Note: If you are not interested in K-Pop this might not be the most interesting post to read. I apologize, but it's something important to me.
I'm at such a loss for words right now. I think I've stared at the computer screen for ten minutes trying to think of what to say. I've yelled angrily, I've throwing things, I've stomped my feet, I've even cried. I've flashed back to when a hauntingly similar even happened. I went on to Twitter today and discovered it was flooded with the news that Kris, a Chinese member of the SM Entertainment group EXO is filing a lawsuit to terminate his contract with the company. The topic has been a worldwide trend for the past two hour. (edit: still worldwide trend after twelve hours) It makes me think back on when Han Geng left Super Junior and all the mess that was, and how devastating it was.
There's honestly not a lot of information out there. There are a lot of rumors, but the only facts known are this is a real thing, and Kris won't be performing with the rest of the group while they promote for their latest single, Overdose.
The outpouring of love from EXO fans all over the world is just amazing, and not only that, other fandoms have added their voices and support. But no matter how many fans beg and plead for him not to leave, it's up to him. If there is something going on in SME that he can't endure anymore, then he needs to get out while he can. That was what happened with Super Junior and Han Geng. And with DBSK and JYJ. Both from SME. I'm seeing a horrifying trend, that really REALLY needs to change, and soon before more singers have to resort to such an extreme action.
The thing is, line-up changes are more common that you think in K-Pop. My former favorite group, U-Kiss, is going through their third lineup change right now. But still, it is always heartbreaking to see something like this happen, especially when I've become so attached to the group as a whole.
I just hope this gets resolved quickly and cleanly, whatever Kris ends up doing. Because I don't think the fans, EXO as a group, and Kris as a person would be able to get through a long drawn out mess, like what Han Geng and JYJ had to go through.
Just some thoughts I had. I can't really thinking properly enough to write something that makes sense. And I keep getting distracted by staring into space or tearing up. Such is the life of a fan...
Thanks for reading.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Future Writing Problems
I hope to someday publish fiction in the urban fantasy and young adult fantasy genres. Mainly because those are my favorite genres, but also because I feel like my writing style fits those the best. However, I realized recently that I might run into some problems trying to publish in these genres. Let me explain a little, and I'm generalizing a lot to make this point.
In most, if not all urban fantasy stories, the main male character, whether the point of view character or the love interest of the point of view character, has a certain look, a certain personality, a certain feeling; strong, protective, slightly overbearing, manly. The UF male, sometimes called the Alpha male, usually has scruff, fills out whatever clothes he's wearing, and can take care of himself in a physical fight. A lot of times his eyes 'smolder' and he makes the UF female feel both irritated at his overbearing-ness and unable to control her lust for him.
In most, if not all young adult novels, the main male character, usually the romantic interest in what I read, also has a certain look and a certain distinction that sets him apart from all the rest; he's the teen who doesn't look like a teen, he is sometimes a bad boy, and he always falls for the main girl in a way that is totally different than any of the other many girls he's been with before. His eyes also smolder. What is with eyes smoldering?
So, now that that explanation is out of the way, here's why this is a problem. While yes, some of those things are attractive -- I'll admit, if someone looked at me with smoldering eyes I would probably melt right there -- that's not what I'm most attracted too. Sure, I get a little giddy when I'm reading, because what red-blooded woman doesn't? But over the past three years my taste in men has changed, and in corresponding with that, the male characters I write about has changed as well. And unfortunately I realized today that it has changed in such a way that I'm not sure I'd be able to get them published. Because my taste in men is so wildly different than the majority of everyone else.
Let me illustrate: I haven't come up with a story for him yet, but I've had a male character in mind for the past few days. He doesn't have a name yet, other than the nickname Deer. He's a senior in high school, he's not short but he's not too tall either, he has thick brown hair that he usually doesn't bother too much with so it does it's own little wavy thing, he's pretty athletic, so he's lean without being gangly, and he has a bright smile and quick laugh that always lightens moods and cheers people up. But here's where it gets different than what you'd find in most fiction nowadays. He may be athletic, but he doesn't actually look it, instead he looks delicate, with small hands, a thin frame, and if people didn't know any better they would assume he was younger. And he has these wide dark brown eyes that look like doe eyes. He wouldn't ever be called gorgeous. He wouldn't ever be called hot, or even handsome. Maybe adorable, cute even, but not anything else.
And a character like that would never cut it in the cut-throat world of publishing among all the tall, dark, and handsome ones out there. Which is unfortunate, because there are men out there just like him, don't they deserve to be the hero too?
I'm probably going to keep writing characters like him and others that I have, because maybe by the time I'm ready to publish the market will have changed enough to allow him a fighting chance. I hope so.
Do you like reading about characters that are different than normal? There's a lot of minority out there that rarely, if ever, gets represented. Is there some minority that you would like to read about more?
Thanks for reading!
In most, if not all urban fantasy stories, the main male character, whether the point of view character or the love interest of the point of view character, has a certain look, a certain personality, a certain feeling; strong, protective, slightly overbearing, manly. The UF male, sometimes called the Alpha male, usually has scruff, fills out whatever clothes he's wearing, and can take care of himself in a physical fight. A lot of times his eyes 'smolder' and he makes the UF female feel both irritated at his overbearing-ness and unable to control her lust for him.
In most, if not all young adult novels, the main male character, usually the romantic interest in what I read, also has a certain look and a certain distinction that sets him apart from all the rest; he's the teen who doesn't look like a teen, he is sometimes a bad boy, and he always falls for the main girl in a way that is totally different than any of the other many girls he's been with before. His eyes also smolder. What is with eyes smoldering?
