Possibly the most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen done with water. Discovered this video via i09. Strange, eh? Anyone know of any other bizarre art forms? (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)
I was recently reading this post regarding what might be a change in the way publishing works around these parts (these parts being everywhere) and it got me thinking: maybe there will be a change, but that change might actually be a bad thing.The author of the post I linked sites examples within music (Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead) in which the musicians bypassed the traditional route (record labels) and recorded/published their work themselves. The problem I see with the argument is that these aren’t good examples of “self-publishing” within the music industry. Both NIN and Radiohead were popular before they broke from their labels. Granted, NIN had a lot of issues with the music industry from the get go, but they were still popularized while with a label. They’re not good examples of folks bypassing traditional routes and becoming popular. But that’s really not directly related to what is being argued.The argument is that the introduction of services like Lulu and Amazon’s version of self-publishing (plus loads of other sites offering free publishing services using a POD model) now allows a lot of folks to publish without incurring the cost during the process (mostly, since you do have to pay a small fee to be able to distribute via Amazon and what not). But will this become a means by which everyone goes to bypass publishing traditions? Even a better question is whether it should?Well, for obvious reasons the first question is pretty much answered. Folks are using Lulu and such. They are self-publishing their work and distributing it. This is good and bad at the same time. It’s good because there are authors who simply can’t get with a traditional publisher because they write niche stuff, and now such authors have a place they can publish without paying a year’s worth of wages for printing. I just finished a book that had this very issue that was self-published and it was actually a fantastic read, in all honesty. But that also means that loads and loads of horrible garbage is printed that wouldn’t be picked up by a real publisher even if it were the proper genre/style. I’ve been exposed to this too. In fact, there has been a recent feud over at YWO regarding this very subject: one young author published his book and could not take the criticism offered by those that did not share his enthusiasm of greatness. This author has, of course, gone off the deep end and begun attacking me on Twitter as well, seeing how I was apparently the most brutal of the bullies, when really I only submitted that his book was horribly written, because it was (it was practically unreadable and just because you self-published something doesn’t make you a great writer).I have a lot of issues with the inclusion of the ease of self-publishing. My main problem is that it’s a self-damning process. Yes, there are going to be a few fantastic books done through Lulu, and likewise there will be many good books, but for every one fantastic book there are about two hundred wretched books, and that leaves it to the customer to wade through all the crap just to find something that is even readable. At least when you go to Borders or B&N you know that the vast majority of things in the store are at least edited, copy edited, and basically readable. But with self-publishing you’re basically taking a wild gamble no matter what you buy. Maybe you’ll get a good book, but most likely you’ll end up with something under-par, something you’d rather not have wasted $17 on in the first place.So, I see problems with the self-publishing model, especially the fact that it is so easy, and I see the change as more negative than positive. If more folks were spending the appropriate time and cash to edit their novels, it might be different (and Lulu offers these services for a fee, by the way), but practically nobody is doing this. We’re left with unedited tripe that floods the self-pubbed market and makes it impossible to wade through. I’ve never bought anything directly from Lulu because of this very problem.Perhaps we’ll see more authors taking control of their work, but will this be a good thing overall? Perhaps for popular authors, ones who already have a following, but I don’t see the self-publishing model improving in quality, just in quantity. Yes, Lulu is a great service. It’s wonderful if you need a printing for something you want to put out and don’t want to spend thousands of dollars. Lulu has also made it tremendously easy for folks to print works as the “publisher” rather than the author, which is fantastic for the rise of independent presses. The problem, however, is that such things are a rarity, and that is perhaps because many of the folks who would be up for such a thing are burdened by the negativity that comes with vanity presses and even Lulu. Lulu is great, but we all know it’s a self-publishing firm and that there are thousands of hopelessly terrible books floating around in its catalogue.The question now is whether I truly feel there will be a change in publishing. Yes, and I’m very much against it. I fully and totally agree that the current publishing models adopted and desperately clung to by the larger publishing houses is outdated and is in great need of adjustment not only for the sake of publishing in general, but for readers and writers alike. But, and this is a big but, if changing means reducing the quality of literature–and by quality I mean simple things like writing that is readable both stylistically, grammatically, and spelling based–then we are going to deal with what might be the first actual death of literature. Do any of us honestly believe that people will keep reading if all they get is garbage? None of us like wading through trash to find something we’ll
