Anatomy of a Super Bowl Party

A friend just forwarded me this chain of emails:
Five guys, Bubba, Dani, Bonehead, Brent and Felix, deciding on what to eat on Super Bowl Sunday.
And here I thought that what mattered was the game…

Bubba writes:

Gentlemen:

After further discussions with interested parties, it appears due to popular demand (for KFC skin only) that the Super Bowl party will be held at my house this year.

Not certain, but I think my HD channels get American commercials, so that will be good. The food will be shit as usual.

See you there.

Dani Writes:

This is the breakthrough we've been waiting for.

Bubba writes:

Felix, you up yet?

Just kidding - I couldn't sleep b/c I am so worried about the menu for Super Bowl.

I still think KFC is completely unnecessary, but I require a 3 person majority to cancel it in its entirety.

After further discussions with Bonehead last night, it appears the inclusion of "big-ass" rigatoni might sway him a little further to the right side.

Also, keeping in mind that I am doing the ordering and that Rossetti's Pizza is best left to just Schneider's pepperoni by itself, I am willing to entertain thoughts of additional toppings. Dani, this does not include salty, hairy fish.

I believe the final menu should look like this:

3 orders of Rigatoni with Meat Sauce

2 orders of Veal (both with hot peppers instead of green peppers, and one no cheese).

1 Large Pizza with Schneider's Pepperoni

(Note: Proper Italian Buns will be purchased at a bakery earlier in the day and provided so that veal sangwiches can be assembled)

Dani Writes:

I'm ok with the above........but, may I suggest, 3 orders of veal and 2 orders of pasta instead of the other way around? Pasta is so filling.....

3/5 = 0.6 orders per person. Yes, I think I can eat 0.6 orders in one sitting....as long as it is not in a sandwich (I'd have some pasta too).

Also: remember those apps Brent had? Remember those baked potato skins from TGIF? Should I bring?

Bonehead Writes:

Dan, I disagree. Bubba's order makes more sense. This is what I plan to eat:

Bonehead's Check List
- assorded appetizers
- half to 3/4 order of pasta
- 1 veal sandwich
- 1 slice of pizza
- assorted desserts

Brent writes:

So Bon Jovi walked right by me yesterday and I got tackled by some 18 year old YP trying to get to him. Ya baby.

Bubba writes:

More importantly, what about the ribs from last year. That was nice.

Brent writes:

The ribs can be incorporated into the program but I am worried that I would be opening up a whole new can of worms.

If you guys handled the diplomacy for the US and the EU, Iran and Hammas would be none issues.

Bubba writes:

I might have a way to solve all the world's problems.

I am going to ask Cousin Alex to attend. If he says yes, we will get three orders for 6 people, bringing it to 1/2 order per person - less than the 0.6 Dani is lobbying for, yet an increase from the 0.4 that Bonehead seeks.

However, we will wait to see how the supreme ayatollah of Rossetti's sees all of this. FELIX, where are you?

Read the rest...

Categories: superbowl

The Right Point of View -The Protagonist's POV isn't Always the Best

It just dawned on me yesterday, while I was writing the 47,324th word (or there abouts), that I may have chosen the wrong point of view.

Usually (but not always) I choose the protagonist's POV and write in a stream-of-consciousness, that is, from inside the protagonist's head (in third person). So far it worked well for me.

But yesterday something happened. Yesterday, my protagonist became incapacitated. If there are no thoughts, feelings and action coming from my protagonist/POV, what do I do next? The story has to jump to when the protagonist comes to and gets filled in the blanks of what happened when he was incapacitated.

Of course, this can work and has worked for me in the past, but in this instance I didn't feel it would be the best way to do this. Many things happen, important things, that continue the story, and telling them "later" is mitigating their importance.

Another option is to have multiple narrators and solve the problem this way. A second character's point of view can take over and tell what happened while the protagonist is incapacitated. But again, I felt that bringing a second POV this late in the novel wouldn't quite work.

Which led me back to the first thing I thought. Perhaps the novel would be better told from the protagonist's best friend's POV. Perhaps his view of things, of what happens to/with his friend (the protagonist), perhaps all these observations can give the story another dimension, one I didn't expect to have.

For now I'm going to put this aside for a couple of days and then re-evaluate. It would be quite a project to go back and change the POV, but if it would make the novel better, maybe I will.

Oh, lordy!

How much thought do you give to POV before starting a novel???
[...]

Categories: writing, character, POV, elements, process

Thank You Darren Rowse

Yesterday I needed some advice about blogging and I didn't know who to turn to so I emailed Darren Rowse from ProBlogger.

I don't know Darren other than subscribing to his blog. Darren sure doesn't know me, but within minutes he answered my email in detailed fashion. Being most helpful.

Darren - Thanks

Categories: blogging

A (not so) New Speculative E-Zine

Maybe all of you already heard of this e-zine, but I only came across it yesterday: Sage of Consciousness.

I'm not sure what attracted me so to this e-zine that it stood out, but perhaps it was the spider picture in the front page, a picture that reminded of another spider from a previous post of mine. (To be honest, I haven't read the stories yet and cannot vouch for the quality but I will.)

According to their site, they are looking now for submissions and I just know many of you will like the theme: Death and the Super Natural: The Afterlife

From their guidelines:

This theme features death and the supernatural events that occur in life. The eerie feeling one gets at the base of ones spine; the glimmers of spirits dancing passed in a cold shadow; the poetry and stories that a close death calls forth from the depths of the writer’s being; and the paintings and photography that forms within and brings all of these elements into a crescendo, burrowing into the bravest heart.

I don't think they pay, perhaps $10 if you are the featured writer/artist. It wasn't clear to me.

Categories: writing, publishing, markets, short-stories, science-fiction, speculative, poems, non-fiction, e-zine

Where Have All The (Good) Writers Gone? - Or More On Writing Contests

I remember reading this at the beginning of the year and putting a note for a later post. I only just now came across the note (which only proves that my sound organization methods work...).

The article, from Poets & Writers, is about disappointing writing contests. Disappointing for the organizers that is. In fact, so disappointing that sometimes they cannot find a winner. The article, Press Offers Refund, and Then Some says:

Much to the chagrin of writers everywhere, there is no longer anything particularly shocking about a literary contest that fails to yield a winner. When W.S. Merwin announced that he couldn't find a worthy manuscript to win the Yale Series of Younger Poets in 1997, many writers--including some of the nearly six hundred who entered the contest--could barely contain their outrage. Since then, however, the winnerless contest has become a fairly common occurrence.

As opposed to most of the contests that "failed to yield a winner" and didn't refund the contest fee, Winnow Press (while still not finding a winner) did not only refund the entry fees, but also "postage costs, and returning all of the manuscripts that were entered in the contest, along with a complimentary poetry chapbook or fiction book published by the press."

Two things are at the heart of the matter as I see it from the article:

The first, the issue of contest entry fee refund. I've already mentioned in a previous post about writing contests that I don't particularly like contests and don't enter contests with an entry fee. It is my choice of course. But for those who choose otherwise, I urge to pay attention to the terms of the contest. Is the fee non-refundable? What are the copyright terms? Is it worth it? Keep in mind that not all contest organizers are like Winnow Press.

The second thing, and perhaps the bigger issue, is the fact that so many contests are winnerless. That is, the quality of the submissions, the mss is poor. This is something that is hard to hear. Could it be that in this internet age where any person who ever dreamt of being a writer now tries his/her luck? Could it be that the editors, the judges' expectations are unreasonable - a ms. that requires hardly any editing?

To contrast that, I will quote a local writer, Mark Leslie. In his blog about an anthology -North of Infinity - he's currently editing he says the following:

However, this is the first time I can ever remember going through an open submission reading phase and not receiving a single submission that wasn't good in some way. There wasn't a single story sent in to me that wasn't a good piece of writing, or a good story, or an idea that I found fascinating.

