Friday, December 13, 2013

Doctor Who, Boobies, and Beer

     Early yesterday I went into a Doctor Who rant on Facebook; which can be a dangerous thing for me when it comes to Doctor Who. It's like a crackhead visiting an old friends house that just so happens to moonlight as a crack house.
     When talking with my friend Touch about the whole spill of what number regeneration and number body is the Doctor currently on I hit rant point and paragraphs came out of me.
     And more now.
     The fucking body and regeneration thing being different numbers is just stupid. If that's the case what number is The Watcher that helped the 4th Doctor regenerate or The Valeyard? It's taking a concept that's complicated to a lot of people to begin with and making it even more completed by trying to explain away things perfectly. There's a difference between creator and fan games, that's a fan game.
     Every time anyone connected with the show tries to explain it they just make it more convoluted. They should of just said when time was changed in regards to the Time War John Hurt's Doctor became a paradox and that's why he regenerated right away into the 9th Doctor, it was time correcting itself. Because that's basically what the story said but NOOOO Moffat and everybody has to feed into fans bullshit and try to please everyone while actually pleasing no one.
     Over and over again people seem to forget fan stands for fanatic. Fans are like a spoiled child by nature. You don't give them candy because they are crying or being good for once, you do sparingly but without a pattern they can take advantage of.
     My problem isn't with people talking about this whole, that's a lot of the fun in any fandom, my problem is with the people working with the show talking about something instead of showing it in a story. Either show it like you want to be in a story{which I had thought they had done} or just say that's for everyone to have a view on.
     Because in the end the internet has this irrational hate on for Moffat and he isn't doing himself any favors by feeding the beast.
     This is the third thing I read him say about this since the special and other people with the show have made comments. Just show with the stories, that's all.

     Later while helping a relative troubleshoot a website problem{You know you don't know shit about something technology based when I'm helping you with tech stuff.}I watched a few episodes of my favorite web series, I'm so behind but I only made a comment on one of them. Sorry to disagree with one of my Gods in John Green but American beer isn't the best. It's only function isn't one of taste but to allow idiots to drink as much beer as possible with other idiots cheering them on because its mainly piss water or around here Brevard County water. Maybe they brew all American beer secretly in this area?

     Another of my Gods is David Lubar. Speaking of him, David Lubar on Twitter is one of the best things about Twitter. Such as = "Fox's Megyn Kelly tells viewers that Jesus was white. I guess it's just a matter of semantics. Or Semitics. Jesus wasn't white. Everyone knows Jesus is an Hispanic name."

     We went out after Mar got home to find some last minute gifts and craft stuff. While Mar was looking for something at the Dollar Store I was talking to someone in an exchange on Facebook about the issue of students being allowed to wear Support The Boobies type stuff at schools.
     My opinion is a lot of people only wear that stuff as an excuse to wear something that says boobies on it and act like its for charity or activism. In this case I stand with these students because boys have had Big Johnson shirts for years and no one goes after them but mention a womens breasts in any way and its STOP THE SMUT!

     When we were out looking for a gift, just before coming home, I ran into someone handing out pamphlets. As someone who has been on that side of things I know its not easy but there is a proper way to do it. You ask, you be polite, and you don't bug people. The following is what I tweeted after this encounter: No PETA person I don't want your pamphlet and you being an asshole when I politely said "No thank you" is one example why your group is shit.
     To say I don't like PETA is an understatement. They only care about publicity and do as much to help save animals, if not less, as your average slaughter house. Egocentric assholes who hide behind supposed activism to play club house party.

     Now for some shameless self-promotion.

 From the Tin Universe Store:

     That's the first poster in a series of inspiration posters I made for myself but also have available for sale. There are also a lot more Tin Universe materials in that store, many featuring the covers to my new book coming out on the 22nd of this month. It will be available for download on my Smashwords store for $1.00 per download. Like I've said before if you buy something from one of my stories I'll email you a PDF of Tin Universe Middle Grade Series #1 for free. All you need to do is put STORE ORDER RECEIPT in the subject box of an email with a copy of your order confirmation attached and send to hangofwednesday@gmail.com

Mildred Betbeze, Tin Universe Middle Grade Series #1
“Zombified people make me itch so I’d rather not touch.”

