Yearly Archives: 2018

NaNoWriMo 2018 Day 1: I CHEATED ALREADY

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Sheesh, WordPress picked a not-so-good time to redesign their editor.*  Lucky for me, I pick this stuff up quickly. Also lucky — I always write my posts in Word first so I have a backup in case my website goes blooey.

WORD COUNT: 1,625. I already had this many before it started. 

Yes, I know you’re not supposed to begin NaNoWriMo with any actual writing already commenced, but 1) I didn’t officially sign up, and 2) if you know me, you know I do this almost every time. 

This book, referred to in last year’s NaNo end post as Invasion, has been rattling around in my head for a while. Though I’ve heard post-apocalyptic fiction isn’t really a thing anymore, when you’re facing a real-life apocalypse (or the potential of one, thanks to the dictator’s ass-kisser in the White House), one’s mind does tend to turn in that direction.

So here I am, attacking the page and pounding the daylights out of my keyboard. “Ruination is the best friend to creation,” as Chuck Wendig so eloquently put it.


He also invented a sandwich called The Wendigo. Here it is. It is surprisingly delicious.

Photo: Elizabeth West

This month, you’ll likely get very short daily posts. I won’t talk much about the story; it tends to ruin things when I’m writing a first draft. I learned that lesson with Tunerville. I might discuss things I’m learning, share any news, or maybe just whine a bit. Writing a whole book in a month is tough. I may have to build in time for another MCU marathon.

Image: Instagram / comic.book.memes

Before you go, enjoy these MCU memes; I certainly did.  :’D

http://comicbookandbeyond.com/marvel-movies-memes/

*Dear WordPress, I hate the separate blocks; kthxbai.

NaNoWriMo 2018, or Harry Potter and the Butt-in-Chair Writing Challenge

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Lordy, lordy, lordy. It’s that time again. You know the one, when writers all over the country, excited and crazed, take up the challenge to write 50,000 words of a book in one month.

My last attempt at NaNoWriMo did not go well. I became deathly ill and lost so much time and momentum I flaked out and quit. Well not this time, buckaroos. I may not have a job. I may not have a place to write if I can’t find a job. But I have a plan.

Okay, it’s not much of one.

#Relatable

The Joker pantsed things, but you know me — I’m an outline gal. Yes, I wrote one. Is that the book I want to write? I’m not entirely sure. Nor am I sure if I’ll sign up officially or just chronicle it here.

My original plan from last time was to write the sequel to Tunerville. I’ve outlined it all the way through and into Book Three. Yes, I have a trilogy. But if I can’t get the first book published, there isn’t much point writing the next two, is there?

I googled “how many rejections does it take before you should give up on a book” and everyone says 80–100. Well, as of today, I’m halfway there.

Secret Book has become the trunk novel. I don’t think I want to revise that one, at least not now. It’ll keep. Meanwhile, I’ve been trying to prep as much as possible.

  • I’ve cleaned the house. No, really cleaned it. A garage sale and some Facebook Marketplace shenanigans have worked wonders. My back-breaking futon is gone and with it, a lot of crap.

Garage sales are funny things. The stuff you expect will go like hotcakes barely merits a glance, and people buy the most amazing crap. I sold a box full of old pool chemicals, an erasable address book, and a package of blank CDs left over from when I cut my own skating music. The really nice stuff didn’t sell at all. Hence turning to Farcebook.

But God, it sure was great to finally unload that stupid futon. I only bought it because I couldn’t afford a sofa. My back is so much happier. I replaced it with a platform frame for a twin mattress. It’ll do until I can afford a nice daybed frame. I like the versatility of having an extra bed and being able to stretch out while I watch TV or play on the internet machine.

That’s my TV-watching pillow in the middle. Yes, I am a child. And a nerd. Fight me.

Photo: Elizabeth West

There’s room for storage underneath, but I have less to shove beneath it now. It’s comfy AF.  I tried it with the box spring and it was WAY too high; I couldn’t reach my drink on the coffee table. It’s important for me to reach my drink, dammit.

  • I’m cooking and freezing things. Soup, quinoa patties, beans.
  • I’m doing ALL THE LAUNDRY. In spring and autumn, I like to wash all the things, like curtains, blankets, and bedspreads.

