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Thursday, November 19th, 2009
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8:21 pm - Windows made of words
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I wrote an absolutely epic post on Geata Póeg na Déanainn. It's a rather self-indulgent post about all the book characters who inspired and continue to inspire me.
The post was influenced by quite a few articles and blog posts I've been reading recently. ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) stefeny posted many of the links last night on Twitter, which inspired a bit of a Twitter conversation about childhood literary idols. There's an ABC interview with actress Kristen Stewart, where she asserts that Bella Swan 'sets a good example for girls'. A good example of how to be completely dependent on a guy for self-esteem, to the extent of going catatonic when he abandons you, perhaps. Another of our friends posted a link to a great article on the Age which said pretty much the opposite, but all Fairfax websites seem to be down, so I'll add the link in when they're working again.
Sarah Rees Brennan (sarahtales) and Justine Larbalestier blogged about the 'Blank Page Heroine', which prompted some commenters to link to old articles on Jezebel about the 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl' and on The Petite Sophisticate about 'Amazing Girls'. Altogether, these articles and posts say a lot about the difficulties of creating three-dimensional, human characters in works of fiction. It's a task at which few writers succeed. The ones who do give us such a fantastic gift: opaque words on opaque paper which, thanks to their writers' talent, become transparent, acting as windows through which we sometimes see ourselves, sometimes something alluringly alien, but through which we always see truth.
current mood:  exhausted
current music: Apoptygma Berzerk - Until the End of the World | Powered by Last.fm
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| Friday, November 13th, 2009
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9:46 pm - New Romanitas community.
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| Thursday, November 12th, 2009
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1:27 pm - Whedony links
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You will probably have heard by now that those morons at Fox have cancelled Dollhouse. I am, as you can imagine, quite annoyed about the whole thing. I've been gathering links ever since I heard the news.
Joss has responded on Whedonesque, saying that he's got other projects he will be working on. A Dr Horrible sequel, perhaps?
Almost as soon as the news was out, a couple of bloggers posted very pertinent articles about the changing media landscape, how Fox is useless in harnessing new media and how Joss would benefit from doing so. The first is about Fox's ineptitude with social media. The second is a call for Joss to change the world and help make good quality online content the norm.
Finally, just before all this happened, an excellent essay by Scott Westerfeld about the reasons behind the appeal of Buffy. It's well-written and well-reasoned, and definitely worth checking out.
Now, time for lunch!
current mood:  cranky
current music: Massive Attack - Eurochild | Powered by Last.fm
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12:46 pm - 'Mice? Mice don't play music!'
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| Wednesday, November 4th, 2009
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9:05 pm - Useful writing links
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Quite a few things have inspired this post. The first was reading two truly atrocious books over the weekend. To be fair, the first one, Graceling by Kristin Cashore, simply had what in films are called continuity errors. The main character in the book is a very talented fighter called Katsa. The first chapter spent a lot of time setting up the fact that none of her assailants ever expected her to be a girl, so they always imagined that a talented male fighter was attacking them. The next chapter had Katsa being renowned all over for being the odd, frightening talented girl fighter. FAIL!
The other book was even more of a mess. It was The Language of Stones by Robert Carter, and fuses Arthurian myth with an alt-historical Wars of the Roses. It sounded wonderful, but was an incoherent mess of every Arthurian and fantasy trope (from magical stones and ley-lines to 'Mark my words well, young Jedi' platitudinous portentousness; from bashing of a greatly modified version of medieval Christianity to random usage of Irish as the 'true language'). To make matters worse, it rips off The Dark is Rising in a truly shameless manner (come on, it's no coincidence that your super-special hero is called Will, was born on May Day and is brought away from his sheltered existence by Merlin just before a significant birthday).
After reading these two books, I thought their authors could've benefited from a post like this!
Anyway, the other inspiration for this post was the fact that many people I know are doing NaNo, so I thought a few writing tips couldn't hurt.
First up is one of my favourite bloggers, The Intern. She has some of the best writing advice I've ever read:
'-Open novel to a random page
-Read a couple paragraphs, or at most, a couple pages
-Can you tell what the conflict is, or what the character is yearning for? Can you explain, in just a few words, what these paragraphs are doing and why? [...]
If you stab your own manuscript with that toothpick and need to read an entire chapter before being able to identify some kind of internal or external conflict, you might have a problem. If you can't identify what's going in any particular spot in less than twenty words, chances are the conflict or tension is too vague (or there isn't any).'
It's so obvious, and yet it's not something that you'd obviously think about as a new writer.
