Today is the final day of NaNoWriMo 2014, and if I'm not yet at the 50K finish line I hope to cross it by 11:59 pm.* Pretty sure I will; just before I wrote this post I flew past 45K after an uber creative writing session. Which is why I want to write this post now (today is the 23rd, actually) -- I had my best writing day of the month. Finished and turned in the first phase of Ghost Writer Gig II, then nailed my 2K NaNo novel daily goal *and* bailed my characters out of a sticky plot problem *and* found/created a new room in Netherfield. This is about as high as this kite gets, my friends.
I'm still tired, and somewhat annoyed with Publishing, and really, really behind on my holiday prep and household chores. NaNo combined with my day jobs should have me finishing the month with 112K of new fiction written since November 1st, which now seems a bit surreal. Before Nano began I was having trouble writing a thousand words a day; this month I've averaged almost four times that -- and I don't know why, other than doubling up on my writing sessions and letting the NaNo madness and my writing buddies inspire me. Well, being able to actually see again might have helped a little.
Maybe I should give the eyes most of the credit. I almost went blind this year. I was basically blind for the month between my two eye surgeries, when I couldn't write or read or drive or do much of anything. I had a lot of time to sit around and think about what my life would be like if those operations didn't work, too. Trading in my silver cane for a white one. Going to Braille classes. Giving up my books, my sewing, my car. Having to relearn how to do everything by touch. Never again seeing the faces of the people I love.
You know I've never been afraid of the dark, but this year? I learned how.
So I don't care that I'm tired, or that I had to juggle work and NaNo, or that I'm probably going to spend December doing all my housework and shopping while in a partial coma. No matter what happens, I still get to see it happen. There is also one more daily reminder for me to be grateful for my restored sight. This month we found out that our beloved rescue kitty, Jericho, is going blind, and there's nothing the vet can do to stop it. So we're going to pamper him and love him and make sure he knows we're here for him. And I wil remember that could be me.
I would like to thank everyone here who cheered on me and my writer pals, and my NaNo writing buddies, who always came through with a note to me at the exactly the right time. You truly are the best.
Now let's finish this.
*Actually finished up on Wednesay, but wrote this post before that, which is confusing but there you go.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Sub Op
New SF e-zine Terraform is looking for short fiction: "Submissions for Terraform are open to the public, and the ask is simple: We're looking for 2,000 words or fewer—a nice, digestible internet length—of speculative fiction honing in on the tech, science, and future culture topics driving the zeitgeist. We're looking especially for nearer-future fiction; think more sentient chat bots or climate-changed dystopias and less far-flung space operas. And we don't care what form it comes in: Classic-style SF short stories, social media posts from beyond the horizon, fictive data dumps, experimental graphic narratives, and so on. Our baseline rate is $0.20 a word. Remember, we'll publish one new story every week." No reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details.
Friday, November 28, 2014
Finally!
Here's a lovely short film about a quest to understand music (with equally lovely music in the background, for those of you at work):
Understand Music from finally. on Vimeo.
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
This
A writer is a world trapped in a person. -- Victor Hugo
We're four days out from the finish line of NaNoWriMo 2014, and hopefully everyone has made some gratifying progress toward their writing goals. I know some of you are thinking now that you won't make 50K, and that's okay. Really.
Making the big goal is nice -- very nice -- but you aren't a loser if you have to deal with life instead of writing, or the story you chose to write isn't working for you, or whatever else keeps you from stepping into the official winner's circle this year. Losing Jak, one of my beloved rescue cats, kept me from finishing NaNo back in 2010; as it happens when I reached the end of the month I hadn't even make the halfway point. Still, I was very proud of what I did manage to write that year, and it helped me through a horrible time.
Earlier I was cruising around the NaNoWriMo forums when I found in the You know you're a writer when . . . topic one of those so-true-it-hurts comments:
"Every song is about your characters." (posted by crossing)
Every song is, actually -- I can't listen to music without applying it to a character in some story I'm writing or have written or want to write. Even music I don't care for eventually becomes theme songs for my antagonists. Same goes for art; I'm always thinking which of my people would own this painting or that sculpture (I once had an epiphany about Lucan from the Darkyn novels while wandering around a glass-blower's booth at an art show; that's where his Shatter talent was actually born.)
It doesn't stop there. When I cook I think about recipes that would please my characters, and when I shop I check out the latest fashions to dress my younger, hipper crews. In reality I can't cook or shop for them (that's the line into Writer LaLaLand I won't cross) but thinking about it is natural. My characters are with me everywhere I go, as they have been since I was eight years old and wrote my first story. They may not be real, but they're mine and I'm the one who knows them best and they belong to me as nothing else in life has.
Which is why all the songs are about them, and all the art revolves around them, and everything that teases my imagination in some way goes to them. Because I belong to them, too.
Any last thoughts on NaNoWriMo 2014? Let us know in comments.
We're four days out from the finish line of NaNoWriMo 2014, and hopefully everyone has made some gratifying progress toward their writing goals. I know some of you are thinking now that you won't make 50K, and that's okay. Really.
Making the big goal is nice -- very nice -- but you aren't a loser if you have to deal with life instead of writing, or the story you chose to write isn't working for you, or whatever else keeps you from stepping into the official winner's circle this year. Losing Jak, one of my beloved rescue cats, kept me from finishing NaNo back in 2010; as it happens when I reached the end of the month I hadn't even make the halfway point. Still, I was very proud of what I did manage to write that year, and it helped me through a horrible time.
