TerryWalstrom

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Posts by TerryWalstrom

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  43

  Hidden history of the Watchtower religion

  by TerryWalstrom in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  the deeper you dig--the less impressive jw’s become!___________________you may think you know the men who are vitally important to the birth of the religion--but chances are good you’ve been kept in the dark.. _____________.

  did you know?the 1st case heard by the supreme court of the united states concerning the watchtower society involved a director (an officer) of the watchtower, william franklyn hudgings.. a brief description of hudgings and his character.hudgings was an attorney, quack doctor, self-identified ‘scientist’, a pro-zionist, and religious enthusiast who over the years held various director and officer positions in the watchtower society, and the affiliated people's pulpit association and international bible students association.

  at the time of this particular case, william hudgings acknowledged being the corporate secretary of the people's pulpit association and acknowledged that his daily duties included the administrative charge of printing of the watchtower magazine, the bible student's monthly, the kingdom news, and other watchtower publications.. (hudgings was also re-elected to the watchtower society board of directors in january 1919.

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  TerryWalstrom

  To my way of seeing things, the above information completely UNDERMINES the claim to being a prophetic fulfilment of Faithful and Discreet Slave because the TIMELINE demonstrates emphatically: NONE of the claimed "pure" teachings originates with the Governing Body.
  
  
• 
  43

  Hidden history of the Watchtower religion

  by TerryWalstrom in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  the deeper you dig--the less impressive jw’s become!___________________you may think you know the men who are vitally important to the birth of the religion--but chances are good you’ve been kept in the dark.. _____________.

  did you know?the 1st case heard by the supreme court of the united states concerning the watchtower society involved a director (an officer) of the watchtower, william franklyn hudgings.. a brief description of hudgings and his character.hudgings was an attorney, quack doctor, self-identified ‘scientist’, a pro-zionist, and religious enthusiast who over the years held various director and officer positions in the watchtower society, and the affiliated people's pulpit association and international bible students association.

  at the time of this particular case, william hudgings acknowledged being the corporate secretary of the people's pulpit association and acknowledged that his daily duties included the administrative charge of printing of the watchtower magazine, the bible student's monthly, the kingdom news, and other watchtower publications.. (hudgings was also re-elected to the watchtower society board of directors in january 1919.

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  TerryWalstrom

  The deeper you dig--the less impressive JW’s become!
  
  ___________________
  You may think you know the men who are vitally important to the birth of the religion--but chances are good you’ve been kept in the dark.

  _____________

  Did you know?
  
  The 1st case heard by the Supreme Court of the United States concerning the Watchtower Society involved a Director (an officer) of the Watchtower, William Franklyn Hudgings.

  A brief description of Hudgings and his character.
  
  Hudgings was an attorney, quack doctor, self-identified ‘scientist’, a pro-Zionist, and religious enthusiast who over the years held various Director and Officer positions in the WatchTower Society, and the affiliated People's Pulpit Association and International Bible Students Association.
  At the time of this particular case, William Hudgings acknowledged being the Corporate Secretary of the People's Pulpit Association and acknowledged that his daily duties included the administrative charge of printing of the WatchTower magazine, the Bible Student's Monthly, the Kingdom News, and other WatchTower publications.

  
  (Hudgings was also re-elected to the WatchTower Society Board of Directors in January 1919.)
  Although not charged in a later trial involving RUTHERFORD and the Directors, Hudgings was the WatchTower official who applied for the copyright on THE FINISHED MYSTERY book.)
  
  Because of his importance to the running of Society, Hudgings was subsequently a key figure in the trial in which Rutherford and all but one of the Society’s Directors faced prison on charges of sedition and obstructing the military draft in violation of the Espionage Act of 1917.
  
  You're about to discover WHAT HAPPENED CHANGED WATCHTOWER HISTORY
  
  
  In the course of J.F. Rutherford’s espionage trial, Hudgings was charged with Perjury.
  The Court was attempting to demonstrate the culpability of J.F. Rutherford in directing members of the armed forces (who were Society members) to disobey their commanding officers). All that was necessary was to get the secretaries and Hudgings to answer a simple question or two as to observing Rutherford sign or stamp official documents.

  
  Hudgings, his wife and various secretaries refused to answer truthfully when questioned.
  The Judge (Howe) gradually became so infuriated with the duplicity of the Bethel secretaries and the waffling of Hudgings, Howe responded (overreacted) by shouting at Hudgings, "I am not going to allow you to obstruct the course of justice here."

