Barkeep! Bring me a double!

The Teaching Front

Well, as of today, I’ve got a double teaching load. I’ll be covering a peer’s classes for the rest of the semester.

The

Rest

Of

The

Semester.

Woo, let it all out, Murphy.

I can’t get into what happened (well, I won’t get into what happened) but I have a great deal of respect for this peer and frankly, I feel like a shit taking their classes. But it needs doing.

It has been a hell of a semester.

More later. In the meantime, drop in on John Birmingham’s Blunt Instrument to see his take on the Major Hasan Fort Hood Incident.

Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri

What does it take to write a set of lecture notes?

The Teaching Front: Writing a Lecture

When you come to a topic cold, or nearly cold, the first order of business is reading and research. What are the main issues concerning your subject matter? Why are they important? How do they relate to the overall narrative you are trying to weave in your course? Finally, why should the students care one way or the other?

I went into overdrive on research prep for Andrew Jackson this last Friday. I had been kinda poking and puttering with it for three, maybe four weeks. To be honest, my greater interest lies with my Western Civ One class and thus a lot of my attention went to that effort.

Now it is time to pay the Piper. Starting Friday night I’ve been reading the research material.

My ideal method is to read for an hour or so, then putter for a bit or do something else. It isn’t efficient in the literal sense that I didn’t bust my head against a brick wall for eight hours straight. My method of processing information doesn’t work that way, never has. I have to allow the raw, bleeding information to settle before I can work with it.

Figure this is much akin to mining ore for the foundry, chopping down trees for furniture or in the creative writing side of things, writing up that very first draft.

Once this is done, it is time to see about building a framework for the lecture. I organize the framework based upon the main topics. I decided those topics by virtue of the questions I asked above.

In Jackson’s case, the main topics would be as follows:

The Removal of Native Americans from the State of Georgia.
The Bank War between President Jackson and Nicholas Biddle.
The Spoils/Patronage System.
The Nullification Crisis.

Once those topics are laid out, I usually fill in some background if I am focusing on a person. For Jackson this means their early childhood, military career and early political career. You can relate those to the greater historical narrative if you play your cards right, which is what I do when I focus on Andrew Carnegie or Theodore Roosevelt.

Then it is time to write the lecture. This is a synthesis of research material, my own spin on that material and some points designed to breakdown and relate the material to students who know NOTHING about the material.

A good, effective lecture needs to be written, edited, reviewed and revised at least once. Then one needs to go over it before class, ideally readling it outloud (I can’t remember the last time I did this as there is never time for this).

It is counter to fiction writing in that you have to have something ready before you’ve had the time to truly polish it. The students almost always receive a first or second draft. None of my lecture notes, not even the best ones, are what I would consider to be on par with my publishable fiction.

I would also add that writing a lecture for a history class is not like writing a paper for a graduate level course. You have to find a way to relate the material to the students in a manner they can grasp and understand, which is contrary to the academic mode of writing.

Accessibility must be your goal though it must not sacrifice the depth of the material.

Ideally, every lecture would get a full week of such effort. At best, they get maybe sixteen hours before they are sent off to the students. In my American History 121 days, I got close to the standard of a week of prep prior to deployment. Those days, however, are long gone.

So, that is what is going on in my life.

On we go. I’ve got lunch to choke down and revisions to the Jackson lecture to write.

Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri

I need to recreate this.

Yeah, I know, I should be dealing with Andrew Jackson. I’ll get to him. Hell, I spent all day yesterday reading, thinking and even watching a movie on Andrew Jackson. I got Old Hickory coming out of my ass right now.

The Old Writing Space

This is where a lot of finishing work took place back in the Uniguard Era. This is a shot of the bedroom office down in Der Bunker at Sunny Hills Apartments. Most of my work took place here on Saturday nights when I was broke. I didn’t like working during the day due to the lack of direct sunlight.

I know, I’m a fickle, picky writer.

Reading and proofing took place here. The bed was used as a work table to lay out scenes.

So, I need to recreate this in The Pod.

The Pod has potential, God knows. Here we have ample light. Here we have ample ventilation. Here we have the required silence (barring Trinity cleaning the Pod, iPod operations and the like). The reading space you see above has been recreated in the Pod but a true writing space has not. The dining room table you see there defaults as a workspace of sorts but it can keep people awake (Trinity in the early evening, yours truly at oh my God thirty).

What you do not see is the segregated office area off to the right. The computer, the desks and the printer is over there. The table you see in the above is pretty good for writing and more to the point, affordable. Trinity and I have been planning to purchase a second, possibly even a third, for our respective workspaces.

