tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post3932853467738211345..comments2024-03-28T07:10:43.860-04:00Comments on Pimp My Novel: Friday: Day of Round-Up DreamsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-77550986261413078852019-10-18T03:06:19.297-04:002019-10-18T03:06:19.297-04:00Keep up the excellent work, osg777 I read few arti...Keep up the excellent work, <a href="http://www.livechatosg777.com/" rel="nofollow">osg777</a> I read few articles on this site and I think that your web blog is real interesting and Power to the People of excellent information.jonethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15911560923291919347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-15181154762125907902010-02-15T20:30:03.602-05:002010-02-15T20:30:03.602-05:00Day Job! So true!
My weapon of choice would be cl...Day Job! So true!<br />My weapon of choice would be closed-captioning for the telepathy impaired. Every thought would roll like credits across the screen and you could choose which thoughts you choose to read in a crowd. One on one conversations/encounters would be even scarier.<br />I don't need violent weapons. I'm passive. I just need to know when to walk away.graceyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00392336418399215255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-49295861903013088692009-08-19T13:07:14.734-04:002009-08-19T13:07:14.734-04:00Mythical Weapon of choice.... "The Day Job&qu...Mythical Weapon of choice.... "The Day Job"<br />. It can kill entire worlds without a thought. Nemesis of writers and artist everywhere. Insidious and as contagious as a plague. Beware, lest ye get infected.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17446290757921911032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-62549329397529852692009-08-17T09:43:36.713-04:002009-08-17T09:43:36.713-04:00My mythical weapon of choice is wide ruled noteboo...My mythical weapon of choice is wide ruled notebook paper. It can smother victims with it's awesome power of "I beat rock for some strange reason". College students everywhere, lookout!Sherryhttp://www.sherryficklin.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-73883296168366944632009-08-16T21:41:13.582-04:002009-08-16T21:41:13.582-04:00Uninvoked, if the main character knows the blunt e...Uninvoked, if the main character knows the blunt end from the sharp end, you'd be surprised at the way commonsense kinda just makes it work.Steph Schmidthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00975939582442193113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-47596819463529953342009-08-16T20:25:49.633-04:002009-08-16T20:25:49.633-04:00Having been struck by a whip before, I can tell yo...Having been struck by a whip before, I can tell you that even catching the backlash is one of the more painful wounds one can receive. That being said, it does not stop you from retaliating in any way. A whip really isn't going to keep a seriously angry person away.<br /><br />In all honesty, the comments in here are more helpful in the way of weapon selection. Loving the Krull weapon idea. ^^<br /><br />Now if only the main character of my noveling blog, Uninvoked, actually knew how to use a weapon. -.-Uninvokedhttp://www.uninvoked.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-55899802026248880552009-08-16T10:01:10.300-04:002009-08-16T10:01:10.300-04:00BUt the list of great adult fantasy doesn't in...BUt the list of great adult fantasy doesn't include mine, so it can't possibly be complete.Author Guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18316825723835547403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-80024087561818660752009-08-16T09:59:09.750-04:002009-08-16T09:59:09.750-04:00Hi Eric,
Just letting you know that I nominated y...Hi Eric,<br /><br />Just letting you know that I nominated you for a Kreativ Blogger award. I love this blog, but lurk more than I should - I've only commented a couple of times.I think it's amazing how this blog has grown since the original idea on Nathan's blog. Great work.<br /><br />Feel free to pop over to my blog www.amisinterpretedwave.blogspot.com to see what I am on about.A misinterpreted wavehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03567793709692182136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-63739663507693292492009-08-15T20:13:15.347-04:002009-08-15T20:13:15.347-04:00My husband is yelling - Staypuff Marshmallow Man!