I’m in a bit of a “meme” mood lately. I got this one from Yoga Gumbo. I am officially tagging SQT, Carraka, and Imelda. Anyone else who wants to do this is welcome to. The Writing Meme: What’s the last thing you wrote? A blog post that will go up before this post regarding my worldbuilding endeavor for WB Month. It’s a fun post, I think. Was it any good? Umm, I think so. I enjoyed it. It’s about worldbuilding. Isn’t that good in its own right? What’s the first thing you wrote that you still have? A book about a hedgehog who goes on a pointless adventure to nowhere. It was actually bound and published through the school I was at, which was cool. It’s a kid’s book with illustrations. I also still have a little illustrated book about a strange creatures called Eggbert, which was slightly Dr. Seuss in style (also bound and published through a school). Cool, eh? Oh, and I was fortunate at that time. I doubt there are any middle schools or any schools whatsoever pushing for such things. It’s sad really. Shouldn’t we be pushing the arts and creativity? Yeah, I think so too! Write poetry? I do on occasion. I don’t do it often. I have a couple epics in the works, but mostly I don’t write poetry unless I’m in the mood, which is rare. Poetry is hard. Angsty poetry? Not so much anymore. It’s sort of annoying. It’s good to write it to get something off your chest, but it’s not something to share with others. Maybe when I’m dead someone will find several books of crappy poetry and publish it thinking it is the greatest thing ever. But I’ll be dead, so that doesn’t matter much. Favourite genre of writing? Science fiction with fantasy at a close second. However, right now I’m liking fantasy a lot more because it’s coming easier for me than SF. I don’t write anything else because I get bored way too easily with other genres. It needs something fantastic about it to keep my attentions. Most fun character you’ve ever created? Fun? Define fun. Probably Pea (which stands for Pantifilus the Extraordinarily Abnormal), although if we want to define fun as exciting, then Marx Ignatia fits that bill. She’s badass. Pea is just quirky, small, and silly. Most annoying character you’ve ever created? Possibly Asher…but I don’t really know. Best plot you’ve ever created? Hmm, I’m particularly fond of the plot for “Artemis”, to be honest. It’s dark, involves children, and there are mean controlling types in the background doing evil things with children. Anything involving screwing up children is pretty much fascinating to me, cause…yeah…and I don’t mean that in a perverted way, I just mean that the best way to screw up someone in the head is to do horrible things to them when they’re children (and again, not being perverted…psychological damage from exposing them to near-death experiences or crazy people…that works wonders for character development). Coolest plot twist you’ve ever created? Hrmm…I like the twist in “Death By Poking” where the wife of the semi-Mafia-like corporation in space is actually responsible for the death of the main character’s sister and for attempting to murder another character. Tis cool. How often do you get writer’s block? All the time, cause it doesn’t exist. Write fan fiction? Did when I was fifteen, then started writing my own stuff and will never go back to fan fiction again. I like my own work better. Do you type or write by hand? A little of both, but mostly typing because it’s faster. Do you save everything you write? Yup, even the garbage…sometimes that garbage turns out to be good, just not right for whatever I was working on at the time. Do you ever go back to an idea after you’ve abandoned it? Yes. I do it rarely, but that’s where the idea for one of my novels came from. What’s your favourite thing you’ve written? “Artemis”. One of my favorite shorts and the one that a lot of folks seem to like a lot. What’s everyone else’s favourite story that you’ve written? “Artemis” or “Irlgem”, with honorable mentions to “Interstellar Realty” and “King of the Holo”. Do you ever show people your work? Yup. My girlfriend sees it, rips it to pieces, and gives it back. Then I fix it and give it to editors for them to scoff at and send me rejections, which results in my being mostly numb and generally unenthusiastic about the mail for a few days. Did you ever write a novel? Yup, it’s on this blog actually: The World in the Satin Bag. Ever written romance or angsty teen drama? No…never…ugh. What’s your favourite setting for your characters? Something in space or on a war torn or destroyed Earth. A semi-regular occurrence is some sort of space station. How many writing projects are you working on right now? About twenty… Do you want to write for a living? Don’t I wish…I write because I like it. If I can make a living at it, then I’ll be most fortunate to have a job doing what I love. Otherwise I’m just writing cause I love it. Have you ever won an award for your writing? Honorable Mention for a short story from the Writers of the Future Contest. That’s the only legit recognition (i.e. something I can put on my resume) that I have received. Ever written anything in script or play format? Once…hated it. What are your five favourite words? Jackassification (just learned it’s a real word), wonderrifical (not a real word, but good), acquiesce (thanks to Pirates of the Caribbean!), fiddlesticks (cause it’s fun), and snuggle (cause that’s what my girlfriend and I do and it makes me happy). Do you ever write based on yourself? Not intentionally…I tried once and it was horrible and boring and lame. I don’t like writing about real life. What character