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Thursday, December 12, 2013

Self-Publishing, Dialogue Tags, and Refacing A Story


     Yesterday I saw that Ultimate Spider-Man season 2 was on Netflix. It was something good to watch while working on some digital photo stuff for a friend until Mar got home. Since I think I've finally gotten all of whatever was making me sick out of my system we made Famous Bowls last night with homemade smashed tators, corn fresh off the cob, and shredded baked chicken. During the process Mar dropped her phone in the smashed potatoes. She pulled it out and gave me a sad look as a goo burp slid off it.
     Its her special Famous Bowl recipe of potatoes and smart phone. I think that completes her list of dropping her phone into just about everything. The good thing about having a Wal-Mart special crap flip-phone, like I do, is I don't really care when and where I drop it, it bricks back still working well for what limiting functions it has.

     After eating we watched South Park as the continuation of our December marathon. You know, because of the holiday season and all that. While watching the subject of book bloggers came up and that's why I posted the following on Twitter and Facebook and probably elsewhere as I tend to do when a rant hits me.
     I love when some independent book bloggers put down book self-publishers. Not only saying they will not review self-published book, that's their choice, but also degrading them like book self-publishers are doing something against the rest of humanity. But you're self-publishing too. Me not understand? Do you? Independent book bloggers, mommy blogger, web comics, vlogers, web video series creators, websites, it's all part of the same marching line as book self-publishers. It's very easy to point a finger at one of these not of your own house and say, "That's not professional." "That's full of mistakes." "That spits water like a hole poked plastic bag."
     I find this type of independent self-publishing infighting stupid and boring and it does nothing to advance the independence and choices of artists when it comes to choosing their own paths with their work.
     On another line since I'm here, I also hate the douche ass attitude some self-publishing people have when other peoples views on the subject doesn't match their own. Disagree, comment, but as Wil Wheaton says, "Don't be a dick." You are not helping yourself, self-publishing, or the advancement of the human race for that matter.

     Later after Mar went to bed I started working on my current WIP dialogue while Endeavour played in the background and a mini rant sprang from me on Twitter. I hate dialogue tags. Really good writers can use them well, most can't, I can't yet, but I'm learning and until I can learn that lesson I'd rather just put the name after the dialogue myself.
     My editor on my next book, we had this discussion for a couple hours when I handed in a draft. She found the way I was doing dialogue totally bizarre. I agree it's unusual but its my style and I do think there is room for different styles out there in the mist of storytelling.
     "He said" "She said" over and over again in a story drives me nuts or stupid stuff like "he said with hardly a word" are just worthless in my opinion in moving along a story. To me its the exact opposite of moving the flow of story and most of the time it confuses or totally stagnates the reading experience.
     My way of presenting dialogue is influenced by my original writing training in film scripts and I wrote nothing but for years. Not saying I was great at those either but I made some pennies here and there, but that's why my stories are sparse in description and heavy in small chapters. The description isn't a ton because I was taught pages equal shooting time and money, and small chapters are like scenes sometimes with me. I say sometimes because I think I'm starting to come past that now but its still there in my writing.

     Just before heading to bed the subject of refacing a story came up online. Refacing is a hard lesson to learn. I struggled a long time thinking the initial idea or 1st draft had to make it to the end. I thought I was failing somehow. The past couple years I've had a book be rewritten three times from top to bottom before I just had to put it away for maybe a future revisit to see if it has anything within it at all. Also during that time three years worth of Tin Universe monthly stories turned into one years worth after I tossed out a bunch of things that just were not fitting right in the overall story I'm wanting to tell.
     I got so depressed for a few months because I thought I was just failing over and over again. A good friend, also a writer, a very good writer, helped me get through this with some good words. Also seeing more skilled writers struggle with this helped. Their pain is my learning too in a way.
     Stories change over time. That's how they live, and sometimes by the time you get to the end you might just have to turn around and come back down that road again over and over in search of where you need to be. If this journey totally changes your initial idea, changes the face of those things that inspired you in the beginning you aren't bastardizing the muses or betraying the words. I've come to see that what you are doing is being a writer. Simple ant it? Fuck right, it isn't.

     Now for some shameless self-promotion.

 From the Tin Universe Store:
Tin Universe, Middle Grade Series #1 totebag 1

     That's a nice little totebag, good for trips to the beach or the pool or for a bit of light shopping or to put over your head when being an ass at a party and too drunk for your own good.... or anyone elses for that matter.
     There are also a lot more Tin Universe materials in that store, many featuring the covers to my new book coming out on the 22nd of this month. It will be available for download on my Smashwords store for $1.00 per download. Like I've said before if you buy something from one of my stories I'll email you a PDF of Tin Universe Middle Grade Series #1 for free. All you need to do is put STORE ORDER RECEIPT in the subject box of an email with a copy of your order confirmation attached and send to hangofwednesday@gmail.com

Mildred Betbeze, Tin Universe Middle Grade Series #1
“Zombified people make me itch so I’d rather not touch.”

