S.L. Viehl's Blog, page 159
June 16, 2012
A Request
I've been trying all day to think of humorous spin I could put on the story of this dude who deliberately shot himself to promote his book, but it disturbs me on so many levels that I can't think about it without feeling sick. There is nothing wrong with self-publishing, or self-promoting, or taking a shot at any dream you have. Everyone has the right to pursue their dreams. Taking a shot at yourself because you think it's a nifty shortcut to fame/fortune/success, however, is not the way to get there.
Writing is a solitary art, and I've always been grateful to the internet for making it less lonely. When I was chasing my dreams I didn't have other writer people to hang with, so for me it's always been a privilege to be here. I practically witnessed the birth of the online writing community, from the first day I logged on to Prodigy and started reading the message boards back in '94. At the time I was too shy and scared to talk to anyone, but it still seemed like a miracle, to be able to read other writers' stuff and follow discussions and know that it wasn't just me doing this.
When digital self-publishing became available for free to anyone, I knew it would change the industry. I even made some predictions about it. I also saw this evolution/revolution dividing the writing community into separate camps, exactly as e-book publishing did when it joined the market twelve years ago, and that happened, too. Sometimes I get so disgusted with the name-callers and the snobbery and this "every writer for themselves" attitude that I start thinking everyone in the industry is like that, and I know they're not. You all have taught me that.
Reading the story about the guy who shot himself for self-promotion confused me. I thought to do something like that he must have no friends at all. Or if he does, he doesn't talk to them anymore. Or he got so caught up in this crazy idea that he cut himself off from everyone. I don't know. I'm a pretty solitary, independent soul, but even I can't wrap my head around it.
Anyway, because of this story I come to you today with a favor to ask. It's not a big one, and it will only cost you a few minutes of your time. When you have a chance, get in touch with someone else in the writing or reader community. It doesn't matter who it is; pick someone you know at random if you like. Send them an e-mail, drop a comment on their blog, Twitter them, Facebook them, whatever is convenient for you. And when you do this, try to share something positive. Tell them a joke. Recommend a great book you've just read. If you can't think of anything, ask how things are going with them. Basically, be their online friend.
For all the changes we're going through, we're not alone in this. We are a community, and we do care about each other, and sometimes I think we need to be reminded of that.
Writing is a solitary art, and I've always been grateful to the internet for making it less lonely. When I was chasing my dreams I didn't have other writer people to hang with, so for me it's always been a privilege to be here. I practically witnessed the birth of the online writing community, from the first day I logged on to Prodigy and started reading the message boards back in '94. At the time I was too shy and scared to talk to anyone, but it still seemed like a miracle, to be able to read other writers' stuff and follow discussions and know that it wasn't just me doing this.
When digital self-publishing became available for free to anyone, I knew it would change the industry. I even made some predictions about it. I also saw this evolution/revolution dividing the writing community into separate camps, exactly as e-book publishing did when it joined the market twelve years ago, and that happened, too. Sometimes I get so disgusted with the name-callers and the snobbery and this "every writer for themselves" attitude that I start thinking everyone in the industry is like that, and I know they're not. You all have taught me that.
Reading the story about the guy who shot himself for self-promotion confused me. I thought to do something like that he must have no friends at all. Or if he does, he doesn't talk to them anymore. Or he got so caught up in this crazy idea that he cut himself off from everyone. I don't know. I'm a pretty solitary, independent soul, but even I can't wrap my head around it.
Anyway, because of this story I come to you today with a favor to ask. It's not a big one, and it will only cost you a few minutes of your time. When you have a chance, get in touch with someone else in the writing or reader community. It doesn't matter who it is; pick someone you know at random if you like. Send them an e-mail, drop a comment on their blog, Twitter them, Facebook them, whatever is convenient for you. And when you do this, try to share something positive. Tell them a joke. Recommend a great book you've just read. If you can't think of anything, ask how things are going with them. Basically, be their online friend.
For all the changes we're going through, we're not alone in this. We are a community, and we do care about each other, and sometimes I think we need to be reminded of that.
