Category: philosophy

Geek Appeal

But – I might want this to be Geek Unappeal…

Read more here.

Oh, now I’m really wondering what those politicians are thinking about. I have a wi-fi network in my home. Keeping records for who used it for two years? Not so bad since it’s encrypted, but still not looking forward to that.

And how about all the networks you know get hopped on? You find an unsecured network, you connect – how does the owner know? And just because you stopped in and used even a hotspot at Starbucks doesn’t mean I know who actually used it.

It’s supposed to be aimed to stop child pornography. I’m all for stopping that, but it doesn’t seem like this was really thought through before they put a bill in place.

Doesn’t that remind you of a few other bills we’ve had pass through Congress?

Posted on by ransomnoble 1

Rejected-

Happens to all of us sometimes. Just got the notice, I didn’t get into Footprints. The editor said I made the final list, but not into the book. I suppose that’s something.

I liked the submission guidelines on that piece, and I stretched myself to meet them. I seem to write novel-length stories, or almost  flash fiction short stories. That anthology required something in between, which I should strive for more often.

The editor also mentioned when the next submission call would be posted. That has to be a good sign, right? I’ll have to check it out. Even if I don’t get accepted, the writing and planning of these stories is good for me.

Next time might be different, though. I’ll only know if I try. Time to get another piece out there – or more if I can manage it.

Posted on by ransomnoble 3

While reading…

Do you wonder how many people notice small errors? It’s one thing to misspell a word here or there, but what about a consistent misspelling? Or when you use the wrong word entirely?

I know authors and editors all comb through books several times to make sure things are error-free, but I also know sometimes things sneak in at the last moment.

Readers, I hear, mark out the wrong words and spell them correctly if it bothers them. I’m actually not one to do that. I don’t usually mark up books at all. If I read them often they begin to get soft on the bindings. (I’m a paperback sort of girl – I only get hardcovers on sale.) Still, I enjoy the story even if a typo sneaks in. When something becomes riddled with errors it becomes painful to sort out the story, which is why we proofread at all.

The weirdest thing I ran into with books I’ve purchased – I have one book that repeats about 50 pages. I don’t have 50 pages, and I have yet to call the publisher and ask after them. (Shame on me.) I don’t read it often enough to wonder what happened in the missing section, but it intrigued me that the book made it to the shelves that way.

Posted on by ransomnoble 4

Oh, Random Thought!

I walked up the stairs in my house today, probably for the tenth time, and I randomly thought to myself, “I could start a magazine.”

Some days I dont have a clue where these thoughts come from. Obviously my focus is to be a published author, and not to self-publish in any way, but the thought of finding cool pieces to put together into a magazine and share with others has some appeal.

Then I remember I don’t have any money to do a project like this and all my available time is spent writing and promoting and attempting to publish.

Still, it might be fun.

Oh, the questions are still there:
Print or online?
Who would be the staff?
Focus/target audience?
Am I insane?

Links:

Start a magazine (the glossy kind with pictures)

Start a magazine (more generic and mentions online stuff)

While both of these are Helium articles, I found 2 and 3 of the 4 listed articles to not be so helpful for the information I seek. If this is something I’d proceed with, I may have to chat up some editors. It’s thankless work, but someone has to do it. (And Kudos to all of those who do, even if you reject me!)

Posted on by ransomnoble 2

Productivity

Staying at home sometimes seems to be viewed by those in Corporate America to be a slacker way to go. I think it can be harder to stay at home and still get things done like I’d like, but I keep trying.

When you go to work, you often have set hours. You definitely get a scenery change. Someone sets goals and you meet them.

At home, I do all of that myself. I set my own goals and reach them. I set my own hours depending on what I need to get accomplished, but sometimes things like grocery shopping get in the way. Or the doctor appointment I expected to be out of the house for a total of one hour and ended up spending two hours only in the office.

Stress is an external factor at a corporate position, but it becomes much more internalized when I stay at home. If I don’t make my goals, there is no one to blame but me. I focus on what I want to achieve and try to find another way to do it in the time I have allotted, which is never easy.

I think the few who think I’m slacking by staying at home just don’t know how much work it is. Okay, I can’t keep up with my housework because I’m generally trying to spend that time writing. I also get a little leeway because I’m eight months pregnant. Sometimes I just have to accept that not sleeping all day is a pretty good goal.

