This was a conversation on Reddit (where I, admittedly spend my time procrastinating) on how to learn to not procrastinate. http://www.reddit.com/r/IWantToLearn/comments/zj6c9/i_want_to_learn_how_to_stop_procrastinating/c654p6g One point I realized was true… twitter, facebook, tv, etc… it’s all junk food for your brain. We use it in moderation, or we use it to stuff our heads full of useless stuff an avoid what we really should/need to think about. Read the link for techniques to battle this constant influx of information.
This is Wil Wheaton… from the back of the theater. Now, if you’re at the back of the theater you can’t actually see the person talking. Not unless all the peoples heads in front of you line up just right and you manage to catch a glimpse in between heads.
The conference rooms aren’t really set up for this as far as I can see. And the audio is a bit low. But worth it? Heck ya!
Now, I am bias. I’ve been a Wheaton fan since I was 10 years old, watching Star Trek TNG and harboring my secret crush on the ultra intelligent Wesley Crusher. But Wheaton, himself, is incredibly funny and knows how to tell a good story. And his stories matter to the crowds that show up to see him because most of us were/are nerdy gamers who played a lot of the games he did, and had similar experience (minus the awesome Enterprise crew, though we envy that.)
Sadly, the Fawkes Guild comic that I had, wrapped in cardboard and safely stuck in my hard hard cover D&D book to avoid crushing, went unsigned. Being a brand new PAX goer, I was lost, and given bad directions. The line was closed before I got there. Maybe next year?
So many games, and so little time. I demoed about 20 of them, watched people playing several others. Watched people be the aliens hunting down space marines, and killed a zombie in Walking Dead after learning she was probably a little girls baby sitter. Got t-shirts, pins, and coloring books….
All in all PAX was amazing, and I’ll be going next year.
Most writers will eventually run up against copywrite at one point or another. This is both good, and bad. While copywrite does protect your intellectual property and allow you, and only you, to legally make money off of your work (be it art, video, music, games or the written word) it also has some unintended consequences.
Watch the short video below for a little explanation on how it started, and how it has been changed over the years.
My first PAX swag. Pays to be dating an enforcer. He brought this home for me last night. I absolutely LOVE Bastion, so it was really appropriate. The narrator really makes that game something that stands apart. (Think I’ll go play it tonight.) I’ll be visiting PAX on Sunday. My first con, ever! So excited! Wish I had time to make a costume, but still worth it.
At 57:30, I’m Christy, the one that sent in the question. For the record my voice is pretty high pitched, even for a girl. I’ve been asked a few times if my mommy was home. Not as often now, as I am in my 30’s, but still enough that I will be having someone else do my audio books. I also found this to be a really good discussion about “buying reviews” which has been hitting the news lately. In a nutshell… it’s a bad way to do business, makes other self publishers look bad, and for actual physical goods (like toasters) it can be even worse. On the other hand, it is really beneficial for actual readers to leave comments and reviews on books. I’ve sold mine 4 times and have yet to get a review (though someone raved about it on FB which was really nice). Good reviews, honest reviews, are sometimes hard to come buy. It’s really no wonder some people turn to buying them. Its still not the highest ethical standard.
I finished “Flight of the Griffins”. It is now being edited by the editor, and will hopefully be out soon.
It’s be a long road, and I am very glad to see this one finished. I will be ecstatic to see it out!
I just finished reading “A Perfect Blood”. In it, Rachel Morgan has to deal with a serial killer doing ritualistic slayings who’s origins look demonic.
I admit I am rather bias. I love Kim Harrison novels. The magic, the mayhem, the witches and vampires… Yes, one of my favorite series.
Times have changed. Authors can, if they choose, be very interactive with their fans. Kim Harrison answers her fans on her Facebook page often, giving insights into her books. There is a character in “A Perfect Blood” which isn’t exactly introduced. So, natural, I went to the internet to find out where this character came from. The answer was on Ms. Harrison’s Facebook page. Another fan had asked her the same question, and Ms. Harrison gave her the name, and a brief description of where the character was introduced (in a short story in a separate book) but didn’t ruin the story for anyone.