All that’s left is to figure out how to manage Thanksgiving. If I visit the fam, I may lose two writing days to driving fatigue. I’ve got at least one Friendsgiving coming up, too.

I found some great suggestions in Robbie Blair’s 2014 NaNoWriMo survival post at LitReactor. I’m especially drawn to the Thine Holy Chalice one. Since I have more room now, I might just go scour the flea market and buy something fun.

As long as this guy isn’t hanging around, I should be good.

Image: indianajones.wikia.com

You’ll get a word count here. I can’t promise a pithy post every day, as I’m still job hunting and there’s no telling what manner of work beastie I’ll drag home over the moors. I may shoot for a novella rather than a novel, depending on which direction this story in my head goes. We’ll see.

If you’re planning to do NaNoWriMo this year, feel free to share your prep tips in the comments.

Sorry, I’ve Been Away Fighting For Your Rights and Let’s Talk About Revision

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*peeks*

U up?

If you follow me on Twitter, you know I’ve been spending a ton of time there tweeting about voting, Brexit, and kittens, oh my! It’s hard to think about anything else right now. Every day brings us more crazy.

In addition to that, I’ve been job hunting. Still nothing there. I’m still halfway between overqualified and underqualified for just about everything, as well as trying to figure out how to make a career change with my old pal dyscalculia. But enough about that. 

Been busy with this, too. Go see it before it’s out of cinemas or I will disown you.

Let’s talk about revision!

Tunerville has been copyedited a total of fifteen times. I’ve had three beta readers and two editors (thank you omg, free copy for sure). It’s the latter I want to talk about.

You may think your manuscript doesn’t need a professional look-see, but you’d be wrong. Writers who aren’t working with a publisher, you need to budget in professional editing services if you can (or furiously cultivate some friendships and your network). You cannot properly edit your own work. You just can’t. You’re too close to it.

“In writing, you must kill your darlings,” said William Faulkner, Stephen King, and this glaring white-tailed sea eagle. Believe them.

Image: Phil_Bird / freedigitalphotos.net

I just finished a massive revision of Tunerville on the advice of Editor #2. And I mean massive. We’re talking major restructuring, the painful but necessary killing of many darlings, rewrites, and even brand new scenes. I went in with a plan; it took two weeks of intense and focused work.  

Despite how exhausting it was, I LOVED IT. I love editing. I love rewriting. If you’ve been with me for a while, you know I hate writing first drafts. I wish I could just download my brain. Yes, of course my dream is to do this all the time. And to secretly be an Avenger. A grad school wisely teacher told me no amount of writing is wasted. So even if something is less than perfect, you will learn from every mission. Every encounter with an Infinity Stone will exponentially increase your power. Oh sorry, I mean every time you sit down at the computer. 

Is it better? I hope so. I probably won’t hear back until the end of August, but in the meantime, I have a lot of other work to do — and hopefully actual work to do. Unemployment is not a vacation.

Book 2 has commenced. I’m mulling over whether a grand overhaul of Secret Book is even worth it. I have two other books in notes stage. A garage sale is in the offing, in case I have to move. I’m still resisting (online, even if I can’t travel to marches).

Meanwhile, please enjoy the smooth beauty of this heirloom tomato. I grew it myself. And check your voter registration. We outnumber them, but it only works if we show up at the polls in November.

Cherokee Purple variety, if you please. A fine tomato for fresh consumption.

*shameless plug*

If you haven’t yet read my short story collection, hop on over to the Buy Me! page of this blog and download a copy for only 99 cents. Bought it and liked it? Share the link!

*addendum*
For a friend who is hotly anticipating Avengers 4 along with me because more Cap and Bucky.  :)

Dammit, Here We Are Again: Baby Prisons, Nazis, and How You Can Help

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I swore not to get political on this blog anymore, but damn, that’s impossible right now. Not when the U.S. government is incarcerating babies whose parents are legally seeking asylum, and the ACLU has to sue it. Not when white supremacists and Nazi sympathizers are running things and spineless greed monsters are enabling them.

https://twitter.com/markokloos/status/1009446785461473280

Marko is correct. A thinking, feeling human will have thoughts on this. And since art is a reflection of life and culture, and culture includes politics, guess what? You’re going to see and hear a lot of artists (many of whom are U.S. citizens, just like you) expressing their opinions. Buckle up, buttercup.

