I’m very pleased to announce that “The Scent of Things to Come” is now available online in Nature‘s September 5th issue. The artwork is gorgeous, too.
I have to say this absolutely makes my day:)
Oh, I love this, and it’s just the sort of inspiration I need today. The text is an excerpt from a commencement speech in 1990 by Bill Watterson (of Calvin and Hobbes fame). The art is by Zen Pencils and is a beautifully done tribute to his inspiration, Watterson.
If you have a moment Read the Zen Pencils essay. I always enjoyed Calvin and Hobbes but didn’t know much about Watterson’s challenges as he made the strip or his history. I particularly like the part about persistence.
… Broke, he was forced to move back in with his parents and worked an advertising layout job he hated while he drew comics in his spare time…. Luckily Watterson didn’t quit…
Of all the things that could go on my tombstone, “Luckily, she didn’t quit” is right up there.
Posted in Likes, Writing | Tagged artists, arts, awesome, bill watterson, calvin and hobbes, creativity, inspiration, Motivation, persistence, tombstone, work, yay | Leave a Comment »
From Flash Fiction Online’s Facebook page. I can’t even say how much I love this…
Like many other committed readers and writers, I spent a significant part of my time from childhood on in public libraries. People often take them for granted now, but imagine a time (or place) where you couldn’t pop down to the corner for a book, or a consultation with a librarian, or a safe quiet place to read and work, where knowledge wasn’t freely available to all. What a wonderful invention.
Posted in Funny, Likes | Tagged arts, awesome, books, Einstein, flash fiction online, good society, inspiration, knowledge, public libraries, smart, Thoughts, yay | Leave a Comment »
Thank you, sir.
/what Jay said
And you shouldconsider taking it.
(and here’s the Livejournal version, in case you can’t reach the first link.)
Posted in Writing | Leave a Comment »
I read with lunch. Sometimes speculative fiction, of course, but often other types of writing as well, including nonfiction. Right now I’m reading Pandora’s Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal by Melanie Warner.
Appropriate lunchtime fare, wouldn’t you say? Allow me to share with you two fascinating excerpts:
You probably don’t think of your lunch as being constructed from powders, but consider the ingredients of a Subway Sweet Onion Teriyaki sandwich. Of the 105 ingredients, 55 are dry, dusty substances that were added to the sandwich for a whole variety of reasons. The chicken contains thirteen…. The teriyaki glaze has twelve…. In the fat-free sweet onion sauce, you get another eight…. And finally, the Italian white bread has twenty two….
— p.11
Yum. And lest you think that a salad at home is necessarily pitfall free:
… using fat-free dressing on a salad can prevent you from absorbing many of the vegetables’ healthy (fat-soluble) phytochemicals.
— p. 18
This has been Learning@Lunch. Enjoy:)
Posted in Food and..., Science! | Tagged books, fascinating, food, learning@lunch, nonfiction, processed food, science | Leave a Comment »
Crime Novelist Elmore Leonard Dies
Elmore Leonard died today, after a recent stroke and related complications. That’s sad in all sorts of ways, most importantly for his family but also for his fans.
That said, I have had it up to here with death.
Yes, it’s inevitable. Yes, you only have one life and then poof, gone. But what if you have an impact on the people around you that will last beyond your lifetime? What if you are thoughtful and kind and concerned about bringing the best to our shared world? And what if you are a writer with the sort of innate feel for dialog, story and character that Elmore Leonard had, dedicate your efforts to the constructive pursuit of creativity, and work hard enough and well on work like Get Shorty and Maximum Bob?
Then you earn a devoted following of fans who will not only remember your efforts but will see the world in a slightly different way, thanks to your work. I am such a fan. Mr. Leonard will be missed.
Posted in Writing | Tagged artists, arts, books, creativity, death, Elmore Leonard, Fiction, inspiration, Motivation, Writers, writing | 1 Comment »
I Hate Strong Female Characters
Over at the New Statesman, Sophia McDougall has written a thoughtful piece on female characters in television, movies, and text. Provocatively titled, it is much more complex than one might think at first glance. This isn’t a tear-down or a diatribe, and it’s well worth a read.
I like “sexy kickassery” as much as the next person, but when it comes to characters…
What do I want instead of a Strong Female Character? I want a male:female character ratio of 1:1 instead of 3:1 on our screens. I want a wealth of complex female protagonists who can be either strong or weak or both or neither, because they are more than strength or weakness. Badass gunslingers and martial artists sure, but also interesting women who are shy and quiet and do, sometimes, put up with others’ shit because in real life there’s often no practical alternative. And besides heroines, I want to see women in as many and varied secondary and character roles as men: female sidekicks, mentors, comic relief, rivals, villains. I want not to be asked, when I try to sell a book about two girls, two boys and a genderless robot, if we couldn’t change one of those girls to a boy.
…
I want her to be free to express herself
I want her to have meaningful, emotional relationships with other women
I want her to be weak sometimes
I want her to be strong in a way that isn’t about physical dominance or power
I want her to cry if she feels like crying
I want her to ask for help
I want her to be who she is
…this list of things is better.
Posted in Entertainment, Writing | Tagged arts, entertainment, equality, genre fiction, literature, women, writing | Leave a Comment »
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