That, in and of itself, made the reading of unsolicited submissions extremely satisfying.

So perhaps not all is lost...

Categories: writing, contest, buisness

Empathy, Religion and Politics

Easy!
Easy!
Don't yell at me before you even read the post.
And hey, I can talk religion if I want to, it's my blog!

Calm?

First, let me start by saying that Slate, in their article Tear Up the Road Map, quoted me and my article Hamas Victory - What Does It Mean? that was posted in my "political" blog.

Why am I telling you this? First, for the obvious tooting horns reason. Second, because I'm about to direct you back to Slate and I just wanted to say that I prepared this post before I knew about Slate's quote.

Unity Chain
Uploaded on August 6, 2005
by olivander

Anyone not aware, Slate has a Meaning of Life TV, and this morning I listened to a fabulous interview with Huston Smith, who used to be a professor of philosophy and religious studies at MIT and Berkley respectively (among many other credentials). The interview is about 7:30 minutes long.

For those too lazy to listen, I summarized the main points - Robert Wright asks, Huston Smith answers:

Q: In today's integrated world and globalization, are there any adjustments religions need to make?
A: In theory religions need to adopt a policy of 'live and let live,' working their own destiny.
In practice, however, I'm not optimist because of human nature. All religions point to a human flaw - putting ourselves and our interests above those of others. When it comes to institutions, groups of people, it's the group's interest that matters above those of others.

Q: Has one religion been more tolerant than others?
A: Historically, it was Buddhism, but today even Buddhism isn't that tolerant.

Q: Isn't it ironic that while religions are supposed to help us transcend beyond our own perspectives, the religions themselves can't get over it?
A: The main virtue religions preach is empathy. But we can't really feel what others feel (such as hunger of a starving man). This is the challenge of life - we can never achieve it completely, but we can incrementally work at it.

Q: In this global world, can religions make accommodations for each other? Doctrinal?
A: No. These are bleak times. Religions have been seized by politicians and politicians have no conscience; they will seize anything to help themselves.
Much of what religions are blamed for, the politicians should be because they use religion for their own end.

I just wanted to share...

Categories: religion, politics

Novel Covers?

So I went shopping the other day. Grocery shopping. I desperately needed some dish washwer detergent and some milk but as always, while there, I got a few more things. You know, the red bell peppers were on sale and the Asian pears looked real pretty too. So I was going around the store when somewhere around the freezer, I noticed what I was listening to.

Let me give you some background about our No Frills supermarket. They put the best music on. You can find me often sing along while I'm shopping and, I kid you not, but it even happened once or twice that I enjoyed a dance in one of the quiet aisles.

Okay, the point - the point is the song I was listening to. Love Song was playing, but to my surprise it was a cover. I had no idea someone did a cover to Love Song (by The Cure), and as soon as I got home I checked it out. Turns out 311 made the cover in 2004. Okay, so I'm a bit behind on my music news due to... well.. no excuses really. Other than age perhaps?

My point?
My point is that I rarely like covers as much as the originals.
There are some covers I don't mind that much like Johnny Cash's cover to Nine Inch Nails' Hurt, or even this one - 311's cover of Love Song.
But there are some, like Alanis Morissette's awful cover of Seal's Crazy that drive me up the wall.

Yeah, so?
So it just occurred to me - what if someone made a cover for a novel?
Yes, I know that novelization, novels based on screenplays, exists, and vice versa too. But have you ever seen or heard of a novel based on a novel? Not an expansion, not a fanfic, not a next installment, but the same book written differently?
I haven't encountered any and the whole concept sounds weird.

Why, then, songs and movies are being remade constantly?

Oh, well, just a thought...



To The Cure -

Whenever I'm alone with you
You make me feel like I am young again

Thanks ;)

Listen and/or watch the video of Love Song
Love Song Lyrics

Categories: writing, general, novels, misc

Writing Descriptions or Descriptive Writing

Usually, when people discuss descriptive language they refer to one of two types: One is the kind of description that is intertwined between dialogue to help in conveying emotions and actions. The other is description that is independent of the dialogue and helps in making the setting more vivid. (I tried to follow my friend Vivian's advice in writing this).

I think that most of us don't have a "problem" with the first type of descriptive writing. We do it almost automatically. Robert J. Sawyer gives excellent examples of this on his web site - On Writing: description. Here's one:

It was almost midnight when McTaggart made the decision.

"I think," he said, "that we should go closer."
The others stared at him.
"Maybe fifteen miles away."
Nobody said a word.
"Force their hand."

Even though the other characters do nothing, their inaction communicates their nervousness, their failing resolve, their fear that their leader has gone over the edge. Try it without the description:

"I think that we should go closer. Maybe fifteen miles away. Force their hand."

Nothing. No tension. No suspense. Description isn't padding — it's the heart and soul of good writing.

Rob (who incidentally started his own blog) has more examples, go read.

As for the other type of description, that's the tricky one, at least for me. I'm never one to follow techniques, so I'm just going to take some of principals that apply to descriptive essays and try to adjust them to fiction writing:

As in all writing, in order to write good a description we must know what we're describing.

First, the details - that means we, writers, depend on observing, memorizing and later recollecting the moments/scenes/people/views we wish to describe.

To help in the memorizing process, we can think of our senses, draw on them for help: what did we see, hear, smell, taste and feel (physically and emotionally)? What did we think?

Of course, not everything we describe is facts or memories. Many times we describe things from our imagination. The details should be as specific.

Second - the impression, the feeling we wish to convey with the description. Say, we want to describe a park. In describing the park, we can show the park as a pleasant place or an unpleasant place.

In the first instance we might describe how enjoyable it is to walk the little paths under the canopy of trees (that give the walker shelter from the sun) while hearing children laughter from the playground.

In the second instance, we might describe how scary it is to quickly walk the littered paths that lie among the big ominous trees (that seem to be closing in on the walker) while eyeing the homeless that is sprawled on a bench.

Last - editing: Are there enough details? Are the words specific enough, correct (thesaurus)?

If we do this right and choose the right details along with the right verbs, adverbs and adjectives, the reader will be able to walk in the park with the protagonist, visualizing it through our details.


Many of us bloggers actually write descriptive essays daily. Easywriter hasn't been very active lately but her posts are fictional descriptive prose gems. Go through her archives to see what I mean.

I think that just writing this post already helped me in understanding the importance of descriptive language and how to do it better. Any more advice, comments on the matter?

Categories: writing, description, process

Be a Part of Something - Another Kind of Writing Market

I've just found out about an art exhibition the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) will have in July 2006. It's called In Your Face and it will feature works, or more accurately, portraits, from and of the community:

Get creative – draw it, paint it or write it.
[...]
Opening July 1, In Your Face is an exhibition of portraits collected from the general public to celebrate the individuality and diversity of Canada. Submissions are now being accepted for the exhibition and the Gallery will be entering the completed project for consideration by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest collection of portraits ever assembled.

This isn't to get paid or get a byline. It's for the opportunity to be a part of something. I think it's a cool idea.

More info, but not much more can be found here: In Your Face

Categories: writing, market

On Book Blurbs

We all want them. These little book blurbs that say such nice things about us and our books. We all want them.

But...

But would you want a book blurb from, say, Osama Bin Laden???
I'd bet on... NO!
It might increase your sales rank though...
Still no?
And what if you didn't ask for it?
Well, here's what happened to William Blum (from Writer's Blog - Osama bin Laden Does a Book Blurb):

... in his recent videotape, terrorist Osama bin Laden endorsed William Blum's Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower. Before the plug, the book ranked 209,000 on Amazon.com, but after the mention, the book sales soared to #30 as of today.

The book actually reached #18 but slumped to #23.

