Well, the picture is new. I'm still working on the part that follows.
And there's more stuff coming. Don't be shy - check back for more details.
Friday, December 12, 2014
Friday, August 8, 2014
Read Me!
One of the greatest things for a writer is to be read. Writers put pen to paper to share the words. It might be in a digital sense these days. While there are a few out there who write things to burn them out of their heads, the majority of us have something to say, and we want those words out there.
DRM (Digital Rights Management) is one of those things that is supposed to be helpful to a writer. In a perfect world we wouldn't need it, because everyone who wanted to read the book would support the author. However, we don't live in a perfect world. Pirating exists, and DRM was designed to limit that.
The problem is most of us don't appreciate our digital rights to be managed. One thing I hate about it is that I don't stick on just one platform. I have had iPads, pcs, and android phones mixed up together in the same room. While some of the reading software has applications to allow a reader to switch between all of these, it can be cumbersome.
DRM limits or forbids me from sharing my reading material with others, too. One thing I loved about paper is I can drag something out and hand it to my friend and let them read it. If he loved it enough, he would buy it, too. Or the next book that came out. That was our author support.
For digital content, authors often get a larger share, but only if the item is paid for. Yet sometimes I feel it would be nicer to allow that book to be shared freely and have a tag at the end state: "If you like this book, support the author here."
So if you saw a tag like that, what would you do?
DRM (Digital Rights Management) is one of those things that is supposed to be helpful to a writer. In a perfect world we wouldn't need it, because everyone who wanted to read the book would support the author. However, we don't live in a perfect world. Pirating exists, and DRM was designed to limit that.
The problem is most of us don't appreciate our digital rights to be managed. One thing I hate about it is that I don't stick on just one platform. I have had iPads, pcs, and android phones mixed up together in the same room. While some of the reading software has applications to allow a reader to switch between all of these, it can be cumbersome.
DRM limits or forbids me from sharing my reading material with others, too. One thing I loved about paper is I can drag something out and hand it to my friend and let them read it. If he loved it enough, he would buy it, too. Or the next book that came out. That was our author support.
For digital content, authors often get a larger share, but only if the item is paid for. Yet sometimes I feel it would be nicer to allow that book to be shared freely and have a tag at the end state: "If you like this book, support the author here."
So if you saw a tag like that, what would you do?
Friday, August 1, 2014
Vaginal Knitting and Two Penises
(Links contain NSFW pictures)
Vaginal Knitting
No. I couldn't resist sharing. Would you wear something like this? Is it a scarf or a hat or a blanket? Does the performance speak to you on another level?
A man with two dicks
Quote: Diphallia, or one mammal having two penises, is a recognized medical condition that occurs in 1 in 5.5 million births. That translates to about 600 or 700 guys on planet earth sporting a pair, of which about 100 have been reported in the medical literature.
An art form is something that is created, so vaginal knitting would apply - as would any other kind of knitting. But having a double phallus is something that only a few can be cursed with - because you might try to do the same with two that you do with one, but it doesn't seem like it would work out the same.
Do you wonder if I feel a story coming on? Not yet. But these pictures exist in my head and I hate to be the only one. I'm working on a new story, and I can say neither of these two concepts will appear in it.
Vaginal Knitting
No. I couldn't resist sharing. Would you wear something like this? Is it a scarf or a hat or a blanket? Does the performance speak to you on another level?
A man with two dicks
Quote: Diphallia, or one mammal having two penises, is a recognized medical condition that occurs in 1 in 5.5 million births. That translates to about 600 or 700 guys on planet earth sporting a pair, of which about 100 have been reported in the medical literature.
An art form is something that is created, so vaginal knitting would apply - as would any other kind of knitting. But having a double phallus is something that only a few can be cursed with - because you might try to do the same with two that you do with one, but it doesn't seem like it would work out the same.
Do you wonder if I feel a story coming on? Not yet. But these pictures exist in my head and I hate to be the only one. I'm working on a new story, and I can say neither of these two concepts will appear in it.
Friday, July 4, 2014
How do you read? How do you write?
