here we go again

I've found Christian proselytizers easy to avoid, but I'm finding atheist proselytizers in all corners of the Internet lately. It's odd. And interestingly, I've learned something. I could really give a fuck what other people believe. Yanno, cuz I learned in second grade, after having it drilled into me by my teacher: I'm in charge of one person. Me.

Not so with some non-believers. They come from all walks and seem eager to make fun, harass, run off, and generally hate believers. And it's really disappointing, because they're doing the EXACT THING they claim is wrong about religion.

Hello? The other thing I learned in 2nd Grade...two wrongs don't make a right.

I have NEVER EVER made fun of someone who does not believe in God. Actually, before about two weeks ago, wondering whether someone believes or not rarely, if ever, entered into the equation. I don't sit in church and wish other people would "come to God." I don't pray for heathen souls. (In fact, it's a frequent joke I make against myself.) I could give a shit if you go to church, pray at home, think the whole thing is a crock, go to one of those massive churches with screens and rock music, still think your Catholic priest walks on water, whatever. Further, I have a complete lack of understanding of how someone can kill someone over something like religion. (That discovery process is part of why I'm writing SCAR.) I don't understand the fervent need to make fun of believers or to downgrade nonbelievers, like I've heard several (not a couple. Several.) atheists do recently. I have never considered belief or disbelief an essential characteristic for trust or relationship.

Until now.

Now I feel as wary around atheists as I do the obnoxious evangelical. Oh, I realize it's in vogue, but it doesn't make it right. To take stabs at something really important to someone is as separating as planting a bomb or keeping people from being with the one they love or spreading hatred in any form. Hate is hate is hate. Doesn't matter what color its flag is.

IT DOESN'T MATTER WHY YOU SPREAD HATE OR THE FORM IT TAKES. MAKING FUN OF OTHER PEOPLE SPREADS HATRED. WE DIDN'T LIKE IT IN JR HIGH. WE DON'T LIKE IT NOW.

Fuck, people. Can't we just get along?

sale

I was notified over the weekend that Big Pulp will be publishing "To Stop a War," the story I mentioned in a recent post. The story will appear next month online for free, and then in PDF/print for cost thereafter. Here's a teaser first line for you:

I decided to take matters into my own hands when part of my trench mate’s head landed in my lap.

If nothing else, go take a gander at Big Pulp. It's my other favorite online magazine.

an open letter to rock creek hoa

re: Christmas lights.

I've lived in Rock Creek for 14 years. Every year the Christmas lights have looked worse and worse, but this year is a new low. The straight "sticks" behind the main stone sign at McCaslin and Rock Creek Parkway look just stupid. Maybe they're not finished yet, but why light them, even for a night, until all the lights are ready? They're embarrassing.

There are also very few trees lit down the middle of Rock Creek Parkway. Of course, with so many of them dying, maybe it's not worth doing at all. Just a thought.

Either the company that's lighting the trees is incompetent and lazy, or whoever planned them out didn't do any actual planning. I'm shocked you would even bother lighting at all. At this point, NO LIGHTS WOULD BE BETTER.

This is from our dues? What a waste of money.

just. read.

I'm in one of those moments when ideas are coming at me almost too fast to record.

This is a what if? idea.

What if everyone in a certain city stopped what they were doing and read for a half hour, all at the same time. (within reason, of course, got to keep the lights on and sewing up the bleeding people)

No cars going places. No phone calls or TV prattling on or yelling at your kids or any of it.

Just. Reading.

Tell me that wouldn't be a small start to world peace.

pimp my book

I keep writing scheduled posts cuz so many things are occurring.

I've had the idea of opening up the blog to pimping...books and writing and art, that is! Kind of like Scalzi, only it'd be fun to put a Sex Scenes slant on it somehow. Praps interviews or dorky pictures or lots of profanity or the book wrapped in lingerie? It needs a signature, damn it.

So. What's Pimp My Book look like?

what i hate about you

Kidding. It's what I hate about books. Because I know you're dying to know . Hopefully I don't piss anyone off.

• Snarky, Clever, or Stating-the-Obvious internal narrative, especially when it's done for the sake of establishing voice.
• Internal narrative that repeats information rather than adds new information.
• Crappy-written action and dialogue that relies on internal narrative for support.
  
• Lengthy setting descriptions.
• First person with a ton of internal narrative. (I often avoid FP POV)
• Tough chicks with something to prove.
• Every chapter ending on a life-threatening hook.
• When authors try too hard to "say something."
• In general, romance as a main plot-line. (that one really is just me)

Sensing a theme there with the internal narrative? Not a big fan of a ton of internal narrative. Much of it is quite useless in books, even published books. I DO NOT mind narrative that tells, though. Sometimes that's the most efficient way to get info across and get us back to the story.

