Shanna Swendson's Blog, page 146
October 7, 2015
Fun with Phone Scammers
I'm starting to gain some momentum in the book. I know revisions will be needed, especially on the beginning, as it takes some time to get back in the swing of it. But I met my word count goal for the day yesterday, as well as my time spent writing goal. I don't know how well I'll do today, as it's a choir day, but I don't have to teach tonight because it's a children's service instead, so I don't have to do lesson plans and I don't have to be there as early.
My writing progress might be even better if it weren't constantly interrupted by scam phone calls. The "Windows Technical Support" guys have been really busy the last couple of days, with me getting multiple calls per day. Even if it weren't a well-known scam that's been written about in newspapers and online, I'd know it had to be a scam because I've never owned a Windows machine. At first, I was just laughing at them, pointing out that I knew it was a scam, then hanging up, but after three calls in one night, I decided to start having fun with them.
First, I put on my sweet Southern little old lady voice and with that "bless your heart" tone said, "I bet your mama is so proud of you for scamming old people like this." It confused him, and he hung up. With the next call, I immediately launched into "Amazing Grace" at full voice, which really confused him. He actually let me get through the whole first verse, going, "Hello? Hello?" I think he thought it was an answering machine. I told him I was praying for his soul, which was in jeopardy because he was scamming people like this. He hung up.
I have several more routines in mind. The game is to make them be the one to hang up, and every second they're on the phone with me, that's one less call they can make to someone else who might not be aware of what's going on.
If I do "Amazing Grace" again, I think I need to do it in a higher key. I was in alto range, and there's no point in being a soprano if you can't shred the ears of a phone scammer. And hey, if some of the words sink in and trigger any kind of conscience, so much the better. I'd love to keep these guys from being able to sleep at night.
Still, it's annoying when my phone is ringing every half hour or so. Even if I had Caller ID and didn't answer, the ring of the phone is distracting. I guess I could turn off the ringer during writing time. I should let my family know to call my cell during those hours, as I can put it on silent and see who's calling, so it's less of a distraction. I'm actually considering looking into getting phones I can link with my cell to use as a household phone (so I don't have to remember to carry the cell from room to room) and ditching the land line because in a few months, I not only will have phone scammers but also political pollsters and "vote for me" calls to contend with. The only problem is that I've had this phone number for more than 20 years, and it would be a pain remembering all the places I'd need to change it.
My writing progress might be even better if it weren't constantly interrupted by scam phone calls. The "Windows Technical Support" guys have been really busy the last couple of days, with me getting multiple calls per day. Even if it weren't a well-known scam that's been written about in newspapers and online, I'd know it had to be a scam because I've never owned a Windows machine. At first, I was just laughing at them, pointing out that I knew it was a scam, then hanging up, but after three calls in one night, I decided to start having fun with them.
First, I put on my sweet Southern little old lady voice and with that "bless your heart" tone said, "I bet your mama is so proud of you for scamming old people like this." It confused him, and he hung up. With the next call, I immediately launched into "Amazing Grace" at full voice, which really confused him. He actually let me get through the whole first verse, going, "Hello? Hello?" I think he thought it was an answering machine. I told him I was praying for his soul, which was in jeopardy because he was scamming people like this. He hung up.
I have several more routines in mind. The game is to make them be the one to hang up, and every second they're on the phone with me, that's one less call they can make to someone else who might not be aware of what's going on.
If I do "Amazing Grace" again, I think I need to do it in a higher key. I was in alto range, and there's no point in being a soprano if you can't shred the ears of a phone scammer. And hey, if some of the words sink in and trigger any kind of conscience, so much the better. I'd love to keep these guys from being able to sleep at night.
Still, it's annoying when my phone is ringing every half hour or so. Even if I had Caller ID and didn't answer, the ring of the phone is distracting. I guess I could turn off the ringer during writing time. I should let my family know to call my cell during those hours, as I can put it on silent and see who's calling, so it's less of a distraction. I'm actually considering looking into getting phones I can link with my cell to use as a household phone (so I don't have to remember to carry the cell from room to room) and ditching the land line because in a few months, I not only will have phone scammers but also political pollsters and "vote for me" calls to contend with. The only problem is that I've had this phone number for more than 20 years, and it would be a pain remembering all the places I'd need to change it.
October 6, 2015
The Rebel Mechanics Memory Lane
I've written the first chapter of the next Rebel Mechanics book, and I've found myself walking down memory lane as I get reacquainted with these characters and this world. I was writing the first draft of the first book around this time five years ago. Although I've been doing work on it off and on over that time span, it's still taking me a little time to slip back into that mode.
