Jaye Patrick

Busy

2009-07-11T15:10:00.003+10:00

Been a busy week, with family descending for the maternal influencer's 80th birthday celebrations this weekend and a faithful, senior hound demonstrating how easy it is to worry a human companion with fussy eating.

Oh, and trying to fit in watching Torchwood: Children of Earth. Tonight, of course, is the final of this five episode show, and I shall be dining out - damn it. Good thing it's repeated tomorrow.

So, I'm hoping normal scheduling will return by mid-week.

Not a velociraptor, but...

2009-07-05T15:18:00.003+10:00

I think there's a reason why humans waited before descended from the trees; nasty carnivorous dinosaurs for one. Pictured is 'Banjo'. Australoventar (though I doubt it showed much love to anything other than a mate) is six metres long and two metres at the hip with clawed hands. All the better for rending flesh...

Banjo was found with two titanosaurs sauropods - Clancy and Matilda - in an ancient billabong in outback Queensland, near Winton. The names come from renowned Australian author, Banjo Patterson, who is rumoured to have written Waltzing Matilda in Winton. Clancy and Matilda are the first, giant, long-necked dinosaurs to be discovered in Australia and all three are the first found new dinosaurs since the Muttaburrasaurus way back in 1963.

The new species, Australoventar, Wintonotitan and Dimatinasaurus will go on display at the new Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History in Winton.

Australovenator is Australia's first big predator and Banjo was found with Matilda. Did Banjo try to take down Matilda? Or did the mud drag them both to their doom?

To give you a comparison in size, Deinonychus, the largest known of the velociraptor family was 3.4 metres in length and less than a metre in height. I think Banjo would have had Dienonychus for lunch, then used the sickle-claw as a tooth pick.

According to palaentologist Dr Scott Hocknull, "There are at least 50 other sites we know that are yet to be excavated so the next 20 to 30 years in Australian dinosaur science will be very exciting."

Yep. Given Australia's list of strange animals (platypus, echidna, wombat, emu, kangaroo...) I'm guessing we're about to add to it - well, our unique species had to evolve from something...

Dashibles and other words

2009-07-02T15:02:00.003+10:00

Ya know? If this wind gets any stronger, my undies are going to end up in New Zealand by sundown! Well... I'm jus' sayin'. Having your dashibles flying around horizontal on a washing line is no easy sight.

Dashibles? Ah, I feel a story coming on. The word comes from my maternal grandmother who had a friend that constantly seemed to be in a state of deshabille, a French word for - according to my Oxford Dictionary - "being only partly or not carefully dressed". My grandmother commented that her friend was always running around in her dashibles.

I've heard others, including fire distinguishers (are they people who can tell you what type of fire?), the telling of funny antedotes (I'm guessing it's a story with a cure), people who are bespeckled (no doubt because everyone who wears spectacles - bespectacled - also have spots), emeritious (pron. emerishus) professors (learned online fellows from Mauritius, perhaps?)

And none of these are misheard, but repeated. Unfortunately one is trying to become a writer. No names, but if I got a hold of the manuscript, I'd be having a few words with the alleged writer and making copious notes. Especially about posting an excerpt with such a glaring - if humorous - malapropism to a website.

If a writer is unsure of a word, well, there's the dictionary. Use it and check. Or if you intend to post it somewhere online, get someone to look the work over. There is nothing worse than a serious excerpt being laughed at because you've used the wrong word.

And yes, I've done it myself, but never (at least, I don't think I have) posted it. In one of my works, I had a character hit someone with a clenched fish. Any fish out of water would be tense, but a clenched fist is more effective against a villain.

It is easy to do, which is why editing your work is so important. Deliberately creating a character that expresses themselves using malapropisms is fine; accidentally is not.

Hump day

2009-07-01T17:36:00.003+10:00

Wednesday and I'm working on edits; mine. I figure to be finished in the next week or two - depending on the time available. (Parental unit's 80th birthday bash coming up, so I'll be partying.)

It's been windy today, a perfect day for the washing. Trouble is, the sheets kept wrapping themselves around the wires of Hill's Hoist. I went out to fix them and what do I see? A juvenile Kookaburra sitting on one corner, barely a metre away. And what was it doing? Why, enjoying the ride! The wind blew the line around in a circle, and there's the bird, head into the wind having a hell of a time.

Shame I didn't have time to get the camera, but there you go.

