Prompt: Write a brief bit of fiction involving running.
For OneMinuteWriter
The water was making gurgling sounds as it ran down the drain, but Beth didn't really notice. She was frozen, unfocused. She was watching him leave, his leather satchel slung over his shoulder, that lopsided smile on his lips. She was tasting the cinnamon of his gum as she kissed him farewell, pulled him back, kissed him again just before he faded down the terminal to his plane.
And then there was the sudden panic. A deep tightness in her chest, and at some point she was convinced that she could feel the door of the plane seal shut. She saw his plane burning, falling through the sky, sharp and vivid as a premonition.
She had wanted to chase through the terminal after him, slamming past security. To find him surprised at her appearance, startled, then understanding as he eased into her arms, so grateful that she had has the will to pull him back from the edge of this great abyss.
But she had quashed the idea, pushed it down. He would laugh at her, perhaps be angry. He always said that she fed too much into her fear. She let fear come alive and swallow her whole, he said, let it creep inside and rule her roost. Or something like that. So she had turned and walked slowly out of the terminal.
Right now he was over Nevada, or Utah, or one of those other dim interior states. Right now carried aloft with such a fragile mechanics, so heavy over the great expanse of air. Right now, already, he could be falling.
Coming home, Beth had meant to console herself with mundane tasks -- writing, laundry, sweeping, dishes. She got as far as turning on the water in the sink, then froze. The fear rose up again, and brought with it despair. She had to stand still, so still. If she moved they would see her, and then they would devour her, her and him both. She knew believing in the thing she feared would make it true. So she slowed her breathing, let her mind empty, and kept quiet and still.
The water was running down the drain, splattering the sides of the sink as it fell, and all she could do was be still. Be still and wait.
For OneMinuteWriter
The water was making gurgling sounds as it ran down the drain, but Beth didn't really notice. She was frozen, unfocused. She was watching him leave, his leather satchel slung over his shoulder, that lopsided smile on his lips. She was tasting the cinnamon of his gum as she kissed him farewell, pulled him back, kissed him again just before he faded down the terminal to his plane.
And then there was the sudden panic. A deep tightness in her chest, and at some point she was convinced that she could feel the door of the plane seal shut. She saw his plane burning, falling through the sky, sharp and vivid as a premonition.
She had wanted to chase through the terminal after him, slamming past security. To find him surprised at her appearance, startled, then understanding as he eased into her arms, so grateful that she had has the will to pull him back from the edge of this great abyss.
But she had quashed the idea, pushed it down. He would laugh at her, perhaps be angry. He always said that she fed too much into her fear. She let fear come alive and swallow her whole, he said, let it creep inside and rule her roost. Or something like that. So she had turned and walked slowly out of the terminal.
Right now he was over Nevada, or Utah, or one of those other dim interior states. Right now carried aloft with such a fragile mechanics, so heavy over the great expanse of air. Right now, already, he could be falling.
Coming home, Beth had meant to console herself with mundane tasks -- writing, laundry, sweeping, dishes. She got as far as turning on the water in the sink, then froze. The fear rose up again, and brought with it despair. She had to stand still, so still. If she moved they would see her, and then they would devour her, her and him both. She knew believing in the thing she feared would make it true. So she slowed her breathing, let her mind empty, and kept quiet and still.
The water was running down the drain, splattering the sides of the sink as it fell, and all she could do was be still. Be still and wait.
Fellow writer and reader, ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
mrissa, pointed out various reasons why she quit reading certain books.
Andnephele wrote about what keeps readers and agents reading.
Both are very interesting, from the point of view as both a writer and a reader. As a writer, I take this kid of advice in, and then promptly place it in the cellar of my mind. Stashed there in case its needed for future use.
In general, I find the different reasons why people keep reading or quit reading certain books. In my own reading, I have a hard time pointing out specific things that would make me put a book down. I suppose the only reason I can think of is drudgery.
If a book begins at any point to feel like more work to get through than it's worth, then I put it down and move on to something else. It's just not worth my time anymore to plow through a book that feels like drudgery to read (both times I attempted Crime and Punishment felt this way). My time is too valuable these days, so now I don't bother.
Other than that, I just go to where my interests lay. I'm such a broad reader, though, that my interests are rather vast. I read scifi, fantasy, romance, historical, classics, comedy, modern literature, as well as nonfiction books ranging from memoirs to science histories to criticism to whatever. I don't general go for mysteries (not my cup of tea), but I have read them, and would not claim that as a reason to put it down.