I've been thinking about some of my original plans vs. what actually came to pass. For instance, I originally was really going to try to do a somewhat gothic Jane Eyre kind of story mixed in with the steampunk plot, with the dark and mysterious employer up to potentially shady things. I read a lot of the Brontes and a number of other classic gothic novels while I was brainstorming the book. And then once I started the development and actual writing, it all went straight out the window. Henry turned out to be about as far from a Rochester as you can get, aside from having a secret. There's not really anything brooding about him. I ended up switching from that to more of a Scarlet Pimpernel kind of situation, except with him being a nerd instead of a fop. If you've read the book, just try imagining Henry as a brooding, dark gothic hero.
I do have an idea in mind for a more gothic kind of book, but the hero isn't the dark, brooding one. We'll see what happens when I start writing it, though.
Olive's name was originally Alice, a la Alice in Wonderland, but I realized that on the page that looked too much like Alec, which would get confusing, so I had to rename her. Botanical names were very popular in that era, and I already had Flora, so Olive got her name because it was something botanical but something that's actually useful and less frivolous than a flower. I'd already developed the character and written the first few chapters when I started directing children's choir, but there was a little girl in my first kindergarten choir who became my mental model for Olive as the book developed. She's now in fifth grade, playing piano solos for children's services and getting lead roles in children's musicals, and I'm friends with her mom. Her personality and looks turned out a bit different from what I would have expected from the way she was as a kindergartener (not in a bad way, just different). It's a little hard to get back to picturing the way Olive is in the book because in my head she's grown up, but I did find some video I took of that choir on my old cell phone, so I've got a reminder of what I had in mind back then.
Come to think of it, I still have a drawing she made me in kindergarten on the side of my refrigerator. I also have baby pictures of a girl who's now in high school. I should probably update my refrigerator art gallery.
In part because of the Jane Eyre thing, I'd always planned my heroine to be a governess, but that's also a position that makes for easier storytelling in this kind of setting. It allows a very young woman to be somewhat independent and to mix with different kinds of people. A big theme of the book is being caught between worlds and not fitting in anywhere, and the governess position illustrates that. She's not really considered to be a servant, but she's not a member of the family. She's not actually a member of the upper class, but those are the people she spends most of her time around. A lot of the rest of her background came when I went with some friends to a "Victorian Elegance" antique show. One dealer had some boxes of old photos, most of them portraits that looked like the sort of thing people might have had done at department store studios. We started flipping through the photos and making up backgrounds for the people, and I felt a little sad that they were being sold like this to strangers instead of being with their families. There was one portrait of a young woman that really struck me. I couldn't just leave her there, so I bought the photo, and my friend said she looked like a professor's daughter. That was when things clicked, and I knew she was my Verity, and I knew her background. Her name was Verity from the start. I never even had to look for names because I just knew that's who she was.
Now to write chapter two ...
I've been thinking about some of my original plans vs. what actually came to pass. For instance, I originally was really going to try to do a somewhat gothic Jane Eyre kind of story mixed in with the steampunk plot, with the dark and mysterious employer up to potentially shady things. I read a lot of the Brontes and a number of other classic gothic novels while I was brainstorming the book. And then once I started the development and actual writing, it all went straight out the window. Henry turned out to be about as far from a Rochester as you can get, aside from having a secret. There's not really anything brooding about him. I ended up switching from that to more of a Scarlet Pimpernel kind of situation, except with him being a nerd instead of a fop. If you've read the book, just try imagining Henry as a brooding, dark gothic hero.
I do have an idea in mind for a more gothic kind of book, but the hero isn't the dark, brooding one. We'll see what happens when I start writing it, though.
Olive's name was originally Alice, a la Alice in Wonderland, but I realized that on the page that looked too much like Alec, which would get confusing, so I had to rename her. Botanical names were very popular in that era, and I already had Flora, so Olive got her name because it was something botanical but something that's actually useful and less frivolous than a flower. I'd already developed the character and written the first few chapters when I started directing children's choir, but there was a little girl in my first kindergarten choir who became my mental model for Olive as the book developed. She's now in fifth grade, playing piano solos for children's services and getting lead roles in children's musicals, and I'm friends with her mom. Her personality and looks turned out a bit different from what I would have expected from the way she was as a kindergartener (not in a bad way, just different). It's a little hard to get back to picturing the way Olive is in the book because in my head she's grown up, but I did find some video I took of that choir on my old cell phone, so I've got a reminder of what I had in mind back then.
Come to think of it, I still have a drawing she made me in kindergarten on the side of my refrigerator. I also have baby pictures of a girl who's now in high school. I should probably update my refrigerator art gallery.