Original article can be found at Reuters: US author's sales jump after Osama mentions book

Writer's Blog concludes:

What is this -- the beginning of Osama bin Laden's book club? [...] What's next -- a chick lit pick from Al-Zawahri?

Categories: writing, general

Mission Control Center - Houston, Texas

I think that without a doubt I had the best time (tied with rock climbing) when I visited NASA. I mean, I stood face to face with an actual Mercury capsule and the actual Gemini V. How much more can anyone ask for???

So you wanted pics, but I have too many. I'll choose two:

What goes in, which in this case includes mac and cheese, spinach dip, strawberries and coffee with cream:


Must Come out:

Incidentally, I've been over at Carter's blog yesterday and turns out that I'm Wesley Crusher. Fitting, I'd say, yet still very embarrassing and I refuse to put his pic up!

From the quiz - Which Fantasy/SciFi Character Are You?:

Wesley Crusher
A brilliant learner with a knack for almost everything, you choose to spend your efforts in the pursuit of travels that extend your own potential.
Maybe I am sick of following rules and regulations!

Wesley is a character in the Star Trek universe. STARTREK.COM has a character biography.

Categories: personal, fun, space, quiz

Web, Internet Writing

I knew I wouldn't have much time to post after ten days away so I asked my good friend Vivian, who writes web content, to clue us in on internet or web writing. I hope you find this useful whether you intend to submit articles to ezines or simply want to know how to improve your own sites. Here's what Viv has to say:

Writing for the Internet

by Vivian C.

Writing for the internet is in some ways very similar to print writing and nothing like it in others for the mere reason that reading on a screen is nothing like reading print.

According to studies:

• Nearly 80% of web readers scan the text
• Screen reading is at least 25% slower than reading print
• Less is more, that is readers understand more when you write less
• Optimum reading line length - 10-12 words

So while the similarities are:

Planning, logical structuring, a narrative voice, point of view, knowing your audience and tailoring your writing style accordingly

The main difference remains:

Internet writing caters to readers who scan

This means that web writers have very little time to capture their audience before they go back to the search engine to check out the next site on the list. In these few seconds, it is the responsibility of the writer to help the scanning process.

Capturing readers' eyes

How do you capture the readers' eyes and attention? How do you help the scanning process? Here are ten pointers to help write a web friendly article.

1. Use headlines, sub-headers and captions

Headlines and sub-headers are the first to be scanned so use catchy, punchy and poignant headers (remember the subheader tags H2 and H3 were created for a reason). And since studies have shown that readers focus on the text more than the graphics, write good captions.

2. Use lists, bullet points and indents

Indents can identify subpoints easily while lists and bullet points are scanner friendly. Lists and bullets also help in emphasizing key concepts. Use the numbered or ordered list when relevant (the OL tag).
Write effective bullet points:
Bullets aren't sentences, they're the key idea. Be consistent in the use of caps and tenses.

3. Use short sentences, short paragraphs and line breaks

One idea per paragraph is the motto of most web writers. Break down your ideas into topics and subtopics that can fit into short paragraphs (3-4 sentences).

4. Length

Because of slower screen reading, an article on the web should be 40%-50% shorter than a print article. Delete all unnecessary words and allow topic expansions with the use of links into secondary level pages (multilevel writing).

5. Start at the end

Always give the most important facts and information first - at the beginning of the article, the subtopic or the paragraph.

6. Sound genuine and authoritative

Don't be afraid to be you and to sound authoritative, it is the only way to gain the readers' trust. However, be accurate and credible - the only way to maintain that trust.

7. Links

A link, while providing additional information and resources, can also take the readers away from your site and they may never come back. Choose wisely.

8. Visual design and imagination

Try to imagine how your text would look on the screen.
Use pictures, tables and charts to help with concepts and explain, show data.
Bold text, or color it to emphasize ideas inside a sentence.

9. Tone and style

The common advice is to use transition words, shorter words and active voice whenever possible as well as a less formal tone. I disagree with that last bit and prefer to adjust the tone (and some times the style) to the market in question. Writing a personal blog post is different from writing a financial article for a financial ezine. Use your judgment.

10. Edit, edit, edit and update frequently

When writing for the web, most times you don't have an editor or a second pair of eyes, therefore you must be your own. It is important that your site/article is consistent. Well-written, grammatically correct, fresh content is crucial to gaining and maintaining the readers as are frequent updates.

And most important - good content attracts good traffic.

Categories: guest, writing, freelance, articles, blogging

Rock Climbing

I got home last night but was too tired to even turn my computer on, believe it or not.

Well... I went rock climbing for the first time ever and I got the proof right here:

On the way up:

Reaching the top:

The way down:


This was the best fun I had in a while!

Categories: personal, misc

Will be back January 17th

Okay, so I'm going away tomorrow.
I'm actually flying into Texas and will end up at some point at NASA's Space Center in Houston. How exciting is that???

I won't be able to post at all the next ten days.

BUT

But, when I come back I promise we'll continue to tackle organization in writing (as I desperately need more of it), and perhaps even, following so many who have remarked in the Writing Dialogue post their dislike for descriptive language, both reading and writing it, we'll discuss that too.
I mean, didn't someone really smart once said that it's all relative? So doesn't it depend on how good the descriptions are? Fine descriptive language can be exhilarating both to read and to write. But we'll talk about it when I come back.

Categories: writing, misc, space

Writing Dialogue

When I was a child I used to love to read the dialogue parts so much that I would sometimes even skip over the narrative parts, especially if they were too descriptive. Today, I like reading all parts but I still have a soft spot for a good dialogue.

For the beginners among us, here are three rules I learnt early on:
1. Quotation marks is the most common device to denote dialogue.
2. The quotation marks go outside punctuation marks ex: "Don't do that," she said.
3. Start a new paragraph when changing speakers.

Now for the fun stuff - what is a good dialogue and how can a writer use dialogue?

Well, in my opinion as a reader, I first like the dialogue to sound natural. I don't mind if the dialogue uses specific language or grammar that is unique to the world the characters are in, but contrived or forced dialogue just doesn't work. The dialogue needs to feel as if it was actually spoken by the characters.

Second, I feel that a good writer uses dialogue to emphasize characterization. A good dialogue can make or break a character and I just love it when a character can almost be identified by the way s/he speaks.

Third, so often I see it - dialogue used to show, not tell. Dialogue used as a hook - starting a piece with an intriguing line of dialogue. Dialogue used to summarize an otherwise long and boring narrative. In general, good writers use dialogue as a writing device, as a plot device, not just he said, she said.

Fourth, attribution and tags. Usually we identify the speaker very early (said John), but if there are only two I feel it is okay to sometimes omit the attribution. As for tags, I don't particularly like them much. They should be used sparingly and most often 'said' is quite enough. The occasional 'he whispered', 'she shrieked', 'he exclaimed' is fine, but not often.

What else???
Yes, humour - the only way I manage to put a little bit of humour in my writing is when I write dialogue. It's easiest for those of us who are not very talented in that department but would still like a little comic relief every now and then.

Another big thing to remember is that dialogue isn't the same as conversation. In dialogue (as opposed to real life conversation) we usually do without the routine stuff of 'hey, how are ya?' and too many ummms and ers.

And a little quote from Robert J. Sawyer article Speaking of Dialogue (go read):

Finally, much real dialog goes unfinished. When someone is interrupted or cut off abruptly, end the dialog with an em-dash (which you type in manuscript as two hyphens); when he or she trails off without completing the thought, end the dialog with ellipsis points (three periods). Real dialog also tends to be peppered with asides: "We went to Toronto -- boy, I hate that city -- and found . . ."

Feel free to add things I missed or supply your own opinion on the dialogue writing techniques above.