So, now that that explanation is out of the way, here's why this is a problem. While yes, some of those things are attractive -- I'll admit, if someone looked at me with smoldering eyes I would probably melt right there -- that's not what I'm most attracted too. Sure, I get a little giddy when I'm reading, because what red-blooded woman doesn't? But over the past three years my taste in men has changed, and in corresponding with that, the male characters I write about has changed as well. And unfortunately I realized today that it has changed in such a way that I'm not sure I'd be able to get them published. Because my taste in men is so wildly different than the majority of everyone else.
Let me illustrate: I haven't come up with a story for him yet, but I've had a male character in mind for the past few days. He doesn't have a name yet, other than the nickname Deer. He's a senior in high school, he's not short but he's not too tall either, he has thick brown hair that he usually doesn't bother too much with so it does it's own little wavy thing, he's pretty athletic, so he's lean without being gangly, and he has a bright smile and quick laugh that always lightens moods and cheers people up. But here's where it gets different than what you'd find in most fiction nowadays. He may be athletic, but he doesn't actually look it, instead he looks delicate, with small hands, a thin frame, and if people didn't know any better they would assume he was younger. And he has these wide dark brown eyes that look like doe eyes. He wouldn't ever be called gorgeous. He wouldn't ever be called hot, or even handsome. Maybe adorable, cute even, but not anything else.
And a character like that would never cut it in the cut-throat world of publishing among all the tall, dark, and handsome ones out there. Which is unfortunate, because there are men out there just like him, don't they deserve to be the hero too?
I'm probably going to keep writing characters like him and others that I have, because maybe by the time I'm ready to publish the market will have changed enough to allow him a fighting chance. I hope so.
Do you like reading about characters that are different than normal? There's a lot of minority out there that rarely, if ever, gets represented. Is there some minority that you would like to read about more?
Thanks for reading!
Sunday, May 11, 2014
I Might Have Too Much Stuff
So I spent most of yesterday tidying up my room, vacuuming, dusting, etc. I always feel uneasy when my room is a mess, and since I have a dust allergy then I have to dust and vacuum pretty regularly. And I really wanted to get some writing done, but when my room is a mess then I can't get anything to come out. So yesterday I cleaned and it all looked great.
I woke up this morning and my room was a mess again. I swear, there's a goblin that haunts my room and as soon as I clean up, it comes out while I sleep and messes everything up again. It's a nightmare.
But honestly, it's because I have too much stuff and not enough places to put things. It's been like this forever. Since before I can remember. The biggest problem is I get attached to things. This picture has a memory, I will read this book someday, I'll need this thing-a-ma-jig in the future, etc. And with the limited amount of space I have right now, I just can't keep everything.
So today (Sunday) before and after church I'm going to be working on getting rid of stuff. Because until I have a tidy room, I'm not going to be able to get anything productive done. And that's the truth.
As always, thanks for reading!
I woke up this morning and my room was a mess again. I swear, there's a goblin that haunts my room and as soon as I clean up, it comes out while I sleep and messes everything up again. It's a nightmare.
But honestly, it's because I have too much stuff and not enough places to put things. It's been like this forever. Since before I can remember. The biggest problem is I get attached to things. This picture has a memory, I will read this book someday, I'll need this thing-a-ma-jig in the future, etc. And with the limited amount of space I have right now, I just can't keep everything.
So today (Sunday) before and after church I'm going to be working on getting rid of stuff. Because until I have a tidy room, I'm not going to be able to get anything productive done. And that's the truth.
As always, thanks for reading!
Thursday, May 8, 2014
My Favorite Topic
I'm going to take a quick moment to talk about my favorite topic: K-Pop. It's been a little over three years since I first discovered this wonderful music genre, and I haven't looked back one. It's become my longest running obsession, and sometimes feels like an addiction, but it's a good addiction. Like being addicted to laughing, or the sound of your lover's voice.
And there is such a wide variety in K-Pop, there's practically a song for everything. Like country music, but without the twang. I've had songs leave me crying, songs make me smile, leave me breathless, inspire stories, make me mad, and everything in between.
Today, I'm going to share with you a list of songs and artists and music videos that mean things to me. Some of them will be funny, some of them will be not so funny. But they have all become a part of who I am, and I wanted to share that with you. They are all linked to Youtube videos for your viewing and listening pleasure. Some of them have music videos, but not all of them.
The first K-Pop song I ever heard: Run Devil Run, by Girl's Generations (소녀시대)
The K-Pop song that made me fall in love with K-Pop: Ring Ding Dong, by SHINee
The K-Pop song that made me cry it was so beautiful: 내게만 일어나는 일 (Things Happen Only To Me), by 이승환 (Lee Seung Hwan) (I found this song because of a commercial. Awesome.)
The K-Pop song that always makes me grin from the first notes: B.A.B.Y, by B.A.P
The K-Pop song I bought for the feature artist: Good Boy, by 백지영 (Baek Ji Young) Featuring Junhyung from Beast
The K-Pop song that I liked better than the album single: Black Pearl, by EXO (Korean version)
The K-Pop song that I wanted to listen to the most while I was at military basic training: ManManHaNi (만만하니), by U-KISS (Still one of my top favorites of all time)
The K-Pop song I love from an artist I don't really like: Metronome, by Jay Park (I'm torn between loving and hating the music video for this one. It borders on very inappropriate, but has some pretty cool pendulum stuff. Watch it with care.)
