Writing from the Heart

When Ray Bradbury died, I decided to spend a year with his book Zen and the art of writing. A part of that, for me, meant that I would write one short story a week like he suggests. I knew these stories would be personal. I would have to dig deep to find something to write about every week. This week was all too easy.

My beloved Smokey JoeMy dog died on Monday. I've never been much of a dog person. He originally belonged to my mother. When he was diagnosed with epilepsy, I adopted him so that I could make sure that he got his medicine on schedule.

I have a lot of pets in my life. I've had numerous dogs, cats, fish, hermit crabs, and hamsters… But he was different. He was special. I think because he had spells every now and then, and that I would hold him while his poor little body shook, and listen to him cry, as I work to get the medicine in him the doctor recommended, I became more protective of him than any other pet I ever had.

His last couple days were really hard. He started having seizures on Thursday night, and at first, nothing was different. But this time they just didn't stop. The vet told us to keep giving him the medicine, until he got back to normal. Eventually Thursday night, the seizures stopped, and he fell asleep. I won't go into detail about everything that happened those last few days. I will say that I have rarely ever felt that helpless in my life.

So this week when it was time to write a story, I use that as the inspiration. I wrote a story in my new setting about the character losing a beloved pet. Since it's me, it of course became a little bit more complicated. Now, I sincerely don't know what to do with it.

I don't know how long it'll be before I can even edit the story. It is so personal, that I feel like I would be publishing pages from a secret diary if I put it out somewhere. Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe that means I wrote something so honest that if I shared it with the world, the world would see a piece, a part of my soul.

I know that sounds flighty, even airy fairy, but one of the things I've been wanting to do more and more, is find a way to make my fiction more honest.

Fiction is the arts of the well-crafted lie. The more honest that lie, the more likely a reader will be able to believe it long enough to enjoy the story. I don't find a lot of honesty in fantasy books. I don't find a lots of honesty in science fiction. And why should we? These are the genre of the imagination. But if that imagination isn't rooted in something so true you can feel it in your bones, then why should anyone bother to read, to love it, or let it infiltrate their dreams?

I suppose, that is the quest I am currently on. I am trying to find the meeting place between my imagination and my truth. There has to be a bridge somewhere that will allow me to bring these two things together in a pure and honest way. I feel like I did that with The Chain, and I know I did that with my new short. Once, I grow the courage to not only tell these stories, but to share them and live them, I will at least have done something meaningful with my life.

I wish you all luck on finding something that gives you as much meaning and purpose as my writing gives me. I would love to know what that is for you. Why don't you leave your purpose or what you find meaning in within the comments below. Thank you ahead of time for your continued inspiration.

I want to start podcasting again

I really miss podcasting. I miss talking to you guys every day, and getting to hear back from you. I miss the conversation, and everything that we shared back when I was doing the podcast daily. But things haven't worked out exactly the way I wanted them to.

What went wrong?

When I was podcasting a lot, I didn't have time to write nearly as much as I wanted to. I had so many book ideas, but no time really to work on any of them. So it became an issue. I was serving two masters: podcasting and writing. And you know what they say about serving two masters.

So in the end, I had to give one up. It became an easy choice, because Brian didn't have as much time as he used to join me around the table to do fandom today. So, we cutback. We only did shows when he had the time to come to the studio and record. And well, as you can see, that's not a lot of time. So, we gave up podcast.

That's a lot of so's. And that's the way it went down. I did get a new novel written, The Chain, which will be coming out in August. And I'm very proud of it. But I still miss recording the show. I miss talking to you guys. And I need to find a way to get back to podcast.

Where do you go?

The problem that I have now is not having a cohost. Granted, I would love for Brian to join me on the shows, but now the problem is with hosting. The service I was using to post the podcast, now has a file size restriction that keeps me from doing it. Where should I go?

I looked at sound cloud, but that just would be way too expensive. I like the features. But the cost is way too high.

I am considering Libsyn, since I know a lot of people use it, and I haven't really heard that many complaints. It is not too expensive. It does pose a problem. They offer apps. They offer a full-fledged android app. Which I guess I should be happy about, but I don't own an android device. I don't know anyone who has an android device. Their iOS support is weak and broken.

I know I really don't need to have an app. I think I know that. The problem is, I really want to have one. I have designed one. Drawn out all the screens. Thought an awful lot about it. But I can't write Objective-C. I tried to learn it, but my brain doesn't seem to work that way.

What do you want?