Basically, if even a small thing, one character, one moment, one idea catches my interest, I will ignore many of the other things I don't like about a book and keep reading. It's amazing how small of a kernel of interest can keep me going on a book. I think it's mainly due to a driving need for me to know what's going to happen. I'm often too curious to quit a book. (I'm easily entertained.) Only when there is sense hopelessness over finding anything even vaguely interesting about a book will I put it down (and even then I may come back to it later, see Crime and Punishment).
What makes you keep reading a book? What makes you quit?
mrissa, pointed out various reasons why she quit reading certain books.And
nephele wrote about what keeps readers and agents reading.Both are very interesting, from the point of view as both a writer and a reader. As a writer, I take this kid of advice in, and then promptly place it in the cellar of my mind. Stashed there in case its needed for future use.
In general, I find the different reasons why people keep reading or quit reading certain books. In my own reading, I have a hard time pointing out specific things that would make me put a book down. I suppose the only reason I can think of is drudgery.
If a book begins at any point to feel like more work to get through than it's worth, then I put it down and move on to something else. It's just not worth my time anymore to plow through a book that feels like drudgery to read (both times I attempted Crime and Punishment felt this way). My time is too valuable these days, so now I don't bother.
Other than that, I just go to where my interests lay. I'm such a broad reader, though, that my interests are rather vast. I read scifi, fantasy, romance, historical, classics, comedy, modern literature, as well as nonfiction books ranging from memoirs to science histories to criticism to whatever. I don't general go for mysteries (not my cup of tea), but I have read them, and would not claim that as a reason to put it down.
Basically, if even a small thing, one character, one moment, one idea catches my interest, I will ignore many of the other things I don't like about a book and keep reading. It's amazing how small of a kernel of interest can keep me going on a book. I think it's mainly due to a driving need for me to know what's going to happen. I'm often too curious to quit a book. (I'm easily entertained.) Only when there is sense hopelessness over finding anything even vaguely interesting about a book will I put it down (and even then I may come back to it later, see Crime and Punishment).
What makes you keep reading a book? What makes you quit?
My goals for this week are pretty much a continuation from last week:
--download WordPress, upload to my hostsite, and decide on a site style
-- write content for personal webpage
-- begin creating zombie project spreadsheets
-- post new youtube video
-- get a few animation art pages done
-- do a sketch or two
-- continue writing the Cassandra short story (hopefully 100 words a day)
-- prepare and send out a poetry submission
-- do morning exercises (0/7 days)
-- get 2 or 3 walks in
-- no erroneous channel flipping or video games during the work week
--
-- write content for personal webpage
-- begin creating zombie project spreadsheets
-- post new youtube video
-- get a few animation art pages done
-- do a sketch or two
-- continue writing the Cassandra short story (hopefully 100 words a day)
-- prepare and send out a poetry submission
-- do morning exercises (0/7 days)
-- get 2 or 3 walks in
-- no erroneous channel flipping or video games during the work week
I meant to post this last week, but ran out time before I headed to Clear Lake for the weekend. Last Wednesday, I had a fabulous time watching Ani DiFranco perform at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga. I've noticed a progression in her writing. Her earlier writing mostly focused on politics as well as romantic entanglements, and was often quite angry. She still writes about relationships and is still deeply political, but she has incorporated a sense of spirituality into her writing that didn't seem as prevalent before. She seems (to me) to be approaching her politics from a more peaceful place, like she has come to some deeper understanding within herself, that though one needs to speak out against the wrongs of the world, one doesn't need to carry that anger and hate and darkness into themselves and their own lives. I see clearly that she has grown as a person and as a writer, and she dazzles me more and more.
While at the concert, however, I overheard a conversation that went something like this.
Several things bothered me about this conversation.
First, Girl 1 had clearly meant no harm. She had approached her group, excited about just buying an Ani t-shirt, and joyous of being there, only to be reproached for a completely innocent comment. (I address my friends as "my girls" all the time.)
Second, based on tone of voice and body language, Girl 2 was enacting her superiority over Girl 1. Her words were clearly meant to make Girl 1 feel small for her ignorance about what was "politically correct" according to Girl 2's world view. And it worked, because Girl 1 immediately became smaller, withdrew in terms of her body language, and was left hemming and hawing, killing her sense of joy from only a moment before. Girl 2's response in this instance was clearly more degrading than what Girl 1 had said and meant as a light-hearted sign of friendship.
I'm disturbed by the kinds of people who use feminism and politically correctness as a throne of superiority. It comes to mind, those feminists who trash women who get a breast implant (I know many wise women who have done this). Anyone who does not subscribe exactly to their world view is inherently inferior. A point of view I consider just as hurtful as sexists or racists, since it demeans otherwise good hearted and kind people who just happen to have gentler way of living.
