tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82724418925573828632024-03-05T01:54:35.166-06:00Writerly Thoughts and Half-thoughtsAspiring novelist, designer, artist. I love books, comics, music, manga, and animation. Likely to muse on all of these, but mostly my life.S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-80938136939233522502013-08-18T01:14:00.002-05:002013-08-18T01:14:16.277-05:00Pennies About PC CharactersHalf.com is making my life DIFFICULT. Won't let me order a few measly books. Grr... Anyway, while I'm trying to sort out that mess, I happen onto Tumblr, where I find EscherGirls posting [so on and so forth]. Anyway, stuff about Strong Female Characters, blah-de-blah. <a href="http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2013/08/i-hate-strong-female-characters">This Person</a> wants a ratio of 1:1 male-to-female and the complexity of Sherlock Holmes. (That's actually a really crude and insulting way of interpreting an excellent article, but Sherlock Holmes isn't a male character, he's asexual. So's the Doctor.)<br />
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<a href="http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2013/03/08/on-the-subject-of-the-strong-female-character/">Chuck Wendig</a> has some sound opinions on the matter of strong characters.</div>
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I, of course, have my own thoughts on this.</div>
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If a man can't write a woman character well, he shouldn't. Let the characters default to male. It bothers me way less than those fembots-with-a-gun that are the result of trying to diversify casting. Frankly, most single men don't understand women very well. Unless they have half a dozen sisters or are a total mommy's boy, they're ignorant. The moment they understand a woman well enough to create a character appropriately complex and engendered, they're celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary.</div>
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Unless the character is beating guys up without mercy. Assuming a lot of male writers weren't the most popular jock in high school, I'm sure the image of a "strong" girl and a tiger devouring prey don't look too different.</div>
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The social responsibility to "rehabilitate" interactions between men and women via fiction shouldn't be a deliberate act on the part of popular media. That is, we should never try and bully in exact ratios for casting and character depth. It's popular media.</div>
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Instead, anyone who cares about that sort of thing should cry foul when female "characters" are there to look pretty/hot/sexy rather than contribute to the story. But, really, we're just as bad. I mean, what exactly is yaoi besides spectator mind pr0n for dissatisfied girls? (Note my use of the word "spectator" --- BL is for girls to make little heart-shaped eyes at and get into internet shipping wars over.) Guys just take advantage of the opposite sex in a less politically correct way.</div>
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So, what do I do about this?</div>
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I LET MY CHARACTERS BE WHO THEY ARE. And my last concern in creating a character is their sexuality. I think about that when I'm going over my fourth revision for the story: Is there any chemistry between these two? If there's an established relationship, it's because it's important to the story. Imperative, actually. Sometimes, I even change the gender of my character. Not because I say "There's not enough males/females". It's because I think the character would work better gender-switched.</div>
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And writing boys is hard for me. I don't write many as protagonists, because I have to be really comfortable with the character to write him confidently. It's a lot of effort to write a truly male protagonist that I can be proud of. It's a lot like gender-switching yourself.</div>
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So I don't mind if the gender ratio is off in fiction created by men. One awesome female character they've put heart and soul into making is way better than littering a story with unremarkable PC female presence.</div>
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What I want is just equal opportunity as a creator. I want to know that my graphic novel about superheroes where women outnumber men 4:1 has a shot. I want to know that they'll stop hem-hawing about making a Wonder Woman movie rather than rebooting Batman again --- or at least have proper Barbara Gordon. And I want <i>Brave</i> to have done better in theaters. I want to see Carol Danvers cosplayed in her new Captain Marvel persona more, and I want Kelley Sue DeConnick's autograph. And I don't want to hear Joss Whedon called a closet misogynist for having an archaic villain use an archaic insult to try and tear down his enemy. And I certainly don't want to hear anyone giving Jennifer Lawrence flack for choosing not to starve herself for a role that millions of impressionable girls will by influenced by. Nor do I want to hear people doing the reverse to Anne Hathaway for doing so for a role that's target demographic wasn't kids.</div>
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And I never want to hear Emma Frost described as "in charge of her sexuality" again, because an X-shaped pastie or less is fanservice, and<b> disguising fanservice as female empowerment IS insulting.</b> Otherwise, I'm a very cool person. I may not agree with you about something, but I'm not going to be pushy about it. I'm going to appreciate a good story and good characters no matter what their chromosomes look like, and I'm going to hate a terrible story and cardboard characters regardless. And I won't approve of demands to genderbend characters for the sake of a ratio. Do it because it suits that character better. For movies and TV, do it because the actor you want has all the other qualifications (this go for race too) for the role.</div>
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Otherwise, just write a fanfic with appropriate disclosures.</div>
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And one more thing: Cinderella? Snow White? Rapunzel? They may have been "damsels in distress", but the story is still all about them. No one even bothered to give the "hero" of the story a name. ("Charming" doesn't count --- unless Charming's accrued a larger harem than an ecchi anime. And if there's a fic like that, I don't even wanna know.)</div>
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Which is why I like Shrek, the first movie. It was about two people struggling to overcome not just a stereotype, but a stereotyped life they accepted for themselves. So the point isn't that all princesses know kung fu now, it's that maybe they always knew kung fu.</div>
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I don't even know if this post is coherent now, it's so late.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-13759147753539690422013-05-17T18:55:00.003-05:002013-05-17T18:55:15.545-05:00Marvel pwns DCI feel really bad for DC. I really, really do. I mean, they own the ubiquitous properties of Superman and Batman.<br />
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That's probably their problem. Their marketing strategy seems to be: Make another Superman and/or Batman movie, commision something to do with Wonder Woman and scrap it, and sell lots of stuff with Bats and Supes logos on it.<br />