So what do you guys want? There's little point in me recording something just to hear my own voice. I want it to be something that you guys enjoy too. I would love to bring back Fandom Today. And I might do that. I'm curious to know what you guys would like to see and hear from me. I have thought about doing some YouTube videos. But they wouldn't be overly produced. It would just be me with either a WebCam or my iPhone or iPad just talking a little bit about whatever's on my mind. You know, like the old-school video blogs. Let me know what you think. I need to get back on the horse.

A Year with Ray Bradbury

I spent most of yesterday and today rereading Ray Bradbury trying to figure out some way to pay homage to the man who had such an effect on me, my world view, and my writing.

Stepping on a Landmine

Growing up, I felt like I was crazy.  I scribbled stories, drew rudimentary comics, and spent hours playing with my imaginary friends.  I was unlike any kid I knew.

Thank God for my sister, who gave me a AD&D book when I was 7 or 8.  I found my first funnel for my imagination.  It saved me from a lot of mental anguish.  I read, Poe, Twain, and then I found Anne McCaffrey and Ray Bradbury.

These were the first books I ever read on my own, without someone telling me I had to.  I still felt alone, though.

Even after I join me high school's writing club, I didn't find any kindred spirits.  I felt like I had an illness or a disease.  I had to write (still do).  If I don't, my life quickly becomes unbearable.

Imagine my delight when I read Ray Bradbury's Zen and the Art of Writing for the first time, and saw him saying the same thing.  I wasn't alone.  Here was another person who felt the burden to write, not just the drive or interest.

"I have learned, on my journeys, that if I let a day go by without writing, I grow uneasy.  Two days and I am in tremor.  Three and I suspect lunacy.  Four and I might as well be a hog, suffering the flux in a wallow.  An hour's writing is tonic.  I'm on my feet, running in circles, and yelling for a clean pair of spats (Zen and the Art of Writing)."

Wow, I am not alone.  He goes on to compare himself to a landmine that he jumps out of bed and steps on it, then spend the day putting the pieces back together after the explosion.  He invites us to jump, and I am going to.

It is time to step on a landmine.

Practicing Zen and the Art of Writing

I have decided to spend a year with Ray Bradbury, writing every day with the goal of finishing a short story a week.  I am going to use the principles and exercises in the book to perfect my craft, and hopefully pay homage to Ray Bradbury in the process.

I will chronicle my process here with the tag Zen and the Art of Writing, and I will post the stories that come out of the process.

I invite you to join me in the journey.  I will start Monday, June 11th to make my first short.  I will spend the weekend rereading Zen and the Art of Writing, maybe get a couple lists ready.

Are you in?  Writing for no less than 1 hour a day with the goal of finishing 1 short story a week.

Writing, NaNoWriMo, and Copyright Crazy?

"Work continues on my writing project, which despite my best effort looks like I am going to be writing it in November, so maybe I should turn it into a NaNoWriMo project. Marathon writing is fun, but at any rate it looks like I will have a new book out next year.

It has engendered a new debate in me about about how much to share about my creative process. As usual, I have a lot of inspirations feeding into this project, and I feel like they will be obscured in the final version so that the story and its elements are uniquely mine, but with some of the more recent copyright claims going around, I am seriously waiting for someone to claim a right to inspiration.

You might think that I am being overly cautious about this, but after the recent Rhianna S&M case, I don't think that is too far fetched. I might share them, just because that is my instinct, but I'm curious to see how it will all play out.

The Wand and Weaver mini-series is in editing, so hopefully you will all get to see it soon. If you are interested in beta-reading it, let me know. I am really looking for notes on the stories. I like them, but they are very different from the kind of stories I already write."

The grand disruptors...

"The grand disruptors..."

Jeff Jarvis just called Steve Jobs that on the TWiT network, and it is a great word, a powerful word. Someone like Jobs was a disruptor, and that is the message of the moment. We need to ask ourselves are we disrupting the status quo or are we moving down the stream with the rest of the herd.

Steve Jobs didn't invent anything. He was not the first to bring most of the products to market but we will remember him because he made them better. He focused on what on what people needed and wanted, and made products that people would want to use.

He is role model for us all, and though no one will ever replace him, we have to pick up the slack. The genius has left the room and we have a lot of learning to do."

The loss of one of us diminishes us all, ...

"The loss of one of us diminishes us all, and when a luminary like Steve Jobs passes the whole world dims.

Some will remember him as a founder of Apple, or the founder of Pixar, or as a business man without equal. I will remember him as a Dreamer who allowed himself to think that nothing was impossible, and who had the strength to prove himself right.

I hope we all will be able to learn from his life, and embrace the greater vision to make our world more magical and revolutionary, and to always strive for one more thing."