In part because of the Jane Eyre thing, I'd always planned my heroine to be a governess, but that's also a position that makes for easier storytelling in this kind of setting. It allows a very young woman to be somewhat independent and to mix with different kinds of people. A big theme of the book is being caught between worlds and not fitting in anywhere, and the governess position illustrates that. She's not really considered to be a servant, but she's not a member of the family. She's not actually a member of the upper class, but those are the people she spends most of her time around. A lot of the rest of her background came when I went with some friends to a "Victorian Elegance" antique show. One dealer had some boxes of old photos, most of them portraits that looked like the sort of thing people might have had done at department store studios. We started flipping through the photos and making up backgrounds for the people, and I felt a little sad that they were being sold like this to strangers instead of being with their families. There was one portrait of a young woman that really struck me. I couldn't just leave her there, so I bought the photo, and my friend said she looked like a professor's daughter. That was when things clicked, and I knew she was my Verity, and I knew her background. Her name was Verity from the start. I never even had to look for names because I just knew that's who she was.
Now to write chapter two ...
October 5, 2015
Little Things
My yoga teacher had an appendectomy a couple of weeks ago, so this morning's class was restorative yoga, focused on relaxing and breathing, rather than actual exercise. As a result, I feel so relaxed I could go right back to sleep. But I need to get over that because there are errands to run and then there's writing to do.
My big weekend project was putting together the new TV stand and redoing my bedroom entertainment center. It now really looks like I've entered the 21st century, with a flat-panel HDTV instead of the 13" tube TV that was in my college dorm room. Not that I've actually watched anything in there.
Meanwhile, I must admit that I'm loving the DVR. They're showing "classic" Doctor Who late at night on PBS, so I recorded that Saturday and watched it for my lunch/newspaper viewing Sunday. I also grabbed a cheesy Hallmark movie that was on at a time I didn't really want to watch it, to have handy when I'm in the mood for that sort of thing. I was able to record the new show on PBS that was opposite Once Upon a Time, and I'm very glad I recorded Once Upon a Time because OnDemand doesn't let you fast forward, and this episode was a classic example of how that show can be very good and very awful at the same time. I'll want to rewatch the good parts but there are parts it would be best never to have to see again. I haven't used it a lot for being able to skip most of the commercials after starting something late, but I have used it for those times I want to watch something live but am not able to catch the very beginning. I'll be making use of that Thursday night when Haven premieres, and I'll be just getting home from dance class. I'll be able to take a quick shower without worrying about missing the first two minutes.
The other thing likely to fill it is documentaries. There are so many cool things on channels like Smithsonian or National Geographic that are on at awkward times, and this gives me a way to watch them when I feel like it. Those channels are on the tier that I wasn't able to record on the VCR because they require the converter box, and the converter box doesn't have an output that goes into the VCR.
We're getting our first taste of fall-like weather, but wouldn't you know it, I've had places to be in the mornings when it's nice and cool. I do plan to do my writing outside this afternoon, though, thanks to my new laptop stand that allows me to get the computer at just the right height.
It's amazing how such little things can make such a big improvement in life. My next plan is to get my bedroom entirely in order so it feels like a hotel room. I may not be able to keep the rest of the house like that, but if I can keep the bedroom that way, it might do.
My big weekend project was putting together the new TV stand and redoing my bedroom entertainment center. It now really looks like I've entered the 21st century, with a flat-panel HDTV instead of the 13" tube TV that was in my college dorm room. Not that I've actually watched anything in there.
Meanwhile, I must admit that I'm loving the DVR. They're showing "classic" Doctor Who late at night on PBS, so I recorded that Saturday and watched it for my lunch/newspaper viewing Sunday. I also grabbed a cheesy Hallmark movie that was on at a time I didn't really want to watch it, to have handy when I'm in the mood for that sort of thing. I was able to record the new show on PBS that was opposite Once Upon a Time, and I'm very glad I recorded Once Upon a Time because OnDemand doesn't let you fast forward, and this episode was a classic example of how that show can be very good and very awful at the same time. I'll want to rewatch the good parts but there are parts it would be best never to have to see again. I haven't used it a lot for being able to skip most of the commercials after starting something late, but I have used it for those times I want to watch something live but am not able to catch the very beginning. I'll be making use of that Thursday night when Haven premieres, and I'll be just getting home from dance class. I'll be able to take a quick shower without worrying about missing the first two minutes.
The other thing likely to fill it is documentaries. There are so many cool things on channels like Smithsonian or National Geographic that are on at awkward times, and this gives me a way to watch them when I feel like it. Those channels are on the tier that I wasn't able to record on the VCR because they require the converter box, and the converter box doesn't have an output that goes into the VCR.
We're getting our first taste of fall-like weather, but wouldn't you know it, I've had places to be in the mornings when it's nice and cool. I do plan to do my writing outside this afternoon, though, thanks to my new laptop stand that allows me to get the computer at just the right height.
It's amazing how such little things can make such a big improvement in life. My next plan is to get my bedroom entirely in order so it feels like a hotel room. I may not be able to keep the rest of the house like that, but if I can keep the bedroom that way, it might do.