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Up until recently, they had the corner market on animation, particularly their animated movies. Now that <i>Young Justice </i>has been cancelled, that corner is <i>gone</i>. In comics, they completely rebooted their universe, but I don't think this is an indicator they've got their stuff together. Batman's now ultra-compressed continuity alone is a good indicator of this.<br />
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But if you're gonna move into anything like the mainstream, you do it in movies and TV. And here, <b>Marvel officially pwns</b>.<br />
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The age-old approach was to make single superhero properties into "adaptations". Isolated stories without any outside continuity or larger universe. But fans of comics and even cartoons know this isn't that fun. You see your favorite characters in live action, sure, but in this scheme, you never get to hear Tony Stark say "Does your mother know thou wearest her drapes?" to a Norse god.<br />
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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is now a true Marvel Universe. It has the Avengers, it has SHIELD, it even has the Guardians of the Galaxy. They just need to work out a deal with Sony and tie-in Spider-Man's continuity.<br />
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It works because the people making it are the people who've had the rights all along: Marvel (---and now Disney, who forked over $4 bill for the enchilada).<br />
FOX still has the X-Men, which I can live with because mutants might be a little complicated to tie into the Avengers & co. I really want Spidey and the FF in MCU though.<br />
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But it doesn't look like we'll ever get to see Spider-Man, the Human Torch, and Iceman hanging out. My fangirl heart's a little sad.<br />
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But back to the point. <i>Agents of SHIELD</i> is further proof that Marvel is audacious and brilliant, and Disney isn't totally evil. It shares its continuity with the big movies, <b>allowing the MCU to expand</b> even further <b>into something unique</b>.<br />
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That's why I didn't kick up a fuss that Iron Man 3 wasn't based on a comics storyline, and that thing with the Mandarin was kind of brilliant, disappointed as I was (---but I would've been "disappointed" anyway, because I know Mr Ten Rings from Iron Man: Armored Adventures). I thought it was clear sign that the MCU has its own stories to tell, and its own way to tell them.<br />
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With Marvel's Ultimate Universe in shambles (that's what happens when you kill basically everyone in a world where people don't quite have the knack for resurrection), the MCU is now Marvel's "modernized" world.<br />
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Whereas, DC's contemplating rebooting Green Lantern and Batman films al-freaking-ready. "Arrow" is a good series, but it really has its own take on everything, leaving it outside DC's multiverse (I think). This leaves <i>Smallville</i> as the standout, and I really don't think that's a good sign for DC. And since there was no real "crossover" involved, just cameos and guest spots, I'm tempted to disqualify it. Otherwise, I'd be citing the Incredible Hulk TV movies co-starring Daredevil and Thor. Hmm, maybe I should...<br />
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Maybe if DC had grabbed onto Joss Whedon when he was going to make a Wonder Woman movie for them, they'd have something as stunning as <i>The Avengers</i> to show for it.<br />
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(So, who wants to make bets that <i>Man of Steel</i> will acknowledge/hint at the existence of other superheroes? If DC/Warner Bros intends to stay with the times, I sure hope it does.)<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-69301812863238119062013-05-16T12:56:00.000-05:002013-05-16T12:56:09.319-05:00LifeI think I've written and deleted about three blog entries in this space over the past twenty minutes. I guess the question here isn't so much what I want to say as what I want floating around on internet archives forever.<div>
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I can't escape right now. I just can't.</div>
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I don't have much in my life. I own about half of my laptop, not including the warranty. I have some furniture gifted to me. A few books, art supplies, my bike, and a china set my grandmother bought me when I was little. Everything else is intellectual property and, you know, cheap clothes.</div>
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So what I do have is my family. I've been trying to make it up to them that I'm unemployed, single, and can't drive however I can.</div>
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Just doesn't feel like enough. I must not be cut out for this "adult" thing.</div>
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Something needs to change and soon, or I'm going to go crazy.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-64118500345810529762013-04-26T15:48:00.000-05:002013-05-16T15:27:04.968-05:00Distorted AnatomySo, I was looking through the <a href="http://eschergirls.tumblr.com/">Escher Girls Tumblr</a> last night, and I was kind of... disturbed.<br />
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Honestly, I've gotten really good a completely blocking out all that fetish/exploitive stuff, thanks to those Fantasy MMO ads everywhere, so I'd never even noticed "Boobs and Butt" before.<br />
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But, really, I wonder whether the guilty artists took anatomy and they're just ignoring it, or they derive their understanding of the female body from aforementioned MMOs.<br />
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I like comics. I even like some mainstream comic titles. (Ultimate Spider-Man, Hawkeye, Captain Marvel, and Action Comics come immediately to mind.) And there's nothing I like more than when a female character gets a decent design and writer.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/capt-marvel-jamie-mckelvie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/capt-marvel-jamie-mckelvie.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel has all the characterization you could want in a comics lead, courtesy of<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> Kelly Sue DeConnick</span>, and a totally awesome costume to go with it.</td></tr>
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And this a big step up from this</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/30800000/Warbird-carol-danvers-30892937-274-417.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/30800000/Warbird-carol-danvers-30892937-274-417.jpg" title="" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carol's old look</td></tr>
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I don't know about you, but as an artistic, somewhat geeky girl, I'd actually want to be the character in the first picture. Not so much the second.</div>
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I mean, fanservice may help sell comics to boys, but it's the last thing I'm looking for.</div>
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I think if a female character's a lead in a comic title, then she should be less "in charge of her sexuality by wearing pasties" and more concerned with being relevant.</div>
