outside influences.  Many of the characters were based on my experiences and people I knew.  The characters ended up being a blend of various people and it sure is not biographical.  It is pure fiction.  However, when I was writing everything felt familiar.  Joe Meadows and Mike Allen were like a lot of people I knew in the 1970s and 80s; a time of easy success and soul crushing failure.

They were friends out of habit and the bond was strong; but they were entering new stages in their lives and their relationship was no longer easy and comfortable.  The story of their friendship and the eventual life decisions they made is the story of TBL.  I liked both of these characters and it was sad to see them drift in different directions and forget why they were friends.  I think that happens with a lot of friends.

The novel covers a lot of years, including, maybe the most dramatic portion, a flash back to the 1950s.  This is the bootlegger’s story and how he provided a legacy, good and bad to the next generation.  The story of Pat Allen, the bootlegger, is a tragic story of forbidden love.  Sally Thompson, Pat’s young and beautiful mistress is by far the most interesting and alluring character in the book.  In may ways she is the focal point.

My writing today may be better than it was when I wrote TBL but this is, I believe, my best storytelling.

Go Rockies!