Open Letter to the CW I read that you are...

Open Letter to the CW

I read that you are going to Reboot Beauty and the Beast: (CW To Reboot 1980s ‘Beauty And The Beast’ – Deadline.com)

DON"T! DO NOT DO THIS!

If you knew or understood what story arcs, characterization, or mood where in fiction, I would not be so adamantly against this. This show had 2 unrecastable actors in the lead roles, and was a story of longing and unrequited love that your tween audience will not be able to understand.

If You Must

If you are committed to doing this,

• Please watch the original.
• Cast Ron Perlman to play father as an homage to the original and to give some gravitas to the series
• Hire writers who understand subtlety, nuance, and longing.

Eric & Brian

P.S.

Your original programming would have better ratings if you did not ostracize a segment of your audience.  For better or worse if you do go forward with the show I probably will never see it due to your stand against cable-cutters and your continued efforts to make watching your shows as difficult as possible... Thank You?  I think...

Ok, has Netflix just lost its mind?

"Ok, has Netflix just lost its mind?

Netflix is rebranding its 12-year-old movies-by-mail service as Qwikster and adding video games to its catalog, Reed Hastings, the company's CEO, announced Sunday night. The Web-streaming portion will continue to be called Netflix, he wrote on the company's blog.

After the separation, people who subscribe to both services will have to log into two separate websites, Netflix.com and Qwikster.com, to manage their movie queues and account information...  (via cnn)

I was one of the few who didn't freak out about the new pricing structure Netflix introduced. As a person who works online, I understand the need to make money on those endeavors, but now seeing that they are spinning off part of their service I am not sure I understand it at all anymore.

Why split off the DVD part of their service? 

The only thing I can think right now is that Netflix has decided it is their mission to kill physical media. 

This feels so premature. After the studios pulled out or instituted stalling tactics on streaming rentals my Netflix streaming dropped.  After all If their streaming offering was better, I could see how this is a good move, but right now... ugh.  To compensate I had plans to keep both.  Renting DVD's for those few things I wanted to see right away and that was not available for streaming.  For the rest I would just wait for it to show up on streaming or never bother watching. 

I was fine paying a little more to have both physical DVD rental and streaming rental in one convient place.  The convience of managing my ratings and que was one of the biggest draws to Netflix.  Like most we live a busy life with our time divided and enough inconviences that no one wants to pay for another one.  On top of that the extra step is one I know I will forget to take...

Then that name: Qwikster.

Really? That sounds like something Randal from Clerks thought up one morning after recovering from a heavy night of binge drinking and salsa shark attacks. Time to cancel the DVDs?

Video game rentals sweeten the deal, but I haven't turned my 360 on in about 6 months.  In addition to that I tried a seperate Video game rental service but the inconvience added an extra step that I did forget to take.

And then their subscribers drop and stock drops.  Not a suprise here.  They claim they made the split and price changes for 4 reasons:

(1) to create a dedicated DVD rental division that takes pride in great execution and maximizes the opportunity for disc rental over the coming decade;
(2) to enable us to improve our global streaming service even more rapidly, because it is not meshed with a domestic DVD business;
(3) to enable us, with the growth in revenue, to license more streaming content and thereby improve our streaming service even more;
(4) to remain very price aggressive, with $7.99 per month for unlimited streaming of a huge library of TV shows and movies, and $7.99 per month for unlimited DVD rentals, 1 out at-a-time.  (via  Online Video News) 

1. Didn't they already have a great rental division that had pride?
2. A big improvement to streaming would be providing a service in which I could manage both my streaming videos and my rental videos.  By the way wouldn't the extra cost help to pay for them to make streaming improvements?
3. Wouldn't it be easier to streamline costs when both divisions are under one roof verses two seperate companies?
4. Sadly they forgot about and now are loosing the convience and service of one que one rating place.

After 48 hours of waking angst

After 48 hours of waking angst, I figured a lot of things out. I have struggled a lot over the last couple weeks with my own muse and the need to make more money from the site.

I don't want to be all about money, and I don't think I am now, but it costs us more to run the site, and we have to cover the difference.

I think I have direction now. We have reorganized dashPunk, and I have a story to write.

The balance I found started with forgetting about money, and asking what I missed reading most, and starting to move forward.

Sorry to be enigmatic, but I figured out a lot of things and I don't want to overshare.

Nerves, Horror, and Revealing Secrets

I am trying to calm my nerves at the moment. I am extremely arachnophobic, going back to an infected spider bite when I was a child. A giant, jumping spider just hopped onto my chest, then arm, then off into the shadowy recesses behind my chair. I screamed like a little kid, and ran out of the room.