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Because this is not okay...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120306205735/batman/images/4/42/Starfire_-_New_52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120306205735/batman/images/4/42/Starfire_-_New_52.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starfire from <i>Red Hood and The Outlaws</i>. Apparently, being an alien female means you have no sense of self-respect or ability to adapt to the modesty standards of a different culture</td></tr>
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I don't mean to come off as judgmental or anything here, but characters like Catwoman, Emma Frost, and Starfire have the potential to be strong, important, and hold their own in any situation. But instead that potential is overshadowed by their sex icon status. That distortion is something that needs to change in people's attitudes about women in general.</div>
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You don't have to be androgynous to have gender equality in fiction.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/27900000/Pandora-Hearts-Alice-pandora-hearts-27979409-774-1032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/27900000/Pandora-Hearts-Alice-pandora-hearts-27979409-774-1032.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alice from <i>Pandora Hearts</i> is an awesome character who holds her own. Even though she's in a shonen title, she's treated with all the individuality she deserves.</td></tr>
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I don't think it's too much to ask for that the action/adventure stuff I enjoy isn't chock full of centerfold-type stock characters. I mean, it's not hard. Just look at the Young Justice cartoon. Wonder Woman and Black Canary are both in "classic looks" without looking like role-playing tramps.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR1OPAG2NyBwxQA4K8CwBoNiaLVzXL_30YjRIse6p8lPlcnMGHZ" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR1OPAG2NyBwxQA4K8CwBoNiaLVzXL_30YjRIse6p8lPlcnMGHZ" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See what I mean? That's a "normal" looking heroic body type. Take note!</td></tr>
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So, that's about it. This rant went on longer than I thought, but I guess I've put some thought into this.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-49185865305719965712013-04-25T14:20:00.000-05:002013-04-25T14:20:38.368-05:00AII'll admit it, I sort of have a thing for A.I. characters.<br />
JARVIS from the <i>Iron Man</i> movies, Astro from <i>AstroBoy</i>, Victor Mancha from <i>Runaways</i>. They're all my favorite characters from those titles*. And don't get me started on WALL-E.<br />
Anyway, I'm really looking forward to Iron Man 3 next week and the Avengers AI comic coming out in July.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Die, Ultron-bot, die!<br />(Also, Victor's totally sporting a metal arm. I almost didn't recognize him.)</td></tr>
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I really need to give Duffy (my android character in Resident) a bigger role. I accidently wrote her out with my latest revision. We're gonna have to fix that.</div>
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Anyway, today I'm gonna fool around with our busted scanner, see if I can get it half-working, cause I really want to be able to post my panels and concept art. I have a sad robot in particular that would work well with this post.</div>
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*Victor is tied with Molly Hayes. 'Cause she's adorable <i>and</i> awesome.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-49442727749380408782013-04-15T21:21:00.001-05:002013-04-15T21:21:42.533-05:00Growing, ChangingSo, I'm twenty now. There's no "teen" in my age and won't be for another ninety or so years.<br />
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I know I'm different than I was when I was sixteen by leaps and miles. I actually had to go look in my journal the other day to remember what it was like.<br />
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Of course, I was nothing like I was at sixteen when I was seventeen either.<br />
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That's pretty much when everything started changing. My ideas about who I thought I was and what I was like were no longer concrete.<br />
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Funny, I had decided I didn't really like graphic novels or comics when one of my favorite novels, <i>Avalon High</i>, had a sequel published. Only it was a really cruddy, itty bitty graphic novel. (I'm thinking the art was too reduced or something.) Anyway, <i>Ultimate Spider-Man</i> broke me outta that rut. That was when I was seventeen.<br />
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I started watching kids' shows too. We got a laptop, and I wanted to watch something without having to worry about whether it was appropriate (esp since I try to be a good big sister, and I was watching with my brother). So I watched Young Justice, Avengers: EMH, Ben 10, Generator Rex, Danny Phantom, Avatar: Last Airbender, and X-Men Evolution. Even a little Teen Titans, but I think Robin on that show is too OOC to really watch. But my younger sister (by about four years) really made fun of me for watching kids' shows, and my parents are convinced they melt your brains. Don't know what's up with that.<br />
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So I'm somewhere between a kid and grown and struggling to figure out school, trying to write novel, not really succeeding, and not dealing either.<br />
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Believe it or not, I think anime made a difference there. I started watching Naruto and Bleach, and the characters' motivations for fighting and pursuing strength clicked with me in a way only Spider-Man really had.<br />
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The importance of family has been forgotten in America and the importance of independence grossly exaggerated.<br />
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Trying to break away from my family held me back, because I came to realize they were what was important to me. Trying to prove I was strong enough to do it on my own, to be independent, was a waste of energy. That wasn't a kind of strength I wanted anymore.<br />
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What I do what to do is tell stories. As novels or graphic novels or poems or whatever.<br />
And I want to support my family for as long as they need me.<br />
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I'd still like to go to college and have that experience, but for right now, I'm happy trying to make my own life right here.<br />
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I'd just like some cash :P<br />
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<i>Buenos noches</i>,<br />
S.D.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-45783821517604462742013-04-12T17:13:00.000-05:002013-04-12T17:13:01.687-05:00PlansSo, I've spent the last two and a half years shaking out the details of what I want to do with my life. I want to be a writer, but I don't want an MFA.<br />
So then the question was should I go to college? And what for?<br />
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It's really hard to get the money for college. I'm a homeschool graduate. I had to figure out how to get an SAT taken and then a GED and then there was the issue of legal identification, blah blah blah.<br />
After that, there's financial aid and scholarships applications.
