Category: Musings

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Three Famous Writers Who Changed My Life

When I think of the writers who have guided my writing life, three come to mind first. Here’s the who and, more important, the why:

1. Stephen King


I couldn’t get into the Dark Tower stuff but I’ve read everything else. I love how he provides an ordinary context that sets the scene for the extraordinary. His heroes are normal people and I enjoy finding out how they deal with extremes.

There’s a scene in Tommyknockers that hit me between the eyes. A good guy with a gun is about to use the weapon to save himself. The handgun misfires. Later I read an interview with The King. He said something to the effect of, “The girl is holding a knife she will never get to use.”

In other words: Good stories come from providing no easy solutions. The wide and easy road out of town isn’t wide and easy. It’s a gauntlet. Things get tough for your characters. Then they are made tougher and the noose tightens.

2. Kurt Vonnegut


I saw him speak once a long time ago. I like Vonnegut so much I made him a character in my time travel novel, Wallflower. What appeals to me is his humor and his humanity. He was a kind and decent human being as well as a writer who had fun and got his readers to enjoy themselves. He dealt in big ideas but viewed them through the lens of the individual. Good fiction feels personal.

Some of my fiction is pretty grim and gritty. Even so, I emulate Kurt Vonnegut’s work in that there remains a note of hope amid the rubble. Characters often make great sacrifices but they do so for good reasons and ultimately there is always payoff and a point. I think that’s an important role in fiction, to provide order to chaos. There’s enough chaos in real life. That’s what we’re trying to escape when we open a book.

3. William Goldman


He just left us recently but what a life and legacy. I’ve often said that people know him for his screenwriting. Everyone knows Goldman for The Princess Bride. We should all know him for his novels. The Color of Light is the best novel I’ve ever read. His non-fiction also happens to be hilarious. Want to work in Hollywood? Try Which Lie Did I Tell? and Adventures in the Screen Trade.

Lawrence Block said of Goldman’s writing that reading him “is like watching card tricks while I’m drunk.” Goldman had a method that has always guided me. He makes you think you knew what was going to happen next. Then he pulls the rug out from under the reader. You’re never safe. I was on the 28th floor of an apartment building in Toronto one summer night when I got to the end of one of Goldman’s books. I thought I was safely in the dénouement. The tricky bastard laid a trap for me in the last line that changed everything in the novel. I threw the book across the room in surprise.

Exhilarated and laughing, I knew what and how I wanted to write for the rest of my life: everyday people suffering suspense through funny, twisty plots.

In Bigger Than Jesus, the beat where you find out how Big Denny met my hitman Jesus Diaz? That moment was written by me. It was brought to you by William Goldman. (That hairpin turn caught me by surprise as I wrote it, too. The twist wasn’t in the outline. It rose organically. I’m mostly a pantser.)

In This Plague of Days, when the surreal becomes real and we discover the villain’s true motivation and ally? That’s a big idea made personal. That’s a Vonnegut moment. So is the last scene and the Afterword from the titular author.

In Brooklyn in the Mean Time, the main character is an ordinary guy in extraordinary circumstances. Saddled with a very problematic family, he ran away and turned to crime to survive. Coming home, he’s on a journey toward redemption but he’s barely got the right tools for the job. That character (who happens to be named Chazz and sounds a lot like me) could have stepped out of a Stephen King novel.

Sadly, two of my literary heroes are dead. Long live the King!

Question of the Day

Who are your literary influences? What book changed your life?

 

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Vacations: Problems, Solutions and More Questions to Consider

Is it time for your next vacation? What if you can’t afford a vacation. Pop quiz, hotshot! What do you do? What do you do? (I love me a very dated reference from the movie Speed. Such a dumb, fun movie! Also, it was the last time Jeff Daniels was badass in a physical way.)

Sorry for the delay in releasing this podcast. After updating my software, my computer is screwing up in a huge way! Onward!

On this week’s show, we consider your alternatives to a tropical vacation. Staycations are, of course, an option for many. But maybe you can’t afford that, either. When tax season rolls around, I’m cranky for just that reason: I have to work harder to make sure I can pay the government’s bill on time.

Here’s the vacation information we cover on this show:

  1. Cheaper alternatives (camping, staycations and day trips.)
  2. Enjoying what you’ve got (be a tourist in your own town.)
  3. Don’t vacate and save the stress.
  4. Vacating might mean more work and more stress. Make your work more pleasant instead.
  5. Get a new job, retire into part-time work, seek fulfillment or wait for a universal minimum wage.

Finally I discuss the value of work and The Dirty Jobs conundrum. (Host of Dirty Jobs, Mike Rowe, is the name that escaped me as I was recording this podcast. Sorry to Mike and his fans.) There’s the work we have to do, the work we want to do and the work in between the extremes. It’s a lot to cover in 15 minutes or less!