I also finished Nora Roberts' Black Hills. Not a bad read. Lil Chance is a more modern and sensible woman, but Cooper Sullivan still has a stereotypical "I am de man and I make de decisions and you don't need to know why" arrogance which annoys the hell out of me.

I think the lesson is learned from Face the Fire where Mia forgives Sam wa-ay too easily and too quickly for leaving her years ago. I read the criticisms and they were mine over that, so Nora has changed the consequences in this book.

And finally, what's up with politicians accusing oppositions of "playing politics"? Not just here, but in the U.K. and the U.S.; they're politicians, it's what they do!

Clean up

2009-06-28T17:34:00.002+10:00

I spent some time in the garden today. The compost bin is three-quarters full, which may prove to be a problem in a couple of weeks. It's winter, so the mulching will take longer. There's no real heat to act as a catalyst.

My hunt for brown compost has had the added side benefit of slowly tidying the yard of leaves. Of course, we've a gardener starting in three weeks and it looks like the garden will look a lot tidier. Kind of like cleaning the house before the cleaner arrives.

This afternoon, I was into the cupboards; anyone would think it spring! It's a good thing I did, the mouse problem I thought I'd solved, isn't. The little beggars have been coming through the back of one cupboard via the top of the insulated hot water pipe. Time to break out the steel wool.

Overall, a most productive weekend in cleaning and tomorrow I shall return to the computer to fix a book ready for posting on the Scribd page.

The Sea

2009-06-25T15:14:00.003+10:00

I'm over the book writing gig for the moment - I've got a few days before I plan to post a freebie book over on Scribd. So. I can't remember if I posted this before, but it made me laugh and I thought I'd share (again, maybe):

A number of primary schools were doing a project on "The Sea."

Children were asked to draw pictures or write about their experiences. Teachers got together to compare the results and put together some of the better ones. Here are some of the descriptions of "ocean life."

1. This is a picture of an octopus. It has eight testicles. (Kelly age 6)

2. Some fish are dangerous. Jellyfish can sting. Electric eels can give you a shock. They have to live in caves under the sea where I think they have to plug themselves in to chargers. (Christopher age 7)

3. Oysters' balls are called pearls! (James age 6)

4. If you are surrounded by sea you are an Island. If you don't have sea all around you, you are incontinent. (Wayne age 7)

5. I think sharks are ugly and mean, and have big teeth, just like Emily Richardson. She's not my friend no more. (Kylie age 6)

6. A dolphin breathes through an asshole on the top of its head. (Billy age 8)

7. My uncle goes out in his boat with pot, and comes back with crabs. (Millie age 7)

8. When ships had sails, they used to use the trade winds to cross the ocean. Sometimes, when the wind didn't blow, the sailors would whistle to make the wind come. My brother said they would be better off eating beans. (William age 7)

9. I like mermaids. They are beautiful, and I like their shiny tails. How do mermaids get pregnant? (Helen age 7)

10. When you go swimming in the sea, it is very cold, and it makes my willy small. (Kevin age 6)

Because you need to know

2009-06-22T10:33:00.001+10:00

My sister sent me this and I had to share:

IMPORTANT HEALTH ADVICE FOR WOMEN.

Do you have feelings of inadequacy?

Do you suffer from shyness?

Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself and your actions. It can help ease you out of your shyness and let you tell the world that you're ready and willing to do just about anything.

You will notice the benefits of Sauvignon almost immediately and with a regimen of regular doses you can overcome any obstacles that prevent you from living the life you want to live. Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover many talents you never knew you had.

Stop hiding and start living.

Sauvignon may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use it. However, women who wouldn't mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it.

Side effects may include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, incarceration, erotic lustfulness, loss of motor control, loss of clothing, loss of money, loss of virginity, delusions of grandeur, table dancing, headache, dehydration, dry mouth, and a desire to sing Karaoke and play all-night rounds of Strip Poker, Truth Or Dare, and Naked Twister!

WARNINGS: -

* The consumption of Sauvignon may make you think you are whispering when you are not.

* The consumption of Sauvignon may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.

* The consumption of Sauvignon may cause you to think you can sing.

* The consumption of Sauvignon may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting.

* The consumption of Sauvignon may create the illusion that you are tougher, smarter, faster and better looking than most people.

Please feel free to share this important information with as many women as you feel may benefit!

