Category: Procrastination


I Need A Holiday…

Filed under: My Writing, News, Real Life Chatter — 9 Comments
May 31, 2013

…A very long holiday. I don’t expect I shall return. In fact I don’t mean to.

Yes, that IS a quote from The Lord Of The Rings, and yes, I’m applying it to myself.

Before you panic, I won’t be dong anything quite so final as giving a grand speech on my eleventy-first birthday, popping on a magical ring of invisibility and vanishing from sight forever. *sigh* I wish I could some days, but no.

I’m taking a break, that’s all.

I’m very, very tired. And I have some thinking to do.

Looking back over past posts containing my plans and hopes, it seems I have lots of ideas and absolutely no direction. In trying to do everything, I have achieved only a fraction of what I was hoping, and that at the detriment of other projects that should be as important, if not more so.

I’m taking a step back from everything in the hopes that I can carve out a plan for myself that 1) makes sense and 2) is more realistic than my present expectations of myself given my current obligations, health and fitness.

So, lovely peoples, this is a message to say there will be no posts in the month of June. Well… if something comes along that I can’t bare leaving alone, then I’ll probably write it (!), but my usual three post schedule will be on a 30 day hiatus. Expect me back on July 1 with a fresh, clean mind (and a new posting schedule!), ready to tackle the world and everything in it.

Until then, peace out lovelies!
Try not to miss me too much. :p
xXx

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Catch Up Blog: Amazon Acquires Goodreads

Filed under: News, Procrastination — 4 Comments
May 27, 2013

WAH! I missed a post. Even in the most knackering of days after no sleep whatsoever when my boys were born I didn’t miss a post. Now…? Oh well. It had to happen eventually I suppose.

Anyway, I was going to talk about this tomorrow, but I guess I can pop it up now and talk about something different tomorrow. Easy. :)

Amazon logoJust when I was congratulating myself on keeping up with the news I found this little gem lurking in the back of the press releases section. Well… it wasn’t really lurking but I wouldn’t have found it without already being there.

Amazon has acquired Goodreads.

For those of you who don’t know, Goodreads is a fabulous forum of readers and writers all talking about what they love. Books. They review, share, discuss and hotly debate the merits, pitfalls and cheery memories of their favourite books.

I log in there once a week to sniff out the ripples of conversation with regards to books I’m reading or plan to read. I like to get an idea of the lay of the land, though reviews seldom influence my choices any more. It’s also a great place to hook up with fellow book lovers across the world and promote your own works. When I finally have a release of my own to rave about, you’ll be sure I’ll head there.

So what’s so the problem? Any of you familiar with this blog and my style are, by now, probably already aware of the fact that I’m unhappy. You’re certainly right. I am unhappy. Why?

http://openclipart.org/detail/9160/fast-food-desserts-pies-by-gerald_gBecause Amazon has enough. Enough already, damnit! Do they really need to jam whatever fingers they have left into any more pies? Can’t they leave something alone for other people to enjoy? Can’t they leave one scrap of the book writing, promoting, publishing process to someone else? Apparently not.

At the end of the day, Amazon is rather like methane gas. You hate the smell of it, you’d rather it wasn’t around, but in truth, it’s bloody useful at times, so you grudgingly use it. There are few better substitutes, right? I’ll readily admit; if there is something I want to buy online, there are three places I look first; Amazon, Play.com and Ebay. Usually in that order. But every time I do it a little piece of me dies when I realise I’m feeding more and more money into the guzzling maw of a company on the verge monopolising everything.

What can I do about it on my own? Very little (other than shop elsewhere and it’s not like they’ll miss me. And I’ll just end up paying through the nose at other places that can’t afford to keep their prices low because they just don’t have the customer base).

What I can do, is piss and moan about it and write a jerky, irritated blog post.

Ah… done.

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The Launch of Kindle Worlds

Filed under: News, Procrastination — 38 Comments
May 24, 2013

Amazon has found another way to rape the casual reader/writer for more money to stuff into their bulging pockets! Don’t believe me, take a look at this press release.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love the fact that there is now another way for writers to get paid for their work. Fan fiction is no less of an art form (though the whole of my thoughts in that regard will need a separate post) and the desire to be paid for it is not unusual. Nor should it be considered such. But fan fiction, to my memory, has always been posted to blogs, dedicated sites and forums where it could be enjoyed without lining some massive giant’s pockets.