Speed reading and speed writing are often looked down upon. People who don't do it seem to be pointing their fingers and saying things like "quality over quantity" and "your brain can't comprehend things at that speed."
I don't speed read. I want to, for specific applications like manuals and textbooks and finding my place within something I've written or am reading for a friend so I can remember the threads and continue.
I might be called a speed writer. I have learned that I need to get a project out fast if I'm ever going to finish it. Once I lose the momentum, I'm done. And sometimes one writing session a day isn't good enough. I want to immerse myself in the characters and only stop when I come to the end of the work.
The thing is, no one puts actual numbers on speed when they're looking down their noses at it. When you're reading, you read at a fairly constant rate, I'd guess, minus interruptions, distractions, and diagrams. When you're writing, the rate is variable depending on how the words are coming. One minute I might write above 50 wpm, and then I might pause half a minute searching for that word that fits the action in my mind.
Writing is the only profession where people put down others for the amount of work they turn out. I remember one lecture where the speaker talked about Toni Morrison versus Danielle Steel. If you only compare number of novels, Toni Morrison has 10 and Danielle Steel has about 90. [The lecture was about layering, and how Morrison said more in those pages, and how they were better quality...] Toni Morrison was born in 1931, and Danielle Steel in 1947, so Morrison even had a head start, right?
The problem with that comparison is that Morrison writes literary fiction. That audience is a specific market. Steel writes popular fiction. If you're looking for money to tell you which one is succeeding, Steel wins. If you're looking for circles of critics, they'll probably point to Morrison.
Readers will likely report Steel's books to be easier to read, because they're not layered so heavy as Morrison's. If you read a book fast, would you get all the nuances? More if you read a popular fiction book, I'm sure, than a literary tome. But wait- is this more of the dumbing down of America? How most of the population reads [adult] books that are on an 8th grade level? Do all of us even know what that means?
Slower doesn't always mean better. If you read too slowly, you get tripped up on the letters and syllables and never get the picture behind the meanings. If you stay at a subvocalization level, you always hear the words inside your head and never let your brain read faster.
If you write slowly, it doesn't mean you have layers or nuances or whatever else you want to call it. You might just write slow. And, like me, you might forget what page you're on, and what the next plot point would be, and how the book will end. You might get distracted by that next shiny idea like the dog who yelled, "SQUIRREL!"
Writing takes work. Writing takes tenacity. And writing takes a certain amount of speed to get it all on paper. A few rare writers self-edit each word before it comes out on the page. It's a style of writing that is mostly mental and still takes a great deal of time. Most of us write a rough draft that has an emphasis on the rough. Most of us rewrite that book a few times. Then we dig deeper into edits, and finally get to the line by line phase. The entire thing might take a year or more. But the second novel will be faster. And by the time we write as many as Morrison or Steel... we might know what we're doing enough to write faster. Don't let critics get by saying that "quality over quantity," because it just isn't true.
Publishing has changed, too. If you take five years to work on one novel, the public doesn't want to wait five years for the next one. Many popular fiction readers (no matter the genre) don't want to wait a year for the next one to come out. How many times have you finished a book and then looked for the next to find the proposed date of publication? If that were five years, what would you do?
Have you seen many literary fiction writers who write series like that? I think many of them take a subject and write what they need to in just one novel.
I have a friend who reads so fast she knows she skips details. She simply reads the book over when she's done. She's too impatient to wait to get it all until the end. The next time through she enjoys the book at a more leisurely pace.
Look at how you read. Look at how you write. Do you have an image in your mind? Can you share it with others? Sometimes I don't have words at first for what worked and what didn't in what I read, but I'm working on that. I'm also not going to apologize about whether I write fast, so long as when it's done I've gotten it right. Which means I better get back to the editing pile.
I don't speed read. I want to, for specific applications like manuals and textbooks and finding my place within something I've written or am reading for a friend so I can remember the threads and continue.
I might be called a speed writer. I have learned that I need to get a project out fast if I'm ever going to finish it. Once I lose the momentum, I'm done. And sometimes one writing session a day isn't good enough. I want to immerse myself in the characters and only stop when I come to the end of the work.
