Now what?

Many’s the writer who simply sat down and started writing, and many’s the writer who wished there was an easier way.

Now there is. My writing coaching packages give you the writing support you want. Whether you don’t know how to start, or you’re stuck in the middle, when you want writing to be fun again, or want to increase your skills, I can help. My writing packages include both time to talk about your writing and actual reading and comments upon your written pages. I am kind and truthful (yes, you can have both.)

Packages:

Silver level coaching:
Ideal for those writing one page a day
Includes one coaching call and 30 pages editing per month
$195 per month

Gold level coaching:

Ideal to complete and polish a book in one year or less
Includes two coaching calls and 60 pages editing per month
$295 per month

Platinum level coaching:

Full service for fastest results
Includes three coaching calls, two touch-base calls, 100 pages editing, priority editing to move your project to the front of the line, unlimited email, and surprise gifts
$495 per month

Any package starts with a free conversation to see if we will be a good fit for each other. Call 575-640-0979 to schedule your free call.

I just put all the newsletters that I have archived so far into this blog. I’m hoping this will make it easier for me to keep up with archiving them. From now on, new copies of the newsletter will be added as entries here. This should make it easier to search for specific entries, as well.

I also plan to add occasional entries that are not part of the newsletter here. When I have something to say between formal newsletters, I’ll put a note here. These will be more casual writings. The newsletter has a form.

For those of you who love the convenience and structure of having the newsletter arrive twice a month in your in-box, fear not! The newsletter will continue to go out in the usual fashion. Feel free to subscribe in the box at the upper right if you like what you see.

To your success!
Anna

I make ongoing efforts to focus on the bright. I practice
gratitude, and make plans and goals. I shun marketers who try to
make me afraid, and limit my exposure to pessimists and wallowers.

Yet sometimes I enjoy a good scare. Fear is vivid. I have a
nightmare from childhood that gave the headless horseman a bloody
half-skeletal horse that is stronger than the memory of any of my
pleasant dreams. I occasionally crave a frightening movie, and I
like a dark edge in fantasy novels. I feel alive when giving my
heartrate a bump at a safe distance from actual danger.

There’s a persistent discussion around science fiction conventions
that horror writers are nicer. I found Edward Bryant - whose book
Fetish nearly made me leap off my chair - cordial and courteous.
Actually, Neil Gaiman’s legendary kindness to fans by itself raises
the niceness quotient of horror authors considerably.

So, why do horror authors seem to be so nice? I’ve been
formulating theories about this for years.

The first theory is that it was simply contrast. Expecting a
ghoul, to have created such dripping phantasms, readers were
surprised to discover a simple human. However, the judgment
persisted, when familiarity would have reduced the surprise. So my
next theory was that, having imagined the worst humans could do to
each other, horror authors became very, very cautious around
people. That is, they were polite for self-protection.

But, if that were the case, why would they come into public at all?
So now I have a third theory. It is a theory that has been
offered by many other people throughout recorded history: Looking
at what we fear is good for us. So horror writers are nice because
they have done the work of looking into their own dark places.

The most famous and well-developed version of this theory descends
from Carl Jung. He proposed that what we push away from
consciousness without resolving becomes baggage - a ‘Shadow’ from
which our repressed personal flaws can jump out and ambush us.
According to his theory, we essentially create our own bogeymen.
And the way to remove their power is to look at them and come to
terms with them.

So I think I will look into the dark while I have the yearning.
Perhaps I’ll find a story from the tradition of Christmas ghost
tales. (Charles Dickens’ frequently adapted A Christmas Carol is
the most well-known.) (Yes, I am afraid I’ll die without a
legacy.) Maybe I’ll gather my courage and watch 28 Days Later
(yes, I am afraid of disease, of becoming mindless and violent).
Or I can sample the growing ranks of vampire and werewolf novels,
or seek a story of an insane murderer. (Yes, I am afraid of being
predator or prey.) I’ll look at what I’m afraid of.

It could be fun.

Don’t want to look into the dark alone? I can help! I have great
tools for bringing light to fears. Please call me at 575-640-0979
or reply to this email.