Earlier I was cruising around the NaNoWriMo forums when I found in the You know you're a writer when . . . topic one of those so-true-it-hurts comments:
"Every song is about your characters." (posted by crossing)
Every song is, actually -- I can't listen to music without applying it to a character in some story I'm writing or have written or want to write. Even music I don't care for eventually becomes theme songs for my antagonists. Same goes for art; I'm always thinking which of my people would own this painting or that sculpture (I once had an epiphany about Lucan from the Darkyn novels while wandering around a glass-blower's booth at an art show; that's where his Shatter talent was actually born.)
It doesn't stop there. When I cook I think about recipes that would please my characters, and when I shop I check out the latest fashions to dress my younger, hipper crews. In reality I can't cook or shop for them (that's the line into Writer LaLaLand I won't cross) but thinking about it is natural. My characters are with me everywhere I go, as they have been since I was eight years old and wrote my first story. They may not be real, but they're mine and I'm the one who knows them best and they belong to me as nothing else in life has.
Which is why all the songs are about them, and all the art revolves around them, and everything that teases my imagination in some way goes to them. Because I belong to them, too.
Any last thoughts on NaNoWriMo 2014? Let us know in comments.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Canadian Sub Op
Here's an open call for Canadian writers only to submit steampunk short stories for the upcoming Clockwork Canada anthology: "I am interested in all permutations of Steampunk, including Boilerpunk, Clockpunk, Gaslight Romance, Raygun Gothic, Stitchpunk, and other variations. Stories must be set in Canada. There are no restrictions on the time period, though technology should be limited to pre-twentieth century. I want to see Canadian takes on classic Steampunk elements, but I would also like to see more than just steam technology. I highly recommend reading Amal El-Mohtar’s excellent article, Towards a Steampunk Without Steam, for inspiration in this respect: http://www.tor.com/blogs/2010/10/towards-a-steampunk-without-steam. Many great Steampunk stories interrogate and engage with historical and cultural elements in their setting. In particular, we often see the exploration of characters and stories that were ignored by dominant historical narratives. Although alternate history is a large component of Steampunk, be aware of Canadian history and utilize it or rework it in original ways. For example, how would the proliferation of more capable steamships and airships have altered immigration in Canada? How would the western expansion, the Trans-Canada Railway, and the Underground Railroad have been affected by alternate forms of transportation? I am looking for stories that explore diverse settings with all manner of characters: Aboriginals, Francophones, senior citizens, LGBTQIAs, PoC, etc." Length: 2-8K; Payment: "5 cents/word for original fiction and a contributor’s copy." On reprints: "will be considered if the story has appeared in journals and magazines, but NOT in book form (collections, anthologies, etc.). Payment for reprints is 2 cents per word. Indicate where the story was first published and when in the cover letter. Reprint stories must also be set in Canada." Electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details. Reading period opens" Reading period: December 1st, 2014 (don't submit stories before this date.) Deadline: April 30th, 2015.
Monday, November 24, 2014
Thanksgiving Ten
Ten Things to Help with Thanksgiving
21 easy Thanksgiving crafts for kids will keep them busy while Mom cooks.
AllRecipes.com has some neat, before-the-big-meal ideas here for Thanksgiving appetizers; I might try these blue cheese and pear tartlets.
The simplest no-cook appetizer I know that just about everyone loves: alternate chunks of fruit and cheese on bamboo skewers to make pretty nibbly kabobs (and older kids who can be trusted with pointy sticks can easily put these together, too.)
Better Homes & Gardens has some suggestions here for indoor Thanksgiving decorating.
Not sure how long to thaw, how much to stuff, and/or how long to roast your turkey? You can call, chat or e-mail the experts at Butterball Turkey; get more details at their website contact page here.
The Cooking Channel has a yummy photo gallery of Thanksgiving Dessert recipes here.
Cooking Light has a great celebrations section here with lots of interesting healthy-option recipes and menu ideas for your turkey day.
Three easy and elegant Thanksgiving centerpieces from Good Housekeeping.
For those who want to skip the turkey and go meatless this holiday, Martha Stewart has a nice selection of main dish options here.
And finally, for those like me who can't be trusted with a candy thermometer (I've broken about a hundred, actually) but want to make a sweet treat for Thanksgiving, my famous No-Brainer Fudge recipe is #5 on this holiday helps ten list.
21 easy Thanksgiving crafts for kids will keep them busy while Mom cooks.
AllRecipes.com has some neat, before-the-big-meal ideas here for Thanksgiving appetizers; I might try these blue cheese and pear tartlets.
The simplest no-cook appetizer I know that just about everyone loves: alternate chunks of fruit and cheese on bamboo skewers to make pretty nibbly kabobs (and older kids who can be trusted with pointy sticks can easily put these together, too.)
Better Homes & Gardens has some suggestions here for indoor Thanksgiving decorating.
Not sure how long to thaw, how much to stuff, and/or how long to roast your turkey? You can call, chat or e-mail the experts at Butterball Turkey; get more details at their website contact page here.
The Cooking Channel has a yummy photo gallery of Thanksgiving Dessert recipes here.
