We thought we'd ring in Spring with a little Spring Time Caturday!
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Saturday, April 2, 2016
This Day in Cats: #Caturday Issue Fifteen 4.2.16
Surprise and happy belated April Fool's Day!
Instead of #Caturday...
I give you #Otterday!
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Saturday, February 20, 2016
This Day in Cats: #Caturday Issue Fourteen 2.20.16
Special thanks to Belle from +Belle Gaming and -H. from Selcouth for all the work they did this week on #Caturday!
We bring you snow kitties!
Monday, February 15, 2016
How do they not know?
Ok, so lately I've been engaging in late night binges of TV shows I really don't care about. It's a nice insomniac ritual and I think it builds character to watch terrible things sometimes. After all, someone went out of their way to make this *insert media here* and someone should at least give it a try.
While I was combing through the dross, I came across several witty-ish shows that had potential. I found at least two that I plan to re-watch immediately because they were hidden gems. And I would say it was a 30/70 ratio of American to Foreign programming. That 70% includes Australia, UK, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden and a few others. It's a broad sample is what I'm saying here.
In every single show, regardless of origin point, there was at least one scene where a cell phone rang at an importune moment. It rang during funerals, during love scenes, during somber moments, during wedding speeches, during firings; it rang everywhere.
Yes, this is a particular formula, allowing an inanimate object to break the tension or distract the viewers momentarily. But can I just ask a question here? How do they not know? How do these characters, presumably at least the ones who are electing to attend these events that have been planned and discussed for some period of time, how do they not remember to put their phone on silent?
I know. I know it's a thing. It happens. There's always some jerk who forgets to turn his phone off in the movie theater and you hear him beeping awkwardly during the previews to shut it down/silence it. But a wedding? A funeral? A session of nudity where people are going to rub together?? That just seems unrealistic and annoying. It probably isn't so bad if you haven't watched like 12 shows all do the same thing back to back for a week, but still. How do you show up at your beloved Gammy's funeral and not turn your cell phone at least to vibrate? I mean, that just seems weird to leave it on full blast walking into a funeral.
Honestly, I wish that was all. I do. But it doesn't stop there. No, not only do these Luddites leave their ringtone volume maxed out all of the time and never shut it off, they also do not know how to stop it from making noise. Now, I know we've all gotten new phones and had to spend a little time, maybe a month or two, learning every little thing about how to make it work, what buttons do what, etc. But after watching a character use this same phone for at least 6 episodes which encompass at least 3-5 months of in-story time, there is no excuse!
Maybe they just really don't understand the technology? I find that, as a viewer, hard to swallow. Unless the character is a grumpy elderly person who just calls it the "talking brick" or something, that's just flimsy. I cannot believe I'm the only person who notices this.
But there is a solution. It's fairly universal and works on almost all phones. Just press the power or volume down button.
If it doesn't have those features, close it. Turn it face down. Press the large button in the center. Press ignore and then silence your damn phone so when they call back you won't have to hear the ring again. No one does any of these things! When the phone rings, they just look at it stupidly and then do the comedic struggle to get out of wherever they are to take their phone call in private, letting it ring loudly the entire time. Seriously, the entire walk, just loud ringing. Are they making sure that people know it's not a drill? That the phone is still persistently ringing several seconds later? Do they enjoy the generic shrill beeping? It makes no sense.
There are people in my life with a passion for weird ringtones and they will let their entire song play at least once before answering just because they enjoy the tune. But that isn't quite the same. No TV show that I've seen has anything other than the standard, pre-selected tone. So why do they just let it keep ringing as they make their way out of the scene?! WHY???
Characters in TV and FILM: Just leave your phone on silent. Always. Forever. Check it occasionally, since you will anyway even if the damn ringer is set to jackhammer decibels, and turn the vibrate on if you are expecting a very important call or text during a sensitive event LIKE A FUNERAL!
I just cannot believe I've never seen a single piece of footage where the character hears the phone start to ring and simply clicks the power button to silence it while he or she excuses themselves to take this very important, deus ex machina phone call.
Anyway, this just really started to bug me and so I thought I would openly plea to anyone involved in film or TV to please just teach the characters how to shut off their ringtones and find some new way of covering lazy writing or plot holes.
While I was combing through the dross, I came across several witty-ish shows that had potential. I found at least two that I plan to re-watch immediately because they were hidden gems. And I would say it was a 30/70 ratio of American to Foreign programming. That 70% includes Australia, UK, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden and a few others. It's a broad sample is what I'm saying here.
In every single show, regardless of origin point, there was at least one scene where a cell phone rang at an importune moment. It rang during funerals, during love scenes, during somber moments, during wedding speeches, during firings; it rang everywhere.
 |
| "Of course I can talk! They are just getting ready to lower the coffin, so we're basically done. I'm so glad I left my volume turned all the way up so I could take this really important call from my roommate who just needs to tell me that the sink is clogged! I know, right? Hi-jinks!" Picture from bestadsontv.com |
Yes, this is a particular formula, allowing an inanimate object to break the tension or distract the viewers momentarily. But can I just ask a question here? How do they not know? How do these characters, presumably at least the ones who are electing to attend these events that have been planned and discussed for some period of time, how do they not remember to put their phone on silent?
I know. I know it's a thing. It happens. There's always some jerk who forgets to turn his phone off in the movie theater and you hear him beeping awkwardly during the previews to shut it down/silence it. But a wedding? A funeral? A session of nudity where people are going to rub together?? That just seems unrealistic and annoying. It probably isn't so bad if you haven't watched like 12 shows all do the same thing back to back for a week, but still. How do you show up at your beloved Gammy's funeral and not turn your cell phone at least to vibrate? I mean, that just seems weird to leave it on full blast walking into a funeral.
