Sunday Update (With Some Extra Rambly Bits)

I just came back from visiting with my folks and trying to get Pokemon Go to work on my phone. I've been trying on and off for the last several days, then giving up and playing Neko Atsume instead. It is possible that my phone is too old. (For those keeping score, it's an iPhone 4S that I got in 2012)

One major update: my health situation has improved. No more heart palpitations! It seems that the cause was low iron, since taking a new multivitamin and eating more iron-rich foods alleviated it. I am still planning on going to the cardiologist to be extra sure, but it seems whatever was ailing me healed up, thank goodness!

I also lost three pounds, my first significant loss in a few months. I credit the eating of salads twice a week and now exercising on the weekends to this happy change. I'm down to 183, so I have about 30 more to go.

I also read John Steinbeck for the first time: The Pearl and Of Mice and Men. Not gonna lie, I legit teared up at their endings. And now I eagerly await my BookPeople order of his journals, The Grapes of Wrath, and a collection of his short novels. Needless to say, he gained a fan in me. Would've dug reading those if I was in high school.

***

So yeah, Pokemon Go. My sister (being the dedicated fan since... the whole thing began for us Americans) already has a Flareon guarding a spot (which is at her job). It's fricking brilliant, this game. Pokemon has an intriguing habit of being a catalyst for change. I can't wait to see what this game will do for us as a population obsessed with our smartphones.

And also, I have made a pretty big decision: I am going to vote for Hillary. I am not in the least bit thrilled, but I cannot to let Trump win. The whole #Brexit catastrophe has catapulted me to this decision, I will admit. I also changed my mind on Jill Stein due to some disgusting things she'd said about folks with autism. As for Bernie... it's pretty apparent he is not wanting to be President, more satisfied with invoking change as a Senator and working within the DNC. So feel free to call me a hypocrite, I will only shrug and go "well, cool story bro" and move onto supporting down-ticket Democrats and Independents and turning Texas blue.

***

That's about it for me for now. Here's to timely updates, healthy hearts, and working smartphone games!

On Writing Characters Like Me (Or: For the Love of God, Another Author Surrogate?!)

If I am guilty of anything in my writing (which I am), I would say the two things I can think of are: odd dialogue (I'm working on this) and author surrogates. Now, unlike the linked definition, I don't create these characters because I think I'm so damn awesome or because I want this author surrogate to jump in and say something about my beliefs. Nah, for some reason, I happen to make characters that are a lot like me.

Actually... *stops for a moment to count*

I only have three characters that I can safely say are the closest in terms to being like me. Now, it's never 100% , 'cause really, show of hands of who wants to see me become a fictional character.

*brief pause* Thought so.

But why do I do it? Really, I wish I knew. Perhaps it is the adage "write what you know", but one of the characters is half-Japanese (which I am not) and another is bisexual (which I am not also). So, if that's not the complete case here, do I secretly harbor the feeling that perhaps I am awesome? Well, not really. I do have traits that could be interesting, like my passion for music and random knowledge of trivia, so I throw in what would make the character human. And last I checked, I am human, so it makes sense to draw from there.

But the thing is, when it comes to character creation, you draw from everything and everywhere. I can't begin to tell you the characters I have created that are loosely based on people I know, from bosses to friends to random strangers I met at the mall. For Pete's sake, my parents were the basis for about four characters! So I am just another source, that's all.

As for those three characters, my literary "twins"? Do they do anything special in their stories? Not really. They struggle, fall in and out of love, have stupid jobs, have bad days at the grocery store, and do not possess super-special powers. I do my damnest to make them as anti-Mary Sue as possible. I owe that, not just to you fair readers, but to myself and to the characters. Not like they'll kick my ass for getting them wrong, but I feel I'm not honest if I write willy-nilly about them.

So, I just happen to have these three characters (all from projects I've mentioned on the blog: Blues, Invisible, and Dolls). Their similarities: tall white girls with German ancestry that love music and reading. Wow, such spectrum. :P

What are your feelings on this topic? Should authors stop using themselves as character idea wells? Is there a way to write an author surrogate that doesn't want to make you punch the author in the face? Am I just being silly? Should I find better things to write about? Let me know what you think in the comments!

