From the
editor
Australia is still recovering from the untimely deaths of Steve
Irwin and Peter Brock, and the US and the rest of the world
are remembering the events of September 11. My thoughts
are with everyone who is grieving at this time.
Steve Irwin's
conservation and awareness achievements are a great example of
the value of focused idea-into-action people - the opposites
of lateral thinkers. Both types have their place in our world,
and it's important to remember that, even as we spread our
minds across the spectrum of ideas.
Germaine Greer has a lot
in common with Steve Irwin. She's a focused thinker who says
what she thinks and gives it to you straight up. I think Steve
would've appreciated the honesty of her criticism; he may even
have listened to her.
And there's the problem.
It is pointless to criticise a person after they have died.
They can't use those comments, and, in the grieving time after
a death, any other people who could benefit will not be
listening. Germaine's message to Steve could've come at many
other opportunities while he was alive to listen.
Germaine has a history of
being taken out of context, and I believe the reason is
because she doesn't stop to think a few degrees beyond her
focus. Germaine's reaction had very little to do with Steve
Irwin - her anger was directed at the initial sensationalist
media report that Steve had been "attacked by a
stingray". Stingrays don't attack anything; they're
vacuum cleaners. They only reflexively defend themselves if
they feel threatened. Steve Irwin got too close. Germaine got
that point right.
What she got incorrect
was her statement that nature got its revenge on Steve Irwin.
Animals are not human; they attack and defend themselves, but
they don't seek revenge. This is not karma. If it was, all
bear-bile harvesters, shark-fin fishermen, and whalers (to
name a few) would be dying in their thousands from sudden and
bizarre animal attacks. Steve Irwin may have teased and
taunted a few animals in his time, but he did a lot more to
help them.
If Germaine had taken a
few moments to think more laterally about her reaction to the
media reports, and the reasons behind it, she could've drafted
a more meaningful comment - one where her message to respect
animals would not be clouded by controversy. In a year's time,
she could've written a piece directed to Bindi and Terri,
warning them to learn from Steve's mistaken belief that he was
always in complete control of creatures capable of killing
him. In the meantime, simply pointing out the difference
between attack and defence would've been a very effective
message.
Elle
14/09/06
How
Alison Armstrong is ending the battle of the sexes
Enough of Germaine Greer. I'd like to
introduce you to Alison Armstrong - a former focused-thinking
businesswoman and activist, who listened to a lateral-thinking
friend one day, and changed her way of thinking and relating
to men in order to save her child's self esteem. It takes a
lot of courage to admit you were wrong; it takes a pretty
amazing woman to start a whole new business based on your
mistake.
Read
this article
Related
articles
Creative inspiration from philosophy
Creative inspiration
from religion Creative
inspiration from mythology Creative
inspiration from dreams and fears
Plot
versus character
Many writers are faced with the decision about whether to develop their story’s plot or the main character first, and which element to use to drive the story.
Read
this article
Plotting
your story
Most good plots are a series of situations and reactions, leading to new situations and further reactions. The beauty of fiction is that you can develop the exact same plot starting point, but have a completely different story due to the vastly different reactions of different characters.
Read
this article
Creating a
multi-dimensional character
You’ve heard writers and critics talk about a character being three-dimensional, but what does that really mean?
Three dimensions are hardly enough to describe most characters
- try nine!
Read
this article
Other
articles and reviews on hearwritenow.com
You can see a list of my online articles
here
and reviews here.
Win DVD
rentals free for life
If you're in the US, have a look at the
competition my affiliate partner, Intelliflix, is
running from now until 31 December 2006. Five Superpass
members stand a chance to win free movies for
life. Superpass memberships start at $8.25 per month for
unlimited rentals and free shipping both ways. Pay per rental
options are also available, also with free shipping.
The contents of this newsletter are copyrighted.
You may forward this newsletter to your friends, as long as you keep the newsletter intact. If you received this edition from a friend,
sign up to receive your own
fortnightly copy. It’s free, anonymous, and the email address you provide will not be used for any purpose other than sending you this newsletter. Alternatively,
subscribe to hearwritenow's RSS
feed.
Copyright © Elsa Neal 2006
elsa-at-hearwritenow.com
http://www.hearwritenow.com
http://creativity.bellaonline.com
http://fictionwriting.bellaonline.com
|