Now Just Imagine What You Could Achieve With a Good Dry Merlot!!!

* * *

You know, I do love a good Merlot!

Freebie

2009-06-21T17:36:00.004+10:00

The editing project is done and resting comfortably, but the surgery went well. I'll be assessing its condition in the morning, and then releasing the book back to the parent with some medication that will probably have side effects. I'm thinking check-ups will be needed.

And now, I shall treat myself to a freebie: Paperback Writer, aka, Lynn Viehl, has posted a link to a free book by Lara Adrian.

Happy Endings

2009-06-18T14:07:00.003+10:00

Sure, it's been two years since it was shown in the U.S., but I saw the documentary "Who's Afraid of a Happy Ending" last night.

An excellent program on the world of writing romance. It had interviews with the luminaries of the field, Nora Roberts, Debbie Macomber (knitting), Eloise James, Jennifer Cruisie and Kayla Perrin, as well as people in the publishing industry and what they're looking for. Also of note was the aspiring author, Kelly Boyce and her attempts at snagging a contract. From the look on the agent's face when she read out a prepared precis, I don't think it got picked up.

Anyway, the whole program was fascinating, with different book covers slide-showing as the doco moved from one part to the next. I was rather chuffed that Lynn Viehl's Dark Need popped up.

I was surprised by how many of the books I'd read, and that some of those books are on my keeper shelf.

One thing though: I noted that one editor called Kayla Perrin an Af-Am. I know it stands for African-American, but I thought we were beyond the ethnicity of a writer? I don't care what the heritage is as long as a writer produces a good read... or is that just me?

* * *

Oh, and I posted another story over on The Takeaway.

One more year

2009-06-16T14:45:00.003+10:00

Hmmm... another year older and I'm wondering if I'm that much more wiser.

No? Okay, hand over the chocolate, nice and easy now, and we'll forget I ever mentioned it.

Novel Vomit

2009-06-13T16:07:00.003+10:00

I subscribe to Del Rey's online newsletter.

These types of newsletters are often filled with useful information and review of new releases. But with Del Rey - a subsidiary of Random House - there's an interesting sidebar: Analogy Overkill.

This month, author Kirsten Imani Kasai (whose book Ice Song is out this month) writes a small piece for Analogy Overkill called "I love you - you make me sick."

And, because the item isn't on the Del Rey website, I'm copying this from the e-mail. Better yet, Del Rey has given me permission to share, word for word, as long as I post this, too:

"The following material is being reprinted from the Del Rey Internet Newsletter. To subscribe to this free, monthly e-newsletter, visit http://www.delreybooks.com."

Job done, and now to the article:

"Writing a novel is like vomiting. Long before the event, you sense that something profound is about to happen. The story curdles within you until you are forced to expel it, in great splashing gouts, upon the page. It gushes out, astonishing you with its power. It's noxious, mesmerizing, horrifying and fascinating. You feel revulsion and relief (“I'm brilliant! I suck!”). You don't remember eating carrots. Why is it always pink? Why must you always repeat the same errors, time and again? You know better. You should remember what happened last time. The soreness, the sickness and gruesome aftermath. It's a disaster, but then a pattern emerges from your effluvia — you can detach and objectify, see it for what it is. There is some twisted beauty in the whole event. Even if you are traumatized, it's finally over. You can think again. You are wonderfully empty and clean inside, if only for the moment.

Now, just as you'd grab a bucket and sponge, your finger hovers over the delete key, and you begin to clean up the mess.

When I upchucked Ice Song there was simply too much to be contained within the covers of a single book. Spillover was poured in a second novel, Tattoo, and so it continues.

I'm in the midst of a protracted viral infection. Sorykah's story will continue to infect me until it's been purged or jumps parasitically, via print and e-reader vectors, to a multitude of new hosts. Once transferred, you too will share my delusions and dream of forests teeming with monsters and mutants, black oceans choked with ice, hear the cry of a lost and wounded Wood Beast and feel a mother's urgency to reclaim what has been stolen."

Now, don't you feel better knowing your novel is the result of explosive, projectile imagination? snicker, snicker.

Global Village

2009-06-12T19:36:00.002+10:00

It always interest me to find out where people come from who read my stuff. Is that vanity? Or curiosity?