Cooking Light has a great celebrations section here with lots of interesting healthy-option recipes and menu ideas for your turkey day.
Three easy and elegant Thanksgiving centerpieces from Good Housekeeping.
For those who want to skip the turkey and go meatless this holiday, Martha Stewart has a nice selection of main dish options here.
And finally, for those like me who can't be trusted with a candy thermometer (I've broken about a hundred, actually) but want to make a sweet treat for Thanksgiving, my famous No-Brainer Fudge recipe is #5 on this holiday helps ten list.
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Sub Op
Parsec Ink has an open call for their upcoming Lost Voices antho: Theme: "We are a speculative fiction market. We accept science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories. Please do not send stories without any speculative element. We love creative interpretations of our themes, but we do require that stories fit the current theme. We will run mature content if we like the story and if the mature content is integral to the story. We will not accept fanfic, even if it’s of a fictional universe that has passed into public domain." Length: "We will consider fiction up to 6,000 words. There is no minimum word count." Payment: " We pay 2 cents per word. Authors will also receive an e-book and print version of the anthology and wholesale pricing for additional printed copies (typically 50% of cover price)." No reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details. Submissions Open: December 1st, 2014 (do not submit before this date.) Deadline: February 28th, 2015.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
LT Secret Santa
Library Thing is holding their eighth annual SantaThing:
"What’s SantaThing? SantaThing is Secret Santa for LibraryThing members.
Done this before? SantaThing sign up is now open!
How it works: You pay into the SantaThing system (choose from $15–$50). You play Santa to a LibraryThing member we pick for you, by selecting books for them. Another Santa does the same for you, in secret. LibraryThing does the ordering, and you get the joy of giving AND receiving books!
Sign up once or thrice, for yourself or someone else. If you sign up for someone without a LibraryThing account, make sure to mention what kinds of books they like, so their Santa can choose wisely.
Even if you don’t want to be a Santa, you can help by suggesting books for others."
I did this last year, and had such a neat time that I've signed up again for 2014 -- so if you join in, you just might end up with me as your Secret Santa (and my Santee last year really enjoyed my picks, so I'm also a pretty decent book Santa.) Sign-ups for SantaThing will close next Sunday, November 30th, 2014 at 8pm Eastern, so if you want to join in, get to it.
"What’s SantaThing? SantaThing is Secret Santa for LibraryThing members.
Done this before? SantaThing sign up is now open!
How it works: You pay into the SantaThing system (choose from $15–$50). You play Santa to a LibraryThing member we pick for you, by selecting books for them. Another Santa does the same for you, in secret. LibraryThing does the ordering, and you get the joy of giving AND receiving books!
Sign up once or thrice, for yourself or someone else. If you sign up for someone without a LibraryThing account, make sure to mention what kinds of books they like, so their Santa can choose wisely.
Even if you don’t want to be a Santa, you can help by suggesting books for others."
I did this last year, and had such a neat time that I've signed up again for 2014 -- so if you join in, you just might end up with me as your Secret Santa (and my Santee last year really enjoyed my picks, so I'm also a pretty decent book Santa.) Sign-ups for SantaThing will close next Sunday, November 30th, 2014 at 8pm Eastern, so if you want to join in, get to it.
Friday, November 21, 2014
The 29
This short video offers 29 simple ways to stay creative; my personal favorite is #14 (and this one has some snappy background music, for those of you at work):
29 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE from TO-FU on Vimeo.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
ETA Ten Days
This past week has been eventful and interesting, in the Chinese curse kind of way. I took the weekend off from NaNoWriMo to wrap up my ghost writing gig, which I turned in two weeks early (hooray!) at which point my client instantly offered me another job (gulp) that started immediately (of course). So I'm very glad I've been putting in a few hundred extra words over my NaNo daily goal, because they allowed me to take those two days off and say yes to the new job offer.
I admit, I'm a bit tired, too. Mentally bouncing betweem two projects isn't the problem -- it actually helps keep me fresh and engaged in both -- but trying to manage two separate writing sessions every day and also juggle my domestic responsibilities is the real challenge. I just discovered a couple of tiny mountaineers scaling the dirty laundry piled in the washroom hamper. Thanksgiving is in one week, and while I have a nice turkey in the freezer I haven't yet confirmed the guest list, planned the final menu or found my favorite holiday tablecloth. P.S., sometime between now and next Monday I'm having the carpets cleaned.* Don't ask me which day; I forgot to write it down on the calendar.
Still, whenever I remember to look up from whatever I'm working on, I can catch just a glimpse of that 50K waiting for me at that November 30th finish line. For some reason it doesn't look worried, either. I think it knows how much fun I'm having, and how good it's been for me to get back to a daily writing routine, and that no matter how tired I feel, even that's wonderful, because it's the good, satisfied, I-kicked-butt writer tired I haven't felt for most of this year.
So how are things going with you NaNo novelists out there? Let us know in comments.
*Guess what? They just called to confirm -- they're coming today!
I admit, I'm a bit tired, too. Mentally bouncing betweem two projects isn't the problem -- it actually helps keep me fresh and engaged in both -- but trying to manage two separate writing sessions every day and also juggle my domestic responsibilities is the real challenge. I just discovered a couple of tiny mountaineers scaling the dirty laundry piled in the washroom hamper. Thanksgiving is in one week, and while I have a nice turkey in the freezer I haven't yet confirmed the guest list, planned the final menu or found my favorite holiday tablecloth. P.S., sometime between now and next Monday I'm having the carpets cleaned.* Don't ask me which day; I forgot to write it down on the calendar.
