Numbered Kitchen Sink Post
Aug. 12th, 2008 08:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatLovely day, which I almost ruined by posting a snarky post.
Quickly [or rather not so quickly...]
1.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
embers_log just sent me a lovely Terry Prachett book entitled Monsterous Regiment - she clearly hit upon my kinks. Tough woman joins the military to find her missing brother, disquising herself as a man, and discovers that the military is clearly desperate in their recruitment effort for an unpopular WAR, because in her regiment are a Troll, Igor, Vampire, Religious Fanatic, and two uncommonly close "friends". Thank you, embers. Can't wait to read it!
2.
If I were to finish one fanfic? It would probably bebeanbeans unfinished WIP "Blue Skies". That one I've actually written portions of in my head. Why? The idea of a shanshued Spike stuck in the suburban hell that Lindsey/Gunn were stuck in sans the guy plucking out people's hearts, fascinated me. He's a lonely, confused, recently divorced single Dad and writer, who every time he tries to remember his past, he finds himself distracted or loses track and then can't remember it again. Some interesting themes there.
Another one that sort of haunted me was a modernized retelling of Wuthering Heights, called I think the Summer Wind or Summer Son? With Buffy as Heathcliff and Spike as Catherine, and Dru as Lynely (I think that's his name, been a long time since I read Wuthering Heights...the guy Catherine married?) And Riley as the one Heathcliff marries. No, it was more complicated than that. And it took place in the 1970s, with flashes back to the 1950s. Very weird story, with a disturbing mystery that is never quite resolved, and sort of horrifying in places particularly in how it was written. Never read a fanfic quite like it. The writing was almost poetic and had a sort of dream-like quality. Amazingly well written with description that you could gnaw on. While it was erotic in places, it was not romantic, if anything it was anti-romantic and not kind to any of the characters. If she changed the names of the characters, it would still have worked - on it's own, but not been quite as creepy. Everyone is human in it, but in a way, that is almost as if the writer merely stripped off the metaphors. (Sometimes Buffy fanfic particularly the romantic fanfic - felt like reading a really scarey yet oddly erotic and gripping horror story. I'll never forget the Radioactive FrankenSpike story I read on teaattheford two years back. Sort of a whole new twist on the old I married a Monster theme and had the monster's baby - to say it squicked me is an understatement, but in a weird I can't stop reading sort of way.)
3. If you want to read a satire of romantic fiction, specifically modern romance and chicklit - try Lolita Files: Sex, Lies, Fame, Murder about a beautiful male genius sociopath who will do anything to get what he wants. Will review it when I finish it, which will hopefully be any day now. It took me a while to get into it. It's one of those books that you've got to be in the mood for. A wicked satire. And satire is as you know, not the easiest thing in the world to pull off.
4. After reviewing the sample edit that the professional editor sent me, have decided this may actually work. My father is right - there is a huge difference between a professional editor and an amateur. Amateur's use the computer spell-check and grammer functions, professionals use The Chicago Manual of Style. Amateur's provide vague suggestions and tell you to change your plot, story, characters completely, but do not provide constructive suggestions. Professionals - will provide word suggestions such as grounded, rumbled, in exchange for whizzed. Or will tell you that you repeat certain words too often. Etc. They will also ask you questions - such as did you intend to drop words for this character or was this by accident? They don't attempt to turn your book into something they'd love or change your voice. Also, they don't have any problem telling you what doesn't work - they aren't scared of hurting your feelings.
I say all this, knowing full well that I'm no editor. I suck at it. I'm good at critiquing and analyzing art, but not editing and making it better - I can't resist the urge to change it. Editing is very different than critiquing and analysis. Constructive editing is hard to do. You need training. Having had a lot of amateur editors, friends, family, netpals, and seeing what a real one can do - I've realized that the real one may be exactly what the book doctor ordered.
5. Computer is acting funky. Not sure why. If this continues. I may take it into work and ask the guy there to look at it. It shut-down when I started it today, saying there was an internal error that could hurt it and I could either operate in safe mode or restore to an earlier date - so I restored to an earlier date. I'm hoping it's not the new Epson Printer software... And it hasn't been recognizing my adapator. Very odd. I just spent money on a new battery, memory chips via dell, and a printer. I do not want to have to buy a new computer at this date. Dang it. Especially when I'm about to start working on my novel again and need it for that.