Brian is hunting for it now, and I am sitting in my office still shaking.  I know, I am a coward, right?

Irrational Fear

I hate that irrational fear can grip my very being and shake me to my very core. It is embarrassing, and beyond the limits of how someone my age should react.

Fear is a powerful motivator. It unfortunately drives politics, and fascinates me.  Sex and fear are two of the most irrational factors that tend to motivate people.  They are hard to control because they are not rational.  Reason is little to no help, only a healthy dose of willpower has a chance to rein in these powers.

This is something special to be thinking about today on the anniversary of 9/11.

Remembering that evil day

I remember how I felt that day.  I sat safely on my couch in Oakland, Ca, rocking back and forth watching the smoke billow out of the tower.  I felt like a sword was swinging at the Gordian knot that held our nation together.

I remember sitting on the cold concrete outside my appartment, desparately trying to keep my candle lit for the memorial.  I sat in my appartment listening to the Kiss' song, "We are One" on repeat.

I hoped this moment of unity would pull the nation together.  Entropy is a powerful thing, and eventually it all fell apart.

Fear and Horror

I think that is why I occasionally dip my toes into horror writing. I have written a lot of disaster fiction since then.  If you look at them carefully, then you will notice that most of them are about everything falling apart.

I suppose it is a way for me to explore those deep resources of horror and terror that reside just out of view.  My own unresolved issues, and those I see in others.  Shine Like Thunder is really close to me on these issues.

In some ways, I might want to be careful with the horror tales I share. It is possible I am sharing things that are too personal.

Can a writer be to personal?

I am not talking about sharing private information.  At its best, writing is about sharing aspects of our psyche personified.  I have scrapped several stories because I felt they were too close to home to share.  Maybe that was a mistake.

Maybe I should open up, and just let these stories out.

Peace upon them

I know this has been one of my most rambling posts, but somehow, I think it works this year.

Peace be upon the blessed dead of 9/11, and the families whose wounds will never heal.

BTW

The Spider turned out to be a grasshopper.  My bad.

Understanding Everything Remix

This is an awesome series on the topic of Remix titled Everything is a Remix by Kirby Ferguson.  It will show you how there is nothing new under the sun.  Watch the series below.

Everything is a Remix Part 1

Everything is a Remix Part 1 from Kirby Ferguson on Vimeo.

Everything is a Remix Part 2

Everything is a Remix Part 2 from Kirby Ferguson on Vimeo.

Everything is a Remix Part 3

Everything is a Remix Part 3 from Kirby Ferguson on Vimeo.

Staying on Track

I love how life works out sometimes.  This week as you know we are working on some projects (like Dragons of Night), that are scary and innovative.  Life sometimes has a way of nudging you on.

This is my actual fortune cookie this week, and yes that is my first gen iPad in an Apple cover.  I like is so what's the deal?

Not only is my fortune cookie encouraging, but +Felicia Day shared Simple Daily Habits to Ignite Your Passion from zen habits on Google+.  Truer words have never been spoken.

I spent a good chunk of time last night on Google+ last night talk with people who kept encouraging me.  I am truly humbled my all your support. 

My point is: Find your Bliss.  Follow your Bliss.  The world is waiting for you.

Do Goths Have To Work Harder Than Norms To Get Respect In The Workplace?

Do goth or alternative lifestyle employees have to work harder than the norms?

I am a gloom cookie, a mistress of the dark, a "goth" as the norms call us. I wear black clothes, color my hair, and sport elaborate makeup. I’ve worked for employers that don’t care what I wear and ones that have dress codes that make me alter or tone down my look, but at the core I am still me and I will be me whether they like it or not. Those of us who live alternative lives… whether you be a goth, lolita, punk, gay, or have an uncommon religion, are different. We see things differently. We process things differently and have different answers to mainstream questions. Some of us hide or disguise our differences so that we can have a simpler life, but in the end, we are different and you have to be a pretty good magician to hide it at all times, even in the workplace.

I don’t have to tell you that the “norm” perception of us is bad. Apparently we are evil, devil worshiping, spell casting, curse making, sexually perverse, murderous fiends who will stop at nothing to “turn” them     (fill in the blank- goth, gay, evil)   . God forbid you fall into two or three of these different alternative categories. To them, a gay male, goth, pagan, has one intent: To corrupt their way of life and turn their sons into flaming voodoo priests! I’m not going to tackle how we change that impression in this post… that is so much bigger than ourselves. However, given that the impression of the general public is this, do we have to work harder in the workplace to prove our usefulness? To earn respect, do we have to be better, faster, and sharper than the “norms”?