Still, whenever I remember to look up from whatever I'm working on, I can catch just a glimpse of that 50K waiting for me at that November 30th finish line. For some reason it doesn't look worried, either. I think it knows how much fun I'm having, and how good it's been for me to get back to a daily writing routine, and that no matter how tired I feel, even that's wonderful, because it's the good, satisfied, I-kicked-butt writer tired I haven't felt for most of this year.
So how are things going with you NaNo novelists out there? Let us know in comments.
*Guess what? They just called to confirm -- they're coming today!
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Sub Op
Garden Gnome Publications wants to see "novella-length manuscripts that cast old myths into new lenses or that create new myths out of thin air. Myth-makers, ignite!" (PBW notes: Cute. But please, don't set yourself or anything else on fire literally.) Here's what they want to see: "We want stories, not lists of gods. In other words, tell a story within a mythological system, one you created or one that already exists. All ideas and themes are worth exploring. Just make sure you tell a damn good story. Make it weird, make it absurd, but make it good. Prose, not poetry. Give us gods, demigods, demons, supermen, mortals, and everything in between. Make them dark and mark them powerful. Or make them light and elemental. As long as they’re true. Stories can be horrific, satirical, magical, romantic, scientific, or anywhere on the storytelling spectrum. Hell, you can mix extremes if you have the chutzpah. We like dark and we like dark satire. Of course, we like laugh out loud outlandishness too. But what we really like is weird and off-the-wall. Most of all, we just like a good story well told. Pick a myth. Any myth. Put your own spin on it. Can’t find one that suits your fancy? Make one up." Length: 20-40K; Payment: "All writers receive 50% royalties. Paid monthly." No reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Whose Brainchild are You?
Take this interesting online quiz that maps your mind, and find out which two famous people had brains similar to yours.
My results:
I love DaVinci, and he had the kind of creative life I could only dream of, so that's very cool. While I'm not a huge fan of St. Joan or my Catholic upbringing, my mother was named after her, so I'll take her, too.
Whose brainchild are you? Let us know in comments.
(Online quiz link swiped from Gerard over at The Presurfer)
My results:
I love DaVinci, and he had the kind of creative life I could only dream of, so that's very cool. While I'm not a huge fan of St. Joan or my Catholic upbringing, my mother was named after her, so I'll take her, too.
Whose brainchild are you? Let us know in comments.
(Online quiz link swiped from Gerard over at The Presurfer)
Monday, November 17, 2014
Freely Ten
Ten Things You Can Have for Free
Freeware caution: always scan free downloads of anything for bugs and other threats before dumping the programs into your hard drive.
Anxiety is a "super-lightweight To-do list application for Mac OS X Leopard that synchronizes with iCal and Mail. Its aim is to provide a streamlined, easily accessible interface to add and check off your tasks, while remaining poised to melt into the background at a moments notice" (OS: Mac OS X)
Blue Griffin is a "new WYSIWYG content editor for the World Wide Web. Powered by Gecko, the rendering engine of Firefox, it's a modern and robust solution to edit Web pages in conformance to the latest Web Standards" (OS: Windows, Mac OS X and Linux)
IceCream Ebook Reader is "one of the best free EPUB readers that transforms your computer screen into a convenient top-notch ebook reader. The tool enables you read ebooks in EPUB, MOBI, FB2, PDF and other popular formats. Manage your digital library on your PC or Windows-based laptop. This program also features the ability to turn pages, use bookmarks, search your library, track reading progress and much more" (OS: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/8)
Keyboarder "will give you an intuitive way to type everything more easily and faster. You no longer have to fiddle with the “Insert Symbol” menu and then search for what you want, and that is assuming you can access the menu in the application you are using in the first place" (OS: Windows Vista/7/8 [32-Bit/64-Bit])
Mendeley is a "free reference manager and academic social network. Make your own fully-searchable library in seconds, cite as you write, and read and annotate your PDFs on any device" (OS: Windows XP/Vista/7)
My Last Search "scans the cache and history files of your Web browser, and locate all search queries that you made with the most popular search engines (Google, Yahoo and MSN) and with popular social networking sites (Twitter, Facebook, MySpace). The search queries that you made are displayed in a table with the following columns: Search Text, Search Engine, Search Time, Search Type (General, Video, Images), Web Browser, and the search URL. You can select one or more search queries and then copy them to the clipboard or save them into text/html/xml file" (OS: Windows 9x/ME/NT/2K/XP/2K3/Vista/7)
Panopreter "reads any text aloud and reads files in formats of txt, rtf, doc, pdf and web pages. It also converts the text into wav and mp3 audio files, so you can listen to the audio later with a portable mp3 player device. Furthermore, Panopreter reads text copied to the Windows clipboard from any other software window. It supports various languages and voices" (OS: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7/8/8.1)
PhotoSun 14 is "a professional software application that comes packed with editing capabilities for helping you optimize your photos, apply special effects, and edit metadata. It sports a clean and straightforward layout that gives users the possibility to upload images into the working environment using the built-in browse function or “drag and drop” support. PhotoSun 14 works with the following file formats: JPG, BMP, PNG, GIF, ICO, and TIFF. Plus, it lets you add the contents of an entire folder to the list. The program gives you the possibility to zoom in or out, rotate or flip the images, set the current photo as your wallpaper, resize and crop the items, as well as create slideshows in a full screen mode, with background music and themes, and a user-defined transition delay. Other notable characteristics of this utility are represented by the possibility to erase red eyes, adjust the levels of exposure, contrast, saturation, and brightness, as well as apply denoising and sharpening effects. What’s more, PhotoSun comes packed with several special effects (e.g. sepia, boost color, antique), and lets you personalize your images by embedding different types of frames, undo or redo your actions, and view a history with the recently performed actions" (OS: Windows XP/Vista/7/8 [32-Bit/64-Bit])
Simple Sticky Notes is a "simple, easy-to-use, absolutely free, fast and efficient taking notes software. Simple Sticky Notes is 100% safe and ads free" (OS: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/8)
WriteMonkey is "Zenware for full screen distraction free creative writing. No whistles and bells, just empty screen, you and your words. WriteMonkey is light, fast, and perfectly handy for those who enjoy the simplicity of a typewriter but live in modern times" (OS: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/8)
Freeware caution: always scan free downloads of anything for bugs and other threats before dumping the programs into your hard drive.
