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Monthly Archives: May 2012

An Update

I have at least four short stories that I’ve gotten good starts to. These stories are currently sitting in a Moleskine, eagerly awaiting digitization. Most of these will not be published on here, not yet, anyway. These are the big ones, the stories that I’m going to be submitting to various publications in the hopes of getting noticed. Don’t worry, dear readers. I’m still writing some stuff that will be just for you. “Gateway Shuffle” will be coming soon, continuing my Cowboy Bebop-inspired sci-fi series. Additionally, I’m working on an update on what’s going on with Arsus and Rime as their journey across the Sand Sea continues in “The Swords of the Ancients.”

The Cycle

I have considered myself a writer for many years, even though it wasn’t until I was out of college that I began to realize that it was okay to be serious about it and strive to have writing as my primary career. Please note that said aforementioned career shift has yet to occur. It’s the unfortunate truth that I have to have a day job, and that I really need a second one to make ends meet. Needless to say, it may be a while before I can get one of these.

Seriously, though, who wouldn’t save up for this?

As my attempts at writing have grown more serious, especially over the last year or so that I’ve been maintaining this blog, I’ve noticed that there’s something highly repetitive about the life of a writer. It’s a vicious cycle, really.

Write, format, edit, submit, get rejected, repeat.

You know the worst part about this?

I’m totally okay with it.

 

Freshly Pressed Versus Oppressed

For those of you who don’t know, I work in a public library. Those of you who do know me should be aware that I have taken a strong stance against censorship in all forms, especially in the last few years, but it started long ago, back when I first discovered Banned Books Week. Even as a young child, I was a voracious reader, having completed my own trips through The Chronicles of Narnia and The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings by the time I started second grade. I wanted to read everything that I could get my hands on, and I couldn’t understand why it was that some people would try to keep other people from reading anything.

The process of banning books is a lengthy one. Books are challenged all the time, by parents and religious groups and teachers. Librarians don’t sift through the books they’re acquiring to determine whether or not they should go on the shelves. Librarians (and libraries) promote the ability of the patron to access any information the patron may seek, regardless of personal opinion. Personal opinion should never EVER come into play when determining what works should be available to the public. “When filling their shelves, librarians do not judge the content of books on whether it would be suitable for all audiences. As public institutions, libraries may not discriminate on disseminating information on the basis of age, sex or race, which means that people can check out whatever materials they choose. That said, libraries request that parents and guardians of minors monitor their selections.” -Cristen Conger, How Stuff Works

People come up with all manner of excuses for why they want to ban certain books. This one has violence in it. That one has sex in it. There’s offensive language here. There’s racial insensitivity there. In many cases from my personal experience, however, the people who are attempting to ban a book have not read it for themselves. They have merely taken negative hype surrounding a book and made their opinion solely based on the opinions of others. Yay, sheeple!

Earlier this week, I was at work when a library patron came in, returning a book on playaway that he claimed was “pornography” and demanding that we start the ball rolling to get the book banned from our library. The title in question? Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis. Ever read anything by Warren Ellis? This is the guy who created Transmetropolitan, the story of journalist Spider Jersualem, whose character is heavily inspired by the real life of Hunter S. Thompson and who uses a bowel disruptor gun as his weapon of choice. Crooked Little Vein is unabashedly intense. Reading the blurb on the case could have told him that. Thirty seconds on the internet could have told this patron that.

From wikipedia: “Michael McGill, a burned-out private eye is hired by a corrupt White House Chief of Staff to find a second “secret” United States Constitution, which had been lost in a whorehouse by Richard Nixon. What follows is a scavenger hunt across America, exposing its seedier side along the way. McGill is joined by surreal college student side-kick, Trix, who is writing a thesis on sexual fetishes. McGill has to deal with strange events sometimes unrelated to his adventures – he describes himself as a ‘shit-magnet’, with weird phenomena following him wherever he goes…About.com reviewer Jonathan Lasser called Crooked Little Vein “an ace put-up job” and that it was “evidence that freedom is more valuable than repression”. Whitney Pastorek, reviewing for Entertainment Weekly takes pains to note that the work “is not for the faint of heart”, and that Ellis has “got a bright future outside of the picture books”. 