The thing is, no one puts actual numbers on speed when they're looking down their noses at it. When you're reading, you read at a fairly constant rate, I'd guess, minus interruptions, distractions, and diagrams. When you're writing, the rate is variable depending on how the words are coming. One minute I might write above 50 wpm, and then I might pause half a minute searching for that word that fits the action in my mind.
Writing is the only profession where people put down others for the amount of work they turn out. I remember one lecture where the speaker talked about Toni Morrison versus Danielle Steel. If you only compare number of novels, Toni Morrison has 10 and Danielle Steel has about 90. [The lecture was about layering, and how Morrison said more in those pages, and how they were better quality...] Toni Morrison was born in 1931, and Danielle Steel in 1947, so Morrison even had a head start, right?
The problem with that comparison is that Morrison writes literary fiction. That audience is a specific market. Steel writes popular fiction. If you're looking for money to tell you which one is succeeding, Steel wins. If you're looking for circles of critics, they'll probably point to Morrison.
Readers will likely report Steel's books to be easier to read, because they're not layered so heavy as Morrison's. If you read a book fast, would you get all the nuances? More if you read a popular fiction book, I'm sure, than a literary tome. But wait- is this more of the dumbing down of America? How most of the population reads [adult] books that are on an 8th grade level? Do all of us even know what that means?
Slower doesn't always mean better. If you read too slowly, you get tripped up on the letters and syllables and never get the picture behind the meanings. If you stay at a subvocalization level, you always hear the words inside your head and never let your brain read faster.
If you write slowly, it doesn't mean you have layers or nuances or whatever else you want to call it. You might just write slow. And, like me, you might forget what page you're on, and what the next plot point would be, and how the book will end. You might get distracted by that next shiny idea like the dog who yelled, "SQUIRREL!"
Writing takes work. Writing takes tenacity. And writing takes a certain amount of speed to get it all on paper. A few rare writers self-edit each word before it comes out on the page. It's a style of writing that is mostly mental and still takes a great deal of time. Most of us write a rough draft that has an emphasis on the rough. Most of us rewrite that book a few times. Then we dig deeper into edits, and finally get to the line by line phase. The entire thing might take a year or more. But the second novel will be faster. And by the time we write as many as Morrison or Steel... we might know what we're doing enough to write faster. Don't let critics get by saying that "quality over quantity," because it just isn't true.
Publishing has changed, too. If you take five years to work on one novel, the public doesn't want to wait five years for the next one. Many popular fiction readers (no matter the genre) don't want to wait a year for the next one to come out. How many times have you finished a book and then looked for the next to find the proposed date of publication? If that were five years, what would you do?
Have you seen many literary fiction writers who write series like that? I think many of them take a subject and write what they need to in just one novel.
I have a friend who reads so fast she knows she skips details. She simply reads the book over when she's done. She's too impatient to wait to get it all until the end. The next time through she enjoys the book at a more leisurely pace.
Look at how you read. Look at how you write. Do you have an image in your mind? Can you share it with others? Sometimes I don't have words at first for what worked and what didn't in what I read, but I'm working on that. I'm also not going to apologize about whether I write fast, so long as when it's done I've gotten it right. Which means I better get back to the editing pile.
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Conflict of Interest?
I have been reading several erotica stories from the Amazon bestseller list. It's always a good idea to check out the competition, right?
Erotica isn't an easy place to get reviews. Self-published authors also have trouble trying to get someone to write about their books. I've been writing down my thoughts on a file, trying to get a better idea of what is out there. It's almost like a review.
Except then a friend of mine explained why he thought it was a conflict of interest to post reviews of another author's books. Those words weigh in my mind as I try to figure out all the details.
I don't know how many other authors write reviews. I ought to head over to a writing forum like Goodreads to see who is out there reviewing. But writing isn't quite like a lot of industries out there. I don't expect a customer to buy books from one author only. I don't even expect customers to buy in only one genre. A lot of brands look for that kind of loyalty - buy only BMW or Dyson or Energizer. Use only Pandora or State Farm for your service needs.