It could be that simple. A space wide enough to hold both the laptop and a writing pad might do the trick.

Lastly, and John Birmingham has told me this before, I need to see about setting aside two to four hours of time where yours truly does nothing but write. I have not been very effective at doing this (mainly I’ve not picked times during the work week when I’d be willing to write). Saturday and Sunday mornings between nine and one would be ideal for the weekends but I’ll have to work with Trinity on that one. Saturday is nominally “Chore, Clean up and Resupply Day.”

TO DO LIST:

1. Get larger desk/table.
2. Set established blocks of time for writing.
3. Set rules for the established blocks of time for writing.
4. Get some writing done.

I can either try the above, or I think the other solution is to find a security job on second shift that is similar to the one I escaped.

I’ll ponder it some more. Lunch is coming up the Pod and yours truly is expected there for pot roast.

Then it’ll be back to Old Hickory. Sigh.

Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri

Lost and Found

The Historian Found

I’m a history instructor. I can say that because it is true. I’ve been at it for coming up on three years now. Becoming a college history instructor was on the list of Things Very Unlikely to Happen to Murphy four years ago. Now it is reality.

I have a lot to learn, both as an instructor and as a historian. There are gaps in my knowledge and worse yet, sometimes I do not present things as clearly as I’d like. Yet, strangely enough, I do very well in evals by students and peers.

I’m reliable enough to be given other courses when peers go out for one reason or another. In fact, I do not think a single semester has passed since my first where I was NOT called upon to cover something.

Granted, I wish I did a better job and I am definitely my own worst critic. Still, I love what I am doing. My only fear is that I will always be stuck in Adjunctland or worse, languishing in some awful college in the middle of nowhere on pay not much better than my Uniguard Era salary.

The Writer Lost

My writing career is stalled. There is no other way to describe, it is well and truly stalled. Here are the problems as I see them.

First, when I write a story, the first thing that comes to my mind is, “Who can I sell this to?” In fact, that causes me more aggravation and anxiety than anything else. It is the source of so much kicking and screaming at the walls over the last decade. Overly restrictive submission guidelines simply shut me down cold. I deeply resent them and I will always resent them. This saps a lot of energy out of any desire to write at all.

Second, if I do find a story I want to write that I think I can sell, I have trouble finding the time and a decent place where I can write WITHOUT INTERRUPTION. It seems to be a hallmark of my life that no matter where I go, someone will interrupt me. If someone doesn’t interrupt me, someone will have their screaming kids there, or they’ll be talking loud enough to be heard five counties over (to be fair, I am guilty of the later).

And for whatever reason, everyone seems to think that if Murphy is staring at a screen or a pad of paper, that must be the perfect moment to talk to him.

Third, I let the internet distract me even though there really isn’t that much there for me these days.

Fourth, what time I do have is often sucked off into prepping history lectures. I suspect that once I get a solid frame of lectures built for my classes this issue will ease off a bit, leaving me with tests to grade, things to tweak, polishing and such.

Fifth, on those rare moments when I do get time, I almost never have any energy.

Trinity said a frightening thing to me this morning but she is not the first to say it.

Maybe teaching is my calling and writing is only a hobby.

That goes against everything I understand about myself. I AM a writer and it IS my profession, just as much as I AM a historian and it IS my profession. It always grated against my nerves during the Uniguard Era when folks asked me, “Why do you still read history books, Murph? Not like you are ever going to get to teach.”

I am lost as a writer, that much is certain. The marketplace is changing and I can sense that. The formula that worked for nearly a hundred plus years doesn’t work so well today and I suspect its effectiveness will decline over the next few years. That means there is probably some new way, some better way of moving forward. I don’t know what it is yet, no one really does but it doesn’t change the fact that yours truly is well and truly lost.

However, being lost doesn’t mean that I am not a writer. It doesn’t mean that writing will always be some sideshow in my life. I simply refuse to accept that.

Here is a guess on what I think might happen.

It is not uncommon for me to allow a part of myself to go fallow for a period of years while I wait for an opportunity or a reallocation of personal resources to take place. Perhaps, if you believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster (I don’t, or any other higher power), it is part of the Plan to go through this spell as a writer. Gardner Dozois once related, not long after I sold Tearing Down Tuesday to Interzone that he went three years between his first and second sale. Lou Antonelli, the last writer to sell to Gardner at Asimov’s prior to his retirement, waited for a number of years between professional sales as well.