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Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Cross Posting, Tumblr, And Getting Behind

     Something I said on Twitter recently: "Twitter is my brain puking information. You don't put punctuation on puke. Well maybe lots of !!!!!!!!!"
     Someone asked me the other day about making blog entries made up of stuff I wrote on Twitter and Facebook, asking like it was a bad thing. It's cross posting but also because the space is limited in those places I've always (when blogging regularly) put the things here in my blog to see if I have anything else to say about them or if I can make the points or random information dumps I puked out more clear but usually the last is just a lost cause.

     I was also asked in an email{hangofwednesday@gmail.com} if I was no longer posting on my Tumblr? I am, just haven't had time to do it in a while. When I restarted my Tumblr I decided to make it a place where I don't really talk politics or writing much, use it mainly for talking about TV shows, fun events I attended, movies, and video games. It's a escape location but I haven't had the chance to escape there of late. Been too busy to play games or watch stuff that I need to focus on and then write about. I'll be back soon writing about my made up team on Madden and my viewings of Supernatural and other shows soon, probably after the New Year.

     The bad things about being sick the past couple days wasn't the puking and such but knowing I was getting behind in things and when I got better I would have to work quick to catch. Though my stomach is still a little ache itch today I needed to catch up on apartment cleaning and also start catching up on my writing schedule. I've found that I can draft write while sick but can't revise or edit in any sort of way.
     So after finally getting a good chunk of sleep today I woke up late have my To Do List for today in: sweep, vacuum, clean surfaces in kitchen, clean cat boxes, do dishes, take out garbage, laundry, write up a quick senseless worthless blog entry, watch a couple online videos, make dinner, and write.

     Now for some shameless self-promotion.

 From the Tin Universe Store:


     These are two simple t-shirt designs using both covers for my next book. There are also a lot more Tin Universe materials in that store, many featuring the covers to my new book coming out on the 22nd of this month. It will be available for download on my Smashwords store for $1.00 per download. Like I've said before if you buy something from one of my stories I'll email you a PDF of Tin Universe Middle Grade Series #1 for free. All you need to do is put STORE ORDER RECEIPT in the subject box of an email with a copy of your order confirmation attached and send to hangofwednesday@gmail.com

Mildred Betbeze, Tin Universe Middle Grade Series #1
“Zombified people make me itch so I’d rather not touch.”

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Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Scott's Maze, Cornhole Games, and my Top Ten Book Influences

     Excuse me *clears throat* WHAT TIME IS IT!!!
     We went to Scott's Maze Adventures on Sunday adventuring. It was a lot of fun, sunshine, and exercise. I did my usual of getting a patch, Mar got a sticker that said "GET LOST", and some corn because she loves corn on the cob.
     I Tweeted this while on the drive home from the maze. Me-"That sign said Cornhole Games Next Exit?" Mar-"No."Me-"But?" Mar-"No." Me-"Butt."
     For the past few days I'm been sick, sick, and sick, but that has nothing to do with the trip and is because I ate a large ice cream on our way home. My stomach is like a rusted out old bucket and I need to learn there are some things I just can't eat any more.

     Even though me and Mar like a lot of the same things we also don't like some the main things the other loved. Some people have told us we should some how fake like the other persons interests. That sounds just stupid and plain imbecilic to me. Also if we had did that we would get moments like the following conversation from the other night. Mar-"How can you not know Orcs and uruk-hai are different?" Me-"How can you not know Daleks were mutated from Kaleds?" That is our relationship in a nutshell.
    Or should I have said Thals?
    I fail at my fandom.
    I'm sick. Praise Davros I recover soon.
   After going through that and looking up to see I was right also I looked up Dalek history online and started reading and it gave me a headache.
   At least I didn't look up Cybermen history, that will make your ears bleed.

     Got the idea for this from Nova Ren Suma, My Top Ten Book Influences...
- Uncanny X-Men {the Claremont years}
- Sandman by Neil Gaiman
- Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams
- Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis
- Sherlock Holmes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle {the complete collection}
- Maus by Art Spiegelman
- Strangers In Paradise by Terry Moore
- Dracula by Bram Stoker
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
- Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma
     *What are yours?