————

Great review!

Prolific writer Alexandra Erin reviewed From Wishing to Writing on
her blog. Check out what she has to say here:

http://www.alexandraerin.com/?p=92

Caution: some of her other sites, including the very popular Tales
of MU, are not safe for work.

————

Small Steps

“That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Neil Armstrong, as he placed the first footprint on the Moon.

This issue’s Small Step for Space: Share one of your favorite books
set in space.

Every so often, someone rounds up some space scientists and
engineers, and asks why they chose that work. More often than not,
they were inspired by reading science fiction, often Robert
Heinlein. So keep the world reading! It makes a difference.

————

Book Recommendation

Natural History by Justina Robson

I’m always excited to find a good book by a new author. Natural
History was a very satisfying read. Humans have created many
“Forged” — people who have the self-awareness and thinking
abilities drawn from human genes, repackaged into forms suited to a
particular service. As the story starts, Isol, a Forged space
explorer, encounters an alien artifact on her way to Barnard’s Star.
Damaged by debris, she can only save herself by taking it in. Its
surprising abilities offer a chance for the Forged to leave Earth
for a new homeworld. But what are those voices from the shadows?

————

We are smarter together! Please forward this newsletter to a friend.

————

Creating Space is my twice-monthly newsletter. In my usual
fashion, I chose the name for more than one reason. One goal of my
newsletter and my coaching practice is to create a space that opens
new perspectives on my clients’ lives. Another goal is to offer
information and support for creating a spacefaring civilization.
It will take many, many steps for humanity to leave the nest of
Earth. Better to take the steps we can than to despair at the size
of the project.

You can subscribe to Creating Space at
www.annaparadox.com/newsletter. And you can ask any questions you
have about my life coaching and editing services by calling me at
575-640-0979 or emailing me at anna@annaparadox.com.

I wish you the power of creating space.
Anna Paradox

In the U.S., we hold three festivals of abundance for the final
months of the year: Halloween, and Thanksgiving in Fall and
Christmas on the cusp of Winter.

Feasting through harvest is a very old human practice. As the days
start to cool, plant foods are as abundant as in Summer, and, when
we did not have the technology to store them in freezers and cans,
we stored them as fat. Wise herders would trim their stock before
the fodder grew scarce. That meant extra meat on the table. Fall
was time to eat and celebrate before the cold, lean months of
Winter.

By this standard, Thanksgiving is the most traditional of our Fall
holidays. To deliberately draw attention to being grateful for the
abundance was the early American innovation. It has done well for
us. The extra step of appreciating our abundance — as well as
consuming it — adds depth to the celebration. It creates a pause
that lets us feel the value of what we have, instead of rushing on
to the next acquisition.

I feel richer stopping to savor what I have than chasing what I
don’t. Check in with yourself — which feels better? Wanting, or
thankfulness?

Of course, I love Halloween and Christmas, too. At Halloween, we
have so much candy that we can give it away for the asking. And we
have so much freedom that we can try on any identity we choose to.
At Christmas, we celebrate the gifts that we have been given, and
the chance to give. The more prosperous I have become, the more I
prefer giving. Making someone happy is more fun than adding more
stuff to my stash. There is a slight paradox here, as my family
also has what they need. So we’ve made the gift exchange more of a
game of giving than an obligation.

In the stores, the displays seem to push for more, more, more.
Many retailers jump right from Halloween to Christmas now — I
guess Thanksgiving is not as marketable. Isn’t it interesting that
just as the sellers started skipping Thanksgiving’s pause for
appreciation, we started naming Black Friday?

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving. It had become the
biggest retail day of the year, as shoppers with a rare weekday off
went out to get a jump on their Christmas purchases. Now, we label
it to recall great disasters and the Black Monday stock market
crashes of 1929 and 1987. By repressing Thanksgiving, we’ve
created a retail shadow. For some, it is a protest against
commercialization of the holidays. For some, it is a day too
crowded and hectic to venture from home. For some retailers, it
becomes a disappointment, as the hoped for sales do not
materialize.