June 15, 2012
No-Nos for the Nasty
Ten Excuses for Your Paranormal Heroine Not to Have Sex with Your Paranormal Hero
A hell-gate will open and release a demon army to ravage the earth, starting with the two dummies snoring in the bed just in front of the hell-gate.
Any child born of such a union is guaranteed to become the Anti-Christ. P.S., Ms. Absent-Minded keeps forgetting to take the pill she was prescribed to regulate her monthlies.
As sworn enemies, their people are consumed by eons of pent-up frustrations and hostilities, but prevented from battling by an iron-clad truce that can be broken only if one side is caught physically fraternizing with the other.
Either the hero or the heroine will lose their abilities, which the other will absorb, turn evil and use to destroy the planet.
Her virginity was promised long ago to the Prince of Darkness, who is also her fiance, eats heroes for a mid-morning snack and has set up a closed-circuit monitoring system in her headboard.
He has long been lusted after by an insanely jealous and incredibly powerful stalker, who has been posing as a harmless family friend while bugging his phone, GPS'ing his car, and keeping a silent alarm on that condom tucked in his wallet.
His manly sweat/her delicate sheen will cause the other partner to shift into a mindless, ravenous, slavering beast-demon with razor-sharp talons/teeth/scales, and whose last meal was a quivering, stringy, under size rabbit two months ago.
Mom and Dad be demi-gods who hath sworn to guard their only child's pulchritude by any means necessary, and smite unto death anyone who messeth with it.
She is unaware that she possesses a glittering but secretly evil hoohah that will suck the soul/life/goodness out of the hero, and then laugh while his lifeless husk withers away.
The obnoxious immortal deity, who needed a little leverage to insure her subjects' chastity, gave permission for a "Will They Do It?" pool, the winner of which will be awarded an indestructible sword of immense power against which there is no defense. P.S., the villain picked tonight.
A hell-gate will open and release a demon army to ravage the earth, starting with the two dummies snoring in the bed just in front of the hell-gate.
Any child born of such a union is guaranteed to become the Anti-Christ. P.S., Ms. Absent-Minded keeps forgetting to take the pill she was prescribed to regulate her monthlies.
As sworn enemies, their people are consumed by eons of pent-up frustrations and hostilities, but prevented from battling by an iron-clad truce that can be broken only if one side is caught physically fraternizing with the other.
Either the hero or the heroine will lose their abilities, which the other will absorb, turn evil and use to destroy the planet.
Her virginity was promised long ago to the Prince of Darkness, who is also her fiance, eats heroes for a mid-morning snack and has set up a closed-circuit monitoring system in her headboard.
He has long been lusted after by an insanely jealous and incredibly powerful stalker, who has been posing as a harmless family friend while bugging his phone, GPS'ing his car, and keeping a silent alarm on that condom tucked in his wallet.
His manly sweat/her delicate sheen will cause the other partner to shift into a mindless, ravenous, slavering beast-demon with razor-sharp talons/teeth/scales, and whose last meal was a quivering, stringy, under size rabbit two months ago.
Mom and Dad be demi-gods who hath sworn to guard their only child's pulchritude by any means necessary, and smite unto death anyone who messeth with it.
She is unaware that she possesses a glittering but secretly evil hoohah that will suck the soul/life/goodness out of the hero, and then laugh while his lifeless husk withers away.
The obnoxious immortal deity, who needed a little leverage to insure her subjects' chastity, gave permission for a "Will They Do It?" pool, the winner of which will be awarded an indestructible sword of immense power against which there is no defense. P.S., the villain picked tonight.
June 14, 2012
Network Your Notebook
I'm off again taking care of some work stuff. In the meantime, while hunting around for any online alternatives for the novel notebook, I found this freeware:
Piggydb is "a Web notebook application that provides you with a platform to build your knowledge personally or collaboratively. With Piggydb, you can create highly structural knowledge by connecting knowledge fragments to each other to build a network structure, which is more flexible and expressive than a tree structure. Fragments can also be classified with hierarchical tags. Piggydb does not aim to be an input-and-search database application. It aims to be a platform that encourages you to organize your knowledge continuously to discover new ideas or concepts, and moreover enrich your creativity" (OS: Multi-platform, requires Java Runtime Environment.)