  Here is where Fate steps in:
  
  Thanks to this fit of temper, a Writ of Error was filed by Watchtower lawyers. At the end of WWI, the accumulated Writ of Error overturned the prison sentences of Rutherford and the others! They were subject to a fresh trial.
  (Note: the strong feelings toward patriotism during the war had subsided enough for the court to forego the expense of another prosecution effort.)
  
  Note: President J. F. Rutherford and his seven WatchTower co-conspirators were NEVER ACQUITTED of the criminal charges which they were previously convicted, despite the fact that the WatchTower Society has repeatedly claimed such, and despite the fact that that FALSE CLAIM has been picked up and repeated by reporters, authors, and scholars for decades -- including a British historian as late as 2014.

  
  On July 8, 1918, Judge Howe ordered that Hudgings continue to be committed until Hudgings was willing to purge the contempt charge by admitting he was withholding honest testimony before the court. Unwilling to acknowledge that his testimony had been less than truthful, Hudgings languished in jail for months.
  
  In 1925, after the public failure of another Watchtower “date certain” prophecy, Agnes Hudgings fled from WatchTower HQ, disassociated herself, and filed for divorce.**
  Only a few years thereafter, William Hudgings also left WatchTower HQ and disassociated himself from the WatchTower Society.
  
  What became of Hudgings?

  William F. Hudgings was fined and sentenced to 6 months in the workhouse in 1930, prosecuted in New York for practising Medicine without a licence. He wrote two books; one on Einstein and the other on Zionism.

  He died in 1936.
  ____________

  
  NOTE: What was important about Hudgings?

  He infuriated Judge Howe by playing dumb, causing an outburst eventually resulting in Rutherford and the Watchtower Directors release from maximum security prison.
  
  Stop a minute and consider this:
  If it weren’t for that Writ of Error--Jehovah’s Witnesses might never have existed! Remember, the Watchtower officials were sentenced to serve 20 years in prison!

  
  ** Agnes Hudgings divorce complaint alleged that her work as Joseph F. Rutherford's secretary led to her suffering a nervous breakdown only a few months after her marriage in February 1917. Agnes also claimed that living in the communal setting of Brooklyn Bethel adversely affected her health. Agnes further claimed that when he was angry with her, William F. Hudgings would not speak to her for days and even months at a time -- writing notes when communication was absolutely necessary. Agnes further claimed that her husband would sometimes leave Bethel without informing her, and thereafter, not inform her where he had been. Agnes also claimed that her husband frequently called her vile names. Finally, she claimed that he told her that he did not love her, and that he wished that he had married another Bethelite female.

  
  

  _________________________________
  
  Ready for another historic figure in Watchtower history?

  Joshua. W. Sykes Pentecostal minister
  
  What follows is most intriguing and suggestive as to the enormity of his influence on President J.F.Rutherford’s doctrinal innovations between 1916 and 1942 and perhaps, Nathan Knorr and Fred Franz afterward.
  Here is his story.
  _______________________________

  
  
  

  J.W. Sykes was one-of-a-kind in the Pentecostal movement, but he was considered quite a maverick who went his own way with heretical teachings repugnant to the Pentecostal faith.

  
  

  Joshua Sykes’ congregation was integrated, unlike Pastor Russell’s public speeches / sermons where blacks and whites both could attend, but only in separate sections--Sykes's members were sitting side by side in the Pentecostal church. This was considered dangerous and inflammatory at the time.
  Pentecostal Preacher Joshua Sykes practiced racial and gender "integration" as early as 1908 -- having both African-American and female assistant preachers, staffers, and members. (The WatchTower Society was not fully integrated until the 1970s.)

  During WW1, the Pentecostal Preacher Joshua Sykes forbid his followers from being employed in any kind of employment having to do with the manufacturing of military equipment, supplies, and materials. (It took the WatchTower Society until WW2 to do the same.)
  
  

  Let us note the development of Sykes’ teachings and how Jehovah’s Witness’ teachings seemed to be an echo of them!
  
  

  Sykes proclaimed he was an anti-Trinitarian chosen by "Jehovah" to gather together and prepare "a people" for the imminent Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

  J. W. Sykes served 15 months in federal prison, and three of his associates served 10 months in prison for ‘obstructing the draft’ by means of his public teaching and preaching.
  Rutherford and his WatchTower gang served less than 9 months in prison for sedition.
  