I think we do. Because not only do they think we are “weird”, they also believe that we spend our work hours thinking “weird” things. It doesn’t matter that your cube mate is obsessed with her pet tabby cat and has pictures of the feline plastering her side of the cube wearing sweater sets. No, that is an acceptable hobby. Yet if we mention just once about a concert, book, or a movie we like, they instantly place us in the antagonist position. I can hear the conversations by the water cooler. “Omg… she said she just LOVES the Saw movies. What do you think her house looks like? Do you think she has meat hooks and table saws? Do you think she’s going to kill us all?”

Something that goes along with their perception of us is that we are lazy or try to get out of work. You know, because we need time to plot our destruction of their lives. Do you feel like, as a goth in the workplace, you are treated unfairly or held to a higher standard? Or perhaps judged more harshly because of your outward appearance or special interests? Do you find that you have to work harder for respect when your “norm” co-worker is constantly late and plays Farmville on Facebook all day but earns kudos easily? Do you think the way you dress or things you enjoy on your off-time hinder you from getting raises, promotions, or special incentives?

I once worked for a company where I was the token goth. I was the person they liked to put on the forefront to show others how diverse they were, but even known as the diversity proof, the stereotypes didn’t end. The fact is, unless you are willing to abandon your look or personality completely, you will be discriminated against. Until our general populace starts to really accept people’s differences in truth- not just in word, we will have to continue to wear down the prejudices that plague people of our kind.

I've worked with people who thought my dress code had something to do with my religion and they were shocked when I handed out holiday candy. Hum... do all Catholics wear pink? Not really... so why would all people who wear black be Satanists? It's a color people! Just saying. A lot of these stereotypes are not even logical.

I've been blamed for bad business deals because I like the number thirteen and good friends (or not so good friends it turns out) have accused me of putting curses on them. I'm sorry, but I don't have time to plot against you. If I had the ability to cast voodoo magic, I would definitely use that power to improve MY situation in life... not bring yours down. Here's an interesting thought: If the majority of norm public doesn't believe magic or spell casting is real, why do they assume we can wield it against them?

I've worked for good people too. Ones that understood or at least try to allow for my way of life, but these are not common. Why? What's going to happen if you get close to a goth? I have to admit, there is a slim chance of getting black eyeliner on you, but beyond that, we are good people. Sure, there are the bad apples, just like any set of people, but for the most part we are kind, imaginative, interesting people and you are missing out on some terrific friendships.

I pride myself on being good at my job. No matter what the task is, I take time management and execution very seriously. I am a perfectionist and list maker and I rarely slack off. I work hard and I expect to be treated kindly and respected by my co-workers and managers. For these reasons, I have been able to earn respect at several companies by showing what I can do, but it wasn't easy. If I was the cookie cutter worker, would I have more opportunity for advancement sooner? Who knows. It feels like it. Being a goth in the workplace almost feels like being on probation from day one. Guilty until proven innocent.

Because we are constantly trying to break down the stereotypes and work harder to prove we are not flakes or idiots, do alternative lifestyle people in the mainstream workforce have more stress in their lives? Do you find yourself getting sick more than others do or feeling exhausted at keeping up the charade? How long is the life expectancy of a goth in the modern office? I bet that’s one they haven’t tested! Why? Because we may melt in the light of day?

I’ve been very sarcastic in this post, but I really want to know. I’m interested in your view on this subject. How do you feel you are discriminated against in your office? How have you dealt with the hurdles you’ve faced? If you are not a goth, and are scared to get to know us, why? What fears can we break down for you? What makes you so scared?

Fans, Social Media, and Creators

Nancy Baym shared a really good presentation she delivered at by:Larm on Online Fandom (download it here).  While her talk was directed at musicians, I think any kind of Entertainment Designer can benefit from it.  This PDF went right into my EverNote.

She made a couple points I would like to expand on:

Fan Culture is Gift Culture

The most important thing to understand about fan culture is that it is

based on gifts, not money.

That doesn’t mean there’s no money involved, but it does mean that

even when there is money involved, money tends to function as a gift

rather than a payment. This is in dirapproach to audiences as a market.

I have hammered away on this topic for quite some time.  I love how simply she puts it. 

Too many entertainment designers think of their audience as customers who are chomping at the bit to hand them fist full of cash...  and they wonder why we are loosing interest in them.

Fandom is a two way street.  Content Creators need to ask themselves, "Am I giving my audience enough?"

Now that is not enough product, although that is important, it is also about giving your fans gifts.  One of my favorite bands, Queensryche, often writes new music while touring, and will post live tracks to their site to gage fan reaction.  That is a good example of a gift.