Justine Larbalestier and her husband Scott Westerfeld (find him at ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/syndicated.gif) westerfeld_blog) are posting helpful writing tips on alternate days.
These next links are not necessarily NaNo-related, but they contain valuable information for writers of genre fiction in particular.
I really love Abigail Nussbaum's blog. Although I don't always agree with her, she's probably one of my favourite commentators on all things SF/F. Her latest post, on The Magicians by Lev Grossman, is definitely worth a read.
Finally, John Scalzi has had enough of sci-fi geeks whining about lack of mainstream acceptance. He's as eloquent as usual.
I've been rediscovering Steeleye Span recently. I've listened to them since I was a child, and always adored their take on traditional folk songs. As you know, I'm a lyrics freak, so any style of music that emphasises storytelling is going to appeal to me, but I'd forgotten how awesome the songs were. My current obsessions are the less well-known (at least to me) songs:
'Following Me' (I can't find the lyrics online at all, but they're great)
'Lady Diamond'
'The Fox'
And, in particular, the awesome 'The False Knight on the Road', which is a great example of riddling and rhyming as a battle with seriously scary consequences. (The 'False Knight', is, of course, the Devil.)
I love finding out obscure stuff about the origins of the songs, so I was pleased to find this fabulous site that unravels the complex meaning of 'Cam Ye O'er Frae France' in all its subversive, Jacobite glory.
Well, I hope this post was full of writing and wordy goodness. Good luck, NaNo people!
current music: Steeleye Span - Cam Ye O'Er Frae France | Powered by Last.fm
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| Monday, November 2nd, 2009
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9:54 pm - Introspection
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| Saturday, October 31st, 2009
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12:35 pm - ASNaC in-jokes
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Last night I went out to the pub with a bunch of ASNaCs. We had all been at a talk given by one of the postdocs in the department. There were so many of us that we didn't fit at one table. Somehow it worked out that I was in the first group, which was all Germanicists, while the second group, which included the speech-giving postdoc and my supervisor, was all Celticists.
All of a sudden, one of my Germanicist friends noticed this odd segregation - and the fact that I was the sole Celticist hanging out with the Germanicists. After some consultation, they decided that I was one of the kidnapped Irish people mentioned in the Icelandic sagas (not being a Germanicist, I have no idea of the name of this kidnapped Irish person), a Celtic exile.
This amused us greatly.
I love the ASNaCs.
current mood: sleepy
current music: Laura - Every Light | Powered by Last.fm
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| Friday, October 30th, 2009
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11:07 am - When I was a child, the world seemed so wide, Part IV
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| Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
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7:48 pm - Oh the blogness
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I've been writing epically recently, not only online, but also for my PhD. I'm now sitting on about 2000 words, which pleases me immensely. But today I'd like to show you some of my less academic writing.
First, here's my (supposedly) weekly Longvision post. It's about Christian symbolism and the character of Sulien, and it's the sort of thing I wish I could spend more time pondering.
I've got two posts on Geata Póeg na Déanainn. The first is just a general post about life in Cambridge this term - my regular update that sums up the Cambridge experience in a more formal way than I do on this blog. The second post is a review of Kate Elliott's Crossroads series. It might be slightly spoilery for the first two books. The focus is on Elliott's positive depiction of middle-class characters in a medieval world, which is something of a rarity in fantasy literature.
I've got a couple more links for you. First up, something I stumbled upon through ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) metafandom. It's a rather interesting post pondering the appeal of the Twilight series, which, as you know, is something I ponder myself from time to time. I think you'll be interested in the conclusions the blogger reaches.
If you're not reading The Intern, a fantastically snarky look at the publishing world, you should be. Her recent post on author websites had me wondering whether to laugh or cry. As someone who has struggled recently trying to track down authors' publicity representatives in order to get review copies of books sent to me, let me reiterate The Intern's complaints: Authors! Fix your websites! Most importantly, include a link to your representatives at each of your publishing companies, with contact details! You would make this reviewer very grateful.
Check out John Scalzi's remarks on Fox 'News' and Obama. He's spot on as usual.
I discovered, via Justine Larbalestier's blog, the wonderful sarahtales (author Sarah Rees Brennan). She's got some very interesting things to say on the double standards readers tend to hold in relation to female characters. It's good food for thought.
That's probably enough for you to be going on with for now!
current mood:  happy
current music: Regurgitator - The Song Formerly Known As | Powered by Last.fm
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| Wednesday, October 21st, 2009
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8:22 pm - Yet another music meme
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These instructions are modified slightly from Facebook, as I don't approve of memes on Facebook, yet was tagged there.
