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  • Oct. 8th, 2010 at 7:11 PM
Haunted
"I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity." - Edgar Allan Poe

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Comment to be added. I use this journal to talk about life, writing, books and anything else. This isn't a formal blog - just my ramblings. Any personal entries are friends only.
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***Check out my links on the sidebar to visit the websites of some of my friends and also those of some of my favorite writers***

Books Read - 2009

  • Dec. 31st, 2009 at 11:20 PM
Haunted
CURRENTLY
In the Blood - Miranda Luna



COMPLETED

Imaginings - collection of specfic novelletes edited by Keith R.A. DeCandido
to Green Angel Tower pt 2 - Tad Williams
To Green Angel Tower pt 1 -Tad Williams
Magic, Mystery and Science: The Occult in Western Civilization - Burton and Grandy
Weird Hauntings: True Tales of Ghostly places - Joanne Austin, compiler
The Supernaturalism of New England - John Greenleaf Whittier
The Song of Farewell - Tad Williams (reread)
Write Away - Elizabeth George
The Art of Fiction - John Gardner
Tigana - Guy Gavriel Kay
Emotional Intelligence - Daniel Goleman
The Blood Knight - Greg Keyes
The Sorcerers' Plague - David B. Coe
The Dragonbone Chair - Tad Williams (reread)
The Charnel Prince - Greg Keyes
Cautionary Fables - Everett A. Warren
The Tales of Beedle the Bard - J.K. Rowling

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SF/F Writers Holiday!

  • Jun. 10th, 2009 at 10:03 PM
schizophrenia
From David B Coe's journal, here's a link about Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Day - June 23rd

http://rolanni.livejournal.com/439604.html

sorry for the plain link

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a quick quiz before going back to work

  • Jun. 10th, 2009 at 1:24 PM
fantasy writer
I think I got her in another meme too



Your result for Which fantasy writer are you?...

Ursula K Le Guin (b. 1929)

5 High-Brow, -15 Violent, -7 Experimental and 13 Cynical!

Congratulations! You are High-Brow, Peaceful, Traditional and Cynical! These concepts are defined below.


Ursula Kroeber Le Guin is definitely one of the most celebrated science fiction and fantasy writers of all times. Her most famous fantasy work to date is the Earthsea suite of novels and short stories, in which Le Guin created not only one of the most believable societies in fantasy fiction, but also managed to describe a school for wizards almost three decades before Harry Potter. Although often categorized as written for young adults, these books have entertained and challenged readers of all ages since their publication.


Le Guin is no stranger to literary experiments (see for example Always Coming Home(1985)), but much of her story-telling is quite traditional. In fact, she makes a point of returning to older forms of story-telling, which, at her best, enables her to create something akin to myth. One shouldn't confuse myth with faerytale, though. Nothing is ever simplified in Le Guin's world, as she relentlessly explores ethical problems and the moral choices that her characters must make, as must we all. While being one of those writers who will allow you to escape to imaginary worlds, she is also one who will prompt you to return to your actual life, perhaps a little wiser than you used to be.



You are also a lot like Susan Cooper.



If you want some action, try Michael Moorcock.



If you'd like a challenge, try your exact opposite, C S Lewis.



Your score



This is how to interpret your score: Your attitudes have been measured on four different scales, called 1) High-Brow vs. Low-Brow, 2) Violent vs. Peaceful, 3) Experimental vs. Traditional and 4) Cynical vs. Romantic. Imagine that when you were born, you were in a state of innocence, a tabula rasa who would have scored zero on each scale. Since then, a number of circumstances (including genetical, cultural and environmental factors) have pushed you towards either end of these scales. If you're at 45 or -45 you would be almost entirely cynical, low-brow or whatever. The closer to zero you are, the less extreme your attitude. However, you should always be more of either (eg more romantic than cynical). Please note that even though High-Brow, Violent, Experimental and Cynical have positive numbers (1 through 45) and their opposites negative numbers (-1 through -45), this doesn't mean that either quality is better. All attitudes have their positive and negative sides, as explained below.



High-Brow vs. Low-Brow



You received 5 points, making you more High-Brow than Low-Brow. Being high-browed in this context refers to being more fascinated with the sort of art that critics and scholars tend to favour, rather than the best-selling kind. At their best, high-brows are cultured, able to appreciate the finer nuances of literature and not content with simplifications. At their worst they are, well, snobs.



