Day 48 - No Idea by Christophe Verdier

Good Options for things to Write about:

Mermaid! by Aoru

Photo Credit: Aoru

This is an easy word to get mixed up for some. They both mean to take oxygen into your lungs but they are very different in how they sound and read.

Here is an quick and easy tip that will have you on-track with usage and spelling.

When you see the word ‘Breathe’ just remember that the ‘E’ at the end makes it and ‘E’ sound in the middle like:  ‘Just Breathe in and out,’ with the stress on the ‘E’.

Breath, on the other hand is Br-(eh)-th.  to ‘Stop and catch your breath.’

It is very easy to get these mixed up. It’s okay. It happens to everyone! The art of language is not something you were born with, you had to learn it. So don’t think that you were born behind the learning curve. We all have to learn breath from breathe along with a number of other words.

I hope this tip helped you in some way. Have a great day!

By the way, a Quick Witty Fact: ‘BooKKeeping’ is the only word in the English dictionary that has three ‘double’ letters next to each other. OO-KK-EE. Pretty neat, eh?

2008-1-26 (Editing a paper) - 31 by Nick's Events

Photo Credit: Nick’s Events

Do you know how spell check works?

“Of course” you say.

Do you have 50,000 words or more (possibly from NaNoWriMo)?

“Of Course!” you say.

Are you making progress editing your novel?

“Of COURSE…not,” you say.

Don’t feel bad and don’t feel alone. In the wake of NaNoWriMo you should just be glad you have gotten this far! Now, to be perfectly honest, 50,000 words is not a complete novel. But you don’t want to hear that and we are not here to talk about that. We are talking about editing.

I am sure it has been done, created, marketed and promoted somewhere else, but you should be working on your ‘Edit Your NaNoWriMo in 30 Days!’ or something catchy.

“How?” you ask.

Well, even if you spend at least three days on each chapter…that is ten chapters edited in a month.

“But it looks like such a HUGE file!” you say.

It is a huge file. But stop psyching yourself out. Look at it like this.

• If you break it into small enough steps, editing, than it is easy.
• If it doesn’t seem easy, you haven’t broken it into small enough steps.
• Think ‘baby steps’, in other words ‘One Chapter at a Time’
• Use FastPencil.com

Okay, this last part is only a suggestion but it helps. It’s what I have been using. They set you up with a ten chapter model ‘project’ for your book and as you edit each chapter, you just lay it out.

I am not saying print and publish with them. That is a completely different issue and one you should research fully as to what best benefits and suits you. What I am saying is the interface is easy to use, it is free, and you can even connect with other authors. And if you only want one copy of your book you are all ready with them. They run about the same cost as other services and it’s already laid out in their program.

If you don’t want to use FastPencil to publish, then you can utilize their layout and easy breakdown of chapters. Lay it out, organize your story, name your chapters and then you will have a better overall view. You don’t see a never ending cascade of text in a word document. Instead you see a couple thousand words in each ‘chapter’ and you can just work on ‘One Chapter at a Time’.

Baby steps. No one every wrote a book in a day (unless they were insane) so don’t think you have to sit down and edit it in one day. But you do have to start. Just like writing, in order to have a finished product you have to edit.

Try Baby Steps Like this:

* Work on One Chapter

* Start with just what the SpellCheck Program picks up

* Go through just ONE chapter and see how it reads.

* Go back through the chapter and look for plot-holes thus far.

See how easy this is? Breaking it down like this? I find it easier than saying ‘I’m going to read the whole thing and look for plot holes. Then I am going to read the whole thing and look for punctuation. I am going to read the whole thing and only look for…getting burned out. Especially your first pass of editing through your book, you are going to have pages dripping red and you are going to feel overwhelmed again.

Just. Start. Small.

Some days I day dream about hiring someone to edit all 130,000 words…and then I worry about losing my writing style and voice in the edits. But hiring someone is an option. It’s whatever you feel comfortable with. But that Next Great American (Insert Country/Nation Here) is not going to edit itself sitting on your desktop. Don’t let it collect virtual dust. Get to it! The world is waiting for you!

http://www.KarishaPrescott.com/

www.KarishaPrescott.com/

KarishaPrescott.com

for the love of books by chocolate geek

Photo Credit: Chocolate Geek

The Following is the paper I turned in for my English 101 Final. Please respect my work. Do not plagiarize as the paper will come up in search results fairly easily. Cheating is wrong but above that, I know you have great ideas, great thoughts and you just need a little encouragement. This is me encouraging you. Everyone has a great paper in them. Write a paper you can be proud of and call your own. As always, thanks for reading!