When I look over the books I own, several authors have been my favorites. Each of them has a different strength (and weakness). All of those books have held my attention, though some do keep me up to read later than others. When does sharing my opinion about another author's books (in my genre) become a conflict of interest?
The other half of that would be that I can't simply put out five stars for something I read. It has to really move me to get that kind of glowing review. Many of them get three stars to mean I enjoyed it, but not enough to ever read again. If I don't finish a book because I get bored or annoyed - it's would probably earn one, but possibly two, stars.
Sometimes that kind of system really affects the author. They think their work is awesome and should always earn five stars. Yet there are a wide variety of people who read, and each of them looks for something different. It's impossible to earn five stars from everyone.
I think it feeds in from everyone wanting to be exceptional and also not wanting to make waves. Like the unfortunate children who all get the highest marks because no one wants to say they failed until they're older. You can't fail Kindergarten, so we'll pass you on to first grade, second grade, third grade... Then in sixth grade, or maybe seventh, we'll give you real grades. If you don't know you're failing until you're twelve, how can you possibly expect to learn to deal with it and change the pattern? If you're afraid to cause someone the slightest bit of discomfort, how can you be honest?
If I can't feel like I can be honest in a review, I would rather not do them. It isn't fair to me and it isn't fair to the other readers. It hurts the author, too, to make someone else think they might like a book when they would prefer to read something else.
What are you looking for in a review? Would you follow what an author says in that genre? I assume an author in the genre keeps reading a lot of things to know what's out there and what is allowed within the rules of that genre. Where would that conflict of interest lie between getting reviews of other works out there and promoting your own work?
Erotica isn't an easy place to get reviews. Self-published authors also have trouble trying to get someone to write about their books. I've been writing down my thoughts on a file, trying to get a better idea of what is out there. It's almost like a review.
Except then a friend of mine explained why he thought it was a conflict of interest to post reviews of another author's books. Those words weigh in my mind as I try to figure out all the details.
I don't know how many other authors write reviews. I ought to head over to a writing forum like Goodreads to see who is out there reviewing. But writing isn't quite like a lot of industries out there. I don't expect a customer to buy books from one author only. I don't even expect customers to buy in only one genre. A lot of brands look for that kind of loyalty - buy only BMW or Dyson or Energizer. Use only Pandora or State Farm for your service needs.
When I look over the books I own, several authors have been my favorites. Each of them has a different strength (and weakness). All of those books have held my attention, though some do keep me up to read later than others. When does sharing my opinion about another author's books (in my genre) become a conflict of interest?
The other half of that would be that I can't simply put out five stars for something I read. It has to really move me to get that kind of glowing review. Many of them get three stars to mean I enjoyed it, but not enough to ever read again. If I don't finish a book because I get bored or annoyed - it's would probably earn one, but possibly two, stars.
Sometimes that kind of system really affects the author. They think their work is awesome and should always earn five stars. Yet there are a wide variety of people who read, and each of them looks for something different. It's impossible to earn five stars from everyone.
I think it feeds in from everyone wanting to be exceptional and also not wanting to make waves. Like the unfortunate children who all get the highest marks because no one wants to say they failed until they're older. You can't fail Kindergarten, so we'll pass you on to first grade, second grade, third grade... Then in sixth grade, or maybe seventh, we'll give you real grades. If you don't know you're failing until you're twelve, how can you possibly expect to learn to deal with it and change the pattern? If you're afraid to cause someone the slightest bit of discomfort, how can you be honest?
If I can't feel like I can be honest in a review, I would rather not do them. It isn't fair to me and it isn't fair to the other readers. It hurts the author, too, to make someone else think they might like a book when they would prefer to read something else.
What are you looking for in a review? Would you follow what an author says in that genre? I assume an author in the genre keeps reading a lot of things to know what's out there and what is allowed within the rules of that genre. Where would that conflict of interest lie between getting reviews of other works out there and promoting your own work?