October 2, 2015
The Ikea Excursion
I made my expedition to the Ikea store this morning. Wow. That's just a whole different world. I knew what I wanted, but I did wander the showroom instead of going straight to the warehouse. It's fun to look at the displays and drool over all the perfect organizational stuff. I had to restrain myself in the housewares department because I could have gone crazy. Most of their furniture isn't really to my taste, but their dishes and glassware are right up my alley.
I ended up with the TV stand I went for and a laptop stand I've been looking at in the catalog. Then I got a scented candle that was too cheap and too nice-smelling to pass up, plus a good, large rolling pin (it's hard to do good pies with the mini one I have), a plastic cutting board (mine are at the end of their lifespan), a cooler bag that was on clearance (for grocery shopping in hot weather without having to haul around the cooler), and a nifty sewing kit full of gadgets (couldn't resist -- most of my sewing tools are scattered and outdated). And then there were Swedish meatballs for lunch.
My kitchen desperately needs redoing, so I was kind of drooling at those displays. I love a lot of their office stuff. But I haven't decided yet what I'm going to do about my house situation, so I don't want to invest a lot in that sort of thing. But I do need a new bedroom lamp and it looks like they have some neat things, and it looks like a good place to get a sewing table, if I ever get my office in good enough shape to set up a sewing area.
And the housewares. Ah. I found myself mentally planning fantasy dinner parties. And I'm not even a dinner party kind of person. I started thinking of the showroom as a "lifestyle museum."
Now to go put together my new laptop stand so I can sit on the patio and work. It's the perfect weather for that sort of thing.
I ended up with the TV stand I went for and a laptop stand I've been looking at in the catalog. Then I got a scented candle that was too cheap and too nice-smelling to pass up, plus a good, large rolling pin (it's hard to do good pies with the mini one I have), a plastic cutting board (mine are at the end of their lifespan), a cooler bag that was on clearance (for grocery shopping in hot weather without having to haul around the cooler), and a nifty sewing kit full of gadgets (couldn't resist -- most of my sewing tools are scattered and outdated). And then there were Swedish meatballs for lunch.
My kitchen desperately needs redoing, so I was kind of drooling at those displays. I love a lot of their office stuff. But I haven't decided yet what I'm going to do about my house situation, so I don't want to invest a lot in that sort of thing. But I do need a new bedroom lamp and it looks like they have some neat things, and it looks like a good place to get a sewing table, if I ever get my office in good enough shape to set up a sewing area.
And the housewares. Ah. I found myself mentally planning fantasy dinner parties. And I'm not even a dinner party kind of person. I started thinking of the showroom as a "lifestyle museum."
Now to go put together my new laptop stand so I can sit on the patio and work. It's the perfect weather for that sort of thing.
October 1, 2015
Getting Set Up
I got the initial opening of the new book done, and then I got page proofs for the new Fairy Tale book, so that's what I'll be doing today. I'm planning a Friday write-a-thon to really kick off the new book and try to get some momentum, after a morning trip to Ikea to get a new TV stand so I can set up my new bedroom entertainment system that I likely won't use often. But the TV is getting in my way sitting on the floor, and I want to get things in order.
I have to admit that I'm a little afraid of Ikea. It sounds like a place where I could easily get lost for hours. But in my research, it seems to be the only place where I can find just what I want at a minimal price (since I don't want to invest too much in configuring a house I'll likely be leaving within a year or so). I need a stand or table large enough to hold my TV on top, and with at least one shelf below to hold the cable box and DVD player, but without being too big. They have one with the right dimensions. But getting out of Ikea with just a TV stand may be the challenge. Actually, they also have a laptop stand that I've been eyeing. And some kitchen stuff I covet. I've read their catalog but have never been in one of their stores. Their furniture style isn't really to my taste (I'm more traditional/Victorian), but the organizational stuff calls out to my well-suppressed inner neat freak. It will be an adventure. Possibly one involving Swedish meatballs.
And then there will be writing, oh yes.
Meanwhile, I'm trying to brainstorm a title for the new story. I think I'm going to leave it as a short story, just the way it is, and I have a couple of primary markets picked out for submitting. Then I'll need to research secondary markets if it doesn't sell there and determine where the likely benefit cut-off ratio lies. I'm not so much worried about how much money it will make as I am about audience size, since I'm looking at this as advertisement. But when a market is at a point where I'm not sure of the audience size, then the benefits switch around to where maybe I could make more money and reach a bigger audience by selling it myself. But first, I do need a title.
I got a slow start this morning as I guess I needed to recover from last night. We had so much pushing and even biting with the preschoolers that we didn't get to play with the parachute, like I planned. And then I had to actually sing a solo in choir practice, in front of the choir. I hadn't practiced in a while because I was so busy last week, but I think I did okay for a first time in front of people.
