How does Shaun Tan do it?!
Here's his story of Eric, the foreign exchange student, as posted in The Guardian. It made me want to email some of the Rotary Exchange host families I know. But it's Friday and I'm beat. So I'm posting it here instead. This sort of consciousness-altering experience has to be shared.
- Exchange students
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wordsrmylife- November 20th, 17:56
- Why, why, why?!
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- mehub
- November 20th, 14:34
frustrated
Why does our mere existence create red tape? Why did our forefathers think government would be a good idea? Did they have any idea that by creating a Constitution, that document would be the Adam of all paperwork processing, phone trees, red tape, and other hoopla that has come since? Of course, electricity wasn't exactly a factor in their thinking when they created this monster.
Now whoa, wait a second. I'm a big fan of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution. Loads of good stuff in there. But where does "inalienable rights" mean the same thing as "your call will be answered in the order it was received" or that lovely phone tree: "Please say 'track a package.' I'm sorry, I didn't understand you. Please restate the request." ARRGGHHH!
Or when you have a child, who is a miracle of existence. Why do you have to prove their identity and existence when they are clearly in front of you, breathing oxygen, enlarging the ozone layer hole with their farts, increasing the carbon footprint with disposable diapers, and screaming in your ear? What part of that existence is a mystery? Why oh why do we need birth certificates, social security numbers, shot records, footprints on paper? Their spit up on your shoulder should be enough evidence to their presence! Just let us on the damn plane, please!!!
Yes, I love traveling during the holidays! Please sir can I have another!
- WCF!
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- bogwitch64
- November 20th, 14:36
121,907 words as of today. Instead of hovering between 122 and 123K, Finder is now below the 122K mark. This is a very good thing, because now I have nothing left to cut! Well, nothing significant. I'm pretty much back to the point where the crap took over my otherwise happy manuscript. As I've said before, the end had all the elements necessary, but it was totally suckilicious. I have six bullet points to hit in order to redo the BIG ENDING and Finder draft 2.5 is done.
What comes after that? Draft 3, of course. More smoothing and polishing, and when I have made it as perfect as perfect can be, I'll send it out to betas who will prove to me how wrong I was about that. :)
Exciting times!
Now I'm off to the grocery store to buy the necessities for making eggplant lasagna and meatball lasagna. Yes, the baby-one is coming home tonight and she wants mama's cooking. She's lucky I love her so much.
Tomorrow, the book warehouse going out of business is pricing all books at ONE DOLLAR! They just got four truckloads of books from the warehouse and into the shop. I wonder what goodies I'll find tomorrow! Nothing so great as the Tim Powers book, I'm certain, but one never knows.
- Word 2007
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- marshallpayne1
- November 20th, 13:24
Thanks totlmorganfield for her help this morning with my new Word 2007 that I've been trying out on my new Internet PC. Now that I've got it figured out I decided to install it on my Writing PC. And though I back everything up, I was a little apprehensive to make the final plunge to Word 2007, as I've heard a few writers complain about it. But it works great! (Word 2002 has been giving me problems on my Writing PC.) This may sound silly, but I feel like writing a new story this weekend on Word 2007 with all the fancy (and confusing at first) buttons and knobs. Hell, I feel like writing two new stories!
- All caught up!
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- jdawson001
- November 20th, 13:23
cheerful
I've finally cleared out my inbox and replied to everyone I needed to! Hurray!
I spent most of the morning playing around online, spent lunch time chatting with an old friend via MSN messenger, and then worked on the inbox since then. Most of it involved editing stuff, which is why I'd procrastinated so long.
Done, though.
Feels good. I think I shall spend the rest of the day being unproductive;)
JDawson
- Yay. :P
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- ldragoon
- November 20th, 10:30
We've got a new foster. This morning I got up and went to feed Flower, the semi-feral who came with our house, on the back porch and there was a KITTEN out there. I scooped him up and brought him inside. He's got a lot of fur, but he seems very thin under it all (I can feel each one of his ribs) so I'm thinking he's been outside for awhile. We dropped him off at the vet's for his worming, his shots, and his FIV test. I think he's maybe about 4 mos. old. I'll see if I can take a picture of him to post sometime this weekend, once he's calmed down a bit. They sure come out of the woodwork once it gets cold out!