Anxiety is a "super-lightweight To-do list application for Mac OS X Leopard that synchronizes with iCal and Mail. Its aim is to provide a streamlined, easily accessible interface to add and check off your tasks, while remaining poised to melt into the background at a moments notice" (OS: Mac OS X)
Blue Griffin is a "new WYSIWYG content editor for the World Wide Web. Powered by Gecko, the rendering engine of Firefox, it's a modern and robust solution to edit Web pages in conformance to the latest Web Standards" (OS: Windows, Mac OS X and Linux)
IceCream Ebook Reader is "one of the best free EPUB readers that transforms your computer screen into a convenient top-notch ebook reader. The tool enables you read ebooks in EPUB, MOBI, FB2, PDF and other popular formats. Manage your digital library on your PC or Windows-based laptop. This program also features the ability to turn pages, use bookmarks, search your library, track reading progress and much more" (OS: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/8)
Keyboarder "will give you an intuitive way to type everything more easily and faster. You no longer have to fiddle with the “Insert Symbol” menu and then search for what you want, and that is assuming you can access the menu in the application you are using in the first place" (OS: Windows Vista/7/8 [32-Bit/64-Bit])
Mendeley is a "free reference manager and academic social network. Make your own fully-searchable library in seconds, cite as you write, and read and annotate your PDFs on any device" (OS: Windows XP/Vista/7)
My Last Search "scans the cache and history files of your Web browser, and locate all search queries that you made with the most popular search engines (Google, Yahoo and MSN) and with popular social networking sites (Twitter, Facebook, MySpace). The search queries that you made are displayed in a table with the following columns: Search Text, Search Engine, Search Time, Search Type (General, Video, Images), Web Browser, and the search URL. You can select one or more search queries and then copy them to the clipboard or save them into text/html/xml file" (OS: Windows 9x/ME/NT/2K/XP/2K3/Vista/7)
Panopreter "reads any text aloud and reads files in formats of txt, rtf, doc, pdf and web pages. It also converts the text into wav and mp3 audio files, so you can listen to the audio later with a portable mp3 player device. Furthermore, Panopreter reads text copied to the Windows clipboard from any other software window. It supports various languages and voices" (OS: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7/8/8.1)
PhotoSun 14 is "a professional software application that comes packed with editing capabilities for helping you optimize your photos, apply special effects, and edit metadata. It sports a clean and straightforward layout that gives users the possibility to upload images into the working environment using the built-in browse function or “drag and drop” support. PhotoSun 14 works with the following file formats: JPG, BMP, PNG, GIF, ICO, and TIFF. Plus, it lets you add the contents of an entire folder to the list. The program gives you the possibility to zoom in or out, rotate or flip the images, set the current photo as your wallpaper, resize and crop the items, as well as create slideshows in a full screen mode, with background music and themes, and a user-defined transition delay. Other notable characteristics of this utility are represented by the possibility to erase red eyes, adjust the levels of exposure, contrast, saturation, and brightness, as well as apply denoising and sharpening effects. What’s more, PhotoSun comes packed with several special effects (e.g. sepia, boost color, antique), and lets you personalize your images by embedding different types of frames, undo or redo your actions, and view a history with the recently performed actions" (OS: Windows XP/Vista/7/8 [32-Bit/64-Bit])
Simple Sticky Notes is a "simple, easy-to-use, absolutely free, fast and efficient taking notes software. Simple Sticky Notes is 100% safe and ads free" (OS: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/8)
WriteMonkey is "Zenware for full screen distraction free creative writing. No whistles and bells, just empty screen, you and your words. WriteMonkey is light, fast, and perfectly handy for those who enjoy the simplicity of a typewriter but live in modern times" (OS: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/8)
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Online Art Therapy
Thanks to the internet and art generators everyone can create digital masterpieces, and one of my favorite places to play with color and shape is Bomomo. To use this generator you simply click on a tool button, and then click your mouse and hold down the button, and move your mouse to guide the bouncing color-generating tool circles around the design area.