Digital Book Burning

Book burning has spanned the ages but has never been more dangerous than today. From the 1700’s with the banning of literature supporting the United States rebellion against England, to book burning in support of Nazi regime, the most notable being May 10th, 1933 by German university students, books have been controlled most strictly where dictatorships have risen.

Dictators like Hitler knew the power that books held. By holding book burnings people attempt to stop the spread of ideas. Now we are upon an age, a digital age, when the books that hold the past are in danger. Not only is there the danger of books being eradicated with the push of a single button but the danger of our books becoming censored even as they sit on our digital book shelves. The numbing part is that no one will even know it is happening. This holds the most danger in experiments with institutions of higher learning switching from traditional textbooks to digital editions. (Mintz)

Traditionally, books would have to be sought out, gathered, piled and lit to burn publicly. There would always be a few copies that survived. These books were hidden away to provide insight into what was so terrible a threat to the authority that banned it. Sure, you could have had a knock at the door and a militant looking fellow could demand all copies be brought to a square, but it was somewhat easy to misplace or hide a copy.

Today, we are faced with a new threat. No longer will there be a knock at the door. Instead, the culprit will come through the window, thumb through your library and pick and choose what is appropriate. Sound outlandish? The same incident occurred on December 17, 2009, when corporate giant Amazon, who manages and distributes digital books, decided to go through a few selections on the Kindle reading devices owned around the world. Amazon deleted select titles without warning or notice. (Stone) “Justin Gawronski bought and was reading ‘1984′ as part of a summer assignment for school. Amazon deleted the book while he was reading it, causing him to see the ink disappear before the eyes as he was reading.” (Hood)

Digital piracy could mean something completely different in our time. Instead of thinking of a person stealing a bunch of music from a website, envision a website going through your library and automatically replacing a book you purchased with a ‘new, edited, cleaned’ version. Basically, you could go to sleep with one thing on your digital page and wake up to something entirely different. So the real threat is not in an entire edition disappearing, which is obvious and noticeable, but select passages altering without warning or reason. It is easy to see where something has been taken, but would you notice if the text in a section is just a little more to the left? Was something added or was something taken out?

The titles that were omitted from the libraries of every Kindle owner that had purchased them were none-other than Animal Farm and 1984 by George Orwell, as well as a few other titles. (Stone) The reason that this irony is an irony is that the book 1984 by George Orwell is about government totalitarian control, most especially over literature and books. It would, no doubt, leave a lasting impression on the young man, Gawronski, who was reading the title as it disappeared by the same situation the book was trying to shed light on. (Hood) The possibility of totalitarian control over literature is now a very real possibility and threat.

This all comes back to control and even government. A good example of this would be the book project spearheaded by conglomerate Google. Google Books is millions of books into a world-wide digitization project attempting a modern day replica of the Library of Alexandria from Greek history.

It is no surprise that France leads the fight against the spread of knowledge. “We won’t let ourselves be stripped of our heritage to the benefit of a big company, no matter how friendly, big or American it is,” were French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s thoughts on the matter. (Jarry) As Google continue to fight against accusations of attempting to build a perceived monopoly, you have to take a look at the market. Targeting public domain works and out-of-print works, Google is making books available to the world that would otherwise be forgotten in dusty, used bookstore stacks.

The future of books is a double edged sword. On the one hand we have the spread of knowledge, and on the other hand is the stifling and eradication of books. Both options grant complete control and great responsibility.

There may come precedents set by courts as time goes on, that slowly chisel the rights of publishers and there-by the rights of writers. As writers and journalists are attacked in the courtroom for things like slander, opinion, political views, and shedding light on atrocities, there will become a gradual shift. Instead of seeing an apology or retraction you won’t see anything. Things like court ordered edits that completely erase the initial intent of the author could become an unheard normalcy in the digital publishing world. That in mind, the latest endeavors of Amazon should worry the population far more than Google’s attempt at a mass library.