With the advent of the internet, the world has become a much smaller place. I remember reading books B.I. (before internet), and imagining the author in the study, bashing away at a typewriter or writing long-hand; with male authors, they'd have the ubiquitous pipe in the corner of the mouth. I could see it all so clearly...

Anyway, after B.I., I began searching for authors and struck upon Holly Lisle's first site - it was the first time I actually contacted an author and I was thrilled. It was a real OMG moment. From there, it was Nora Roberts and others. The replies I received settled in my mind that authors were... friendly people and not how I imagined them: isolated, grumpy, or pompously protecting 'the work'.

So I've checked one of my pages - and I really must consolidate them - to see where readers are in the world.

Imagine my surprise by the less than typical countries of America, Australia, South Africa and England. Countries like... Burkina Faso, Bangladesh, Bahamas, Kenya, Thailand, Lithuania, Dubai, Malta.

I'm absolutely chuffed that my stories are read world-wide, but it certainly brings the world closer together.

No wonder it's called the 'Global Village' rather than a Global state, or city or town.

Eye, eye

2009-06-10T17:49:00.006+10:00

I've been short-sighted for years - oh, yeah, chuckle, chuckle, like I haven't heard that comment before - since High School, in fact.

Anee-way, I duly took myself off to the opto-guy for a check up. Turns out my long vision is unchanged, but... OMG! I need reading glasses!

Well. Roll me in the mud and call me... dirty. Reading glasses.

I don't mind wearing glasses, they've protected me from potential eye injuries on a number of occasions, but now I'm getting a second pair for that close up reading stuff.

I'm also taking the opportunity to get some fashionable ones, half the size of my usual pair so I can look over them. My standard pair have been perched on my nose for, oh, twenty odd years (and odd they've been). I'll not be changing them, they're flexible, cost a bucket and still function - I'm not one for too much of a change, nor am I fashion conscious (a fact numerous members of my family will attest to).

Now I'll be able to read the fine print.

Remember the work

2009-06-09T17:37:00.004+10:00

Popular authors often find themselves at the mercy of fans: Criticism on the direction of a series, illegal and sometimes horrible fan fiction, people wanting to know every jot and tittle of your everyday life, demands new for work as soon as possible, stalker-like behaviour...

Fortunately, that's not me... though I can dream...

But given the latest controversy over the train wreck of LKH and other authors, I found this timely quote from one of my faves, David Weber:

Keeping yourself informed of your readers' reactions is as important as remaining willing to listen to your editor's criticisms and suggestions. Ultimately, you have to be the final judge of what's going to be published over your name, but the day you decide your judgment is infallible -- that no one else has a critique or a suggestion which could improve your work -- you are no longer going to be doing the best work of which you are capable.

A writer must stay true to the story and the characters. No writer can afford to allow the nigglers and snipers to influence the work. But, and it's a big one, when hordes of fans tell a writer there's something wrong, that writer should pay attention.

Editors, too, should have a say in a writer's work; they are, after all, there to help make that work the best it can be.

You can't be precious about your work, and if you are, then keep it in a drawer to take out and gloat over every now and then.

Me, I still get a little bent out of shape when I receive stuff back - I mean, if I think it's perfect, why can't anyone else? Okay, that's the initial response and I'm learning to reign in the resentment...

It doesn't stop my consideration of proposed... adjustments, some of them... ah, most of them improve the work, though it remains my choice whether to accept the changes or not.

Bottom line, I'll be keeping the Big D.'s words in mind so I don't fall into the trap of believing my own P.R. - that way leads to deliberate, self-involved failure.

Interference

2009-06-08T16:18:00.003+10:00

I've currently got stuff in my head that I'd rather not have, thank you very much.

Angels and demons, in fact. No, not Dan Brown; I have no interest there. It's the book I'm editing. And heavy going it is, too.

No names shall I mention and the angels and demons bit is all you get. The stuff I'm talking about is all the other work I've done on this piece, the grammar, spelling and formatting, then getting into the nitty gritty of the content.

A typical edit, but when done for the day, I pick up a book to read, to enjoy and all I'm thinking about is 'oops, needs a comma there', or 'wait a minute, didn't that character go somewhere else?' or 'nope, wrong word', or 'spell check that', 'fact check here', 'new subject, new paragraph', and so the list goes on. No writer produces the perfectly constructed book. What hits the shelves is the best the writer and editors can do.