Following this announcement, all those fan fiction writers wanting to get paid for their work will be able to do so. A measly 35%. And, if you’re really unlucky and writing in that dead bracket between 5,000 and 10,000 words you’ll get 20%.

I used to write fan fiction. I posted it to places like FanFiction.net and FictionPress.net so I could share it with others. That’s all I ever wanted to do because those characters and those worlds, amazing as they were, weren’t mine. I didn’t want to profit from someone else’s hard work and I didn’t think anybody else should. Besides, if I was going to get recognition and pay for something, I wanted it to be my own. I don’t think that’s unusual.

I’m so torn over this new development.

In recent months I’ve become more and more of a cynic and these days all I can see is companies like Amazon, Google and PayPal clutching at the few lose pound notes floating around with superglue on their grubby little fingers. They catch them all and leave nothing behind for the rest of us who actually need to be able to put food in our mouths and roofs over our heads. When we do make a little money, they chase us down, pin us to the floor and steal it like playground bullies.

On the other hand, isn’t it lovely that there are more opportunities springing up to be paid for the hard work that goes into writing?

On the other hand, hasn’t someone (ahem E. L. James) already been paid significant amounts for fan fiction, proving that this is an idea late in coming?

On the other hand why should somebody with no time, desire (skill?) to come up with their own characters and worlds, get paid for ripping off someone else’s?

How many hands do I have, anyway? O.o

Not enough for this post, that much is plain. What do you guys think? Will you be hopping on board the Amazon Express, next stop Kindle Worlds? What do you think about fan fiction anyway? Should somebody be paid for using someone else’s ideas, even if they have been given permission?

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#GoodThingsJar2013 April Update

Filed under: FUN!, My Writing, Other Writings, Procrastination, Real Life Chatter — Leave a comment
May 1, 2013

#GoodThingsJar2013

Lookie, lookie at all of the GOOD THINGS!!!

I always forget about my jar until it’s time to talk about it. Not that I forget to put things in it, more that I forget to be pleased about what it represents.

It’s filling up fast and there are so many more blue (or is it green? Can’t tell in the light in here) slips! Way more than the others. Apparently April has been a good month.

To break it down, April has included things like signing off JSA (FREAKIN YES!), the official launch of The Write Feeling, entering numerous competitions and getting some letters out there (to magazines). I’ve also included weight loss milestones (6lbs in two weeks!) and milestones for the boys. Michael AND Leon are walking now, though Michael is that little bit less confident that his younger brother. *snerk* Younger, do remember that there is only one minute between them!

I’ve also put things like Zombie Earth in the jar which was, effectively, my first LARP in over a year. Can you believe that?! A year (and more) since I put on my ears and danced around the woods as Trya. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, I invite you to take a closer look at the picture to the right of your screen. Yeah more Trya HF 9 It was so good to get back into LARPing in any for, that I’m thinking about going back this week. That all depends on family though; as there are lots of visits happening this weekend.

Not only is it the boys’s birthday next week (*GASP*) but it’s also mine. Talk about an awesome double whammy! I think the jar for May is going to be pretty heavy with coloured slips.

I’ve not decided what colour I want yet. I’d better work on that because I already have some things I want to add. Not least, the short story I managed to bash out just today. 1,689 words, a complete story for a competition I thought I’d enter, from the Writer’s Magazine. It needs a heavy handed edit, but with a deadline of May 14, I’m sure I can manage it. The hardest part is done. Ish.

So… what about you fine folks? How does your jar look at this point of the year? Nice and full I hope! ^_^

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Celebrating Milestones Take 3!

Filed under: News, Procrastination, Real Life Chatter — 6 Comments
April 2, 2013

This is so lovely. ^_^ Not only am I having a lovely day so far, but I woke up, took a look at the blog and found this.1000 likes banner from wordpressSo it’s time, once again to say thank you.

I only get these little milestone markers because of YOU. Each time you visit, like a post, leave a comment, I feel that I’m connecting with you and loving every second. The fact that WordPress collects all that data and feeds it back to me means I get to see it properly which is wonderful.

So… once more…Thank you note!

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