The K-Pop song whose singer's gorgeous deep voice doesn't match his baby face: 병이에요 (Spotless Mind), by 정준영 (Jung Joon Young) (Serious, where does that voice come from?)
The K-Pop song I love running to: Hip Song, by Rain (비)
The K-Pop song that I prefer the remix to the original: Shout Out (Synth Rock Ver.), by Royal Pirates
The K-Pop song that I always dance to: Body to Body, by ZE:A
The K-Pop song from a favorite group that because the reason they aren't my favorite anymore: 내 여자야 (She's Mine), by U-KISS (I really dislike this song... I love the group, but this song just doesn't fit with all their other music. It's too much a rap song.)
The K-Pop song that is currently my most played K-Pop song: Ringa Linga, by Taeyang of Big Bang (at number 6) (this was a surprise to me, not because it's not worth being the most played, but because I didn't realize I had listened to it that much.)
The K-Pop song that I bought because it's by a favorite actor: The Scent of Flower, by 최진혁 (Choi Jinhyuk)
The K-Pop music video that made me cry it was so heart-wrenching: Baby I'm Sorry, by MyName (Warning: A little bit violent and will make you cry)
The three K-Pop music video that have inspired the most story ideas: Rising Sun, by TVXQ, Tell Me Goodbye, by Big Bang (admittedly it's in Japanese, but it's by a Korean group so it totally counts), No. 1, by F.Cuz (pronounced Focus)
The K-Pop group that used to be my favorite: U-KISS
The K-Pop group that is my current favorite: B.A.P (for favorites, there are specific qualifiers that I look at. I'll talk about that in a different post.)
The K-Pop group that is my favorite male/female duo: Akdong Musician (Warning: this music video will make you cry. And if it doesn't, that means I'm a big baby.)
The K-Pop group that get better with each single: VIXX (seriously, I didn't particularly like their debut - I thought it was too generic - but it got so much better after that) (Aren't they just adorable? Assuming you watched the video...)
The K-Pop group that is the most expensive because I buy both versions: EXO (EXO-K and EXO-M)
The K-Pop sub-unit that I like better than the main group: Speed, male sub-unit of Co Ed School (I'm not saying I don't like Co Ed School, I just like Speed better)
I could go on for so much longer, but that would get boring to read and it will take too long to watch everything as it is. :)
Thanks for reading!
And there is such a wide variety in K-Pop, there's practically a song for everything. Like country music, but without the twang. I've had songs leave me crying, songs make me smile, leave me breathless, inspire stories, make me mad, and everything in between.
Today, I'm going to share with you a list of songs and artists and music videos that mean things to me. Some of them will be funny, some of them will be not so funny. But they have all become a part of who I am, and I wanted to share that with you. They are all linked to Youtube videos for your viewing and listening pleasure. Some of them have music videos, but not all of them.
The first K-Pop song I ever heard: Run Devil Run, by Girl's Generations (소녀시대)
The K-Pop song that made me fall in love with K-Pop: Ring Ding Dong, by SHINee
The K-Pop song that made me cry it was so beautiful: 내게만 일어나는 일 (Things Happen Only To Me), by 이승환 (Lee Seung Hwan) (I found this song because of a commercial. Awesome.)
The K-Pop song that always makes me grin from the first notes: B.A.B.Y, by B.A.P
The K-Pop song I bought for the feature artist: Good Boy, by 백지영 (Baek Ji Young) Featuring Junhyung from Beast
The K-Pop song that I liked better than the album single: Black Pearl, by EXO (Korean version)
The K-Pop song that I wanted to listen to the most while I was at military basic training: ManManHaNi (만만하니), by U-KISS (Still one of my top favorites of all time)
The K-Pop song I love from an artist I don't really like: Metronome, by Jay Park (I'm torn between loving and hating the music video for this one. It borders on very inappropriate, but has some pretty cool pendulum stuff. Watch it with care.)
The K-Pop song whose singer's gorgeous deep voice doesn't match his baby face: 병이에요 (Spotless Mind), by 정준영 (Jung Joon Young) (Serious, where does that voice come from?)
The K-Pop song I love running to: Hip Song, by Rain (비)
The K-Pop song that I prefer the remix to the original: Shout Out (Synth Rock Ver.), by Royal Pirates
The K-Pop song that I always dance to: Body to Body, by ZE:A
The K-Pop song from a favorite group that because the reason they aren't my favorite anymore: 내 여자야 (She's Mine), by U-KISS (I really dislike this song... I love the group, but this song just doesn't fit with all their other music. It's too much a rap song.)
The K-Pop song that is currently my most played K-Pop song: Ringa Linga, by Taeyang of Big Bang (at number 6) (this was a surprise to me, not because it's not worth being the most played, but because I didn't realize I had listened to it that much.)
The K-Pop song that I bought because it's by a favorite actor: The Scent of Flower, by 최진혁 (Choi Jinhyuk)
The K-Pop music video that made me cry it was so heart-wrenching: Baby I'm Sorry, by MyName (Warning: A little bit violent and will make you cry)
The three K-Pop music video that have inspired the most story ideas: Rising Sun, by TVXQ, Tell Me Goodbye, by Big Bang (admittedly it's in Japanese, but it's by a Korean group so it totally counts), No. 1, by F.Cuz (pronounced Focus)
The K-Pop group that used to be my favorite: U-KISS
The K-Pop group that is my current favorite: B.A.P (for favorites, there are specific qualifiers that I look at. I'll talk about that in a different post.)