Then the age old question of transport for a carless, jobless young adult. Who's also the oldest of four kids in a family who live paycheck to paycheck.
So I need enough money to live on campus.<br />
And when I missed two scholarship deadlines because our printer/scanner's broken, I realized that this was getting to be way too big of a hassle. I'd rather self-teach myself graphic design and make time for a business course later at this point.<br />
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The experience of college isn't worth the debt I'd be piling on myself to make it happen this year. I might try to pursue an illustration degree later, but only when I'm sure it's worth my time and I can get the money.
Because right now, my goals mostly involve being a novelist, freelance graphic designer, and illustrator (specifically for comic books).<br />
$40,000+ of debt to get a Bachelor's seems ill-advised, now that I've talked myself into being an artist. My aunt got an art degree that she's never done anything with, so if I'm going to make it happen, maybe that shouldn't be my focus at all.<br />
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On a side note, I think I might restructure this blog and start posting again. Mostly for myself.<br />
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<i>Ja ne</i>,<br />
SD<div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-733804839581778322012-02-10T17:12:00.000-06:002012-02-10T17:12:52.803-06:00Quick PostYay, I have laptop! We don't have wireless set up in our house yet, but I am getting alot of writing done in the meantime. :D<br />
<br />
Also, I am posting this link <a href="http://stiryourtea.blogspot.com/2012/02/contest-and-winning-and-free-books.html">http://stiryourtea.blogspot.com/2012/02/contest-and-winning-and-free-books.html</a> to Tahereh Mafi's book contest (which I totally want to win, so I can have <i>Shatter Me</i>).<div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-24874432352395719882012-01-10T16:34:00.001-06:002012-01-10T16:36:42.633-06:002011 Reading Roundup<b><span style="color: #274e13;">Writing Status: Procrastinating.</span></b><br />
<br />
I read a ton of books in 2011. Since our public library reopened, I've been trying to catch up.<br />
<br />
My favorites, offhand, were:<br />
<br />
<b>Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks</b><br />
I love smart characters. This story looks a little incredulous at first, but it was real and heartfelt. Definitely a fave.<br />
<br />
<b>The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy by Clare Dunkle</b><br />
Now one of my all-time favorite book series. I even got the first one for Christmas.<br />
<br />
<b>Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer</b><br />
I have a huge crush on Artemis, I'll admit.<br />
<br />
<b>Airman by Eoin Colfer</b><br />
I am naming my first son Conor Broekhart.<br />
<br />
<b>Maximum Ride series by James Patterson</b><br />
I finally got around to reading these. They were awesome, kickbutt, and funny.<br />
<br />
<b>The Thief Lord</b> and <b>Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke</b><br />
These definitely go on my all-time favorites list.<br />
<br />
<b>Gods of Manhattan by Scott Meebus</b><br />
I'm a history and a fantasy buff. This married the two perfectly.<br />
<br />
<b>The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart</b><br />
I want this book. I really do. The characters are great, and the writing is just as good.<br />
<br />
<b>The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins</b><br />
Because who didn't love it?<br />
<br />
<b>Wings by Aprilynne Pike</b><br />
I liked this because it combined science and fantasy beautifully.<br />
<br />
<b>Watersmeet by Ellen Jensen Abbott</b><br />
I read the back of this book like a cheater, but still wanted to read the whole thing through. That is a good book, imo.<br />
<br />
<b>Simon Bloom, Gravity Keeper by Michael Reisman</b><br />
Lots of Douglas Adams references. What more could you want?<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #660000;">Honorable Mentions:</span></b><br />
<br />
<b>Need by Carrie Jones</b><br />
I'm waiting to see whether Zara ends up with Astley to deliver judgement on this series.<br />
<br />
<b>The Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter</b><br />
She's an awesome writer and I stalk her agent, Kristen Nelson.<br />
<br />
<b>The Maze Runner by James Dashnell</b><br />
I loved it for four-fifths of the book, but I couldn't get into the way he ended it. It just didn't make sense to me. Should've been a stand-alone. No Scorch, please.<br />
<br />
<b>Across the Universe by Beth Nevis</b><br />
This book was too much of a psych-out for the favorites list, but I can't wait to read the sequel.<br />
<br />
<b>Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George</b><br />
It made me smile.<br />
<br />
<b>Wolven by Di Toft</b><br />
ditto.<br />
<br />
<b>Percy Jackson and the Olympians</b>, etc., <b>by Rick Riordan</b><br />
I liked the books a lot better than the movie.<br />
<br />
<b>Michael Vey: Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans</b><br />
I got this for Christmas and I've read four times already. I think it's on its way to being a favorite.<br />
<br />
Also, I developed a taste for graphic novels of all things (I know, the horror). I blame Ultimate Spider-man and the Artemis Fowl graphic novels. And all the superhero movies that came out last year. (We bought three of them.) And this is nowhere near all the books I read, but I didn't want the list getting too long.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-48059035897765801962011-10-31T21:19:00.000-05:002011-10-31T21:19:27.163-05:00FREAKFor 2011 I will do Nanowrimo for the FIFTH time (can you believe it?) Anyway, I think I'm decently prepared. My story is about a dragon prince living in a 1970s circus full of disguised fantasy creatures.<br />
<br />
I still have to try and find time to complete another story. The story I chose I now hate. Hate, hate, hate. The ending I have is terrible. So now I have to choose another one, finish it by spring, and query it out.<br />
