Worldbuilding

Here are some links for information on creating your own fantasy world. I have used some of them, but not others. Hope this is helpful.

• Astrofantasy
• Worldbuilder by Patricia C. Wrede’s
• Worldbuilding (and other goodness) by Holly Lisle
• Creating the Fantasy World

Scintilla: A minute amount

I started a new blog where I will post only short stories and snippets of other writing. There's only one story up at the moment, but the plan is to post something new at least once a week. Hey that's almost as often as I update this one. I'm working on it, people. I'm just not that interesting. But I try. Anyway, here ya go: Scintilla

Soap Box

I don't know how many of you have heard about Net Neutrality, but if you're reading this, then you should educate yourself because it directly affects YOU. Net Neutrality ensures you have the freedom to choose what websites and internet applications you have access to. There is no discrimination with Net Neutrality – the internet’s sole purpose is to move data from place to another.

Now I want you to imagine a highway (a superhighway, if you will) and there are two lanes on this highway, but one lane is a toll lane. In this lane, you can go as fast as you want anywhere you want, but you have to pay extra. In fact it costs so much, only people driving Ferraris and Rolls-Royce convertibles are able to afford the luxury of this lane. The rest of us are crammed onto the other lane. It's cheaper, yes, but it's much slower and it doesn't always go where we need it to go.

Big phone and cable companies, who control 95% of all access to the internet, are trying to steer the internet in just this direction. Companies like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast are spending millions of dollars in an effort to legislatively remove Net Neutrality. If we lose Net Neutrality, we are relegated to a bumpy-dirt-road of an internet while large companies, who can afford the taxes and fees associated with proposed new high speed internet regulations, will be zooming down the fast lane.

The internet will resemble cable television with programming chosen for you. Think about that. When was the last time you had YOUR own TV show where you could express your thoughts and ideas? I don’t know you, but I’m thinking probably never. But how many of you have websites or blogs where you can do just that? In 2004 eight million people had a blog. I can only assume that number has risen since then.

Eight million. That’s a lot of blogs. That’s a lot of ideas. That’s a lot of voices that could be silenced if we lose Net Neutrality. A scary thought. And it may be happening sooner than we think. CNet reports that Ted Stevens, a Republican Senator and the main proponent of a bill to rewrite telecommunications laws, is pushing for a vote on Net Neutrality (among other things) as soon as this week. If he gets his way, you really don’t have much time to let your Senator know how you feel about Net Neutrality. Better hurry!

Related: CNet story, Save the Internet, It's Our Net

Haiku Friday

In which I post here
a tragic mockery of
Japanese poems.

Grudge held makes you weak.
Seek revenge and dance on strings
for sly puppeteers.

Retribution sought
leaves one open to clever
manipulation

Weak is the person
who seeks only reprisal.
Release and move on.

Two wrongs do not make
a right, but two Wrights, my friend,
do make an airplane.

Painful ache behind
my eyes. Forehead is throbbing.
Going home early.

Influenza is
far too long a word to say
when you could say flu.

Monkey toupees are
the brain child of boredom and
too much tequila.

One hand doesn’t know
the other is flipping off
valued customers.

Fun with spam

Subject: But now I can penetrate hardly and give the pleasure to every woman!

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I received this spam today (at work) and it made me laugh. Especially the part about squirting.

Three-Quarters-Through Review

I had a fairly scathing review (okay, more of a rant actually) written for Danse Macabre by Laurell K. Hamilton but I don’t think I will post it. I am still deeply annoyed and disappointed in the book, but I may have been a bit too harsh. I still love the earlier books but that’s not going to stop me from pointing out a few of the problems I had with the book. I’ll just do it in a (somewhat) less caustic manner. (EDIT: I suppose I should note there may be spoilers below. But honestly, if you've read everything up to this point, you pretty much already know what happened.)

First of all, enough with the multiple-chapter sex scenes. We get it. Everyone wants Anita (and they usually get her). She’s hot. The guys are hot. Everyone’s hot. And they all have fantastic sex together. Got it. I don’t have a problem with the actual having of sex or the frequency with which Anita has sex. The problem is that it is taking up precious page-space where plot should be.