6. I'm watching the Olympics, because I like the diving, swimming, and gymnastics events - which aren't on except with the Olympics. I also watched the opening ceremonies, which blew me away by the sheer scale and the constrasts - clear evidence that the information age is similar to the industrial age in that our technological prowess is expanding and evolving, but our ability to take care of our world and each other is if anything devolving and we really need to work on that a bit more. Also that materialism is not limited to Capitalism. And... I think boycotting the Olympics is stupid. Sorry, guys, but it is. Some things it makes sense to boycott, but not this.
Partly because I lived through two boycotts of the Olympics, which solved nothing but causing more discord and dissent. (The US boycotted them when they were in Moscow, because USSR invaded Afghanistan and then the USSR boycotted them when they were in Los Angeles because the US boycotted them when Moscow got them. It was rather silly in retrospect and hurt no one but the athelets, who weren't allowed to go.) And in 1936, when the Olympics was held in Nazi Germany (when we probably should have considered boycotting them), they provided the world with a chance to see how disturbing Germany was, and have Jesse Owens, a black man, win a gold and astonish the racist nitwits. Here, the Olympics have allowed Russians and Georgians to show they are people and like each other, their countries just don't. Provided a fascinating picture of China, how it is a country of contrasts, and not easily pigeonholed. Just like all countries are. Making horrid mistakes, yet capable of amazing things, just like all countries and human beings are. The Olympics at the end of the day is about the athelets. It's a postive interaction of cultures. Boycotting it achieves nothing in my opinion, except putting up a wall when one is not necessary. There are other, better ways, to achieve your goals than boycotting a peaceful competitive event that others have given up so much to make it too. Why punish an athelet for something their country has done? It's not their fault.
I only mention this, because five people have apologized for watching the Olympics on my correspondence list. Why people? Why? Trust me, "you" not watching the Olympics would not change a thing. No one cares. It would only work if a billion people agreed, and that's not likely. Also, why hurt the athelets? They haven't hurt anyone.
Quickly [or rather not so quickly...]
1.
embers_log just sent me a lovely Terry Prachett book entitled Monsterous Regiment - she clearly hit upon my kinks. Tough woman joins the military to find her missing brother, disquising herself as a man, and discovers that the military is clearly desperate in their recruitment effort for an unpopular WAR, because in her regiment are a Troll, Igor, Vampire, Religious Fanatic, and two uncommonly close "friends". Thank you, embers. Can't wait to read it! 2.
If I were to finish one fanfic? It would probably be
beanbeans unfinished WIP "Blue Skies". That one I've actually written portions of in my head. Why? The idea of a shanshued Spike stuck in the suburban hell that Lindsey/Gunn were stuck in sans the guy plucking out people's hearts, fascinated me. He's a lonely, confused, recently divorced single Dad and writer, who every time he tries to remember his past, he finds himself distracted or loses track and then can't remember it again. Some interesting themes there.Another one that sort of haunted me was a modernized retelling of Wuthering Heights, called I think the Summer Wind or Summer Son? With Buffy as Heathcliff and Spike as Catherine, and Dru as Lynely (I think that's his name, been a long time since I read Wuthering Heights...the guy Catherine married?) And Riley as the one Heathcliff marries. No, it was more complicated than that. And it took place in the 1970s, with flashes back to the 1950s. Very weird story, with a disturbing mystery that is never quite resolved, and sort of horrifying in places particularly in how it was written. Never read a fanfic quite like it. The writing was almost poetic and had a sort of dream-like quality. Amazingly well written with description that you could gnaw on. While it was erotic in places, it was not romantic, if anything it was anti-romantic and not kind to any of the characters. If she changed the names of the characters, it would still have worked - on it's own, but not been quite as creepy. Everyone is human in it, but in a way, that is almost as if the writer merely stripped off the metaphors. (Sometimes Buffy fanfic particularly the romantic fanfic - felt like reading a really scarey yet oddly erotic and gripping horror story. I'll never forget the Radioactive FrankenSpike story I read on teaattheford two years back. Sort of a whole new twist on the old I married a Monster theme and had the monster's baby - to say it squicked me is an understatement, but in a weird I can't stop reading sort of way.)