I don’t even know that this patron finished the book. My honest guess? He got too upset because something in the book disagreed with his narrow world view and shut it off. Ignorance is not bliss, people. Ignorance is ignorance, plain and simple. We have to move to the point of object permanence. Hell, two-year-olds understand that covering her eyes doesn’t make mommy disappear. We’ve got way too many heads and not enough sand for this crap to work. Acknowledge that there might be something out there that you don’t agree with, and that it’s not going to go away.

I’m tired of people blaming writers for things that they don’t like. I’m tired of people taking offense at libraries for providing freedom of access to material. Book banning and challenging is a form of oppression of the people. We need to open our eyes, and face the future with courage. Stop book banning. Stop ignorance. Embrace knowledge. Visit your local library and tell them how much you appreciate what they do for you. I’m going to go read Warren Ellis.

On Books

This is one of the best articles on books that I’ve read in a long time, and I’ve gone back to it several times over the last month because I’ve been trying to decide when it was appropriate to share it with you, dear readers. The writer of the article, Tom Nissley, writes that e-Books may indeed have their place in the future, and that he hopes that the influence of paper books not be forgotten. “I don’t mean to make a fetish out of printed books, and I’m not asking to burn (or delete) ebooks, or their devices. Maybe all I ask is that digital books be designed in ways that give them character, that help them live and survive individually in your mind, rather than being translated into a common, anonymous display that passes through your memory as quickly as you scroll.” He concludes with a wonderful statement on the printed book. “And as for physical books: I’d just like them to survive, or at least be remembered, and not just as the playthings of a child.”

In the continued spirit of sharing, here’s another article for you. This one concerns the ability of a character in a book being able to modify your life. How often have you read a book and found one of the characters so intriguing, so influential, that you wanted to be more like him or her? Which characters have proven to have the most impact on you? Why do you think that is?

The last share of the day is this. How many of you have ever had the chance to watch a book being printed? Now you have. Sit back, watch the movie. It’s under two minutes, but it’s one of the most beautiful pieces of film that I’ve ever seen.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to try to write a horror story or two.

The Avengers: A Review

This morning I had the pleasure of viewing the local premiere of the latest foray into Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, The Avengers. I’ll warn you all in advance. This review may contain spoilers of the tie-in films, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, and Iron Man 2. If you’ve not seen any of them, odds are that you’re not that interested in The Avengers anyway. However, your Avengers experience will remain spoiler-free. See? You can’t say I don’t care about you.

Chris Hemsworth as Thor. Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man. Chris Evans as Captain America. Mark Ruffalo as The Incredible Hulk. Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye. Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. Tom Hiddleston as Loki. Written by Joss Whedon. It’s geek heaven.

Whedon directed an all-star cast and managed to give every one of the heroes (not to mention Hiddleston’s delightfully evil grinning villain) a good deal of screen time.

The Tesseract (the Cinematic Universe name given to the Cosmic Cube) used by HYDRA scientists to develop weapons during WWII was lost in the ocean during the events of Captain America: The First Avenger. Eventually, it was recovered by Howard Stark while he searched for the body of Steve Rogers and brought back to America. In the modern day, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are experimenting with the cube in an attempt to harness the potentially unlimited clean energy that it could provide. Soon, however, the Tesseract is activated from elsewhere in the universe, and Loki arrives on-scene at the S.H.I.E.L.D facility, mindcontrolling Dr. Selvig and Hawkeye and fleeing with the cube.

After surviving the destruction of the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, Nick Fury pushes the reactivation of the Avengers Initiative, gathering heroes from around the world (and beyond, in the case of Thor) to defeat Loki and reclaim the Tesseract, which Loki wants to use to open a portal to another world, so that an alien army can conquer Earth. Pretty standard comic book fare. The heroes in question, however, don’t necessarily want to work together from the start, and a good portion of the film is dedicated to the working out of their own issues with one another before they can form a team strong enough to defeat Loki and his Chitauri army.