It is a natural process. Push something too far, and it creates a
backlash. In this case, what we’ve pushed too far is buying and
gathering stuff. I expect the backlash to get stronger, even as
Christmas displays become more insistent. Chase someone too hard,
and they begin to run away.

Keep an eye out for going too far this season. Pause to appreciate
what you have.

For my part, I appreciate you reading my newsletters. If I can
serve you, please let me know.

————

A Gift

I now offer a free preview of From Wishing to Writing. It includes
the text of the first four days of the Kickstart Your Writing
E-Course, in addition to information on the top seven problems that
stop writers cold and the entire chapter to solve the first problem.

Please help yourself to the free preview at
www.annaparadox.com/from-wishing-to-writing/.

————

Small Steps

“That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Neil Armstrong, as he placed the first footprint on the Moon.

This issue’s Small Step for Space: Write to your representatives to
let them know you support tracking near-Earth objects.

The budget for observing space objects that might collide with Earth
is currently under review. A letter to your Senator or
Representative at this time could be especially effective.

————

Book Recommendation

Titan by John Varley

Cirocco Jones is the captain of the first NASA ship to approach
Saturn. When they discover an artifical body orbiting Saturn, at
first it is a chance to ignite some interest in Space among the
bored nations of Earth. When the body reaches out and grabs their
ship, it becomes a matter of personal survival. This is a great
adventure with adult sensibilities. Varley adds interesting
personal dynamics to a story whose scope grows throughout the book.

————

We are smarter together! Please forward this newsletter to a friend.

————

Creating Space is my twice-monthly newsletter. In my usual
fashion, I chose the name for more than one reason. One goal of my
newsletter and my coaching practice is to create a space that opens
new perspectives on my clients’ lives. Another goal is to offer
information and support for creating a spacefaring civilization.
It will take many, many steps for humanity to leave the nest of
Earth. Better to take the steps we can than to despair at the size
of the project.

You can subscribe to Creating Space at
www.annaparadox.com/newsletter. And you can ask any questions you
have about my life coaching and editing services by calling me at
505-640-0979 or emailing me at anna@annaparadox.com.

I wish you the power of creating space.
Anna Paradox

From the moment we entered Holloman Air Force Base, we were in a
different culture. I’ve never seen more efficient parking
management. Each entering car met a director at every turn, and a
three person team lined up our vehicles precisely. It was a great
display of American organization.

Security went smoothly and politely. The Air Base deserves
congratulations for outstanding logistics.

Once inside, there were many booths from airplane and rocket
companies from around the world. There were rockets on display and
t-shirts for sale. A rocket launched soon after we arrived,
visible to the eye and on a huge screen. It rose to a great
height, deployed its parachute, and landed safely.

Inside a hangar, ten high school teams competed for the Pete Conrad
prize for space innovation. They had developed ideas from lunar
washing machines to nozzle stabilizers to education in space to an
entire orbital colony.

Not just the grand outline of life in space, but the details are
coming into focus. Space had not felt so real and close to me since
the Apollo landings.

The greatest drama of the day came as Armadillo Aerospace aimed to
win the first phase of the Lunar Lander X-Prize, for $350,000. The
challenge is to drive a rocket to a pad, fuel it, lift off to a
height of 50 meters, stay in the air 90 seconds, and land 50 meters
from the takeoff site — then refuel, and return to the original
launch pad along a similar flight — all within two and a half
hours.

The remote-controlled rocket made the first flight flawlessly. The
second flight launched on schedule, went up high enough, descended,
and began to hover over the pad to reach 90 seconds. We saw a lot
of dust billowing around the landing area. On landing — so close!
– the rocket tipped over.

Compare this to the six month cycle to prepare the Space Shuttle to
launch again. We are making progress.

It was great to be surrounded by so many people working on Space
Flight. Gathered together, it was easy to believe and continue to
try.

So that’s my tip for today — if you have a dream, surround
yourself with people who believe in it. Or hire a professional
coach — it’s my job to create the space where your dreams can
bloom.