Now you might say we’re being alarmist and making too big a deal, especially when comparing the Trump administration to the Third Reich. But if you paid attention in history class, or read The Diary of Anne Frank, you might recall that death camps were not the beginning of the Holocaust. They came at the end.

First, stuff like this happened:

https://twitter.com/AnneFrankCenter/status/894884499078631424

Jews were blamed for economic problems (sound familiar?). Basic rights and privileges were taken away from them — they had to wear a star identifying them, they had curfews, their property was confiscated, etc. They were referred to as animals, poisonous mushrooms, etc. in attempts to dehumanize them. Trump uses the same language when he says immigrants “infest” the U.S. The inference is that they’re less than human, i.e. pests, like bugs. Dehumanization allows people to do horrible things to other people, because they stop thinking of them as people.

I guarantee you know someone who thinks this way. Maybe they’re sitting next to you right now.

When detaining and deporting people singularly proved inefficient, the Third Reich stepped up its campaign. We all know what happened then.

Image: Wikipedia

And by this time, anyone who objected also became a target.

We have Holocaust survivors warning us of the parallels. Personally, I think Trump doesn’t have enough understanding of politics to become another Hitler. He does admire dictators like Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un, whose oppressive tactics echo those of the Third Reich, mostly because they have stuff he wants — adulation (even if forced), control, and an unrestrained ability to do whatever they like. It’s all about him, so appealing to his humanity is useless, because he cares for nobody but himself. He may not be an actual neo-Nazi, but he’s surrounded himself with people who embrace the ideology.

This morning, I went on Twitter and saw this tweet:

I got the same warning last night from a fellow writer. My dude, I am probably already on a list because I wrote a book about bank robbery. And talked to the FBI about it. And researched explosives for it.

I would never rob a bank, nor do I want to harm anyone. But I might bring about the downfall of Nazis and white supremacists. And you should too. We should all be screaming about this, because dictators do not stop persecuting people when they reach the edges of citizenry.

As for baby internment camps, they’re a thing now. Not newly fledged internment camps, mind you; detention facilities for actual babies. Didn’t see that coming, did you?

Well, fuck.

Image:  David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It’s well known that detaining and institutionalizing children has lasting effects on their physical and mental health. That’s why we don’t have orphanages anymore. This situation poses serious dangers to them, according to doctors.

It’s important to know that this is NOT a law, and it was NOT put into place by Democrats. This is a Trump administration policy, gleefully announced by known racist and Keebler elf lookalike Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Sessions’ church has actually filed child abuse sanctions against him. They might throw him out. Good.

Things you can do to help the children and their parents:

Donate

The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) is raising funds to help bail out ICE detainees so they can reclaim their children. Their website is experiencing huge amounts of traffic right now, but they’ve posted links where you can donate.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is involved in multiple legal proceedings to protect the rights of citizens and immigrants. You can also sign their petition at their website.

Contact your reps in Congress

Resistbot
Text RESIST to 50409 and you’ll get a text message with your representatives’ contact information, which you can use to auto-dial them. I’ve done this; it’s convenient and safe.

If you’re unsure what to say, go to 5calls.org, where you can find multiple issues and scripts for each, as well as contact info.

Register to vote

Check your registration at vote.gov. Primaries have already begun. Be sure to research candidates before casting a ballot, but right now, people are being urged to vote Dem as often as they can, to bring some balance back into Congress.

Some states have voter ID laws; if you know anyone who needs an ID, it would be great if you helped them get one. Voteriders.org has tips on how you can assist.

Vote in local and state elections, too

Checks on Trump’s edicts are happening at state levels. Governors are pulling National Guard units from borders in defiance of the separation policy. City governments have refused to end sanctuary policies. State attorney generals, too, are a bastion against Trumpian policies.

You can find election schedules by state at this link.

EXERCISE YOUR VOTE! It does count, and in some states, such as Ohio, GOP legislators have been allowed to institute purges of voter rolls for those who miss elections. The Supreme Court, stacked in favor of the GOP, disgustingly upheld it.