    Now for some shameless self-promotion.

 From the Tin Universe Store:


     I like both of the covers so I'm putting both on merchandise. The first will be the actual cover to the book and the second will be used as interior art. There are also a lot more Tin Universe materials in that store, many featuring the covers to my new book coming out on the 22nd of this month. It will be available for download on my Smashwords store for $1.00 per download. Like I've said before if you buy something from one of my stories I'll email you a PDF of Tin Universe Middle Grade Series #1 for free. All you need to do is put STORE ORDER RECEIPT in the subject box of an email with a copy of your order confirmation attached and send to hangofwednesday@gmail.com

Mildred Betbeze, Tin Universe Middle Grade Series #1
“Zombified people make me itch so I’d rather not touch.”

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Saturday, December 7, 2013

The Dreams Of Kings, Chili Slow Cooking, And Blackadder


     When its comes to the internet I feel like Ralph Hinkley from Greatest American Hero. I keep doing the internet wrong. I need a manual but mine must have fallen on the ground somewhere. The experts have this "doing the internet" thing down. I wish I had that skillset but you know day to day, day to day for those of us not gifted with the knowledge of doing the internet the right way.
     But I do want to change up things on how I'm promoting stuff here. It wont be the "right way" of doing things but I'm trying, I'm trying and maybe some day I will get the holy stamp of approval from The Overlords Of The Internet.
     If I'm going to use my blogger daily to promote the upcoming release of my new book- Tin Universe Middle Grade Series #1, I'm going to make these entries more blog entry like and less just pimp daddy like.
     Maybe doing this will get me back into blogging daily.
     It probably wont.
     Also reading my boring rambles might make people request I return to just merch. and book pushing.
     Speaking of my boring meaningless rambles, lets get with it. I started today by getting a chili going in the slow cooker; which should be done by the time Mar gets home from work. We love chili and make it at least once a month. We do the slow cooking so much we have two of them, a large one and a small one. We could probably even use a third because sometimes I like to cook a weeks worth of meals at once but then again we don't really have the room in the kitchen living in a small apartment for much of anything else.
     Though if I could wish for anything in the world right now, at this moment, I would wish for my own washer and dryer. This to me is the dream of kings.
     Watching Blackadder as my background noise as I write today. Every so often I like to rewatch these but I always binge on them when I do it so its a all or nothing thing for me with the adders. I find it works really great for background noise while doing other things. Comedies are good that way. Dramas or anything I haven't seen before are too distracting to use while working on anything.
     Off to stir the chili.
     Every time I open the chili to stir it, it makes me cry.
     Maybe I should blame Obama.
     No, I should blame ObamaCare.
     That's how things work isn't it? You don't discuss specific points you just say OBAMA! or OBAMACARE! or it's illegal or unconstitutional?
     If your answer to everything is OBAMACARE! Yes, you are playing the role of the dumbass. I'm sorry but someone had to tell you and your family and friends like you too much to do it, so I'm here for you :)
     Global Warming "But ObamaCare"
     Gas prices "But ObamaCare"
     Ben Affleck as Batman "But ObamaCare"
     ObamaCare has its good and bad points and as I have said before I think it just a political distraction to keep people from demanding universal healthcare and until we stop being puppeted against each other and go after the puppeteers of power the drug and medical companies who control the politicians we all lose and will continue to lose worse than the Braves during the rotten years.
     Poor Dale Murphy :(
     Now to get off my high horse standing on a soap box and try to end this blog entry. I still have to finish today's writing, clean out the refrigerator, and vacuum. I also date a librarian *finger point, wink* Don't be jealous.
     And before people start sending me hate mail for talking politics,
     "I'M NOT A FAT TURD, I'M A STOCKY TURD." That South Park quote is now my auto response to assholes no matter what they say.

   
     I want to get one of those ring binders and use it for organizing my notes for future stories in the series. There are also a lot more Tin Universe materials in that store, many featuring the covers to my new book coming out on the 22nd of this month. It will be available for download on my Smashwords store for $1.00 per download. Like I've said before if you buy something from one of my stories I'll email you a PDF of Tin Universe Middle Grade Series #1 for free. All you need to do is put STORE ORDER RECEIPT in the subject box of an email with a copy of your order confirmation attached and send to hangofwednesday@gmail.com

Mildred Betbeze, Tin Universe Middle Grade Series #1
“Zombified people make me itch so I’d rather not touch.”