Third, Girl 2 is in fact a woman. The idea that she finds it degrading to labeled a woman implies that she in some way finds womanhood inferior. I personally am proud to be a woman (and if I were a man, I would be proud to be a man). Therefore being addressed a woman is a compliment to my status in the world. I am not being reduced, or made smaller. I stand taller. (Heh heh, rhyme.)
I could perhaps understand Girl 2's frustration if she had been addressed as "my bitches", which has a misogynistic ugliness, or even if she had been addressed as "my girls", which could imply an infantile need to be taken care of. The deeper implications of those words (if one chooses to read into the implications instead of the joy of the moment) can be understood as grounds for gentle correction, if Girl 2 was really bothered by them. However, any woman who is proud of her place in the world as a woman, should not be upset when addressed as so, especially when nothing derogatory was carried with it.
Finally, I am of the firm opinion that life is too short to be wasting my time worrying about small things like that. I do not get offended easily. Not because I am idle in my ideals, but because being angry and frustrated takes away from those moments in which I could be experiencing calm and peace and joy. Most of the time what is said is said innocently, or at least in jest.
Besides, I believe it was Eleanore Roosevelt who said "No one can make you feel inferior without your permission." In the end, your own sense of peace and joy belong to you. No one can take them away unless you let them. I hope both Girl 1 and Girl 2 learn that, and I hope Girl 2 finds enough confidence within herself that she doesn't need to belittle another to feel comfortable. In fact, I hope we can all learn those things.
While at the concert, however, I overheard a conversation that went something like this.
Girl 1: Where are my women at?
Girl 2 (with a tone of disdain): That's degrading, you know. You're reducing me to a gender. That's totally degrading.
Girl 1: Oh...um...I...I guess...Where are my humans at? *sheepish smile*
Several things bothered me about this conversation.
First, Girl 1 had clearly meant no harm. She had approached her group, excited about just buying an Ani t-shirt, and joyous of being there, only to be reproached for a completely innocent comment. (I address my friends as "my girls" all the time.)
Second, based on tone of voice and body language, Girl 2 was enacting her superiority over Girl 1. Her words were clearly meant to make Girl 1 feel small for her ignorance about what was "politically correct" according to Girl 2's world view. And it worked, because Girl 1 immediately became smaller, withdrew in terms of her body language, and was left hemming and hawing, killing her sense of joy from only a moment before. Girl 2's response in this instance was clearly more degrading than what Girl 1 had said and meant as a light-hearted sign of friendship.
I'm disturbed by the kinds of people who use feminism and politically correctness as a throne of superiority. It comes to mind, those feminists who trash women who get a breast implant (I know many wise women who have done this). Anyone who does not subscribe exactly to their world view is inherently inferior. A point of view I consider just as hurtful as sexists or racists, since it demeans otherwise good hearted and kind people who just happen to have gentler way of living.
Third, Girl 2 is in fact a woman. The idea that she finds it degrading to labeled a woman implies that she in some way finds womanhood inferior. I personally am proud to be a woman (and if I were a man, I would be proud to be a man). Therefore being addressed a woman is a compliment to my status in the world. I am not being reduced, or made smaller. I stand taller. (Heh heh, rhyme.)
I could perhaps understand Girl 2's frustration if she had been addressed as "my bitches", which has a misogynistic ugliness, or even if she had been addressed as "my girls", which could imply an infantile need to be taken care of. The deeper implications of those words (if one chooses to read into the implications instead of the joy of the moment) can be understood as grounds for gentle correction, if Girl 2 was really bothered by them. However, any woman who is proud of her place in the world as a woman, should not be upset when addressed as so, especially when nothing derogatory was carried with it.
Finally, I am of the firm opinion that life is too short to be wasting my time worrying about small things like that. I do not get offended easily. Not because I am idle in my ideals, but because being angry and frustrated takes away from those moments in which I could be experiencing calm and peace and joy. Most of the time what is said is said innocently, or at least in jest.
Besides, I believe it was Eleanore Roosevelt who said "No one can make you feel inferior without your permission." In the end, your own sense of peace and joy belong to you. No one can take them away unless you let them. I hope both Girl 1 and Girl 2 learn that, and I hope Girl 2 finds enough confidence within herself that she doesn't need to belittle another to feel comfortable. In fact, I hope we can all learn those things.
I posted this to my twitter yesterday for 3 Word Wednesday, but it was pointed out to me that I should post it hear, so that people can comment on it more easily (and therefore I can go check out what they have written. Made sense. So here it is.