Categories: writing, process, dialogue

Several New Posts

I want to start 2006 with a focus on writing, so I prepared a few posts ahead of time:

My first writing post in 2006: Writing as An Art Form

My first science post in 2006: Most Important Research of 2005 - Uncovering the Mystery of the Missing Teaspoons

My first guest post from hubby dearest, Elliot: When I Lay Dying

Last, in case your new year's resolution was to lose weight, beware that a new study found that Gluttony is good for you: "The fatter you are, the less likely you are to get depressed and commit suicide" ... "Scientists in Bristol have discovered that fat people are more cheerful than their thin peers."

Categories: writing, science, guest, misc

Writing as An Art Form

I was thinking a lot about what my first writing post should be in the new year. I wanted something good. Well, of course.

Then I came across this great article in Salon about The joy of sex writing. I don't write erotica but I don't shy away from sex scenes either, so naturally I was curious. The article is great. It reviews two books of the 'best of 2005' erotica short stories. But other than reviewing erotica, the article also makes many statements about writing:

Of the 47 pieces between the two [collections...] only a few are concerned with presenting sex as a human experience from which pleasure and happiness can bloom. The rest are a compendium of what could be called anti-erotica...
...
This turns out to be a wise approach, given an unfortunate irony that the best sex, like the happiest families, has a tendency to come off as dull and saccharine on the page. Why? In part, I suspect, it has to do with the nature of writing and reading: They are the least instinctual of activities and therefore less than ideal for expressing our most basic instincts.

And the paragraph that I liked best:

Other, more visceral, art forms, come closer [to sex]. Photography, painting, cinema, hip-hop: These are mediums that, in the right hands, manage to be both carnal and clever without coming off as pat. Writing, though, is inherently cerebral, introspective, neurotic, more professorial than prurient. After all, part of what makes "Lolita" so scandalous after 50 years in print is that it remains a great piece of writing that, to the discomfort of many a blushing intellectual, is genuinely arousing. Generally speaking, writing is not about indulging in one's desires so much as questioning them, over and over, until the onset of vertigo. And so the very hang-ups and insecurities that can ruin a good romp between the sheets are, paradoxically, the very ones that make for excellent writing.

Most of what is said in the above quoted paragraphs applies to all writing, not just erotica. I cannot recall reading a (good) book where everything was happy and fun. I don't think I can write only about joy. In writing we do explore our insecurities, give freedom to our fears, and rely on our idiosyncrasies to create believable characters. We question our own morals and delve into areas of our psyche we probably shouldn't. That's what writing is all about, that's how writing becomes art.

Categories: writing, art

Most Important Research of 2005 - Uncovering the Mystery of the Missing Teaspoons

As my first science post of the year I thought it would only be fitting if I discussed one of the most important scientific researches of 2005 - 'Where have all the bloody teaspoons gone?'

It is of no secret that teaspoons tend to mysteriously disappear, especially in offices and public places.

In this week's BMJ, researchers at the Burnet Institute in Australia attempt to measure the phenomenon of teaspoon loss and its effect on office life.

They purchased and discreetly numbered 70 stainless steel teaspoons (54 of standard quality and 16 of higher quality). The teaspoons were placed in tearooms around the institute and were counted weekly over five months.

After five months, staff were told about the research project and asked to complete a brief anonymous questionnaire about their attitudes towards and knowledge of teaspoons and teaspoon theft.

During the study, 56 (80%) of the 70 teaspoons disappeared.
...
One possible explanation for the phenomenon is resistentialism (the theory that inanimate objects have a natural aversion to humans), they write. This is demonstrated by the fact that people have little or no control over teaspoon migration.

Finally, but I mean, finally someone has taken the matter seriously. Of course, the mystery is too deep to uncover with one study and the scientists recommend this research to become a priority.

I salute them.

Categories: science

New Year, New Template

What do you think?

When I Lay Dying

When I lay dying, not much went through my head. Most people have a predilection for what they will envision when the moment occurs: lights at the end of a tunnel, a roller coaster reaching the top of a tense climb and then easily gliding down the other side, Uncle Joe smiling and holding an outstretched hand, regrets about not taking that long cruise instead of the weekend up North. But it did not happen to me. Nothing like this entered my mind.

Firstly, it took longer than expected. More of an elongated blur of several unpleasant moments than a tidy scene from a cop movie, where the bullet-holed partner gets some minutes of reflection.
Secondly, there was order to it. Food was regularly provided at the same times daily (but not always eaten). Friends and family came by and spoke softly (or not at all) during scheduled hours. Doctors magically appeared (but only between 9-5) and tinkered with cold steel devices, frowned over charts, then suddenly stepped out of the room. Nurses indifferently checked vitals every 2 hours, 24 hours a day. A TV was set up, and I could watch whatever I wanted. Nothing was asked of me, and nothing was expected. It was easy.

When I went through treatment, I know some things were going through my head. They're becoming difficult to recall. I've chosen to forget this time in purgatory for some reason, although I may have envisioned (flickering) lights and a very long tunnel.

Since I’ve rejoined the living, a lot goes through my head. Most people who have reached the zenith of trade and status now seem lacking in any meaningful leadership. Everything around me seems more frail and mortal. I find myself smiling at children a lot, also old people - especially old couples. I try to visit friends more, or at least attend their children’s birthday parties when asked. Work is accomplished, but hardly at the maddening pace it used to get done. I listen to a lot more music now, as much since my teen years. I recognize little things all the time: pleats in pants, swimming lanes that are divided for the slow, medium, and fast people, coffee shops that have posts to leash your doggie to and the like. I feel the need to honour my wife and family more then ever, but find myself slipping back to old habits.

Uploaded on December 14, 2005
by pubwvj

Many times, I think of my brothers and sisters who have not had my fortune. I wonder if there are even more secrets they know that have yet to be revealed to me. And I wonder if there is a place I can store those secrets until I am truly ready for them.

Elliot very much lives in Toronto, Canada.



The above was written by Elliot, my first guest poster.

Categories: guest

Politics, New Feature and More On Tracking

Politics
I've gone a bit political lately, and was coerced by ariadneK into a shared political blog.

I wanted to keep this blog separate as I'd hate to lose any of you to politics so I didn't mention it so far. However, there is a Canadian election on January 23 and if any of you are interested, I wrote a quick Primer to Canadian Politics in my other blog.

New Feature - Guest Poster
I'm adding a new feature to this blog where I'm inviting guest writers/bloggers or anyone who feel like it to post here. The feature will probably be sporadic at first with the intention of it running once a week eventually.

Since this blog is about All Kinds of Writing, the only guideline for submitting a post is that it can be of any kind of writing and about anything. My preference is for posts not to exceed 500 words. If accepted, I will not edit the post unless I am asked to.

So tomorrow will be the first time I run the feature and will have a guest poster.

More Tracking Submissions
I had some great response to my Tracking Submission post.
Benjamin directed me to a great little program called Sonar that you can download and use for free. In fact, it's more of a database that stores your work, submissions and markets. If you have time to work with it, it's the best thing.
If you don't, that is, if you're a bit lazy like me, you can use the spreadsheet I mentioned.
Here is an example of how it looks:

You can also download the actual spreadsheet Tracking Submissions although I cannot promise how it would work for you.
Oh, and for the real coders out there, don't you make fun of my basic visual basic :)

Categories: politics, guest, writing, submissions, process, freelance, organization

Organizing Your Writing Part I - Tracking Your Submissions

As the new year comes along, it is a time for re-organization.

I'm not a very organized person myself. I used to be, but somehow, instead of gaining wisdom and grow to be more orderly, I seem to be going in the opposite direction, becoming messier and more disorganized.

So while I don't normally do the resolution thing, I do want to manage my writing work better next year and would therefore like to put a system in place for organizing my writing work.

I'll start with tracking my submissions.
If you're solely a novelist then you probably don't need as much tracking as those of us who also send short stories and articles out. But if you're like me and submit to magazines both short fiction and non-fiction pieces, you lose track of your submissions pretty fast.