Now, time to get my nitpicker on and look at page proofs.
I have to admit that I'm a little afraid of Ikea. It sounds like a place where I could easily get lost for hours. But in my research, it seems to be the only place where I can find just what I want at a minimal price (since I don't want to invest too much in configuring a house I'll likely be leaving within a year or so). I need a stand or table large enough to hold my TV on top, and with at least one shelf below to hold the cable box and DVD player, but without being too big. They have one with the right dimensions. But getting out of Ikea with just a TV stand may be the challenge. Actually, they also have a laptop stand that I've been eyeing. And some kitchen stuff I covet. I've read their catalog but have never been in one of their stores. Their furniture style isn't really to my taste (I'm more traditional/Victorian), but the organizational stuff calls out to my well-suppressed inner neat freak. It will be an adventure. Possibly one involving Swedish meatballs.
And then there will be writing, oh yes.
Meanwhile, I'm trying to brainstorm a title for the new story. I think I'm going to leave it as a short story, just the way it is, and I have a couple of primary markets picked out for submitting. Then I'll need to research secondary markets if it doesn't sell there and determine where the likely benefit cut-off ratio lies. I'm not so much worried about how much money it will make as I am about audience size, since I'm looking at this as advertisement. But when a market is at a point where I'm not sure of the audience size, then the benefits switch around to where maybe I could make more money and reach a bigger audience by selling it myself. But first, I do need a title.
I got a slow start this morning as I guess I needed to recover from last night. We had so much pushing and even biting with the preschoolers that we didn't get to play with the parachute, like I planned. And then I had to actually sing a solo in choir practice, in front of the choir. I hadn't practiced in a while because I was so busy last week, but I think I did okay for a first time in front of people.
Now, time to get my nitpicker on and look at page proofs.
September 30, 2015
Getting Started
When someone I'm talking to learns I'm a writer, one of the most common things to happen next is the person saying they've always wanted to write, but they don't even know where to start. Since I'm in the process of starting a book, I thought that would be a good topic to address.
A book or story starts with the germ of an idea. There's something that makes you want to tell this story. It might be a character, a scene, a "what if" scenario, a concept, a message, a setting, a punchline, or anything else that lights up your brain. What you do next will depend on what kind of writer you are. There are people who will sit down and start writing at that point and figure out along the way what the story is. Since you don't know what kind of writer you are until you write, you can try that and see what happens. But don't get frustrated if you end up stuck or rambling. You'll have learned something about the way you work. Then you can try another method.
I generally find that I need to flesh out my germs of ideas before I can go anywhere with them. If a character came into my head, I need to figure out what kind of setting would be right for this person, what this person wants, and how that's affecting what's going on with this person. If it's a setting that sparks the idea, then I need to think of the kinds of people who might live there. And so forth. How you go about this kind of brainstorming depends on what works for you. I generally have a lot of idea scraps floating around in my head, and I take them out to play with every so often, usually while I'm taking a walk, washing dishes, driving cross-country, or lying in bed as I fall asleep or wake up. I don't start doing serious development work until the idea fragments feel developed enough that I can see a story taking shape. There are times when this can take years, or it might all come together with a quick snap.
For more formal brainstorming, you can try techniques like mind mapping, where you start with your idea and branch off related ideas. Some people do physical collages to uncover more details about the idea. Or you could just make lists of things that occur to you. Once you have a little more detail, enough for the story to have a general shape, you might see that you need to do some research on the setting, professions, time period, technology, or whatever other elements are at work in your story. That will give you more ideas.
From there, you might try starting to write again, but if you're still stuck, don't worry. Some people need to plan and plot. Do detailed development work on the key characters you've identified and start outlining a plot. Some people go all the way to storyboarding individual scenes. If it's your first attempt at writing a story, it's mostly about finding the way you work and learning just what it takes for you to be able to write. There's no better or worse way to write. You're only judged on the final product, and no one needs to know how you got there. You don't get bonus points for just sitting down and being able to whip out a novel based on a vague idea, nor do you get bonus points for doing lots of preparation work. The bonus points come in having a great story that readers enjoy.
So how do you start? Just start. Try writing a first line. You can always change it. If you can't think of a first line or an opening scene, step back and do some planning and plotting and then try again. Keep at it until you have a completed story. Then on your next attempt, you'll have a better sense of what works for you and what steps you need to take to be ready to write.
A book or story starts with the germ of an idea. There's something that makes you want to tell this story. It might be a character, a scene, a "what if" scenario, a concept, a message, a setting, a punchline, or anything else that lights up your brain. What you do next will depend on what kind of writer you are. There are people who will sit down and start writing at that point and figure out along the way what the story is. Since you don't know what kind of writer you are until you write, you can try that and see what happens. But don't get frustrated if you end up stuck or rambling. You'll have learned something about the way you work. Then you can try another method.