<br />
Need some more chocolate and maybe dinner. <br />
<br />
Later.<br />
:D SD<div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-26083991896495515622011-03-08T16:48:00.004-06:002011-03-08T17:18:39.370-06:00Revision Pains EtcI have been revising<i> Dark Falcon</i> for the past week or so. I'm overwhelmed now. I really, really want to finish this revision by the end of the month. That was going pretty well, but the past couple days have been gunk. Maybe it's allergies... but my head just won't work. Not the best time to edit, you know?<div>
<br /></div><div>I'm optimistic about <i>Dark Falcon</i>, but I need a beta reader. Trouble is, I'm not actually sure how to get my manuscript off my internet-less Windows 98 and onto this one (a Vista).</div><div>
<br /></div><div>I've also been writing a short story I've tentatively entitled "The Goblin Queen". It's my own take on goblins, Faye, and Otherworld, so that's always fun.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>My interest in Twitter has been revived as I now have more opportunities to sneak on.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>I'm not really big on writing scripts, but I may collab with my brother again for ScriptFrenzy. He gets to mess with the formatting that way.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>My 18th birthday is coming up (yay!) This may sound weird, but I want to head out to the zoo and practice my photography for the occasion.</div><div>
<br /></div><div> :D SD </div>
<br /><div>P.S. I have discovered I am a geek: This summer's superhero movie lineup has me freaking out. ...And Cowboys & Aliens. </div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-84352668219260560252011-01-29T17:45:00.004-06:002011-01-29T18:00:11.613-06:00Finished Draft Woes and Longhand BingesSo I finished <i>Dark Falcon</i> with I think it was 73K. Have read through it a couple times since November. There are a few issues. It needs expansion in some places, and a lot of (rather difficult) research in others. Somewhat overwhelming amount of supporting characters. Can't think of any major revisions to the story though, and it's been bugging me whether or not that's a good thing. I spent so much time planning the story out in September and October, that I may have actually gotten it right in November.<div><br /></div><div>Of course, I hope this isn't the wrong intuition.</div><div><br /></div><div>While I work out this small conundrum, I have been writing another story (<i>August 16th</i>) longhand. It's made great progress, but I'm still sorting through any multitude of options for the story. (I always hated Choose Your Own Adventure stories. There would be pages I just could never find. Not that this story is one. Just feels that way.) Spent all of the last three days working on it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have to say, because I'm writing in time-coded sections, writing longhand has been easier for <i>August 16th</i>. I did once have this crazy idea about making it anchronological, a whim since abandoned.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Hope everyone is having a great 2011, and does anyone else find some stories just flow better in longhand?</div><div><br /></div><div>:D</div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-14212845789360475492010-10-23T12:09:00.003-05:002010-10-23T12:30:55.653-05:00Researching for Nanowrimo<div><i><blockquote>How tall would a wall have to be to break Humpty-Dumpty?</blockquote></i></div><div><br /></div>It's not easy. You've got to sit down an think about all the vague exploits and hijinks that will happen, character details that you often forget to pay attention to, and all the while, you're sure that there's something that you haven't remembered.<div><br /></div><div>Wikipedia's always a good place to start, but it's not a story-solver. After that, there's the Reference Desk on the Nano forums. People are more than willing to share their wisdom. Only problem is pretty much every other person on Nanowrimo is asking questions too. At that point, you might try wading through the different forum posts, which very often does turn up useful information.</div><div><br /></div><div>Of course, if you've some VERY specific inquiries to make, you have to take on the Google beast or the labyrinth of your library. This is not for the faint of heart. In 2008, I was writing about a woman who had sustained a severe traumatic brain injury. I wanted to know what her chances of recovery were from different specific scenarios. It wasn't easy. A lot of the information I needed was locked away on websites that required $800+ dollars a year for access to their articles. So I spent the first half of October piecing together the information for myself using diagrams of brains and TBI patient resource sites.</div><div><br /></div><div>You can make an inquiry with a specialist, or perhaps someone on Nano, but usually you're in a hurry. Come November, you realize what it was you really needed to research back in October. You're falling behind on word count, and no one's answering your Reference Desk post. None of scientific/medical lingo really makes any sense to your literary mind anyway. </div><div><br /></div><div>In the end, you might even find you wind up leaving this information out all together. Your story might no longer make sense, but that's what revision's for, right?</div><div><br /></div><div>Of course, when you do get the information you need, it can put your story together or break it to pieces. But even then, it's hard to be completely sure your story is believable.</div><div><br /></div><div>It must have been a writer deluged in this sort of exhaustive research who first said: "Write what you know."</div><div>Not that, I think, anyone ever takes this advice for more than five minutes together.