Miscalculation
Miscalculation rendered this moment:
Me collapsing
into the sweet ache of yearning
as your train rattled by.
Miscalculation
Miscalculation rendered this moment:
Me collapsing
into the sweet ache of yearning
as your train rattled by.
This week is going to be a hard week for getting work done, as I have a lot of activities planned for this week. Wednesday I'm going to an Ani DiFranco concert at the Mountain Winery (Yay!). Thursday I'll be going out with my girls (Yay!) in order to give my friend one last Hurrah before she moves to Israel (Boo! I'll miss her). Friday morning I'll be driving up to Clear Lake for fun in the sun, swimming, boozing, and the like (Yay! but not much work likely to get done).
So I pretty much only have Monday and Tuesday to get my list for the week accomplished. I can (and probably will) get some writing and art done during my trip to Clear Lake. But my main focus is going to be working on my websites. I really want to get those up as soon as possible. I should probably post another youtube video as well (since I have neglected it so badly), but I doubt I'll be getting the animation done this week. (Maybe I can come up with something quick in the mean time.)
My goals for the week:
-- download WordPress and decide on a site style
-- write content for personal webpage
-- begin creating zombie project spreadsheets
-- post new youtube video
-- get a few animation art pages done
-- do some sketches over the weekend
-- continue writing the Cassandra short story (hopefully 100 words a day)
-- prepare and send out a poetry submission
-- do morning exercises
-- get 2 or 3 walks in
-- no erroneous channel flipping or video games during the work week
So I pretty much only have Monday and Tuesday to get my list for the week accomplished. I can (and probably will) get some writing and art done during my trip to Clear Lake. But my main focus is going to be working on my websites. I really want to get those up as soon as possible. I should probably post another youtube video as well (since I have neglected it so badly), but I doubt I'll be getting the animation done this week. (Maybe I can come up with something quick in the mean time.)
My goals for the week:
-- download WordPress and decide on a site style
-- write content for personal webpage
-- begin creating zombie project spreadsheets
-- post new youtube video
-- get a few animation art pages done
-- do some sketches over the weekend
-- continue writing the Cassandra short story (hopefully 100 words a day)
-- prepare and send out a poetry submission
-- do morning exercises
-- get 2 or 3 walks in
-- no erroneous channel flipping or video games during the work week
Well, I've completed step one for creating a website. I've decided on which hosting I'm going to go with and have bought the hosting for one year (I didn't want to be locked into a longer contract until I was sure that this was where I wanted to be).
I've decided to go with www.dreamhost.com. Of all the sites I looked at this one had the cleanest and most straightforward design to its pages. It seems to have all the features that I could possibly want or needs and had descriptions and a glossary clearly explained what might be otherwise confusing to someone like me.
As well as the professionalism and the clean layout, the tone really caught my attention as well. Tone is very important to me. The content didn't come off as a sales pitch as with godaddy.com (which was also provided a confusing information overload) and other sites. Dreamhost also has a subtle sense of humor without trying too hard (which I felt was the case with fatcow.com).
I took one look at dreamhost, saw the features, heard the tone, and deep in my gut I knew this was the one I wanted. It felt right. Which may seem like a rather strange way to choose a hosting service, but I fully believe in following my gut, and I'm feeling all wishy-washy about something (as I was with the other hosting sites), then I know I shouldn't jump in. The only times I've regretted purchases is when I've felt hesitant to begin with.
Thank toying_ko_4, layer, and especially wintersweet (who recommended dreamhost and more) for their advice and comments. I really appreciate it.
Well, now that I have step one completed, I have to move on to creating the layout and the content -- which are, oh, my, the largest part of the job. :)
I've decided to go with www.dreamhost.com. Of all the sites I looked at this one had the cleanest and most straightforward design to its pages. It seems to have all the features that I could possibly want or needs and had descriptions and a glossary clearly explained what might be otherwise confusing to someone like me.
As well as the professionalism and the clean layout, the tone really caught my attention as well. Tone is very important to me. The content didn't come off as a sales pitch as with godaddy.com (which was also provided a confusing information overload) and other sites. Dreamhost also has a subtle sense of humor without trying too hard (which I felt was the case with fatcow.com).
I took one look at dreamhost, saw the features, heard the tone, and deep in my gut I knew this was the one I wanted. It felt right. Which may seem like a rather strange way to choose a hosting service, but I fully believe in following my gut, and I'm feeling all wishy-washy about something (as I was with the other hosting sites), then I know I shouldn't jump in. The only times I've regretted purchases is when I've felt hesitant to begin with.