...My husband is yelling - Staypuff Marshmallow Man!<br />I offer up the Towel - a Hitchhiker's most versitile weapon / tool. <br />But having recieved yet ANOTHER one in the mail today, I will put forward the deadly literary power of the REJECTION LETTER! Repells authors, kills dreams and strikes to the heart while "toughening the skin".Emiliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06272703738196906003noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-77395645499417790502009-08-15T16:17:23.337-04:002009-08-15T16:17:23.337-04:00I'll make you a deal, Moonrat--you can have Jo...I'll make you a deal, Moonrat--you can have Joss Whedon and Michael Chabon, if I can borrow Chabon on some weekends. I just finished <i>Gentlemen of the Road</i>, and am loath to give him up entirely...<br /><br />And of course, the vast majority of the hard work (and all of the insider knowledge) for this blog is done by Eric, but, since I'm a big fan of you, I will perhaps try and steal his thunder.<br /><br />And Anon, you make some really interesting points, and again, since I haven't read <i>Liar</i> I still can't comment on the specifics of the story.<br /><br />The only thing I would mention is that conversations and discussions in novels that don't directly lend themselves to the plot are usually omitted, and the author may have thought that the discussion of race had no bearing on the specifics of the story (rightly or wrongly).<br /><br />Also, re-reading, I was struck by your Harry Potter reference--just that circumstance did happen, when Rowling outed Dumbledore after the last book came out. Is that fact canonical? No. But did it inform the author's creation of the character, and play a role of some sort? I would say yes.<br /><br />Last thought: have you read Gilbert Adair's <i><a href="http://www.mhpbooks.com/book.php?id=50" rel="nofollow">Death of the Author</a></i>? I think The Theory (that you should treat the author as dead, and only interpret the text and the author through the text) has resonance with this conversation. Plus it's just really good.Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04941795551000654396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-53544501458982655572009-08-15T12:56:28.612-04:002009-08-15T12:56:28.612-04:00Just one weapon...but...but...but that goes agains...Just one weapon...but...but...but that goes against The Evil Overlord Handbook! Rule 27: I will always carry at least two fully loaded weapons at all times.<br /><br />That said, a crystal cutter from Crystal Singer by Anne McCaffrey. Alton Brown is on to something by demanding a multi-use toy.Steph Schmidthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00975939582442193113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-37545431714353518752009-08-14T22:07:46.721-04:002009-08-14T22:07:46.721-04:00I loved Transmetropoliton's Bowel Disruptor, b...I loved Transmetropoliton's Bowel Disruptor, but I gott go with the heart attack gun in Bad Monkeys, by Matt Ruff. That book was twistier than a twizzler, and it the weapon was just the first :O moment. <br /><br />XDAmarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14216800063623281056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-21018576990217872722009-08-14T22:02:58.413-04:002009-08-14T22:02:58.413-04:00a couple comments:
1) Joss Whedon could headbutt ...a couple comments:<br /><br />1) Joss Whedon could headbutt the crap out of Edward Cullen himself.<br /><br />2) Neil Gaiman can be your secret boyfriend, but that leaves me Michael Chabon and the aforementioned Joss Whedon. <br /><br />3) I actually BOUGHT that Pynchon book. What was I thinking?! We're supposed to be reading it over August--"we" being random overly-motivated people on the internet. It's called "Inherent August" or #InhAug I think. Some dumb hash tag like that. <br /><br />Lastly, I envy your stamina. So many long, thoughtful posts each week! You young and energetic thing. The blessings of Thor be upon you.moonrathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06294151043419378509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-73571642491745815152009-08-14T21:17:28.624-04:002009-08-14T21:17:28.624-04:00Purple...