The K-Pop group that is my favorite male/female duo: Akdong Musician (Warning: this music video will make you cry. And if it doesn't, that means I'm a big baby.)
The K-Pop group that get better with each single: VIXX (seriously, I didn't particularly like their debut - I thought it was too generic - but it got so much better after that) (Aren't they just adorable? Assuming you watched the video...)
The K-Pop group that is the most expensive because I buy both versions: EXO (EXO-K and EXO-M)
The K-Pop sub-unit that I like better than the main group: Speed, male sub-unit of Co Ed School (I'm not saying I don't like Co Ed School, I just like Speed better)
I could go on for so much longer, but that would get boring to read and it will take too long to watch everything as it is. :)
Thanks for reading!
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Pirating Books and the Great Tumblr Debate
I was going to post something awesome about Star Wars since it's May the Fourth, but instead I've been thinking of something else the last couple of days that I felt I needed to add my two cents to.
I follow a lot of my favorite authors on Twitter and Tumblr. They always have something fun or inspiring to say, talk a lot about writing, and are generally fun people. And then, a couple days ago my Twitter and Tumblr blew up with tweets and posts asking people to not pirate books. And then a huge debate took over going back and forth between authors and people. And some of the things the people were saying were just horrible. And right now, I'm part of the 'people' group, but some day I'm going to be part of the 'author' group, so this one kind of hit me, and really made me think. Also, pirating books? That's a thing? Whut?
So, for this, I'm going to do something a little different, and use quotes and try to write like I know what I'm talking about, or at least sound intelligent. Because some of the things these people were saying just blew me away at how... I don't even have a word for it. Wrong? Out there? Upsetting? Entitled? I could probably go on. But anyway, here I go.
It started with a few posts by YA author Erin Bowman, who wrote Taken and it's sequel Frozen, which I admit, I haven't read either yet. They're on my to be read list, but it's kind of a long list, so it might take me a while to get there. She wrote:
and
Those make sense, right? Pirating is stealing, stealing is wrong, correct? When this and others like it starting flooding my Twitter, it really took me aback. I knew music and movies were pirated (everyone in the military seems to do it... it's really quite shameful) but I had no idea that books were pirated too. The thought of someone pirating books horrified me, because as a hopeful writer, I can understand how that would really cut into someone getting paid.
So on Tumblr you can post something, and people can repost it with their added comments. After these three Tweets were compiled and put on Tumblr, everyone started reposting and adding their thoughts. The first couple were nice. But then someone said something that started it all.
Whoever it was, wrote some excuses for reading a pirated copy; own the book but can't find it, don't want to support the author (and proceeded to name Orson Scott Card who apparently is hated on the internet for bigotry against homosexuals. Huh?) but still want to read the book, etc. The next person rebutted that with a post about not being entitled to steal something, even if you have the aforementioned reasons. That person talked about how reading pirated books supports piracy. And then they talked about how it's okay to not support an author of you don't like them, but pirating is not the way to not support someone.
Next up, someone brought up the issue of the economy and how the average (young) reader doesn't have the money to buy books or the time to go to the library [which I call bullcrap on]. Then they said something about it isn't a good idea to spend $10-$20 on a book that you MIGHT like, because if you hate it your are stuck with it. [What? Since when? Have you never heard of donating to a library? Or a thrift store?] They continued on with more examples and 'factors' that could lead a person to pirate a book, and ended their little thing with 'we can't always support you financially, so we'll just support you with social media.'
Then someone put her short bit in, by taking "issue with the excuse that young readers don't have TIME to go to the library." And I agree with her, because it's not that pre-teens and teens don't have time to go to the library, it's that they chose to use their time for other things. She then asked if everyone could stop excusing the pirating behavior by removing personal responsibility.
Then someone else came in and started ranting about "how telling somebody to just go get the book from the library is a laughable joke," and went on to list a whole bunch of reasons libraries are not a good way to get books. [This is the sound of me staring dumbly at that statement. Duuuuuuuh.] There were a whole bunch of reasons, and they all were all verystupid interesting to read.
After that, thankfully the debate went back to someone with sense. This time, they talked about waiting, and how the society of instant gratification has made waiting a foreign concept. And that they have no patience for the impatience argument. [I'm cheering now. Someone with sense! This is the truth!]
The good sense didn't last long, however, as the very next person said something about how "having your books pirated makes the authors more money." [Jaw drop, because whut? What planet do you live on?] And then they talked about how they don't read books by selfish authors, i.e. authors who complain about their books being stolen, authors who don't like fanfiction, authors who cause trouble, etc. And then they tried to remind authors that "your reputation matters. If you aren't grateful for what you have, no one is going to want to give you more." [I can't even...] In conclusion, they finished up with the argument that authors are paid in advance, and so even if the book bombs or people steal it it doesn't matter, because it's already been paid for.
Next up someone took the time to correct the 'paid in advance' misconception, and said that yes, we get paid in advance, but not very much and we have to pay it back in royalties before we see anymore money. Which makes sense, because it's an 'advance.'
Then someone went on this really long tirade about how you chose your job, you shouldn't quit your day job if you aren't making enough money writing, don't blame the readers, etc. Then compared writing to a bunch of different jobs, and different amounts of words for different 'levels' of writers. e.g. 1k every day is part time. 3-5k every day is full time. Which I call BS on, because I know for a fact that 3-5k is really hard for novel writers to write on a consistent basis. My all-time favorite writer, Brandon Sanderson, has said he averages about 2.5k every day. And he's most definitely a professional, full time writer with more than a few hefty books under his belt. Of course, every writer is different, but to arbitrarily put daily word requirements for whether you are part time or full time is not correct, and not being fair to all the professional writers out there who do write full time and don't write that many words in a day. It's not how many words you produce, it's the quality of words you produce, and the amount of time spent. You don't see cashiers being paid according to how many customers they helped in a day. Yes, there are commission-based jobs, but writing novels is not really one of them.