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-19828471922759712392010-10-12T09:39:00.006-05:002010-10-12T09:51:27.790-05:00Nano!So Nanowrimo's around the corner again. I've been doing quite a bit of planning. I now have my own (albeit Jurassic) computer to work on. Yay! There's a tiny snare this year. That's that we're moving. I'm keeping myself convinced that it's no big deal (Denial is a powerful thing). My sister's even signed up to do it with me this year. That's kind of cool. She's writing a mystery-suspense, think.<div>I'm writing urban fantasy-- but it's superheroes! I've decided to call it <i>Dark Falcon</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've a synopsis posted here <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/209666">http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/209666</a></div><div><br /></div><div>And here's a better view of my book cover</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2H51le7mN85rYRnhKbWR-YTJOHKVOVjvkQ6McZs0eQKQK4F-eT3NqdSA4wYuvpfNBf3FqWwRY8mL8DeAm4dj30w65fPY6o2jydfH4134FRuRiQ8Fs_ZMUFNplOTN3EytXNIxk6Q-euzS1/s1600/DarkFalcon-bc1.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2H51le7mN85rYRnhKbWR-YTJOHKVOVjvkQ6McZs0eQKQK4F-eT3NqdSA4wYuvpfNBf3FqWwRY8mL8DeAm4dj30w65fPY6o2jydfH4134FRuRiQ8Fs_ZMUFNplOTN3EytXNIxk6Q-euzS1/s320/DarkFalcon-bc1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527170822248137458" style="cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 320px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">(kind of an awesome winged ninja) :D</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So for the next few weeks I'll be haunting my Twitter and Nano forums.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">How's everyone else doing this pre-Nano season?</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-57365480415232636932010-03-09T07:12:00.004-06:002010-03-09T07:22:08.270-06:00A Melodramatic, Exaggerated BreakdownI love irony. I really do. I try to put it in my stories, I look for it in movies, news, life,etc.<div>Sometimes irony is just plain frustrating. </div><div>You see, whenever my mother tells someone that I write, she nearly always adds that I'm too shy to let anyone see my work.</div><div>I then reply it's not ready. I'd b willing to show off a polished manuscript, but I've yet to get there.</div><div>However, I have semi-polished several chapters of The Restored. I need my mother's input, as the library critique group is not meeting as the library caved in last year. So I asked her to read a few chapters. When she didn't have time for that, I tired discussing some issues I was having with her, but she wasn't listening to me.</div><div>Frankly, I'm frustrated <i>and </i>concerned. I mean, how much do they really believe in me? They think I'm too shy to have life, I guess. I know I can write stories. But just because I'm not sending out my rough-hewn, unfinished manuscripts to be deleted by every agent and editor in the hemisphere doesn't mean I don't want to be published!</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-42715935845841371242010-03-02T06:19:00.008-06:002010-03-02T07:24:21.825-06:00Write a Book, then Write It Again... And Again.You have a story idea. Maybe something inspires, maybe you had this amazing dream. Maybe you just love a particular concept and have built upon it. <div><br /></div><div>What are you going to do with it?</div><div><br /></div><div>There are plenty of options. A screenplay, a comic book or strip, poetry, your alter ego, a novel. Maybe even inspiration for a painting. Still, most people do nothing. </div><div><br /></div><div>Assuming you're a writer too, you went the fiction route (and probably the alter ego). </div><div><br /></div><div>I believe I first attempted to write a book when I was seven or eight years old. My story wasn't bad in the premise. It reflected my own life, books I'd read, and recent news events. </div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately my effort was abandoned for one major reason: I had no clue how to write. I believed that all paragraphs had to be exactly 4-6 sentences long. And I'd never heard of margins or the fact you could leave off dialogue tags. </div><div><br /></div><div>When I discovered how to format, maybe a year or two later, my stories finally escaped being mere doodles on notebook paper and became words. (Notebook paper remains my favorite media.)</div><div><br /></div><div>I won't pretend to have been a prodigy. My first efforts were probably much like everyone's. You should know the problems. </div><div><br /></div><div>As I wrote my ideas began to develop and became better. They would change so quickly that often I would just have to start the story over. (They were innately long. I still struggle to write short stories. Or just finish a work at all.)</div><div><br /></div><div>After that, there's actually not a lot. I wrote, and wrote, and wrote, and wrote, and wrote, and wrote. In between, I read mounds of books and drew character art. I never went to a workshop and my only book on writing was my grammar book. Other novels formed my style, etc.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, I consider myself born a story-weaver and dreamer, but I only call myself a writer because I've devoted myself to an unknown quantity of fiction. (I've probably passed the Million Words mark). </div><div>These past two and a half years, I've learned a lot about maturing my stories from the internet and Nanowrimo. Literary agents, other publishing people, and experienced creative writers have blogs that all have given me advice I desperately needed. </div><div><br /></div><div>What remains is to create a polished manuscript and eventually find someone willing to publish it. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">So how about you? Where have you come from as a writer?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">P.S. This is my first attempt at this kind of writing post. Please feel free to give advice on where I have failed. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Thanks to <a href="http://writeabetternovel.net/">Write a Better Novel</a> for inspiring this post.