Also, when you talk about a character, or reintroduce them, I don’t think it’s really necessary to spend a paragraph talking about the texture of their hair or how electric blue their eyes are, but not quite as blue as Jean-Claude’s eyes. Again, they’re all hot. Yes, we know.

The main problem I have with the book is, as I’ve mentioned, the lack of new plot. What little plot is present is somewhat convoluted and hard to follow, with new preternatural rules and exceptions to those rules made up at the drop of a hat. There’s nothing very original about this book. It is a rehashed conglomeration of previous plots. For example:

In DM, Belle Morte takes over Anita’s body briefly. Also happened in Cerulean Sins.

In DM, the Mother of Darkness is waking up soon and invades Anita’s dreams. Also happened in Cerulean Sins.

In DM, Anita tries to withdraw her power and injures Damien. Also happened in Narcissus in Chains.

In DM, Richard throws a hissy fit and storms off. Also happened in just about every other book in the series. Jesus, Richard, get over it.

There are probably more, but these are the major ones just off the top of my head. In this book, Anita solves no murders, raises no zombies and doesn’t even kill anyone! This is not the Anita we have come to know and love. I hope she comes back soon. I miss her.

Evolution

I love the characters I’ve created for Hope, but I want to know more about them and the world they live in. So, it is time for world-building. It’s amazing to me that if I change one aspect of the world, it changes the characters themselves. Or they could if I let them. Which, evolution being what it is, I am compelled to do so. I just have to uncover the clues to decide which changes stay and which are out the window.

Wayne and I did some intensive work a couple of years ago figure out schools of magic and ways it could be used. I am going to incorporate that magic into this story, with some modifications. It’s two hundred years down the road from the original (and as yet unwritten) story we were working on at the time, so it’s only natural that the magic should change over time. It is a somewhat daunting task, but I am up to it. I think. Also looking forward to thoroughly mutilating the English language. Slang is fun! Think... A Clockwork Orange (sans ultraviolence), if you could understand what they were saying. Yeah. Frankenslang.

Hope and pain

Well, Hope seems to have a mind of her own. What started as a few words inspired by a randomly generated name has morphed into almost 3500 words. I'm not sure what exactly her story is, but so far she has me hooked. I hope I keep this momentum until... well, until it's finished I suppose. I tried very hard not to get seduced away from Sands by anything until it was finished, but I am smitten.

On the real world front, I had a visit with my orthopedist today. Tendonitis apparently. Fun stuff. The doc was kind enough to tell me he was going to stick a needle in my shoulder and pump me full of cortisone, then leave me to dwell on that thought for the next ten minutes. You'd think he could have the courtesy to stab me immediately, so I wouldn't have time to get butterflies. If it was a regular shot I wouldn't have thought much about it. But there was something a little unsettling about the thought of a needle going in amongst the bones and tendons where needles ought not to be. But it was fine. A little pinch and then a strange probing sensation that went away before I knew it. Badabing bada ouch.

I'm also supposed to have aquatic physical therapy three times a week for the next four weeks. I'm curious as to what that actually entails. No one told me to bring a bathing suit, so I'm not stressing about it too much. I just hope the co-pay doesn't kill me because you know if you do the math that is 12 visits in one month. And a specialist co-pay is $20 a visit. So that would be $240. Maybe my shoulder doesn't hurt that much after all.

Back to the grind

Vacation is over. Bummer. That means back to the writing schedule I set up (if only I knew where I put it) and back to the eating of healthy foods and going to bed before 2 a.m. Stupid vacation being over! On the medical front I have an appointment with an orthopedist (I guess that's what he is - ortho-somethingist) to get my shoulder finally taken care of. I will be happy to be able to do little things like pull a blanket over me or turn the steering wheel with my left hand and not be in pain.