I generally find that I need to flesh out my germs of ideas before I can go anywhere with them. If a character came into my head, I need to figure out what kind of setting would be right for this person, what this person wants, and how that's affecting what's going on with this person. If it's a setting that sparks the idea, then I need to think of the kinds of people who might live there. And so forth. How you go about this kind of brainstorming depends on what works for you. I generally have a lot of idea scraps floating around in my head, and I take them out to play with every so often, usually while I'm taking a walk, washing dishes, driving cross-country, or lying in bed as I fall asleep or wake up. I don't start doing serious development work until the idea fragments feel developed enough that I can see a story taking shape. There are times when this can take years, or it might all come together with a quick snap.
For more formal brainstorming, you can try techniques like mind mapping, where you start with your idea and branch off related ideas. Some people do physical collages to uncover more details about the idea. Or you could just make lists of things that occur to you. Once you have a little more detail, enough for the story to have a general shape, you might see that you need to do some research on the setting, professions, time period, technology, or whatever other elements are at work in your story. That will give you more ideas.
From there, you might try starting to write again, but if you're still stuck, don't worry. Some people need to plan and plot. Do detailed development work on the key characters you've identified and start outlining a plot. Some people go all the way to storyboarding individual scenes. If it's your first attempt at writing a story, it's mostly about finding the way you work and learning just what it takes for you to be able to write. There's no better or worse way to write. You're only judged on the final product, and no one needs to know how you got there. You don't get bonus points for just sitting down and being able to whip out a novel based on a vague idea, nor do you get bonus points for doing lots of preparation work. The bonus points come in having a great story that readers enjoy.
So how do you start? Just start. Try writing a first line. You can always change it. If you can't think of a first line or an opening scene, step back and do some planning and plotting and then try again. Keep at it until you have a completed story. Then on your next attempt, you'll have a better sense of what works for you and what steps you need to take to be ready to write.
September 29, 2015
Catching Up
I have now survived this year's convention season. FenCon went by in something like a blur and extended into Monday, as I took one of our guests to the airport yesterday morning. And then I collapsed. I may say more about the convention once I've had a chance to process it.
In other news, I still haven't managed to get the DVR activated. I ended up putting the old converter box back on so I could watch TV, and then I didn't want to deal with it yesterday. Maybe I'll try again today because there are two things I want to watch at the same time tonight. If they fail today, I may just give up and decide it wasn't meant to be.
One thing I did accomplish yesterday between naps was booking a fall vacation. I did a lot of hypothetical trip planning a few weeks ago and found something I thought might work. Then I realized that I'd been visualizing it as though it was a done deal and figured I'd better book it because apparently this location does tend to fill up. I've had it recommended from multiple sources. So, in early November I'll be heading out to do outdoorsy stuff. It's about as close as I will come to camping, though there's a real bed, indoor plumbing, refrigerator and microwave, Wi-Fi, and satellite TV. But there's also hiking, canoeing and maybe even horseback riding.
I'm planning to use this as a reward for finishing a book. Today I will start writing words on the Rebel Mechanics sequel, and I've figured that if I stick to my productivity goals, I can finish a draft before this trip. That way I can use the trip as rebooting time before starting work on revisions or on something else, depending on what happens with the publisher.
I read my new story at FenCon and got some good feedback on it, but I'm still not sure exactly what to do with it. It may have to wait until I finish this book.
And that's it for now. I will collect my thoughts and have more coherent things to say about the convention later.
In other news, I still haven't managed to get the DVR activated. I ended up putting the old converter box back on so I could watch TV, and then I didn't want to deal with it yesterday. Maybe I'll try again today because there are two things I want to watch at the same time tonight. If they fail today, I may just give up and decide it wasn't meant to be.
One thing I did accomplish yesterday between naps was booking a fall vacation. I did a lot of hypothetical trip planning a few weeks ago and found something I thought might work. Then I realized that I'd been visualizing it as though it was a done deal and figured I'd better book it because apparently this location does tend to fill up. I've had it recommended from multiple sources. So, in early November I'll be heading out to do outdoorsy stuff. It's about as close as I will come to camping, though there's a real bed, indoor plumbing, refrigerator and microwave, Wi-Fi, and satellite TV. But there's also hiking, canoeing and maybe even horseback riding.
I'm planning to use this as a reward for finishing a book. Today I will start writing words on the Rebel Mechanics sequel, and I've figured that if I stick to my productivity goals, I can finish a draft before this trip. That way I can use the trip as rebooting time before starting work on revisions or on something else, depending on what happens with the publisher.