Fans like stuff

Fans like stuff. They collect, they give each other things, they show

their things off to one another. In the digital realm, goods include

sound files, images, videos and so on.

How true is that?  My house is a veritable shrine to the franchises and bands I love.  I have a 3 foot Millennium Falcon in my office.  But there is a difference between merchandise and collectables.

The compact that exists between fans and entertainment designers is that the stuff they have for sale will be the best quality they can afford to produce, and that they are not just trying to fleece money from their fans.

Whenever I think of merchandise gone wrong, I think of the Kiss Potato Heads.  What the hell is that all about?  When I think about Kiss, potatoes don't really come into the picture.  Most cringe worthy merch ever.

Fans value creativity

Artists tend to focus on their own creativity, and that is the locus

around which fans organize, but they also use others’ art as an

opportunity to flex their own creative muscles and they enjoy seeing

and hearing one another’s creative works.

Some of the things fans make are art, remixes, cover versions, fiction.

I have talked about this topic a lot.  I just wanted to bring attention to it again.

Entertainment Designers and Fans

We need to spread the word, and I hope the folk Nancy spoke to were actually listening.  The creative world has changed, and if we don't change with it, none of us are going to make it.

Do you think she missed something in her presentation?  What do you think Entertainment Designers should do to make fandom and interaction easier?

Vidding is Free Speech

By jonathan mcintoshVidding is the art and craft of remixing video and music to produce an original work.  I keep getting asked, is this free speech or not?

I am not a lawyer

Legality is (unfortunately) in the eye of the copyright holders.  Some rights holders would rather maintain a stranglehold on their properties than allow free promotion of their works.  I think a better question than "are vids legal" is "should vids be legal?"

They paved paradise...

Vidding to me is a natural expression of fandom and  a proper use of a fan's fair use rights.

Copyright is intended to maintain the profitability of a creative work for those who poured their blood, sweat, and tears into making it.  I have no problem with a creative person making money off the fruit of their labors, but entertainment designers need to think about how and why they make money, and if the answer is licensing fees, they need to find a new job.

Fan Love = Money

Let me take a moment to talk directly to my fellow entertainment designers.

Hey guys and gals, I know some of you already know this but we need to bring some peer pressure on those who don't.  If you want to make money, you need people to like you, even better if you can make them fall in love.

I know, love a scary thing, and relationships are hard.  You have to develop listening skills, and actually care how your actions affect others.  The risk is worth the rewards. 

As your relationship with your fans grows, they will start participating in the media.  They will make art, filk, and fanfiction.  If they really love you, they will take the time to make a vid.  I know it is scary to have someone other than you edit your work, but they will then share it with others who have never heard of you.

Love is risky.  It is hard to put yourself out there, without risk, there are no rewards.  If you make it hard for people to love you, they will walk away, leaving you cold and alone and eventually walking the streets wondering why no one dares to care for you anymore.  You will end up spending all you time and money on ad agencies who, let's face it, are little more than the dating sites for media.

Don't make it hard to love you.  Relax, take it easy, and you'll find your relationships worth wild.

Vidding as fair use

If you are not making money off your vids, or reproducing copyrighted content verbatim, they no one should be able to argue that you have made a copy.

A copy is an identical, frame by frame reproduction of a work without alteration.  A derivative is reproducing a work with alterations, and so not as you are not reproducing a work in its entirety, I cannot see how anyone could see that new work as a product that violates copyright.

If I make a 5 minute video from a 90 minute movie, how is that a copy of the movie?

But what about the music?

I am not sure I want to go down this rabbit hole at this moment in time, but I think music is something very different from video.

If no one ever hears a song, it will never be heard.  That may be the dumbest sentence I have ever typed, but I think it makes an important point.

While I believe musicians should make money off their work, I am not convinced that a musician has a right to a fee for non-comercial uses of their music.  If I use music in a product I am making money from, then, if that music is fundamental to the enjoyment of the work, like a film score, then yes, the musician deserves a fee.  However, if I use music in a non-comercial, commentary, or introductory way, then... well... that play is fair use.

I suppose I would apply these rules:

1. If I make money from your music, you should too.
2. If I am not making money off your music, I owe you nothing.

The best way I can see vidders making money off their vids is to affiliate link to the original music or video content.  Then everyone wins!!

Merlin, Ogers and Disappearing Food

Image via Wikipedia

Have you ever been in a social situation where eating the contents of your plate is required but not desired?  If you are planning on throwing the food into the water heed my warning.