Over 200 universities, including Arizona State University, are in preliminary testing utilizing the same company that so casually deleted users’ books in the middle of the night, Amazon. In this experiment, students use a Kindle device which comes preloaded with their digital textbooks courtesy of Amazon, instead of their traditional books. A Kindle device may be lighter than traditional books and possibly less expensive in the long run but handing over control of educational texts to the company that readily pilfers digital libraries is not what I call a ‘great decision’. (Minz)

As companies and publishers begin serious contemplation about putting history books in collective digital archives, the population should be looking to authors. When it comes down to the integrity of a book, no one knows a book better than its author. Whether authors will defend their works at all costs or let laws censor and alter is yet to be seen. When the dust settles it would be nice to trust what you’re reading is what was originally written.

As far as digital books go, the whole threat is in not knowing the initial intent of the author. Government control on publishing houses, court orders to alter, edit or delete works with the push of a single button means that an original would be known only to the original author and no one else. The days of stowing away a book in hopes of saving it from the bon fire, appreciating the words that are feared by an authority and having the mind to save it for future lessons on literary control and abuse, would be days of the past.

Digital book burning is a very real situation, having already happened in the middle of the night and having gone almost unnoticed. (Stone) The contents of “1984″ are coming to potential prophecy less than a hundred years from when it was written and we may all be made fools by the end, having not heeded the warning. As book burning becomes a simple press of the delete key the world needs to look to the source, the author. The author is the only one that can say what was or was not intended. It is up to the authors to keep the integrity of their works. It is up to the author, and not much can be expected elsewhere, to keep the integrity of literature for the rest of the world.

Works Cited

Hood, Jon. “Amazon Faces Kindle Class Action.” ConsumerAffairs. 28

Jul 2009.

ConsumerAffairs.com Inc., Web. 12 Dec 2009. <http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/08/kindle_class.html>.

Jarry, Emmanuel. “France’s Sarkozy takes on Google in books

dispute.”

Reuters. 08 Dec 2009. Thomas Reuters, Web. 12 Dec 2009. <http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSGEE5B029F20091208?type=marketsNews>.

Mintz, Jessica. “Kindle lightens textbook load, but flaws remain.” The

Seattle Times. 14 Oct 2009. The Seattle Times

Company, Web. 12 Dec 2009. <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010056619_apusteckindleoncampus.html>.

“Traveling exhibit on Nazi book burnings will open at

State Library Aug. 27.” AllBusiness. 23 Aug 2009. LexisNexis,

Web. 12 Dec 2009. <http://www.allbusiness.com/trends-

events/historical-events-world-war-ii/12719888-1.html>.

Stone, Brad. “Amazon Erases Orwell Books From Kindle.” The New York

Times. 17 Jul

2009. The New York Times Company, Web. 12 Dec 2009. <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/technology/companies/18amazon.html?_r=2>.

Every writer has tools that they need, wish they had, and wished they needed so they would have an excuse to immediately go get them in a justified manner. Are all my items something I NEED for writing? Nope. Give me a pen and paper and I am set. But these are things that would put me in writer heaven…and probably keep me procrastinating until the end of the world. I think you would agree.

Multi Touch Screen-Wall

Dr. Xunlei Wu using the Duke Multi-Touch Wall. (Photo credit: Josh Coyle)

That’s right. I want a whole wall. And I want a wireless keyboard that is compatable. Because I want to be able to put out my story line on the actual wall with virtual sticky notes and an awesome timeline, to be able to create a 3D map of SciFi worlds and be able to navigate it using NASA’s awesome 3D interface (Because that is a responsible application of an amazing technology.

And then I want to be able to write my story on my wall, using a wireless keyboard that I can sit on my sofa and stare at my wall and listen to music and have a video of pride and prejudice…though the sounds could conflict. I have to research facts to make sure I’m not making my characters idiots and make sure I am providing ‘life like’ and ‘real life’ scenarios.

And I would love to put it as a screensaver of fish bouncing around…wouldn’t that be awesome wallpaper?

