Yep, The Telling officially releases today! Crazy, huh? Our local Barnes and Noble, where I’ll be signing copies this weekend, has set up this cool display in the front of the store. How’s that for PR? (Although, I was a little embarrassed when I was caught taking pictures of my own book. Oh, well.) My publisher informed me that the ebook version should be live by the end of this month. Anyway, in celebration of its release, I’ll be giving away three signed copies of my novel. The only “requirement” for entry is that you promise to post a brief review of the book on Amazon, Goodreads, your blog, or wherever you happen to connect with readers. Just leave a comment on this post and at week’s end I’ll randomly draw three names.  Good luck!

Not only is the grass NOT greener on the other side of the publishing fence, there IS no grass. It’s just a long arid plain with occasional watering holes.

This week, for me, is a few of those watering holes. Sorta.

First off, The Telling is now available! This is my second novel and you can find a synopsis HERE. Technically it releases tomorrow, Tuesday the 15th. But it appears books are now in stock. I’m unsure when the novel will be released in ebook, that’s the publisher’s decision. (Later this year, I’m planning to release an anthology of short stories in ebook, and possibly a non-fiction essay on a subject near and dear to my heart. But that’s a bit down the road.) For now, I’m just trying to slow down enough to celebrate this success.

Then, Friday thru Sunday, I’ll be attending and teaching at the OCCWF Conference in Newport Beach. This is my first teaching gig at a writers conference, so I’m pretty stoked. Along with leading a workshop entitled “The Christian Speculative Fiction Writer” (which writer friend Merrie Destefano will join me on), I’ll be on a panel, lead a critique group, and be available for consultations. My agent, Rachelle Gardner will also be attending, so I’m looking forward to meeting her in person for the first time. But by the looks of her schedule (she’s booked solid with appointments!), it’ll probably be little more than a hug and a high five.

Finally, immediately after the last Keynote Address on Sunday morning, I’ll be leaving NB and heading back to our local Barnes and Noble who’ll be hosting my Book Release Party from 1-3 PM (directions HERE). For every book I sell, I’ll be donating $1 to Signs of Love, a ministry to the deaf in rural Honduras that our church partners with. We’ll also have a few giveaways, including a new NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight. Last year, we sold out of books. So this year, the Community Relations rep vowed to not let that happen again. High expectations. I hope it’s not a set-up for disappointment.

Anyway.

Busy week, wouldn’t you agree? (Oh, and did I mention that in two weekends, Alayna, the youngest of our four kids, is getting married?) It’s one of those seasons where everything seems to have converged. Lots of anticipation and nervous energy. And a looking forward to more leisurely days.

All that to say, this week will be a little bit different at deCOMPOSE. I’ll step back from my normal blogging schedule and subject matter, and devote this week to talking up The Telling. Maybe a giveaway. If you plan on purchasing the book, I’d really covet a review on Amazon.com, Goodreads, or B&N.  And if you’re in the area this weekend, I’d love to meet you and chat at the conference or book signing.

Over at Pub Rants, Agent Kristin posed this dilemma. In Why 50 Shades of Grey Makes Agent Lives Harder, she writes:

We agents go to conferences and really drive home the fact that writers need to master their craft. Wow us with masterfully written opening pages. Stop butchering the English language.

Then a work comes along and blows that advice out of the water.

Readers have called 50 Shades of Grey any number of things: campy, fun, spirited, hilarious, worth the money, a fast read.

But well written has not been one of them.

So what do we say when a novel inexplicably becomes wildly popular, sells like crazy, and part of the cultural lexicon?

I suppose this could simply be evidence that there IS no formula to publishing success. At least, I hope so.

The other option — the one which suggests that readers will sacrifice craft for a “campy, fun, spirited, hilarious, worth the money, fast read” — is the one I kinda dread.

Especially after working so damned hard to hone my craft.

Maybe that’s my problem, thinking that craft actually matters that much. You see, I’m one of those odd folks who’s a sucker for style. A well-written book will keep me reading far longer into a slow story than will a poorly-written book keep me reading into a decent story.

Apparently, I am in the reading minority.