May you soar!
Anna

————

Now available! From Wishing to Writing: A Workbook for Writers
(with special attention to science fiction)

It’s here! A complete package to overcome seven writing problems
and increase your writing productivity forever. Buy From Wishing
to Writing and get the 30 Day Kickstart Your Writing E-Course free.
All the details are here: annaparadox.com/from-wishing-to-writing.

————

Small Steps - new feature!

“That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Neil Armstrong, as he placed the first footprint on the Moon.

Each issue, this new section offers a suggestion for an action you
can take now to help humans return to space. We can do it! We
have forty year’s technical advancements since we last sent men to
the Moon!

This issue’s Small Step for Space: Get informed. Subscribe to a
space website or magazine and keep up with space developments.

My favorite source of space news is spaceports.blogspot.com. A few
more resources worth checking are Space.com, Moon Miner’s Manifesto,
Ad Astra magazine, and the newly launched Launch! magazine.

————

Book Recommendation

Candle (Meme Wars) by John Barnes

Earth is a battlefield — not between nations or corporations, but
between the immense, self-aware memes that live in human minds.
When two men meet in an isolated area, they must decide if either of
them is free, and whether they can trust each other. Taut story-
telling and interesting speculation in a small package.

————

We are smarter together! Please forward this newsletter to a friend.

————

Creating Space is my twice-monthly newsletter. In my usual
fashion, I chose the name for more than one reason. One goal of my
newsletter and my coaching practice is to create a space that opens
new perspectives on my clients’ lives. Another goal is to offer
information and support for creating a spacefaring civilization.
It will take many, many steps for humanity to leave the nest of
Earth. Better to take the steps we can than to despair at the size
of the project.

You can subscribe to Creating Space at
www.annaparadox.com/newsletter. And you can ask any questions you
have about my life coaching and editing services by calling me at
505-640-0979 or emailing me at anna@annaparadox.com.

I wish you the power of creating space.
Anna Paradox

The ocotillo has adapted to the desert by practicing extreme
dormancy. In the dry season, it drops its leaves. The leafless
branches are grey and dry and hard. They are straight enough to
place very close to each other in a fence. They have one-inch
thorns that spiral up the stem. The thorns point straight out in
all four directions, and there is barely room to place a finger
between them. With its interesting form, and varied grey lines
down the stems, the dry ocotillo is attractive in a stark way.

When the rains come, the ocotillo transforms. Green leaves sprout
between the thorns until the thorns are scarcely noticeable. More
stems grow from the base, in a reaching rosette. The gently curved
stems seem to sway like underwater fronds, up to twenty feet tall.
And, in season, joyful red-orange blooms burst from the tips like
waving hands. A watered ocotillo is a beautiful, lush, exuberant,
growing plant. A dry ocotillo looks like firewood.

Like the ocotillo, we live through cycles. We have more choices
than a rooted plant. Yet sometimes the resources we need are more
available than others. Sometimes we have to wait to get what we
want or need. What do we do then? Do we rail against the scarcity
of water, wasting energy? Do we patiently drop our leaves until
the rains return? Do we look for new ways to get water?

For me, watching the ocotillos, and realizing that there will be
cycles, has helped me relax in the dry times. Not everything can
happen right now. I can’t do everything at once, and I wouldn’t
want to. There is a time to sleep, and a time to wake. There are
times to work, and times to play. There will be more sun in
summer, and less in the winter. Plants take their time to grow,
and projects advance one step at a time.

Sometimes, waiting will be the best choice. Enjoy it, and you’ll
be ready to blossom when the rain comes.

————

Now available! From Wishing to Writing: A Workbook for Writers
(with special attention to science fiction)

It’s here! I have the beautiful version of From Wishing to
Writing, and the new bonuses. Buy From Wishing to Writing and get
the 30 Day Kickstart Your Writing E-Course free. All the details
are here: annaparadox.com/from-wishing-to-writing.

————

Small Steps - new feature!

“That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Neil Armstrong, as he placed the first footprint on the Moon.

Each issue, this new section offers a suggestion for an action you
can take now to help humans return to space. We can do it! We
have forty year’s technical advancements since we last sent men to
the Moon!

This issue’s Small Step for Space: Take a child out to look at the
stars.