Anyway, that wasn't the end of their really long post. they went on to talk about how it's really the poor people who can't afford your books who are pirating them, because otherwise they wouldn't get to read them. The person really talked about how the original author, Erin Bowman, was saying " 'Don't read my books unless you have money or your community has money!' " And since I'm trying to be nice in this post, I can't say what I want to say about this.
Then the original poster, Erin Bowman comes in and corrects the person [as she should have, the person was putting nasty words in her mouth.] She said "no one is entitled to STEAL entertainment," and called books a luxury, not a necessity. Which is absolutely true. She then went on to set the record straight even more about how advances and royalties work, and to be honest it was very eyeopening. She also said she was "getting so tired of feeling like the bad guy in this conversation," and I really feel for her.
The last person on the very long list of reposts was another author who talked about the sense of entitlement and how the argument that 'poor people need to resort to piracy in order to read anything' was appalling, in poor taste (pun not intended) and needed to stop. She then went on to talk more about advances and royalties, [wow, that's an awful small amount to live off of for three years... good thing I'm not doing it for the money...] and finished with another thing about how there are other ways to get books and that "paying for things and waiting for things never hurt anyone." [Well said.]
Now let me put in a quick little thing before I finish. I did not grow up with money. Sure, we had what we needed, my dad made at least that much for the first half of my life, but we were always in so much debt that when my dad was in school and we were just living off his military pension things were really tight. I had to earn my own money if I wanted anything extra, and I don't think I ever bought a brand new book until I was sixteen or seventeen and had a job of my own. But before that, I earned money through baby sitting, and it wasn't very much.
But I loved reading, and wanted to have books, so I had to get creative. I went to the library as often as I could. Before I was thirteen that meant waiting until the family trip to the library, but after that we lived close enough to walk to a library in all the houses we lived in. And I put my legs to good use, walking to the library and hauling home backpacks full of books to read. I shopped at thrift stores and always made a beeline for the book section (I still do.) I bought books at yard sales where they were ten cents a piece, or at books fairs where they were under five dollars.
So a lot of trash-talking went down, and I learned a lot of interesting facts. Readers apparently pirate books. Writers don't make a lot of money [I knew that already, I just didn't know to what extent.] And a lot of people on the internet and in this fast paced society of instant gratification don't have any common sense or sense of guilt for breaking not only civil laws against piracy, but also laws of decency towards fellow humans and the laws of God, which are very clear and ultimate.
Sorry this was a long one.
Thanks for read.
I follow a lot of my favorite authors on Twitter and Tumblr. They always have something fun or inspiring to say, talk a lot about writing, and are generally fun people. And then, a couple days ago my Twitter and Tumblr blew up with tweets and posts asking people to not pirate books. And then a huge debate took over going back and forth between authors and people. And some of the things the people were saying were just horrible. And right now, I'm part of the 'people' group, but some day I'm going to be part of the 'author' group, so this one kind of hit me, and really made me think. Also, pirating books? That's a thing? Whut?
So, for this, I'm going to do something a little different, and use quotes and try to write like I know what I'm talking about, or at least sound intelligent. Because some of the things these people were saying just blew me away at how... I don't even have a word for it. Wrong? Out there? Upsetting? Entitled? I could probably go on. But anyway, here I go.
It started with a few posts by YA author Erin Bowman, who wrote Taken and it's sequel Frozen, which I admit, I haven't read either yet. They're on my to be read list, but it's kind of a long list, so it might take me a while to get there. She wrote:
I'm so tired of seeing my books (or any book) pirated. It doesn't even get me in a rage anymore. I'm just sad, defeated, and depressed.
and
Go to the library. Request they buy a copy. DL the sample if you're "not sure you'll like it." Borrow from a friend. Ask for it for you[r] bdayand
I could go on, but in short: you are not entitled to free entertainment. You are not entitled to steal my next paycheck. STOP PIRATING BOOKS
Those make sense, right? Pirating is stealing, stealing is wrong, correct? When this and others like it starting flooding my Twitter, it really took me aback. I knew music and movies were pirated (everyone in the military seems to do it... it's really quite shameful) but I had no idea that books were pirated too. The thought of someone pirating books horrified me, because as a hopeful writer, I can understand how that would really cut into someone getting paid.
So on Tumblr you can post something, and people can repost it with their added comments. After these three Tweets were compiled and put on Tumblr, everyone started reposting and adding their thoughts. The first couple were nice. But then someone said something that started it all.
Whoever it was, wrote some excuses for reading a pirated copy; own the book but can't find it, don't want to support the author (and proceeded to name Orson Scott Card who apparently is hated on the internet for bigotry against homosexuals. Huh?) but still want to read the book, etc. The next person rebutted that with a post about not being entitled to steal something, even if you have the aforementioned reasons. That person talked about how reading pirated books supports piracy. And then they talked about how it's okay to not support an author of you don't like them, but pirating is not the way to not support someone.