Along the way to the climactic showdown between the Avengers and Loki’s army in Manhattan, we’re treated to brilliant humor, courtesy of Joss Whedon’s writing, and graphics that rival everything that we’ve seen in the tie-in movies thus far. The Avengers is solid, with cohesive storytelling and equal emphasis on every character who has been a part of the buildup. I highly recommend going to see it. Go see it multiple times, because odds are that you’ll be laughing so hard at one of Whedon’s jokes or cheering so loud at the heroic action that you might miss something subtle.

Please be prepared for more sequels and tie-ins in the future, as well. Sequels to Captain America and Thor are in development, along with a 3rd Iron Man film, potentially Black Widow and Hawkeye movies, and Avengers 2. Marvel’s Cinematic Universe is just getting started, ladies and gentlemen. The Avengers is a fantastic step forward for Marvel, and for superhero movies, and cinema in general. Go see it. Watch through the credits. You won’t be disappointed.

Assemble!

The countdown is on. The Avengers premieres at midnight, and I’m going to be there. The question is not whether I will be providing my wonderful readers (psst! That’s you!) with a review tomorrow, but whether or not I can get my hair to look like Tom Hiddleston’s. This man is talent. Not only is he the delightfully conflicted villain, Loki, he is also F. Scott Fitzgerald.

I’ve been looking forward to The Avengers since Samuel L. Jackson’s cameo as Nick Fury at the end of Iron Man back in 2008. This movie has a phenomenal cast, and superstar writing in the form of the inimitable Joss Whedon. I can’t wait. Ten more hours.

Normally, I’m not a reblogger. I’m a retweeter. In the case of this brilliant poem (note that it’s not written by the person I’m reblogging), I had to make an exception. Enjoy.

Honky Tonk Women

And here’s number 3 in my latest series, pieces inspired by Cowboy Bebop episode titles. This one’s called “Honky Tonk Women.”

 

 

“Do you really think that life will be that different out there? I mean, we’ve got it pretty good here, all things considered. The bar is even starting to turn a profit.”

“I don’t know. I want it to be better, but I don’t know. All I know is that they’ve offered me the job in Valentine.”

“Abby, you know we can’t afford to go to Mars!”

“They’ve offered to pay my way. Full coverage of relocation. Not just me, actually. Both of us.”

“Us?”

“You know I can’t imagine going anywhere without you. How long have we been together now?”

“Two years, next Thursday.”

“Exactly. What better way to celebrate our anniversary? We can even go out for a fancy dinner, steak, or sushi, or something, maybe go see a show. When was the last time we went out? It’ll be my treat, Emily.”

“But you always pay for dinner…”

“No buts, missy.”

“Fine. But on one condition.”

“To dinner, or to my taking the job in Valentine?”

“To your taking the job, I guess.”

“Okay.”

“Well…are you going to tell them about me? About us?”

“They already know, Em. I had to put someone down as my beneficiary if something happens to me. I sure as hell wasn’t going to leave anything to my parents after what they said to you.”

“You’re…but…why?”

“Because I love you, you big dork.”

“I love you too, Abby.”

“So, they’ve offered us relocation expenses, including a ride on the TPE next week. Our stuff will be sent along as freight, so we don’t have to worry about having some jackass movers meet us there. We’ve already got a lease ready to sign for an apartment in central Valentine, just down the street from the library. They want me to start as soon as we can get there.”

“Oh my God…”

“I know. We’re going to be set, hun.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“They just got back to me yesterday. I wanted to surprise you with the news, but you were at work, and I didn’t want to tell the whole bar. It’s not like you could’ve heard me over that godawful country crap they play in there.”

“What are we going to do about it?”

“The bar? Sell it! Hasn’t James been talking to you about converting part of it into a hookah place anyway? Let him have the whole building. Start a new one on Mars! You can call it ‘The Mars Bar’ or some other lame pun like you love so much.”

“You know me way too well…”

“I thought that was the idea.”

“So, you’ve got a new job that’s going to take care of both of us.”

“Yup.”

“It sounds like they thought of everything.”

“There’s no other library like it in the solar system. They said they wanted the best people to work for them, and they picked me, so here we are.”

“So, when do we leave?”

“How quickly can you pack?”

“I don’t even know what to say.”

“Say you’ll come with me to Mars, and we’ll be able to live our dreams together.”

“I’ll go.”