Category: Thoughts

Past, Present, Future, and Beyond

Novel, Sci-fi, Self Publishing, Thoughts, Writing

Which type of fiction is most difficult to write, I wonder? Historical fiction? It certainly has its challenges. Researching for accuracy while trying to put your own unique spin on things. Trying to keep the nitpickers from tearing apart the tiniest anachronism. Taking what was and turning it into what might have been.

But what about urban fantasy? How would modern characters react to the magical and supernatural existing side-by-side with cars and cell phones and airplanes? How would the magical and supernatural beings react to existing side-by-side with these things? Did they always exist together? Were they recently introduced?

Okay, those are both tough subjects to write. But I’m not done yet. Futuristic sci-fi and dystopia? You’d have to take current events and let them play out in your mind, marching forward into a time that has not yet happened. Do those cars and cell phones and airplanes still exist? What, if anything, has taken their place?

Yeah, yeah, that’s all well and good–but high fantasy? World-building? I don’t know if I could even attempt that. Creating an entire world, sometimes an entire universe, from scratch. Sure, you can take bits and pieces of the past and present of our reality and combine them with the realities in your head to make a quilt that blankets your stage, but where to start? What do you use and what do you toss aside? How do you stitch the pieces together into a cohesive picture?

So what’s next for me? I’ve tried my hand at urban fantasy already. I’m too lazy to do the research for historical fiction. And I’ve already said that high fantasy is beyond me … so sci-fi it is!

The life of a cat

Cats, Musings, Thoughts, Writing

Man, some days I wish I could be a housecat.

Sleeping all the time. When I’m not sleeping, I’m eating, drinking, or playing. I have people that love me. I have food provided. I have sand to poop in.

Any surface is a bed. Any surface. I can get comfortable in the most uncomfortable of positions. My house is my domain, even when I’m the smallest person there.

Any thing is a toy. Any thing. A ball. A bell. A pen. A ball of my own fur. The only limits to my play are the limits to my imagination … which has no limits.

I am loved so much. I get petted and scratched and snuggled. My every need provided, my every want met.

Some days I wish I could be a housecat.

 

 

Time lost

Musings, Tattoo, Thoughts, Time

Well, I lost an hour or two of my life today.

Is it so hard to make and keep appointments? You write the date and time down, and you make sure to be there. Boom. Done.

Or not. I was supposed to get a tattoo done this evening at 7:00pm. I arrived early–about 6:40pm–and one of the artists in the shop told me that the artist who scheduled me wasn’t even supposed to be in today. It’s his usual day off. So why even schedule an appointment for today if he wasn’t going to be working?

It sucks, because I set aside time and money–not to mention the $20 deposit–to get this done. I planned for it. Looked forward to it. Now it’s not done, and since the artist wasn’t there I can’t even reschedule it because, well, can’t get hold of him. Even when one of the other artists tried calling him he never called back.

I know it’s “just a tattoo,” but that’s not the point. An appointment is an appointment. I wouldn’t even have been upset if he had been running behind, but I left my card–and left the shop–over an hour ago and haven’t heard from the guy. So if he showed up late (after I gave up on waiting), then that means he didn’t bother to call me.

Thus ends my long, whining rant.

Pushed too far

Bullying, Depression, Diversity, Musings, Thoughts

It happens everywhere. School, home, work, the Web. I’m talking about bullying.

People bully for different reasons. They may be imitating what they’ve seen other bullies do. They may have grown up in a household of bullies and just not know any other way to act. They may be trying to cover their own insecurities. They may just be assholes. The reasons don’t matter. All that matters is that it needs to stop.

What is the point of bullying? Does it make the bully feel cool? Does it make them feel superior? I mean, why do it? Yeah, I listed reasons above, but those aren’t real reasons. More excuses. Y’know, “I was bullied so I’m just fighting back.” “That’s what my dad does.” “They deserve it for being fat/ugly/stupid/insert lame excuse here.”

All of those excuses mean precisely squat to me. There’s no valid reason for bullying. None. All it does is hurt the targets of bullying and can potentially be harmful. Some victims of bullying resort to self-harm, some even get pushed to the point of attempting (or succeeding at) suicide. It’s extremely emotionally devastating.