I'm going to test drive it when I have a chance and I'll report back on how it works for me. If you collaborate online with a writing or creative partner, and need to build a novel notebook or series bible, this freeware might be particularly useful.
Piggydb is "a Web notebook application that provides you with a platform to build your knowledge personally or collaboratively. With Piggydb, you can create highly structural knowledge by connecting knowledge fragments to each other to build a network structure, which is more flexible and expressive than a tree structure. Fragments can also be classified with hierarchical tags. Piggydb does not aim to be an input-and-search database application. It aims to be a platform that encourages you to organize your knowledge continuously to discover new ideas or concepts, and moreover enrich your creativity" (OS: Multi-platform, requires Java Runtime Environment.)
I'm going to test drive it when I have a chance and I'll report back on how it works for me. If you collaborate online with a writing or creative partner, and need to build a novel notebook or series bible, this freeware might be particularly useful.
June 13, 2012
Free Quilt Design Online
I rarely see any free online stuff for quilters, so I'm going to hijack today's post for my quilter pals and anyone out there who likes to sew and design.
The August '12 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting has some interesting patterns in it, and while I was figuring out yardage for a neat maze quilt I noticed a little ad on the page for "free online quilt design" with something called Quilter's Toolbox. The advertiser, Thousands of Bolts, also called it "a new way to shop for fabric."
I figured it was some kind of fabric picker thing, but I decided to visit the site and see what the deal was. Turns out they offer an actual block and quilt generator that you use with swatches of fabrics you can buy from the site. Once you register and choose the fabrics you like (it's free, and you just add the fabrics you like to your wishlist) you can begin using the toolbox right away.
The toolbox, which allows you to drop-and-drag fabric swatches from your wishlist into a variety of patchwork block templates, is extremely cool and very easy to use. In less than a minute after registering I designed this:
The block design screen looks like this:
And when you drag and drop your fabric choices, changes to this:
Once you're happy with your quilt block, you can then use it to design a quilt:
You can save your block and quilt designs, keep them private, or share them with the site's community, which makes it an excellent generator for friends or groups who want to collaborate on the piece. This is also so incredibly neat for anyone who has ever wanted to try quilt designing by computer but didn't want to invest in the pricey design software. It's most definitely a new and excellent way to shop for fabric.
To use the toolbox, I recommend you watch the two-part video tutorial first (part one is here and part two is here). Also, if you don't have a pattern for or know how to make the block you're designing, no worries there -- click on the little blue question mark beside "Quilt Block Instructions" at the bottom of your wishlist window and complete instructions on how to make the block will come up on your screen.
The August '12 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting has some interesting patterns in it, and while I was figuring out yardage for a neat maze quilt I noticed a little ad on the page for "free online quilt design" with something called Quilter's Toolbox. The advertiser, Thousands of Bolts, also called it "a new way to shop for fabric."
I figured it was some kind of fabric picker thing, but I decided to visit the site and see what the deal was. Turns out they offer an actual block and quilt generator that you use with swatches of fabrics you can buy from the site. Once you register and choose the fabrics you like (it's free, and you just add the fabrics you like to your wishlist) you can begin using the toolbox right away.
The toolbox, which allows you to drop-and-drag fabric swatches from your wishlist into a variety of patchwork block templates, is extremely cool and very easy to use. In less than a minute after registering I designed this:
The block design screen looks like this:
And when you drag and drop your fabric choices, changes to this:
Once you're happy with your quilt block, you can then use it to design a quilt:
You can save your block and quilt designs, keep them private, or share them with the site's community, which makes it an excellent generator for friends or groups who want to collaborate on the piece. This is also so incredibly neat for anyone who has ever wanted to try quilt designing by computer but didn't want to invest in the pricey design software. It's most definitely a new and excellent way to shop for fabric.