Hey – I blogged today. What else do I need to do? I could rattle off the list, but most of it is baby-related rather than writing-related. Better luck tomorrow.

Posted on by ransomnoble 3

Linguistics

The intricacies of language are fascinating. I may work mostly with the modern written word, but there are always things to learn from other aspects of language.

The site linked below shows so many different ancient scripts and talks about phonetics. All the questions you might have never thought about – answered.

Sometimes it’s about wasting time on a Friday. (Is there any better thing to do?) Others just have a burning desire to learn about languages, ancient or otherwise.

It makes me wonder what the languages will be in the future – if we stay around that long.

Check it out here.

Posted on by ransomnoble 0

The Library

I remember spending hours in libraries when I was young. Wait- I still do.

Do you ever wonder what books end up there? Who chooses them? Why?

A library seems like a magical place to those who love words. Anything can be discovered within those walls, among the shelves. You only need to figure out where to look, and the librarian is a good person to help.

At least, the good librarians do. Sometimes we run across the ones who hold books more sacred than the bookworms – who refuse to let the solace of the library be disturbed for any reason. Luckily, those seem to be few and far between.

Makes me want to visit the library again soon.

Posted on by ransomnoble 1

Radioland Murders

Yes, the movie. My husband watches it while I’m writing. It isn’t one of my favorites, which makes it easier to focus on other things.

I’d forgotten how amusing the beginning was, with the script that wasn’t finished for the radio production that’s ongoing. They don’t really do scripts that way – they always have it written in advance. I’m sure there have been a fair share of winging it.

I wasn’t one for improv during speech or music classes, but it seems one of those things that get easier with time and familiarity. The first few times I taught yoga I had everything planned far in advance, but after a couple years I didn’t even need the paper in front of me, though I preferred that to announcing poses off the cuff.

Every movie must have some redeeming qualities. Quote: “Back to the word-factory.”

Do you think non-writers like to see the glimpses of the writing life they see in movies, tv, and books? Do they prefer our depictions of other professions? I suppose we all write what we know, so some writers write about writing. I find I like to write about artists, though i don’t do much art (in the sense of drawing or painting or the like) anymore. I ought to write more engineers – but I just haven’t found the right spot to put them yet.

Posted on by ransomnoble 2

The Use of I

I chatted with a friend the other day about using the word “I” as a tool to get a point across. She gave up using the first person perspective in her poetry because all the people she critiqued it with- including college professors- thought that meant it was a true story from her perspective.

I was a little amazed at that. In stories or poetry I tend to use the first-person as a different way to tell the story, rather than a truthful telling, but it really made me think about the run-of-the-mill authors who use it in that way and things I’ve heard about first-person.

If 90% of amateurs use first-person perspective, are they writing what they know and doing a somewhat truthful account of something? That really lowers my value of some of those amateur fiction accounts. I think when the first-person is done well it can really sell a story (even literally!) but it isn’t often handled with the necessary care. I’m betting that’s why most of the fiction we see published is in 3rd person limited viewpoint (about 90%).

I am a storyteller. Just because I write something, doesn’t mean it exists anywhere but my mind. If you believe it’s real, so much the better for my ability to weave a tale. Never confuse the written words with the author behind them – the best ones will always make you wonder.

Posted on by ransomnoble 2

Power of Description

When reading, sometimes I take in the amount of description and say, “wow, i’m there.” Other times I feel like “where’s the story?”

Description is a difficult part to get right. Some people want to know every single detail, but a lot of us want the story to move forward. The question is, how much is enough and how much is too much? I find myself struggling with that time and again.

Science fiction and fantasy need a different amount of description than some other genres (say, chick lit). When I build a world from scratch, you’re probably going to want to know whether my critter has blue fur or brown scales or even different facial features. That doesn’t mean I need to spend time talking about my fantasy (human) protagonist’s long, dark, wavy hair every few paragraphs.

A lot of times if a detail isn’t used to further my story, I leave it out. I know I need more description in some of the my work, but it isn’t hurt me to get the story out first, then figure out the details that need to be woven inside.

The trick is balance, I think. Then always checking the story after the changes to be sure it still has the plot somewhere and not hidden by all the descriptions. Writers simply can’t describe their world for ten pages and expect the audience to hang out waiting for action. Then again, if we throw them the details in chapter 22 about the critter they’ve been traveling with for the entire book, it’s too late.

Posted on by ransomnoble 3