Thank to
ying_ko_4, layer, and especially wintersweet (who recommended dreamhost and more) for their advice and comments. I really appreciate it. Well, now that I have step one completed, I have to move on to creating the layout and the content -- which are, oh, my, the largest part of the job. :)
So, I'm in the process of actually putting together a couple of webpages. (I've been talking about doing this for a while now.) I'm planning on using wordpress.org to design the sites, and have a fairly clear idea of what I want to do. But I need some advice on what sort of webhosting I should go with.
I originally planned to go with godaddy.com, but was told that it was the worst for being complicated to use with bad customer service.
The other suggestion I got was fatcow.com, which is supposed to be better on both counts, but supposedly has slow loading times.
I'm not really sure which way to go.
So please help me out here. If you have your own website, what hosting do you use? Do you like it? Is it fairly easy to use?
I originally planned to go with godaddy.com, but was told that it was the worst for being complicated to use with bad customer service.
The other suggestion I got was fatcow.com, which is supposed to be better on both counts, but supposedly has slow loading times.
I'm not really sure which way to go.
So please help me out here. If you have your own website, what hosting do you use? Do you like it? Is it fairly easy to use?
*When my dad makes a dinner that involves throwing leftovers all into one pan and mixing it up, I call it a mash. Therefore, here's a random assortment on links that I found interesting/amusing found through a variety of resources/friends.
--> Laura Hudson says, "Screw you!" to The Girl's Guide to Comic-Con, a cliche ridden article put out by the LA Times. After reading only part of the supposed "Girl's Guide," I couldn't agree more. It's not likely that whoever wrote the Guide has ever been to a convention, and clear that they have never talked to any of the girls who would be going. One of use girls should write our own guide to the convention, and maybe I will (though I won't be able to go).
--> There's a great interview of C.E. Murphy up. I love her writing, and she has been nothing but charming in my interactions with her on the net.
--> In space news, the first international space port is being constructed in New Mexico. This will serves as a launch pad for Virgin Galactic flights (I'm not surprised that it's Virgin, since Virgin America is already the pimp ride of air travel). This is good news, because NASA is currently embarking on a study to determine if we can live on the moon. It's a massive study determining, among other things, whether there are frozen water deposits anywhere.
--> I almost never wear heels out to bars or clubs. Because I value my feet, I tend to opt for cute flats instead. However, since I know a lot of girls who do go for the super high heels, I think this is a brilliant invention, and it would have saved me the few times I have gone with tall shoes.
--> Oh, and one more, because I *heart* robots: An article talking about a new age of robotics.
--> Laura Hudson says, "Screw you!" to The Girl's Guide to Comic-Con, a cliche ridden article put out by the LA Times. After reading only part of the supposed "Girl's Guide," I couldn't agree more. It's not likely that whoever wrote the Guide has ever been to a convention, and clear that they have never talked to any of the girls who would be going. One of use girls should write our own guide to the convention, and maybe I will (though I won't be able to go).
--> There's a great interview of C.E. Murphy up. I love her writing, and she has been nothing but charming in my interactions with her on the net.
--> In space news, the first international space port is being constructed in New Mexico. This will serves as a launch pad for Virgin Galactic flights (I'm not surprised that it's Virgin, since Virgin America is already the pimp ride of air travel). This is good news, because NASA is currently embarking on a study to determine if we can live on the moon. It's a massive study determining, among other things, whether there are frozen water deposits anywhere.
--> I almost never wear heels out to bars or clubs. Because I value my feet, I tend to opt for cute flats instead. However, since I know a lot of girls who do go for the super high heels, I think this is a brilliant invention, and it would have saved me the few times I have gone with tall shoes.
--> Oh, and one more, because I *heart* robots: An article talking about a new age of robotics.
Um, no. Because in my world view conversion to one religion would mean that I deny the truths of the others. Buddhism, Christian, Muslim, Atheism, and every other spiritual beliefs and faiths are all equally true, existing all at the same time in this strange bowl of the universe, bumping into each other from time to time and sometimes blending into each other so that they are indistinguishable.
I consider myself an Allist (a term coined by my mother). Being and Allist means that I believe in everything. It's all true. I am as perfectly happy sitting in a Buddhist temple as I am in a Catholic church. Both are powerful places of worship in my mind, just as the middle of the dessert is a powerful place of worship.
( Because it's a little long, and I'm not sure you want to get into this, or that I am explaining this right. :) )
So that's it. That's how I see it. And I'm sure someone can shoot all kinds of holes through this, can quote scripture, can tell me all the ways I'm wrong.