And yes, we've still got Emmy. I'd hoped to be able to take her out to adoptions this weekend, but the vet diagnosed her with a yeast infection in her right ear, so we have to give her ear-meds until it's been cleared up. Here's hoping she can go out NEXT weekend!
- Oy
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- j_cheney
- November 20th, 11:39
Headachy
Two fillings this morning, and the anesthetic came out a bit stronger than intended, I guess. My face is numb from my right nostril to the corner of my right eye. My eye is....tired-feeling, and my sinuses are starting to ache. (Dentist made me blink several times before I left, just to prove that I could.)
The right corner of my mouth is all frowny, which provides me a creepy preview of what I would look like should I ever have a stroke on that side. Yeesh.
Dog is fussy about his food, I feel blah, and I wanna go back to bed and start over.
- PR
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- squirrel_monkey
- November 20th, 11:46
OK, so Irina won -- not like anyone was surprised. I really loved a few pieces in Carol Hannah's collection, but Irina's was cohesive, all-black, and really neat -- cool jackets, sweaters, even bags. I pegged her for a winner early on; what I didn't expect was that she would get away with knocking off a T-shirt (especially after complaining about Althea). Really, Project Runway? You're okay with someone who, after being told they cannot use a copyrighted image, turns around and steals a whole article?
- Breakfast With Jeff VanderMeer
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- mabfan
- November 20th, 11:17
About a week or so ago, I noticed that the Borders store next to my office building was advertising Jeff VanderMeer's appearance to promote his new novel Finch. Sadly, the event was scheduled for tonight, so there was no way I could attend and finally meet Jeff in person.
However, Jeff happened to be staying in the area, so we met for breakfast.
Michael A. Burstein, Jeff VanderMeer
Photo copyright ©2009 by K.L. Bryant.
(I know Jeff's eyes are closed in that one. I'll replace this later with the second photo, but that one is on my camera and not my phone, so I can't upload it as of yet.)
It turned out that we had a lot to talk about. We discussed science fiction and fantasy writing, of course, and teaching, and Clarion experiences, but we also talked about Florida. In my day job, I'm working on a project for Florida, and it turns out that Jeff had some relevant experience in the same field. So who knows, maybe we'll be working together on something totally different than fiction later on.
Jeff graciously signed my copy of his book Booklife: Strategies and Survival Tips for the 21st-Century Writer, which I highly recommend. The link will take you to a website devoted to the book that includes a lot of supplementary material. Check it out if you're trying to carve out a life as a writer in today's world.
- What all synopses should have
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- jdawson001
- November 20th, 9:50
okay
I've been working on my own synopsis, of course, but when I have a synopsis posted, I also review as many of the other posted synopses that I can get my hands on. And there seems to be some confusion about what ALL synopses should have.
The synopsis should include all important plot elements, especially the end of the story, as well as aspects of character development for your main characters.
This is straight from Tor's submission guidelines. That's not just for Tor, or for book publishers. It's for every synopsis.
So what does that mean, exactly? Let's break it down:
Important Plot Elements:
Exposition: The introductory material which gives the setting, creates the tone, presents the characters, and presents other facts necessary to understanding the story.
Foreshadowing: The use of hints or clues to suggest what will happen later in the story.
Inciting Force: The event or character that triggers the conflict.
Conflict: The essence of fiction. It creates plot. The conflicts we encounter can usually be identified as one of four kinds. (Man versus…Man, Nature, Society, or Self)
Rising Action: A series of events that builds from the conflict. It begins with the inciting force and ends with the climax.
Crisis: The conflict reaches a turning point. At this point the opposing forces in the story meet and the conflict becomes most intense. The crisis occurs before or at the same time as the climax.
Climax: The climax is the result of the crisis. It is the high point of the story for the reader. Frequently, it is the moment of the highest interest and greatest emotion. The point at which the outcome of the conflict can be predicted.
Falling Action: The events after the climax which close the story.
Resolution (Denouement): Rounds out and concludes the action.
Character Development:
"make sure you explain what your major characters want, why they want it, and what’s keeping them from getting it. Then at the end, show how they have grown as a result of the story. That will help make your reader care about what happens to them."
That's quoted from a great little synopsis tip site I recommend every synopsis-writer read. It's called How to Avoid the Top Ten Mistakes in Writing Synopses.
Without these elements, your synopsis can't do it's job. Whether it's a one page synopsis, or a ten page synopsis, these elements are vital to selling your novel.