Here's a look at the dashboard, and a pic I made by sampling every one of the tool buttons:
Using just one tool can result in very cool art:
Using Bomomo can also help when you're feeling blocked or frustrated; watching those little bouncing circles do their thing is surprisingly relaxing, and whatever you create with them may shift your mood to something more positive.
Here's a look at the dashboard, and a pic I made by sampling every one of the tool buttons:
Using just one tool can result in very cool art:
Using Bomomo can also help when you're feeling blocked or frustrated; watching those little bouncing circles do their thing is surprisingly relaxing, and whatever you create with them may shift your mood to something more positive.
Saturday, November 15, 2014
The Character Web
The orb weaver living between my oak and Japanese maple trees has graciously agreed to help me out with today's topic by serving as an example of a story character. So if spiders creep you out, you might want to skip this post.
When most people first encounter someone in a story they tend to see the character like this:
This is as it should be (at least, how the reader's first impression of the character should be.) Because we're a very visual species, and books generally don't have any pictures in them, characters are usually introduced in such a way that readers can easily envision them.
For the writer, however, there should be more to the character than simply their appearance. For us, the character should look like this:
Yes, this is the exact same spider; I simply took the shot from a different angle.
Great characters don't pop out of thin air to hang around the story and do nothing more than show off how terrific (or terrifying) they look. A character is a fictional construct of a person, which means there should be a lot more to them than simply physical appearance or story placement. Like a spider, a fully-realized character is surrounded by a web of interconnecting threads; instead of being made of silk these threads are created from personal history, education, health, life experience, hates, disappointments, loves, ambitions and everything else that goes into making people who they were, who they are and who they want to be -- as well as what they do.
So how does a writer build a character web that provides the proper amount of support and dimension? Lots of ways; just do a search on characterization and you'll probably find a zillion different answers. What I notice most about how other writers characterize their crews is by relying on elements in the character's occupation and/or backstory. This is not wrong, either; what we do for a living and our personal history does contribute to who we are -- but there is a lot more to us than our jobs and our past. If there wasn't I'd simply be characterized as a crippled writer, and not a partner, mother, daughter, sister, friend, USAF veteran, artist, quilter, volunteer, cancer survivor, jewelry-maker, blogger, teacher, student, animal lover, mentor, photographer . . . get the picture?
Here are fourteen different elements I often use to better weave my character webs:
To escape heavy dependence on backstory, consider how the present and the future is shaping your characters. If you're wondering how the future factors in when it hasn't even happened yet, ask anyone who has ambition, hopes or dreams to tell you how they affect them now. Are they going to school, saving money, following a five-year plan? Have they committed recently to a monogamous relationship that they feel may become permanent? Are they considering relocating, starting a business, inventing something, breaking off with someone, acquiring something they've always wanted? Now think about your character -- what are they doing about those things now? How is it changing them as people?
Opinions vary on how much we need to put into characterization, and again there's no right or wrong. Whatever elements I draw on, I always try to know enough about my characters to make them come alive on the page, so my characterizations tend to be as involved and detailed as my world-building. Everything I know about them doesn't make it into the story, either. All the knowledge that the reader never has access to is really more to guide me while I'm writing and get me into the character's head.
Okay, writers, your turn: What are some of the elements you use for your characterizations? Let us know in comments.
When most people first encounter someone in a story they tend to see the character like this:
This is as it should be (at least, how the reader's first impression of the character should be.) Because we're a very visual species, and books generally don't have any pictures in them, characters are usually introduced in such a way that readers can easily envision them.
For the writer, however, there should be more to the character than simply their appearance. For us, the character should look like this:
Yes, this is the exact same spider; I simply took the shot from a different angle.
Great characters don't pop out of thin air to hang around the story and do nothing more than show off how terrific (or terrifying) they look. A character is a fictional construct of a person, which means there should be a lot more to them than simply physical appearance or story placement. Like a spider, a fully-realized character is surrounded by a web of interconnecting threads; instead of being made of silk these threads are created from personal history, education, health, life experience, hates, disappointments, loves, ambitions and everything else that goes into making people who they were, who they are and who they want to be -- as well as what they do.
So how does a writer build a character web that provides the proper amount of support and dimension? Lots of ways; just do a search on characterization and you'll probably find a zillion different answers. What I notice most about how other writers characterize their crews is by relying on elements in the character's occupation and/or backstory. This is not wrong, either; what we do for a living and our personal history does contribute to who we are -- but there is a lot more to us than our jobs and our past. If there wasn't I'd simply be characterized as a crippled writer, and not a partner, mother, daughter, sister, friend, USAF veteran, artist, quilter, volunteer, cancer survivor, jewelry-maker, blogger, teacher, student, animal lover, mentor, photographer . . . get the picture?
Here are fourteen different elements I often use to better weave my character webs:
To escape heavy dependence on backstory, consider how the present and the future is shaping your characters. If you're wondering how the future factors in when it hasn't even happened yet, ask anyone who has ambition, hopes or dreams to tell you how they affect them now. Are they going to school, saving money, following a five-year plan? Have they committed recently to a monogamous relationship that they feel may become permanent? Are they considering relocating, starting a business, inventing something, breaking off with someone, acquiring something they've always wanted? Now think about your character -- what are they doing about those things now? How is it changing them as people?