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Dream
I received an announcement of graduation. I say an announcement, because the girl only mailed it a day before the ceremony, and the ceremony was on a Sunday. There was a picture of her from dancing in a contorted position, and she said she skipped an actual graduation party because of the dance academy she's been attending, and she plans to spend most of her time there until fall, when she'll move to LA and (hopefully) join a dance company.
Oh, the dreams of young people. Do you ever have that feeling? You know the odds are against her, and I hope she makes it.
Some parents impress upon their youngsters the need for college and a fallback career. The problem with a fallback plan is that you can't put one forth without actually putting in doubt that the youngster can't achieve the dream. You want to dance? Get a business degree. You want to sing? Get a nursing education. You want to write? Get an architect's license. You want to paint? Go to medical school.
The problem then becomes doubt. Your parents don't believe in you. Your teachers and friends can only push you so far - and after that you have to carry yourself. It's a dream. It's an art. These things can't be taught because it's an expression.
Don't get me wrong. There are schools out there to teach you form, technique, stamina, discipline. You might be technically perfect but you can't teach someone to have something to express. There are a lot of things that schools can teach you - and there are things you can achieve only on your own terms.
Doubt is very difficult to overcome. I wish the girl luck in her dancing. And then I remember how scattered I seem to be. Am I truly focused on my own writing goal? I could regale you with stories of my own fallback career. I could tell you about the way I was told I wouldn't have anything to say until I was older - still older than I am now. Yet the words come. I have things to say, and it seems I can't stop saying them. Yet I'm still trying to overcome the doubt. I wonder if I'm sending out the right messages to be heard, to be understood, to be shared. I wonder if my message is worth sharing.
Doubt is the path to madness. I need to express something, and words are my chosen medium. I want my young friend to make it as a dancer partly because I want to see someone make it without that fallback career plan. I want someone to not be touched by the doubt. I can't say that's me - I have one of those pieces of paper to represent a fallback career. Did it help me? It has shaped who I am, but I can't always say that it made me better.
Oh, the dreams of young people. Do you ever have that feeling? You know the odds are against her, and I hope she makes it.
Some parents impress upon their youngsters the need for college and a fallback career. The problem with a fallback plan is that you can't put one forth without actually putting in doubt that the youngster can't achieve the dream. You want to dance? Get a business degree. You want to sing? Get a nursing education. You want to write? Get an architect's license. You want to paint? Go to medical school.
The problem then becomes doubt. Your parents don't believe in you. Your teachers and friends can only push you so far - and after that you have to carry yourself. It's a dream. It's an art. These things can't be taught because it's an expression.
Don't get me wrong. There are schools out there to teach you form, technique, stamina, discipline. You might be technically perfect but you can't teach someone to have something to express. There are a lot of things that schools can teach you - and there are things you can achieve only on your own terms.
Doubt is very difficult to overcome. I wish the girl luck in her dancing. And then I remember how scattered I seem to be. Am I truly focused on my own writing goal? I could regale you with stories of my own fallback career. I could tell you about the way I was told I wouldn't have anything to say until I was older - still older than I am now. Yet the words come. I have things to say, and it seems I can't stop saying them. Yet I'm still trying to overcome the doubt. I wonder if I'm sending out the right messages to be heard, to be understood, to be shared. I wonder if my message is worth sharing.
Doubt is the path to madness. I need to express something, and words are my chosen medium. I want my young friend to make it as a dancer partly because I want to see someone make it without that fallback career plan. I want someone to not be touched by the doubt. I can't say that's me - I have one of those pieces of paper to represent a fallback career. Did it help me? It has shaped who I am, but I can't always say that it made me better.
Friday, May 23, 2014
Eye of the Beholder
Do you remember when your mother was the most beautiful woman in the world?
I witnessed a small girl, maybe 4 or 5, who looked at her mother and said, "You're beautiful!" Her mother smiled. Gave the child a hug. Yet something in the mother's eyes made me wonder what she really thought.
The earnest words of a child can be so powerful. Parents are supposed to think their children are beautiful. That was something I always believed as a child. But is the opposite also true? That the children are supposed to believe the parents are beautiful?
I have no doubt the little girl believed her words. Did the mother? Is it something peculiar about the person to believe or not believe the words spoken?