Reading led me to both writing and editing. I do not want them to meet. I do not want editing to impinge on my enjoyment of reading for pleasure. Writing and editing, sure, they can become best-buddy-pals-digger-mates. But the analytical side of me needs to stay away from the creative side.

I thought this editing job - done as a swap - would be at a similar level as my own work, but it's not. The time and concentration the book requires has tempted me to give up on it, send it back with a few comments, but a promise is a promise and I shall carry on. It is, at least, a way to teach a new author what to watch for and how to write. I do not touch style or content - that's not my job at the moment, but it may come later.

All I will say is: when you send your work to someone, make sure you read through it and make sure it's the best you can make it. Your work, your time, is just as valuable as the person's who will edit it.

There. Rant over. Was that too much? Jeez, I need coffee... and chocolate. In no particular order.

Defensible?

2009-06-05T20:09:00.003+10:00

Here's a question for you, apropos yesterday's post: Should authors defend their work?

My personal answer would be... no. Why? Because the work should speak for itself. A writer's work should encompass whatever might provoke discussion with a plot line that justifies it's inclusion. But there are some things that shouldn't be in a book.

I will agree that in a previous LKH book, the sexual torture of a young boy added to the work, that readers knew the perpetrator should die a nasty death for the action because it was unconscionable within the framework of our current societal morals.

The current controversy is the illegality of the scene with the sixteen-year-old, and whether it contributes to the story itself. I haven't read the book, so I can't comment other than to say such a scene must serve a purpose and not be simply for a 'controversial' element.

Many, for example, laud Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code as brilliant and intriguing, except... it's poorly written and has other flaws.

J.K Rowling is a master of the Tom Swiftlys and, in later books, suffered from a need to make a story as long as possible.

I don't presume to compare Laurel K. Hamilton to Brown and Rowling, far from it - Hamilton is in a league of her own for narcissism and Mary-Sue-ism - and yet all three have written works that have elemental controversy:

Brown for daring to write that Mary Magdalena was more important to Jesus than the Vatican would like Christians to believe and J.K. Rowling for writing about witchcraft, magic, and inferring it's okay to have some. Magic that is.

These two issues created discussion and argument, brought into the light those issues that many see as sacred cows and not to be trifled with. Each generated an industry of tours, fans and yet more discussion.

All I can see of LKH's latest 'cutting edge' scene is outrage, disgust and offence; not intelligent discussion of important issues. To me, it's indefensible as it adds nothing but titilation to those interested in such scenes.

Train Wreck

2009-06-04T17:27:00.003+10:00

The train wreck that is Laurell K. Hamilton continues...

This week sees the release of the seventeenth Anita Black, Skin Trade. Most reviews are either scathing or troobie-gushing.

Want some examples? Really? Oh, okay... these are from Amazon.com:

The five star ratings -

"I don't think she can go wrong with her books , all of them are great and i just enjoy the character creations, backgrounds and personalities that just make the characters come alive in each book!" Heather

"This was just one more amazing story that Laurell K Hamilton has written. I have been eagerly awaiting the release of this book and it did not dissapoint [sic]" Allan
After reading Skin Trade today, all I can say is ... Wwwwooooowwwww. (And I mean that in a good way.) There will always be a few out there who hate the way Laurell K Hamilton writes. It may be because they don't like the way her characters change (some that her characters change at all) or they don't like how her character deal with emotional issues or they don't like the pacing of her novel. I for one love the series." SBranchFlemming

And the one stars -

"Skin Trade" has a few moments of potential brilliance, but their presence only makes this sad drippy swamp all the more desolate. Disgusting, boring and frequently laughable." E.A. Solinas

"i've had enough. i have flushed enough of my hard earned dollars down this hole and i will not waste another cent on this series. in this book the sex isn't going on for pages and pages...the monotonous conversations and descriptions are.....blah blah anita's so scary...blah blah....she's so powerful....blah blah everyone wants her.... if the intention of the author was to make me despise the heroine then she has succeeded." Athena Silverwolf

"As far as I'm concerned, this series ended about 5 books back. Somewhere around book #10, this series started dying. What happened? This started out as a great series and I couldn't read the books fast enough. Now it's just dribble and pornography." D. Williams

And there's more, so much more - and little of it good. And I also note that not one of the five star reviews mention Anita, a thirty-something, having sex with a sixteen-year-old boy. Apparently, it's okay because a) it's legal in the state of Nevada, and b)The Mother of All Darkness, took Anita over to do the nasty with the boy.