</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-61236072265223837012009-12-29T16:59:00.004-06:002009-12-29T17:11:28.862-06:00In other news...I'm rather stuffy in my eras and nose right now. It makes me a little cranky. So while everyone else is playing the Wii sports that my grandparents bought us for Christmas, I am writing this to complain about how awful I feel. I did get a fancy fountain pen with several different ink cartridges in it. As well as a fluffy robe that I <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;">love</span>. It's a bright blue color, the same shade as its accompanying throw blanket and the leather journal my aunt and uncle bought for me.<div><br /></div><div>Weather keeps doing snow flurries, like it's teasing us. I wish that it would finally get cold enough for it to snow and stick, instead a all this almost-but-not-quite-enough. To switch subjects, I love spiced tea and could drink it all day long (come to think of it, I do). And I like watching The Pretender on Hulu a lot, even though the reality of his situation can get really depressing if I let myself think about it. </div><div><br /></div><div>In writing news, with the exception of a blip of a mermaid short story idea, I can't think of anything to write. It's the quasi-cold, I think. Maybe I need to watch Narnia or something to get ideas flowing. Also, my wrist is feeling much better after resting. I've been working on a picture to celebrate that. </div><div><br /></div><div>S.D.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-33109032394800157982009-12-15T17:08:00.003-06:002009-12-15T17:18:53.329-06:00BustedI did in fact manage to finish Nanowrimo just over 50K (yay me!). Since then however I have been experiencing several issues with my right wrist, namely it's more or less strained/busted. Therefore, I have strict (and, unfortunately, well-founded) instructions from my mother to write <i>or</i> draw, at least with that hand. I'm slightly ambidextrous, but I write so much more slowly with my left hand that it's never more than a page or two a day. Sigh. I did make a photo-manipulation for my other blog inspired by a story I can't really work on right now. And I have such great new ideas! I'm writing those down though. Hopefully, my wrist won't be strained like this come Christmas. I was hoping for some fancy pens and ink. Maybe a journal too :D.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-6317066125168368392009-11-29T09:27:00.002-06:002009-11-29T09:36:55.412-06:00Almost finished with Nanowrimo. I had originally intended to write 75K, and it looked like I would for awhile, but I started to get a little behind, but figured I would be able to make it up later. Then I got sick and couldn't write very much at all for a little while. When I finally did get started again, I knew I wouldn't be able to get the 75K and so started working with the 50K goal. My word padding I built up there went into holidays, and a few days ago, I started having issues with my wrists so that I don't write as fast as I was. Right now, I'm just under 47.5K. I was tempted to just quit, but by then I was over 40K, and that wasn't acceptable. So... given that I don't hit 49,999 words at midnight tomorrow, it's looking like I'm still going to win even though I didn't think I would make it for a couple days there.<br /><br />It has been different, but I'm glad that I tried and that it's paid off. I'll see you at the finish line? S.D.<br /><div id="refHTML"></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-86744546735777680242009-07-19T10:16:00.005-05:002009-07-19T10:35:45.602-05:00I'm Just As Stubborn<span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">I'm sitting here at the computer desk. I've been up three hours and have about three paragraphs to show for it. I'm tired, bored, and uninspired. I know what I want to write in the next chapter, but I've got to get them there first. The writer's block just isn't going away. </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">Got up to make a new copy and started wondering: Is this story any good? If it is, would anyone ever buy it? I've got other stories I could be working on, so why stick with this series? We both know it'll probably just wind up on a memory stick my sock drawer. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">My only answer to this dilemma? I'm passionate. I love these stories and these characters. I can't expect it to be any good on the first try, or even the second. Sure it might be epic fantasy, not very original, and too short; but it's mine. I'll keep writing and resist the urge to open another document. And I just might finish for once.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">So I'm still here. And I'm going to get to writing. And I'll pull myself out of this funk I'm stuck in.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">Maybe, just maybe, the Chinese chicken leftovers will survive. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">See? I'll show the writer's I'm just as mule-headed as it is. </span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">:P</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" > <span style="font-family: georgia;">S.D.</span></span><br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-77267314970114990522009-07-12T06:39:00.003-05:002009-07-12T06:48:17.549-05:00The other night I couldn't sleep at all. Which is pretty miserable, but it turned out for the better. I was wide awake at 6:00 a.m. and able to get up to write. (I have been sleeping past noon, as my dad works nights so I stay up with my mom.)<br />But anyway, it's nice to be working on <span style="font-style: italic;">The Restored</span> again. Even more nice is to be able to blog something on here.<br />I have been working on a faerie story longhand, sacrificing my fountain ink pens for a noble cause. I just about thought I'd fallen in love with the blue one LOL.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Question: Do you like it when there's a prologue setting the story's conflict up, or do you prefer when it's explained later?</span><br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-80796956642868602212009-06-23T17:29:00.003-05:002009-06-23T19:53:40.830-05:00Still LearningRecently, I reread some of my older writings.