In the meantime, I suppose I should see what I can do to reorder my life. I’ve been talking to Trinity about ways she can help (namely, if she sees me trying to read or write something to please, please, please, oh please for the love of God please do not ask me to do something right at that moment because everyone in my life has done that to include my very parents when I was a kid). She wants to help, I know she does. She wants to understand, I know that as well.

Also, I really don’t have a writing space anymore. I lost that when I left Uniguard, ironically enough. Funny how that part of my plan, to write my way out of that security guard job, succeeded a little too well. Trinity and I are going to sit down, look at the Pod and see what can be done about creating such a space.

I am frustrated, folks. More frustrated than anyone can possibly know. I’ve got to find a way to get back into the saddle and stay there.

Enough self indulgence. Back to Andrew Jackson.

Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri

Does anyone own a Kindle DX?

I’m asking because I want to know what folks think of it. Happy with it or not?

I’m interested in one because it would be nice to have a device which would carry all of my lecture notes for my classes in one light, easy to use piece of equipment.

It is entirely possible that I may move into the 21st Century yet.

Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri

A Weekend with Old Hickory

The Teaching Front

I’ll be spending the weekend focusing on Andrew Jackson. Soldier, lawyer, politician and eventually President of the United States. A firm believer in democracy yet a slave owner.

I have three major issues to cover with Jackson. The first is the Nullification Crisis, which is something I already have material for as a result of my Slavery lecture. The second is the removal of the Civilized Tribes from Georgia, also known as the Trail of Tears. The third is the Bank War, a conflict over the Second Bank of the United States.

I’ve got what should be a colorful, interesting character. Andrew Jackson has a hot temper, quick to violence yet tempered ever so slightly with intelligence and talent. He’ll shape the nation during his presidency.

And yet I’ve always avoided him.

Why? No particular reason. Coming up through college I have to admit that Jackson never interested me. As I started to teach American History I found that I was pressed for time and skipped him in order to get to the Civil War, which I consider to be far more important. It probably doesn’t help matters that I consider the Civil War to be far more interesting.

However, the time has come for me to knuckle down. I’ve got to understand this man, get to know him and I’ve got two days in which to do it. This should be more than enough time to get a tolerable understanding of him (so long as I am not interrupted or distracted).

I simply wish I were more interested in this time period from 1812 to 1846.

So I’m off to focus on that. Trinity has given me the weekend to do the work and more to the point, she has been a lot better about making sure I get the sleep I need.

And for that, I thank the Woman I love from the bottom of my heart.

Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri

Rate My Princeps.

I was giving a lecture on Augustus in my Western Civ class. It was pretty dry, going over various laws and reforms passed by Augustus when I came across his intolerance of written criticism. The students didn’t quite bite into that so I switched it up by comparing it to a modern day equivalent.

College instructors dread Rate My Professors, a website where students rate their instructors. Personally I think the ratings say far more about the students than they do about the instructors. In any case, the students all know the site exists and read it I suspect.

I created a fictional comparison with Rate My Princeps, the difference being that Augustus has the ability to figure out who wrote the entry, even if it is supposedly nameless. Then you get a knock at the door.

“Who is it?”

Maybe you had to be there. You might have liked Sertorius and the White Fawn story better.

“You say John is trapped in a well?”

“You say Pompey is over the hill?”

You had to be there I guess.

Anyway, I’m pondering the whole writing bit of my life right now. In the meantime, here are some videos.

The Friday Night Video Offerings

Let’s see, got some Doobie Brothers here.

Man, I can smell the month of Julius Caesar when I listen to this one. The next one reminds me of my five months in the Persian Gulf back in 1991.

And maybe some Kasabian, Club Foot.

Yeah, not the quite the original video but we’ve got the right song. Here is one that I sometimes listen to whenever I get discouraged on the Teaching Front.

A bit of Disturbed right there.

So it goes. I’ll be busy prepping an emergency, in depth, five star, airtight lecture on Andrew Jackson over the weekend. But I’m sure I’ll pop in now and then.

Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri

Pondering the Fort Hood Incident

First, I am glad that I was too busy to post anything in the heat of the moment yesterday when this story broke. I would have made the standard assumptions based upon false or distorted information. In fact, I wonder, as I type this up, if I might still be in danger of this.