Honestly, I wish that was all. I do. But it doesn't stop there. No, not only do these Luddites leave their ringtone volume maxed out all of the time and never shut it off, they also do not know how to stop it from making noise. Now, I know we've all gotten new phones and had to spend a little time, maybe a month or two, learning every little thing about how to make it work, what buttons do what, etc. But after watching a character use this same phone for at least 6 episodes which encompass at least 3-5 months of in-story time, there is no excuse!
Maybe they just really don't understand the technology? I find that, as a viewer, hard to swallow. Unless the character is a grumpy elderly person who just calls it the "talking brick" or something, that's just flimsy. I cannot believe I'm the only person who notices this.
But there is a solution. It's fairly universal and works on almost all phones. Just press the power or volume down button.
If it doesn't have those features, close it. Turn it face down. Press the large button in the center. Press ignore and then silence your damn phone so when they call back you won't have to hear the ring again. No one does any of these things! When the phone rings, they just look at it stupidly and then do the comedic struggle to get out of wherever they are to take their phone call in private, letting it ring loudly the entire time. Seriously, the entire walk, just loud ringing. Are they making sure that people know it's not a drill? That the phone is still persistently ringing several seconds later? Do they enjoy the generic shrill beeping? It makes no sense.
There are people in my life with a passion for weird ringtones and they will let their entire song play at least once before answering just because they enjoy the tune. But that isn't quite the same. No TV show that I've seen has anything other than the standard, pre-selected tone. So why do they just let it keep ringing as they make their way out of the scene?! WHY???
Characters in TV and FILM: Just leave your phone on silent. Always. Forever. Check it occasionally, since you will anyway even if the damn ringer is set to jackhammer decibels, and turn the vibrate on if you are expecting a very important call or text during a sensitive event LIKE A FUNERAL!
I just cannot believe I've never seen a single piece of footage where the character hears the phone start to ring and simply clicks the power button to silence it while he or she excuses themselves to take this very important, deus ex machina phone call.
 |
| I won't get my hopes up. |
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Monday, February 8, 2016
Exercise is Not Survival
This is really wrong.
Someone showed me this on Tumblr and I started typing out a reply there but I was running out of room, so I moved it over here.
First, the water was far from pure. Bacteria were around even then!
Second, and more importantly, they DID NOT EXERCISE!
Exercise is literally defined by the quality that it is specifically for health or fitness, i.e. “Activity requiring physical effort, carried out especially to sustain or improve health and fitness.” Basically it has to be in addition to normal duties you carry out during your life. I walk from my desk to the restroom or the kitchen, that's just normal survival travel, NOT EXERCISE!
No one drives to a fast food place, goes inside, stands in line to order their meal, waits around for it, then walks back to the car and goes back home, walking from the car to the dinner table inside and then posts on their fitness tracking system that they just worked out! (Well some people might if they are cheating, but that's not the point here!)
Anything that you do in order to keep living or be comfortable, such as walking to get yourself food or even just to fetch a remote you left across the room, is considered to be part of normal human movement. You are doing something with your body for some reason. This does not count as something done for health or fitness, therefore it is not considered exercise.
That's why it's wrong to say these people got plenty of "exercise", because they were not. THEY WERE NOT COMING HOME FROM A LONG BUFFALO HUNT AND THEN HOPPING ON A TREADMILL!
These primitive people did what they had to do to survive, not to get abs of steel. Try to remember, back then, fat was seen as being the height of society because it meant that you had other people to do they hard labor of catching your dinner for you.
I bet those people sat down and rested whenever they could!
They certainly slept more, from shortly after dusk to an hour or two before sunrise. In the winter, that could be almost twice as much as modern people get.
While their diet isn’t up for much debate in terms of organic, it was certainly free! They didn't have to eat food that was bad for them because it was all they could afford. If you could kill it you could eat it! Imagine how hard that must have been when there was nothing to kill?
Yeah, I’d be happy to switch back to people who want to eat free range and organic having to locate and then murder their dinner.
I don't have any issue with people who want to do all of the things that are listed here. I know the joke "Dead at 35" is meant to rebut the whole argument of going back to the way things "used to be", returning to "Paleo" or whatever. However, when I see it, I just get annoyed that people are missing the point.
Yes, the air quality and the water might have been less polluted. But were you always located conveniently near said water? No, maybe you lived down stream, after grazing and bathing animals and your settlement died out because of infection.
Yes, maybe your food source was free from antibiotics, but it also may not have been where you lived! Your food source could just get up and wander. If you didn't follow it, to some unknown new area, you died from starvation. If you did follow, you could have died from temperature change, or even another group of people!
They probably had such a young average death age because of other factors like malnutrition, disease, misadventure, murder, animal goring, accidents, war; the list is endless. But I'm pretty sure that either way, food, air or water alone were probably not what determined their lifespan.
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
What do you mean creativity?
Have you ever created something and when you looked at it later, you were struck by an odd feeling of dissociation?
I don't mean you painted something and then when you looked at it, you hated every fibre and stroke.
I mean, you looked at something you created and honestly didn't feel like it was yours? Like it had been done by someone else? You remember creating it, you definitely didn't have any help. But for some reason, there is no connection. When you think about it, you still think it's a great piece of whatever, but it doesn't feel like your baby.