<br />In particular, two versions of a story since abandoned and two versions of a story in the making.<br />And I noticed something: I've gotten better.<br />My writing has come a very long way in just a few years, which makes me wonder what it will be be like five years from now.<br /><br />But I did try and decide some things I could specifically improve. That was descriptions and pulling the plot together.<br />Still... it's nice to know I'm better than I was. I'd hate to be stuck in a rut.<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-51689046589835648612009-06-16T19:32:00.004-05:002009-06-16T19:47:15.768-05:00Super PowersDid I mention I've been writing longhand lately? It's not too much fun (read hand cramps). I was noticing that I seem to revise much better if I've got the first version right next to me and I'm rewriting on a different paper/document.<br /><br />Haven't been on the pc too much lately (for the same reason I'm writing longhand).<br /><br />My story is set a few decades into the future (somewhere between 2040 and 2060) and is a spin-off of some superheroes stories I've worked on before (set in present day).<br />Anyway, the idea is that the superhero organization mentioned in the other stories has collapsed and given rise to new ones. The new ones are corrupt, bureaucratic, and competitive with each other. They also focus more on treaties with equally corrupt governments and political parties than vanquishing villains (that's become a side job). The public's unaware of all this since the media is their pawn.<br />The protagonist is a teenager whom the dominant organization has labeled a serious threat to themselves; she hides with a small group of supers who've been blackballed as "antiheroes" because of their noncompliance w/ the hero organizations.<br /><br />That's the set up but I'm not sure beyond that.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-60876810849299297772009-05-19T20:42:00.001-05:002009-05-19T20:43:20.071-05:00Space Trilogy & Current StatusI just finished reading the Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis. I really enjoyed <span style="font-style: italic;">Out of the Silent Planet</span>, and <span style="font-style: italic;">Perelandra </span>was breath-taking and insightful. <span style="font-style: italic;">That Hideous Strength</span> was hard to read and I felt it was something of a departure from the other books. By itself, it was a complex and interesting yarn. The character Ransom was great. In fact the only thing I didn't like about <span style="font-style: italic;">That Hideous Strength </span>was that I kept waiting for Ransom to show up. And when he did, a lot of time was still spent on N.I.C.E. and Mark (by the way, I keep wanting to say N.I.C.E. like the the town in France, not the adjective).<br /><br />But I started reading the first two over again. I told my brother he should read Out of the Silent Planet, because Ransom reminded me a little of his own character. I don't know if he will though.<br /><br /><br />I did write down a couple of story ideas I had been pondering. The first one has been in my mind for over a year. It's about a girl who can shape-shift into a dog, and infiltrates a supervillian's home by posing as a pet. The other is a little more recent. It's about a greyscale world where a few precious things are in color. I haven't gotten much farther than that though because my mom wants me to "rejoin" the world or something. If I hadn't gotten the fine off my library card so I could get books, I might have gone insane by now. Reality is too prosaic for me. I kind of feel like Belle in <span style="font-style: italic;">Beauty & the Beast</span> in that way.<br /><br />And I have to write an end of the year paper for school. I decided to write about C. S. Lewis. I started working on it today, but my brain kept shutting down on me, unfortunately.<br /><br />After I write this paper, school will be over for me, thank heaven. I'm still sticking to my goal of finishing <span style="font-style: italic;">The Restored</span> by the end of it, even though I haven't done any work on it for nearly two weeks, compliments of my mother. (Yes, I'm venting. There.)<br /><br />S.D.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272441892557382863.post-8592349593177096442009-05-12T23:58:00.003-05:002009-05-13T00:16:42.026-05:00Beatnik RutabagasI just finished reading <span style="font-style: italic;">Beatnik Rutabagas from Beyond the Stars</span> by Quentin Dodd. Again. I've probably read it, oh say, about two dozen times already.<br /><br />It's a really funny book. Dodd has a comical way of writing that I love. The voices behind his characters are great.<br />I haven't read it in awhile and when I did this time, I really paid attention to how he wrote (where he put the adverbs, etc.).<br /><br />He's probably my fourth favorite writer, after Caroline B. Cooney, C.S. Lewis, and Margaret Peterson Haddix.<br /><br />But back to the book, Walter is a boy who has rented the most sci-fi movies on Earth. This doesn't seem to like much of an accomplishment to anyone but the Lirgonians--who recruit him to be their general in their war against the Wotwots. And the Wotwots recruit Yselle Meridian, who watches sci-fi movies with him, to be <span style="font-style: italic;">their</span> general.<br />The war between the Wotwots and the Lirgonians isn't much of one. Each armada has a fleet of one, and they're in it for the gloating rights of beating the other.<br /><br />And then they run into eachother and get their spaceships stolen by Space Mice from Galaxy Four, mysterious little blue creatures who take all sorts of junk from all over the universe. Not to give the rest of it away, but there is a plot to take over the universe they have to stop.<br /><br />It's worth a read.<br />S.D.<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Don't worry, I'm stalking you too ;-)</div>S.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10637012429541938128noreply@blogger.com1