So are readers looking for books that are well-crafted and polished, or books that get to the point and read quickly? Are readers looking for books that have depth (expansive storyworld,  dense characters and complicated plot) and style (beautiful prose, grammatical grace, literary complexity), or books that are simple (“campy, fun, spirited, hilarious, worth the money, a fast read,” modest characters, uncluttered plot, and broadly accessible)?

Maybe it’s all of the above.

Then again, maybe my problem is that for all these years I listened to the “experts” who are, just now, admitting that they might have been wrong…

In my last post, I argued that competing in the marketplace of ideas sometimes requires that Christians use “non-religious” arguments. Rather than citing Scripture, it can be advantageous to cite medical, historical, scientific, or sociological evidence, even evoke more primal, existential yearnings. If “All truth is God’s truth,” then using “general truth” is not only valid, it can be a springboard to moving a person toward “specific truth.”

This same principle applies to fiction.

In the article Why Fiction is Good for You, Jonathan Gottschall writes:

It’s an ancient question: Does fiction build the morality of individuals and societies, or does it break it down?

Until recently, we’ve only been able to guess about the actual psychological effects of fiction on individuals and society. But new research in psychology and broad-based literary analysis is finally taking questions about morality out of the realm of speculation.

This research consistently shows that fiction does mold us. The more deeply we are cast under a story’s spell, the more potent its influence. In fact, fiction seems to be more effective at changing beliefs than nonfiction, which is designed to persuade through argument and evidence. Studies show that when we read nonfiction, we read with our shields up. We are critical and skeptical. But when we are absorbed in a story, we drop our intellectual guard. We are moved emotionally, and this seems to make us rubbery and easy to shape. (emphasis mine)

Christians often talk about how a writer’s fiction is shaped by their worldview. But apparently the opposite is equally true: A person’s worldview can be shaped by fiction. Stories can affect a person’s morality and beliefs; stories persuade through image and emotion rather than “argument and evidence.”

I believe this is the same reason why using “non-religious” rhetoric and/or imagery can be and important apologetic tool: It bypasses our intellectual censors, our “shields,” and touches us at an emotive, conceptual level; it appeals to “general truth,” knowledge that is more instinctual, than codified and dogmatic. For example, the story of the Prodigal Son disarms us. Deep in our hearts, we understand the wayward son, the forces that drove him, and marvel at the father’s gracious acceptance. Why? Because it is the story of Humanity! On the other hand, telling people that they are sinners and that God loves them can easily prompt a “shields up” response. (Please note: This is not an argument for tip-toing around the Gospel message as much as it is an argument for being tactful and discerning where people are at in the process.)

Understanding this process is, I think, is hugely important for the Christian storyteller. People move from “general revelation” to “special revelation.” We move from a generic belief in a Supreme Being to more specific belief in a certain kind of one. We move from a general sense of personal brokenness and guilt, to a more specific knowledge of a Moral Law and a Moral Lawgiver. Rudimentary truths precede dogma. Thus, a goal of the Christian author could be to connect people to a Larger Truth first. Rather than articulating Scripture, we could seek to evoke something more primal, archetypal. As one Christian author noted, Our stories should declare the glory of God in the same way the heavens do (Ps. 19:1). Brilliant! But how do the stars declare the glory of God? They don’t do it by preaching.

Infusing our stories with a Christian worldview is natural for a Christian writer. Shaping our readers’ worldview is another story. And there is no quicker way to get a reader’s “shields up” than by moving away from telling a story, to articulating a religious message.

How do you know there’s a God? Simple question. Everyone’s grappled with it in some form. But can you answer it without a religious argument, without using religious lingo? Apparently, a lot of believers can’t. How many times have you heard (or even used) these lines of reasoning:

SKEPTIC: How do you know there’s a God?
BELIEVER: Because the Bible says so.

OR

SKEPTIC: How do you know there’s a God?
BELIEVER: Because he’s changed my life.

Of course, believers aren’t always this simplistic. But it’s rather amazing how commonplace such knee-jerk responses are. Kind of like that bumper sticker:

God said it. I believe it. That settles it!

That may settle it for you, but many people can’t get past the “God said it” part. And, if I’m not mistaken, those are the people we should be trying to reach.

Maybe that’s why God also said…

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders… (Colossians 4:5 NIV)

Okay. Technically it was the apostle Paul who said that. Point is, spouting off cliches and religious rhetoric is not the “wisest” way to “act toward outsiders.”