Next up, someone brought up the issue of the economy and how the average (young) reader doesn't have the money to buy books or the time to go to the library [which I call bullcrap on]. Then they said something about it isn't a good idea to spend $10-$20 on a book that you MIGHT like, because if you hate it your are stuck with it. [What? Since when? Have you never heard of donating to a library? Or a thrift store?] They continued on with more examples and 'factors' that could lead a person to pirate a book, and ended their little thing with 'we can't always support you financially, so we'll just support you with social media.'
Then someone put her short bit in, by taking "issue with the excuse that young readers don't have TIME to go to the library." And I agree with her, because it's not that pre-teens and teens don't have time to go to the library, it's that they chose to use their time for other things. She then asked if everyone could stop excusing the pirating behavior by removing personal responsibility.
Then someone else came in and started ranting about "how telling somebody to just go get the book from the library is a laughable joke," and went on to list a whole bunch of reasons libraries are not a good way to get books. [This is the sound of me staring dumbly at that statement. Duuuuuuuh.] There were a whole bunch of reasons, and they all were all very
After that, thankfully the debate went back to someone with sense. This time, they talked about waiting, and how the society of instant gratification has made waiting a foreign concept. And that they have no patience for the impatience argument. [I'm cheering now. Someone with sense! This is the truth!]
The good sense didn't last long, however, as the very next person said something about how "having your books pirated makes the authors more money." [Jaw drop, because whut? What planet do you live on?] And then they talked about how they don't read books by selfish authors, i.e. authors who complain about their books being stolen, authors who don't like fanfiction, authors who cause trouble, etc. And then they tried to remind authors that "your reputation matters. If you aren't grateful for what you have, no one is going to want to give you more." [I can't even...] In conclusion, they finished up with the argument that authors are paid in advance, and so even if the book bombs or people steal it it doesn't matter, because it's already been paid for.
Next up someone took the time to correct the 'paid in advance' misconception, and said that yes, we get paid in advance, but not very much and we have to pay it back in royalties before we see anymore money. Which makes sense, because it's an 'advance.'
Then someone went on this really long tirade about how you chose your job, you shouldn't quit your day job if you aren't making enough money writing, don't blame the readers, etc. Then compared writing to a bunch of different jobs, and different amounts of words for different 'levels' of writers. e.g. 1k every day is part time. 3-5k every day is full time. Which I call BS on, because I know for a fact that 3-5k is really hard for novel writers to write on a consistent basis. My all-time favorite writer, Brandon Sanderson, has said he averages about 2.5k every day. And he's most definitely a professional, full time writer with more than a few hefty books under his belt. Of course, every writer is different, but to arbitrarily put daily word requirements for whether you are part time or full time is not correct, and not being fair to all the professional writers out there who do write full time and don't write that many words in a day. It's not how many words you produce, it's the quality of words you produce, and the amount of time spent. You don't see cashiers being paid according to how many customers they helped in a day. Yes, there are commission-based jobs, but writing novels is not really one of them.
Anyway, that wasn't the end of their really long post. they went on to talk about how it's really the poor people who can't afford your books who are pirating them, because otherwise they wouldn't get to read them. The person really talked about how the original author, Erin Bowman, was saying " 'Don't read my books unless you have money or your community has money!' " And since I'm trying to be nice in this post, I can't say what I want to say about this.
Then the original poster, Erin Bowman comes in and corrects the person [as she should have, the person was putting nasty words in her mouth.] She said "no one is entitled to STEAL entertainment," and called books a luxury, not a necessity. Which is absolutely true. She then went on to set the record straight even more about how advances and royalties work, and to be honest it was very eyeopening. She also said she was "getting so tired of feeling like the bad guy in this conversation," and I really feel for her.
The last person on the very long list of reposts was another author who talked about the sense of entitlement and how the argument that 'poor people need to resort to piracy in order to read anything' was appalling, in poor taste (pun not intended) and needed to stop. She then went on to talk more about advances and royalties, [wow, that's an awful small amount to live off of for three years... good thing I'm not doing it for the money...] and finished with another thing about how there are other ways to get books and that "paying for things and waiting for things never hurt anyone." [Well said.]
Now let me put in a quick little thing before I finish. I did not grow up with money. Sure, we had what we needed, my dad made at least that much for the first half of my life, but we were always in so much debt that when my dad was in school and we were just living off his military pension things were really tight. I had to earn my own money if I wanted anything extra, and I don't think I ever bought a brand new book until I was sixteen or seventeen and had a job of my own. But before that, I earned money through baby sitting, and it wasn't very much.
But I loved reading, and wanted to have books, so I had to get creative. I went to the library as often as I could. Before I was thirteen that meant waiting until the family trip to the library, but after that we lived close enough to walk to a library in all the houses we lived in. And I put my legs to good use, walking to the library and hauling home backpacks full of books to read. I shopped at thrift stores and always made a beeline for the book section (I still do.) I bought books at yard sales where they were ten cents a piece, or at books fairs where they were under five dollars.
So a lot of trash-talking went down, and I learned a lot of interesting facts. Readers apparently pirate books. Writers don't make a lot of money [I knew that already, I just didn't know to what extent.] And a lot of people on the internet and in this fast paced society of instant gratification don't have any common sense or sense of guilt for breaking not only civil laws against piracy, but also laws of decency towards fellow humans and the laws of God, which are very clear and ultimate.
Sorry this was a long one.
Thanks for read.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Scatterbrained
So this post might be a little scatterbrained, but it's mostly because I have a lot of things on my mind right now, and I want to talk about a lot of things. So, lets get started.