Opinions vary on how much we need to put into characterization, and again there's no right or wrong. Whatever elements I draw on, I always try to know enough about my characters to make them come alive on the page, so my characterizations tend to be as involved and detailed as my world-building. Everything I know about them doesn't make it into the story, either. All the knowledge that the reader never has access to is really more to guide me while I'm writing and get me into the character's head.
Okay, writers, your turn: What are some of the elements you use for your characterizations? Let us know in comments.
Friday, November 14, 2014
Wild Skies
Photographer Nicolaus Wegner spent four months filming severe weather in the skies over Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Colorado -- and put the results together in this awesome, mesmerizing (and sometimes even frightening) video (with background music, for those of you at work):
Stormscapes 2 from Nicolaus Wegner on Vimeo.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
(Almost) Halfway There
We're two days from the middle of November, aka the halfway point for National Novel Writing Month. which means I'd better be at 25K on my NaNo novel done by now (yes, I'm writing this post in advance.) I've been gently nagging some of you who were foolish enough to let me be your writing buddy (and I'm actively blackmailing Keita), and I've even replied to a couple of posts in the NaNo forums. It's the perfect time for a pep talk -- because everything is going great, yes?
For me, 100% great, eh. I'm at about 64%, maybe. Naturally I'm trying to stay positive, but I had hoped to get more words done every day and finish about a week early (now I don't think I can because I'm divided this year between my writer-for-hire day job and NaNo. I am getting a lot of words done; they're simply not all for me.)
Then there is Publishing -- Lord, yes, I know about the award nomination; I've gotten about a thousand e-mails from my romance writer pals. For those who don't know, I'm up for an award I won't win for a novel that is now out of print in a series that the publisher cancelled. I know, I can hardly contain myself either. But seriously, I think I know the reviewer responsible, and if it was you, T., I am genuinely touched. Thanks for thinking of me.
Then there are the novel-related problems. The more I write my NaNo novel, the more I think about the first chapter, which I don't like anymore. Okay, I hate it. If this were a regular writing project, I'd probably rewrite it or delete it or just take it out in the backyard and roast marshmallows over it. But I don't have time to rewrite that chapter and keep on schedule, so I have to hold onto my lousy first chapter. Until December 1st, when I believe I will quite ready to rip it out of my manuscript and drop-kick it into the backyard firepit.
I'm stil not shaking the pom poms very well, but stick with me, there's a point to all this whining. After writing and publishing 51 novels you'd think I could do this in my sleep, right?
Nope.
Every book is different, but writing them is always and forever work, work, and more work -- and not always successful work. I plan ahead but then for some reason I fall behind. I fail to meet my expectations, often daily. I write scenes and pages and sometimes entire chapters that I think are utter crap. What was bright and shiny and exciting thirteen days ago now often seems more like an annoying, tiresome, plodding, dragging, why-did-I-go-with-dumb-idea millstone tied around my neck. I've already thought about dumping this story entirely and starting over with another idea -- twice since November 1st, in fact.
Here's why I don't: I know to keep going, to keep writing. Yes, I have doubts, the bright and shiny is wearing off, I'm tired, I'm writing two stories simultaneously and I'm disappointing myself. It doesn't matter. This was a great idea, and every problem I have with it can be solved once I finish the book. I'll edit what I doubted and fix it or rewrite it. The bright and shiny never stays but always will come back with the next idea. Then I will rest my brain and recharge my batteries. Maybe I'll even take a little me-vacation and only write one story next month.
I know what you're thinking. What if after all that I discover that it is hopeless, and I can't fix it, and I really should have dumped this story and started over? If that happens, I'll accept what I can't change, stick it in the file cabinet and move on to the next story. Problem solved.
No matter what I do with a story, I know I will always disappoint myself because I'm never satisfied with the work. I think if I ever was, I'd be done and I wouldn't write anymore.
I'm not done. How about you?
For me, 100% great, eh. I'm at about 64%, maybe. Naturally I'm trying to stay positive, but I had hoped to get more words done every day and finish about a week early (now I don't think I can because I'm divided this year between my writer-for-hire day job and NaNo. I am getting a lot of words done; they're simply not all for me.)
Then there is Publishing -- Lord, yes, I know about the award nomination; I've gotten about a thousand e-mails from my romance writer pals. For those who don't know, I'm up for an award I won't win for a novel that is now out of print in a series that the publisher cancelled. I know, I can hardly contain myself either. But seriously, I think I know the reviewer responsible, and if it was you, T., I am genuinely touched. Thanks for thinking of me.
Then there are the novel-related problems. The more I write my NaNo novel, the more I think about the first chapter, which I don't like anymore. Okay, I hate it. If this were a regular writing project, I'd probably rewrite it or delete it or just take it out in the backyard and roast marshmallows over it. But I don't have time to rewrite that chapter and keep on schedule, so I have to hold onto my lousy first chapter. Until December 1st, when I believe I will quite ready to rip it out of my manuscript and drop-kick it into the backyard firepit.
I'm stil not shaking the pom poms very well, but stick with me, there's a point to all this whining. After writing and publishing 51 novels you'd think I could do this in my sleep, right?
Nope.