That may sound weird to some people. Most writers, artists, or other creators (even my coder friends!) will tell you that when they create something there is a piece of them that goes into making it. They feel that as the process is happening, then can almost feel the blood pouring from them to the piece like a transfusion of life. It doesn't always happen in huge amounts, but whenever they look back, they still feel like the work is tied to them. They feel the connection with the piece of them that was left behind with the finished fill-in-the-blank.
For some reason, I occasionally can't associate with my work after I'm finished. I can't go back and look at past content or achievement and feel something from it. If anything, it almost always feels oddly disconnected. Worse, the better the project is by objective standards, the harder it is to think of it as "mine". I recently wrote some new material and it got some really positive feedback, which is always great. But when I went back to reread, edit, etc. all I could think was "I didn't write this. It's good. It's funny and well-written but it wasn't 'me'. Maybe I'm possessed or something."
Jokes aside, I'm just curious if anyone else feels like this. Do you paint something and look back thinking, "It's too good I don't know what happened by that can't be my work" even when it is? Do you write a song and hear it a few months down the road and for a few bars you can't recognize that it's your song? Let me know in the comments.
I don't mean you painted something and then when you looked at it, you hated every fibre and stroke.
I mean, you looked at something you created and honestly didn't feel like it was yours? Like it had been done by someone else? You remember creating it, you definitely didn't have any help. But for some reason, there is no connection. When you think about it, you still think it's a great piece of whatever, but it doesn't feel like your baby.
That may sound weird to some people. Most writers, artists, or other creators (even my coder friends!) will tell you that when they create something there is a piece of them that goes into making it. They feel that as the process is happening, then can almost feel the blood pouring from them to the piece like a transfusion of life. It doesn't always happen in huge amounts, but whenever they look back, they still feel like the work is tied to them. They feel the connection with the piece of them that was left behind with the finished fill-in-the-blank.
For some reason, I occasionally can't associate with my work after I'm finished. I can't go back and look at past content or achievement and feel something from it. If anything, it almost always feels oddly disconnected. Worse, the better the project is by objective standards, the harder it is to think of it as "mine". I recently wrote some new material and it got some really positive feedback, which is always great. But when I went back to reread, edit, etc. all I could think was "I didn't write this. It's good. It's funny and well-written but it wasn't 'me'. Maybe I'm possessed or something."
Jokes aside, I'm just curious if anyone else feels like this. Do you paint something and look back thinking, "It's too good I don't know what happened by that can't be my work" even when it is? Do you write a song and hear it a few months down the road and for a few bars you can't recognize that it's your song? Let me know in the comments.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Monday, February 1, 2016
February 1st 2016
I would love to say I'm back with a fresh perspective and a new attitude, ready to tackle the new year and post tons of great content and really interact with my readers.
I would. Really. Love to say that. But I kinda can't.
I have been struggling with blog ideas lately. After taking some time off to do holiday things and get a bit of a break, I really thought it would just kind of naturally come back to being fun and exciting and worth reading. But I don't know if it will.
When I first started this blog, I wanted to really share my views on Nonsteading and why technology is our friend. In the past 6 months or so, I've written over 100 posts and the most popular ones were a breaking news story and a Top 10 list of British TV shows. Occasionally I would post something that really connected with someone, and that was great. But am I really writing enough stellar material to justify publishing something every day?
I used to get so frustrated looking over my Twitter feed, seeing authors and creative types resharing the same blog post for a week. It really seemed like you should post your stuff, share it around on the social sites the day it came out and maybe for one additional day, but then leave it alone. I never felt right trying to force people to read my words, and I guess I still don't. I also hate feeling like I'm "selling" someone on my point of view. If you want to see what I've written, well, there's links to stuff, enjoy. I always felt like people would get sick of seeing me link the same blog post 300 times in one week, because I had not posted any new content.
I guess what I'm really wondering is, am I alone in this? Does anyone else feel like you should only market fresh work? Does anyone else mute/unfollow people who post the same link over and over every few hours? Should you publish something everyday, just to have new material or should you wait until there's some real gem and only publish once or twice a month? Should you only blog about big events like releases and preorder dates?
Until my holiday break I was getting about two thousand unique views a month here, and I felt like that was great. What I'm wondering now is, what made you visit? Was it an interesting tag line? Was it the title of the blog post? Was it the repetition of the link? Was it that you actually enjoyed reading what I wrote? What exactly should I be aiming for?
Now, yes, that may seem lazy, asking readers to tell me what they want to read, but I am honestly curious as to the draw. If everyone told me that Caturday was my biggest pull, that doesn't mean I'm going to just turn the blog into one giant Caturday machine. I'm more curious in honest feedback about what I've done so far, and what people would like to see more of. Most of the time I don't get any comments on these posts (maybe a few +1's on G+) so hopefully someone will take pity and leave their thoughts.
Hope
I would. Really. Love to say that. But I kinda can't.
I have been struggling with blog ideas lately. After taking some time off to do holiday things and get a bit of a break, I really thought it would just kind of naturally come back to being fun and exciting and worth reading. But I don't know if it will.
When I first started this blog, I wanted to really share my views on Nonsteading and why technology is our friend. In the past 6 months or so, I've written over 100 posts and the most popular ones were a breaking news story and a Top 10 list of British TV shows. Occasionally I would post something that really connected with someone, and that was great. But am I really writing enough stellar material to justify publishing something every day?