3. If you want to read a satire of romantic fiction, specifically modern romance and chicklit - try Lolita Files: Sex, Lies, Fame, Murder about a beautiful male genius sociopath who will do anything to get what he wants. Will review it when I finish it, which will hopefully be any day now. It took me a while to get into it. It's one of those books that you've got to be in the mood for. A wicked satire. And satire is as you know, not the easiest thing in the world to pull off.
4. After reviewing the sample edit that the professional editor sent me, have decided this may actually work. My father is right - there is a huge difference between a professional editor and an amateur. Amateur's use the computer spell-check and grammer functions, professionals use The Chicago Manual of Style. Amateur's provide vague suggestions and tell you to change your plot, story, characters completely, but do not provide constructive suggestions. Professionals - will provide word suggestions such as grounded, rumbled, in exchange for whizzed. Or will tell you that you repeat certain words too often. Etc. They will also ask you questions - such as did you intend to drop words for this character or was this by accident? They don't attempt to turn your book into something they'd love or change your voice. Also, they don't have any problem telling you what doesn't work - they aren't scared of hurting your feelings.
I say all this, knowing full well that I'm no editor. I suck at it. I'm good at critiquing and analyzing art, but not editing and making it better - I can't resist the urge to change it. Editing is very different than critiquing and analysis. Constructive editing is hard to do. You need training. Having had a lot of amateur editors, friends, family, netpals, and seeing what a real one can do - I've realized that the real one may be exactly what the book doctor ordered.
5. Computer is acting funky. Not sure why. If this continues. I may take it into work and ask the guy there to look at it. It shut-down when I started it today, saying there was an internal error that could hurt it and I could either operate in safe mode or restore to an earlier date - so I restored to an earlier date. I'm hoping it's not the new Epson Printer software... And it hasn't been recognizing my adapator. Very odd. I just spent money on a new battery, memory chips via dell, and a printer. I do not want to have to buy a new computer at this date. Dang it. Especially when I'm about to start working on my novel again and need it for that.
6. I'm watching the Olympics, because I like the diving, swimming, and gymnastics events - which aren't on except with the Olympics. I also watched the opening ceremonies, which blew me away by the sheer scale and the constrasts - clear evidence that the information age is similar to the industrial age in that our technological prowess is expanding and evolving, but our ability to take care of our world and each other is if anything devolving and we really need to work on that a bit more. Also that materialism is not limited to Capitalism. And... I think boycotting the Olympics is stupid. Sorry, guys, but it is. Some things it makes sense to boycott, but not this.
Partly because I lived through two boycotts of the Olympics, which solved nothing but causing more discord and dissent. (The US boycotted them when they were in Moscow, because USSR invaded Afghanistan and then the USSR boycotted them when they were in Los Angeles because the US boycotted them when Moscow got them. It was rather silly in retrospect and hurt no one but the athelets, who weren't allowed to go.) And in 1936, when the Olympics was held in Nazi Germany (when we probably should have considered boycotting them), they provided the world with a chance to see how disturbing Germany was, and have Jesse Owens, a black man, win a gold and astonish the racist nitwits. Here, the Olympics have allowed Russians and Georgians to show they are people and like each other, their countries just don't. Provided a fascinating picture of China, how it is a country of contrasts, and not easily pigeonholed. Just like all countries are. Making horrid mistakes, yet capable of amazing things, just like all countries and human beings are. The Olympics at the end of the day is about the athelets. It's a postive interaction of cultures. Boycotting it achieves nothing in my opinion, except putting up a wall when one is not necessary. There are other, better ways, to achieve your goals than boycotting a peaceful competitive event that others have given up so much to make it too. Why punish an athelet for something their country has done? It's not their fault.
I only mention this, because five people have apologized for watching the Olympics on my correspondence list. Why people? Why? Trust me, "you" not watching the Olympics would not change a thing. No one cares. It would only work if a billion people agreed, and that's not likely. Also, why hurt the athelets? They haven't hurt anyone.