Okay, I rarely if ever do political posts, but this made me upset.

The Washington Post reported:

But many illegal immigrants in the region said yesterday that they had viewed legalization as a fair reward for years of hard work at wages they said few Americans would accept.

It seems ludicrous to ask for legalization and U.S. citizenship for breaking our laws and coming to our country illegally. Nobody asked them to come and work at wages they claimed were unacceptable to Americans.

Alex, a 26-year-old haircutter who sneaked into the United States from El Salvador five years ago, said he was at work in a District salon Thursday morning when news of the bill’s defeat was announced on the Spanish language TV news channel.

“I just closed my eyes, and said, ‘My God. What are we going to do now?’ ” recalled Alex, who spoke on condition that his last name not be used for fear of losing his job. “I felt such a sense of disillusionment and impotence and also frustration with this country that seems to want to keep us Latinos in a modern form of slavery.”

No Latinos are kept in a “modern form of slavery.” How could they compare themselves to the black slaves who were forcibly brought to America? I don’t know of any American slave traders who prowl around Latin America, capture young Latinos, bring them to America and sell them to the highest bidders. The reason why these people are afraid is because they did something wrong — mainly entering America illegally.

The people who came to America illegally chose to do so. They claim that they had no choice. I disagree. They could’ve chosen to stay and try to improve their own nations for their children. Yes, it’s terrible that their countries are so poor, and I feel bad for them. But it’s not America’s responsibility to take care of every poor people in the world.

I’m a naturalized U.S. citizen, and I believe that it’s something you earn and it’s a privilege, not a right.

I think it’s very amusing when strangers who know nothing about me assume that I’m pretentious, etc. Inevitably these are the people who are insecure about themselves or are driven by jealousy or some other negative feelings about themselves and their situation. (Otherwise why send unsolicited unflattering and/or mean messages to people you don’t even know?)

Maybe they feel this way because they are writers who haven’t written. As a matter of fact I got one from such a person. I honestly don’t get it. On my blog I talk about what I think about writing and reading — among other things — as well as my WIPs and submission process. Some people disagree about my attitude about writing every day — or close to every day. Writing is a job — you don’t wait for some nebulous inspiration to whisper to you. You don’t wait for the gods to dictate to you. You get your ass in front of your computer and type. If you can’t do that or the prospect of facing a blank screen terrifies you, then I don’t think you can be a professional writer. You can be a hobbyist. There’s nothing wrong with that. Many people have hobbies they enjoy. But their livelihood doesn’t depend on it.

Obviously this kind of attitude makes me pretentious and obnoxious. But you know what? When I achieve my dream of becoming a full-time writer, I’m going to be the one laughing and happy, not the strangers who felt the need to criticize.

From Kathleen Davis’s blog:

Apparently JK Rowling’s lawyers are sniffing around the internet and warning those who do Potter Porn to either knock it off or hide it. The defense that really burned my goat was the one that said that all their slash Potter Porn happened after the characters were of the age of adulthood according to Rowling’s Wizard world which is 16 I believe. The owner of the characters has asked you not to do something or at least not in public forums and you come back with why it shouldn’t matter? Here’s a clue by four upside the head which might knock a clue lose. When I was reading fanfic I can tell you all the Doctor Who stuff that was even suggestive was put in a private area of the internet with a couple of passwords on it to keep the Beeb from shutting it down. To the list owners who allow Potter Porn, lock it down and get it out of sight or you might find yourself on the wrong end of a cease and desist order. Remember she is published in just about every country on Earth and therefore has access to lawyers just about anywhere. Fanfic is only alive because of the good graces of the owners. Don’t make them regret it.

The last thing about how some people refuse to acknowledge that JKR has every right to tell them not to create any more slash fics makes me think that perhaps fanficcers don’t care about anyone except themselves. If they persist JKR will sue them. Do they think they can win? Furthermore Warner Bros. has a lot of vested interest in the characters and how they’re portrayed. Warner Bros. has more lawyers and $$ than it knows what to do with.

More analysis and Warner Bros’ action can be read here and here.

Also the US Copyright laws seem pretty clear on the fair use:

Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include –

1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
2. the nature of the copyrighted work;
3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

(emphasis mine)

Unfortunately for the fandoms out there fanfics don’t fall under criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research. The purpose of fanfic isn’t educational either.

Fanfic seems to be a derivative work per the US Copyright laws:

A “derivative work” is a work based upon one or more preexisting works, such as a translation, musical arrangement, dramatization, fictionalization, motion picture version, sound recording, art reproduction, abridgment, condensation, or any other form in which a work may be recast, transformed, or adapted. A work consisting of editorial revisions, annotations, elaborations, or other modifications, which, as a whole, represent an original work of authorship, is a “derivative work”.