Pick 20 songs you never get sick of. They don't have to be in any particular order.
Pretty simple, huh?
( this is my playlist for the party at the end of the universe )
That is a very house and trance-heavy list, but then again, if I were at a party at the end of the universe, I'd want to play music to which I could dance around deliriously.
EDITED for subjunctive fail.
current mood:  giddy
current music: The Prodigy - Voodoo People (Pendulum Mix) - 09 09 09 09 - The Prodigy - Voodoo People (Pendulum Mix
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| Monday, October 5th, 2009
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4:09 pm - New flatmates
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But first, a couple of links: a post on A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin. It's a bit spoilerish if you haven't read the whole series. Here's a new character study on my Longvision blog. It's about Dama, and is also spoilery.
The last of my new housemates have trickled this week. It's an interesting mix of people - four fourth-year undergrads, quite a few first-, second- and third-year PhD students (including yours truly) and about five new MPhils. It's a very different dynamic to last year, which makes me realise how much the composition of housemates determines a house's character.
( A bit of nostalgia follows )
current mood:  pensive
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| Friday, October 2nd, 2009
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3:55 pm - 'Just like fashion it's a passion for the with it and hip...
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...If you got the goods they'll come and buy it just to stay in the clique.'
I generally don't talk very much about fashion, because I can't see how the thoughts of someone who is contemptuous of the entire fashion industry are at all useful. However, after coming back from London, where I noticed many shops were stocking thigh-high boots, I knew I could keep silent no longer! I suffered in silence through the past year of ridiculous high-heels that look like weapons, but thigh-high boots were a step too far.
( Basically, I gave up on fashion after 2001 )
Internet update
I'm still without working internet at home, and my computer is still broken. I'm in the process of trying to buy a new laptop, but I need to work out whether it's cheaper to do so in the UK or in Australia.
What I regret most of all is not that I can't watch TV while I eat dinner or participate in Moonfair over on Obernet, it's that I was away from the computer when fandomsecrets posted its 1000th secrets post. Fandom!Secrets is my favourite corner of the internet; I adore its cheerful, anarchic celebration of the bizarreness that is online fandom. The 1000th post was meant to be all positive secrets about fandom; many of them are along the lines of 'fandom saved my life'. You all know that I feel a similar way about fandom, but I thought I'd take a moment to thank my fandom friends for being wonderful, wonderful people. You welcomed me when I was my most unhappy, you've been with me when I was my best and celebrated with me, you've been with me when I was my worst and saved me. I love you all, and cannot even convey with words how much you all mean to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
current mood:  discontent
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| Friday, September 4th, 2009
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4:23 pm - A collection of musings
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I can see this post getting quite long, so I'll put most of it behind a cut, but the first bit is the most important, and so I'm keeping it out of the cut.
Request
I've had a (*gasp* *faint*) idea for a multifandom fanfic sitting in the back of my mind for quite a while, but I haven't been able to write it because I can't think of the final character I need for the idea to work. So I'm asking you to help me, flist! Basically, I need you to think of a character who:
Died in the late 90s (1997 or 1998 would be ideal); and
Died with 'unfinished business'. To take an example from the Tomorrow series
( spoiler )
However, I don't want to use Tomorrow series characters because I'd prefer the fandoms to have supernatural elements if possible.
If anyone can think of characters that fit these characteristics, PM me, don't comment, as I wouldn't want any other readers to be inadvertently spoiled.
( 500 Days of Summer, Harry Potter, some life stuff and a link. There will be spoilers. )
Well, that's it from me for now.
current mood:  geeky
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| Saturday, August 29th, 2009
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2:32 pm - Blogging, glorious blogging
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I've got lots of blog posts for you today. The first two are on Geata Póeg na Déanainn and the second is on Longvision.
The first post is about the ethics of immortality as depicted in Jennifer Fallon's Tide Lords series, Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles and Sara Douglass's Troy Game books. You can find it here.
The second is about the lyrics of Regurgitator as an expression of 90s apathy, ennui and despair. It's here.
Finally, I've written my latest Longvision post about the unmapped corners of the world of Romanitas, and you can find it here.
Have a wonderful weekend!
current mood:  accomplished
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| Friday, August 21st, 2009
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9:43 pm - It is NEVER over: a reprise
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And the prize for the most wanky blog post title goes to...
Most of you will know about this already, but I felt it needed a blog post in order to really convince me that it happened (yeah, my logic is not really logical, I know).