I dislike being labeled. Today in class we talked about politics. Again. Third day in a row. I really hate politics. Anyway, so we were talking about politics and the different sides like Left and Right, and stuff like that. And of course my very Korean teacher decided it would be fun to ask everyone where they stood on the Left/Right scale.
I normally claim I'm Republican. This is mostly because I've grown up with Republican parents, agree with a lot of Republican ideas, and stuff like that. However, as I've grown older and realized somethings about myself, and other people, I've realized that that label doesn't really fit me. But I'm not Democratic, either. So I'm kind of just stuck in the middle, wishing I didn't have to claim anything.
And it's not just in politics that I don't like being labeled. I'm in the military, but I don't consider myself a military person. I'm into a lot of nerdy things, and I can spit out all kinds of trivia about things like Doctor Who, Star Wars, etc., but I don't always feel like the labels nerd or geek fit me. Because I also enjoy ballet, musicals, classical music, art museums, etc. But I'm more likely to put on a pair of jeans than a nice dress or skirt, and I rarely if ever wear makeup, so girly is out of the question. Except I'm not a tomboy either, because I'm not good at sports, I don't like getting dirty, and I would rather sit an watch a movie or read a book than do something active. I like my alone time, but I get depressed when I don't have people to hang out with. Except when I spent too much time out with a lot of people, I use up a lot of energy and I'm no good for anything afterwards. So I'm not extroverted, but not introverted either.
So I just don't like labels, because I don't fit under any.
Next Topic, Supernatural and Supernatural: Bloodlines
So Supernatural is the TV that I've been watching the longest, and the only show that I have stuck around as long as I have. There have been others that I've watched that have as many or more seasons, but Supernatural is the only one where I've seen every episode, sometimes multiple times. Why? Because it's my favorite genre (urban fantasy) and stars two of the hottest guys on TV right now playing brothers. And I don't know what it is, but I love reading about and watching brothers interact. Maybe it's because I'm jealous?
Anyway, it was announced late last year, early this year that Supernatural would be getting a spin-off series, much like a lot of other shows of the same genre. I was excited when I heard about it, though a little worried because it most likely wouldn't be the same. And tonight I watched the latest Supernatural episode, which was a backdoor plot for Supernatural: Bloodlines. And I had really mixed feelings about it. It didn't feel like I was watching a Supernatural episode, which was a minus, and because of everything I've been watching lately (read: Korean everything) all the white guys looked the same to me. You know how Asians all look the same? Yeah, to me, white guys all look the same, especially after I've watched nothing but K-Dramas for a while.
Of course, the episode was okay. The kid who looks like he'll be the main main character (colored, I might add. A major plus) was really cute, and I liked his character. I hope for good things about his character in the future. Over all, the episode was enough to start an itch, and when the show finally airs sometime in the future I will probably at least watch the first episode. No promises after that, though.
Next Topic: Sewol Ferry Sinking and My Callousness
So, as I'm sure everyone knows, two weeks ago a ferry sank off the coast of S. Korea, taking an awful lot of people down with it. We've been studying about it in class (because it was the only thing on the news for an entire week) and so I know a little bit about what happened, why it happened, and how Korea is reacting to it. And let me tell you, Korea is reacting badly.
Now, I understand mourning, to an extent. I have the benefit of knowing that there is life after death, and that families can be together forever, so mourning is a bit different for me, but I understand it. And I understand the outrage that everyone is feeling over what happened. A lot of people screwed up and were lazy, and it has cost a lot of people, and a lot of school kids, their lives. It's a terrible tragedy. I get that.
What I don't get is putting EVERYTHING ON HOLD, suspending life essentially, for an indefinite amount of time while everyone rages and weeps and wails and gnashes their teeth. This is where I might be a little callous, I can't tell.
Of course, I come from a major country at least fifty times larger than S. Korea. And with that many more people, life just goes on. But even in a small country like S. Korea, a lot of people have to earn money to live, and with everything suspended for this long, a lot of people aren't earning the money they would have. It's like the government shutdown the US went through last fall, only the people who aren't earning anything are the people in the entertainment industry.
I'll admit, some of this confusion comes from my desire to see promised music videos and TV programs that were postponed or cancelled all together. I admit that, I am kind of selfish that way. But at the same time, it also comes from this intense desire to shout to the world that, 'Hey! They're in a better place! You can see them again! Families are Forever! Stop Crying!' That also comes from seeing how crazy emotional the Korean people are at funerals. And I've only experienced Mormon funerals for old people. So my inexperience is showing.
Just some thoughts.
Next Topic: Storium
I think I learned about this on a nerdy blog I follow, but I took one look and fell in love. It's storytelling and role-playing all wrapped up into a pretty game and put on the web for intelligent people to play together. It's been such a long time since I've role-played, and I used to do that a lot, and I love telling stories (hence the writing) but I've never seen anything like this before.
Of course I had to try it out. So I backed the Kickstarter and sighed up, then started my own game as the narrator, using the bare-bone basics of my current story. I wanted to see how other people would handle it, if it had enough to interest people, etc. I really didn't expect the kind of response I got, however. I started the game late at night, went to bed, and when I woke up I had two people waiting with characters at the ready. Then over the course of a few short hours more people joined up. My game is popular! It made me so excited and I jumped for joy a lot. I've never been popular like this before!
Now I just have to narrate this story well enough to keep everyone participating. Hmmm...
Anyway, that's what I had for now. Sorry it's kind of a long post. Lot to get off my chest. You know.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading! And I'm sorry if I said some things that aren't very nice. Like I said, kind of callous.