While watching Merlin episode 205 Beauty and the Beast: Part One Lady Catrina being an ogre finds human food revolting.  She has to eat to keep up pretenses with the king.  While picnicking she tosses the food from her plate into the river to give the appearance of having eaten the food.  Warning this will not always work.

As a small ogre or as some might mistake a child I would refuse to eat vegetables, they were repulsive.  My parents decided to imprison me at the dinner table until the vegetables were eaten.  I sat near the fish tank.  Fish eat plants so I figured they would eat vegetables too.

When my parents weren't looking I would secret some of the vegetables into the tank.  After a while my plate was cleared and I retreated into my cave (basement).  Several hours later I heard the dreaded howl from my mother.  She found the vegetables floating at the top of the tank.  The fish had failed me and I was busted.  She loves telling this tale.

That is my warning.  If you wish to try and clear your plate don't presume throwing it into a body of water will remove the evidence.

Beware The Inner Fey

Happy April Fools Day!

On this glorious day for pranksters and mischief makers I think of the old legends of the Fey Folk.

A word meaning "wild or crazy acting", often ascribed to supernatural causes and evidenced by abnormal behavior.  -Wikipedia

Well put to define what happens to many on April 1st.  We get a little wild, act crazy and exhibit abnormal behavior.  I love all of the different manifestations this takes across the net and in person.

What a fascinating and glorious time in which we take one day a year to unleash that inner fey.

Avatar’s Religious Experience

After Avatar premiered on the big screen I noticed it having a strange effect in some of those around me.  Then the headlines pointing out how there was a rise in depression from some who watched the movie.  This cause was pinned on the movie being “a little too real” CNN with that being followed up by pinning it on the intense visuals.

This left me curious, there is a real effect being caused but the explanation of visuals for the cause did not make sense.  After watching Avatar Eric and I talked about the experience and the feelings left behind and he pointed out the cause.

The Cause

Experiencing Avatar gives one a religious experience stimulating metaphysical urges.  If lacking in one’s life this will leave a longing, drawing attention to the emptiness that already exists in their life.  Due to our secular society this whole event is felt but probably not realized on a conscious level.

It’s Human nature

It’s human nature to feel the need for a connection.  This need is what drives us as a species to be social creatures.  This is not only one sought between each other but also between our environment around us and to a greater universe.

This is the deeper purpose that mythology and religion serve as they help us to get connected to one another, our environment and the greater universe.

Without it one is left with a restless longing.  This longing can be ignored or temporally filled but it still persists if those connections are not made.  Our secular society has become quite adept at even distracting ourselves so much that the longing is numbed.

How Avatar stimulates it

Avatar does something amazing by giving the viewer an experience of a beautiful setting in which the characters have a deep connection to each other, the environment around them and to a greater universe giving immediate validation of that connection.

This starts with the viewer being able to relate to Jake who through a dreaming state gets a direct neural transmitted connection to a Na’vi.  Through the Na’vi we are connected to the rest of the world around.

A Na’vi does not just climb on a mount and ride around or fly around on it.  They make a neural connection to the mount, a bond that is very deep and reciprocal.  It is a connection that has immediate reward and shown true through the creatures response.

They connect with those that came before them through the Tree of Voices.  This connects the Na’vi to their ancestors and validates this afterlife with immediate feedback.  Connecting to the Tree of Voices they can hear the voices of their ancestors.

The connection to a greater universe is shown through Eywa and the Tree of Souls.  Through this experience we see the validation of a person's soul and it’s ability to transfer from one back into nature and even it’s ability to reincarnate transferring from one body to a new one.

The validation goes so far that even Eywa validates the prayers of the people.

The result

While experiencing the movie we also experience the deep connection and the validation of that experience.  Once the movie ends so does the experience.  The audience member returns to their life and if they have a longing it is made apparent and thus the feelings of depression and a strong desire to return to the Na’vi.

The sad thing is because we live in such a secular society many will not realize on a conscious level those metaphysical urges were stimulated.  Then the distractions set in and attempts to ignore the feelings.  Pushing the longing back down into the unconsciousness and Missing the opportunity to take edifying action.

Exploring Avatar’s Religious Elements

Eywa

Eywa is the great spirit of Pandora revered by the Na’vi and represented through the interconnectedness amongst all of the flora, fauna and indigenous peoples.  The Eywa is most represented through the Tree of Souls, Tree of Voices and the Atokirina which are little floating airborne jellyfish like creatures.

Emissaries of Eywa

The Atokirina’ are seeds from the Tree of souls that float around on the air of Pandora.  They are viewed and revered by the Na’vi as spirits sent from Eywa.  Their presence is viewed as a sign to the people to help them and guide them.

