Thoughts on all that we do not know.

 

I have always been intrigued by the rate of technological development. Ten thousand years ago, our species lived in caves and hunted and gathered our food. Since that time we have developed agriculture, domesticated not only animals but almost all of nature and are now on the verge of reaching for the stars; all this in ten thousand years. Our species however, is almost seven times that old.

For the first seventy or so thousand years did humanity everywhere just take it easy in our caves? Was the preponderance of predatory species in the world just so great that we, as a species dare not go far from the safety of our holes in the ground? Or have we perhaps risen to great technological heights many times during these lost eons only to fall back to the depths of barbarism?

Take a look at the pyramids that were found in Bosnia. They are so ancient that the people who lived in the region had long forgotten about them and the people who dwelled there. Dirt had covered them for multiple thousands of years and everyone just thought they were mountains, until someone dug into them.  They discovered that many pyramids covered the area and that tunnels bellow the valley that was created between them still remained. All of it determined to be older than any written language, possibly being built during the last ice age.

This world is immense, only the surface has been explored and our species has been around for a really long time. Who knows what the true ancient history of our world is. It seems the more we discover the less we know.

Just a thought.

Teller’s Cove by RW Van Sant

About my writing process
I, R W Van Sant have just finished editing Teller’s Cove for what I hope will be the second to last time. I have sent it out to many beta readers and am anxiously awaiting their response. As I wait, I will be dutifully writing a synopsis, completing my research on agents and publishers, and writing query letters. In a couple of weeks, I will take the suggestions of my beta readers into account and if necessary make changes before sending them out to find a home. I fully expect the agent, publisher or both to make reconditions and a further edit.
I started to work on the final edit for Pressee. It is a more straight forward story so I anticipate a more rapid edit. Hopefully, it will be ready to send to beta readers by Halloween. After sending out to my readers, I intend to follow the same procedure and start on the second draft of iFactor.
If all works well, I hope to continue working without break until I have a steady flow of published books, books about to be published, books submitted, books being edited and one in progress. I currently have over thirty ideas for novels, so I do not expect writer’s block in the near future.
As for my vblog, the video reading of “Whale Song”, I have found a collaborator with more video production skills than I. She informs me we should have a finished video soon.
Thanks to all.

Neglected Blog

On Time Management

It’s been one of those weeks where you have classes to teach, papers to write, editing to get done, résumés to update and sent out.

I’m sorry I neglected you my dearest blog page.

 

Also, I have been working on a VLog. Don’t get jealous. You know how important to me you are, I just think I need to experience more formats. When I get it ready, I’ll introduce you. You should be great friends.

I would never forget you. No one understands me the way you do or puts up with my insane ranting’s and strange investigations.

Thanks for understanding.

Your creator R W Van Sant

On Editing choices

Tangent time

Is it more important when writing a story to keep the momentum moving, or take time out for some exposition scenes that contain information that is necessary for the reader to fully understand what I, as an author am trying to impart?

I am going over my first novel, again, before sending out to the beta readers (Thanks to all of you who have volunteered). I find myself reading scenes that at first, second and seventh seemed critical to the story even though it slows down the story. I want to delete huge chunks of, is this necessary or can I just lose a few thousand words and incorporate the few bits of important info in other ways.

On the other hand, can you write a book which is just one exciting scene after another until it ends? Maybe, but is that doing justice to the reader or the story. In other words, if I take a knife to my manuscript am I butchering it, or cutting out the cancer which would kill the chance of it ever being published.

Something to think about.

Alien life part 6-on Interpose-able thumbs

 Alien Life part 6

 How important is an interpose-able thumb anyway 

This is another case where I believe we, as a species fall back into the comfort of conceit. We have thumbs, we can grab things, and therefore the interpose-able thumb is necessary to build a society.  Granted an organism with absolutely no ability to manipulate its environment might become hyper intelligent,  but it wouldn’t be able to do anything with that ability. I do not believe, however, that the human thumb is solely responsible for our great advancements in civilization.

I believe that all that is required is for a species to have the following abilities:

1. To think, and cooperate with others.
2. To perceive its environment, in whatever way it can.
3. To alter or change that environment, through whatever means it can

We communicate with others, and cooperate with each other, even if involuntarily (such as slavery).

We can hear, see, feel, smell, and taste our environment. Some fish sense electrical impulses through their skin, other creatures use sonar.

We use our hands with thumbs to manipulate our environment, an now we can leave our own world, and remake it to our desires (or against it through carelessness). Even ants make cities, higher animals dig burrows.

It is not necessary to have human traits to develop a civilization. I think, however, that civilizations built on a different trinity of abilities would by necessity be shaped by them. If a creature’s highest developed sense is sonar then shape form and structure would be more important than color.

Think about it. What are your thoughts?

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Welcome

I started this blog as a sounding board for ideas. I will use it to develop ideas, share important scientific developments,  and most likely just to rant upon occasion. I welcome your comments and suggestions.