I'm not very good with paperwork, so the famous index card method doesn't agree with me, not to mention that cross-referencing is a bit*h when it comes to index cards.

An Excel spreadsheet, I decided, would be the easiest thing for tracking my submissions. Excel allows to sort and order data so that I can not only track the submissions but also track one particular work to see how many times it was submitted, where and when, or I can track one particular publisher to see how often I submit to that market. I can also see what months I was more productive, or how many submissions I still have out awaiting response.

Next:
- Tracking writing ideas
- Organizing the writing process itself

Any other organizations and order required of us that I'm missing?

Categories: writing, process, discipline, freelance, publishing, submissions, work, organization

Boxing Day Shooting: One Dead, Six Wounded

In one of the busiest areas in downtown Toronto, seven people were shot yesterday, one, a 15-year-old teenage girl, was killed.

On Yonge street, a little north of the Eaton Centre, around Dundas area where Sam the Record Man is and the Hard Rock Cafe and other hip places and stores, an area which is a hangout for teenagers and young people, someone (or more than one) opened gunfire just outside the Foot Locker. Seems to be a gang related crime.

The victims are bystanders who just went shopping. As was the 15-year-old girl.

I don't know what to say.

Gun violence has been plaguing Toronto increasingly the past few years, and while still not at the rate of a large US city, it is worrisome, devastating, frustrating and infuriating.

I cannot imagine what brings a person to care so little about anything in life. To care nothing for himself, others, laws, basic morals, society, family. How can one get to the place where the only solution to any problem is violence? Where honour is worth more than life and freedom?


My thoughts go out to the wounded, the families, and the girl who is no longer with us.


Seven shot on Yonge St.
Teen killed, 6 wounded in Toronto shooting

Categories: misc, news

Boxing Day

I hope, trust everybody had a good holiday... :)

But you see, in Canada (and other common wealth countries), the holiday isn't over yet. Today is Boxing Day.
What, pray tell, is boxing day? you, my American friends, ask.

Well, you see grasshopper, it is not enough that in the days leading to Christmas we spend our time shopping, we must also do so the day after Christmas. Therefore, December 26 is a national holiday in which stores open their doors for the day after sale.

And each year I vow not to leave the house on that day and not to listen to all the commercials and read all the ads. 'This year,' I always say, 'I'm staying in. Nothing, but nothing at all will make me go out and be part of the madness.'

As quiet is Christmas Day is, Boxing Day is the opposite:

If yesterday there were hardly any cars on the street, today the cars will be piling into traffic jams.

If yesterday stores and malls were closed, today all retail commercial venues are open.

If yesterday was a day of giving and quiet reflection, today, oh how quickly we forget, is a day of taking, fighting over merchandise and being loud and obnoxious.

If yesterday people got up early, sat under the tree, and opened presents, today those same people got up early and lined up for the door crasher sales and for the privilege of buying in some store or another.

So... you get my point.

Categories: misc

It's Dangerous to be a Writer

What? You didn't know?
You should have asked for hazard pay when you joined the ranks of writers.

Somehow writers have a way of stirring things up and cause such emotions in people that some of them lose their heads and want to hurt the writers.

Often it is an organizations/government that thinks the writer is a subversive element and not only bans the writer's written word, but also go out to punish the writer himself/herself.

The latest, if you haven't heard, are the trials in Turkey of the novelist Orhan Pamuk and publisher Abdullah Yildiz in unrelated cases.

Orhan Pamuk is charged for his remarks about killings of Kurds and Armenians in 1915 - Turkey claims the killings should not called genocide.
Profile: Orhan Pamuk

More ridiculous are perhaps the charges against Abdullah Yildiz, the publisher who printed a bestseller "The Witches of Smyrna" by Greek author Mara Meimaridi.
Apparently, some passages in the novel describe Izmir's (Smyrna) Turkish quarters as dirty, which prosecutors say is an insult to Turkey. Abdullah Yildiz actually faces several years in jail.
Turkey orders fresh insult trial

Last, even in our little corner of the blogsphere I came across Neil the Novel Head who received hate mail from a reader who read one of his short stories.


I think I'm going to start a new category of posts, honouring writers, publishers, journalists, novelists, poets etc. for being prosecuted/persecuted as I come across them.

Categories: writing, news

The Chronic of Narnia - A Rap Song

I desperately needed something light and short after my last heavy and long post.

Compliments of Erin from Rarely Likable here is a funny one: SNL - The Chronic of Narnia Rap AKA Lazy Sunday.

Erin claims in her post that she's seen it everywhere. Well... I'm a bit slow on things and only seen it on her blog. Thanks Erin for posting it anyway.

Categories: fun, misc

My Nanny Also Cleans Windows

I have friends from all walks of life and some are quite a bit more well off than I am. Saturday night I went to a house warming party of friends (and I mean friends in the true sense of the word), who just moved into an over $1 million home. And if you discount it as being Canadian dollars, don't. It's probably also over US$1 million.

I was very impressed with their new house, sure, what's not to be impressed? Their walk-in closet is the size of my bedroom, and their five-year-old daughter's room is bigger than my living room. Not to mention that her (the daughter's) adjacent bathroom is twice the size of my main bathroom.

So we walked around the house and I kept complimenting the finishing and the layout and cracking jokes about the sheer size and saying how pretty and all, until... until we reached the nanny's room. In a basement the size of a large, no, huge apartment, one corner was closed off as the nanny's room. Small and cold. Heck, it is smaller than any room I have in my little place, has a lowered ceiling which in some parts a person can't even stand straight. After seeing the size of everything else, this was quite a letdown. But I said nothing. I didn't comment on the fact that this nanny who has been with them for nearly five years and is raising their three little ones (the five-year-old is the oldest) has a dinky tiny cold room in the basement.

If that was the end of things, it wouldn't have been that bad, but later on in the evening, another person asked my friend if it is true that her nanny is away for a month. My friend explained that yes, she's away for a month to see her family in the Philippines. 'How did you agree to that?' the person asked. My friend explained that it was in their original agreement that the nanny would combine two years vacation and instead take a month off every two years. 'I wouldn't allow it,' that other person said in a belligerent and decisive tone.

It was at that point that I felt I should have said something. It was at that point that I wanted to say that just because we are fortunate enough live in a country that enables us easy life doesn't mean we should forget how others live. I wanted to say that just because we can afford having slave labour doesn't mean that we should act like slave drivers.
But I didn't. I didn't want to stir things up, you see, I didn't want to offend my good friends who stood by me when I needed them. I didn't want to criticize that person and indirectly my friends in their house. So I said nothing. In fact, no one said anything and I left wondering if no one said anything when the Nazis slowly came to power and people simply didn't speak out because they didn't want to insult their hosts, or because it wasn't appropriate in that social setting, or because whatever other reason. Of course, there is a big difference and I'm taking it to an extreme but I was just wondering.

And now, now I feel sick to my stomach you see. Sick for me, for everybody else who was there and especially for that other person, whom I always considered a friend, and probably will continue to see in social settings. And I know I will be polite, and that makes me sick. I don't think that person was polite, you see, I don't think that person considered saying things like that in a social setting the same way I considered answering. That person offended me and I will continue the relation ship as if nothing happened. And that makes me sick.

Categories: opinions

Writing Evil - Writing Disturbing Scenes

I guess I should first define disturbing, but even that is difficult because different people might consider different things as disturbing so I can only give you what I think is a general definition.

A disturbing scene is any scene where something 'really bad' happens.

Personally, 'disturbing' is confined to actions performed by characters (protagonist, antagonist, minor player), as opposed to natural disasters for example. By actions I mean torture, murder, rape, beating, abuse and the list goes on.

Sometimes writing these scenes affects me in the manner expected from the action. I get sick to my stomach.
Sometimes writing these scenes can be a cathartic experience where I'm happy with my writing capabilities and my abilities to convincingly convey gruesome events, perversions and abnormalities. (Which, of course, leaves me disturbed for being able to express it in the first place :).