I used to get so frustrated looking over my Twitter feed, seeing authors and creative types resharing the same blog post for a week. It really seemed like you should post your stuff, share it around on the social sites the day it came out and maybe for one additional day, but then leave it alone. I never felt right trying to force people to read my words, and I guess I still don't. I also hate feeling like I'm "selling" someone on my point of view. If you want to see what I've written, well, there's links to stuff, enjoy. I always felt like people would get sick of seeing me link the same blog post 300 times in one week, because I had not posted any new content.
I guess what I'm really wondering is, am I alone in this? Does anyone else feel like you should only market fresh work? Does anyone else mute/unfollow people who post the same link over and over every few hours? Should you publish something everyday, just to have new material or should you wait until there's some real gem and only publish once or twice a month? Should you only blog about big events like releases and preorder dates?
Until my holiday break I was getting about two thousand unique views a month here, and I felt like that was great. What I'm wondering now is, what made you visit? Was it an interesting tag line? Was it the title of the blog post? Was it the repetition of the link? Was it that you actually enjoyed reading what I wrote? What exactly should I be aiming for?
Now, yes, that may seem lazy, asking readers to tell me what they want to read, but I am honestly curious as to the draw. If everyone told me that Caturday was my biggest pull, that doesn't mean I'm going to just turn the blog into one giant Caturday machine. I'm more curious in honest feedback about what I've done so far, and what people would like to see more of. Most of the time I don't get any comments on these posts (maybe a few +1's on G+) so hopefully someone will take pity and leave their thoughts.
Hope
Sunday, January 31, 2016
The Golden Hour
I hate to think that Sundays have been reduced to the day to finish all the homework due on Monday, make all the calls and check all the emails that have to be attended before Monday, spend time with the people you love before Monday...
The worst part about Sunday seems to be that Monday inevitably follows. I don't have an easy solution, and this is hardly a lifestyle blog. I'm not even going to give advice or try to life hack or whatever. In my mind, the only way to avoid this is to create an island. The Isle of Sunday.
Even if you're an atheist, Sunday still has that special power to make you think of sleeping in, breakfast in bed, relaxing or laziness. Sunday mornings still have a quality, separate from all other influence, disconnected from time or date, which can make us appreciate things that we might have overlooked.
I had the oddest thing happen to me last Sunday, and I waited this morning to make sure it wasn't a fluke. There was this time, I've heard of it before from friends who are really artistic.
They call it "The Golden Hour".
This is a time that happens at a different angle or time every single day and changes throughout the year. I have one friend who has found her golden hour only occurs in her bathroom between 8 and 9:15 AM only during the months of August through October. Another friend who's very into photography finds that the best time to take pictures at the studio is between 5 am and 8 am January to February.
The term "Golden Hour" is a bit of a misnomer, as the time may only last for twenty or thirty minutes, or perhaps even less. But it's this time that if you look at the light in a place on a long enough time line, over the course of different times of the day, you can tell something just... changes.
I'd never thought of my place as having this magical, mystical sort of "glow" until last Sunday. There was a time between 7:15 and 7:40 AM that I stood in my hallway and the light from the surrounding rooms was pouring in, all the interior lights were switched off and I just caught myself standing in this hall, staring at the color of the light as it hit the white walls. It was a sort of current that seemed to be holding me hostage in one spot, drawing my eyes to the incandescence all around me.
I have seen paintings and art and poetry and theater and I know I'm susceptible to the emotional tidal wave that comes from truly seeing beauty. I had never seen it so unexpectedly, so perhaps I was simply thrown off by the timing or the incongruous location, but in that moment, my unassuming white hallway was transformed. I was captivated by the colors and riveted to the spot by the stunning show that had been laid before me.
What really threw me was the depth of emotion I felt from witnessing this display. I wasn't painting, I didn't take any pictures, I stood and admired for the better part of a half hour. I was alone and I just had this tremendous sense that it was vitally important that I remain rooted to the spot until this experience ended organically. It felt like an insult to move.
That was the feeling I wanted to have every Sunday. That moment where the day just demanded reverence and calm, stillness and appreciation. So, this week, I made sure I stood in the exact same spot and waited. Unfortunately, today was overcast and cloudy and the sun made no appearance, but I still took the time to wait and see if I could recapture a small bit of that feeling, that inner moment. That's all I think we need from Sunday. A moment before the week begins, not to finish everything that is about to come due, but to recharge. So, maybe I make a few more calls or finish some things Friday night or Saturday afternoon. I need my weekly vacation to the Isle of Sunday.
I understand not everyone has a Monday through Friday, 9 to 5 job in today's world, and I respect that. I don't even have that! Sunday just happens to be a day I have off, but perhaps yours is Tuesday or Wednesday. Nothing wrong with that, create your own Isle to suit your needs. Maybe you think this whole thing is silly and you don't need an isle. That;s fine too! But if you ever think you might, just know it's alright to create the space you need to breathe.
The worst part about Sunday seems to be that Monday inevitably follows. I don't have an easy solution, and this is hardly a lifestyle blog. I'm not even going to give advice or try to life hack or whatever. In my mind, the only way to avoid this is to create an island. The Isle of Sunday.
Even if you're an atheist, Sunday still has that special power to make you think of sleeping in, breakfast in bed, relaxing or laziness. Sunday mornings still have a quality, separate from all other influence, disconnected from time or date, which can make us appreciate things that we might have overlooked.
I had the oddest thing happen to me last Sunday, and I waited this morning to make sure it wasn't a fluke. There was this time, I've heard of it before from friends who are really artistic.
They call it "The Golden Hour".
This is a time that happens at a different angle or time every single day and changes throughout the year. I have one friend who has found her golden hour only occurs in her bathroom between 8 and 9:15 AM only during the months of August through October. Another friend who's very into photography finds that the best time to take pictures at the studio is between 5 am and 8 am January to February.