Marketplace evangelism often requires “non-religious” persuasion, arguments devoid of Scriptural recitations and Christianese. However, I’m afraid many Christians stumble at such nuance.

Take for instance gay rights issues. Same-sex marriage remains in the cultural spotlight and many Christians, perhaps rightly, oppose it. (Note: This is not a post articulating my belief FOR or AGAINST gay marriage; I’m simply using this as a springboard for the larger issue of our approach.) But as I see it, using religious arguments to oppose gay marriage is the wrong thing to do. Far too many people, when asked why they oppose the homosexual lifestyle, will say something like,

“The Bible says homosexuality is a sin!”

OR

“God made Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve!”

Pretty persuasive, huh?

Even if those things are true, we must remember that many citizens do not share our religious convictions. Quoting the Bible, especially with the militancy that some well-meaning Christians do, often has the reverse effect of alienating those who share our values.

I’m sure some will interpret this as appeasement or a being sell-out. I mean, if the Bible condemns the gay lifestyle, then why not come out and say so? But just like the above “God” question, the best answers are the ones that engage and transcend slogans, that build on peoples’ existing beliefs, confirm their own convictions, employ logic and evidence, and establish common ground.

There are arguments outside of Scripture — cultural, medical, sociological and philosophical — that are just as valid and forceful. In the case of gay marriage (and really many other social issues), the “non-religious” arguments are the most pervasive and powerful.

Believe it or not, this tact has a Scriptural basis. The Bible teaches that it is not the sole source of revelation. Romans chapters 1and 2 tells us that God gives a witness to everyone, that he’s written his law in our hearts and minds, and that the very order of creation speaks of his power. The apostle Paul summarizes:

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. (Rom. 1:20 NIV)

Nature and the human conscience both gives witness of God’s Truth. This is what theologians call general revelation. How do I know there is a God? Well, two of the best evidences for God’s existence don’t even require the Bible –

1. NATURE: Creation implies a Creator; Design implies a Designer, and
2. CONSCIENCE: Moral Law implies a Moral Lawgiver; intuitive guilt assumes both obligation and dissonance.

Likewise, when arguing for traditional marriage and/or opposing homosexual marriage in the public square, our primary arguments should be “non-religious.” The moment we start basing our arguments on Scripture, the more we potentially alienate those who agree with us, blur that ethereal Church / State line, and conjure the baggage of so many negative religious stereotypes.

Of course there’s a time when Christians need to invoke the name of Christ and quote Scripture. But when it comes to politics, lifestyle, and culture, a shrewd, nuanced approach is often the most biblical.

That debate, and how Christians approach it, is a microcosm of how we approach marketplace evangelism. In fact, I think this ties into writing and how Christian fiction writers approach their stories (you knew I’d get there, didn’t you?). Non-religious rhetoric and/or imagery bypasses many intellectual censors and touches us at an emotive level.

I’ll talk about this more in my next post.

A regular commenter on my blog once cautioned me: “For your sake, you really need to let this go.” He was referring to my ongoing criticism of the Christian fiction industry. I privately emailed the author and asked if the CBA mafia had a hit on me or something. Luckily, it was a groundless threat, based on the author’s own irritation with me. Eventually, he went into exile, taking his fatwa with him. Sadly, this isn’t the first person who reached loggerheads with me about Christian fiction.

My recent post Is Christian Fiction Inferior to Mainstream Fiction? generated some great discussion. And not a few dissenters. In one of the posts spawned from that piece, this by Becky Miller, one of the commenters, Fred Warren, said something that I’ve heard a lot since I’ve began being vocal about the industry.

Christian fiction is a niche market. If you write for a niche market, you get niche market readers with very particular preferences, and the general market is going to perceive you as a niche writer. Thank God you have a market at all and _own_ it. If you feel restricted from writing the gritty, realistic fiction you feel is necessary to gain respect from the larger literary world and preserve your integrity as a writer, you need to go to the general market with those gritty, realistic, literary stories. (emphasis mine)

For the record, Fred and I are friends. You’ll see that if you follow that comment thread. We probably share many, many similar opinions. Nevertheless, that seems to be a fairly typical response to regular criticism of the Christian fiction industry — If you don’t like the CBA, go to the ABA. I’ve heard this dozens and dozens and dozens of times.