JDawson
- Highlights of moving
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- hildebabble
- November 20th, 10:17
I have been painting the same room in various sessions and it still isn't done. (So close!)
We had to move in this new desk, which was described to me as "totally NOT heavy at all" but was in fact the heaviest thing ever made in the history of furniture. I'm telling you, someone somehow used science to make it denser than wood could ever possibly be.
We got said desk halfway up the stairs before I somehow got both feet AND my pants caught under it and was verily stuck.
I'm a little bummed because there's this anthology closing at month's end and I was hoping to get a story done for it but there's no way that's happening. There is no time to do anything. At this rate, even just reading I'm averaging two pages of a graphic novel per night. A graphic novel. Mostly pictures!neon_genocide and no-LJ-Dan are teaching me about wireless networking, so I'm not quite completely a lost cause with the whole technology thing.
There is a turtle puppet at Borders and I want it more than anything in life at the moment. But a voice in the back of my mind says "no more puppets." Or maybe that's Val's voice. Either way, we are sort've turning into puppet people, the way you might think of others as cat people. I'm not ashamed to admit it. (Maybe a little.)
And I'm deliriously tired. That is all.
- Guest blogger and wordage
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- bondo_ba
- November 20th, 11:03
The ever-entertainingjongibbs has agreed to do a guest blog here. So mark your calendars for Thursday, November 26th! I know you'll enjoy the topic he's chosen... but I'm not going to tell you what it is, you'll have to come and see! He is a writer and an Englishman, and his thoughts on how to use one's blog are always spot-on (if I took his advice more often, I would have a million readers).
Siege has gone out to beta-readers (thank you Fred and Chris for signing on at the last minute), and writing has resumed on other projects: 330 words into a story about Etruscan zombies and 1160 into The Malakiad, a humorous fantasy novel about ancient Greeks which is now on the front burner since The Curse of el Bastardo has sold, and this one is very similar in style, if not plot.
- Zombie v. Shark, or How to Terrify a Woman
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- jtglover
- November 20th, 7:33
calm
I'd like to post an entry about Jeff VanderMeer's Finch, and how cool and subversive and disturbing it is, but I'm not done yet, and the book is rewiring my brain. I'd like to post an entry about Wire in the Blood, and how it puts most American crime shows to shame, but that's (apparently) old news.I'd like to tell you about how much better every novel gets when you add woodland characters as creaturesI don't want to detail the writing progress at the moment, but you might enjoyjongibbs' entry about bloggers and blogging, which could be easily retitled "How to Alienate Your Readers Online." No, what I really want to talk with you about is Zombie vs. Shark.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, here's the relevant clip from Fulci's Zombie (NSFW violence):
When I originally posted about this around Halloween-time,mr_earbrass commented about my non-mentioning it. In fact, I didn't mention it because I was still quietly reeling. While watching this scene, I had one of those moments of sensory overload so intense that it verged on an altered state of consciousness.
This scene, with its cheerfully catholic monster ethos, combines the terror of the seas with the terror of the living dead. It also features a topless female diver (boobies!) and awesome-70's synthesizer juju. Watching it brought to my mind a veritable cascade of memories:
The first trip that I remember to the public library, age ...4? ...5? when I toddled around looking for something cool and found where they kept Creepy, instantly converting me into a lifelong fan. Hot shark-on-zombie action has to have appeared there at some point, but even if it didn't, I watched the scene imagining it was a story from Creepy. This, of course, brought back memories of years of reading, lying in bed with hot chocolate and vampires, etc.
Watching Planet of the Apes for the first time, feeling my pulse race with the weird, creepy soundtrack... later relived in the Fallout series of video games. The melding of unnatural music with unnatural experience.
Watching Jaws for the first time, hearing the music, and knowing that I was looking at a supposedly real-life monster. Seeing the Shark! at Universal Studios. Playing with my rubber Shark! in the bathtub. Learning unexpectedly that I was swimming near Shark!
All of these things overcame me as I watched zombie and shark battle it out. And yet... and yet...