Okay – So a Multi-Touch Wall for a computer is a big BIG wish, but it would be cool.

Now I am going to have to find some other things to put in the room, I suppose to make the space ideal.

Anti-gravity chair

The Varier Gravity Reclining Chair by Stokkes

No, this wouldn’t make you float or anything, but close. These chairs distribute your weight to make it FEEL like you are floating though, with a relief of pressure on even distribution. I only toss this in because the idea sounds nice.

I have never sat in one, but I might as well put it on the ‘neat, tech-y things I would fill my office with if I had no budget’.

Microsoft Courier

Microsoft Courier

If you haven’t seen the promo for this, and it better be coming out soon, then watch the video. This is every writer/designer/planner’s dream. This goes beyond an ereader – It looks like ‘Command Central’ for writers.

Not to mention, this would be ideal for going to school, meetings or anywhere because you can write on it, as in, as if it were a real notebook. I can’t even describe all the cool features. Except, I will say that the little virtual journal covers you can doodle and customize are a replica of the ‘moleskin’ notebooks of which I have about twenty. Any writer that is a writer has one of these around. So there is a nostalgic connection there, thinking of being able to have nice and neat little notebooks that I can customize.

This would be a great arsenal in the profession of creating and recreating worlds for readers to explore. Not to mention, it is AWESOME and I love tech.

Now, As far as work goes…because most of these have been really cool distractions and well-meant ‘tools’ that would be toys more than anything, here are two things I can’t live without in my workspace.

My NetBook:

HP Netbook

That is right. I have an 8in HP Netbook and I love it. I can’t do much on it. I can make emergency reservations on the go, I can research directions on the go and most importantly, I can write and upload blog posts on the go.

I hadn’t tried the actual full process of writing, finding photographs and posting a blog post while traveling until Thanksgiving. It was one of those ‘I know it is 2 am but I really want to write about and share this!’
It was fun to know I could post from anywhere.

FYI – If you have done any research on NetBooks you will know that the keyboards are 95% full size. But it is hard to know what all the shortcuts are! I have accidently turned on the overwrite feature on several occasions. And believe you me, that is frustrating! So, just so you know, you know?

My iPod Shuffle

iPod Shuffle 3rd Gen

I had an ipod nano, which I bedazzled (Don’t roll your eyes, I am a girl and yes: They were pink crystals) but it died a tragic death and I replaced it with that itty-bitty shuffle thing. I love it. I haven’t broken the rocker on the headphones either, yet. (Just give me time). I need the shuffle, as much as I hate admitting that, because music keeps me ‘in the zone’ when I write. It’s a mood enhancer. Ask any writer, when you are writing a scene that has romance you listen to romantic music, a sad scene with sad music, a fight scene with angry or high tempo music. You get the idea.

Okay. So three things I would LOVE in an idea work space is a FULL size Multi Touch wall (computer) or even a smaller wall…lol, a Microsoft Courier that isn’t really out yet and one of those space chair things. (I don’t need the space chair, but it would be neat I think). Two things I have that I can’t live without are my Netbook and my iPod Shuffle.

Fish Tale by capn madd matt

Photo Credit: capn madd matt

First I want to say the photo I picked for this blog post is amazing. I love it. I want to do something like this for my birthday. Sit around and drink water out of a glass with a gold fish in it…something awesome in that. I do confess, I don’t think I will. I wouldn’t want to stress out the gold fish.

But in looking at this photo, It really makes me think of writing. Writing is, essentially, creating a world and telling the story of individuals in that world. This is truer with science fiction writing than anywhere else. You get to create a world from scratch.

With the goldfish bowl theory, the bowl is the world you create and the fish is your character. Can you imagine telling the story of that gold fish? I can already think of dozens of ways he got there, what kind of person would put him there and why.

But the ‘Gold fish Theory’ is important in pointing out…nothing exists outside the fish bowl. If you don’t write it, it essentially doesn’t exist. So don’t assume your reader knows what you are ‘hinting’ at when you create a world from scratch because chances are…they’re lost.

So what do we learn from the GoldFish Theory?

• ‘Build’ your new world through description.
• Decide whether you are telling the story from observation of the gold fish or the perspective of being the goldfish
• No one wants to read a story where your fish just sits in a boring bowl and blinks. If ever you wonder, ask ‘Where are you taking me?’ from the perspective of the reader.