Orifice Relocator works for every openi...Purple...<br /><br />Orifice Relocator works for every opening in the body... I have a mix-and-match setting on the portal dial!<br /><br />Haste yee back ;-)Haste yee back ;-)https://www.blogger.com/profile/00345715370509449971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-79713167764309760042009-08-14T19:38:08.594-04:002009-08-14T19:38:08.594-04:00Um...does a crowbar count? If not, it should. So ...Um...does a crowbar count? If not, it should. So many different ways to maim...Lydia Sharphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15328254761920829040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-46441860295155068482009-08-14T19:30:52.079-04:002009-08-14T19:30:52.079-04:00Laura:
Liar is set the US. If it carries an Aust...Laura:<br /><br />Liar is set the US. If it carries an Australian understanding of race (and I expect it does), that's a failure of the author, not an excuse. She chose to set a book in the States with a black protagonist. <br /><br />This is a book about identity. The idea that a new girl at a private school in NYC, trying to find her place, isn't going to consider race is laughable. This is the sort of 'color-blindness' that assumes that everyone is white. That's probably the most fundamental white privilege, to say, "I don't see race." Especially when it's true.<br /><br />I'm not sure how the evolving social construction of whiteness, though interesting, relates to the issues of this book.<br /><br />I'm also not sure how you can justify this: " ... in general, saying a character 'reads white' is a way of saying 'the default understanding of any character is as a white person,' which I think is a really fraught concept, that deserves to be considered pretty critically."<br /><br />If I say that Bella Swann reads white, how is that saying that the default understanding of any character is as a white person? If I say that the narrator of Fight Club reads white, how'm I saying that?<br /><br />You think that Bella and the narrator of Fight Club could be black, and written otherwise exactly the same? That race in this country has no deeper impact than that?<br /><br />I'd say that George in Mama Day reads black. I'd say the narrator in Alexie's latest reads Indian. If either of them read white, that'd be a failure. I'm not saying that there's no overlap, or that people must behave in stereotypical ways. I'm only saying that race is salient in the US, and pretending it's not isn't 'post-racial', it's insulting.<br /><br />I think you have it backwards: In general, saying a character is black without exhibiting any awareness of black culture or the black experience is a way of saying 'the default understanding of any character is as a white person.' <br /><br />If Twilight were exactly the same, except there was one paragraph where Bella says she's black, I'm sorry--she still reads white. I think this speaks to a deep fear of and disrespect for African-American culture. It'd be fine to write a black character who is completely estranged from that culture ... but even -that- should be an issue. For a less shallow discussion of race, I recommend about a month's worth of this blog: http://ta-nehisicoates.theatlantic.com/<br /><br />The idea that being black doesn't (or shouldn't) matter is almost entirely a white idea. <br /><br />Sorry for going on at such length. This is (clearly!) a bit of a sore spot for me. I think that writing a black -main- character who has no awareness of being black in this country (even if it's to reject it) is about as racist as saying that a friend 'happens to be black.' It's very well-meant. <br /><br /><br />11:03Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-69409811095132626152009-08-14T18:36:43.089-04:002009-08-14T18:36:43.089-04:00My entry for iconic fantasy weapon: The Frisbee (o...My entry for iconic fantasy weapon: The Frisbee (or other spinning circular blade type weapons)<br /><br />Not only is it a classic fantasy weapon in its incarnation as the shuriken, it has made appearances in spy films (007's Octopussy), and even jumped genres into virtual reality (Tron).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-88242593599115298812009-08-14T17:52:39.325-04:002009-08-14T17:52:39.325-04:00Congratulations to you title winners! Great Job. A...Congratulations to you title winners! Great Job. And fun titles. Stumped me all over the place, not that that's hard to do, but... <br /><br />Hey, I won the guessing game! Thanks Laura. I love the idea of everyone buying us drinks. <br /><br />El Jimador's Shifties all around!<br /><br />Your link-laden posts are so good. That Alice In Wonderland film adaptaion looks like a winner. I can see Depp as the Mad Hatter. And Kathy Bates is always good.<br /><br />As far as weapons go, I'm not big on blood and gore, so I'll need time to think. Something aesthetically pleasing, not terribly messy.Terry Stonecrophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03726985400500572770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-68264117097822918992009-08-14T17:20:46.738-04:002009-08-14T17:20:46.738-04:00Choosing a favorite weapon from so many shiny-shar...Choosing a favorite weapon from so many shiny-sharp, bangie-boomie, whirly-whacking, and dastardly-deadly possibilities is just impossible for me.<br /><br />I'm thinking the sorceress's staff of carved ironwood with the diamond-edged damascus rapier blade, poison oak vine lariat, soporific-seed-filled exploding crab apples, and short bow and arrows all carved in and available at a spell-thought's notice might do.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-81908399522948935242009-08-14T15:59:48.370-04:002009-08-14T15:59:48.370-04:00Love your blog!