I'm sorry, but... no. On so many levels, no. As a writer, there are simply some things you just don't write about. Ms Hamilton could have shown it as torture and had the heroine struggle and defeat MoAD, to resist an almost pedophillic situation. But she didn't. Instead, she showed Anita as a sexual predator; hell, you might even border on accusing Ms Hamilton of the same thing, because this is her fantasy novel.

However, I think the scene is much worse than that; I think it's the writer's own need to demonstrate how 'cutting edge' and 'controversial' she is. Given that most readers see the parallels between the characters and the writer's life, it raises some disturbing questions.

I have read a number of books in this series and thoroughly enjoyed them. It was cutting edge, original and had a fine moral conflict. But from Narcissis in Chains, the series has descended into poorly written pornography (not the erotica LKH claims), scant and unresolved plots, the emasculation of every male character, the demonising of any female character and books in dire need of a good editor - even a mediocre one would do.

Do I have a solution? Youbetcha! Edward should slaughter them all, including Anita. Or, more realistically, the vast popstar crowd of squeally girly-men Anita sleeps with should die, leaving the Vampire Hunter without solace, abandoned by the humans and a return to deeper thoughts on her actions - this time with consequences.

I'll leave you with one last quote from a review that sums it up:

"While Hamilton sprinkles in some metaphysical disasters and supernatural threats to keep things interesting, most of the book is long chapters full of bickering, whining, and Anita proving that she is the Biggest Toughest Strongest Butchest Macho Man ever to squirt testosterone out her ears." E.A. Solinas

Compost

2009-06-01T15:55:00.002+10:00

I took today off from blasting away at the keyboard (and yet... here I am, blasting away) composing short stories or anything else to do with writing.

Instead, I took myself off to a Home Composting Course.

(Insert crickets creaking.)

Yep. Composting.

Now it just so happens that I'm a climate sceptic - one of the growing number of people who don't believe climate change is man-made, but a natural cycle of the Earth's weather systems. It's not an argument I'm getting into here, though.

But my attitude does not mean I'm reckless about my local environment. Far from it. I recycle what I can, walk instead of using the car, turn off environment-friendly lights when not in a room and generally try to limit my carbon footprint.

I've done some composting, but it's not been as successful as I'd like.

Any member of my family will tell you I'm botanically challenged - I can't tell a weed from a, well, plant and I rarely remember the names of the blessed things anyway.

Shoalhaven City Council, however, is the first local council in Australia to offer this course in composting. And for a variety of reasons: it limits the amount of garbage heading for landfill, reduces the impact on the environment and saves ratepayers money in garbage collection.

Off I went. I learned lots, too, about what can and cannot go into the compost. Meat is a no-no, but I already knew that. What I didn't know was the amount of newspaper and cardboard, onions and citrus skins can go in.

Now that I have a new kitchen tidy for scraps and a large compost bin - both free with the course - I'm looking forward to putting the theories I've learned into practice. Maybe I'll even make a veggie patch - save some extra money there too.

Alas, tomorrow it's back to the writing gig, or more precisely, some editing I promised to do.

What Inspires You?

2009-05-31T13:10:00.003+10:00

The last story is done and posted. Thirty-one. One for each day - a true marathon, second only to November's manic pace.

Some are good, destined to be enlarged into books and some are... not so good; okay, they'll probably never see the light of day again.

The stories are either fantasy or sci-fi, a change from two years ago when some were set in the modern age. I'm guessing it's because I've been reading lately.

Grandmaster writer, Anne McCaffrey, once said a writer's style is based on fiction reading material. A new writer will take elements of their favourite authors and blend them into a new, personal style.

When I was younger, Anne McCaffrey was one of my idols, though I don't think I've ever written a story with dragons in it.

I've got different fav authors now, each one an inspiration and each one with different styles across a number of genres. What they have in common is they inspire me.

I'd read Marion Zimmer Bradley, Andre Norton, Patrick Tilley or Robert Heinlein and I'd have to set pen to paper; it was an imperative, an irresistible lure... like that last square of chocolate. Other writers in different genres had the same effect: Nora Roberts, Tess Gerritsen, Tami Hoag, Maggie Shayne, Dean Koontz.