Violent vs. Peaceful



You received -15 points, making you more Peaceful than Violent. This scale is a measurement of a) if you are tolerant to violence in fiction and b) whether you see violence as a means that can be used to achieve a good end. If you aren't, and you don't, then you are peaceful as defined here. At their best, peaceful people are the ones who encourage dialogue and understanding as a means of solving conflicts. At their worst, they are standing passively by as they or third parties are hurt by less scrupulous individuals.



Experimental vs. Traditional



You received -7 points, making you more Traditional than Experimental. Your position on this scale indicates if you're more likely to seek out the new and unexpected or if you are more comfortable with the familiar, especially in regards to culture. Note that traditional as defined here does not equal conservative, in the political sense. At their best, traditional people don't change winning concepts, favouring storytelling over empty poses. At their worst, they are somewhat narrow-minded.



Cynical vs. Romantic



You received 13 points, making you more Cynical than Romantic. Your position on this scale indicates if you are more likely to be wary, suspicious and skeptical to people around you and the world at large, or if you are more likely to believe in grand schemes, happy endings and the basic goodness of humankind. It is by far the most vaguely defined scale, which is why you'll find the sentence "you are also a lot like x" above. If you feel that your position on this scale is wrong, then you are probably more like author x. At their best, cynical people are able to see through lies and spot crucial flaws in plans and schemes. At their worst, they are overly negative, bringing everybody else down.


Author picture from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:UrsulaLeGuin.01.jpg



Take Which fantasy writer are you?
at HelloQuizzy

May. 12th, 2009

  • 1:23 PM
GothGirl
Please follow the link. [info]brandedeclipse could use your votes for her bag design at Kroger's contest site.

http://brandedeclipse.livejournal.com/1041671.html

direct link to site - http://www.designareusablebag.com/

bag #13383

Apr. 17th, 2009

  • 2:45 PM
jedi cat
i have the "friday afternoon and i dont want to work any longer" bug


courtesy of cat macros


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Looking for laptop help needed

  • Apr. 13th, 2009 at 10:57 AM
Big Bang Theory
Ok, I need your suggestions about buying a laptop. As much as Id like a gaming laptop, I cant afford the 2k for one, so Im looking for one just for writing/surfing. Any places I should check out or where NOT to go? What should I be looking for or be on the look out for?

I only pay in cash so i need to save up but with us buying a house this year, i dont want to break the bank on this.

TIA

oh yeah...

  • Mar. 18th, 2009 at 12:14 PM
insane asylum
if anyone wants to pimp my story for votes on their LJ, i would be all kinds of appreciative

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/short-story-competition-2-tenth-round-is-open-for-voting/

Story #1 - "Night Vision"

A night of Pimpin'

  • Mar. 17th, 2009 at 9:31 PM
GothGirl
[info]nyxalinth had an article published recently about online dating. Please see this post for the link - she gets paid for the views so take a moment to browse! TIA

Stolen from the the_dark_snack

  • Mar. 17th, 2009 at 1:45 PM
orly
One of my favorite short story writers...

..
I am:
James Tiptree, Jr. (Alice B. Sheldon)
In the 1970s she was perhaps the most memorable, and one of the most popular, short story writers. Her real life was as fantastic as her fiction.


Which science fiction writer are you?

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What's Your Life's Mission?

  • Mar. 11th, 2009 at 9:31 PM
creepie
You Are the Artist
You are unique and inspired. You aren't happy unless you are making art of some sort.
Almost anything can be a catalyst for your creativity. You find the whole world stimulating.

You have beautiful visions, and you're good at expressing them. You like people to see what you see.
You also have an inventor's spirit. You're always thinking up new ideas and concepts.

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Please, separate me from my money!

  • Mar. 10th, 2009 at 2:19 PM
jawdrop
So Im sitting here working and I have a documentary about Cleopatra on the TV as background noise. It cuts to commercial for the Egg Genie. Tell me, how did I live all these years without such a gadget of genius? For only $19.95 (plus $6.95 for S&H) you too can have this cheap plastic egg steamer! It guaranteed to perfectly steam your eggs, clutter your kitchen and wind up on a back shelf after 2 uses.