The term "Golden Hour" is a bit of a misnomer, as the time may only last for twenty or thirty minutes, or perhaps even less. But it's this time that if you look at the light in a place on a long enough time line, over the course of different times of the day, you can tell something just... changes.
I'd never thought of my place as having this magical, mystical sort of "glow" until last Sunday. There was a time between 7:15 and 7:40 AM that I stood in my hallway and the light from the surrounding rooms was pouring in, all the interior lights were switched off and I just caught myself standing in this hall, staring at the color of the light as it hit the white walls. It was a sort of current that seemed to be holding me hostage in one spot, drawing my eyes to the incandescence all around me.
I have seen paintings and art and poetry and theater and I know I'm susceptible to the emotional tidal wave that comes from truly seeing beauty. I had never seen it so unexpectedly, so perhaps I was simply thrown off by the timing or the incongruous location, but in that moment, my unassuming white hallway was transformed. I was captivated by the colors and riveted to the spot by the stunning show that had been laid before me.
What really threw me was the depth of emotion I felt from witnessing this display. I wasn't painting, I didn't take any pictures, I stood and admired for the better part of a half hour. I was alone and I just had this tremendous sense that it was vitally important that I remain rooted to the spot until this experience ended organically. It felt like an insult to move.
That was the feeling I wanted to have every Sunday. That moment where the day just demanded reverence and calm, stillness and appreciation. So, this week, I made sure I stood in the exact same spot and waited. Unfortunately, today was overcast and cloudy and the sun made no appearance, but I still took the time to wait and see if I could recapture a small bit of that feeling, that inner moment. That's all I think we need from Sunday. A moment before the week begins, not to finish everything that is about to come due, but to recharge. So, maybe I make a few more calls or finish some things Friday night or Saturday afternoon. I need my weekly vacation to the Isle of Sunday.
I understand not everyone has a Monday through Friday, 9 to 5 job in today's world, and I respect that. I don't even have that! Sunday just happens to be a day I have off, but perhaps yours is Tuesday or Wednesday. Nothing wrong with that, create your own Isle to suit your needs. Maybe you think this whole thing is silly and you don't need an isle. That;s fine too! But if you ever think you might, just know it's alright to create the space you need to breathe.
Monday, January 25, 2016
Guest Post from Scott McGowan - NaNoWriMo 2015: A Winner's View
A Winner's View of NaNoWriMo
(National Novel Writing Month)
Scott McGowan
Introduction:
Before I begin, I should say that this is my second year attempting the NaNoWriMo challenge. Last year I was only available for a single week so, due to my stubbornness, I attempted to write the full 50,000 words in seven days. This was not a good idea and I would never suggest it to anybody.
By the third day, lunchtime, of NaNoWriMo 2014, I had written around 17,500 words and my brain decided that enough was enough and shut down. I was not able to concentrate on my writing at all and even found it difficult to create a decent flowing sentence.
Do not try this at home.
Learning Difficulties:
Having a learning difficulty should not dissuade anyone from attempting the NaNoWriMo challenge. I, myself, am Dyslexic and have had issues because of it for most of my life. I have come to a point in my life where I can stand above it and light-heartedly inform people that I’m just a Dalek Sec.
Always remember that the idea of the competition is to see if you are able to write 50,000 words in four weeks. These words don’t have to be perfect or even spelled correctly. The grammar is also supposed to be messed up until after you have completed it. What you write, during the month of November, is only supposed to be a first draft and nowhere near a finished work. In writing this article, I have had to correct a great many spelling mistakes and grammatical errors and, I’m quite sure, Hope has found many more that I missed.
Yet, even with my dyslexia, I was able to complete this year’s NaNoWriMo within three weeks. I have since read through it again and fixed any errors that I could find and have sent it off to the kind Eleanor Watson for proof reading.
Never let a disability stop you from achieving your dreams. Agatha Christie had Dysgraphia; John Irving, Stephan J. Cannell and F. Scott Fitzgerald is/were Dyslexic; George Bernard Shaw and Jules Verne both suffered from ADD; and even Lynda La Plante has always had trouble with the written word, getting every last word checked before it goes out, whether it be a book or simply a letter or email.
Working Space:
I am blessed to have a decent partner desk to work on. It is five feet long and holds everything I need while I write. I have my laptop in front of me with my USB mouse to my right. I find these much easier to use than the touch pad on the laptop. I get very annoyed when my thumb accidentally hits said pad and I start typing into a previously completed paragraph. It is always a pain to have to go back and edit a paragraph again when you thought that you were done with it.
On the other side of my mouse sits my iPad. This is perfect for checking information, studying up on subjects and getting translations. On my left, I have a television screen which has Spotify streaming through it. It is somewhat of a luxury but it helps me.
Below the television, I have a monitor, connected to a separate and very old desktop machine, where I can have my concentrated notes up at all times and don’t have to keep switching between open programmes. I just look to my left and the info is there. I also have on my desk, a tin of juice or a mug of tea, depending on the time of day, and a wee snack-box, holding biscuits and cakes. It is always good to keep your energy up.
Whatever setup you have, make sure it adheres to whatever makes you the most comfortable and free from any distractions.
Before You Start:
A lot of people forget this but it is perfectly alright to plan your NaNoWriMo piece before November hits. It is true that most like to dive straight in, on the 1st, and just see where it takes them. You do not have to do this, if you don’t want to, and there is nobody who would think any the worse of you for it.