What do you hate?

status quo

I heard a report on NPR this morning about the National Book Awards (banquet was last night, I believe) and dug around a bit to confirm it was all boys. Worst thing, I ASSUMED it was all boys anyway.

One clip from the banquet muchly annoyed me, too. Not only did it refer to Publishing as a sinking ship, practically in the same journalistic breath it claimed that "real books" will always be around and this E-publishing thing is just some fly-by-night medicine show.

No one seems to get, or be willing to say out loud, that it's not in Traditional Publishing's best interest to encourage Epublishing.

Uh huh. That's what the music industry thought, too. Go ahead, Traditional Publishing. Dig in your heels. It's your funeral.

I even recently heard an agent, someone I generally respect, claim that publishing ebooks is as expensive as publishing traditional books. Um. In what universe? Sure as hell not mine. I can self-publish to Kindle, nook, etc, as I've discussed recently, and I'm seriously thinking of doing it because I'd like a practice run at publicity and I have a fantasy novel, well-received by agents but no takers, which I think is pretty well suited to e-pub. Also, I'd like the damn thing to be read and I've had some folks tell me they'd love to read more of my stuff. Like, actual fans and people who READ. (Feel free to chime in here and tell me you'd buy my book and at what price point, knowing full well that I would probably offer it for free here on the site, or a new-and-improved site.)

I appreciate ALL forms of publishing and books. I like seeing my stuff in print on my shelf. But I also LOVE sending someone a link to my story. So easy and I think, honestly, I garner more reads that way.

I think ebooks are very appropriate for books like QUENCHER and the rest of our series, because honestly, how many times are you going to read an erotic romance, except for certain bits, over and over and over...gahhh. Romance novels account for the most books bought, and recycled/thrown away. So I like reading sexy and/or short fiction online. But when I lay on my back in bed, I prefer to sink my teeth into a novel. My favorite format? The paperback. It's easy to hold, which is important for someone with little hands and carpel tunnel symptoms. A light little Kindle might be the ticket for me. But for my shelves I prefer hardbacks.

One of my partners at Electric Spec brought up an intriguing point the other day. Humankind has advanced admirably with the help of fossil fuels. Will the loss of fossil fuels stop us in our tracks?

Huh. I guess if everyone has the same attitude that Traditonal Publishing has, re: status quo, it very well might.

flux

I have several projects on the table right now, SCAR, launching the promotions for QUENCHER (coming out February 2010), promoting Electric Spec, short story ideas, agent submissions (that bit I've been putting off), contemplating releasing HINTERLAND electronically (free here and for sale on Kindle, nook, etc), planning out a new website (really want to get on that), and pursuing a teaching opportunity.

It's November. I had 5 sales for 2009. I wanted 8 for this year. Damn. Failure.

I had lots of interest in SENTINEL, but so far no bites. My own fault, but it's languishing on the hard drive at the moment.

SCAR feels alternately like it's about to kick my ass and, well, is kicking my ass. I sometimes regret talking about it so much because I hope I haven't built it up into something it's not - yanno, like a really good book that might someday sell. Writing on spec sucks. Let's all say it together now. Writing on spec sucks.

I realize now the year is weighing on me, figuratively and literally. I have actual pounds I can't seem to lose, despite concerted effort, and I feel like my age is creeping upon me like some slow-moving pervasive fog. My family is in a time of flux, too, with family, school, and work all.

And now the holidays. Sigh.

I wish I could be looking forward to them more.

hippy hoppy happy birthday

Dear Birthday Husband,

You're old.

Love,
Sex

liking

I'm doing an exercise. Cringe. Hate them. But this one is pretty good, I think. And easy. You write what you like about books you read in one column. You write what you don't like in another. Then, when you write a story, you do what you like and ignore what you don't. It's a way to achieve your own style and voice. And, it's taken me FAR TOO LONG to come to this realization.

So in the LIKE:

• Straightforward language in narrative.
• Snapshot descriptions.
• Dialogue with conflict and tension, very unbalanced, lots of questions, cutting off, redirection.
• Concise internal narrative that contradicts action or adds to character.
• Powerful, simple premise.
• Some premises just for fun.
• Detailed worlds shown mostly through character.
• Complicated plots via conflicting goals.
• When the premise and plot tell the story.
• Plenty of room for reader interpretation.
• Combining ordinary elements in extraordinary ways.
• Violence, hatred, dedication, revenge - emotions and actions that take me outside my comfort zone
• Exploration of evil
  

I have some stuff in the don't like column of course, but I thought I'd just stay positive for today. Like in critique, we learn a lot from what we like and what we do well.

What do you like?