I have written such scenes from both POVs.
I find that it is by far easier to describe the horrors from the "recipient's" POV. It is also by far easier to describe the recipient's feelings. It hurts, stop, the horror.
Yet, it is when I write from the POV of the person inflicting the pain that I find the writing experience to be rewarding.

Now, from the reader's perspective I also find that readers love to be introduced to dark thoughts and feeling and to be pushed to the brim of the evil abyss so as to stare it right in the face.

How does it affect you? Does it affect you at all? As a writer? A reader?

Categories: writing, plot, process

Marketing and Sales

I live in a little neighborhood in Toronto. Unlike the urban sprawl of suburbia and the subdivisions, my neighborhood is near the downtown core. It's old and has character. It's a neighborhood similar to the one I grew up in.

In my neighborhood you can actually see people in the streets going about their way, if it's children walking to school (you heard me right, I said walking), moms strolling with their babies, or people hurrying to work.
In my neighborhood we know are neighbors by name. On hot summer evenings we meet outside, on our porches and have a beer (or two).
The children in my neighborhood don't need their parents to drive them to their friends, they can just walk, and on Saturday evenings the teenagers, too young to go clubbing, hang out in the streets and alleys, making a little noise when they pass under your window. I love that noise.
In my neighborhood we have a few corner stores, mom and pop shops and even a little cafe.
There are two supermarkets I can walk to, one outside, surrounded by other stores, another in a dingy malls.
I can also walk from my neighborhood to one of the trendiest places in town, a street full of restaurants (mostly Greek) and shops.
I love my neighborhood.

Occasionally, and it flows naturally from the makeup of our neighborhood, kids ring my doorbell for donations. Sometimes I ignore the ring, sometimes I go ready with some money to the door. Of course, we have salespeople too. But I can usually tell by the ring or the sound they make as they climb the four stairs leading to my front door.

Well, and this is where my story really begins, I was all alone at home the other day when I heard the door bell ring followed the screeches from the screen door hinges as someone opened it, followed by such bangs on my door I would only expect the Gestapo or KGB to use when coming in the middle of the night to haul people out, people who are never seen again.

I was certain something happened. No one, but no one would knock like that unless they had a good reason. Perhaps there was an accident and someone needed my help, perhaps the police were in search of a fugitive criminal. The thoughts ran wild in my head while I climbed the stairs to reach the door.

I did not open it.

"Yes?" I said from behind the door. I have a clear glass window on the door that allows me to see the person outside. He was no policeman but he wore a kind of uniform.

"Ma'am, I'm from the utility company," he said showing me a fancy name tag.

There's a gas leak, I thought.

"I wanted to make sure you are protected---" for sure a gas leak "---in your bill from gas price increases."

"What?" I said, confused. It didn't sound like a gas leak. In fact, he didn't really sound concerned at all, only very aggressive.

"I wanted to make sure it says on your bill---"

I looked more closely at his name tag. It belonged to a utility company, not my utility company as he alluded to. "No, thank you," I said.

"---you're protected from price increases---"

Remember that I didn't open the door? Well, that was his lucky day because if the door was open I'd probably have given him quite a beating using one of the shoes always near the door, or at least a good shouting right there. But I'm such a wimpy wuss. Instead, I said, "I'm protected," which seemed to be the only thing I could say that would make him disappear and then I walked away.

He, in turn, shouted at me something like 'are you sure?' before finally leaving.

I'm only sorry I didn't take a better look at his name or the gas company he represents. I would have complained, but not to them. They couldn't care less, I'm sure. In fact, I'm certain they teach this scare tactic to their sales people. I have no doubt.

Which brings me to today's topic - sales and marketing. It seems that sales and marketing people have lost all scruples. Unethical conduct, dehumanizing ads, subversive practices, not to mention privacy intrusions with telemarketing or door-to-door sales.

Since I don't usually rant here, I will leave the rest of my opinions on the subject to the political blog I share with a few others. I did come to the conclusion, though, that I prefer junk mail to door to door sales people, believe it or not.

Oh, and compliments of Ryan, here's a list of things you can say/do when a telemarketer calls you.

Categories: opinions

Editing Your Writing

And you thought I'll never talk about editing...
You're probably right. I probably would never have if I wasn't getting frustrated with it.

Uploaded on December 1, 2005
by Corporal Tunnel

You see, I never used to mind editing. Not at all. It was fun, but lately, I guess I could say in the last year, editing has become more of a chore. It's gotten to the point where I dread finishing a piece just because I know I'd have to edit it after.

I don't know how you go about editing but for me it's always been a mix of editing while writing and editing at the end.
I know that the recommended way is to write a "vomit first draft" but it doesn't work for me. I have to edit while I write. Mind you, I don't edit too much during the writing process. Somewhere in between.
I also don't edit after each chapter is written, which I know some do.

So maybe if I ask you, my fellow writers, how you edit your material, my current aversion of the editing process will subside.

Here goes:
Do you edit chapter by chapter, in the middles of chapters or the whole thing?
Do you print it all and work with a hard copy or are you monitor bound?
Is your editing process different for shorts?
Anything else you'd like to tell me?

Categories: writing, editing, process

Fun Sunday - Kakuro

To all you Sudoku lovers out there I'm sure you've already heard of the Sudoku offshoot - Kakuro.

In case you haven't, let me introduce you:



Rules:
- Place numbers in the grid, only single digit numbers (1-9)
- The numbers must add up to the marker at the top or to the left
- Each number in a block must be different, so if you have to add up two numbers to 8 - you can only use 1&7, 2&6, 3&5, but not 4&4.
Hint: it is easy to start with cells you know at least the combination. So starting with a 4 is good because it can only be 1&3 for example.

Some places you can play on the net:
- Kakuro Live
- Kakuro San
- And obviously the place I got the puzzle from: Kakuro Puzzle

Categories: games, fun, misc

My Work Space

Now,

you tell me -

can anyone, but anyone at all, accomplish anything in this mess???

And who do you think I blame?
Me!

Categories: writing, general, misc

The Grumpy Owl

Slowly I'm discovering more and more people from "real" life who are blogging.
My friend Ryan has just begun too.

His blog is crazy, his blog is funny, his blog is disturbing...

I cannot repeat most of what of he writes there because I've committed to a PG-13 blog, but those of you who are disturbed by nature--you know who you are, don't make me name names ;)--must go check out Ryan Oakley at The Grumpy Owl.

Categories: misc

From Short to Novel

When I started writing fiction, it only seemed natural to me that I should start with short stories and progress from there into writing novels. It made sense to me back then.

Sensible or not, that's what I did and the shorts came gushing out of me, but at some point I figured that writing for magazines wasn't going to help me make writing a career. For that I needed to write novels.

I started writing a novel three different times, each time I got stuck somewhere in the beginning, around the 15,000-30,000 word mark and went back to writing another short or two. It wasn't until my third attempt that I figured something out. I was writing a novel, not a very long short, which meant I had to change my whole concept of writing.

You see, shorts describe an event, or a sequence of events that happen at some point in the character's life. They describe it quickly and to the point. But novel writing is different. Writing a novel is describing everything that led to the crucial event that a short would concentrate on, it's adding a few other events, it's a plot and few subplots intertwined together, etc.

Of course I knew all that, but it wasn't wired in yet. I had to get into the novel writing state of mind. Instead of getting to the point quickly, I needed to get to the point differently. See what I'm saying? And then I discovered that there are many points along the way leading to that one big event, interesting ones, there is more character development, there are more voices.

I've always been a very quick and succinct person. I don't know how to philosophize at length (although I'm sure some of you are rolling your eyes just about now) and it shows in my writing, compact and condense. Maybe that's why I gravitated towards shorts at first.