When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Women, especially, seem to fixate on their flaws. It's part of the problem with family. Can you look at someone who looks so much like you, a daughter, a mother, and see the beauty despite those pieces that you hate? It's a nose, eyes too close together, or even simple color.
There was a photo of my mother in a dress, hands on the column of a patio. Her smile showed her happiness, though I don't know when or where the picture was taken. I've heard her since lament her flaws, but I don't see them.
Is this the human part of the condition, where one is not allowed to see the beauty without vanity? That women cannot see it within themselves? Is it our culture, or is it something deeper?
I witnessed a small girl, maybe 4 or 5, who looked at her mother and said, "You're beautiful!" Her mother smiled. Gave the child a hug. Yet something in the mother's eyes made me wonder what she really thought.
The earnest words of a child can be so powerful. Parents are supposed to think their children are beautiful. That was something I always believed as a child. But is the opposite also true? That the children are supposed to believe the parents are beautiful?
I have no doubt the little girl believed her words. Did the mother? Is it something peculiar about the person to believe or not believe the words spoken?
When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Women, especially, seem to fixate on their flaws. It's part of the problem with family. Can you look at someone who looks so much like you, a daughter, a mother, and see the beauty despite those pieces that you hate? It's a nose, eyes too close together, or even simple color.
There was a photo of my mother in a dress, hands on the column of a patio. Her smile showed her happiness, though I don't know when or where the picture was taken. I've heard her since lament her flaws, but I don't see them.
Is this the human part of the condition, where one is not allowed to see the beauty without vanity? That women cannot see it within themselves? Is it our culture, or is it something deeper?
Friday, February 28, 2014
More Art to Spark ... Something.
Art proves there's more to nudity than just porn. Too often that difference seems to be confused. Flesh doesn't have to be sexy. And there is more to flesh than simply the form we're accustomed to in everyday life.
Sometimes I check out the art to change my perception. It's one reason I love to do artistic things as a hobby. Twisting words is one thing, but the images sitting in front of you will change how you look and feel about everything.
Wax representations of flesh to create statements? (Suppose I ought to pass on the 'grotesque' warning.)
Paint nude bodies to match your canvas?
Use water to distort yourself for a selfie? (NSFW)
I admit that last one looks fun, but it might just be because I like to swim. It also says I've been spending too much time reading art news and not enough with my editing projects. Time to get in gear.
May spring come soon! This winter has been too long, too cold.
Sometimes I check out the art to change my perception. It's one reason I love to do artistic things as a hobby. Twisting words is one thing, but the images sitting in front of you will change how you look and feel about everything.
Wax representations of flesh to create statements? (Suppose I ought to pass on the 'grotesque' warning.)
Paint nude bodies to match your canvas?
Use water to distort yourself for a selfie? (NSFW)
I admit that last one looks fun, but it might just be because I like to swim. It also says I've been spending too much time reading art news and not enough with my editing projects. Time to get in gear.
May spring come soon! This winter has been too long, too cold.
Friday, February 7, 2014
The Great Wall of Vagina
It's not safe for work. It can be really hard to tell, with a title like that. Somehow I'm the kind of person who texts a few friends to make certain the Great Wall of Vagina (and other awesome things like that) get around.
The comments really say a lot about this piece of art. Why don't women think they look normal? What is it that makes women so nervous about their intimate bits?
Another interesting part to note is under education. They highlight identical twin sisters, female-to-male and male-to-female transgender individuals, and labiaplasty.
Just look. Think about it. The controversy centers around the subject matter - whether this is art of porn - but see what else you can take away from that.
http://www.greatwallofvagina.co.uk/
The comments really say a lot about this piece of art. Why don't women think they look normal? What is it that makes women so nervous about their intimate bits?
Another interesting part to note is under education. They highlight identical twin sisters, female-to-male and male-to-female transgender individuals, and labiaplasty.
Just look. Think about it. The controversy centers around the subject matter - whether this is art of porn - but see what else you can take away from that.
http://www.greatwallofvagina.co.uk/
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