Ain’t that the truth? What a quote, don’t you think? Anywho! (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)
Alright, I’m in Grasping For the Wind’s Ask the Bloggers series and question #2 can be found here. This question is about how I got started blogging. You’ll ignore my horrible typos, since I apparently had a few errors in there. Sorry about that. Anywho! (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)
So, I’ve begun really working in the mapping details of my new continent/world. I’m going to try to follow the list found at SFWA on worldbuilding, although in no particular order (probably only in order by section). As you can see I have mountain ranges now and the beginnings of some rivers/lakes: I’ve only got one named location (The Cliffs of Marth). I’m very behind as far as worldbuilding is concerned; at least in comparison to other folks doing this. So, I’m going to focus on the geography for a while just to get it all ironed out.I have plans to draw two more circular chains of islands with the intention of having this world be subject to a lot of the mythology revolving around what might be considered “near extinction events”. Some of the circular items are actually volcanoes, such as the one where the Cliffs of Marth are present. This would be a fairly inactive volcano, but one with significant folklore surrounding it, since it’s occasional explosions might be the cause of the invention of gods or spirits, although I am intentionally avoiding the quite silly and cliche indigenous cultures that we are all too familiar with (you know, the kind that dances in hoola skirts and sacrifices virgins into the fires of the volcano and other such cliche stuff; thankfully I can avoid this considering that most of the volcanoes that are visible are actually primarily underwater).Other instances of circular structures, and primarily islands, are instances of impacts from space: comets, asteroids, and other such strange anomalies. These, of course, would be constantly on the minds of the people living in my world, and will fit right into the fantasy world I’m trying to create. What sort of beliefs will they develop from fearing the heavens? Well, I like the idea of there being a constant fear, one where even the simply sighting of something burning in the sky sparks civil unrest and possibly even revolution. But we’ll get into that some other time, since this is primarily focuses on geography.One thing that has to be resolved is the name of this world of mine. I’ve tried coming up with something, but nothing felt right. And I have a name. It came randomly while talking things over with my girlfriend (talking, mind you, about nothing related to WBM whatsoever) and officially this world is called:AlternYep, it’s Altern. Don’t know where the name came from, but there it is. Now, back to the geography!So, one thing that will affect the climate is going to be that big mountain range in the middle. Currently it is unnamed (as are most things, though I will periodically update the map in new posts). Not only is this going to create a divide between cultures, but it also should, upon further research, create interesting climate differences (possibly making one drier than the other and certain areas more difficult to traverse and generally unlivable).The mountains and most of the actual landmasses are done, thankfully. As a note, I generally draw maps in this order: Continent/landmass (because you can’t do anything else without this being there first). Islands and other landmasses (since they’re related and it makes things easier if you do them relatively soon). Mountains (I do these next because they are the most difficult to erase, so it’s best just to get them out of the way). Rivers/Lakes (so all the water stuff is done with) Forests (these tend to nestle near rivers/lakes/mountains, so it’s best when they aren’t the last thing I do) Naming (cause, well, you need names right? I violate this rule when I have a name I don’t want to forget for smething). Leftovers (whatever they may be, they get done last; this is also generally when I do any erasing edits that I find compulsory because the evil map editor in me doesn’t like something) Yeah, so right now I’m on the rivers/lakes bit, which leaves me with quite a lot to do, actually. Finding names tends to be the most difficult for me because my landmasses are never small, but large. You can see in the sidebar on the right, just a little down where the WISB Chapters section is, my map for Traea, the continent in WISB and SoD. That had a lot more names on it than ended up in the finalized version, which were taken out to make the map readable.I will be honest, as I end this post for the day, I have very little intention of spending a lot of time dealing with the logical, realistic aspects of climate. It’s not that I don’t like realistic climates, I just don’t have the mental space in a fantasy novel to devote to something that won’t necessarily matter anyway. My world has a naturally occurring magic that has very little to do with genetics (most of the time), which means that Altern may or may not follow what might be natural laws in our world. Of course I intend to spend some time on climate, just so I can get the basics of how things would look, but I don’t want to get into the complex dealings of climate simply because that sort of detail would never show up in a novel or story I might write anyway. I really don’t want to spend ten pages explaining the climate cycles of a particular area. I’ll just write the weather as it occurs.Okay, so I think that’s it for right now. I’ll be focusing more on the other aspects of the geography in another post. I really want to spend some time on the magic system of Altern in the near future, since I haven’t done that as of yet. Anywho!