Today, it's David Weber, S.L. Viehl, Rachel Caine, J.D. Robb and others. I still read all the others, but they all conspire to influence how and what I write. All manage to provoke imagination through creative use of language, of evocative imagery; to raise the question of 'what if' to another level.

Every writer needs to challenge and be challenged. For me, the story-a-day marathon and Nano does that. The May marathon in particular, because before I started my first marathon in 2004, I'd never written a short story, decided I couldn't because my focus was on much larger pieces and to write so much in so few words, I felt was beyond me.

I found I really enjoyed the work. Not just the writing, but the prompts. Some meant thinking outside the box - a significant object is an elevator; your story is set in the desert and is about vampires - or getting around historic fact - a diamond is important; your story is set in ancient times (diamonds were called 'adamas' in antiquity).

More importantly was I found I could write short stories. Some were even pretty good.

Challenge plus inspiration equals success; you don't have to be published for the equation to work, just have an open mind.

What inspires you?

End game

2009-05-29T18:21:00.003+10:00

So I have two more stories to write to complete the Forward Motion marathon.

Now comes the hard part: what to write.

After nearly a month of generator-produced prompts, the two left have me in a dilemma. Like what genre I want to write in? How long? Character profiles and so on.

This is the part of the marathon I dislike the most. I'm always tempted to carry on, although I put off a number of things in real life I need to get back to.

Still, thirty-one new stories isn't anything to sneeze at (sorry if you have the 'flu, swine or otherwise).

As luck would have it, this weekend - like today - the forecast is for wet, windy and cold conditions; just the kind of days that beg to be huddled up in front of the computer and bashing away at the keyboard.

I'm going to think of something interesting to write about, something new... come on imagination, show me whatcha got!

Simplicity

2009-05-27T16:40:00.001+10:00

Okay, so me and the desktop computer have reached an agreement: if I plug the keyboard into the right USB Port, it will work for me.

Quite simple really...

Late to the party

2009-05-25T15:36:00.003+10:00

I'm no Luddite, but it's finally dawned on me to upgrade. But not in any major way.

So, I spent the morning trying to track down the scent of melting plastic that's been hanging around the desktop computer.

I duly unplugged everything and checked all the leads - did some dusting, too - and rearranged plugs and cables, all to no avail. I could not find the problem.

Defeated, I put everything back and fired up the computer to see if it was just the dust (you know how dust bunnies are: feral, belligerent, ferocious). Everything worked perfectly... until I tried to log into my main e-mail account.

Uh-oh. No keyboard. Yer... what?? Nothing I did would connect the damn thing - it kept asking me for the software. Now, I keep all my software CDs filed, but do you think I could find the blessed thing? No. Not. HAPPY!! At all.

I shut everything down and went away to think about it. Have coffee, will brainstorm.

The solution was simple: "Use the laptop, my young Padwan, yooose the laptop!"

So I've connected the laptop to the broadband and I'm somewhat mollified. Of course, most people I know have rid themselves of the bulky tower unit and separate monitor; not me, I like the beast, but I fear it's time is at an end.

Sure, I'll find the keyboard software, but is it worth it? The system is slowing - my guess, because I can no longer get the automatic upgrades I need - installing new hardware, like a motherboard, extra ram, memory, etc, will be expensive since it's been, oh, four years since the last upgrade, and I have a perfectly good laptop that's less than eighteen months old.

I'll be saving space, too, and power connections, and I have mobility with the smaller unit.

This means I'm catching up with the modern trend of the laptop and printer only on a desk. All I need do now is remove the files, and bookmarks, I need from the desktop unit and move them.

Bummer.

Oh, and the burned plastic smell? I'll be damned if I can find it!

The Quintessential Aussie

2009-05-23T16:22:00.004+10:00

Marina over at Pecked by Ducks expressed puzzlement over what 'uniquely Australian' might mean.

I think I have part of the answer.

In today's edition of The Sydney Morning Herald is a story entitled: Wedgies and petty theft tie up consular staff.

To quote Tim Elliott's story:

Touching up a Singapore Airlines flight attendant, giving drinkers 'wedgies' at Oktoberfest and pilfering bar mats from Phuket bars. Australians love to travel and are, it seems, finding ever more unorthodox ways of extending time overseas - even if it means bunking down in the lock up.

"Australians go everywhere, and everywhere they go they get into trouble," a senior official from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says. "It makes you proud."