Every book is different, but writing them is always and forever work, work, and more work -- and not always successful work. I plan ahead but then for some reason I fall behind. I fail to meet my expectations, often daily. I write scenes and pages and sometimes entire chapters that I think are utter crap. What was bright and shiny and exciting thirteen days ago now often seems more like an annoying, tiresome, plodding, dragging, why-did-I-go-with-dumb-idea millstone tied around my neck. I've already thought about dumping this story entirely and starting over with another idea -- twice since November 1st, in fact.
Here's why I don't: I know to keep going, to keep writing. Yes, I have doubts, the bright and shiny is wearing off, I'm tired, I'm writing two stories simultaneously and I'm disappointing myself. It doesn't matter. This was a great idea, and every problem I have with it can be solved once I finish the book. I'll edit what I doubted and fix it or rewrite it. The bright and shiny never stays but always will come back with the next idea. Then I will rest my brain and recharge my batteries. Maybe I'll even take a little me-vacation and only write one story next month.
I know what you're thinking. What if after all that I discover that it is hopeless, and I can't fix it, and I really should have dumped this story and started over? If that happens, I'll accept what I can't change, stick it in the file cabinet and move on to the next story. Problem solved.
No matter what I do with a story, I know I will always disappoint myself because I'm never satisfied with the work. I think if I ever was, I'd be done and I wouldn't write anymore.
I'm not done. How about you?
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Bonsaing Inspiration
The Bonsai Story Generator takes any text fed to it (up to 6K) and randomly rearranges the text to produce new sentences. As you might expect this creates a small mountain of nonsense, but it also produces some interesting word pairings and clusters, a few of which can work as titles, prompts, scene ideas and more.
I took about 4K of my NaNo novel and Bonsai'd it, and then weeded through the results, deleting out the gibberish and whatever else was useless. Here's what I kept, along with some of my thoughts in italics:
Driving through the lionsgate to be ruined
But he should hurt a little as my son-in-law. (Beautiful line for a mean mama-in-law.)
She caught her ladyship's feathered bonnet.
She would have had a traveled veteran.
Tell the wound.
The man looked down into our society, Lady Hardiwick said.
Greville would send Prudence into tarts (I love this as a description of a compulsive eater)
Well, he beheld the mare.
Agitation kindled a gentleman.
The fact that she would do no longer.
She heard a kindly older brother.
As a girl she'd been silly enough to cross their path. (This sparked a new scene for me)
No man had fainted from her.
I haven't a groan.
You are a morning salon, abundantly furnished. (What a nervous man might say while trying to compliment a beautiful, well-endowed woman, maybe)
He is not indulging in the company as yet
the great house at Netherfield Park stood like a spinster (You can't imagine how helpful this was to me. Honestly. Hugely.)
Stand back, she can make himself sick again. (Instant, hilarious imagery)
Julian with no other sound.
He will look at the most generous good enough to be ruined (is there any better description for a penniless rake?)
Lady Maycott released a ridiculous fiction (A lot of us are prone to doing that.)
Miss Maycott, please allow any callers.
I don't care how often he will have us.
It will likely turn the decanter.
It is not the makings of our invitations
Built in pieces, Miss Maycott.
your kindness has no other sound. (I just loved this.)
You have a bloody clue. (as opposed to the cliched haven't)
I feel so dreadful for her, much of her too.
She sat back on her own feelings
The roads are recovered
I will cut open your hopes (this one gave me shivers, and is definitely going in the story as part of a rant.)
You can also feed poems, song lyrics or any other type of text to the generator to be bonsai'd; I do this sometimes with long, imagery-rich poems to get title ideas.
I took about 4K of my NaNo novel and Bonsai'd it, and then weeded through the results, deleting out the gibberish and whatever else was useless. Here's what I kept, along with some of my thoughts in italics:
Driving through the lionsgate to be ruined
But he should hurt a little as my son-in-law. (Beautiful line for a mean mama-in-law.)
She caught her ladyship's feathered bonnet.
She would have had a traveled veteran.
Tell the wound.
The man looked down into our society, Lady Hardiwick said.
Greville would send Prudence into tarts (I love this as a description of a compulsive eater)
Well, he beheld the mare.
Agitation kindled a gentleman.
The fact that she would do no longer.
She heard a kindly older brother.
As a girl she'd been silly enough to cross their path. (This sparked a new scene for me)
No man had fainted from her.
I haven't a groan.
You are a morning salon, abundantly furnished. (What a nervous man might say while trying to compliment a beautiful, well-endowed woman, maybe)
He is not indulging in the company as yet
the great house at Netherfield Park stood like a spinster (You can't imagine how helpful this was to me. Honestly. Hugely.)
Stand back, she can make himself sick again. (Instant, hilarious imagery)
Julian with no other sound.
He will look at the most generous good enough to be ruined (is there any better description for a penniless rake?)
Lady Maycott released a ridiculous fiction (A lot of us are prone to doing that.)
Miss Maycott, please allow any callers.
I don't care how often he will have us.
It will likely turn the decanter.
It is not the makings of our invitations
Built in pieces, Miss Maycott.
your kindness has no other sound. (I just loved this.)
You have a bloody clue. (as opposed to the cliched haven't)
I feel so dreadful for her, much of her too.
She sat back on her own feelings
The roads are recovered
I will cut open your hopes (this one gave me shivers, and is definitely going in the story as part of a rant.)
You can also feed poems, song lyrics or any other type of text to the generator to be bonsai'd; I do this sometimes with long, imagery-rich poems to get title ideas.
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