And the only person who can create derivative works and/or authorize derivative works is the copyright holder:

Subject to sections 107 through 122, the owner of copyright under this title has the exclusive rights to do and to authorize any of the following:

1. to reproduce the copyrighted work in copies or phonorecords;
2. to prepare derivative works based upon the copyrighted work;
3. to distribute copies or phonorecords of the copyrighted work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending;
4. in the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and motion pictures and other audiovisual works, to perform the copyrighted work publicly;
5. in the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and pictorial, graphic, or sculptural works, including the individual images of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, to display the copyrighted work publicly; and
6. in the case of sound recordings, to perform the copyrighted work publicly by means of a digital audio transmission.

(emphasis mine)

I know some people want to write fanfic but they should respect the right of the creators and stop if they’re asked to do so by the creators. It seems silly to defy copyright holders as fanfic exists only because some authors and studios are ignoring it.

It frustrates many writers when they hear how editors & agents are looking for something fresh and/or original. The most common complaint I heard is: They want the same ol’ same ol! Look at XYZ that just got published! Afterwards, it’s invariably anger, jealousy, and bickering

But what they don’t realize is that the ones that make it big have something unique to them. They may have used an old theme, but they added something that only the author herself could. If your pitch doesn’t show how your story sheds a new perspective and / or adds a new twist / angle to an old theme, then you’re doomed to fail.

Why do I say this? Because I’ve read pitch critiques by Jenny Bent, and a lot of times, her criticism was that such and such plot elements / themes are dime a dozen. Why is your story any different? Why should a busy agent request this? (It can’t just be “because I’m a good writer” because there are many competent writers out there.)

Quite illuminating.

Further expanding on this — learn how to write a good query letter. Kristin Nelson said she’s yet to find someone who writes brilliantly but can’t write a decent query letter. Why? Because if you cared…truly cared about your novelist career, you’ll invest time and energy into learning how to pitch / query.

Duh moment.

When you graduate from school, you learn how to write a good resume — you go to workshops, read how-to books, get your resume critiqued by a career service staff member at your university. If your resume is good and shows that you have something that the employer wants, they’ll ask for an interview. And after you pass the interview, they’ll hire you.

No employer (unless you slept with someone or know someone really high up in the company) just gives you an interview when you don’t even have a decent resume.

So why should you expect publishing to be any different? Why should an editor / agent spend their time reading an unsolicited manuscript that’s 99.9% guaranteed to not meet their expectations and/or needs?

Some people claim how so-and-so got a big book deal after sending her unsolicited manuscript to Hot Shot Publishing Inc. The probability of that happening is so small it’s laughable. You might as well buy a lottery ticket if that’s what you’re really hoping for.

OK, some of the stuff from Monica’s blog post made me think of the entire cultural mindset around thin-fat.

It’s not nice to discriminate against fat people just like it’s not nice to discriminate against thin people. Most people are sensitive — or at least I’m sensitive enough to not make any comments about people’s weight in general unless I’m specifically critiquing their bodies for some reason (like when I went to a few local bodybuilding shows where some of Chris’s gym buddies were competing at). However, many people think it’s OK to criticize thin people for being thin. “Eww…look at that anorexic model / actress, etc., etc.” How would they feel if someone said, “Eww….look at that fat girl / guy, etc., etc.” Just like they think they can’t do anything about their excessive weight, maybe those thin people can’t do anything about their thinness either.

But what really bothers me the most is people talking as if being overweight is a normal and/or healthy thing. Because I don’t think it is.

Nor do I think it’s nice of them to say that thin people aren’t “real” or something snide because real men want women with meat on their bones, etc.

Because for every comment they make, I can always think of exceptions.

Yes, some people are just born big and there’s nothing they can do about it. Sometimes it’s just their genes. Or diseases or health conditions, such as hypothyroism, diabetes, poor insulin sensitivity, etc.

The biggest and the strongest argument for “OK to be overweight” is that overweight people are healthy and fit. What percentage of overweight people are indeed healthy and fit? Can they sprint? Can they move fast? Can they jump over a wall to escape in case of fire?

What about excessive wear and tear? Their overworked joints? Heart?

People claim they have to eat so little in order to lose weight. Why? Because they screwed up their metabolism systematically over decades. Insulin insensitivity can be inherited, but it’s almost always something you create. Eating crappy food will do that to you. (Insulin insensitivity makes you hoard fat like you wouldn’t believe it.)