So why do it? Are these bullies just racist or sexist or homophobic, or maybe just plain phobic of anything that doesn’t fit their ideal of what a person should look like or who a person should be? You hear that, bullies? Maybe you’re just scared. Pretend predators who are really just frightened little rabbits, nibbling at others’ feelings to try to feel powerful and fierce.

I don’t care what kind of power you may feel when you bully someone. I don’t care if you’re doing it due to some deep-set insecurities. If you find yourself pushing someone–physically, verbally, or emotionally–quit it. Just stop. Just fucking stop.

In short, to quote the immortal words of Wil Wheaton: “Don’t be a dick.”

Everyone’s a Critic…but that Doesn’t Mean You Should Listen

Art, Drawing, Learning, Poetry, Thoughts, Writing

So I’ve taken a sidetrack from the manuscript to do some more work on the charity anthology (that is, in fact, still in the works). It made me think a bit about critiques and what they mean to a writer/artist (for the purposes of brevity, I’m going to be long-winded for a moment and say that for the rest of this post I’m going to just refer to all writers and artists as “artist”).

They say everyone’s a critic–and they’re right. No two people are going to agree 100% on the style of any piece of art, whatever the medium. But some criticisms are useful. So how do you tell which criticisms to take to heart and which ones to ignore?

In my opinion, the artist is the ultimate decision maker on their art, regardless of what others say. As an artist, you are the creator. You are God. But even a god can make mistakes, and therein lies the rub. You have to be open to acknowledging those mistakes and making changes based on the critiques you receive.

Take your time when giving and receiving critiques. As a critic, try to put yourself in the mindset of the artist. What are they trying to say? Is that sentence fragment on purpose? Is that swipe of the brush an accident or a happy little tree? As an artist, think long and hard about what the critic is saying. Do you really need to rephrase that fragment? Should you make that brush stroke into a happy little tree?

It’s all subjective, of course. Well, not grammar…that’s objective. Except when it’s subjective. Savvy?

Critiques are that simple, and they’re that complex.

OCD or Mania?

Health, Mental Health, Thoughts

So I’ve been organizing my closet for much of the morning, something I normally don’t do. Part of it stems from my husband insisting that I get my junk cleaned out.

Part of it, though, either comes from OCD–the obsessive-compulsive desire to straighten and organize things–and part of it may or may not come from mania. Am I manic, or am I just normal me getting things cleaned up?

It’s hard for me to tell. The depressive episodes are usually pretty clear cut. I can tell when they’re coming on. The manic ones? Oftentimes I have no clue until I’m well into one. I guess that’s the trouble with manic episodes. The euphoria and energy that come along with that feel so good sometimes that you don’t realize something’s wrong.

Don’t get me wrong. Sometimes–note I say sometimes–it can be a good thing. I get things done that have been tossed to the side for months. But the “I can do anything” part of mania is rarely a good thing. Reckless driving, risky sexual behavior (thankfully I’m married and don’t need to worry about that part anymore), etc. For every good, there’s a bad.

Now that I’ve started typing this, I think that I’m just being OCD. Maybe not even that. Maybe *gasp* normal. I finally let the piles of crap get to the point where it bugged me enough to take action. I want to get things into their rightful places. It’s not a massive desire to go through every single thing I own (which is evident by my husband doing the folding of sheets and blankets right now, something I hate to do and would surely have done had I been manic). And I’m not really cleaning, per say. Just organizing. Sorting.

Sometimes I guess it takes a little outside introspection to figure things out.

Incommunicado

Musings, Thoughts

Ever have one of those days when you just plain don’t have anything to say? Days where your mind is on autopilot and you can barely muster a coherent thought? That was me yesterday. I just didn’t have anything to say.

I went to my parents’ house for laundry, as I do almost every Saturday. I watched some TV. I slept a lot. I tried to write (unsuccessfully), and I listened to music for a little while. Otherwise, nothing to report.