  During WW1, at a time when Judge Rutherford was publicly straddling the fence and publicly beating around the bush regarding the military draft and fighting in the war, all while privately sending out secret "anti-draft" messages to its members, the Pentecostal Preacher Joshua Sykes was plainly and publicly teaching his followers that they could NOT join the military nor fight for the United States in the ongoing WW1.
  When Rutherford realized he was facing real imprisonment, he backpedaled and compromised. Read his self-serving press statement:
  
  

  "The charges that I am in any way antagonistic to the United States government are false. I stand squarely with President Wilson in this great crisis and have no sympathy with anyone who does otherwise." -- J.F. Rutherford via April 1918 press release.
  
  

  During WW1, at a time when Judge Rutherford had no issues with the displaying of the American Flag, nor had any issues with saluting the American Flag, nor had any issues with reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, nor had any issues with standing for the National Anthem, Pentecostal Preacher Joshua Sykes was teaching his followers that they could NOT perform any of those patriotic acts.
  However, it was not until January 1926 that Joshua Sykes decided that these prohibitions should be forced onto the children within his cult. When local schools began expelling the children of Sykes cult as they gradually refused to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, the ACLU came running to Sykes rescue.

  Pay careful attention to the following...
  The ACLU proclaimed that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance was against the religious tenets of Sykes' church. The ACLU proclaimed that although the members of Sykes' church respected the Flag of the United States, as well as respected the laws and Constitution of the United States, they believed that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance was a form of "idolatry" forbidden by the Bible.
  
  The ACLU successfully negotiated a settlement with that local school board by the start of the following school year -- within a matter of months. It was not until 9 years later, in 1935, that the ACLU and Judge Rutherford formed a partnership to repeat what the ACLU had done for Sykes' cult.

  
  

  Pause and consider that one!

  
  During WW1, at a time when Judge Rutherford was advising WatchTower Society headquarters staff and members to purchase Liberty Bonds, the Pentecostal Preacher Joshua Sykes was forbidding his members to do so.

  Interestingly, during WW1, the Pentecostal Preacher Joshua Sykes was forbidding his members to support the American Red Cross -- financially or otherwise. The WatchTower Society did not get around to that until the latter 1940s.

  
  

  During WW1, the Pentecostal Preacher Joshua Sykes was teaching his followers that they were NOT citizens of the United States, but were citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. It took the WatchTower Society until the 1950s to teach its members a watered-down version of such. Sykes actually meant it. The WatchTower Society just gave the teaching unpracticed lip service.
  Pentecostal Preacher Joshua Sykes and WatchTower Society President Joe Rutherford turned their religious followers into anti-government and anti-societal wingnuts who made careers of wildly attacking every human government, attacking every societal institution, and attacking every other Christian religion.

  
  Pentecostal Preacher Joshua Sykes and WatchTower Society President Joe Rutherford BOTH dumped their wives to live alone in California, while they BOTH made "mistresses" of headquarters female staffers. The only difference between the Pentecostal Preacher Joshua Sykes and WatchTower Society President Joe Rutherford was that Sykes did not keep his adultery a secret from his members, but rather spiritualized the matter, just as Rutherford spiritualized many other less controversial matters in his own religious cult.
  
  Prior to WW1, the ANTI-TRINITARIAN Pentecostal Preacher J. W. Sykes was teaching his followers to distinguish between"Jehovah God" and his Son, "Jesus Christ", and to openly and regularly refer to the "Father" as "Jehovah", and not just "God". By the 1920s, Joshua Sykes was making even more widespread use of the name "Jehovah", such that whenever some unidentified religious group or religious nut would make repeated use of the name "Jehovah", they were assumed to be part of Joshua Sykes' cult -- not the "Bible Students". Judge Rutherford did not make a major issue of the use of the name "Jehovah" until after Joshua Sykes died in 1929.

  
  

  ________
  
  

  Both Hudgings and Sykes are probably people you only just now heard about. The impact each had upon the religion of the Watchtower is worth considering, don’t you think?

  The Watchtower religion was not the creative and innovative movement most members consider to be totally unique in its teachings.
  
  Russell and Rutherford used a buffet lunch attitude in picking a bit of this and that. Today we’d call it cut and paste theology.
  
  Was Jehovah using THEM as his mouthpiece alone in all the earth at a special time in history as they claim? Or, is it more likely the doctrines are bottom of the barrel scrapings? Scraps, throw-aways, and outright steals from other people’s intellectual property? The Watchtower theology, if considered dispassionately, is merely the weird taste of quirky men who raided other’s trash bins for ideas.