When I first decided to diet several years ago, I ate about 2,200 calories/day six days/week and I ate whatever I wanted for one day/week. I exercised for about 30 mins to an hour / day, six days / week. I leaned out a lot, dropped two dress sizes. Mind you, I didn’t start out big — about size eight/ten. (Consulting Fifty…don’t ask)

So I dropped to size six.

Then I quit dieting (work reasons and I was happy with where I was more or less and a car accident created some problems).

I can still eat about 2,500 cal/day and maintain my weight as long as I eat good whole food and exercise about two to four times/week. When I want to lose weight, I eat about 1,500 - 1,800 cal/day and exercise about four times/week. If I eat less I don’t do too well unless I get to do frequent refeed. If I want to eat more and still lose weight, I need to sprint and/or run at least twice a week. (Note how I did that a few years ago)

Here’s the thing — people don’t generally weigh 200-300 pounds naturally if they eat healthy and are moderately active. Those who do are either very tall or (and in some cases) athletes who have a lot of muscles, which weigh more and are denser than fat.

BTW — if you think what I’m saying here is irrelevant because I’m not a big chick, let me tell you about my friend who’s a plus size girl and started to eat healthy and exercised. She lost weight even with weekly cheats. She wasn’t starving either — ate quite a lot of calories — 2,350/day on her normal diet days.

I think I proved my point.

Feeling very pissy right now.

I’ve decided that I won’t write any more posts and/or comments about Japan or Asia or what I’ve noticed here. Because I just realized that what I’ve been writing are just “genrealization” and “surveys” because someone heard that something sold very well elsewhere. (snark)

Tiresome and a total waste of my energy and bandwidth to type something up just to be dismissed as “generalization”.

And lastly — I won’t be mentoring anyone again (or I’ll be more careful next time). Most people start by saying how committed they are, etc., etc. Within 2-3 weeks (if that long) they start dropping out and can’t stick to the deadlines we set or keep in touch. And it takes me time to go check on the mentoring threads and/or emails. Yes, it may not be a lot of time, but still I need to do something that I wouldn’t normally do otherwise. Furthermore, I’ve spent a lot of time initially corresponding with the person, etc.

Chris was right when he told me that most people who say they want to lose weight, improve themselves, and/or write aren’t that serious. They’re more enamored with the idea of losing weight, improving themselves and/or writing, but not the act of doing the hard work to achieve their objectives. That’s why these days he doesn’t train people for free. He always charges people money except moi and V, but then I’m his girlfriend and V’s my best bud.

To me, if you can’t put your writing enough priority to do it often and consistently, you aren’t that serious. If it were a regular job where you had to report in every day, you’d have been fired by now if you did it once a week only when you feel like it (or when your Muse strikes). Yes, it’s “art” but it’s also a “job” if you want to be a professional writer.

Anyways, I’m going to get some green tea. I need something to perk me up.

In an article found here, the author cites two health studies that came out recently. The data from these studies seem to show that “two widely recommended measures: calcium pills and vitamin D to prevent broken bones, and low-fat diets to ward off heart disease and breast and colon cancer�? may not work as well as people currently believe. The author of the article then goes on to ask “Should women abandon hope, since it looks as if nothing works? Abandon guilt and assume diet makes no difference? Or muddle on with salad and supplements anyway, just in case?�?

Gee, maybe, just maybe, women (and men as well) should stop thinking that the key to their bodies’ health and longevity – their bodies, mind you, being the product of millions of years of evolution and arguably the most complex systems in nature - lies somewhere other than in a five-second soundbite. Maybe, just maybe, saying “Fat is good�? or “Fat is bad�? is a tad simplistic. In fact, there are good fats and bad fats. Oh, wait, I’m sorry. Am I going too fast? Has someone’s attention span been exceeded? Oh well. Let’s all throw up our hands and agree that this health stuff is just too incredibly complicated for anyone to comprehend.

Perhaps if these terribly confused women were to educate themselves about the subject, they would find that, for example, there is absolutely no controversy surrounding the proposition that load-bearing (i.e., weight) training will help your bones retain their density and – in most cases - completely prevent osteoporosis. Yes, that’s right. Go to a gym and actually lift a little weight on a regular basis and your bones won’t snap in half for no reason when you’re seventy. Presto: you don’t have to worry about whether calcium supplements are good or not! A two-for-one! Not only that, but your chances of getting heart disease go down too! Sounds like there might actually be something to this exercise stuff, huh?