That's fine. I'll just smile and say, yes, that's true. Because it is. It's all true.
Edited to add: That being said, it's all illusion, too. That is, religion is a construct, a human attempt to define the undefinable. But that's another discussion entirely. :)
I am floating on a sea of joy right now. I would love to jump up and dance around and shout my joy...but I'm at work, and while it's slow enough for me not to feel guilty about being on the net, I think that kind of behavior would probably be frowned upon. :)
Why so happy? Well, I just found out that I won the FANTASY MEDLEY Give Away, held by C.E. Murphy (akamizkit). To enter the contest, readers had to say, in 50 words or less, what Old Races story they would like to see told.
Don't know what the Old Races are? The Old Races are apart of the NEGOTIATOR TRILOGY, which includes Heart of Stone, House of Cards, and Hands of Flame. To make my life easier, I'll just quote from the back cover of Heart of Stone:
The Old Races are dragons and djin, selkies and gargoyles, and vampires. I rather enjoyed the Negotiator Trilogy. All of the Old Races characters were fascinating in the way they interacted very inhumanly with the human world (Janx and Daisani are especially interesting), and Margrit keeps pace with them all quite well, while managing to stay convincing.
So I was very excited to hear about the contest when it came up. For my entry, I mentioned that I wanted to see a story from the point of view of a priest (a minor character in the trilogy). I like the idea of seeing the supernatural world from a very specific outside point of view.
Here's the funny thing. I posted my entry...and then completely forgot about it. Completely. I blame the Wedding that ate my brain. No, really, my brain could not think about anything else in that time period.
So today I received a rather polite *poke* today frommizkit reminding me that I won the contest and would I still like to receive my prize of an advanced readers copy of A FANTASY MEDLEY (which features a story of the Old Races, called "From Russia, With Love"). I replied with and immediate, YES!
I guess I can't say "I never win anything" anymore. :D
Why so happy? Well, I just found out that I won the FANTASY MEDLEY Give Away, held by C.E. Murphy (aka
mizkit). To enter the contest, readers had to say, in 50 words or less, what Old Races story they would like to see told. Don't know what the Old Races are? The Old Races are apart of the NEGOTIATOR TRILOGY, which includes Heart of Stone, House of Cards, and Hands of Flame. To make my life easier, I'll just quote from the back cover of Heart of Stone:
New York City defense lawyer Margrit Knight has finally met the perfect man...only he's a gargoyle, and wanted for murder. Caught in the strange world of the Old Races, Margrit finds herself in a race against the sunrise to clear Alban's name and keep them both alive....
The Old Races are dragons and djin, selkies and gargoyles, and vampires. I rather enjoyed the Negotiator Trilogy. All of the Old Races characters were fascinating in the way they interacted very inhumanly with the human world (Janx and Daisani are especially interesting), and Margrit keeps pace with them all quite well, while managing to stay convincing.
So I was very excited to hear about the contest when it came up. For my entry, I mentioned that I wanted to see a story from the point of view of a priest (a minor character in the trilogy). I like the idea of seeing the supernatural world from a very specific outside point of view.
Here's the funny thing. I posted my entry...and then completely forgot about it. Completely. I blame the Wedding that ate my brain. No, really, my brain could not think about anything else in that time period.
So today I received a rather polite *poke* today from
mizkit reminding me that I won the contest and would I still like to receive my prize of an advanced readers copy of A FANTASY MEDLEY (which features a story of the Old Races, called "From Russia, With Love"). I replied with and immediate, YES!I guess I can't say "I never win anything" anymore. :D
Teresa Ponikvar, a friend of mine, wrote a great article answering the question of whether one needs to get a degree to become a professional writer.
Before completing and posting her story, she asked me and several others our opinions on the topic. So, I decided to post what I wrote to her here.
My answer:
Degrees (and by extension writing classes in general) can be very useful things. They provide and avenue in which to grow as a writer. The classes can expose the writer to new styles and points of view that they might not have considered on their own, while writing groups offer commentary and diverse opinions, allowing them to get immediate feedback on their work. Both of these benefits can help a writer develop a personal writing tool box, that will help them as they shape stories and articles on their own. Classes and workshops also provide deadlines, which can help a wayward writer stay focused on the task at hand.
That being said, a degree is by no means necessary for a writer to achieve success. Developing a personal style and writing toolbox can be done through developed practice, and the internet offers more than enough resources for a writer to be able to find tips, tricks, and advice, as well as exposure to great samples of writing. Many websites offer online critique groups.