By the way. the best way to perfectly hard boil an egg can be found here. I have used this method (move the eggs off the burner once the water boils and let simmer in the covered pot) and it works eggs-traordinarily well.



...
As Alton Brown says, the only unitasker in your kitchen should be this


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Finding an online savings account...

  • Mar. 9th, 2009 at 1:05 AM
rawr
My rate with HSBC for my non-touchable savings account went down so i thought I'd do a little digging for other accounts and I found these sites that some might find useful (they list banks / institutions and their rates for comparison shopping) -


http://www.money-rates.com/savings.htm

http://savingsaccounts.com/

and thanks to [info]popfiend for this link

A Step-By-Step Guide to Building a Big, Healthy Emergency Fund

...
I really want out of here and onto a farm to raise sheep, preferably in New Zealand...

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Support local writers

  • Mar. 4th, 2009 at 9:08 PM
nano writing
Reposting from [info]fictionwriters. I think it's important to support the arts in general so please take a second to read. Also consider subscribing (or giving a gift subscription) to a literary or writing magazine if you can - small presses and short story magazines are vital to the writing community.

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10 Things You Can Do To Support Local Authors
Since I don't have a clue as to how to do links between a group and my LJ please be forgiving as I post the following:

This was written be Farzana Doctor, author of Stealing Nasreen (Inanna, 2007) and since she has stated that it would be fine to share this, I thought to do so. It's been written to support Canadian authors but the principles are sound and can easily be applied to anyone anywhere. You just have to substitute Canadian for wherever you are.:) Enjoy.

Karen Dales
Author
"Angel of Death: Book One of the Chosen"
Release - Summer 2009
http://thechosenchronicles.com
karendales@thechosenchronicles.com
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please feel free to circulate this! I wrote an earlier version of this when Stealing Nasreen first came out (and friends and family asked what they could do to help)...Feel free to add comments with your ideas.

10 Things You Can Do To Support Canadian Authors

1. Buy Canadian books! Check out a variety, including those from small presses. Give them as birthday, Christmas, Kwaanza and Hanukkah presents. (And don’t forget Valentine’s, Grandparents’ Day and International Day of the Consumer too!)

2. Tell 2 (or 20 friends) about your favourite book. Begin conversations that start with, “Hey! I just read this really fabulous book by an amazing Canadian author…” Carry it with you on the subway, leave it on your desk and other prominent places where people will see it.

3. Tell school or municipal librarians about a book you love. Place a hold on it until it's available(many libraries use hold statistics to determine the popularity of a book and will order more copies based on this).

4. Ask your local bookstore to order in the book if it’s not already on the shelf. Suggest they invite the author in for a reading. Support independent bookstores whenever you can.

5. Write a book reviews on your blog, for the local paper, or your employee newsletter. Many online bookstores and book blogs have options where you can offer a two sentence review or a ‘thumbs up’ recommendation.

6. When authors leave promotional postcards around, take a few and (actually) mail them to your friends!

7. If you are in a book club, or know someone who is, suggest the book. Sometimes, authors will visit book clubs, so make sure to invite them.

8. Suggest an author as a keynote speaker at your next annual general meeting, speakers’ series or special event.

9. Use social networking sites to promote the book or author. Mention them in “status updates” or in special notes. Look for author groups or fan pages and join them.

10. Vote for politicians who care about the arts and who support arts funding.

--Farzana Doctor, author of Stealing Nasreen (Inanna, 2007)

Amusing quotes on writing

  • Mar. 1st, 2009 at 9:47 PM
nano giraffe
Substitute "damn" every time you're inclined to write "very;" your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. ~Mark Twain

Proofread carefully to see if you any words out. ~Author Unknown

Do not put statements in the negative form.
And don't start sentences with a conjunction.
If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a
great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.
De-accession euphemisms.
If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.

~William Safire, "Great Rules of Writing"

There's only one person who needs a glass of water oftener than a small child tucked in for the night, and that's a writer sitting down to write. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966

Feb. 24th, 2009

  • 1:10 PM
fantasy writer
First drafts are for learning what your novel or story is about. Revision is working with that knowledge to enlarge and enhance an idea, to re-form it.

- Bernard Malamud

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