  
  

  Ever hear of the famous 20th century Evangelist, H. A Ironside?
  This preacher had been using a peculiar phrase to identify his followers.
  He used the term “Jehovah’s witnesses.”
  Ever hear of that phrase as occurring BEFORE 1931?
  
  Judge Rutherford didn't even have sufficient imagination to capitalize the "w" in "witnesses".
  No--instead even *borrowing* the use of the lowercase "w" in "witnesses", just as H. A. Ironside had already been using in his multiple Biblical commentaries and published sermons that Ironside had authored at least as early as 1909, and as was the "Jehovah's witnesses" notation in Ironside’s personal Bible next to Isaiah 43:10.
  
  This surely was the whisper of “Jehovah’s witness” in Rutherford’s ear!
  
  

  The deeper you dig--the less impressive JW’s become!

  
  

  
  

  
  _______________________
  
  

  
  

  
  Thanks to these resources:

  www.apostolicarchives.com/Joshua_W_Sykes.html
  jwemployees.bravehost.com/NewsReports

  THE INTERNET'S BEST WATCHTOWER SOCIETY HISTORY http://jwdivorces.bravehost.com/jwinfo.html

  https://issuu.com/charismata/docs/apostolic_faith_and_pentecostal_tim
  
  
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  9

  A Wide-ranging discussion both fascinating and sometimes enlightening

  by TerryWalstrom in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  rubin is a gay atheist formerly affiliated with the young turks, ben shapiro is an orthodox jew who mainly comments on politics from a conservative pov.

  dr. jordan b peterson is a professor of psychology at the university of toronto, a clinical psychologist, a public speaker.____none of these men is interested in discussing politics in this discussion, rather in centering on the overlap between rational, secular belief and any underlying religious truth which may be hidden in mythos.i know that sounds like the most boring thing possible--but--i assure you it is riveting.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ophwshr798&t=3112sif you watch through to the last hour, the topic is brilliantly deconstructed with an honesty and intelligence rarely witnessed in live events..

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  TerryWalstrom

  Dave Rubin is an honest thinker. He's willing to be wrong when facts strike down his firmly held beliefs. He had to pull away from the ideology of The Young Turks when it became clear to him what they were really about.
  
  Ben Shapiro is a wunderkind with a very fast and facile mind. His debating skills are deadly. He comes off as a babyface - but that's not his fault :)
  
  The striking thing about this video, IMHO, is how people who are different can argue volatile subjects without rancor or slimy tricks and name-calling because they are searching for something genuine.
  
  I see Jordan Peterson as spontaneous-- a person who thinks as-he-is-speaking. He doesn't have a prepared canned speech. The thoughtful way he reasons strikes me as intellectually honest.
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  3

  Oblivion

  by TerryWalstrom in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  she danced in stolen dresses        to a chopin polonaise            in moonlight bright pentameters                suggesting shakespeare's plays.

  her bare feet on cold concrete    told her story to the crowd        hustling brusquely past her            as grand music played aloud.

  she dreamed the dreams of millionsto be known and rich and fairyet slowly it was fadingand nowno longer cared..     the wind swept in at midnight        her borrowed time ran slow            the lady in the stolen dress                 stopped moving to and fro.

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  TerryWalstrom

  I don't really try to sit down an write a poem. In fact, when I have TRIED I just give up blankly. What happens is sort of peculiar.
  I'll hear somebody say something--a phrase, perhaps. Or, I'll be reading something and an odd mix of words rubs together and ignites a starter fire inside of me.
  
  I'm going to say it is what passes for "inspiration."
  In this particular case, I was watching a documentary about somebody--I can't recall who--and the phrase "they danced in stolen dresses" caught my ear and burned.
  A smolder led to me jumping up and writing the phrase down.
  I had no ideas. At all. I began playing chess online with that phrase nagging away.
  
  I had to stop and open my laptop and create a document with that phrase as a mock-up title--a placeholder.
  
  The damned thing wanted to be written. It wouldn't let me do anything but get out of its way.
  After I thought it was done--I let go of it and went back to playing chess.
  Later, I read it again. A few places seemed out of sorts.
  Replacements and switcheroos. Editing.
  Re-read.
  "Feeling feeling..."
  After about ten bits of tidying up I let go of it.
  The last thing to change was the title.
  I realized the poem was not about dancing in a stolen dress. It was about the compulsion artists have they must surrender unto. Usually, it leads nowhere.
  Nowhere = Oblivion.
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  9

  A Wide-ranging discussion both fascinating and sometimes enlightening

  by TerryWalstrom in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  rubin is a gay atheist formerly affiliated with the young turks, ben shapiro is an orthodox jew who mainly comments on politics from a conservative pov.

  dr. jordan b peterson is a professor of psychology at the university of toronto, a clinical psychologist, a public speaker.____none of these men is interested in discussing politics in this discussion, rather in centering on the overlap between rational, secular belief and any underlying religious truth which may be hidden in mythos.i know that sounds like the most boring thing possible--but--i assure you it is riveting.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ophwshr798&t=3112sif you watch through to the last hour, the topic is brilliantly deconstructed with an honesty and intelligence rarely witnessed in live events..

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  TerryWalstrom

  Rubin is a gay Atheist formerly affiliated with The Young Turks, Ben Shapiro is an Orthodox Jew who mainly comments on politics from a Conservative POV. Dr. Jordan B Peterson is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto, a clinical psychologist, a public speaker.
  ____
  None of these men is interested in discussing politics in this discussion, rather in centering on the overlap between rational, secular belief and any underlying religious truth which may be hidden in mythos.
  
  I know that sounds like the most boring thing possible--but--I assure you it is riveting.
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1opHWsHr798&t=3112s
  
  
  If you watch through to the last hour, the topic is brilliantly deconstructed with an honesty and intelligence rarely witnessed in live events.
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  3

  Oblivion

  by TerryWalstrom in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  she danced in stolen dresses        to a chopin polonaise            in moonlight bright pentameters                suggesting shakespeare's plays.

  her bare feet on cold concrete    told her story to the crowd        hustling brusquely past her            as grand music played aloud.

  she dreamed the dreams of millionsto be known and rich and fairyet slowly it was fadingand nowno longer cared..     the wind swept in at midnight        her borrowed time ran slow            the lady in the stolen dress                 stopped moving to and fro.

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  TerryWalstrom

  OBLIVION
  __

  She danced in stolen dresses
  to a Chopin polonaise
  In moonlight bright pentameters
  suggesting Shakespeare's plays

  Her bare feet on cold concrete
  told her story to the crowd
  hustling brusquely past her
  as grand music played aloud

  She dreamed the dreams of millions
  to be known and rich and fair
  Yet slowly it was fading
  and now
  no longer cared.

  The wind swept in at midnight
  her borrowed time ran slow
  The lady in the stolen dress
  stopped moving to and fro

  Chopin turned to silence
  Shakespeare's sonnets froze
  the dancer in the stolen dress
  Slumped down and rubbed her toes

  Dimes and nickles in her hand
  She strikes her final pose
  Bows to no one - disappears
  to where all lost things go

  ________
  (A Poem by Terry Walstrom)
  
  
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  58

  Do You Ever Wonder Where Certain Posters Are?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  do people simply leave because the site has given them what they wanted?

  are they now infrequent lurkers?.

  did they go back to the watchtower?.

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  TerryWalstrom

  I think I've been on this Discussion group since about 2003 and I've seen 'em come and I've seen 'em go.
  I've gone through many life transitions in that time and ever so often I go "radio silent" because--well, I get tired of all things JW. Then, something like Leah Remini happens or the release of a book and I've fired up again.
  It would be interesting to have a roll call of who has been here for more than a little while.
  The days of Alan Fuerbacher, Narcissos, Little Toe, Hillary-step seem long ago to me now.
  Sigh.
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  26

  Jesus Christ: Invented by the Romans to subvert the Messianic impulse in Judaism into Pacifism?

  by TerryWalstrom in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  of course, there are many crackpot theories about all sorts of things.

  we hear about them,look into them and laugh.however, once in a great while, somebody presents a cogent and feasible thesis backed up by scholarship and history.watch this video presentation and present your rebuttal (or agreement) for discussion.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uqg8w7ezuq&t=268s.

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  TerryWalstrom

  The one thing most fair-minded scholars can agree upon is that the traditional presentation of Jesus to the world has too many finger-prints on it to be naively accepted "as is."
  
  The Evangelicals simply posit infallibility from the assertion of Authority and that doesn't fly in Modern times.
  
  Skepticism is in mother's milk.
  The Jesus Story was really tasty to Romans after so many wars with its pacifism and Prince of Peace conversation rather than nationalistic demands for more tribute and acquisition.
  Largely, it was women who were drawn to the message of Love and who spread the influence of a Good God rather than a terrifyingly quixotic one. No further sacrifice because Jesus made the best one for all time--now that's economical!
  
  The Community of goyim Christians outnumbered the Messianic Jewish contingent & separated itself into a much louder and more influential story that succeeded in crowding out the parochial and exotic hermetic Shemetic strain.
  
  How much of the Jesus story isn't improvised?--that should be the question.
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  2

  Let's Talk About Writing

  by TerryWalstrom in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  let's talk about writing.

  for me, writing is sort of like jazz.. writing is "thinking inside the moment".

  improvising and surprising an audience--is good jazz.. have you ever heard "bad" jazz?ha ha ha--of course you have!

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  TerryWalstrom

  Excellent point! Self-centered writing keeps the reader on the outside of the experience.

  If it isn't important in Value to a reader--it isn't important enough to read (no matter how much I felt it while writing.)

  How do you write "valuable" things others will read and feel as strongly as the writer?
  Be entertaining. Surprise them. Build an expectation which changes how they think by challenging (but not threatening) their viewpoint.
  Or...
  Become a tour guide to your experience through empathy, vicarious role play. Let the reader walk in your shoes for a few minutes. Make it a thrill ride or a guilty pleasure--but make it funny or sad in a real and sympathetic surrounding.

  Words are music if you play the melody in them.
  For me--it's Jazz. If my reader taps their foot--my writing is sweet music.
  "Welcome to the Sing-Along."
  
  
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  2

  Let's Talk About Writing

  by TerryWalstrom in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  let's talk about writing.

  for me, writing is sort of like jazz.. writing is "thinking inside the moment".

  improvising and surprising an audience--is good jazz.. have you ever heard "bad" jazz?ha ha ha--of course you have!

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  TerryWalstrom

  LET'S TALK ABOUT WRITING

  For me, writing is sort of like Jazz.

  Writing is "thinking inside the moment".
  Improvising and surprising an audience--is good jazz.

  Have you ever heard "bad" Jazz?
  Ha ha ha--of course you have!!
  That's like asking--"Have you ever read BAD writing?"

  Great writing is seduction!
  Seduction is offering an exciting stimulus toward a satisfying response which teases your inclinations to enjoy life more.
  Who doesn't crave that arousal?

  (Arousal is a magical word--don't you think?)

  Don't we often associate jazz with seduction?
  Let's say "yes" and see what that means.
  The excitement of seduction is partly being off-balance and putting you on your toes (or your back).

  Not really knowing where it's going...is arousing...moment to moment...leading someplace that might just be wonderful.

  (Note: This is still about writing--so, calm down!)
  
  

  When you first meet somebody on a blind date--that's like picking up a book for the first time. Those first few seconds should make your heart beat a little faster.
  A smile? Yes! (Opening paragraph)
  Appearance may be pretty important--but wait!
  "Don't judge a book by its cover" is good advice.

  Listen first.
  Listen for that seductive tone...is there insinuation toward sweet surprises?

  A good writer grabs you with a little humor (to break the ice) and a welcoming smile (an inviting setting) followed by that elusive miracle: a CONNECTION!

  A terrific writer establishes the electrifying moment of connection in a literary 3-way menage a trois:

  1. Your mind and your body
  2. Your body and your desires
  3. Evocative words as a gateway to the first two: imagination.

  Writing is background music for "possibilities" and as you enter this new world and explore its frontiers you are taken out of yourself in a good way.

  50 Shades of Gray sold 125 million copies in a genre where 40 thousand copies are considered a triumph.
  Here is why, in my opinion. That rather shabby book was all about Seduction

  Everybody wants to lose control and turn it all over to somebody else more powerful who can turn the pain into orgasmic pleasure.

  And guess what?
  A 2nd-rate writer achieved that. (Even a cheap thrill is still a thrill).
  Here is a secret: there's no such thing as a good writer or a bad writer--there is only the
  EFFECTIVE writer and an INEFFECTIVE writer.
  Many a man has said, "There's no such thing as bad sex".
  What the man means is "effective" sex. (FEELING IT).
  .
  A writer offers an Uber ride to someplace you want to go where you'll experience BIG FEELINGS.

  That's worth the ride--no?
  _______

  When I write, I'm thinking out loud RIGHT NOW.
  I don't prepare a damn thing. I hear it when you do--for the first time. That's pretty much the only way I can write.
  Why?
  It's the most surprising and satisfying way to find out
  what I'm thinking. Because you see, I don't know what I think until I write it down.

  Often I'll do that and then read it, turn up my nose and delete it.
  I post it publicly and later take it down--I hate it.

  Spontaneity is the only writing that works for me. I actually FEEL what I'm writing--or I don't.

  All the other kinds of writing don't interest me.
  
  Your mileage may vary.