My point? I have two:
The first is that while both forms are fiction, the mindset required for each is different.
The second is that if you are in the beginning of your writing endeavors and wish to write novels, don't start with shorts.

And if, on the other hand, you are like many of my friends who wrote their first short story after writing three novels, don't think it would be a breeze to write a short, but we'll tackle that some other day (maybe with a guest poster).

Categories: writing, short-stories, novel, process

Depression, Sensitivity and Creative Juices

It has long been argued or widely believed that depression helps creativity.

Perhaps.

Let me tackle this one from a different point of view though.
About a week ago I read an article about a groundbreaking find: Mildly Depressed People More Perceptive Than Others.

Surprisingly, people with mild depression are actually more tuned into the feelings of others than those who aren't depressed, a team of Queen's psychologists has discovered.

At first the researchers were so stunned with the results that they performed the study again with a different group only to produce the same results:

People with mild symptoms of depression pay more attention to details of their social environment than those who are not depressed.

Previous similar studies were done with clinically depressed persons and I guess that now they have reached the conclusion that mild depression and clinical depression may be two different things, which is a controversial idea.


You may have the same reaction to this article/research as I had.
To be honest I don't know much about clinical depression but I think most people have experienced mild depression at some point in their lives, either due to objective reasons or simply because they are more prone to it.
From our experience then, haven't we all noticed that when depression hits us, we become more sensitive, that we can notice every little thing in the people around us, a lingering look, a sigh, raising of the eyebrows?
So why were the researchers surprised?

Also, if I return to what I started with, the argument that depression helps the artist be more creative, then again I'm at a loss with the researchers' surprise at their findings.
Aren't creative people usually 'accused' of being artiste types, prone to depression and forms of madness? And don't we all know how sensitive creative people are? They must be. Artists' social and environmental sensitivity is almost a requirement to their artistic expression. If artists wish to express other people's feelings in their art, to show the world's beauty, people's goodness, or even plush fields, they must know what that is like.
How would otherwise writers describe people's feelings and behavior if they weren't sensitive to it? How would a painter show emotions in their drawings if they weren't sensitive to those very emotions they're trying to paint?

I'm not saying that all artists are, by definition, mildly depressed. Far from it. But we've all encountered those little depression spells that somehow cause the sensitivity to become acute and the creative juices to flow.

If they had asked me, those researchers, I could have told them what to expect. It seems rather obvious to me.

Categories: writing, general, science

Plot Lines for Romance Novels? Maybe Not

Just some weekend fun... or not...

I only found out about Don't Date Him Girl last week - a site that has lists (upon lists) of cheating men.
Here's what they have to say about themselves:

DontDateHimGirl.com is changing the way women date! Browse our search engine of cheating men right now! Finally, a way for women to check a guy out BEFORE dating, marrying or otherwise committing to him! Warn other women about the men who have cheated on you! Register and become a member today! You'll receive our free newsletter and other valuable goodies just for women! It's fast, easy and best of all, it's free!

Well... I just thought that one could get some plot ideas about cheating bleep-bleeps from this site.

In any event, while I don't take lightly the pain of the women who posted in the site about their cheating men, I still find the whole concept to be, well, weird.

Categories: writing, plot, weird, misc

A History of Violence - Show, Don't Tell

In one of my previous posts I gave an example of a movie I didn't like and outlined the mistakes made in the making of the movie comparing them to writing mistake. If you want a reminder go to Festivel Movies and Sucky Writing.

Now I'm coming from the other side of the coin and want to give you an opposite example, a good one, a movie I liked. A lot.

I saw A History of Violence last week and I am recommending it whole heartedly. I couldn't stop thinking about it for a few days after I've seen it, in fact, I'm still thinking about it a week later. Viggo Mortensen (or as we better know him - Aragorn) is superb in it as are the other actors in this movie.

I'm not a movie reviewer, nor do I have aspirations to become one, hence I don't know if it was the plot, the acting, directing (Cronenberg), or cinematography that was the one thing that 'made' the movie. Probably the combination of the lot.

In any event, the movie has that understated, almost subdued quality to it. A quality that I like. While the characters display emotions, they don't necessarily have to cry, shout, wring their hair out or whatever other devices and vices directors and actors choose for the purpose of emotional display. A History of Violence is similar to In the Bedroom in that respect (if you recall that one from 2001).

Another similarity between both movies is the dialogue, or lack there of. Don't get me wrong, there is a dialogue, and pretty darn good one, but it isn't the idiotic verbal stream most Hollywood movies are 'blessed' with. Thus, instead of the characters saying things, explaining their feelings, intent, thoughts, we see and understand what they want to express by their actions, motions, facial expressions or even sometimes from the camera angle the director has chosen, what we see on the screen and how we see it.

As writers we all know the Show, Don't Tell rule. It seems that some directors / film makers have heard of the same rule and when they use it in their films, the result is--as it most often is in writing too--amazing, intelligent and touching. A movie can have that much more impact if not everything is spelled out, if the characters occasionally act out their emotions instead of explaining to us that they're standing at a cross-road and have a hard time making a decision. Most times viewers are able to figure these things out on their own. Same with writing.

Point form:
1. Show, Don't Tell - works well in both media
2. Give your audience/readers some credit, most are intelligent and don't need to be spoon fed
3. Sex scenes can be a wonderful device if they're not gratuitous (yes, after forgetting all about sex scenes (seems no one does sex scenes anymore since the new millennia started), this movie had a couple and they worked very well!)

I hope for more movies such as A History of Violence and if you haven't seen it yet, then what are you waiting for? It is one of the best movies I have seen this year, and if Viggo doesn't get the Oscar for his performance there then that would prove once and for all what the Academy Awards are worth!

Categories: writing, process, movies

I'm Back

Thank you all :)

Personal Note / Apology

Due to an extremely busy week, I did this little disappearing act and I'm sorry.

I had one project due yesterday (Thursday) and I have another one due Monday. Hence, I cut myself off completely from blogging. I had to, you see.

Also - NaNo is due Wednesday and I would like to try to reach 30,000 words at the very least. I will call that a win, considering everything.
However, I do know of this is one amazing person who already reached the 50,000 mark last week. Yzabel, way to go!

And to my American friends - Happy Thanksgiving.
I was supposed to go to the US yesterday for Thanksgiving but was grounded due to the blizzard we had here. Sigh. And it's not even winter yet.
But it was a blessing in disguise as it afforded me more time on my project. (Plus, I really don't like turkey.)

So there you have it...

Categories: personal

Idol Writing - Compromising your Artistic Integrity

Soon, another season of American Idol will begin. And while I may not watch Lost, Survivor, or most other TV shows, I do watch American and Canadian Idol (but shhh, don't tell, it's my little secret).

I don't know if you know, but last season two contestants seemed very out of place there, at least at first. Same was true with Canadian Idol where one contestant was such a rocker, the judges didn't know if she would fit the pop singing and culture. One of them even asked her - are you ready to sell your soul? (my own paraphrase).

It is well known that rockers view pop singing as exactly that. An artistic compromise for the purpose of selling more CDs and be more popular. Well, what is pop(ular) after all?

Crossing the Line
Uploaded on October 30, 2005
by darkmatter

I often thought of the matter in my writing as well. What would be the point, if any, where I would say, 'Stop.' What is the line I wouldn't cross?

I know that many of you who read this are fiction writers mostly, so the question is almost moot. But not entirely. Has anyone ever decided to write in a certain genre because it was the "in" thing? Has anyone ever put in a sex scene simply to drive up interest? Has anyone ever changed her language because she suspected her own would not sell?

What about after a sale? Has anyone ever agreed to change something fundamental just to keep the sale?

Since I don't write only fiction, I find myself considering some of these things more often. I sometimes "dumb down" articles because I know this is what editors prefer even though the public is perfectly capable to be slightly more challenged. (One could argue that perhaps I don't write for the right markets, and one might be right, but still, it's an interesting point.)

