some writing

So I have neglected to find more links or make other posts because I am in the process of writing stories. Somehow I got into my head that I could be a speculative fiction writer instead of just a fan. I’ve been writing a lot in and around my work schedule.

I went through documents that accrued over four years of school and found a decent stash of story gems, so I took one of them and started running with it. I’ve written about 6k words since last week, and I think I have the basic frameworks of the story in place. It’s nice to see that. The hard part now is going through and making sure the continuity makes sense and the story says what I want it to say without second-guessing my choice of language or general skill as a writer (and then going on and messing up the story with over-editing or giving up completely). I’d say I’m 2/3rds done. It’s a short story.

After I finish it, I’m going to ship it off to a few people to read. If they don’t say, “Augh, this is terrible,” or even if they do, I will try to incorporate some of their comments into the piece and then ship it off to various spec fic magazines. This is my plan, and is also why I have been and may continue to be lax in updating.

Things you learn from British SF

My friend over at liniment & lead posted a fun list of thirty things you learn from current British SF:

05. Creepy people are creepy for a reason. Children are automatically creepy and are much more prone to accepting contact from alien life, hostile or otherwise.

06. Sometimes humans are the most alien of all.

07. Never question someone immortal, nearly immortal, or just bloody old. Especially if he has really great hair.

Also posted are some interesting limericks.

Comic writing vs screenplays

A little early morning linking for your pleasure and my late-for-work.

Mark Waid, writer of um… comics, shares some thoughts on the differences between screenwriting and comic writing:

Screenwriter walks into my office. Famous, one of the two or three whose name is as instantly recognizable to movie fans in Iowa as it is to us Left Coasters. And he’s immediately on my good side because the first words out of his mouth are not “so I have this pitch for a supernatural western,” but, rather, “I know how to write for film but I don’t know how to write for comics, and I presume there’s a difference.”

…

The single most important difference between a screenplay and a comic book script is that a comic story is made up of frozen moments. Screen stills. Snapshots.

Read more thoughts over at Kung Fu Monkey.

I read an interesting blog on screenwriting written by John August, writer of Big Fish and a few other notable movies. He answers lots of interesting “how do I” questions and also writes about the industry. He was doing some good blogging on the writer’s strike at the beginning of 2008. Visit JohnAugust.com.

Technology failures

On Wednesday, I saw a bus with the destination “CHECK FILE”.

Clearly, the diagnostic and the destination use the same display, and someone wasn’t paying attention.

For more such errors, check out Revealing Errors, a blog by Benjamin Mako Hill (another Hampshire grad, but before my time). Says Mako, “Our goal is to reveal errors that reveal the technology around us to learn how technology affects our lives.” It’s a very interesting.

Gunnerkrigg Court by Tom Siddell

I read a couple of webcomics regularly. I find that most try my patience a lot of the time and please me sometimes. Either they don’t update regularly or often, or when they do update, the plot doesn’t move.

Let me explain a little of my tastes. I read webcomics with plot, primarily. Those single shot humor ones are fine every now and then (except I needs my xkcd), but I don’t live for them. Comics like Girl Genius and Order of the Stick are great stories. Unfortunately in those particular comics, the plot comes and goes, and sometimes it devolves into stupid silliness.

However, there is one comic I read that has never done that, not ever. Gunnerkrigg Court by Tom Siddell is a comic about a girl named Antimony Carver who comes to a boarding school and has adventures. It’s far more awesome than Harry Potter. Antimony and her friends are way more interesting. I think I’ve talked about it before, but I want to reiterate how awesome it is.

Tom’s story started strong, and has remained so. It’s an episodic story. Each adventure is a chapter, each chapter is some twenty to thirty pages long. None have been boring, and even the slightly silly ones had substance and character development. It’s nothing like Girl Genius or Order of the Stick when they decide to be silly.

(The dialog over at Studio Foglio must have gone something like this:
“Gosh, our story is going pretty damn awesome. Look how gripping it is!”
“I know! And we have so many things to reveal and twists to plot.”
“But wait, our ACME Sillymeter is reading below 100%!”
“How can this be! Whatever can we do?”
“Eureka! Let’s strip them down to their underwear and have them dance in the streets with mops on their heads! Then we don’t have to make more plot until after Christmas.”
“Phil, you’re brilliant.”)

As much as I want you to read it for the story, I want you to read it for the art. The art has grown and changed a since the beginning. The mood and tone are the same, but Tom’s skill at portraying his characters has improved significantly. It started passable, and for quite a while was good enough. The current chapter of the story I would begin to describe as beautiful.

The best part is, it updates Monday, Wednesday, Friday without fail.

Start here.

Link #5 — On art as a career choice

My dad sent a really interesting article on art and making money from the New York Times, Transforming Art Into a More Lucrative Career Choice:

Some artists have begun to figure out ways to make money and make art — aiming to end the notion that “starving” and “artist” are necessarily linked.

Rather than seeing art as something to pursue in the hours when they are not earning a living, these artists are developing businesses around their talents. These artists are part of a growing movement that has caught the attention of business experts and is being nudged along by both art and business schools.

It’s an interesting article and thought provoking article. When you look at the world through the lense of promoting your skills in engaging and creative ways, there are a lot of possibilities that show up.

I’m interested in what you do with your art. What is your art — writing, drawing, painting, fabric, sculpture, music, circus, cooking? Do you promote it as a business, or is it a hobby? How do you incorporate it into your life — do you share it with friends, do you practice it in the company of others or by yourself?

Lindsay’s Future

I hope Lindsay joins the Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists.

Link #3 — Death of Aktaion

I know it’s a bit late, but this pumpkin is amazing. My friend Soph carved it for Halloween. Wow.

It’s based on this:

Link #4 — The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee

I don’t know how it came up in conversation, but this is one of my newfound favorite blogs on the internet. Until now the links I’ve been blogging have been sitting in my browser, passing the test of time, for weeks. I think this is too important and adorable, so I must share it.

Says the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee Blog:

Who are these kitties?
The Itty Bitty Kitties are foster kittens that come to us from the Tacoma/Pierce County Humane Society. We care for the babes until they are old enough to be adopted, then we find them loving homes.

What is the IBKC blog all about?
The IBKC blog follows the daily lives of our foster kittens and Charlene Butterbean, our resident cat. Occasionally we feature other kittens being fostered by our friends.

So basically these folks get to play and love and care for a bunch of foster kittens. Then the kittens get adopted and they get new kittens! It’s helpful to the local Humane Society, and adorable! Plus, they post the most beautiful pictures. It only strengthens my desire for kittens.

Their flickr stream is adorable as well.

Hands

In my job teaching gymnastics, I hold a lot of little kids’ hands. They walk on balance beams, they jump into the pit, they line up behind me; they hold my hand. Often they can only grip one or two of my fingers, or their hand fits entirely inside my palm and my fingers wrap down their wrist. They reach for me for safety when I ask them to step outside their comfort zone. Some hold loosely — to them I’m a gentle reassurance. Others hold tight — without me they would surely lose their balance and fall.

Every time I hold a child’s hand, I think of hands I’ve held. One set of hands I think of are my father’s:

I remember my hands only able to grip one or two of his fingers. They were always big and strong, the hands that I hoped to have when I grew up. Now, when small children reach for me, I wonder what they see, what they feel.

What do you think of when you hold hands with someone? Have you ever held mine? What do they make you think of?

(This is reposted from my livejournal.)