Yesterday, as I walked down the street to get coffee, I was thinking, 'This is it. I'm not going to be able to continue at Cambridge. I don't have funding. I'm not going to get funding. I'll be back in Australia in a month.' I started making my back up plans.
I didn't check my email until 8pm. But when I did, I found not one, but TWO emails offering me funding. Put together, it's enough for me to do my PhD here! I was, as you can imagine, ecstatic.
It's funny what starts happening once you give up. I should give up more often...
current mood: giddy
current music: MGMT - The Handshake | Powered by Last.fm
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3:52 pm - Longest meme ever
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| Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
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8:49 pm - Starks and Lannisters
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So, about a decade late (I'm a shameless bandwagon-jumper, as you know), I started reading George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. I'm about halfway through the first book, A Game of Throne, and I adore it immensely, but one thing is bugging me.
( cut for spoilers )
Reading this series has rekindled my interest in the Wars of the Roses (I thought I'd never find something to tempt me away from my Angevin and Poitevin obsession). I'm keen to read more books that explore this period of history (either straight historical fiction, or fantasy like A Song of Ice and Fire). Anyone got any suggestions?
current mood:  curious
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| Monday, August 17th, 2009
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12:56 pm - Links of great humour
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Instead of writing a book review, I'm link-hopping.
I read this interview in today's Guardian. It's an interview with A-Ha (you know, the guys who got a new lease of life with the literal video version of 'Take On Me') and is hilarious. The interview wanders into Spinal Tap territory on several occasions (highlights include the band members arguing about the merits of various translations of Kierkegaard). I wish all newspaper interviews could be that good!
Yesterday Felicia Day posted this link on Twitter. (Come on, you know you want to!) It's photoshopped images of 23 film plots that could've been solved in seconds. Great stuff.
Finally, ellevee posted some great Star Trek (new!trek) macros. They use 10 Things I Hate About You quotes, so they're clearly reaching stratospheric levels of awesome.
( Macros behind the cut )
I think she originally found them on ontd_startrek.
Now I'm off to read Annabel Crabb tweet Question Time. That is as geeky as it sounds, but nowhere near as boring. Annabel is a family friend, and one of the best, and funniest political journalists in Australia. Her tweets are like Australian politics in a bottle, and a joy to read. If you're not following her yet, you should.
current mood: indifferent
current music: Nightwish - Beauty of the Beast | Powered by Last.fm
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| Sunday, August 16th, 2009
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2:08 pm - School's out
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So, A Level results are out. As I read a newspaper (The Times, don't kill me - there were no copies of The Guardian in the cafe for some odd reason) and listened to the conversation of the baristas, I realised that Britain was going through its seasonal bout of hand-wringing about whether the A Levels have become too easy. (In Australia, we do our own version of this, with added 'Isn't it time for the exam system to be uniform throughout the country?', in November and December.)
I don't pretend to have any great knowledge of the UK system, but I know some people who have been, or are, going through it right now. I have first-hand experience of the ACT system and the International Baccalaureate, and good second-hand understanding of the NSW system, having coached my sister through it for four years. It is on the basis of this experience and knowledge that I make the following remarks.
( It's been a long time since I soapboxed )
current mood: frustrated
current music: Calexico - All Systems Red | Powered by Last.fm
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| Tuesday, August 11th, 2009
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10:49 pm - Literary analysis has no off button
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Following through with my Michael Ende kick, I read The Neverending Story. (You might be surprised that I hadn't read it before now, but my childhood reading was very, very Australian.) I was considering posting a review-type post over on Wordpress, but my thoughts were too incoherent and scattered to really do the book justice.
However, while I was reading, something odd struck me. A few days ago, I'd been having a conversation in #btts about Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, and made a throwaway remark along the lines of 'Sorry I can't switch off the literary analysis. I'm such a literature student, it's wired in me.' One of my friends said, 'Well, that's excellent that your studies *encourage* your literary analysis impulses. When I was a student, I couldn't bear to think about books that way.'
I thought I was exaggerating. Then I looked at my notebook (well, two small squares of my journal), which, by the end of the three hours it took for me to read The Neverending Story, were filled with tiny, cramped writing in green pen. Clearly, the urge to analyse texts is inescapable for me.
So, I thought I'd treat you to the raw product - what my mind spews out as I'm reading a new book. It's probably gibberish. Oh well, I'll put it behind a cut. Also, I should warn that there are spoilers.
( As they say in the Ronnese )
current mood: hopeful
current music: Waiting For the Sun - Powderfinger
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