Volunteer to give people rides to the polls. Some folks may not have one; some might be more inclined to vote if they don’t have to drive and park.

Protest

Yes, protests work — they bring attention to causes and they show lawmakers that citizens are serious about issues and problems. MoveOn.org has a big one around ending family separation planned for June 30. Look for local groups on Facebook and other social media. Follow the rules; some cities don’t allow signs with wood sticks attached them.

Protest lawfully. We have a constitutional right to peaceful assembly. It’s not time for civil disobedience yet. If you’re new to it, you can find tips here and here.

When Trump came to my city last year, I took part in my first organized protest. I found exercising my rights an exhilarating and empowering experience. It’s not for everyone, however. If you can’t or don’t want to do it, you can share information with others.

———–

No matter what you do to resist, take time for self-care. Living in the U.S. right now is goddamn exhausting. Eat right, get plenty of sleep, and engage in meditation or other calming activities to reduce your stress levels. Mindful pauses work great if you’re at work or otherwise engaged when anxiety strikes. Take occasional breaks from social media. The outrage is real, and it’s easy to get caught up in it.

And remember to care for others. This post at everydayfeminism.com gives great tips on how intersectionality can help you and others avoid activist burnout. People who are directly affected by issues often bear the burden of advocating and educating. Ask them what you can do to help.

Remember your kids. They are hearing and seeing things that may scare them. Take the moments when they express fear to gently explain and reassure them. You can find tips on how to do this here.

Encourage teenagers to join organizations working for change if they want to (don’t force them). Teens make great activists; they’re creative, they have a lot of energy, and they’re aware that tough issues affect their futures.They don’t have to be directly affected by something to care or participate.

Emma Gonzalez and her classmates who survived the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting advocate for sensible gun control measures to prevent future tragedies.

Image credit: RHONA WISE/AFP/Getty Images/billboard.com

Above all, remember that decent people outnumber the bad ones. We can do this.

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.” — Fred Rogers

 

 

Molly Ringwald’s New Yorker Piece on John Hughes is Right, and Here’s Why

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Recently, Molly Ringwald, a member of the popular 1980s “Brat Pack” group of young actors, wrote a piece for The New Yorker where she analyzed watching some of her old films with her daughter, notably the John Hughes vehicles that made her a star.

Ringwald rightfully pointed out how Hughes altered the face of teen films. To paraphrase, until then, actors playing teens were older; the everyday aspects of their lives were not given focus; female characters had no real efficacy. Hughes changed all that. His films were popular, funny, engaging, and those of us who watched them could identify with the characters. We saw ourselves on screen — our fears, triumphs, and foibles.

She also noted how uncomfortable it made her to view these films in the current #MeToo atmosphere. In particular, the sexually aggressive and harassing behavior of the John Bender character in The Breakfast Club could be grounds for a lawsuit today. In the film, it’s played for laughs, and Claire, Ringwald’s character, responds positively to it in the end. In Sixteen Candles, Farmer Ted’s deal to return a classmate’s pair of underpants for a chance at an unconscious (and non-consenting) woman is equally problematic in light of our newly awakened sense of how women in 2018 are still treated as if they aren’t quite human.

Sexy anti-hero and “criminal” John Bender, played by Judd Nelson.

Image: thebreakfastclub.wikia.com

In those days, behavior like Bender’s (and in real life, Harvey Weinstein’s) was ubiquitous. Pushback was rare. Nobody talked about consent. In most of these films, men, or boys, did have all the power. The female characters existed as a means to an end (status) or offered an end in themselves (the quest to get laid as seen in Porky’s). Getting the girl one had a crush on was a major achievement that implied a woman can be acquired like a coveted object or trophy.

I think Ringwald made a good case for viewing these things as debatable. They always have been, but for some reason, perhaps self-preservation or internalized misogyny, many women who grew up during that time did not view them as such. I’ve already seen pushback on her article in my own circles. A notable example came from a male writer I know, who stated that he saw Hughes’ portrayals of teenagers as semi-authentic for the time, and that Ringwald doesn’t speak for everyone.