This is a perfect season to share the wonder of a starry sky. The
sun sets earlier, and yet the nights are not yet too cold. Set
aside an evening to get away from city lights and appreciate what’s
beyond this planet.

————

Book Recommendation

A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge

A Fire Upon the Deep puts humans in the middle of a truly galactic
conflict. Seeking to excavate valuable information, a human team
awakens a very old and very malign intelligence. Notice how long
that enemy was prepared to lie dormant until its time came again.
Only the most desperate measures allow a few humans to escape and
give the galaxy a chance to prepare for the coming war. A Fire Upon
the Deep is a truly epic story with inventive aliens, surprising
speculations about thought, and battles between entire fleets of
starships. Not to be missed, and worth re-reading if you’ve read it
before.

————

We are smarter together! Please forward this newsletter to a friend.

————

Creating Space is my twice-monthly newsletter. In my usual
fashion, I chose the name for more than one reason. One goal of my
newsletter and my coaching practice is to create a space that opens
new perspectives on my clients’ lives. Another goal is to offer
information and support for creating a spacefaring civilization.
It will take many, many steps for humanity to leave the nest of
Earth. Better to take the steps we can than to despair at the size
of the project.

You can subscribe to Creating Space at
www.annaparadox.com/newsletter. And you can ask any questions you
have about my life coaching and editing services by calling me at
505-640-0979 or emailing me at anna@annaparadox.com.

I wish you the power of creating space.
Anna Paradox

Humans naturally vary in how large a picture they like to look at.
I’m relatively uninterested in detail work, especially of the
physical variety. My husband creates much better results than I do
when building shelves, because he likes measuring with close
attention and placing boards precisely.

We make great allies. When we moved, for example, I calculated
departure dates and timelines, and he made sure we remembered the
cats.

I had another perspective on the wide vision/narrow focus spectrum
recently. I was listening to Mark Joyner* talk about building a
business, and he said “People will do what they believe they can
do.”

I learned much about changing beliefs in my life coach training.
Joyner’s comment has another implication: if you can break a large
project into small, simple pieces — all of which you believe you
can do — you can dissolve a huge barrier to starting the
project.

Henry Ford said it this way, “If you think you can do a thing or
think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.” When he created the
first assembly lines, he divided the work of building a car into a
series of extremely simple steps. Each man on the line did one
small task, over and over again, growing more efficient at it every
day. The result increased speed and reduced cost until average
American families could afford a car. Those small steps led to the
auto industry of today, car ownership as the default rather than
the exception, and the interstate highway system moving people and
products in vast, interwoven patterns. Small steps create huge
changes.

What great vision would you like to see become a reality? What
small step could you take towards it today?

I’m taking two actions. First, I have created a 30 day e-course as
a bonus with my book From Wishing to Writing. It starts aspiring
authors with writing five minutes a day, gradually increasing to
fifteen minutes a day. Easy, right?

Second, I’m adding a new section to this newsletter. Each issue, I
will offer one action, possible right now, that contributes to
building a spacefaring civilization.

Those are my small steps for today. What are yours?

*Mark Joyner applies the “small, simple step” concept brilliantly.
Take a look at his Simple-ology 101 course at www.simpleology.com.
It’s free, and includes excellent tools to help you conquer your
projects one small action at a time.

————

Now available! From Wishing to Writing: A Workbook for Writers
(with special attention to science fiction)

It’s here! I have the beautiful version of From Wishing to
Writing, and the new bonuses. Buy From Wishing to Writing and get
the 30 Day Kickstart Your Writing E-Course free. All the details
are here: annaparadox.com/from-wishing-to-writing.

————

Small Steps - new feature!

“That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Neil Armstrong, as he placed the first footprint on the Moon.

Each issue, this new section offers a suggestion for an action you
can take now to help humans return to space. We can do it! We
have forty year’s technical advancements since we last sent men to
the Moon!

This issue’s Small Step for Space: Attend the X-Prize Cup.