WIP-it

Got the writing schedule made up. Monday - Thursday evenings, 3 hours or 1500 words. Not super-demanding, but much more than I regularly write now. I started last night and once I finally tore myself away from internet distractions I got the first scene re-written with my new stuff added. I'm happy with the way it turned out and it was much less painful that I had feared. In fact, it worked in pretty seamlessly, I think.

14,077 / 100,000 (14.1%)

Zebrawatch 2006

When one applies a sunless tanning spray to one's legs, one should not then decide that the solution to zebraleg syndrome is... more sunless tanning spray. To, you know, fill in the blanks. Yeah. Apparently it doesn’t work like that. I look like I’ve never washed my legs before in my life. And of course it’s summer so if I wear anything but jeans, which it’s too hot and humid to wear, then everyone can see my bruised-looking, splotchy brown legs. And you know everyone is always staring at my legs because they are so fine. (Insert riotous laughter here.)

My solution is to stay parked at my desk and think up excuses in case anyone asks. So far I have: Genetic disorder; Finalist in statewide shin-kicking contest; Bush's fault (haven’t worked out the details on that one yet); Descended from a long line of unwashed hippies, and finally: Something to do with the depletion of the ozone layer.

In other news, the writing schedule has been made. And already I plan to ignore it next week. Go me! But I have a good excuse. My sista and niece will be visiting for a few days and I want to spend as much time with them as possible. I haven’t seen them since Christmas. I miss them.

So now we’ll see how well this whole “organization” thing goes. I have high hopes for it. It occurs to me that tracking what I eat has helped me to lose weight, so perhaps tracking how often I write will help me stay on track with that as well. It’s a crazy notion but it just might work.

Now, I am off to find a loofa and remove the top layer of skin from my legs.

I thought you were my friend, TV. WTF?

I'm having a difficult time getting focused on my writing. I want to write. But I find I want to do a lot of other things as well. I lack focus. I think I need a schedule. Not just some vague notion of a schedule I keep in the back of my head, but an actual written-in-real-ink-or-possibly-pencil-depending-on-what-I-have-handy-and-somewhere-there-will-be-paper-involved schedule. And also I need to follow this schedule. I'm learning as of late that I can, indeed, stick to a plan. It's just really, really hard sometimes.

On a completely unrelated topic, I thought I would be smart and use a sunless tanner to deflect some of the blinding white light that reflects off my legs during the summertime. That worked out not so very well. It was Neutrogena's MicroMist airbrush spray on tan and the nice lady on TV promised me even coverage. She lied. Unless by "even" she meant "zebralike."

Dear subconscious: Thank you!

The other night I was lying in bed, very nearly asleep, vaguely thinking about my current writing project and its bland state when it occurred to me what was missing. Conflict. I knew that vital ingredient was lacking all along, but I never knew quite how to throw it into the mix. Now I do. I'm excited to get started adding this new dimension, but it's going to be a lot of work. I'm sitting at about 14000 words at the moment and all of it needs to be reworked. It will be worth it though.

Also giving me a boost of excitement for this project is Holly Lisle's Create a Language Clinic. Holy wow. Not only is it funny and smart and a great place to start if you want to build your own language, but I am learning a lot about the English language and its indescriminate past. I've spent hours working on my new language, Sujuq, and just learning the language of the world I've created has helped me work out numerous details about the people who live there. So, that's why I joined Holly's affiliate program and posted a link to the eBook in my sidebar. If you're a nerd (like me) and/or an aspiring sci-fi/fantasy writer (also like me) then you must read this book. Go on. I'll wait here.

And don't forget the sunscreen

Last Saturday I, along with my husband and his partner in crime, traveled through the wilds of New Jersey to attend the Bridgeton Folk Festival. The drive down Route 49 through the scenic swampland just off the Delaware Bay seemed longer than it should have been. I kept thinking surely we should be there by now. After a quick stop for directions and a near run-in with an extra from Deliverance, we made it to the amphitheater. The guys lugged our ice chest in (no glass bottles – they do check your coolers) and we looked around for somewhere to sit. The venue was pretty small so, even though we were fairly high up, the view was great.