Recently, author, editor, and friend, Kat Heckenback made a similar plea in her post, Shaking the Dust. After quoting from Matthew 10:14, “If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave,” Kat applied that to the schisms within the Christian fiction community:

If you disagree with a group, go find another group. No inciting derision, pouting over backlash (that you refuse to address), and posting follow-up blogs about how petty that group is. Shake the dust from your feet and move in the direction you want to go. If the “other” group is wrong, they’ll fall of their own accord. If not…well, there’s room enough for both groups.

Kat makes some terrific, spirited points. You should read that post immediately followed by another one she wrote entitled Put Down Your Sword… and Write. Obviously, there’s a time for that — there’s a time to put up your sword, shut up about what’s wrong with the industry, “Shake the dust from your feet and move in the direction you want to go.”

However, couldn’t it also be said that there’s a time to stand and fight?

About a year ago, I received a very encouraging email from a reader whom I greatly respect. This is part of what they said:

“You are doing something brave that will benefit your career in the long run.  By midwiving Christian fiction to a different place (and that includes commentary and critique) you are serving the industry as well as your own work.  You will feel bruised.  You will be bullied.  I know it sucks.  But I think it’s a good thing you’re doing nonetheless.”

It was very humbling. Very encouraging. At times, I DO feel a little bruised, a little bullied. (The CBA mafia can do that to a guy.) But even more important is this notion about “midwiving Christian fiction to a different place.” Is this possible?

If so, it is the exact opposite of the “shake the dust off your feet” approach.

Yes, there’s definitely a time to “shake the dust off” and do your own thing. But isn’t there also a time to stay put and remain a change agent? I mean, could we be doing the Christian fiction industry a disservice by NOT staying put?

First outline for The Telling, Spring 2010

First copy received, May 3, 2012

Today, I was surprised to receive my first actual print copy of The Telling. I tend to downplay such events, the perpetual wet blanket that I am. But holding the finalized, physical product reminded me how very hard, and very rewarding, this journey’s been. Anyway, I rummaged through some stuff until I located the very first outline I ever developed for the story (pictured above). It’s a patchwork of names and places and scenes, some of which remain, scrambled about in apparent incoherency. (Make sure to zoom in for full effect!) You’d think in an age of digital notebooks, cellphones, and PC’s that one needn’t scribble notes on a legal pad. But, hey, that’s how it fell out. Who woulda thought that from those ragged notes a novel would be born. Thank you, once again, to the folks at Charisma House for making this happen; to Debbie Marrie, Debra Moss, Alton Gansky, and all the wonderful people who have made this possible.  I’m forever indebted. Now I can hear my agent in my head encouraging me to stop and savor this moment. I think she’s right.

Christian readers aren’t the only ones guilty of biased reviews. But boy are we guilty! In rendering indiscriminate praise, however, we often ignore the possible backlash… biased one-star reviews.

Yes, we are partly responsible for the dreaded one-star monster.

I was reminded of this recently while reading a one-star review of a fellow Christian author’s novel in which the reviewer flatly said something to this effect:

“I’m giving this book one star to balance out all the undeserving five-star reviews. The book’s really more like a three-star, but someone has to compensate for all the blind prejudice.”

That was refreshing to hear.

Reading Christian filmmaker Kyle Prohaska’s take on the subject was even more refreshing. Prohaska directed the newly released Standing Firm, a film with a decidedly “Christian” aim. Nevertheless, this did not keep the director from an objective assessment of his own work and Christian art in general. At his blog, in a post entitled Christian Movies… just how good are they?, he talked about the backlash that biased Christian reviewers have on the genre as a whole by using IMDB.com’s built-in algorithm, which is meant to help offset voting abuse.

October Baby made by two friends of mine, The Erwin Brothers, has a 4.4 currently on IMDB with 47.7% voting 10/10 and 26.8% voting 1/10.  Had the Christian folks who gave it a 10/10 given it something more honest in the 6-9 range, IMDB wouldn’t have had to bias the score to account for both abuses…in fact it probably would’ve given the film a much higher score then 4.4 if the abuse was heavily on the low end and well balanced on the top end.