It's the last comment that made me smile. It's the type of innocent, carefree roguishness, otherwise known as larrikinism, that identifies an Aussie abroad. Such behaviour is rarely malicious, more filled with mischief in the pursuit of a good time. We are, after all, the children of a penal colony, like Americans are the children of Puritans. That essential beginning colours our upbringing in a societal way.

Not that everyone has ambitions of petty larceny here or that all Americans are prudes. No, it's the ideology that sinks in through osmosis. (Okay, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.)

But it's difficult to translate that type of persona onto the written page; that positively identifies a character as being Australian unless a writer states as much.

For example, a southern drawl anywhere else means Texas or Louisiana, a southern state. Here, it's Victorian or Tasmanian - and we do have subtle variations on our accents - though you have to listen carefully.

I've read a number of books with Australian characters, though not Sandra McDonald, and I've been vaguely disappointed in the characterisation and speech patterns. But to write about a true Australian character, and there are many, would render the piece nearly indecipherable to overseas markets.

It's not just words like car boot (trunk), torch (flashlight), garbage bin (trash can), flats (apartments), chemist (pharmacy) and other words, it's the phrases as well, the comparative lexicon: dry as a burnt chip, up and down like a bride's nightie (or fiddler's elbow, if you want to be polite), flat out like a lizard drinking, the frog and toad, a dog's eye and sauce, a dangler or a jiggler.

Not the old cultural cringe, either, but an evolution of language. An Australian is laconic, a master of the understatement and the bleedin' obvious.

No wonder I love this country, for all it's idiosyncrasies and the harmless, innocently funny behaviour of its' people.

Melting

2009-05-22T18:41:00.005+10:00

I shift my work between a desktop PC and the laptop. One is attached to broadband, and the other to dial-up.

Lately, though, every time I turn the PC on, there's a faint whiff of hot plastic, as if something is about to have a meltdown. I don't think that's a good thing, is it?

I haven't had the opportunity to get under the desk to see if it's cord or connection or something else entirely, so I've been using the laptop and the dial-up. Not so bad, but I like the comfort of my desk and chair, of being able to lean back and contemplate what I've written.

The lap top is on a table, not surrounded by my reference texts and the chair is just plain uncomfortable - not conducive to writing.

Still, until I find the source of the smell, I can't do much else, though I know I could use the laptop down there.

I have another distraction, too, whose name is S.L. Viehl.

I thought to sit down and read, but... no new books (I'm economising, don't you know), so I looked in my bookcase. Ah, Blade Dancer and the kick-butt, don't-mess-with-me Jory.

So, of course, I want more! I'll have to settle (snicker, snicker) for the StarDoc series and try to concentrate on the rest of the marathon, work and real life, while waiting for Crystal Healer to come out in August.

New Store

2009-05-19T11:42:00.007+10:00

I was interested to see Scribd now offers the opportunity to buy uploaded books.

According to the press release, posted on Marketwire, Scribd is offering authors 80 percent of revenue. A nice little earner. For example, Douglas Clegg's Afterlife, sells for $3.50, has been read by 31,000 people. That's $108,000 in sales and $86,000 for Mr Clegg (note: I don't know how long the book has been for sale at the store, so in truth, it may not have earned anything. I'm just working on the figures available, but you get the idea). Like I said, a nice little earner.

Scribd is the largest social publishing arena in the world, so it has a lot of clout. Immediacy and economy being the biggest two. An author doesn't have to wait months or a year for their work to appear on the shelves, readers don't have to wait and both enjoy the economic benefits: An author, because they will get a larger slice of the pie, and the reader because they don't have to fork out big bucks in an industry where the publisher sets the price to cover their own costs first.

It's environmentally friendly, too. No more tonnes of returned books for paper bleaching and recycling.

But... there's another side to the issue: the quality of the available works, for one. Anyone can upload documents - I do - and the editorial quality on a lot of works is dubious at best, shockingly ill-educated at worst (grammar and spelling seem to be a burden few wish to carry any more).

Then there's the periphery of the industry: the booksellers, artists, editors, copy-editors, agents, deliverymen. And book tours... think about how that wouldn't work.

As with book stores, how much you earn depends on how many people buy your work, but the potential is both spectacular for authors to take back their earning rights and disastrous for the standard publishing industry.

Is this the way of the future and what are book publishers going to do about it? What can they do?