title:The E˸E Empty Pen

War and PC

Cam — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 01:45:24 +0000

Screen by j / f / photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/good-karma/3801635858/ / 2.0 CC

Last week, one of my co-workers was fighting with Adobe and complained that sometimes people just need to write their corrections out on paper.

I understand his frustration. I like track changes on Word, but there are times when the deletions, pushed off to the side, are blocking copy that I’m trying to read and edit. I have the urge to physically pick up the change-made box and move it so I can see under it. Obviously, that doesn’t work so well.

Going digital and paperless has its ups and downs. It certainly takes some getting used to.

Those frustrated with this push toward electronica can now point to a new study that shows that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be: people read faster on paper than onscreen.

When the idea of ebooks first came out, I snubbed my nose. My eco-side loved the idea, but after reviewing a few pdf-only books that were wow! crap, I saw being printed on paper as an indicator of just being better. If your publisher couldn’t be bothered to saw down a tree for your book, it couldn’t be good. And then the world revolved around the sun a few times and Kindles and Nooks and iPads were born.

Many moons ago, I checked War and Peace out from the library (I like to throw classics into my reading list every now and again). Three weeks flew by and I wasn’t nearly done, so I checked it out again. The next three weeks flew by equally as fast: about ten times as fast as the pages. After a month and a half, I had almost reached page 300. Sadly, that was less than quarter of the book. Defeated, I returned it.

So, when I was playing around with iBook on my new iPhone, I decided to give W&P another shot. Thanks to Project Gutenberg, it was free. It’s only been a week and I’m already 180+ screens into it. That would be 180 screens out of 6000+. And the chapter list took up 20 of those screens.

My husband thinks I’m crazy. I’m confident that, this time, I’ll finish it. It’ll just take awhile…and according to that new study, it will only take me about 10 times as long. So maybe by next year…

Filed under: Books Tagged: reading, Tech

Comic Sans Strikes Back

Cam — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:41:06 +0000

Ban Comic Sans by Steve Keys http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevekeys/3470156862/ /CC by 2.0

A while ago, a friend asked for my help with her resume. I said I’d take a look, but reminded her that, since I wasn’t in her field, some of my comments might not be applicable. Every field looks for different things, so what’s necessary for a copywriter’s resume might mean squat for an aspiring teacher.

My friend was fine with that and then mentioned that she wanted to make her resume stand out by using a different font. I am by no means a resume guru, but my warning bells went off. Everything I have ever read about resumes say to keep it to a certain pool of fonts…don’t go all Brush Stroke to get attention because what you really want is readability. Visions of pink scented paper a la Elle Woods flashed into my head even though my friend is more the Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas sort.

I stopped myself from shouting “Oh dear God, no!” and went with “just not that horrible Comic Sans.”

My friend was offended. She loved Comic Sans (although, luckily, that wasn’t her resume font of choice). All her friends loved Comic Sans. In fact, they all used Comic Sans in their classrooms. What could I possible have against the font?

What indeed.

Perhaps I’d been hanging around graphic artists for too long and had absorbed their anti-Comic Sans mantra.

My friend liked it because it was cheery. I hated it because it was cheery. My friend liked it because it looked child-like. I hated it because it looked childish.

McSweeny’s swear-fest diatribe gives Comic Sans a decidedly less child-like personality, but I’m still not a fan. Grumble, grumble, grumble.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: fonts

Underdogs for the Win

Cam — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 02:03:07 +0000

David gegen Goliath* by BxExAxTxE http://www.flickr.com/photos/63245607@N00/1059309602/ /CC by 2.0

In the beginning of June, a friend and I were discussing the World Cup. She wanted to know my predictions (I have none). I told her that I don’t back any particular team, other then the US, until after the we start the knockout rounds (and now, as we enter the semi-finals, I’m still stumped). Then, in a throw away comment, I mentioned that I usually pull for the underdog. My friend asked why and I couldn’t really answer. I always have…unless the favored team is mine, of course.

The teams I played on or cheered for when I was growing up were only the underdog about half the time, so it’s not like I grew up with an underdog mentality.

When you expect to lose, you aren’t too upset when you do. But when you expect to lose and you actually win, it’s a mind-blowingly awesome high. There’s some “I told you so” and some pride in yourself that you were able to do it…that you dug down deep, that you showed heart, that you had the determination, or which ever cliche you like best.

There is more of a story to an underdog than “yeah, we always win,” and I’m a sucker for a good story. Or maybe I just like seeing the giants fall…but then, there’s a story there too, isn’t there? “We practice and we win” is kind of yawn inducing, while “we clawed our way to the top” is much more interesting. It’s the struggle that makes any story interesting. And of course, there’s also the less sexualized will they/won’t they question.

Obstacles? Uncertainty? What’s not to love?

But the more I thought about this, the more I realized that my love of the underdog extends to non-athletic life as well.