I must be on autopilot now as well…I just retyped the first paragraph–almost verbatim–right here. Derp.

Some cosplay finishing touches might get done today. Or they might not. I need to organize my part of the closet in our bedroom. There are clothes that don’t fit anymore or that I don’t ever wear or that I’ve forgotten that I own. There are also clothes I have that I don’t know what to do with. I mean, I wear them. I use them. I just don’t know where to put them.

I’m not sure if I’ll get any writing done. Maybe a few words here and there. Yesterday’s attempt gave me a couple hundred more words, but I still haven’t broken 18k. Such disappointment.

So, here’s my semi-daily ramble. Much was said, but nothing of worth. Maybe tomorrow I’ll be feeling more sage.

Listing Forward

#nerd, Convention, Cosplay, Crafting, Geek, Interview, Musings, Thoughts

Lists upon lists upon lists upon lists. I have a list for the things I need to finish on our cosplays. I have a list for interviews I want to do for Phoenix Comicon. I’m making lists of lists I need to make.

I don’t know what has brought on this sudden need to organize. I guess I’m afraid I’ll forget something important.

Oh, that reminds me…I need to make a list of things to bring to Phoenix Comicon so I don’t forget any cosplay items when we go.

Maybe it’s the OCD in me. Maybe it’s neurosis. Maybe it’s just procrastinating from the things I’m making lists for.

I should make a list of possible reasons…

Is the Reign of the Nerds Coming to an End?

Convention, Cosplay, Diversity, Fandom, Geek, Musings, Sci-fi, Thoughts

It happens to everyone: you have your fifteen minutes of fame, your time in the spotlight, your moment as King of the Realm. Everything uncool becomes cool at some point, and nerd is no different.

In the past several years, there has been an upsurge in growth of the popularity of nerd culture. Comicons are now hot commodities, cosplay is mainstream, and movies like Star Wars and superhero films are blowing box office records out of the water. It seems like all things nerd are cool.

As happens with all things, though, popularity cycles through the cliques, and nerd is no exception. It can’t last forever. Nothing does. So when will our rise to power come crashing down?

It’s hard to say. With Star Wars and Deadpool killing box office records, Funko Pop! figures selling like hotcakes, and nerdy merchandising overflowing in almost every store, it seems that nerd culture is still on the upswing. It is now cool to admit that you’re a nerd, a geek, a dweeb, a fan. No more hiding in the shadows, no more skulking around, hoping the jocks won’t notice you and stuff you in a locker.

I don’t foresee this as lasting, though. I predict an end to the nerd reign in the next few years. I think we’ve reached a climax. We are at the orgasm of popularity, and after a little while spent in the afterglow, we’ll be left spent and sweaty as society dumps us for a new girlfriend.

Who will overtake the nerds at the top of the food chain? I have no clue. Hipsters, maybe? They’re already mocked as nerds once were. Or perhaps the jock will retake his crown once nerddom falls. The beauty queen? The burnout? Who knows.

Fellow nerds, enjoy our time at the top while we still have it. There’s not telling when we’ll be back in charge again.

Lazy Thursday Morning…for now

Health, Mental Health, Musings, Thoughts

It’s morningtime before work, and usually I’m trying to be somewhat productive: writing, drawing, cosplay work, something. Today? Today I’m kind of just messing around on the Internet.

Sure, I have a news post to type up, but that won’t take me long. It’s just so nice to sit here, warm with my blankets and sweatshirt, and just be.

Do you ever take the time to just be? To forget that the world is spinning out of control and just be content in who you are and what you’re doing with your life? It’s surprisingly tough. We live in a society where not doing something is considered lazy, but it’s very important to take the time to focus on you every so often.

I’ve got some music to listen to, but otherwise I’m just existing. (Okay, so I’m typing up this post at the same time–hard to write about just existing while just existing.)

Of course, for some people just existing isn’t quite enough. Some people thrive on constant movement, constant activity, constant action. Me? I can handle it, but every once in a while I need to just be.

Take the time this weekend to just exist for a while. Zone out. Zen out. Whatever you have to do to connect with who you are. You’ll thank me for it later.