One Giant Ramble About Writing and Public Discourse

Reading this blog post about a reviewer and author trading words made me really think about two things. 

One: I've been meaning to read this series, I have the first one on my Nook.

Two: Sweet holy everything, Mr. Aarnovitch, while I didn't find your response bad, you should've taken your advice you wrote on the first line and not engage. 

~

As a budding writer, I fear becoming so defensive about my work that I am horrid to whatever fans I end up having. I don't want to do that. If you read my book and don't like it, then there you go. And fans, don't defend my "honor" or whatever. If someone doesn't like it, let them be. They have gone through the same trouble as you have and read the book, but didn't get similar feelings like you did. Leave them be. And I don't mind either way how someone feels. If they threaten me with violence, on the other hand, the gloves freaking come off. But that's less "my writing" and more "my person", which I consider more viable and worth defending.

I have, in the past, been very defensive about my writing (even on here, why? I ask myself). Since I've done a lot of growing up, I realized that I could've handled it all better and now with hindsight, know what to do. Just take the criticism, be civil in response, and wrap up this burrito before it gets too stuffed. Plus, there are ways to be engaging in discussions, even controversial ones. But people invest in feelings over facts (I've been guilty of this in the past) and it clouds judgment. I prided myself in being able to engage in hard topics without losing my grip, but I have failed many times. I now know better. 

I've read an argument that once the book is published, it no longer belongs to the author... I agree somewhat, but disagree with it more. It still belongs to the writer as a creative work and copyright. Now if those who said this meant more of an interpretative matter, then I see what they're getting at. Death of the author is alive and well, hur-hur. But if the author done effed up real bad, there is nothing wrong with pointing out the wrongs. That's why readers are important assets. They keep the authors from getting too big for their britches. Well, some writers anyway. (*cough*LaurellKHamiltion*cough*)

But reviewers and readers, I ask you this: if you interpret something one opposite way when the writer meant another, why does that make your opinion more right? Back in 2011, Bitch Magazine posted a list of 100 YA books and got some flak for featuring a few titles (I haven't read those three but I want to one of these days) that didn't explicitly address the problems with rape culture. The books instead showed them in a "this is something that happens and here's how the characters feel about it". No side comments of "rape culture is bad, okay?", which I would find patronizing (but some people want that, what?). Any decent human being would draw to that conclusion without the author's assistance. The author does have a job to present these difficult concepts and show the horrid complexity (like how in Sister Red, one character considers scantily-dressed girls "sluts" and later shows that she was in the wrong!) Yet, the mere fact that the first event happened, don't recommend the book? Uhm, okay. By that logic, don't read any book. Did you know that everyone comes into the world knowing everything? And if you don't know something is wrong, everything needs to be spelled out for you? Good Lord, no wonder feminism get some flak for being educated to the point of arrogance.

I do think that trigger warnings would've been a good idea (on the list, in this case), since there are folks who get seriously upset about depictions of violence (whether subtle or explicit), but to remove the titles and offer alternatives just because a few people had grievances? I didn't know a few people had that kinda power. With that in mind, I declare Fifty Shades of Grey unreadable crap and should be banned everywhere!*

Or you can read what John Scalzi* and Abigail Nussbaum said about the whole Bitch thing and not read my words, since they wrote all that in the heat of the mess, and here I am, reflecting over two years later.

~

*I'm being entirely sarcastic here, I don't think the books of the Fifty Shades series should be banned, but I stand by the "unreadable crap" part. People should be able to access the book and draw their conclusions. Even spark discussion on BDSM in mainstream culture!

*Seriously, I love this guy. I need to read his books very soon. He won a Hugo recently!

As usual, being lazy again...

After all the excitement of the other day, I haven't anything to follow up with. Just going through the motions with things right now. But I did want to post something today. Albeit ending up being just random rambles.

I may finish a short story tonight and try to get more into writing in my paper journal. I've been slacking off there lately.

Here's to something more substantial on Monday...