Lets face it, very few movies deserve a 10/10 because that means PERFECT.  You might have that perfect movie in your mind, and if you’re being honest then by all means, click away.  1/10 is reserved for the very worst of movies, and I think there’s actually place for movies to have a rating that low.  But on the top-end, 10/10 should be nearly impossible, so why do so many Christian movie fans enthusiastically pad our scores in an attempt to legitimize the movies we love?  If you didn’t know already, voting that way on IMDB actually HURTS the score of a film.  At one point because of the score my film was getting on IMDB, and because of all the 10?s the film had received, I asked friends who I knew had done it to change the vote to something honest.  Whether that meant it went from a 10 to a 5 or a 10 to a 3 doesn’t matter.  Don’t judge a film high just because it affirms things you do, but weigh things out, logically and carefully.  It’s not that hard to do really.  Afterwards my score balanced out a bit more into territory that felt more fair to me.  To those who would say “well we gotta vote 10/10 or 5 stars because of all the liberal wackjobs who are giving it 1/10 and 1 star!” you’re not helping you’re hurting.  Extreme kickback and reaction is never surprising but always annoying.  What you’re doing is just as harmful as what they’re doing.  You’re mad at them because they’re bias, but aren’t you doing the same?  They think it’s the biggest piece of trash ever, and you think it’s the greatest thing to ever grace the silver screen.  Anybody seeing a pattern here? (emphasis mine)

This is five-star honesty! Okay, maybe it’s just three-star. Either way, Prohaska’s take is like a breath of fresh air inside the Christian echo chamber. (And if you haven’t already, I encourage you to read the director’s original article in its entirety, follow him on Facebook, and his other networks.)

Sure, some will interpret this as another slam on Christian fiction, Christian films, and Christian artists. It’s anything but. Frankly, if we had more folks like Kyle who a.) Are active Christian artists, and b.) Willing to be honest and objective about their craft, our industry would be far better off. Instead, we pucker up at every one-star review and cry foul.

The hard truth is that indiscriminate one-star reviews are often just a reaction to so many indiscriminate five-star reviews. We have, partly, made this monster. So perhaps if we did less gushing, we’d do our industry a favor.

The only other question I’m left with is: When will Amazon adopt IMDB.com’s system to offset voting abuse?

I decided against making a book trailer for The Telling. Sort of.

Not so for The Resurrection. It was my first published novel and I almost felt obligated to go all in. Which I did. But rather than assemble my own video, a common practice for many authors, I really wanted to put my best foot forward and decided to hire an indie filmmaker.  Brian Thomas Barnhart was a member of our church. I laid out my vision for the project, we discussed details, and set a price. (You can see some stills from the video shoot for The Resurrection trailer as well as the finished product HERE.) After paying Brian, purchasing a soundtrack and some stock photography, the total spent was about 500 bucks. That was a year ago. So was it worth it?

That’s the question I asked myself when it came time to decide on a possible trailer for my second novel.

The Resurrection has almost 550 views on YouTube and on Vimeo, 261. So the trailer has been viewed about 800 times in one year. That’s okay, I guess. But how do I determine whether someone bought the book as a result of the trailer? Perhaps that’s the wrong question. Did the trailer make any difference at all? Would I have sold less books without that $500 investment? Honestly, I doubt it.

I’ve seen some pretty cheesy trailers by authors, even big name authors. So, apparently, a great trailer is not a necessity for sales. Most range in quality from a couple of stills set to music or some cartwheeling slides, to a full production with actors and licensed music. Occasionally, some of the bigger publishing houses will spring for trailers for an established author or a promising newbie (as Tyndale did for writer friend Gina Holmes).

Nevertheless, the more I thought about it, the more I considered doing something different for The Telling… if I did anything at all. Mind you, I was really pleased with the end product for The Resurrection. But the more I listened to opinions, the less I was sold on the importance of a trailer.

Sure, a book trailer adds an audio-visual layer to your story. You can create a vibe to your novel that communicates its mood — fast-paced, frenetic music, swooning violins, or creepy chimes. However, it seems you can only build on excitement that already exists. If readers are already interested in you and your books, a trailer might stoke that. For this reason, I’ve come to believe that the blurb for your book is far more important than a trailer. If the reader is intrigued by the plot, they may watch the trailer. If they’re not grabbed by the blurb, chances are slim that a trailer will convince them.