Catch phrase Contest

This podcast needs a catch phrase. Got a suggestion for the All That Chazz Stress Relief Podcast? Snd your suggestions my way at expartepress@gmail.com. If I choose yours to end the show each week, you’ll get bragging rights, a shout out and I’ll send you a paperback of my time travel novel, Wallflower, or a hard copy of Do the Thing! Your choice!

Want more Reward Choices?

Check out my Patreon page to see all the rewards that sponsorship gets you! Just click the Become a Patron button at AllThatChazz.com and see what you can get for being cool.

Not everybody has the money to give money so please leave a review wherever you picked up this podcast! Cheers!

The Obligatory Disclaimer

I wrote Do the Thing! for anyone interested in better managing their time, pain, stress and energy. I podcast each week for the same reason. However, don’t take medical advice from a podcast. For that, you need in person help from a professional. If you’re in doubt as to whether you require assistance in person, ask your doctor in person. No podcast can replace a proper professional health consultation. So there.

Do the Thing! is Robert’s book about many facets of better life management. It’s packed with tons of helpful ideas and points to ponder on the toilet. Available in ebook and paperback. 

A former journalist, Robert Chazz Chute is a manual therapist with 24 years experience helping people ease stress and rehabilitate pain issues. He’s also the author of many books of fiction. Check out his sci-fi, crime thrillers and apocalyptic epics at AllThatChazz.com.

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William Shatner did a lot of things but he’s forever Captain James T. Kirk: A question to ponder

Today, a special question. Normally this would be a podcast day. However, I’ve run out of storage space on my Libsyn plan for this month. (New podcast next week!) I have a piece for you that’s crowd-tested and audience-approved. I posted the question below on Facebook this week and I got so much love for it I decided it’s podcast-replacement worthy! 

FYI: To help out with bandwidth costs, please consider reaping the rewards of sponsorship or click the Become a Patron button to see your rewards.

And now, a little life story and a question to ponder…

On my mother’s first day of school she was called to the front to tell the class her name. She was too shy and refused to move from her seat. The teacher decided to make an example of her and tried to beat her with a leather strap. Then the fight began. “It took two teachers to do it” she said. “Two adults against one little girl on her first day of school.”

Mom smiled when she told that story because she came out right and righteous, a fighter. She didn’t frighten easy. She feared for her children. For herself, she kept anger close by and fury to spare in her pocket.

My mom’s birthday would have been a few days ago. Interesting life. She saved many lives, first as a lifeguard and then as a nurse. She wanted to be a psychiatrist but the times and circumstance stood in her way. Hers was the only Irish Catholic family in town when that was a big deal. They were poor and she stayed poor for a long time. Her mother died when she was five and that loss seemed to define her though she never expressed how. As a nurse, my mother saw many terrible things. Later, she traveled the world and saw many wonderful things. She took the good and bad in each hand and neither weight was heavier. She took it all for what it was (a skill I never learned. Bad weighs heavier with me.)

She married, had three children, became a businessperson, a small town politician and, in her later years, a successful investor. Her stock broker called her for tips. As she hung up on him, she said, “What are you calling me for? I’m just a little old lady!” But she was never “just” anything.

Her favorite car was an old Army Jeep. She hated showing any weakness. She lost a toe to a lawnmower. She giggled a lot. A mysterious tropical virus robbed her of her athleticism and the full use of one leg. She read to me a lot when I was little but I don’t remember that. When I became a teen we fought, almost constantly it seemed to me. We didn’t agree on much, ever. When I made her laugh hard, tears escaped her eyes. I do the same when I laugh really hard. I can hold a burning hot grudge, just like mom, too.

The last time I saw her alive she seemed furious that she was dying. Lung cancer. She hated smoking and had never smoked. Fifteen percent of lung cancer patients suffer the punishment without ever tasting nicotine’s pleasure. She hated the unfairness of that.

We never talked about her looming demise. To acknowledge the end would make it real. The whole family stood by our unspoken agreement to never admit she was mortal. I hope she arrived at peace with it. I like to think so. With her last breath, she waved goodbye.

Six thousand, three hundred and sixteen people die each hour. I don’t believe in heaven or hell. I believe what we do matters while we’re here and that’s pretty much all we have. I curse the days I fail to make a day count for something. When what I do matters, in some small way, Edith Chute’s parade marches on.

I wasn’t there for one of her most shining moments. She didn’t back down when a local minister arrived at her doorstep to try to shut down free speech, freedom and art. I’m most proud of her for that one moment above all others, I think. In my mind’s eye, I see her: tiny, feet planted, hands on hips and jaw set in defiance. Nobody would ever bully her, not a self-righteous minister or two teachers with a leather strap.

Funny how one moment can define us, isn’t it? Terrifying, too.

Out of a whole life, the people who know and love you will remember you most for one thing.

What will your one thing be?

 

 

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Get things done without killing yourself.

Last year I worked four jobs (including writing.) I managed to put out five books in 2016. My favorite fiction has turned out to be Dream’s Dark Flight. It’s got a little more sci-fi packed into the fantasy. However, in the long term, the most important book for me is Do the Thing! I think it will be important to you, too. Please let me tell you how it has changed my life.