I read my new story at FenCon and got some good feedback on it, but I'm still not sure exactly what to do with it. It may have to wait until I finish this book.
And that's it for now. I will collect my thoughts and have more coherent things to say about the convention later.
September 24, 2015
Important Convention Preparation
It's a pre-con day, so I'm busy with important preparations. Like baking cookies. And trying to get my new DVR set up.
Yeah, I decided to take the plunge, since I'll be out this weekend and the fall season premieres are all hitting Sunday night, and the new digital format means my VCR now can only be programmed for one channel. I'm not sure how much I'll end up using it, but I'm giving it a try. Except that it won't set up. There's apparently an outage in my area that prevents it from being activated.
So I guess I'll be picking the show I most want to record Sunday night and setting the VCR, unless it gets fixed before I leave Friday morning. At least they're giving me a bill credit for this. The nice thing about it, when/if it ever starts working, is that the DVR is considered an extra on top of the cable service I get through my HOA. I don't get any reduction in the cost for it as a replacement for the regular converter box, which means I get to keep the converter box and use it on my bedroom TV. Not that I watch TV that often in my bedroom, but if I do have a burning desire to watch HBO in bed, I'll be able to do so.
I've told myself that it will be a huge timesaver, allowing me to skip through commercials and work my TV viewing around my writing time. We'll see. There's no contract, so if I decide it's not worth it, I can take it back. I know myself. I'll work extra hard to feel like I'm "earning" it, which might make it worthwhile, in and of itself.
Ah, the tricks I play on my mind.
Anyway, I'm off soon to go pick one of the guests of honor up from the airport and then go help set up the convention. I suppose I ought to give both myself and my car a shower first.
Yeah, I decided to take the plunge, since I'll be out this weekend and the fall season premieres are all hitting Sunday night, and the new digital format means my VCR now can only be programmed for one channel. I'm not sure how much I'll end up using it, but I'm giving it a try. Except that it won't set up. There's apparently an outage in my area that prevents it from being activated.
So I guess I'll be picking the show I most want to record Sunday night and setting the VCR, unless it gets fixed before I leave Friday morning. At least they're giving me a bill credit for this. The nice thing about it, when/if it ever starts working, is that the DVR is considered an extra on top of the cable service I get through my HOA. I don't get any reduction in the cost for it as a replacement for the regular converter box, which means I get to keep the converter box and use it on my bedroom TV. Not that I watch TV that often in my bedroom, but if I do have a burning desire to watch HBO in bed, I'll be able to do so.
I've told myself that it will be a huge timesaver, allowing me to skip through commercials and work my TV viewing around my writing time. We'll see. There's no contract, so if I decide it's not worth it, I can take it back. I know myself. I'll work extra hard to feel like I'm "earning" it, which might make it worthwhile, in and of itself.
Ah, the tricks I play on my mind.
Anyway, I'm off soon to go pick one of the guests of honor up from the airport and then go help set up the convention. I suppose I ought to give both myself and my car a shower first.
September 23, 2015
The New Muppets: Needs More Heart
So, the fall TV season has begun, and last night was the premiere of the latest incarnation of the Muppet Show. I want to love it, I was a bit afraid of it, and after watching the first episode, I have decidedly mixed feelings. I think it can work, but it might need some tiny bits of tweaking.
I think that a The Office-style mockumentary about the production of a late-night talk/variety show is a brilliant way to move the concept of The Muppet Show into the 21st Century. That gives them a reason to bring in guests and have acts while also getting to showcase the interrelationships among the Muppets. It allows us to have Statler and Waldorf in their usual position as hecklers, Miss Piggy being a star, and Kermit trying to hold it all together. Fozzie as the studio announcer and The Electric Mayhem as the house band are perfect.
I'm actually quite glad that Kermit and Miss Piggy have broken up. I never understood that relationship, and not just because of the frog/pig thing (I figure they're all Muppets, a species unto themselves, so species doesn't really count). Basically, it was always an abusive relationship. Piggy was so self-centered and demanding and got violent when she didn't get what she wanted, and Kermit always seemed so terrified of her. Even when I was ten, I knew there was something wrong with that. In this incarnation, Piggy is exactly the same as she always was, but the show acknowledges that this is terrible behavior and Kermit admits that it made for an unhappy relationship.
However, I think they may be trying a bit too hard to be edgy. The Muppets aren't edgy. Even when they're being weird and out there and making socially relevant commentary, they're not edgy. The new show seems to be missing some of the goofy sweetness and optimism that was always at the heart of the Muppets. This new Muppets doesn't seem like a world where "The Rainbow Connection" could ever be sung unironically. Way too much of the pilot episode was focused on the characters' sex lives, and I'd really rather not think about the Muppets having sex lives. There also wasn't as much emphasis on the show itself or the interaction of the guest stars with the Muppets.