In October, around midway, I decided I would write a novella, entitled “The Guild Rally”. I made a few short notes and a list of the first few chapter titles I would need, just to give me a running start. I knew where everything was going to start and end; and I even had a few ideas about what I wanted to happen throughout the story. This gave me a chance to start writing as soon as the NaNoWriMo clock started.
I would suggest that everyone does this, at least on their first try. It really does help and can take a lot of the pressure off of you when you start to write, in November. Also, you only have to maintain a word-count of 1,667 a day. Some days are more fruitful than others but if you can keep to this average, you will be fine.
The Time to Write:
Everyone has busy lives and it is sometimes difficult to find the time to write after all the events of the day. If you are to complete NaNoWriMo, you will need to try and find the time to put into it. I have found it essential to have a specific time in the day when I write. I always prefer to write at night when there are no distractions and no humans running around the place. The world is quiet and asleep and I am able to write.
That being decided, I chose to write from 8pm till 3am every night, where possible. I took the middle two weeks off of work, as a holiday, which allowed me to do this. I found that, in doing this, I was able to get my word-count for the day by midnight and, after midnight, I managed to get a head start for the next day’s count. This worked exceptionally well and I was writing between 2,500 and 5,000 words a day.
Again, the time you choose is entirely up to you. Find a time that suits you the best. Maybe it’s a couple of hours a night, after the kids have gone to their beds,; maybe it’s a couple of hours before you would normally get up in the morning; or possibly it’s an hour at lunchtime and another hour or two at night. Pick a time that allows you to put yourself fully into your story and have no foreign influences.
Day One:
On the 1st of November, at 00:00, the fun begins and you are allowed to start writing. If you have your brief notes, drink, snacks and, if you partake, tobacco, you are more than prepared to begin.
I would suggest to everyone that they take their time. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar, although the wee red squiggly lines that appear all over my text can be annoying. You can take a breather, every so often, to quickly fix these, if you so wish. The main idea is that you create your scene and get your stage set.
If you don’t manage the 1,667 words on your first day, do not be concerned. Everyone starts off at different speeds and you have plenty time to catch up. NaNoWriMo is a marathon, not a sprint and should be attempted as such. Because I took a couple of weeks off in the middle of the month, I was able to knock out a higher word-count than required and so completed it in three weeks, instead of four. It made things easier, not having to worry about having to go to work or any of the other things that I would usually have to do. Any housework or shopping could be done in the afternoons and the evenings were left for writing into the early hours of the morning.
Not everyone is able to do this. With many people trying to use their paid holidays up at the end of the year, it can be difficult to get the time off that you were looking for. Also there are some who have young families and so need their holidays for time away with them. If you can’t take time off, it’s still very rewarding if you are able to find a couple of hours each day to attempt this challenge.
The Writing:
Once you begin, you can feel like you’re pushing a boulder up a hill. Don’t worry, there are other’s out there to give you encouragement and help in any way they can. Thousands upon thousands of people, all over the world, participate in NaNoWriMo and many of them are on Twitter, tweeting their daily scores and how their doing with the overall task, so far. They are all open to random people messaging them their questions or asking for advice. Many of them enjoy helping out other writers. It is a strong community and you should not be afraid to join in with any conversations you see going on. Comment on other people’s posts, ask them questions or maybe even provide them with a piece of knowledge which they’re looking for. You may know something that others don’t.
If you wish to utilise Twitter, you can see other people’s posts by typing “#NaNoWriMo2015” into the Twitter search bar. If you are unsure how to do this then ask around to see if someone can show you. It can be a great daily boost to see how others are faring in their own progress and getting daily words of wisdom from previous winners throughout the month is superbly uplifting.
Completion:
When you get to the end of the month, it is hoped that you will have found your writing muse and have 50,000 words completed. If so, once you copy your text into the validator, you are an instant winner and can have all the bragging rights that come with it. Achieving the 50,000 mark is an extraordinary achievement and you should be very proud of your accomplishment.
However, if you have not managed to complete your work on time, please do not fret. There is nothing stopping you continuing, as you have been, and finishing the story. There is always another year of NaNoWriMo coming up, too, and the excitement as the time rolls over for the arrival of another November, is almost as exciting as the event itself. Never give up, never surrender and always make sure to get back up on that horse again.
I am so delighted that I have managed to complete my NaNoWriMo 2015 challenge. It was a lot of fun and helped me in my writing a great deal. I will be attempting it again next year and the year after that and so on and so forth, until the day my typing fingers have no more to give.
Lastly and most of all, enjoy yourself. NaNoWriMo is designed to be a fun event and I have found it to be that and so much more.
Good luck for the 2016 event, if you decide to give it a go, and may all the words come a flowing. Come find me at my Twitter handle, ‘@AuthorMcGowan’, when you do.
Monday, January 18, 2016
Cheerleaders and STEM? MTP
I ran across this on Tumblr and I couldn't post my reply on the reblog for some reason, so I'm placing it here.
It’s vital to encourage little girls (and little boys too) to pursue careers that make them happy and satisfied. This may be the wrong way to do it.
When I (girl who liked physics) saw this, all I thought was:
“Well, obviously cheerleaders can have STEM careers because they’re hot enough to balance out the brains and still get sexual and/or life partners if they want one.”
Boys don’t like girls who are smarter than them, other girls don’t like girls who are smarter than them; it’s hard enough finding someone to be with when you’re a genius, if you add unattractive it’s nigh on impossible. Having the body and looks of an NFL cheerleader would be the panacea to distract potential mates from the brainpower.