My weapon is The Naked Maker. Ca...Love your blog!<br /><br />My weapon is The Naked Maker. Can you imagine a whole army, or heads of state suddenly nude? eeew!<br /><br />Down with political correctness I say, in all its ridiculous contortions.Jilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06206343146099915097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-62056403772324378092009-08-14T15:34:37.200-04:002009-08-14T15:34:37.200-04:00I'm not entering officially, but I'd have ...I'm not entering officially, but I'd have to pick <a href="http://www.costumesandprops.com/graphics/NoisyCricket254x173.jpg" rel="nofollow">the Noisy Cricket</a> from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_in_Black_(film)" rel="nofollow">Men in Black</a>.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14083923167072216074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-22821850935949937382009-08-14T15:20:33.319-04:002009-08-14T15:20:33.319-04:00Hey Anon 2:37--existing and iconic: great. Funny a...Hey Anon 2:37--existing and iconic: great. Funny and non-existent (until your novel comes out): also great. I'm just into the violence aspect.<br /><br />And to weigh in on the Anon 11:03/2:32 and Meg conversation:<br /><br />I haven't read <i>Liar</i>, so I can't comment on the description in-text, but I would say that, in general, saying a character "reads white" is a way of saying "the default understanding of any character is as a white person," which I think is a really fraught concept, that deserves to be considered pretty critically.<br /><br />The little boy in Pixar's "Up" was Asian--he didn't feed into Asian stereotypes, he just happened to be Asian. If "Up" were a book and on the cover was a white child, I think the meat of the issue would be the same: why would it be ok for the character to be of a certain race, but not ok to represent that visually?<br /><br />I would also point out that into the 20th century many (Jewish, Irish, Polish) immigrants in the United States weren't considered "white"--<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Working-Toward-Whiteness-Americas-Immigrants/dp/0465070744/ref=pd_sim_b_2/182-8363291-4943846" rel="nofollow">American constructions of whiteness</a> have traditionally been about class, not about color. <br /><br />Additionally, this novel was written by a woman who grew up in Australia, and so ascribing American politics and understandings of race to her book seems a little questionable--Egyptian Christianity is incredibly different from Christianity in the United States (hell, being Christian in Texas is different from being Christian in Connecticut), and, in the same vein, I would say that an American construction of what makes a character "black" is potentially different from an Australian construction (I don't know, but I'd guess so).<br /><br />In other news, you know you have spent too much time around academics when your response to a YA cover is about historical, geopolitical concepts of race. Sigh.Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04941795551000654396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-28769349095181356982009-08-14T14:37:10.113-04:002009-08-14T14:37:10.113-04:00We're supposed to pick existing, iconic weapon...We're supposed to pick existing, iconic weapons, right?<br /><br />Spider Jerusalem's BOWEL DISRUPTOR set to "Fatal Intestinal Maelstrom." (from Warren Ellis' Transmetropolitan)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-9207288764187493922009-08-14T14:32:44.307-04:002009-08-14T14:32:44.307-04:00Meg:
I'm not saying the story has to be '...Meg:<br /><br /> I'm not saying the story has to be 'all about being black.' That's a bit of a straw man. I'm saying that if the character -is- black, and yet reads utterly white with the exception of two or three sentences of description, that's a very strange--and I think disrespectful--approach to the character. It denies that there's anything about African-American culture and experience that goes deeper than skin color. <br /><br />I think the answer to your question, 'What's wrong with characters just happening to be not white?' is: 'Black people aren't just people who happen to be not white.' That's like saying that women characters are just characters who happen to be not male. There's more to women than that.<br /><br />And my question re. the author is, 'Do I as a reader need to privilege the author's statements about her characters when they don't appear in the text?' I think the answer is 'absolutely not.' <br /><br />Of course, the author's the only one who can write -another- story with that character to clarify matters, but if JK Rowling said that Harry Potter was torturing small animals between the scenes of her books, that's irrelevant to me as a reader. Either it's in the book or it's not.<br /> <br />11:03Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-7840011036931671772009-08-14T14:15:38.689-04:002009-08-14T14:15:38.689-04:00Haste Yee Back! You had me crackin' up!! HILAR...Haste Yee Back! You had me crackin' up!! HILARIOUS! Orifice Relocator. OMG!<br /><br />Okay I'm making a character up along with his weapon of violence:<br /><br />Gleek Boy and his infamous Poison Lisp! Disintigrating you with his rendition of Shakespeare.<br /><br />Word Veri: Spite (I'm not even kidding)PurpleCloverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07933014134696608557noreply@blogger.com