The diver. The woman being terrified. What, the clip above didn't convey the context? Try this one (NSFW naughty bits):
She is the raison d'etre of the scene, and even now, I'm still thinking about why she's there--why that scene is there. On some level, it's a scene about sharks and zombies and boobs. On a different level, though, it's all about woman-as-prize, woman-as-victim, and all those other woman-as-es that we can't help but notice these days. So I ask you, fellow readers, writers, cinephiles, and horror folk: why is this scene here? What should we make of it? Is it one more expression of the misogyny ingrained in patriarchal society since the beginning of recorded history, or am I really making too much of good ol' fashioned sharks and zombies (and boobs)? You be the judge!
N.B. I r srs, and this r srs post. I've been mulling this over off and on for weeks now, thinking about the various ways women are terrified in horror movies and other contexts. It's so common a point, it seems hardly worth making, and yet... I remain disturbed. Were there savagery or irony here, it might have struck me less, but it seems like a casual thing; that the diver becomes victim and prize is not in question. That she escapes feels irrelevant to the equation, except to us as viewers rooting for her to survive.
- Interesting posts about writing – w/e November 20th 2009
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- jongibbs
- November 20th, 7:13
creative
Here’s my selection of interesting (and sometimes amusing) posts about writing from the last week:
On Writing #5: Time Management Blues – Finding the Time and Will to Writesboydtaylor
Pay what you want – a discussion, history, thoughts… [GUD magazine is trying a (sort of) new marketing approach]kaolinfire
Death as a balancing act [when to kill off your characters]karen_w_newton
How to read a how-to-write bookmarycatelli
What I Learned About Writing While Watching Reality Television (Nathan Bransford)
Local Fame [forward planning can have unexpected benefits]jimvanpelt
Surprises [about the sub-conscious writer in all of us]writerjenn
Steampunk and Hollywoodserge_lj [My personal favorite this week]
Critique that countsonyxhawke [an oldie, but goldie]
If you have a particular favorite among these, please let the author know (and me too, if you have time). Also, if you've a link to a great post that isn't here, feel free to share.
I’ve been thinking about the format of these ‘Pics of the week’ entries. At present, I only add a note to a link if it’s not clear from the title what the post is about.
Would you find it more helpful if I gave a brief description for each of them, or are you okay with things as they are?
- Derek @ WFC
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- 14theditch
- November 20th, 2:26
- What I Want for Christmas
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- rhfay
- November 19th, 22:51
My mother-in-law, who is more of a mother to me than my own mother, asked what I wanted for Christmas. I told her I wanted this:
Super Pro Edition 1/24 VsTank Pro PanzerKampwagen German Tiger I Late Production Desert Brown Airsoft Radio Remote Control Battle Tank.
Yeah, I'm a kid at heart, and a World War II armour buff to boot! When I had the time for such things, I used to build plastic armoured fighting vehicle models from kits. I still have a few of the models I put together on display, along with some decent-quality ready-built ones. However, I always wanted an RC tank, especially a Tiger. There's something especially bad-ass about the Tiger tank.
Well, my mother-in-law ordered the tank. So, it looks like I'm going to get to play like a kid come this Christmas morn. I'm excited!
- It's been a while...
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- edenvelocityzro
- November 19th, 21:14
Allo.
I haven't been on here for quite some time. The truth is, I've been terribly busy. But I miss you guys, and I hope you've missed me too. :) School is going as well as can be expected, seeing as I entered with six years of no art practice. Actually, looking at it that way, it's going spectacularly well. But I have a long way to go, and that's what I spend most of my time doing. Practising art. Works keeps me writing, and I don't think anything could stop me reading, but between all those things there's not a whole lot else left. Except I had some good ribs the other night. I highly recommend The Cookhouse in Rockway.
I have a lolita starter wardrobe now, because I finally decided to splurge. . . it's beautiful. It's also Bodyline, but I'm really not that much of a brand snob. I mean, I agree, there are advantages, both design and detail-wise, to brand lolita, but at heart, I guess I'm just too much of a Wal-Mart shopper to pay more than a hundred dollars for a dress that isn't for wedding or prom. Maybe I'm missing something, maybe I'm not. But either way I'm going to be looking a whole lot cuter in the new year.
I also left my purse on the bus today... thank goodness for honest people. I managed to get it back with nothing missing.
And... I went to the Royal Winter Fair to draw animals. Barring a minor meltdown when my shading skills went to crap, it was a rewarding experience. And I managed to buy my mom some jam for her birthday that I promptly left at the train station. :P
Also, Robin and I are happier than ever, and looking forward to moving in together next year. He is the best. He really is. And he brings me delicious soup, which saves me greatly on lunches. I'm listening to our song right now and loving him.