If anything, this seems more geared toward young boys, trying to convey the message that it’s OK to find females associated with “science” sexy, and that’s missing the point entirely.
Why YOUNG GIRLS don’t pursue STEM careers is the double whammy of not enough encouragement and the clear prejudice against girls who are smart, unless they happen to be gorgeous, as is the case here. Then they can do anything because the physical appearance covers a multitude of intellectual sins.
Honestly, for young boys they probably don’t care what these young women do in their lives, because they are still incredibly hot and NFL CHEERLEADERS. They are attractive enough to pursue any career and still find a mate, which is really all most people end up wanting in life. I’m not saying this is good or right or even what should be, I’m just saying this is the world we currently live in and showing girls hot women doing science may backfire and contribute to not only them choosing a less demanding career path, but later, body image issues as well.
tl;dr
If I had seen this ad when I was younger, not only would I have been reminded that I wasn’t hot enough to be a cheerleader, but also that I should not pursue science because I wasn’t hot enough to be smart either.
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Author Interview Scott McGowan
Have you ever been curious to know what writers from other countries are like? I certainly am, so this week we are delighted to interview Scott McGowan, a fabulous scribe from Scotland. He has a bit of a thing for Dwarves, and a fantastically precise style (just look at this layout here, entirely his work), and I loved reading every word. I think you will too!
Hope Woods' Author Interview
With
Scott McGowan
Question 1: What are your top 3 favourite foods?
Answer: If the opportunity arises, I will always go for a nice juicy rump steak (Cooked
Blue) with onion rings and mashed potato. Dianne sauce is a must.
Second on my list would have to be Viennese whirls. They are the
world’s best shortbread based biscuit and I can go through a couple boxes of these all by myself.
Thirdly, I think I have to go for Thornton’s mini caramel slices. They are divine and everyone should get in there quick, if they’re at afternoon tea in my house.
Question 2: What are your top 3 Movies or Tv shows?
Answer: My favourite movie, of all time, has to be “Withnail & I”. Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann are exceptional as the two out of work actors and, guest starring the roadie from Wayne’s world, they topped it off nicely.
Secondly, I did rather enjoy “In Bruges”, starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and, Voldemort himself, Harry Watters. It’s a black comedy and not everyone will see the humour in it but I loved every last second of it.
For my third, I have to say “The Princess Bride”. It is a classic and always will be, I hope. The, “My name is Indigo Montoya…” line will always be lovingly stuck in my memory. Bit parts for Billy Crystal, Peter Falk and the kid from “Wonder Years” made perfect castings, alongside Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Andre the Giant and Robin Wright, the cocky blonde.
Television wise, I cannot miss a single episode of Supernatural. I live in Scotland (Uk) and I still make sure that I see the new episodes, within twenty-four hours of it being released in The States. It is the best show on television at the moment and the cast, crew and writers all have my upmost respect.
For my second, I have to go with “Doctor Who”. I have been watching it since I was a child, my first Doctor being Colin baker, and still love it to this day.
Thirdly, I have to stick to another little Moffat themed programme called “Sherlock”. The work that Steven Moffat, Stephen Thompson and Mark Gatiss have put into building the show; the perfect castings of Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman; and the introduction and demise of Andrew Scott’s rendition of Moriarty have been incomparable and there is nobody who could have done a better job.
This list only lasts as long as “Firefly” is off the air. It ended all too soon.
Question 3: Who are your top 3 Authors and Why?
Answer: My first and foremost has to be the late great, Sir Terry Pratchett. His books were a great influence to me and my writing and is, no small part, the reason for me entering the literary profession. His books and worlds are full bodied and show humanity at its best and worse, through these worlds. He was a genius and I will always have the sad feeling that I never got to meet him.
Secondly, I must go for the king himself, JRR Tolkien. What can you say about the man who gave us “The Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings”? He, along with his friends, CS Lewis (“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”) and Lewis Carroll (“Alice in Wonderland” & “Through the Looking Glass”), led the way for many a thousand fantasy novelists and they will always be legends in their field.
For my third, I think I have to say Douglas Adams. His, five book, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” trilogy was superbly imagined and, again, he spurred on the imaginations of many, many other writers. The fact that it all started as a small funded BBC Radio show and rose to be one of the best loved stories in the world, is amazing and should give us all hope. He never stopped there, bringing us also, “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency”, “Starship Titanic” and even wrote for “Doctor Who” (Tom Baker’s incarnation, I believe).
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| Never has a book cover experienced a beard so epic. |
Question 4: Where can we find your previous work?
Question 5: What have you been working on more recently?
Answer: In November, I completed, “The Guild Rally” for NaNoWriMo and, after editing, will be offering it to St Andrews Press for possible publication. If they feel that it isn’t for them, I will be self-publishing it in the middle of 2016.
At present, however, I am about 25% of the way through completing the third and final book of the Bjorn Trilogy, “Bjorn Again”. I will have the writing part done and dusted before June and, again after editing, I will be self-publishing at the start of November 2016. There will also be a one-off spinoff novella to be released, hopefully in November 2017.
Question 7: How long have you been writing things that you let others read?
Answer: The first real stories I wrote were in my last couple of years in High School (1996/1997). They were a collection of horror stories that were from the viewpoint of the reader. I liked this style of writing as it gave the reader more of a part in the story and helped to draw them into it; everything was happening to YOU.
Question 8: What was the first book that you really enjoyed reading and why?