To use the toolbox, I recommend you watch the two-part video tutorial first (part one is here and part two is here). Also, if you don't have a pattern for or know how to make the block you're designing, no worries there -- click on the little blue question mark beside "Quilt Block Instructions" at the bottom of your wishlist window and complete instructions on how to make the block will come up on your screen.
June 12, 2012
The Art of Making
I'm taking off today to take care of some business. To make your stop here worthwhile, do check out this video by Dimitris Ladopoulos, who creates short but gorgeous films about people who make things by hand. This one features the crafting of a flamenca guitar (with the same music playing in the background):
June 11, 2012
O Boy
About three months ago I started receiving O, Oprah Winfrey's print magazine, in the mail. I have no idea why, either. I didn't subscribe to it, and everyone who might have purchased a gift subscription for me swears they didn't (any of you want to confess? E-mail me, it's driving me crazy.)The magazine is very nice, as big and glossy as the lady herself, with lots of pictures. Unfortunately I'm not too interested in fashion, make-up, changing my throw pillows monthly, or the wisdom imparted by Dr. Phil or Dr. Oz or Finance Suze. Celebrity experts make me too nervous; I'd rather stick to the garden variety who aren't worried about their next close-up. I've also never watched Oprah (even back in the eighties when I did watch some television, I skipped it) so all of the show references are likewise lost on me.
I wanted to get something out of this magazine, so I've checked out the recipes in each issue. While they're very photogenic and apparently quite nutritious, my family would not willingly consume any of them. Some of them I don't think my crew would touch even if you held them at gunpoint. Imagine my guy coming home after a long, hot day working in noisy equipment rooms to the delights of grilled peaches with yogurt and pistachios, or the perfect summer salad of heirloom lettuces, wild arugula and fennel drizzled in a apple cider vinegar/raw garlic/Dijon mustard-based dressing. I can almost hear him asking me if my menopause has restarted just before he sneaks out for Bob Evans.
On a side note, when did lettuce go heirloom? I thought they only did that to the poor tomatoes. Is no vegetable safe from these people?
Of course then there are the books. Oprah does love books, and there is plenty to be read about what you should be reading. The July '12 issue is jammed packed with recommendations, articles, a bunch of cute young thang authors all dressed up pretty, and the inevitable beach reads (perverse soul that I am, I hardly ever read anything at the beach; I pick up shells, take pictures of the birds and check out the really interesting graffiti.) Oprah has also started a new book club, which seems to be the e-book version of the old club.
I don't buy the books that Oprah recommends, and I think I know why; simply reading the blurbs depresses me. Not that I have anything against books of the horrible-personal-event-that-I-bravely-survived sort, or the horrible-ficitional-event-that-ends-very-badly-for-everyone-involved-but-should-make-you-feel-better-about-your-crap-life-unless-you're-so-depressed-after-reading-the-book-that-you-decide-to-end-it variety. Evidently these alligator tear jerkers are considered moving and inspirational, so if that's your poison, by all means, drink it.
Actually I have read one book that Oprah recommended some years back with Ye Old Book Club, a book she in fact made very famous (not because she did; I had to read it as kind of a professional courtesy. Long story.) When I limped to the finish of that one -- and it was one long-ass nightmare of a slog, let me tell you -- I felt a bit like a deer frozen in the headlights of an unmanned freight train carrying several dozen tanker cars filled with corrosive toxic chemicals about to derail and wipe out a town in Pennsylvania. For only the second time in my life I wanted to shout at everyone I knew to run from a book.
Since the Os started arriving I've been sticking them in the guest room, but honestly, I don't want my guests reading this stuff. I have no heirloom lettuces, no arugula, no pistachios. And I hate yogurt. After Dad died I didn't shoot up heroin or walk my way across the Pacific Northwest, tempted though I was. My poor opinion of O's content could be envy-born, though. I mean, the tremendous amount of thought and research and craft that must be involved in writing such classic articles as $30 Bag! $15 Ring! $40 Dress! is frankly beyond me and my modest writing superpowers. Yes, I think that's probably it. I'm jealous.