More authors are choosing to stay in closer contact with their fans. Not just about their books, either. They share things just like anyone else. Pictures, news, updates on their personal life. These authors, those who “get a little personal” seem to do very well with their books too. They’ve made a connection with their audience.
After all…. if you actually like the person who’s writing you may feel even better about throwing some money their way to read their work.
Look around the room you’re in. Choose an object. Now write about it.
Does it have fantastic powers? Did someone find it in an unusual place? Maybe someone just tripped on it sending them into an unusual situation.
Try another object. Maybe they interact in some way.
The interesting thing about this exercise is that the object can be as simple as a coffee cup, or as unusual as a figurine of a glass dancing bear, shimmering in the morning sunlight.
Sometimes stories don’t need words to be poignant. Like this short animation.
The imagery evokes the imagination. We can see the world unfold around her through sound, touch, and smell. We know that her world is completely in her mind, so she can be wearing a wizards outfit if she likes. The airplanes can be big whales swimming through the clouds. It’s all in our perceptions.
It also shows that she is a happy and cheerful little girl. If she had been scared the imagery would have been darker. The colors pale, brown, or black. Instead we see bright waves of color, and fantastic creatures.
In this little film, with only one word ever spoken, we get a glimpse of her personality, her imagination, and her faith in her little dog. It truly is good story telling.
This actually touches on a lesson I learned in high school. One of my english teachers took out a lot of pictures and lined them up around the room. She then had us write something about one of the pictures using everything except sight.
I think I wrote about a picture of a canyon. The mottled colors of red, orange, and brown, the blue sky peeking out between them still seems fresh in my mind. I remember thinking of whistling winds, and textures of rock. The cool smoothness of the walls, and rough ground cracking beneath your feet.
“How does a blind man see color?” she asked us. “How do you describe chocolate to a person who has never tasted it?”
Many writers take for granted that those reading our stories know where we are coming from. And this convention actually keeps the stories going. If you had to stop every ten words and explain to your reader exactly what you were talking about you probably wouldn’t get very far. Being able to say “She walked up to the door in her red pumps and knocked,” knowing that your audience will know what red, pumps, and a wooden door is, allows you to concern yourself with the story, and not the technicalities of language.
However, it is always good practice to describe a scene without using sight. If you can add the smells, sounds, textures, and feelings of a place, then you are reaching a little farther, drawing your reader in a little deeper, and truly making something we can lose ourselves in.
A great start to a conversation. I write because….
It is something that I have thought about a lot, and that has changed over the years. I realized a child I wrote to escape, and now, after a lot of trials and tribulations I write because it is freedom. It is possibilities. It is exploration of the unknown. I write because it is the best way to be heard.
I found this photo floating around Face Book. I thought I’d share it here. If anyone knows who it belongs to let me know so I can give credit.
Young Adult (YA) books have been inspiring a lot of movies lately. Wimpy Kid, Harry Potter, Hunger Games and Twilight to name a few. These stories, though classified as young adult, actually have some hefty themes to them. Love, life, death, war, power, and laced with a little magic.
I happen to love the Harry Potter movies. They were imaginative, and beautiful, with a captivating story. Perhaps they were “young adult” when first written, but I, along with thousands of fans, watched as Harry, Hermione, and Ron grew into wizards capable of defeating even the largest army.
I suppose YA gives you a very simple way to add growth to a character. They simply grow up. However, the way in which they grow up, and the reaction of the characters to growing up can make a huge difference on the story.
We have Hermione, Katniss, and Bell. In these three stories you have two very different types of character. The first two are strong, independent women who fight for their lives, and the lives of those they love. They go to the ends of the earth to do what they think is right. Then you have an angsty teen who lays down and cries herself to sleep.
It is my opinion that Twilight did well for two reasons. First, young teen girls almost always go through the “Omg, he broke up with me, the world is ending” phase. I admit it. I did it. I am glad I grew out of it. Second… Vampires.
Almost all stories will see the growth of the characters. They will have obstacles to overcome, and their attitudes and beliefs will be tested. How they react to those situations… Well, as the writer it is ultimately up to you to decide that.
Author Crissy Moss 