Last summer I got away from all my work for just two days. She Who Must Be Obeyed and I went off for a romantic getaway at a B&B an hour from home. It was fancy. We wandered around, held hands and talked about our lives. I had four jobs and so did she. Our schedules are such that sometimes we don’t get to talk much. When we took a step back, we realized how crazy that really is. Stress was high. We both work in fields where we are supposed to help others manage stress. We know quite a bit about it but for much of last year all that was more theory than practice.

In the first week of 2017, we flew to Cuba. It was just the kind of vacation we needed. We lay on the beach and waded in the ocean. I plotted podcasts and a new crime thriller. (That work is always fun for me.) I drank a lot of delicious Cuban coffee and watched the palm tree fronds swish in the wind. It was another reminder of the decisions we made about how to move forward with less friction from the daily grind. The resolutions from our weekend away got revisited. How could we live with less stress? (I want a palm tree in my backyard!) 

The night before we left for Cuba I had pulled an all-nighter to push Do the Thing! to market. The irony was not lost on me but I didn’t want to miss out on New Year’s resolution sales nor did I want to think about my unpublished books while I was on vacation. It took a year and a half to write Do the Thing! I wanted it out in the world. After that all-nighter, I pledged I’d never work that hard to a deadline again. Better planning would have saved me some grief and bought me more sleep. I spent the first couple of days in Cuba recovering from my old life. Now my new life has begun.

I’m back up to four jobs. That hasn’t changed…yet. We’ve got bills to pay. However, I have pledged to live up to my guidelines in Do the Thing! I have lots of great advice for anyone who wants to manage their stress, pain, time and energy. Now I’m living up to it, walking my talk and practicing what I preach. I’m having more fun and I’ve got more energy. I’m getting to the gym and finally making myself a priority. I’m taking care of myself better. The muscles on my meat wagon are coming back and I’m out of pain. My choices are much more conscious now.

That’s what Do the Thing! is all about: living better, living larger, being more effective and having fun doing it. I am a very ambitious and productive person but the frenzy is gone. It seemed that everything was urgent before. Now I’m no longer a hypocrite. I do the thing. And you know what else? Besides relaxing more, I’m saving my life.

That’s why I’m so glad I wrote Do the Thing! I’m living up to my ideals. Each week I talk about some aspect of life management on my podcast. Be assured, I’m not driving myself crazy behind the scenes anymore. I’m getting more sleep, drinking green smoothies. Despite some nagging health problems lately –I burst an eardrum on my descent into Cuba — I’m feeling better every day. 

I can’t wait to see what 2017 brings for me professionally and personally. I have a lot more energy to make things happen (without all the pain I put up with in the past.)

Please do read Do the Thing! Then do your thing, but better and easier. Let’s all have a better 2017. We all have a lot to do but we really can do it with less stress and pain and with more time and energy.

To get your copy of Do the Thing! Click on the link to Do the Thing! on top right. Cheers! ~ Rob

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The End of an Era! The Last Episode of SPRT!

On this, the final episode of the Self-publishing Roundtable, we reminisced about what has gone before and what’s ahead (including a fresh podcast from me.)

I’ll launch the All That Chazz Stress Relief Podcast in the second week of January, 2017. It will be the companion audio for my new stress management guide, Do the Thing!)

My co-panelists were these fun writers: Erica Conroy, Chrishaun Keller-Hanna, Wade Finnegan, Xavier Granville, Zoe Wall, and Dave Wright.

As one podcast dies, four rise in its place. SPRT’s demise is not great but it’s okay. Thanks to all my co-hosts. It’s been a blast.

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Writing Music & Workout Music Braingasms

(And by writing music, I mean music to write to.)

I’m on hiatus from one of my jobs and my other work is slow this week. Concentrating on publishing since I have so many manuscripts banked. I’m going to be be doing more book and life updates here, so don’t forget to subscribe, please.

I’m aiming to finish revisions on the next book in the Ghosts & Demons Series (which will all be rebranded The Dimension Wars.) Long story for another post.  What’s much fun is discovering new music for the soundtrack of my life.
I can get a lot done with various versions of Mission Impossible playing constantly. For working out, the soundtrack to Suicide Squad is damn cool even if you didn’t like the movie. (I did.) Try Work This Body by Walk the Moon, too.

For writing, I’ve discovered some songs that are new to me but are a lot of fun. Sweep the Leg from No More Kings is fun, especially if you, like me,  can’t let go of the movie The Karate Kid.  I’m also a new fan of Jim’s Big Ego. The Ballad of Barry Allen is a haunting take on the Flash. Stress is hilarious and true and I love Jonathan Coulton’s Code Monkey. The clever but yearning tone reminds me of Hackensack by Fountains of Wayne.

Check ’em out. I’m sure you’ll find something to tickle your ear bones.

#Chazziness

Music in the video kicks in at 3:01.