Thursday, September 3, 2009

The Power We Have Now

No. Not a post on magic powers or special skills which I'm debating about giving one of my characters in Herbarian.

Do I make her a chosen one type character? Or just an person who really is destined to be a normal person, if she wasn't best friends with two people who are (doomed) with the two other possibilities. Readers want the MAIN CHARACTER to be the special person who gets all the attention for their magic powers - at least that was my feeling when reading a book recently where the main character had no skills whatsoever, but was friends with somebody who was a magician.

This post is really just a thank you to the inventors of the internet, and most particular Google. As a writer, it means that resources are right there at my fingertips at all times. All I need is a proper computer and internet connection. We are living in the time that scifi writers of the past dreamed of.

In real life too, the internet is exceptionally helpful in correcting people. Not that I'm a witchy person who must correct people and does so with glee in her witchy little heart. Honestly, I only do that when people incorrectly correct ME. Only seems fair to correct them back in that case. Right? :P

Back to the power of the internet + writing - something that occurred to me is that a lot of people don't realize how much power they have to use the internet to good use. For example, we don't need to call agents and publishers up to see if they are accepting subs. Furthermore, we don't need to send them a puzzled email to find out if (a) they are taking queries or (b) if they would consider your work. My goodness! Everyone has a website or some kind of listing online which offer that exact information. You would get it instantly instead of waiting for a e-response that might never come because the agent is piffed at you.

The danger of the internet is recklessly slaughtering your good name on it. I regret stuff I posted on websites when I was a silly teenager. If people search my name, they immediately find those posts. Plus websites often refuse to take things down, even if you repeatedly request that they do.

I assume it's the same with websites - part of the reason why I've ducked and hidden this blog and others from public viewing so much. I like the practice of working on a blog, but sometimes I'm afraid I'll have a brainless moment and post something religious/political/stupid that somebody most important would see.

I'm going to stop that now and try to step into the sunlight (cringes and winces away like a vampire afraid of melting*, but summons spirit and tries again).

*Just think about the one Dark Shadows episode when Dr. Julia (was that her name?) cured Barnabas of his vampirism and he was allowed to step out into the light for a little while. Until he turned into crypt keeper and bit the good doctor.

And that reminds me of two things: As an impressionable preteen, I loved the name Barnabas because of Dark Shadows. It never once occurred to me that it really was one of those horrible names. Barnabas=Barney=Big Purple Dinosaur

The other thing - it really is too bad that somebody doesn't write a vamp romance which has all vampires turning into cryptkeepers when they are hungry. It would do away with the "He's biting me, I'm (bloodwhore) so in lust!" junk.

I think they did that on Buffy - not with vampires, but with mummies. Should definitely write a short story like that just for fun.

No comments:

Post a Comment

My Shelfari Bookshelf

Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

Label Cloud

hit counter