In my fiction writing, also. I am always asked to change something. Without fail. I usually agree without any regrets, except for this one time. This one time will haunt me forever (or until I'm famous and can republish the story as it was originally written). I feel that on that one occasion I sold my integrity.

So I coined the term for my own sanity - idol writing. Sometimes, for a bit of publicity and a bit of money we compromise. Instead of carrying our hearts on our sleeves and sing rock/jazz/blues/punk we sing pop. Instead of writing with all of our hearts we write someone else's ideas.

Do you have a line you wouldn't cross?

Categories: writing, publishing, art

This and That - about ten of them

First, it's officially snowing here.

Second, I've discovered that all my hand written stuff I've done in the past ten days or so, after my laptop went caput, for NaNo does not even amount to half of what I thought it would. I still have to transfer a few more pages, but it's disappointing.

Third, my office is freezing despite the furnace working full time. I think I might have to get a heater.

Fourth, I'm missing so many ingredients for tonight's supper yet there's no chance in hell I'm going outside in this weather (and it's only just the beginning).

Fifth, professionalism, professionalism, professionalism! I've queried a certain magazine a month and half ago but heard nothing yet despite them promising in their guidelines a two week reply. I've queried about my query and again have yet to receive an answer. Why is it that only one side of this industry is expected to maintain professional behaviour?

Sixth, as always I have an adjustment period in which I can't write after I travel. Today is the third day. Granted I'm jetlagged, tired and have a cold, but come on! And I have so much to catch up to as well.

Seventh, my forever single best friend is now dating. Shhhh. Don't jinx it.

Eighth, if I read one more depressing blog post I'm going to explode. The winter is definitely here and it's only just beginning. I'm stocking up on tissues. Please don't make me cry too much this winter...

Ninth, it's kind of hard writing when wearing a heavy winter coat. Options? 1) Freeze. 2) Move computer upstairs. 3) Buy a heater - hopefully tonight. For now - it's kind of hard writing with a heavy winter coat on.

Tenth, Cavan is right. If Canadians didn't have winter, what would we complain about?

Eleventh, I wish there were no adverbs in this world. It's so easy to use them, yet sooooo bad. Thank you Carter for reminding me (nicely).

Categories: writing, personal

Paris en Feu - Paris on Fire

I cannot ignore what happened in Paris lately even though I'm quite late talking about this.

And no, I'm not going to discuss this politically, socially, or any other ally.

In fact, I've changed my mind and I'm not going to discuss this at all. It's hard enough to see the images, to see Gais Paris like that, that all need for words is gone.

I've never been. It's true. I've been to many places but never to Paris. And I've had so many different excuses each time. Perhaps I was afraid of shattering a dream. Perhaps Paris seemed so magical that I didn't want to ruin that image. Beautiful Paris, with its chateaux, palaces, museums, street monuments and restaurants. Romantic and unattainable.

Well... no longer. That image is now ruined and while Paris remains beautiful, the mystical aura I gave it is no longer there.

Maybe I will visit Paris after all. And maybe sooner than I ever imagined. I think I'm ready.

Categories: personal, politics

Back to Blog Writing

Sorry, I said Tuesday but meant Thursday...

I'm back home finally after a very long stretch.

As far as my writing is concerned I had some setbacks, such as the demise of my laptop, but I also had some successes. Most notably was my ability to actually write while away, something I found difficult to do up until this last 'away mission'.

I came home to a new monitor, which I'm happy to report is a slick, flat and black 17'' LCD monitor. Things like this make me very happy.

However, I also came home to a chilly weather, which of course everyone blames me for. Apparently it was hovering around 10c-15c (50F-60F) until I arrived. It dropped to zero (32F) and below the day I arrived. Needless to say I don't believe them. They must be lying. It can't be. Not to mention it really can't be me. I couldn't have such influence over the weather... or could I?

This weather, in any event, made me sick so this post is it for today. But I'm looking forward to visiting you all next.

Categories: writing, blogging, personal, misc

I'll Be Back Tuesday

I'll be back to regular blogging Tuesday the 16th.

Thank you all for visiting in the time that I am absent and see you all then...

Just Another Sunday

Today I wanted to put in at least an hour of writing on my already behind NaNovel so I woke up early.

Someone, and I'm sorry but I can't remember who, told on his blog about his previous year's NaNovel getting corrupted by viruses or something like that. I boasted that I usually write on my laptop which isn't connected to the internet and therefore is very safe. What I didn't mention was that my laptop is nearly 8-years-old.

This morning, not being very different from others (yet), I stayed in bed and turned on my laptop. It had problems starting up, but hey, being seven and half, it wasn't the first time this happened and so I didn't get too anxious. When on the fifth attempt my laptop wouldn't start, I began to feel little pangs in my chest area. Forty-five minutes and two dozen attempts later you could have found me pulling my hair out. I no longer cared about my laptop, only about the material inside, especially the NaNovel (I have backups for most of the rest).

Eventually, after much qualm, I managed to start the computer in DOS mode and copy the necessary files onto a floppy. I sent copies of the files to my gmail, yahoo and msn accounts. Just to be on the safe side.

As I was finishing doing all that my alarm clock went off. I ran back to the bedroom, leaned over the bed to reach the night table and turned on my night lamp. You guessed it, the alarm clock didn't stop alarming. I tried turning off the night lamp. Nothing. I tried turning the night lamp on and off a few more times to no avails when I finally had an epiphany - turning on and off the light won't affect the alarm clock, perhaps I should try pushing the little button on the clock. Lo and behold - it worked, I did it! I chuckled to myself, feeling pretty silly, but already knowing what this day was about to turn to.

By this time I also needed to get dressed. So I did. Then I even put on my socks and heavy winter shoes on. I nearly left the room when I realized that while I was wearing shoes, I wasn't wearing any pants... That's right and you can imagine the sight: underwear, bare legs, socks to the knees and heavy winter shoes. This time I wasn't chuckling, I was laughing hysterically.


So, when a day like this happens, I always get the impression it wouldn't stop, but then again, if I don't take charge and change my day, who would? When these little mishaps happen I simply take a break, a deep breath and make myself come out of the funk (despite not writing anything for NaNo…)

Have a good day everybody and if things happen, try to laugh at them, and then maybe they'll laugh back - who knows?

Categories: writing, life, misc

Aliens and Mafia Blogs

Since many of us are very busy with NaNo these days, and since some of us who don't do NaNo find our blogs lacking in posts lately, then here are a couple quick links:

To all your sci-fi lovers out there Kate created an alien. Well... at least this is what I see when I look at the new Apophysis image she's posted.

And since, as Mama Corleone, I always pay my tribute to Teh Blog Father, here's the latest one: and you're really going to enjoy yourself there, go check it out.


Categories: misc

Tactician Writer - Seeing a Few Moves Ahead

In the last few writing related posts I had some very interesting comments. What I found to be most interesting was how we almost all differ in our writing techniques: some are very plot oriented, some character driven, some spend months building a world, others spend months creating a detailed outline, while others yet simply take the pen (or sit at their computer) and start writing. I loved, for example, how Pat categorized herself as a "method writer."

Me?
Well, I need to tell you something else about me first. I play chess. Not very well, but I try. As a chess player though, I've learnt the importance of seeing a few moves ahead. The more moves you can see the better player you are.

Same goes for my writing. I can't categorize myself using any of the above techniques. Depending on what I'm working on I have different methods I use. However, there is one thing I always strive for and that one thing is to know/have, at the very least, a few scenes ahead in my head.

So there you have it, I present a new method - tactical writer. And as always, I'm probably not the first to write about this or mention this, but who has any "first" ideas these days?

Any chess lovers out there by the way?

Categories: writing, process, chess