The 2007 X-Prize Cup is a Space Expo at Holloman Air Force Base in
New Mexico on October 26th through 28th. See more details at
space.xprize.org/x-prize-cup/

————

Book Recommendation

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

For me, Foundation remains the archetypical galactic empire novel.
Who could forget Hari Seldon and his great plan? The first book in
a very enjoyable and influential trilogy.

————

We are smarter together! Please forward this newsletter to a friend.

————

Creating Space is my twice-monthly newsletter. In my usual
fashion, I chose the name for more than one reason. One goal of my
newsletter and my coaching practice is to create a space that opens
new perspectives on my clients’ lives. Another goal is to offer
information and support for creating a spacefaring civilization.
It will take many, many steps for humanity to leave the nest of
Earth. Better to take the steps we can than to despair at the size
of the project.

You can subscribe to Creating Space at
www.annaparadox.com/newsletter. And you can ask any questions you
have about my life coaching and editing services by calling me at
505-640-0979 or emailing me at anna@annaparadox.com.

I wish you the power of creating space.
Anna Paradox

A panel is the usual form of education and entertainment at a
science fiction convention. Three to six authors, scientists,
artists, long-time fans, or other experts sit behind a table at the
front of the room, and discuss a topic. When a panel works well,
each panelist brings their own perspective to the topic, we share
information, and the audience asks quality questions and
contributes additional knowledge.

For example, in Privacy in the Age of Surveillance, I arrived with
a social perspective. My copanelists brought knowledge of the
state of the art in technology, and a discussion of self-protection
and trust networks emerged between us. For the Fan Body Language
panel, each panelist had noticed different things about how to spot
an sf fan in a crowd. When we tried some demonstration
conversations, the observers picked up patterns the conversers were
not consciously aware of.

In both cases, having three panelists brought out more knowledge
than having a single speaker. Different backgrounds bring
different information to the table. More than that, simply having
a different perspective allowed some panelists to see what others
couldn’t. I am not conscious of my own body language and
blindspots. The panelists watching me could see them.

When time allows, I have other eyes look over these newsletters
before they go out. My editors see weaknesses I miss, and my
writing becomes better. So, even though I am sometimes
uncomfortable receiving criticism, I have trained myself over years
of classes, workshops, and writing groups to look for quality
feedback and to appreciate receiving it. It pays off just as well
for me as it does for my clients who pay me to edit their
manuscripts.

Does the advantage of smart collaboration apply to large groups as
well as small ones? We have been gathering evidence that it does.
Open societies — those that discuss policies and accept criticism
– have won in economic and military conflict over closed
societies. Businesses that discover ways for employees and
customers to contribute become more agile and profitable than ones
set in hierarchical bureaucracy. And the peer review process of
science pushes advancement faster than any previous method of
investigating the universe.

So, if we want to be smart - if we want to solve the large and
small problems of our time - we need to learn to work together. We
need to find ways to use differences as a strength rather than a
cause for conflict. We need to accept and appreciate those who
point out the weaknesses in our plans and projects. We need each
other.

Think about how you can use another perspective to strengthen your
work. Do you have a friend who sees what you don’t? Could the
insight of a professional coach discover a new approach for you?
If you are stuck, in your work, or in your life, who might see the
way out?

Providing perspective is part of my work. I would be glad to serve
you.

————

Free preview!

My new workbook for writers is here. It’s called From Wishing to
Writing. Now you can download a free preview at
annaparadox.com/from-wishing-to-writing/

You can also order the plain vanilla version for $12. In October,
I will have the beautiful version, and the price will go up to $17.

————

Book Recommendation

The Musashi Flex by Steve Perry

Mourn is an aging duelist in the illegal but extremely popular
competition known as Musashi Flex. Duelists seek out other
registered fighters on the streets of an interplanetary
civilization. Beating a higher ranked fighter raises your rank.
Mourn has peaked near 20th, and feels it may be time to retire,
when he meets an ambitious reporter seeking to film the fights. He
saves her life, and as he teaches her to defend herself, she sees
something he had missed in his two decades of competition. As he
builds a new style around her insight, will it be enough to take
him to the top? Will it save his life against a ruthless
industrialist using a reflex-enhancing drug too new to be against
the rules? The Musashi Flex is a well-written, taut, and entertaining
read where more is at stake than first appears. It had been a few
years since I picked up a new Steve Perry, and I’m glad to say that
The Musashi Flex adds perfect pacing to his already great skill at
writing fight scenes.