I tend to like quirky/interesting secondary characters better than the straight main characters. Who was cooler Rachel or Monica? I liked Phoebe. I realize I’m supposed to sympathize with Sookie Stackhouse, but really, I’m more interested in her friend Tara. Perfect Edward versus to-err-is-human Jacob? I choose flaw and imperfection.

Why is it then that I have a sneaking suspicion that Julia is a little more on the straight side than I’d like as a reader?

*I believe “gegen” is German for “against.”

Filed under: Writing Tagged: Character, Julia, soccer, sports, Writing

Blogiversary

Cam — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 05:05:12 +0000

Birthday Boy Bento by Gamene http://www.flickr.com/photos/gamene/4103068880/ /CC by 2.0

So, Commenter Jackie is curious about my thoughts on blogging for one full year.

Hmm, has it really been a year?

I’m going to start my new writing workout regime on a little slower note. 250 word blogs three times a week (hey, I don’t want to pull a writing muscle). Maybe a little public humiliation if I don’t live up to my promise will spur me on.
-June 5, 2009

The Empty Pen has changed quite a bit from that initial concept, however, it’s done what it was supposed to: keep me writing. *ahem* It does seem that the spring and summer are my lazier months. Or, perhaps, I can blame the lack of public humiliation. Where were all those rotten tomatoes for not writing three times a week?

Writing The Empty Pen has also made me look at other blogs. I wasn’t much of a blog reader until I tried writing one. The wealth of writing blogs, from doodlers to published author to agents to editors, is wonderful.

Does any of this make me a better writer? I doubt it, but it certainly makes me a more informed one. My first query letter will suck beyond belief, but at least I’ll know that.

I follow Evil Editor, Query Shark and, more recently, Phoenix Sullivan…all take queries submitted by blog followers and say why it would be rejected.

What have I learned?

1) Don’t talk about yourself unless it’s relevant. It’s all about the story.

2) Don’t bother with backstory. It’s all about the present conflict.

3) It’s hard. It’s very hard.

While a query letter shouldn’t yet be a glimmer in my eye, I wonder how mine would stack up. I know I wouldn’t escape the snarky replies. But I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t end up on SlushPile Hell (fingers crossed).

The more I read these blogs, the more I wonder if I should start writing my query letter before Julia is finished. I’ll need the time to perfect it…and I wonder if it would help hone some of the story sections that are getting away from me. But that seems to be the backwards way of doing it.

The fact that I’m thinking about query letters shows how far I’ve come in one blogging year; the fact that I’m still struggling with self-doubt and writer’s block shows that not much has changed.

Filed under: Editing, Writing

Empty Pen Goes Vamp

Cam — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 04:44:49 +0000

Ice Vampire by Brian Hillegas http://www.flickr.com/photos/seatbelt67/2111187811/ /CC BY 2.0

Not really. Just vamp-curious.

I was in high school when the Interview with a Vampire movie came out. Anne Rice, who was already quite prolific and had a devoted fan base, exploded. I devoured the Vampire Chronicles.

Now, I’m watching True Blood (rather than reading, horrible I know, I know) and yes, I’ll admit to reading Twilight. I have seen a few Buffys and all of Angel. Yes, I have read Bram Stoker’s original, and for a film class in college, I even saw Nosferatu. Despite all that, I wouldn’t consider myself a vampire expert or even fan, really.

Why am I chronicling all of this? I was inspired by this article (via Pimp My Novel). Psycolgists ask why a vampire who is technically over 100 would go for a girl who is jail bait for someone a quarter of his unlife-span. Yes, psychologists are using fictional characters to help inspire students.

I thought that was an interesting question. And it helped me vocalize a question that had always, undefined as it was, tickled my brain when I was reading these books or watching these shows.

How do vampires evolve so well?

People’s musical tastes stop evolving around their teens. And we’ve all had those moments when grandma or grandpa has said something that’s made us cringe and chant, mantra-style, “s/he’s just old. That’s the way s/he was brought up. S/he’s too old to change.”

So, why is it that vampires can so easily adapt to current social mores? After all, as Buffy points out, she can easily spot a vamp because they dress at the height of fashion…for when they became undead.

But Bill of True Blood has no problem with being patriotic to a United States even though he fought for the right to seceed. Likewise, as a slave owner during his life, the idea of blacks and whites being equal doesn’t seem to phase the undead him. I’m still early in the series, so that could change, but I’m fairly certain that it won’t.

Angel, born to a higher class in the 1700s, is right at home in today’s professed classless society. He deals with people from all walks of life without batting an eye. And a woman being equal? Obviously.

Does existing for hundreds of years make it easier to go with the flow? At seventy, you’re stuck with the mores of your youth, but once you hit that magic one hundred, your mind is open…kind of like hitting the wall and then breaking through when you’re exercising? Or once you’re doomed to hell, who cares?