When it comes to gifts I know it's the thought that counts, and I am genuinely touched that someone thought enough of me to send me a subscription to O. If that is the case, it didn't turn out to be a good match, but maybe next time you could check the gift-script box for Archaeology or National Geographic or even Popular Mechanics. Until then, I thank you on behalf of me and all the patients waiting in the lobby at my physical therapist's office, who will be reading my Os from now on.
June 10, 2012
Hang Me Ten
Ten Things I Made Into a Slideshow
(because no one will believe this without proof)
(because no one will believe this without proof)
June 9, 2012
A Virtual Free Editor
According to the designer's website, SmartEdit is "an automated tool that scans your finished novel or your work in progress and highlights areas that might need closer attention. It runs five individual checks, such as highlighting words or phrases marked by you for monitoring, counting the different dialog tags you have used, and searching out over-used phrases, words and clichés. It's not a word processor - its sole purpose is to assist you when you edit your work, much like a grammar or spell checker."
At present it's available as freeware for Windows 7, Vista & XP, so any of you with those systems who would like a free editing program might want to give this one a test drive.
At present it's available as freeware for Windows 7, Vista & XP, so any of you with those systems who would like a free editing program might want to give this one a test drive.
June 8, 2012
In Demand
Educational book publisher Saddleback has announced that they've partnered with On Demand Books to make their catalog titles available via On Demand's Expresso Book Machine, currently the only digital-to-print service with which customers can push a button and print, bind and trim a paperback book in under four minutes (a .pdf of the press release can be read by clicking here.)
When I read this I had one of those glimpse-of-the-future moments and imagined EBMs or something like them in every book store in the country. If all publishers made their catalogs available to print on demand in this fashion, customers could walk up, pick a title, press a button and have a new copy of any book they want in a couple minutes. It would redefine the brick and mortar store; reducing the number of physical copies they'd have to carry while making every book available (no more waiting a week for the store to get a copy from a distributor or their warehouse.)
I'd like to see the same kind of partnership evolve between On Demand and independent authors who want to sell print copies of their digitally-published works. Having these titles made available via EBMs would relieve the author of having to invest in printing and storing physical copies plus dealing with the ordering/payment/shipping headaches. It would also eliminate the portion of the profits the author currently has to pay online booksellers for selling print copies; the EBM would be a soup-to-nuts solution. We just need more EBMs now.
When I read this I had one of those glimpse-of-the-future moments and imagined EBMs or something like them in every book store in the country. If all publishers made their catalogs available to print on demand in this fashion, customers could walk up, pick a title, press a button and have a new copy of any book they want in a couple minutes. It would redefine the brick and mortar store; reducing the number of physical copies they'd have to carry while making every book available (no more waiting a week for the store to get a copy from a distributor or their warehouse.)
I'd like to see the same kind of partnership evolve between On Demand and independent authors who want to sell print copies of their digitally-published works. Having these titles made available via EBMs would relieve the author of having to invest in printing and storing physical copies plus dealing with the ordering/payment/shipping headaches. It would also eliminate the portion of the profits the author currently has to pay online booksellers for selling print copies; the EBM would be a soup-to-nuts solution. We just need more EBMs now.
June 7, 2012
Winner
Making journals is one of my favorite arts, so I really enjoyed reading all the suggestions you guys offered for the Art of Journaling giveaway. I hope everyone will get a chance to try out an idea or two in the future, too.
We cranked up the magic hat tonight, and the winner is:
Atropa, who wrote: I once thought of making a journal/photo album for a friend of mine out of CDs.
Atropa, when you have a chance please send your full name and ship-to address to LynnViehl@aol.com so I can get your package out to you. My thanks to everyone for joining in.
We cranked up the magic hat tonight, and the winner is:
Atropa, who wrote: I once thought of making a journal/photo album for a friend of mine out of CDs.
Atropa, when you have a chance please send your full name and ship-to address to LynnViehl@aol.com so I can get your package out to you. My thanks to everyone for joining in.
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