The one thing that a degree a writer can't get on their own, is the degree, which is kind of a trophy. It says, see, I accomplished something. Here's proof that I can write. In that sense, it can help get a foot in the door, letting an editor know that the writer already has a body of work under their belt.
However, the absence of a degree is not a deterrent to getting published, either. Writers can begin to create a body of work through creating a focused blog, or by publishing where ever they can, online and in print. The main thing editors want to see is that a writer can, well, write, but also meet deadlines on time and be easy to work with. A degree is not a guarantee of professionalism, which is the main key to getting offered more work at a particular publication. Many editors publish blogs or articles aimed to help writers learn what kind of behavior is considered appropriate (or inappropriate) in the marketplace, so writers (with or without a degree) should pay attention to these suggestions and act accordingly.
Bottom line is classes and a degree are not necessary to becoming a professional writer, but they can help improve one's writing skill set.
Before completing and posting her story, she asked me and several others our opinions on the topic. So, I decided to post what I wrote to her here.
My answer:
Degrees (and by extension writing classes in general) can be very useful things. They provide and avenue in which to grow as a writer. The classes can expose the writer to new styles and points of view that they might not have considered on their own, while writing groups offer commentary and diverse opinions, allowing them to get immediate feedback on their work. Both of these benefits can help a writer develop a personal writing tool box, that will help them as they shape stories and articles on their own. Classes and workshops also provide deadlines, which can help a wayward writer stay focused on the task at hand.
That being said, a degree is by no means necessary for a writer to achieve success. Developing a personal style and writing toolbox can be done through developed practice, and the internet offers more than enough resources for a writer to be able to find tips, tricks, and advice, as well as exposure to great samples of writing. Many websites offer online critique groups.
The one thing that a degree a writer can't get on their own, is the degree, which is kind of a trophy. It says, see, I accomplished something. Here's proof that I can write. In that sense, it can help get a foot in the door, letting an editor know that the writer already has a body of work under their belt.
However, the absence of a degree is not a deterrent to getting published, either. Writers can begin to create a body of work through creating a focused blog, or by publishing where ever they can, online and in print. The main thing editors want to see is that a writer can, well, write, but also meet deadlines on time and be easy to work with. A degree is not a guarantee of professionalism, which is the main key to getting offered more work at a particular publication. Many editors publish blogs or articles aimed to help writers learn what kind of behavior is considered appropriate (or inappropriate) in the marketplace, so writers (with or without a degree) should pay attention to these suggestions and act accordingly.
Bottom line is classes and a degree are not necessary to becoming a professional writer, but they can help improve one's writing skill set.
Admittedly I didn't get much done creatively over the weekend, but I did post a short story written on the fly from a writing prompt, which was fun (and challenging). I'm thinking about performing a rewrite and maybe submitting it somewhere.
Anyway. It's a new week. A chance to start all over again.
My goals for the week:
-- finish animation art
-- post the animation by Friday (if humanly possible)
-- continue writing the Cassandra short story (hopefully 100 words a day)
-- prepare and send out a poetry submission
-- do morning exercises
-- get 2 or 3 walks in
-- no erroneous channel flipping during the work week
-- video games weekends only
-- buy domain names and webhosting
-- begin creating zombie project spreadsheets
Anyway. It's a new week. A chance to start all over again.
My goals for the week:
-- finish animation art
-- post the animation by Friday (if humanly possible)
-- continue writing the Cassandra short story (hopefully 100 words a day)
-- prepare and send out a poetry submission
-- do morning exercises
-- get 2 or 3 walks in
-- no erroneous channel flipping during the work week
-- video games weekends only
-- buy domain names and webhosting
-- begin creating zombie project spreadsheets
Prompt: Write a brief, fictional piece involving a storm.
--The One Minute Writer (viaying_ko_4)
The wind caught her hair, lifted it, and cast it about her head. The clouds were deepening to an angry black, and beyond the next hill, she could see a flash of light followed by a distant grumbling.
She wrapped the sweater more tightly around herself and tied the sash, as she calmly walked into the garden. The path was neatly tended. Many hours of her weekends were spent making it that way. The garden had three levels of planter boxes that descended down the hill.
She stopped at the first tier. The neatly manicured roses stood in bobbed their heads in their stately rows. The roses represented the kind of garden that John would call hoity-toity, except that the roses presented a kaleidoscope of color -- red, purple, yellow, white, pink. Some that started white and bled to red. Some that started pale yellow and bled to blue. Those had taken years of interbreeding to create, and John had loved them most. "They're just so unusual. Kinda like you." Then he'd smile his crooked smile.