If you want to see my current writing work, then play Mousehunt or Mythmonger on Facebook. Mythmonger especially is filled with the writerly workings of Liz. As for my novel manuscript, I've got lots of beta reader comments and have sifted through them to find all the goodies within. The manuscript, I'm hoping, will be heading out into the world around February or March. Winter break will be all about getting my website up (finally) and revision, revision, revision.
- LiveJournal Major Notes: Postcard winners, Tweaks, LJ_Cares
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- theljstaff wrote in
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news - November 19th, 15:39
Postcard winners!
We wish to extend our heartfelt gratitude for sending so much joy our way. Frank is still blushing with excitement over the love notes, proposals, propositions, and occasional intimate photos sent from his admirers around the world (China, Norway, Japan, and Poland just this week)! At his request, we blindfolded Justin, one of Frank's BFFs, spun him around in five dozen counterclockwise circles, and asked him to point to ten random postcards/envelopes pasted to the wall. After a brief trip to the bathroom, he chose the following lucky winners, to whom we will give a six-month paid account token (for paid, basic, and plus users) or, for our permanent account holders, a $15 voucher for the LiveJournal gift shop.
So, without further ado, the winners are:
- seraphene
- fotog
- boykitten
- seshat_6
- anti_aol
- lisalees
- katrinkacat
- mistyboston
- _woody_lein
- another_slender
Bugs, Tweaks, and Enhancements
- We fixed a bug from the last release that was causing screened comments to become unscreened if they were edited
- If you happen to be gaming around the corner, check us out on Facebook and be sure to spread the word!
- We've added new vgifts to celebrate Thanksgiving! Check out our feathered friend, below!
Give more with charitable vgifts
In honor of national adoption month, we're offering a charitable vgift (priced at $2.99) to support Love Without Boundaries, an organization that provides healthcare and adoption to orphans suffering from life-threatening diseases. LiveJournal will donate 100% of gross proceeds from the sale (we'll cover the cost of credit card transaction fees). To learn more about Love Without Boundaries, please visit
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lj_cares. You can purchase your Love Without Boundaries vgifts in the Virtual Gift shop. We'll keep you posted on how much we raise!
Photos of the week
We're delighted to showcase yet more incredible photos from some of our brilliant LiveJournal photographers around the world. Keep posting (and tagging). And be sure to show some love by commenting on the awesome view at
lj_photophile.Check out this week's photos and more amazing user content after the jump!
( Read more... )Curtains
Thanks, again, for joining us. See you next week!
- Busy Bee
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- j_cheney
- November 19th, 13:49
Bringing Mr. Loki back from the park, I noticed something on the seatbelt buckle. After shooing him toward the garage, I looked back in and saw that it was a bee. She must have flown in through the open window, but I'd taken her several miles (4?) from her hive. Oh, well. I scooped her out and set her on some begonias, and hoped for the best.
Lots of errands today, going to get set of tires #2 in a few minutes, then come back, prep dinner, and maybe have some writing time. Up to 2.7K on Ambergris last night, about 2K new.
Also, Jim Hines is looking for donation of new books to benefit shelters for victims of domestic violence. It's a good cause, folks ;o)
- Page Summary
-
- wordsrmylife — Exchange students
- mehub — Why, why, why?!
- bogwitch64 — WCF! — 7 comments
- marshallpayne1 — Word 2007 — 12 comments
- jdawson001 — All caught up! — 2 comments
- ldragoon — Yay. :P — 8 comments
- j_cheney — Oy — 14 comments
- squirrel_monkey — PR — 7 comments
- mabfan — Breakfast With Jeff VanderMeer — 5 comments
- oracne — update!
- jdawson001 — What all synopses should have — 1 comment
- hildebabble — Highlights of moving — 2 comments
- bondo_ba — Guest blogger and wordage — 6 comments
- jtglover — Zombie v. Shark, or How to Terrify a Woman — 5 comments
- jongibbs — Interesting posts about writing – w/e November 20th 2009 — 17 comments
- 14theditch — Derek @ WFC — 2 comments
- rhfay — What I Want for Christmas — 2 comments
- edenvelocityzro — It's been a while...
- news — LiveJournal Major Notes: Postcard winners, Tweaks, LJ_Cares — 100 comments
- j_cheney — Busy Bee — 2 comments