Of course, they were authentic. And Ringwald does point that out. But when does nostalgia become a reason to dismiss acknowledgment that these characters exhibit attitudes we no longer wish to entertain? Society evolves and the things we took for granted then absolutely should make us uncomfortable now.

I have the same feelings as Ringwald when I read some young adult (YA) literature from that era. In my own personal library, which contains a large amount of YA and children’s literature largely because I have a horror of discarding books, I had one from a library book sale called A Different Kind of Love (1985). Protagonist Elizabeth, nicknamed Weeble, is a fourteen-year-old girl in a single-parent family whose visiting uncle’s affections become inappropriate.

Author Michael Borich deals with something we don’t often think or talk about when discussing child molestation — that being touched and held and in turn, loved, feels good. That it’s possible for a child who is being victimized to have affection for an abuser. And that abuse often comes from people we feel we should trust or love, and how difficult and confusing that can be for victims, and why it’s so hard for them to speak up.

Reading it did make me squirm, mostly because the adults, though concerned, are so blasé about the situation. At the time of publication, teachers were not mandated reporters, so a trusted educator in whom Weeble confides does nothing more than advise her. Her mother kicks her brother out of the house (good), but no one calls the police. And though Borich declines to explore it, the mother’s first reaction is a common one in molestation cases where a family member is involved: disbelief.

Though some might think dated materials can be safely retired, I think it’s fine to use them for a larger discussion. I did end up ultimately discarding the book in the interest of space. But in my mind, I’ve moved forward from that time along with society. I know if I have children that talking to them about Weeble’s confusing feelings and the proper adult reactions, whether I use her as an example or not, would have to be part of that particular discussion.

And I would let them watch Hughes’ films, once they’re old enough to understand and talk about them. Ringwald makes mention of racism and homophobia in Hughes’ writing; it’s there, and it’s obvious. Hughes was both progressive and backward, and this uneven dichotomy shows glaringly in his treatment of exchange student Long Duk Dong in Sixteen Candles.

Yes, Long Duk Dong was a horrible Asian stereotype. Even his name is a racist joke. In contrast, we have his sexy girlfriend Marlene, a character referred to as “Lumberjack” (Deborah Pollack) because she’s taller — and thus less desirable — than the prom queens. Lumberjack is athletic, strong, and confident. She takes no shit and goes after the boy she likes. She’s also affectionate and in touch with her desires. She’s the best character in the film.

Debbie Pollack and Gedde Watanabe in Sixteen Candles (1984)

Image: imdb.com

I can’t blame Gedde Watanabe for playing The Donger; at the time, few non-caricature roles for Asian actors existed.  Despite this and Samantha’s father referring to his oldest daughter’s fiancé as “an oily bohunk,” a slur used to refer to people of Hungarian or Slavic descent, I don’t think these films should be binned. In addition to Lumberjack’s positive portrayal, the targeted audience of this film found much to identify with in Samantha’s family dynamics and her attempts to navigate a crush on the cutest boy in school.

In closing, Ringwald writes:

John wanted people to take teens seriously, and people did. The films are still taught in schools because good teachers want their students to know that what they feel and say is important; that if they talk, adults and peers will listen. I think that it’s ultimately the greatest value of the films, and why I hope they will endure. The conversations about them will change, and they should. It’s up to the following generations to figure out how to continue those conversations and make them their own—to keep talking, in schools, in activism and art—and trust that we care.

My writer friend can discount the misogyny in Hughes’ films because as a man, he never had to deal with it. We’re not too disparate in age and we both grew up with these attitudes. It took time for me to parse my own internalization and discard them. I still enjoy the films too and I understand where he’s coming from. It’s hard not to romanticize the past, but we also have to recognize the tarnished aspects of it.

Ringwald’s instinct to watch her films with her children is a good one. So is her desire to initiate a discussion involving the elements that have changed or evolved over time. No, we no longer feel that sexual harassment is funny or entertaining. Yes, you’re right to feel uneasy about it, and here’s why. If kids today can recognize that when they watch the films, and parents are engaging them on these topics, then we’re on the right path to a more respectful society. John Hughes’ films can serve as a tool to get us there.