In any event, if you didn’t know, there was a shooting at Fort Hood, Texas yesterday around 1330 hours local time. A single shooter, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, managed to kill twelve and wound thirty-one. The full story from Stars and Stripes is linked below this paragraph.

http://ap.stripes.com/dynamic/stories/U/US_FORT_HOOD_SHOOTING?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2009-11-06-07-20-28

My thoughts? Well, I leaped to the conclusion during early reports that perhaps it may have been a coordinated terrorist attack. I suspect given what I know now that this is unlikely.

The more likely conclusion is that Major Hasan was having trouble with his role as a counselor, caregiver, soldier and a practicing Muslim. Given the contradictory statements given by those that knew him, ranging from, “He was a dedicated soldier,” to “he disagreed with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan” I suspect we have a man who tried very hard to contain his true feelings. He was burdened further by caring for those, counseling those soldiers, who were involved in a war he disagreed with. Finally, he was order to prepare for deployment after managing to sit the war out for most of the decade.

Toss in some of the alleged harassment and well, you have to wonder why he didn’t blow sooner.

Then again, Hasan is just one man. The US Army is an institution of over 550,000 plus on active duty not counting reserves and the National Guard. Hasan surely isn’t the only person in the Army struggling with his role and the contradiction that role presents with their personal beliefs. For the most part, everyone else maintains their military bearing, focuses on accomplishing the mission (even if they disagree with it) and moving on.

I suspect, unfortunately, that this incident will fuel distrust of the remaining Muslims within the US military. I say unfortunately because for the most part they have served with distinction. There might, perhaps, be some call to remove them from service, but I think this is impractical. We need every willing soldier regardless of their beliefs (or their orientation sexually for that matter). We especially need soldiers of the Islamic faith.

Why?

First, one of the best weapons the United States can deploy against the Enemy is the concept that we accept and tolerant different beliefs within our society. We not only tolerate the differences, we are willing to set aside those differences for a common, collective goal.

And perhaps that is why the Enemy fears us so. We place our fellow countrymen over religion, or at least we try to.

Second, it is a practical matter. Who would interpret and translate our communications with the Enemy and the Muslim World? If we are unwilling to trust our own countrymen who are Muslim to do this task, then what are we saying to the rest of the world? What are we saying to the Enemy?

Lastly, if we are so distrustful, then are we to segregate the Islamic population of the US into a modern day Manzinar?

It seems unwise to arrive at such conclusions just yet. Especially given one simple fact.

If this shooting at taken place at the Sprint Complex in Overland Park, it would be a tragedy but one quickly forgotten. This shooting generates resonance part in parcel due to the fact that it takes place on a military installation during a time of war.

But at the end of the day, I suspect this shooting is a bit more mundane. It is a disgruntled, frustrated, psychologically imbalanced soldier who simply had enough and decided to lash out. It is perhaps especially tragic due to the fact that many of the Fallen were veterans of the current wars or slated to deploy to the war zone directly.

The Teaching Front

As predicted, my teaching load has doubled. I will be covering for a peer who will be out for one, possibly two weeks. That means my load has gone from nine hours to eighteen hours. Or from three courses to six courses. Since I’m serving as a substitute the rules on full time hires do not quite apply (don’t ask me, I’ve got my hands full sorting out the lectures I’ll be giving).

I was going to grade this weekend but I suspect I’m going to put that off. Instead I’ll focus on a full prep for a lecture on Andrew Jackson. That means a weekend of reading so I’ll be repairing to a Starbucks away from the Pod to get that work one.

In the meantime, I’ll hammer out some material on the Roman Empire.

So it goes.

Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri

A Philosophical Discussion, Science Fiction Style.

This is the type of philosophy discussion I enjoy. This is from John Carpenter’s film, Dark Star.

Yeah, if you think the bomb is cheesy, you should see the alien.

Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri

The Writing Front: I figured it out.

The Writing Front: Entangled

Sometimes the rest of you continues to work on a project while your life marches on. Today I think is a prime example of a hind brain silently churning over problems with a story and looking for a solution.

The story in question is Entangled, a story with a lot of potential. The concept is sound enough but something always seemed to be lacking, something seemed to be wrong.

Then it hit me.

I was telling the story from the wrong point of view.

Now I know what needs to be done. I need to get into the head of the new protagonist and move forward with a full rewrite of the project.

I just need the time to do it. I think once I make the modifications then I’ll have a winner.

The Teaching Front

One reason I may not have the time for the above is my teaching load. It may possibly double here in the next week or so. We have a peer who is out and may be out for awhile. As usual, I won’t get into details about that other than to say, I wish the peer was still here.

I’m not sure how it will be handled but I’ll have my hands full if I end up on coverage for this peer.

So stay tuned.

Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri