Thank You, Science!

There, There. It's All Right ....

I keep clicking. My perceptions of objective reality obviously need new settings.
http://make-everything-ok.com/

Scientific Reality

If only it were so simple.  This applies to writing, too. But there it's known as editing, revising, rewriting, more editing, more revising ....

Kindle Is For Books?

"Certainly a book isn't something I would ever want. Nor would I want one, electronic or otherwise, near my kids."

From The Daily Mash:  Britain desperately trying to download games onto Kindle

Oh! This is So Evil

What a nefarious scheme. One that could not fail.

http://www.smbc-comics.com/comics/20111231.gif

A Book's Nightmare

Authors long for 'the movie deal', but how many are pleased with the results?

http://zs1.smbc-comics.com/comics/20111130.gif

Editorial Advice

Where would we be without our editors?

http://www.savagechickens.com/category/cartoons

Philosophic Horror!

Belated Halloween terror from Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal:

 http://www.smbc-comics.com/

Kids or Spouse?

A friend and I had just been discussing this question. We wondered how many other women question this. Of course, there's two sides to the question: kids and no spouse, or spouse and no kids. Either way, society often frowns.

I'm thinking a lot about cultural myths lately. Tradition dictates marriage and family. But in this as in all things, people should be free to choose -- and most importantly, society should support those choices. It's all too easy to feel guilty for wanting a non-traditional life.

Then I think about choices that are even more non-traditional, and I am once again humbled at the courage people have, who choose not to hide who they are: different sexual orientations, gender change, even (omg) atheists.

We are getting better, I think, as a society, but there's still so much intolerance, even hatred for those who don't abide by a perceived norm. But what is normal, and why? And who decides?

I think it's easier on everyone to stop insisting we have the right to tell others how to live, and ask instead for respect. Be kind. That's all.

http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/28/2805/280589.jpg

I know I'm a Writer Because ....

I've read the quotes. 'unhappy is the house where a writer lives' sorts of things. I don't know about unhappy, but a writer does live here.

I am not a person who writes. I am a writer.

I know this because my deepest, most soul-stirring or harrowing emotions are greeted with a rapturous: "Oh cool! Now if I can just get this into words, I can use it in a story!"

Naming Your Characters

I started a writing course at the university this week. Still hoping to learn what is literature versus literary genre. Ideas? Writing style? Doom and gloom?

Hopefully I will learn. I've already learned they use a different jargon. For example, workshop = critique.

My first assignment was a very short (2/3 - 3/4 page single space) story on an assigned prompt. That was a challenge. I always have lots of ideas I want to write about, and it's been many years since I've been told what my topic must be.

I needed a name for the second character -- a name that reflected a certain, not innocence, but goodness. Argh. I finally used my default name of Jane, thinking I'd change it later when inspiration struck. It didn't, so it's printed now with Jane.

How do you choose characters' names? Very tricky, although sometimes inspiration does help.

http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/26/2605/260562.gif

UPDATE:  Sunday's comic on the same theme:

http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/26/2650/265083.gif

Creative Creativity

I admire his creativity, but I hope the future is brighter than this for him -- and for me!

An Editor's Demonstration

I know how this feels. Okay, not completely rewritten, but it sure felt like that at first glance. Here's to hoping the next draft will have fewer crossings-out!

http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive/phd091411s.gif

Coffee Shop Danger!

Sorry for the hiatus. Been taking a break, and getting new inspirations. More tomorrow, but this is too good to not post.

I feel guilty at long hours in coffee shops. I have a write-together-but-don't-talk-much group I go to on Wednesday afternoons, and we meet in coffee shops. Fortunately not ones that actually reek of coffee. We are not alone -- there are always tables full of people who do just as this article describes: 

Café owner going to kill laptop-using bastard

Humor For Sooty (and Chemistry)

Gotta love these. Lolcats has been running a series of Chemistry Cat jokes, and now Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal gets in on the act.

Chemistry is part of Sooty's story, you see. Again, I find synchronicity. When I work on Adjacent Possibilities, the world is full of philosophy, and when I work on Sooty, chemistry.

Of course, I know it's only that I notice these things because I'm thinking about them, but even that is good. It means I'm seeing things I wouldn't have noticed before.

Wonderful!

 (sorry about the overlap, but using a smaller size-option made this one unreadable)

Update 23 Oct, 2011  I was just going over old posts and saw this image had vanished. I can't get it to reload, so here's the direct link to the comic from its site's archives:

http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=2349

Statistically Significant Verbiage

I sat bolt upright, and drew a deep breath. Brushing strands of my hair from my face, I raised my eyebrows in dawning dismay.

Was I, too, so conventional, even cliche in my word usage?

Was this the inevitable result of the 'show don't tell' so beloved of fiction writers?

Grimacing, I gritted my teeth, and wiggled my fingers, preparatory to evaluating my collocations.

I did not, however, grunt.

And in case you're curious at this absurdity of mine, read the New York Times article on language in fiction: The Jargon of the Novel, Computed

What Would You Censor?

This is a great post from 'The Guardian' literary editor and blogger Claire Armitstead.
I enjoyed the comments, too, both the serious and the humorous. Way to go, Gogg. What a horrible thought that people should learn to read -- and, oh horrors! maybe even ask questions and think.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2011/jul/22/harmful-books-censor

Another Round of Sympathetic Insecurity

I've found several comics that accurately reflect the potential, and often realized insecurity of artistic endeavors.

This is the most recent one:

(click to enlarge)

http://www.calamitiesofnature.com/archive/560.jpg

Rethinking Argument

We tend to make up our minds for emotional reasons. Then we identify with our conclusions, and find ourselves threatened or angry when someone tries to alter our conclusions. The more comfort we derive from our belief-based conclusion, the more fiercely we resist someone trying to change it.

Hence all the hostility amongst religions, or competing scientific theories.

We should be, at the very least, polite in our arguments -- and always have good, solid supporting evidence.

For politeness:  How to Argue on the Internet and Linguistic Politeness Research Group

For good, solid arguments :

http://www.smbc-comics.com/

Your Work Lacks Confidence

Oh dear. I feel like this all too often. It is annoying.

 http://www.savagechickens.com/wp-content/uploads/chickencrapart.jpg