Then I read her entry which triggered in my head the truth that this draft is still me writing my first thoughts at the stories hitting the page and it still wasn't the time for me to think about revision or rewrites. Next draft should be where rewrites start but not this draft. It's funny as a writer how you come to things.
Maybe I should also read one of her books since I like her blog so much?
The thing I love about conversations on Twitter isn't that you can have a deep discussion on a subject, because its hard to do that, what I love is how you can have mini conversations and also how you can talk about things that get the gears of the brain going.
Or I'll just go off on a rant about how in my native language merry, marry, and mary are pronounced the same.
A long time ago, when I was in college people were asking about digital distribution of books and music and films and TV. There really wasn't much of it then. There was a few books on CD Rom and Napster started right as I was leaving the college world but it was a time of people asking for this.
The companies that controlled and are struggling to continue to control the distribution were hiding from the internet and the digital future like a religious person scared of someone for simply believing different than them which is one of the most illogical ways of living. Also produces pretty harmful results for both parties.
You see this thing today where publishers act like Amazon is Lucifer with his hand up your husbands ass making him do evil works, when in fact Amazon is the symbol and big sign that screams daily about how stupid publishers have been in the past, and continue to be.
Amazon isn't a golden child. I hate that they don't allow You Pick The Price or Free as options in their ebook stores. And a number of their practices make Wal-Mart look like community partners.
But it's fucking laughable when big publishers and big book chains and yes a lot of writers go after Amazon. Really? Really? Here's the deal, if any of those publishers and book chains would have had a lick of forward thinking they would have created a Amazon but no, instead they feed, feed,and feed a system that created the huge piracy black market that exists now online.
Big bookstore chains say Amazon is hurting them. You mean like how small business have always went after you?
Big publisher say Amazon is pricing them out of business. You mean how you have always used pricing to control stocking in bookstores? How you have pushed away unique voices to keep a status of "Whats Hot" going?
And its a real shame to see so many really intelligent writers going after Amazon as The Great Satan. Again not saying Amazon is pure but unless you are just sucking a company dick, which I can understand, how can you honestly do that. Publisher have ripped off artist and writers for years and now you are defended them like they are Mother Teresa.
Though she was kind of a prick from what I've read so maybe that's a correct notion.
The truly amazing grill of stupidity that the entertainment industry is cooking itself on is how they are still stuck in those days when I was in college. They still see themselves split in publishing regions, release regions, pricing regions. They still haven't even gotten past the fucking ideas of lower ebook pricing or even for some day to print digital.
I'd like to talk about this for a lot more and I could easily but I have stories of my own to work on and isn't that one of the biggest fears that a lot of publishers, record companies, and film companies have in common. They are scared that we all do have stories to do and now there is a platform for that. That we are might want to work to tell those stories. Team up with others to create art. Team up with writers, artists, editors, actors, directors, and they will be standing there wondering what to do with their paperclips.
Here is the conversation that took place on Twitter I spoke of. Talking with Damon always gets my mind going for the good ideas and sometimes bad:) It's always been that way. Again maybe not a great cut and paste job to represent the conversation but I wanted to put it here anyways:
Brian Williams Need to get a lot of writing done with storms keeping me off the laptop yesterday. Enterprise will be my background noise
Brian Williams I wish Netflix had a play list function or would that be only useful to writers watching tons of stuff at once while writing?
damon I wish Netflix would be willing to (easily) take $100 a year from me for their service. Oh well. #freetvinstead
Brian Williams Don't they have Netflix where you live or just hard to pay for it from there?
damon No official Netflix here, but then, I'm old school, don't mind paying for stuff (as thanks) that I already get free anyway.
damon generally, a US issued credit card is needed for paid subscriptions, but, for eg, Hulu (basic) under VPN works fine.
Brian Williams Sounds like another company not taking full advantage of the market that's out there. Then again its been that way all along...
Brian Williams with the internet. Companies stuck in past ways of doing things, not able to move forward, because of stupidity and fear.
damon And yes, if you're TRULY motivated to WANT to pay for content ... there are workarounds ... but why would you bother.
damon the mantra 'content wants to be free' is only truly applicable when there's no (easy) paid alternative.
Brian Williams Everyone knows I'm anti-piracy, mainly because of peoples lack of admitting its stealing, ...
Brian Williams but companies created that black market and made it so strong through lack of foresight, courage, and creative thinking.
Brian Williams Oops, I mentioned piracy online. Great way to lose followers and get a ton of direct mess about how stupid I am :)
damon I'm more than happy to pay for content. But at the moment I can't. So I don't. And I still watch what I want. So who wins ?
damon Case in point : Kindle book prices vary on geography, but i can import a print copy freely from anywhere, at local price.
damon For me, it's the "local publisher sets the price" disclaimer that Amazon give - and often higher than a print version !
Brian Williams Pricing on ebooks is a mess all over and hurts the progress. I don't think all should be free or $1 but overpricing and the like is stupid.
Brian Williams Well the mindset of region pricing and region copyrights is hurting progress a lot too. Need to go or be reformed.
damon and for me it's a motivator. if someone wants to charge me more for a product based on location, it's a deal breaker.
Brian Williams Dvd released a year before in one region there will be piracy and if a book is priced higher in one region there will be piracy.
Brian Williams I don't want them on places like Amazon, not because they are the great evil, they don't allow pay what you want and free pricing
Brian Williams I meant to say I don't want my books on places like Amazon.
damon and that's fair enough too - fortunately, we all have a choice where we buy / distribute. it should always be thus.
When asking Damon if it was ok to use his posts in a blog entry, something he correctly said we'd be seen as old fogeys for doing. Back in my day the internet....
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The photos are from a recent trip to St. Augustine with Mar and Queen. I took them on a cheap old camera. Queen is a really talented photographer and she was taking shots of everything that day. Since I don't get the chance to do photo blog much of anymore I thought when I do blog entries on anything else I'll add some photos I've taken recently because I enjoy sharing them.
photos by (c)Brian C. Williams,
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Always a pleasure to chat Brian - we've used various forums / technologies over the year, but the reassuring thing through it all is that there will always be a platform for people with ideas to express them. And it should always be thus.
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