Writing Bug
Posted by Cyn | Filed under Reading, Writing
I’m more and more tempted to write some fiction again. It’s been years since I did that. I’m good with characters and environment, but not so good with plot. I don’t like to write about negative things, or nasty people, which is rather problematic when you need to have conflict.
I know part of it is reading books and thinking, “Damn, I could do better than that.” But to be realistic, anybody who has finished a book is doing better than I actually have done.
One thing that’s really getting to me is the number of anti-fat statements that get thrown in to so many stories. They have nothing to do with the story – they just happen because of the authors’ prejudice. Describing a minor character as fat is a cheap shortcut, because most readers will assume the person is lazy, sloppy, and not terribly intelligent (or a hyperfocused geek with no social skills if he is smart).
I know that starting out with a “message” is a crappy way to write fiction, though. Messages are better expressed in essays, not stories.
Still, I have this itch. Bah.
Tags: creativity, Size Acceptance, Writing
Happy Mother’s Day!
Posted by Cyn | Filed under Holidays
I’ve certainly had a sweet one 
Michelle Sagara wrote a wonderful post today about how mothering is like writing.
Tags: Michelle Sagara, Mother's Day, mothering, Writing
Laptop Research & Shopping
Posted by Cyn | Filed under Geekery
Sam and I spent most of our date time looking at laptops. Yes, we’re finally replacing the one that died last summer. Yay!
I find it easier to put what I find online in context after having actually played with a bunch of machines tonight, so I’ll be doing a lot of research online.
Anybody have any strong recommendations or good/bad experiences to share? Knowledge of any places that give “educational discounts” that aren’t just “steer your students to us and we’ll give you a little lower price on your own machines” deals? Sure experience exorcising Vista from a “Vista-compatible” PC? Please speak up!
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Tags: a lot of software, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, CAD/CAM, Circuit City, Compaq, computers, crappy video chip, Decatur, Dell, Fast Talker, food service, Fujitsu, geeks, Georgia, LAN, laptops, Linux, Microsoft, notebooks, Operating System, Panasonic, particular hardware, PCs, shopping, software, Sony, sound chips, student, student software, technical, Toshiba, video RAM, Wal-Mart, web design, wireless external set works, working, Writing
What do you want to read or hear?
Posted by Cyn | Filed under Blogging, Needlework, RPGs, Writing
I recorded some more pieces, but need to wait for Sam to “produce” them (clean them up and add appropriate music). One of them isn’t something I would have chosen myself, but Todd, who created Live Readings, asked to hear others read it. It turned out better than I thought it would. And it was fun to do something that I wouldn’t have chosen.
So it’s request time! What would you like me to record, or write about?
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Tags: food, Gaming, readings, requests, Sam, sick, Todd, Writing
Semester Is Past the Half-way Point!
Posted by Cyn | Filed under College, Writing
And so far, I’ve only lost one point in my Project Management class, none in the other class. That was due to a stupid mousing error — bad hands! Oh well, if that’s all my hands cost me this semester, I’ll be happy.
The career course required us to do “long-term career planning” this week. I don’t know how useful their idea of career planning is, to be honest, in today’s economy. There aren’t many people who can count on moving up steadily in one path, due to the fact that the economy changes so much more quickly than it did 30 to 50 years ago. Do I feel sanguine about making predictions as to where I’ll be, professionally, in 30 years? Um, no. For one thing, I’ll be 71 years old then! For another, I’ll be happy just to get back to work, period!
Today’s Thing-a-Day time was spent coloring. It was nice.
I have a happy Sambear dancing in front of me, because he just posted Chapter 17 of Heart of the Hunter. He already hit his word target for the novel, but happily, he isn’t stopping ’til the plot is wrapped up.
Tags: careers, podcasting, Sam, school, Thing-a-Day, Writing