————

We are smarter together! Please forward this newsletter to a
friend.

————

Creating Space is my twice-monthly newsletter. In my usual
fashion, I chose the name for more than one reason. One goal of my
newsletter and my coaching practice is to create a space that opens
new perspective on my clients’ lives. Another goal is to offer
information and support for creating a spacefaring civilization.
It will take many, many steps for humanity to leave the nest of
Earth. Better to take the steps we can than to despair at the size
of the project.

You can subscribe to Creating Space at
www.annaparadox.com/newsletter. And you can ask any questions you
have about my life coaching and editing services by calling me at
505-640-0979 or emailing me at anna@annaparadox.com.

I wish you the power of creating space.
Anna Paradox

All the games I knew when I was young were win/lose games. We’d
play Monopoly and Risk and chess. I played cribbage by the hour
with my cousins, Rummy with my Grandma B., poker on winter evenings
in my Dad’s den. Someone won, someone lost. We played hard to
win, and for the most part, took more pleasure in playing than
sting from losing.

Around junior high, I first heard of games that didn’t make winners
and losers. I started playing Dungeons and Dragons with my best
friend Jeff. I’d create a dungeon, he’d create a couple of
characters to explore it. We’d roll the dice, and find out if his
characters would survive the fights along the way and carry home
the treasure. Mostly they did. The game went on, we worked
together to make good stories, and his characters gained experience
and grew every more powerful. It was hard to say if anyone really
‘won’ or ‘lost’. It takes an endpoint to define a winner.

Then, when I went to summer camp, the counselors introduced us to
‘ungames’ — activities specifically designed to play like games,
yet create no winners or losers. They were fun for short periods.
I haven’t heard of anyone playing one in quite a while. Without
some sort of reward for play, they didn’t hold as much interest as
traditional games.

Eventually, I took some classes in economics, and learned about
win/win games. In a win/win game, everyone who plays gains a
reward. The classic example (especially to economists) is the free
market. If a buyer freely chooses to purchase my product, and I
freely choose to sell it, then the buyer and the seller both win.
The buyer wins because she values her purchase more than the money,
and I win because I value the money more than my product.
Everybody wins.

Now I enjoy win/win games more than any others. I still play games
like Dungeons and Dragons, and I feel like everyone wins when we
create a good story together. And I’m a life coach. When I have a
good match with a player, I win by helping out and receiving my
fee, and my player has a huge win by having my support to see the
game, choose a goal, and take the actions to reach it.

Want to play? Just reply to this message. We’ll see if we can
make a win/win together.

————

Now Available! From Wishing to Writing: A Workbook for Writers

I can’t wait! So you can get the plain vanilla version of my new
workbook for writers today! In a few weeks, I’ll finish the
graphic title page and raise the price. See the details now
at http://www.annaparadox.com/from-wishing-to-writing/

————

Book Recommendation

Dream Park by Larry Niven and Steven Barnes

It’s hard to write a good novel about a game. A novel is fiction,
and then the game creates a second level of unreality. The
characters can seem too removed to care about.

This one does the best of any game novel I have read. The game
itself is a very good one. Then, a murder in the game park puts
all the players under suspicion, and the characters suddenly have
much more to lose.

If you’ve never played a role-playing game like Dungeons and
Dragons, this will give you an idea of the attraction in them. I
was surprised to discover this was out of print. There are still
plenty of copies available online.

————

Would you like to share this newsletter? Please do! And please keep
the paragraphs below attached.

Anna Paradox is a life coach who speaks science fiction. Her
clients invest in themselves to achieve their dreams. If you’d like
to join them, call me at 505-640-0979. Or email me at
anna@annaparadox.com

Creating Space is her twice-monthly newsletter with tips, insights,
and a book recommendation for science fiction fans and space
activists. You can subscribe at www.annaparadox.com/newsletter, and
read back issues there, too.