I suppose the easy answer is that these characters are supposed to be like-able and relate-able, and so obviously would think the way we do.

Why am I asking? No, Julia hasn’t suddenly grown fangs…just pondering.

Filed under: Books Tagged: puzzling, reading

She’s a Drama Queen, Young and Sweet…

Cam — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:11:12 +0000

Angry Monkey by dboy http://www.flickr.com/photos/dannyboyster/60371673/ /CC BY 2.0

In real life, I hate conflict. If people are fighting, I try to find common ground a little too quickly. I appease. I qualify potentially angering statements. I avoid.

Raised voices make me anxious.

As a writer, I understand the need for drama. As a reader, I crave it.

However…

After rereading a few recently written scenes of Julia, I’ve see my conciliatory side breaking through.

Julia needs to be on edge. She needs to be angry…a sustained angry through many scenes. But here I am, doing everything in my literary power to calm her down: long drive, music, mellow night air.

No! *snap* Keep your dander up!

I was able to fix part of the calmer moments by glowering at the screen as I rewrote. Being angry for a sustained length of time is exhausting…which is probably why I keep trying to calm Julia down, I don’t want to be exhausted.

Any tips or tricks from other peacemakers for keeping characters angry?

Filed under: Editing, Writing Tagged: Editing, Julia, procrastination, stumbling block, Writing

Literary, Victim

Cam — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 03:39:33 +0000

ell, all my worrying about do I/don’t I write about my writer’s group here was all for naught. This week, I found out that the writer’s group (hosted by the library) was slashed due to budget cuts. I feel worse about it than I thought I would.

Earlier in the week, I got a call from a librarian who was very insistent about meeting, in person, as soon as possible. Whenever a meeting is that asap, it’s never a good thing.

Before handing me the reigns, the old group leader mentioned having to fight the library board to create the group. She insisted that I create a writing resume in case I needed to prove my worth to the board. So, when I got the call, I expected something in my resume was lacking. Granted, I expected a pay cut or, worst-case scenario, to be replaced. I didn’t expect the whole program to be ditched. I mean, we’re talking about writing and a library. They seem to go hand in hand, right?

But the economy is the economy. One of my aunts is the director of the library in a small town and she’s had to close entire branches. Big picture, I’d rather keep the library.

Since I’d only ever communicated with the library staff via email before, I do give them kudos for telling me the bad news in person.

Now, I’m second guessing a lot. Maybe if I hadn’t suggested more meetings… Maybe if I hadn’t asked if doing a second reading was possible… Maybe if I had spontaneously thought of how to keep the cost down… Maybe, maybe, maybe.

When one door closes, another opens, right? Right?! Since I’ve been pondering finding another group outside of the one that I already submit to, this could be a sign that it’s time for me to do that. Or not a sign so much as not another excuse to not do it.

Filed under: Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische, Writing Group Tagged: Writing Group

Goooooal!

Cam — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 03:07:35 +0000

o, Julia isn’t finished. Not nearly. Turns out my brain boing was a tad premature.

Julia won’t be wrapped up in only a few more scenes, which is good, since my word count isn’t close to novel-length.

Turns out I’m just at a point where I don’t know how to proceed. I know what happens, I just don’t know how to get there.

I’ve been staring at the last written scene for the past week, hoping to catch a glimmer of what to do next in what was already written. It’s times like this when I need a swift Nano kick in the butt. Instead, I followed World Cup coverage.

I love soccer and the World Cup has come at the best time for a procrastinator like me. I mean worst. Worst time for a procrastinator like me.

Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische

Filed under: Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische, NaNoWriMo, Writing Tagged: Julia, procrastination, stumbling block

Ug, sisters

Cam — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 02:24:45 +0000

Sisters by deutscher13 http://www.flickr.com/photos/deutscher13/3752597128/ /CC BY 2.0

Not mine, of course. Other people’s sisters. Sister, singular, actually. Julia’s, to be precise.

Every time a scene with Julia’s sister gets interesting, she spins around and storms out. It’s annoying. Originally, she was a fairly important character, and she still should be, but she’s become so petulant that her plot line dissipated. I didn’t consciously drop it; she was unconsciously squeezed out.

And what annoys me the most? She didn’t even pitch a fit about it! It’s like she didn’t care that I was abandoning her – and that’s so not like her. She’s an attention seeker and now she’s content to just sit back, or, rather, spin around and leave? No! She’s supposed to be vying for attention. I’m supposed to be fighting to keep her out of scenes rather than begging her to stick around.

Although, perhaps, that’s her plan. Minx.

Tangential Thought: If you happen to be sitting outside my building when I come home from work and strike up a conversation that start with “oh, are you a book reader,” don’t follow my “yes” with “I’m not.”

Filed under: Writing Tagged: annoyances, Character, Julia, Tangential Thought, Writing