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Friday, December 6, 2013

Shamelessly Promoting After Taking A Few Days Off


     Took a few days off from shamelessly promoting the release of Tin Universe Middle Grade Series #1 here on the blog but now I'm back with no self-promotion guilt and also to talk about 2014 releases.

     I've gotten advice from both sides telling me this isn't the way to promote my book. Some saying I shouldn't be doing things this way on my blog, that its best just to release your book and let things fall how they are going to fall but my response is always what then, am I suppose to just hope people walk across it surfing the net? This is about using tools that are available and more important free, to get word out. It's also about learning as you go. The second one there is why I never get angry when people give me advice. If you have spoken to me about different ways of promoting then I'm always grateful for those words but if you only say YOUR DOING BLOGGER WRONG, YOUR DOING TWITTER WRONG, SELF-PUBLISHING ISN'T REAL PUBLISHING then ok, you do it your way, I'll do it mine. As the great poet said "Will Smith doesn't have to cuss in his rap to sell records. Well I do. So fuck him and fuck you too." 
     Then you have those who say that I should go further, that I should do spam emails, I should create fake reviews, I should blah blah blah. I'm doing things as they feel right to me and spamming doesn't feel right. Just not at all. It's badgering people. Like the homophobic assholes asking for money in front of Wal-Mart during this time of year and the jerkwoods shouting at you to buy their phones in the mall.
    I wont even mention the whole fake reviews thing because that just boggles my mind. I know its been going on for a really long time, way way way before the internet, and pointing the finger at self-publishes for this when they are just following the big publishers paved way of doing things is bullshit, but...nope, sorry, not my thing. Also the way I am I'd probably give myself more bad reviews than good. That's just how my brain works.
     With further honesty I will tell you if I had more people reading my blog I probably wouldn't do these blog posts but as I said, I'm just doing what feels right to me right now and what I can with the resources I have. In the end if I'm not doing the internet "right" I'm the one who has to go to jail for Holy Internet Law Violations.
     
     I came here to pimp so lets get to it some of that. In the Tin Universe store you can get notebooks with the covers for Tin Universe Middle Grade Series #1 on it. I can't wait until I get the chance to order one of each of these for myself.


     There are also a lot more Tin Universe materials in that store, many featuring the covers to my new book coming out on the 22nd of this month. It will be available for download on my Smashwords store for $1.00 per download. Like I've said before if you buy something from one of my stories I'll email you a PDF of Tin Universe Middle Grade Series #1 for free. All you need to do is put STORE ORDER RECEIPT in the subject box of an email with a copy of your order confirmation attached and send to hangofwednesday@gmail.com

     An update on the 2014 releases. For right now there will be two releases per month in 2014. I say for now because if I find a day job, waiting for a call about one today as I type this, some rescheduling will probably take place.
     The Tin Universe monthly series will restart in January as planned now. If you want to check out past Tin Universe stories go here.
    Also starting in January is the start of the God Mark website monthly series. The series will consist of a series of comic book pages posting one per month. If you want to check out more past God Mark related stories go here.
    In November of 2014 there will be a number of website pinup releases from what me and artist friends are calling Artists And Writers Drunken Brainstorming Sessions. This is something I'd like to do with different artists every year if I can.
    And then in December we will come to the next book in the Tin Universe Middle Grade Series but before we get to that, see below.

Mildred Betbeze, Tin Universe Middle Grade Series #1
“Zombified people make me itch so I’d rather not touch.”


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Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Travel Journals, No Sleep, And Today's Shameless Promo


     I designed this small pocket travel journal when I couldn't get to sleep the other night. It has a couple small things I've written while travelling that I like plus one of my favorite photos for the cover which if I'm not mistaken is from a trip to Savannah but I'm sure Mar will tell me later if she reads this that it was someplace else. This is one of the things I've put in one of my Zazzle stores that I want to buy for myself.


     There are also a lot more Tin Universe materials in that store, many featuring the covers to my new book coming out on the 22nd of this month. It will be available for download on my Smashwords store for $1.00 per download. Like I've said before if you buy something from one of my stories I'll email you a PDF of Tin Universe Middle Grade Series #1 for free. All you need to do is put STORE ORDER RECEIPT in the subject box of an email with a copy of your order confirmation attached and send to hangofwednesday@gmail.com

Mildred Betbeze, Tin Universe Middle Grade Series #1

“Zombified people make me itch so I’d rather not touch.” 



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