I dislike being labeled. Today in class we talked about politics. Again. Third day in a row. I really hate politics. Anyway, so we were talking about politics and the different sides like Left and Right, and stuff like that. And of course my very Korean teacher decided it would be fun to ask everyone where they stood on the Left/Right scale.
I normally claim I'm Republican. This is mostly because I've grown up with Republican parents, agree with a lot of Republican ideas, and stuff like that. However, as I've grown older and realized somethings about myself, and other people, I've realized that that label doesn't really fit me. But I'm not Democratic, either. So I'm kind of just stuck in the middle, wishing I didn't have to claim anything.
And it's not just in politics that I don't like being labeled. I'm in the military, but I don't consider myself a military person. I'm into a lot of nerdy things, and I can spit out all kinds of trivia about things like Doctor Who, Star Wars, etc., but I don't always feel like the labels nerd or geek fit me. Because I also enjoy ballet, musicals, classical music, art museums, etc. But I'm more likely to put on a pair of jeans than a nice dress or skirt, and I rarely if ever wear makeup, so girly is out of the question. Except I'm not a tomboy either, because I'm not good at sports, I don't like getting dirty, and I would rather sit an watch a movie or read a book than do something active. I like my alone time, but I get depressed when I don't have people to hang out with. Except when I spent too much time out with a lot of people, I use up a lot of energy and I'm no good for anything afterwards. So I'm not extroverted, but not introverted either.
So I just don't like labels, because I don't fit under any.
Next Topic, Supernatural and Supernatural: Bloodlines
So Supernatural is the TV that I've been watching the longest, and the only show that I have stuck around as long as I have. There have been others that I've watched that have as many or more seasons, but Supernatural is the only one where I've seen every episode, sometimes multiple times. Why? Because it's my favorite genre (urban fantasy) and stars two of the hottest guys on TV right now playing brothers. And I don't know what it is, but I love reading about and watching brothers interact. Maybe it's because I'm jealous?
Anyway, it was announced late last year, early this year that Supernatural would be getting a spin-off series, much like a lot of other shows of the same genre. I was excited when I heard about it, though a little worried because it most likely wouldn't be the same. And tonight I watched the latest Supernatural episode, which was a backdoor plot for Supernatural: Bloodlines. And I had really mixed feelings about it. It didn't feel like I was watching a Supernatural episode, which was a minus, and because of everything I've been watching lately (read: Korean everything) all the white guys looked the same to me. You know how Asians all look the same? Yeah, to me, white guys all look the same, especially after I've watched nothing but K-Dramas for a while.
Of course, the episode was okay. The kid who looks like he'll be the main main character (colored, I might add. A major plus) was really cute, and I liked his character. I hope for good things about his character in the future. Over all, the episode was enough to start an itch, and when the show finally airs sometime in the future I will probably at least watch the first episode. No promises after that, though.
Next Topic: Sewol Ferry Sinking and My Callousness
So, as I'm sure everyone knows, two weeks ago a ferry sank off the coast of S. Korea, taking an awful lot of people down with it. We've been studying about it in class (because it was the only thing on the news for an entire week) and so I know a little bit about what happened, why it happened, and how Korea is reacting to it. And let me tell you, Korea is reacting badly.
Now, I understand mourning, to an extent. I have the benefit of knowing that there is life after death, and that families can be together forever, so mourning is a bit different for me, but I understand it. And I understand the outrage that everyone is feeling over what happened. A lot of people screwed up and were lazy, and it has cost a lot of people, and a lot of school kids, their lives. It's a terrible tragedy. I get that.
What I don't get is putting EVERYTHING ON HOLD, suspending life essentially, for an indefinite amount of time while everyone rages and weeps and wails and gnashes their teeth. This is where I might be a little callous, I can't tell.
Of course, I come from a major country at least fifty times larger than S. Korea. And with that many more people, life just goes on. But even in a small country like S. Korea, a lot of people have to earn money to live, and with everything suspended for this long, a lot of people aren't earning the money they would have. It's like the government shutdown the US went through last fall, only the people who aren't earning anything are the people in the entertainment industry.
I'll admit, some of this confusion comes from my desire to see promised music videos and TV programs that were postponed or cancelled all together. I admit that, I am kind of selfish that way. But at the same time, it also comes from this intense desire to shout to the world that, 'Hey! They're in a better place! You can see them again! Families are Forever! Stop Crying!' That also comes from seeing how crazy emotional the Korean people are at funerals. And I've only experienced Mormon funerals for old people. So my inexperience is showing.
Just some thoughts.
Next Topic: Storium
I think I learned about this on a nerdy blog I follow, but I took one look and fell in love. It's storytelling and role-playing all wrapped up into a pretty game and put on the web for intelligent people to play together. It's been such a long time since I've role-played, and I used to do that a lot, and I love telling stories (hence the writing) but I've never seen anything like this before.
Of course I had to try it out. So I backed the Kickstarter and sighed up, then started my own game as the narrator, using the bare-bone basics of my current story. I wanted to see how other people would handle it, if it had enough to interest people, etc. I really didn't expect the kind of response I got, however. I started the game late at night, went to bed, and when I woke up I had two people waiting with characters at the ready. Then over the course of a few short hours more people joined up. My game is popular! It made me so excited and I jumped for joy a lot. I've never been popular like this before!
Now I just have to narrate this story well enough to keep everyone participating. Hmmm...
Anyway, that's what I had for now. Sorry it's kind of a long post. Lot to get off my chest. You know.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading! And I'm sorry if I said some things that aren't very nice. Like I said, kind of callous.
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