As wonderful as this photograph is, I don’t think I will be attempting the nervous breakdown of a fish every time I take a sip of water but I do find it fascinating and unique.

I hope this breakdown of my ‘Gold Fish Theory’ has helped you take a fresh look at your story. Writing is perhaps the only scenario where we can play God, and no matter what we know it will be a happy ending. Well…I would HOPE it would be a happy ending. As for the gold fish…*gulp*

Please feel free to comment or critique! I always enjoy hearing what you think and your own experiences in writing.

Photo Credit: Samyra Serin

I didn’t want to post two TED video’s back to back but I thought I would share one of the first videos I ever watched on TED and why it is important.

As most know, the iPhone was released around mid-2007. The video embeded below is where the technology came from. The interesting part is…the cost for that table you see in the video is roughly 50.00 if I remember my research correctly.

But how does this relate to me? To writing? TED celebrates innovation, thinking outside of ‘the box’ and mostly giving back to the world. Not only are there talks about business, but philanthropic ventures, old-world methods versus new world methods and new ways of looking at old things.

Okay, you still don’t get why I am saying that TED matters to me, as a writer. It’s the one place I can go to find technology, prototypes, ideas and concepts that haven’t made it into the ‘main stream’ yet. I saw this video before the iPhone came out and the first thing I said when I saw the iphone is ‘Holy Crap they Jacked up the cost on that!’ and now the iPhone goes for roughly 100.00 which is probably closer to cost considering it is a much smaller scale. My second thought was ‘I know who invented that, where the technology started’ and I was sold on TED.

Recently I watched a video about rain collection methods in the desert which I have used in my novel, Past Mistakes. In stumbling through TEDTalks, I have found an ‘old way’ to do something in my novel that will make a huge impact on the story.

So, TED is great for researching old methods and new methods. Its a great way to learn about people as they have extensive scientific talks on how people interact, animals, the brain and children. It is a valuable resource and I hope that you wander over and give a few talks a look. You will find yourself easily loosing track of time in some of the longer talks if you don’t watch the clock. Then again, I don’t think of that as a neccessarily bad thing.

So watch the video below and see the technology from the beginning and see what they left out – or is to come soon in full feature computers (cross your fingers!) because I would LOVE my coffee table to do this!

TEDTalks – Jeff Han demos his breakthrough touchscreen : Aug 2006

Catching the rain by Pandiyan

Photo Credit: Pandiyan

It’s Friday already? Crazy how the week flies by! This Friday Five I am going to explore the most influential characters of my upcoming novel Past Mistakes. With the dynamics of how characters transform into people on pages, it is important to remember that each character is more than a blip of dialog or the bridge to the next scene. Your characters are your story and the story builds out from around them.

Okay, let’s get to it!

OPLURA

Opura is a girl that accidently lands in the future. She is not sure of herself, terrified of her situation but determined to make her way home. She’s sometimes a little too trusting and oblivious to predicaments she gets herself into but she is quick on her feet and quick to think of a plan.

BECKETTE

Beckette is the main love interest of Oplura. Always quiet and brooding about something, Beckette was the first to find Oplura though not the first to immediately help. While he initially abandoned her to the wilderness he proved to have a conscious and has been inseparable from her since.

GREGOR

Gregor is a dragon in the world of the future. Working as scholar and advisor to the Queen of all the Draconians, Gregor works hard to preserve remaining artifacts of the glory days of the human civilization. His open-mindedness put Oplura on the invitation list versus the dinner menu however, his wife would prefer otherwise some days.

MARIANNE

Marianne is the faithful mate of Gregor the dragon. Also a draconian, Marianne’s family was murdered in an age old plot against the Draconians from within their own regime but ultimately was offered as a sacrifice to human religious zealots as a cover for wanting her family gone. Secretly working as the Queen of Draconia’s private political spy, she spends her days pretending to be the castles interior decorator. Given an opportunity, Marianne could prove to be a fatal enemy or a valued ally.