Which is why I decided to mix it up and concentrate on discussing the plot for my next novel rather than taking time on a traditional book trailer. It’s a little longer than your normal trailer, running just under four minutes. But it’s kind of laid back, I think. You’re not subjected to a barrage of sights or sounds. Yes, there’s some visual elements with a few stock photos. But the process was SO much easier and less expensive than my first go-round. My daughter Alayna did a wonderful job putting this together (you can see more of Alayna’s work at her website, Light Frame Photo). And did I mention how less stressful and expensive this trailer was than my first?

But as to its effectiveness, the jury’s out. Currently, it’s received a modest 116 YouTube views. I’ll probably embed the video in my sidebar for a while as the novel launches, but until someone can establish that book trailers really matter, I’ll remain skeptical.

Anyway, I’d love to know your thoughts about the effectiveness — or ineffectiveness — of the trailer for The Telling. And, overall, how important do you think trailers are for an author?

I was at our local Barnes and Noble this weekend, finalizing some details for next month’s Book Release Party. As I was leaving, I went to the Bargain Books, aimed straight for THIS BOOK. I’m a sucker for arcana and this massive, 500-plus page tome is full of trivia on symbols and signs from the world of religion, myth, history, science, and the occult. I’d vowed to purchase the book, at some point, as a writing resource, and passed by it that day as a friendly reminder.

Well, something happened that convinced me I must buy that book on the spot.

Now for some backstory.

My WIP is an Urban Fantasy about a reporter for a pulp magazine who, while investigating the tragic atomization of his girlfriend, stumbles upon a plot to build a massive ghost box in the center of Los Angeles. And did I mention his atomized girlfriend is the one who gives him a heads-up? (A bit of trivia for you: Did you know that Thomas Edison is rumored to have been constructing a ghost box at his death?) Anyway, I’ve known for several years what the name of this character is — Reagan Moon. During the writing, I’ve discovered that the name “Moon” holds some key to this loveable skeptic’s identity and the arc of the story. Nevertheless, I’ve been unsure what that connection is.

You think you see where this is going, don’t you? Not so quick.

Reagan Moon has a lot of quirky beliefs. Having researched numerology for a story, he’s come to recognize odd numeric occurrences in his own life, even though he remains dubious. So this has been my working intro for the last year or so, the first two paragraphs of “The Ghost Box,” for your eyes only:

If I really had magical powers, that’s the day I should have used them.

It was February the 18^th and the moment I saw Blondie waiting at my apartment door, I remembered the date. The number 18 has always been significant for me. Notice I said significant, not lucky. I don’t believe in luck, especially now that Ellie’s gone. Nevertheless, that number seems to pop up in the oddest places. For instance, the car accident that put me into a two-week coma occurred on Highway 18. I received eighteen stitches across the back of my right shoulder after escaping from organ traffickers. Then there’s my apartment number, which Blondie was standing there looking at.

No, Blondie is not some curvaceous Marilyn Monroe lookalike. In fact, he’s not even a she. Anyway, the number 18 — this is the “big” one for Moon. Weird things seem to happen around that number or various combos, like double 9′s and 6+6+6. A pivotal scene will even occur near the end of the book regarding the number 18. That’s how “significant” the number is for my protag.

Okay, so what happened that convinced me to purchase “Signs and Symbols Sourcebook”? I casually picked the book up on my way out the store and randomly opened to page 403. “Coincidentally,” that is the section on Numbers. And “coincidentally,”  Card 18 in the Tarot is The Moon.

Did you hear me? Card Eighteen is the Moon.

Cue Twilight Zone music.

For the record, I don’t believe in Tarot cards. In fact, the symbols on Card 18 are pretty creepy, even tragic. But it was, like, everything just fell into place about my character. I’d been “led to” a book in the bargain section and “just happened” to turn to the page that conjoined two key factors in my story: Moon & the number 18.

Weird.

I purchased the book on the spot.

Okay, so maybe I’m reading too much into it. Maybe I’m just too immersed in this story and living in some kind of fantasy world. I dunno. But I couldn’t help but feel that something bigger was unfolding, right there in Barnes and Noble.

In the Bargain Books.

Have you ever had one of those times where your work of fiction intersects, in some weird way, with Reality? When you are “guided” to info that brings your work of fiction to life?