Tree of Voices

The Utral Aymokriyä is a tree kind of like a weeping willow but the branches hanging down are full of neural connections.  These trees are viewed as a sacred space.  The Na’vi can connect to the branches and hear the voices of their ancestors, kind of like a prayer space.  They also partake of the more sacred rights under the branches of the tree like marriage rights.

Tree of Souls

The Ayvitrayä Ramunong is a tree similar in appearance to the Tree of Voices except it has a massive root structure that is close to the surface.  The Tree of Souls can make neural connections to the Na’vi and other creatures around it by sending out many small tendrils.  Through that connection one can get a direct experience of Eywa.  They can even transfer souls from one body through Eywa and back into another body.

A Rose by any other name

Image by Parvin ♣( OFF&ON - Very limited ) via Flickr

A new story is boiling in my mind.  It scrapes at the inside of my skull like Athena trying desperately to get out.  The cast of characters came to me quickly, but they needed names.

...names...

Sometimes, I feel like names are the bane of all authors.  They have to fit the character and the setting, and work well with each other.  That might sound simple, but for me it spirals into a series of questions just short of the Spanish Inquisition.

Eric's First Rule of Naming

No character in the story can have the same name as a member of my immediate family.

That is hard.  In this particular story, there is a character that feels like a Christopher and another who feels like a Donna, but my sister's name is Chris and my mother-in-law's name is Donna, so both of those names are out.

I made this rule when I was really young, when family thought characters with the same name were really ways to talk about them.  (sigh)

There is a practical reason for this too.  Writers can be sued if people think characters in their stories are based on them.  It makes naming a bit challenging for me, but it is a wise thing to do.

Eric's Second Rule of Naming

Names must flow together well.

Flow is a hard thing to talk about.  The easiest way to think of name flow is that the names need to sound like they belong together.  Families and regions have certain naming conventions, and as a Speculative Fiction writer, determining those conventions are important.

Older fiction didn't bother with this, so we ended up with names like Blork, Gort, and Xanthon.  Names that sounded outlandish, but were just weird.

H. P. Lovecraft thought a lot about the names of the creatures in his fiction.  Cthulhu for example is based on the greek work Cthon which means underground, and he intentionally wanted something that was hard to pronounce and that would be pronounced differently by everyone.  He thought it helped to lend the character an unknowable and alien quality.

Eric's Third Rule of Naming

Love the names you choose.

Writing a novel or series is akin to marriage.  You are going to spend every moment of every day with these characters rummaging around in your head.  It can take months or even years to write and edit a story.  It is a commitment.  Make sure you are committed to the names you choose so you don't end up with a Dwigt in your manuscript.

Pursuing a Dream

Image by David Paul Ohmer via Flickr

I think a lot about how to find and follow our dreams.  At times, I feel like a self-help writer, and I wonder if I am really saying anything that matters.

The Problem with Self-help

American society is rooted in the idea of picking ourselves up by our bootstraps and achieving impossible dreams.  We are a frontier nation, young enough to remember the struggles of our founders and frontiers men and women, but finally old enough to start grappling with some of the realities of forging a new world out of one that existed long before we got here.

Our real problem is the stories we grew up with about people who set out on their own to create a life for themselves.  It was all a lie.  None of these people did anything alone.  They only accomplished what they did with the help and support of their community.

Unfortunately, this self-made person myth infiltrated every part of our cultural psyche to the point where we have entire industries built on the lie that if you get your act together, then you will be able to do anything.  The truth is, only when we build a community around ourselves will be we able to accomplish anything.

Dreams Unify

While many of us believe we are alone in our dreams or that we have to achieve our dreams on our own, we are never really alone.
Thousands of people want to write a book, or make a movie.  The trick is to find other people who share your specific dream.

Blogs and podcasts have helped a many people, but the means is not important.  What is important is the connections we make to keep our spirits up, share our knowledge, and support us through the lows and the highs.

Without a strong connection with like minded people, it is difficult to navigate the treacherous waters between us and our goal.

Never Alone

The path to our dream starts with us sharing:

1. What do you want to accomplish?


2. What steps do you see between where you are to where you want to be?


3. What mistakes have you made, and what have you learned from them?


4. What are you doing right now to achieve your goals.

When you start to share, you will find others willing to share with you their experiences.

Following your dream

Now, you need to make you steps know, continue to share your experience, and work with others to achieve your goals.

Start a Blog over at Project: Shadow, and let’s get the community together.  As a group, nothing can stand in our way!