QUEEN OF DRACONIA

Queen of Draconia was brought to power shortly after her mother’s murder and over throw. Now plagued with keeping their race alive, the Queen must protect her thrown from both humankind and her own kind. With allies few and close around, the Queen must use her instincts in deciding how to maneuver the survival of the Draconians, herself and ensure Oplura’s journey alters the past mistakes of her civilization and time.

Well those are the top five!

I would love to hear how you build your characters to interact.

And as always, Thanks for Reading!

Banned Books Week Banner by DML East Branch

Photo Credit: DML East Branch

“When we reject the single story, when we realize that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise,” – Novelist Chimamanda Adichie

The above quote is from the video embedded below from Novelist Chimamanda Adichie.

If you know me, by now you know I am a fan of TEDTalks. If you don’t know what TEDTalks are go ahead and just watch the video I embedded below.

Mostly, I love TEDTalks because it opens me up to the ideas and thoughts of great minds around the world. I like stuff that gets me thinking.

In Adichie’s TEDTalk, embedded below, she goes on to talk about her experiences moving through life and the perspectives of people as she compares to her perspectives from the first books she read and wrote.

She dissects a sort of disconnect she had as a youth and the disconnect that occurs in a variety of cultures and people around the world as a result of only hearing one story. I would love to hear your comments and ideas about this concept and would love to know if I have converted anyone to becoming a TEDTalks viewer.

If it’s midnight…I may be on YouTube but chances are I am on the TEDTalks Channel!

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy the video. Be sure to check TED.com for lots of great talks they have archived through out their site for easy viewing and the spread of ideas. TEDTalks2009 was held in India this year and I believe TEDTalks are being held in California next year.

Chimamanda Adichie : The Danger of a Single Story

Video Length: 18:49 minutes

TED.com or TEDTalks Channel on YouTube

32-p1

Photo Credit: Zephyrance

What is this aspect of being published that is so scary to writers? With the conclusion of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) there are plenty of writers that are looking at 50k words and a blinking cursor going ‘What now?’

My advice would be to plan for the moon and try for the moon, but have a plan B. don’t let your hard work go to waste! (At the same time, you should be making sure your work is edited and polished prior to publishing).

So my plan looks something like:

1)      Edits – I am going to be doing at least 5 on screen passes and two or three print edits. This way whatever I miss on the screen, I will hopefully catch on paper.

2)      Synopsis – Sum up your book! This is good practice for your short pitch and what you will eventually use in making…

3)      Query – You should spend as much time on writing your query as you did editing your book. Perhaps that is a little much. I know I will be doing extensive research on Query letters and will give an example of mine for all to pick apart as the time gets closer to send a few out.

4)      Build – publishers love a writer with a platform already developed for a book. It would be very good if you have a fan base already. Sure, this wont happen overnight. But it is good to start thinking of the marketing aspect of your work as you will probably be doing a majority of it. Writers are far more active in the process anymore and far more responsible for the success of their works.

5)      When Declined by All – If I get declined by every query letter, which I am sure wont take long *wink* I will vanity publish. I already know this. To be perfectly reasonable, I hadn’t even considered traditional publishing a possibility. I write because I love it. But you can’t get published unless you cast a stone into the unknown murky waters and see what splashes back to you. Okay, that wasn’t the best analogy, but I am not going to NOT try. That’s just silly!

Okay. So these are the steps I am preparing to take. Am I scared of being published? Yes and no. Any writer will tell you that a piece of writing is more than ink or letters on a screen, it’s a labor of love. *tears up a little* it wont be long until it’s on the Oprah book list…oh wait, she’s retiring. Okay, so I am most definitely going to be vanity published because Oprah was my one big hope.

Take my sarcasm for what it is meant to be, entertaining. As lightly as I talk about vanity publishing, it reaches more audiences and gains more recognition every day. As humorous as I am about the ‘fish that got away’ story of getting a publishing deal, I will take a serious approach and a very real attempt at catching that whopper of a ‘Stephen King’ contract.

Will it happen? Look at it this way, NOTHING will happen if I sit on my hands and hope a publisher comes knocking on my door about a book I never queried to publishers or bothered to launch myself online. Have confidence in your work. Or, as Henry J. Kaiser said “When your work speaks for itself, don’t interrupt.’

Thanks for reading! Good luck everyone!