Answer: The first book that really spoke to me was Sir Terry Pratchett’s “Reaper Man”. It was dark and humours, both at the same time, and dealt with the theme in a way that I had never read before. The world that he had created was so elaborate and fully thought out, that he was able to bring me into that world and, metaphorically, wander around.
Question 9: What sort of Audience do you write for? YA, Adult, Both..?
Answer: I tend not to write for any particular age group. Come one, come all. I want my work to be enjoyed by as many different people as possible, from many different creeds and cultures, and try not to limit my work to any particular group. I feel that a good book is one that can be read and loved by anyone who picks it up. That being my premise, I write essentially for myself. If I’m not enjoying a scene then I have to change it or cut it altogether. If I’m reading it through again and find myself smiling at something I’ve written then I know it’s a winner.
Question 10: From what I’ve seen, your latest series is a bit Norse-y. What is your favourite part of writing for that type of setting? What is the best thing that you can do in that setting that you can’t in other realities?
Answer: When I first started writing the Bjorn Trilogy, I started the whole thing off with the idea that a high number of Dwarves, who have moved down south to the big city, have gone missing and a military unit would be sent out of the Dwarf King’s mines to discover what happened.
I have always believed that, in fantasy, a Dwarf should have either a very Norse name or something Norse-esk. From there, I built the whole world around Norse, Scottish, Irish and Native American mythology. These are four nations that have incredibly in-depth mythologies and a long history of Folklore.
I have always loved writing about the odd beings and creatures that you used to find in all the best fantasy stories, “The Grimm Brothers” for example, and so I include Dwarves, Trolls, Leprechauns; Elves, Witches, Wizards, Evil Lords, Heroes and so much more. They may all be strange characters but I try to use them in such a way that they mirror real life. I may, one day, write some urban fantasy. It’s not out with the realm of possibility. I enjoy all genres and, for instance, my NaNoWriMo entry for 2015, “The Guild Rally” was women’s fiction and when I write short stories, I delve into as many genres as possible. The only other person I can think of who has published a multi-genre collection would be Neil Gaiman with “Trigger Warning”. Everyone should read that book!
Question 11: I know that all your books on Amazon are available in paperback. Do you think it is important for readers to have a physical copy?
Answer: I do. eReaders are all good and well but there is nothing like holding a good paperback book. Turning the pages yourself; the smell of the paper; being able to turn the corner of the page; and, most importantly, the book doesn’t break when someone accidently sits on it.
I appreciate that people like eReaders because they can have hundreds of books at their fingertips but I would much rather stand in the middle of a room and have all my books around me, perfectly filed on old mahogany shelves. If you check the stats, I think that the popularity of eReaders is actually dropping, too. There are many readers deciding that, yes, they do prefer holding a nice paperback in their hands, instead of the impersonal eReader.
I appreciate that people like eReaders because they can have hundreds of books at their fingertips but I would much rather stand in the middle of a room and have all my books around me, perfectly filed on old mahogany shelves. If you check the stats, I think that the popularity of eReaders is actually dropping, too. There are many readers deciding that, yes, they do prefer holding a nice paperback in their hands, instead of the impersonal eReader.
Question 12: On one of your books, “Bjorn Free”, you feature a large bushy beard, title, author’s name and nothing else. Can you tell us what the significance is?
Answer: I design all the covers myself (some are better than others) and I like simple covers. The only real exception to this rule would be Paul Kidby who drew Sir Terry Pratchett’s. He’s an artitsè without compare. However, because I like a nice modest book cover, with the first book I used a white background and, since the book was staged in the year of the disabled wasp, the image used was a wasp. For the second book, I wanted a black background (Red for the third). As the book is all about Dwarves and the finding of their kin in a city that noticed their arrival straight away, I felt that a big beard would do the trick. The cover as a whole is simple but the beard is very detailed and, if you look at it from the right angle, an evil witch queen can be seen. It seems to work and people do tell me they like it. The cover for “Bjorn Again”, the third in the trilogy, will be designed and drawn by a real artist, all things going the direction they are.
Question 13: Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Answer: Definitely a night owl. I tend to write when everyone else has gone to their beds and can still be at it in the late hours of the morning, depending on the next day’s schedule. I find that it helps that the world is asleep and there are no distractions. I open my laptop, load up Spotify and away I go. I am totally unable to work, if there is anything else going on in the room. I get distracted too easily and so I lock myself away in my own wee writing room and shut the world out.
Question 14: What would you say your week looks like?
Answer: I am, at present, one of these struggling artists you hear about. Due to this, I have to have another job in order to make sure the heating doesn’t get cut off and that I can enjoy other luxuries such as food.
Because I have another “real” job, I try to make sure that, when I get home at night, I get as much writing in as possible. The next time I get to write may not be as fruitful.
Question 15: Do you have a website or social media, for anyone who would like to find out more?
Answer: I am mostly on Twitter, updating and sharing tips and tweets. My blog can also be viewed on Wordpress and there you will find snippets from some of my books as well as info on when new releases are due. I post the links to the blog on Twitter each and every time so, if you follow me there and set the notifications to ‘on’, then you will not be left out when the new blog entries are released…
eMail Address:
scott.blake.mcgowan@gmail.com
Wordpress
Blog:
https://authormcgowanblog.wordpress.com/
Twitter
Account: https://twitter.com/authormcgowan
Question 16: Are there any upcoming events that you are excited about?
Answer: At present, I am still excited about the release of “Bjorn Free”, second in the Bjorn Trilogy, which was released in November. It is a book that I put my whole self into and I am immensely proud of the result. Just remember to read “Bjorn & Bread”, first in the trilogy, as well.
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