But I think the concept is good enough that it can be fixed. Keep the show focused entirely on the making of the show and just the bits of their personal lives that spill over into the workplace. No side trips for dates. The entire subplot of Fozzie meeting his human girlfriend's parents was a waste of airtime and not at all funny (and, again, I don't want to think about the sex lives of puppets, and that inter-species thing actually does become an issue when one member of a couple is a puppet bear and the other is a human woman). Show more of the show or the making of the show, more of the celebrity guests dealing with the world of the Muppets. Bring back more of the joy, hope, and optimism and, most of all, the heart that have made this world so much fun since the beginning.
I think that a The Office-style mockumentary about the production of a late-night talk/variety show is a brilliant way to move the concept of The Muppet Show into the 21st Century. That gives them a reason to bring in guests and have acts while also getting to showcase the interrelationships among the Muppets. It allows us to have Statler and Waldorf in their usual position as hecklers, Miss Piggy being a star, and Kermit trying to hold it all together. Fozzie as the studio announcer and The Electric Mayhem as the house band are perfect.
I'm actually quite glad that Kermit and Miss Piggy have broken up. I never understood that relationship, and not just because of the frog/pig thing (I figure they're all Muppets, a species unto themselves, so species doesn't really count). Basically, it was always an abusive relationship. Piggy was so self-centered and demanding and got violent when she didn't get what she wanted, and Kermit always seemed so terrified of her. Even when I was ten, I knew there was something wrong with that. In this incarnation, Piggy is exactly the same as she always was, but the show acknowledges that this is terrible behavior and Kermit admits that it made for an unhappy relationship.
However, I think they may be trying a bit too hard to be edgy. The Muppets aren't edgy. Even when they're being weird and out there and making socially relevant commentary, they're not edgy. The new show seems to be missing some of the goofy sweetness and optimism that was always at the heart of the Muppets. This new Muppets doesn't seem like a world where "The Rainbow Connection" could ever be sung unironically. Way too much of the pilot episode was focused on the characters' sex lives, and I'd really rather not think about the Muppets having sex lives. There also wasn't as much emphasis on the show itself or the interaction of the guest stars with the Muppets.
But I think the concept is good enough that it can be fixed. Keep the show focused entirely on the making of the show and just the bits of their personal lives that spill over into the workplace. No side trips for dates. The entire subplot of Fozzie meeting his human girlfriend's parents was a waste of airtime and not at all funny (and, again, I don't want to think about the sex lives of puppets, and that inter-species thing actually does become an issue when one member of a couple is a puppet bear and the other is a human woman). Show more of the show or the making of the show, more of the celebrity guests dealing with the world of the Muppets. Bring back more of the joy, hope, and optimism and, most of all, the heart that have made this world so much fun since the beginning.
September 22, 2015
Where I'll Be at FenCon
I spent much of yesterday editing video and now have a rough cut. I just need to do some precision trimming on the cuts and mix in the good audio. Our production is a little makeshift, since the camera records audio but doesn't have a microphone jack, so the audio isn't that good. So we use a separate audio recorder with a good boom microphone, and then I match the sound with the video in editing. That's actually pretty easy on the computer because it shows the waveform of the camera sound and the separate sound, and I just have to match them up, then mute the camera sound.
And then I need to apply these skills to doing more book-related videos.
But that will have to come after the convention this weekend. There's so much to do!
If you're in the North Texas area (or are open to traveling on a whim), come to FenCon this weekend. Here's what I'll be doing. At my reading, I'll be debuting a brand-new story. There will also be cookies (probably my infamous Exploding Cookies). The story is long enough that there won't be time for discussion during that session, but the discussion can continue to my autographing session immediately afterward. This is a story that could end up being taken in some different directions, so I'll be doing a bit of focus grouping. I don't know if this is something I can just let stand alone as a complete short story, if it's the beginning of a full novel, or if the middle of it can be fleshed out a bit for it to be a novella.
Of course, any work on this story will have to wait until I get a book proposal written, but that will happen after the convention.
And then I need to apply these skills to doing more book-related videos.
But that will have to come after the convention this weekend. There's so much to do!
If you're in the North Texas area (or are open to traveling on a whim), come to FenCon this weekend. Here's what I'll be doing. At my reading, I'll be debuting a brand-new story. There will also be cookies (probably my infamous Exploding Cookies). The story is long enough that there won't be time for discussion during that session, but the discussion can continue to my autographing session immediately afterward. This is a story that could end up being taken in some different directions, so I'll be doing a bit of focus grouping. I don't know if this is something I can just let stand alone as a complete short story, if it's the beginning of a full novel, or if the middle of it can be fleshed out a bit for it to be a novella.
Of course, any work on this story will have to wait until I get a book proposal written, but that will happen after the convention.