Our good intentions to be there by noon went unmet (I do regret missing Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, but what can ya do?) and we got there around two o’clock, just in time to see C.J. Chenier and The Red Hot Louisiana Band. This was my first foray into live zydeco music, honestly my first time really listening to it at all, but I have to say I was very impressed. I couldn’t help but want to move my feet. And when they did Jambalaya I even sang along (a little).

Next up was Danielia Cotton, a local NJ girl who was much less folk and much more rock and roll. Her set ranged from Hendrix’s Red House to a haunting Delta gospel inspired homage to post-Katrina New Orleans and finished up with a helping of AC/DC’s Back in Black. While I’m not a huge AC/DC fan, she nailed it and made it fun to listen to.

After a rocking performance by Danielia, Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett took the stage for an acoustic set. I don’t really know anything about these guys and I can’t say I particularly enjoyed their set. It seemed a bit of a lull in the lineup, plus I was anxious for the headliner, who was up next.

Ani Difranco, our reason for being there, finally woke up (she later said she’d been trying to nap all day) and came on stage at around 6:15. She played a few new, unreleased songs, as well as some old (and beloved) staples. She also paused midway through the set, handed off her guitar and recited her poem Grand Canyon. Even with carpal tunnel-related wrist pain and her lack of recent on-stage performance, she put on a great show and I can’t wait to see her again.

Now let me tell you a few things about the festival itself, in case you decide to go next year. Do bring a lawn chair, preferably one that is close to the ground, but don’t go there expecting everyone to be focused on the music at the same time you are. The adorable two-year-old on the blanket next to you will cry at some point. The little boy behind you will stand up several times and yell for his big sister (Abby! Aaaaaabbbbbyyyyyy!!) while the act on stage is singing soulfully about some soulful subject. And finally, several people all around you will get up, fold away their lawn chairs and inexplicably leave while the headliner is on stage. And most of these people will be in their bathing suits because the show is right on Sunset Lake and there is a Lifeguard on duty. I wish we’d have known this before we got there - we might’ve been some of the people in swimsuits.

Name Game

PBW posted a little writing exercise a few days ago and I decided to give it a go. The idea is you get a few random names (courtesy of Kleimo in this case) and write a short paragraph about the person with the random name. Then you write about why you gave him/her that particular personality. Then you flip it around and make the person completely opposite (or at least different). My paragraph is slightly longer than the ones she used as examples, but what can you do? So...

Maricela Ferrin wanted to dance. She sat at her table on the edge of the dance floor nursing the same pink fruity drink she’d purchased over an hour ago from the cute blond bartender. It was hard to stick to a budget and still have a social life. She kept hoping some interested man would send a drink her way, but so far no luck. She’d gotten up several times, intending to sashay onto the dance floor alone but at the last minute chickened out and pretended to straighten her skirt or move to a different table on the other side of the club.

The first thing that popped into my head when I saw this name was, “Maricela Ferrin wanted to trip the light fantastic.” The problem was, however, that I had no clue what that meant. So, I googled it. Apparently it means she wanted to dance. (Only it turns out no one wanted to dance with her. Poor girl.) Moving on...

Maricela Ferrin drained the last of her Tequila shot, slammed the glass down on the bar and strutted fearlessly onto the empty dance floor. She’d finally rid herself of Titus and was ready to shake her ass. And if she’d left him in a pathetic heap on the floor of their apartment crying and shaking a pill bottle at her as she took her suitcase and left, well, that wasn’t her problem. And if the thought of him doing anything crazy was eating her up inside, all she had to do was focus on the pulsing, blaring music and moving her hips, shoulders, arms. And if that didn’t work, there was always more Tequila.

The major differences in the scenarios are that while Maricela still wanted to shake her groove thang, in the first she was meek, shy, a little frumpy, and I kind of felt sorry for her. In fact I think she’s a bit clueless, not even realizing she’s in a gay bar. Maybe that’s why none of the men wanted to buy her a drink. In the second scenario Maricela was bold, if not a little skanky, and had an agenda that did not include meeting a man but rather forgetting one.