Similarly, eating a varied diet, one that actually incorporates some fruit and vegetables on a regular basis, will give your colon all the fiber it needs and more or less guarantee that you don’t get colon cancer. Yes, that’s right. Veggies are good for you. Simple enough? Or does the fact that “veggies�? has more than one syllable mean that this is difficult to understand?

Articles like this one really piss me off. (How the author managed to type it out in the midst of all her hand-wringing is beyond me.) Anyone with an IQ beyond the single digits should know that people have been saying the same thing since forever, new scientific studies notwithstanding. It’s really not that multifaceted.

One, eat right.

Two, get some exercise.

But I guess this is just too complicated for some people to understand.

I’m frankly tired of obviously ignorant people telling others using any form of linking verb automatically makes a sentence “passive”. Do they even know what passive voice is?

She is pretty.

That’s not passive. Why? Because a PV sentence requires the following structure:

• Subject + (helping verb if necessary) + linking verb (conjugated if necessary) + past participle.

Let’s go back to “She is pretty.” Where the f*** is the past participle? There isn’t any. What you have is:

• Subject + linking verb + adjective.

The reason why some people do not advocate using linking verbs is not because it’s passive, but because it makes you lazy and makes for inert writing. She is pretty is not a bad sentence, but it doesn’t really move the story forward. We don’t know anything about the character GMC, thoughts, mood, situation, etc. However, this doesn’t mean you should never use such sentences. You just have to know when and how to use them effectively.

Rant over.

…until I saw this:

WHOLE YEAR OFF WORK

Screw it. Y’all win!

It’s from this fanfic writer named Jean (her LJ name is cousinjean). She wants people who’ve read and enjoyed her fanfic to pay the amount they’re expected to pay for a hardback novel so that she can take a year off from work and write more fanfic and maybe an original novel that she’s been thinking about writing.

I’ve gotten a lot of e-mails over the past year asking if and when I’m going to finish both Dancing Lessons and my sequel to The Butterfly Effect. Believe me when I say that nobody is more depressed about the unfinished state of my fan fiction than I am. But the cold, hard reality is that I have bills and student loans to pay, an actual paying writing career to try my damnedest to launch, and an eventual marriage to save and plan for. The simple fact is that there is no more room in my life for fan fiction. I’ve tried to make room. I have. But it’s just not happening.

I realize that a lot of people will probably judge me pretty harshly for the following, but I’m just desperate enough not to care. I’m offering to sing for my supper, so to speak, and I don’t see the shame in that. So here’s my proposal: if every reader who has read and enjoyed my fan fiction over the years will donate the amount that they would expect to pay for a hardback novel (and I’ve written the equivalent of several novels in the course of my fanfic career), then I will be able to take a year off to write full time. This means that not only would I be able to finish the original novels that are languishing on my hard drive; I would also be able to finish my fan fiction.

What’s quite amusing and ironic is that she hasn’t written the fanfic alone. She has collaborators, and she never asked them if it was OK for her to do this. If she does make money this way, lawyers (from the studios and publishers and authors) will slap her and her collaborators with lawsuits so fast that she won’t know what hit her. In addition, it’ll shut down the entire fandom because I can’t imagine any judge saying “Sure, it’s OK to make money off of fanfic.”

Due to some scathing backlash, she has relented and given up. But the gall of the woman! She’s still young (from what I can tell, 20s or 30s), lives with her mom, and works part-time. For God’s sake, you’re asking for money so that you can quit your part-time job so you’ll have more time to write? :rant:

How could she even think about making money off of fanfic, which is a derivative work created without the original creator’s explicit written permission?

How could she even use the “I’m too busy to write” excuse to get people to give her money so that she can write without having to work.

Is it only me or is it the most appallingly ridiculous thing you’ve ever heard of?

“All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.” — Mark Twain

Rather tongue in cheek, but true in many ways.

Look at myself, for example.

I’ve been thinking today (instead of working on Reckless) how much I enjoyed writing when I first started. I had no doubt I’d be published and that what I was writing was good.

At that time, I wasn’t worried about the market trend. I wasn’t worried about making the NYT list. I was interested in who my characters were, what they were doing, and what they were about to face (as I was a sadistic girl back then — I still am, but that’s for a later discussion).

I was so excited with my characters and my story that in two months, I wrote a full length novel–all 400 pages, formatted properly in Courier New 12 double-spaced to fit 25 lines per page. During that time, I wrote at least twenty pages a day — single-spaced in TNR 12.

But this was in 1996, and I was writing a futuristic romance novel, back when nobody was buying such things.

(more…)