She felt the silk of the petals between her fingers. She loved the feel. He said he had fallen in love with her because of the rose petals, the way she would pluck them from the flower and brush them across her lips. She brought her fingers to her nose and smelled the rose oils still on her fingers, his voice echoing in her ears. "I love you."
She took a pair of small cutting shears from her pocket and cut the flower from the stem, watching it fall to the dirt. ( Read more... )
--The One Minute Writer (via
ying_ko_4)The wind caught her hair, lifted it, and cast it about her head. The clouds were deepening to an angry black, and beyond the next hill, she could see a flash of light followed by a distant grumbling.
She wrapped the sweater more tightly around herself and tied the sash, as she calmly walked into the garden. The path was neatly tended. Many hours of her weekends were spent making it that way. The garden had three levels of planter boxes that descended down the hill.
She stopped at the first tier. The neatly manicured roses stood in bobbed their heads in their stately rows. The roses represented the kind of garden that John would call hoity-toity, except that the roses presented a kaleidoscope of color -- red, purple, yellow, white, pink. Some that started white and bled to red. Some that started pale yellow and bled to blue. Those had taken years of interbreeding to create, and John had loved them most. "They're just so unusual. Kinda like you." Then he'd smile his crooked smile.
She felt the silk of the petals between her fingers. She loved the feel. He said he had fallen in love with her because of the rose petals, the way she would pluck them from the flower and brush them across her lips. She brought her fingers to her nose and smelled the rose oils still on her fingers, his voice echoing in her ears. "I love you."
She took a pair of small cutting shears from her pocket and cut the flower from the stem, watching it fall to the dirt. ( Read more... )
I'm in one of my avoidance cycles. If you are one of the rare few who has been reading this blog for a while, then you've probably noticed this. Every once in a while I pop in and write about how I've been procrastinating/unfocused/not doing what needs to be done, and I say that here I'm drawing the line and going to get back to work.
This, in its way, is another one of those posts. I have indeed been doing all of the procrastinating that you can imagine, and I do indeed intend to hunker down once again and get refocused. (Do you get tired of hearing me say this? Because I get tired of hearing me say this.)
What usually happens, as with this time, is that life comes along and puts more on my plate (oh, hello, wedding), and I struggle to do all that and to keep up with all my personal goals....and then I burn out. For a while all I can do is go back to flipping through TV channels for some kind of distraction, or playing rpg video games for hours on end.
I wish I was one of those writers/artists/whatevers, who had a steady habit of writing/creating something everyday. I have never really been that way about anything (though I am still keeping at the morning poem a day thing, mostly). Most everything I do comes in spurts, or because a scary deadline looms. It's a struggle for me to try to create a daily practice (which sounds lame even to my ears, since its a struggle for a lot of people).
I'm not actually trying to make excuses here (though I know I am to a degree). I know that all I'm doing is making choices, and that if I don't like the choices I've made then I can make new one. I know that. But knowing that and enacting that are two very different things.
Ah, well, I guess I've piss and moaned and complained enough. (I didn't mean for this post to go that way.) Here's hoping that I have better and more interesting posts in the future (and that you stick around long enough to read them), and that I will start talking to you about all the goals I've met instead of those I wish I'd met. *sigh*
This, in its way, is another one of those posts. I have indeed been doing all of the procrastinating that you can imagine, and I do indeed intend to hunker down once again and get refocused. (Do you get tired of hearing me say this? Because I get tired of hearing me say this.)
What usually happens, as with this time, is that life comes along and puts more on my plate (oh, hello, wedding), and I struggle to do all that and to keep up with all my personal goals....and then I burn out. For a while all I can do is go back to flipping through TV channels for some kind of distraction, or playing rpg video games for hours on end.
I wish I was one of those writers/artists/whatevers, who had a steady habit of writing/creating something everyday. I have never really been that way about anything (though I am still keeping at the morning poem a day thing, mostly). Most everything I do comes in spurts, or because a scary deadline looms. It's a struggle for me to try to create a daily practice (which sounds lame even to my ears, since its a struggle for a lot of people).
I'm not actually trying to make excuses here (though I know I am to a degree). I know that all I'm doing is making choices, and that if I don't like the choices I've made then I can make new one. I know that. But knowing that and enacting that are two very different things.
Ah, well, I guess I've piss and moaned and complained enough. (I didn't mean for this post to go that way.) Here's hoping that I have better and more interesting posts in the future (and that you stick around long enough to read them), and that I will start talking to you about all the goals I've met instead of those I wish I'd met. *sigh*
