The Publishing Industry Is Your Friend

Do you follow Writer Beware? If you're a writer, it's an invaluable source of information.

However (you just knew that was coming, right?) I have been following the recent posts about the process of getting published and am...not disgruntled...but my gruntle is vaguely irritated in that way where you want it to stop but don't want to get up off the couch. You know what I mean?

The gist of the posts is contained in the title of the first: Getting Published Is Not A Crap Shoot

My question is not about whether or not it is a crap shoot, but why are we even discussing it?

Because whether it is or is not doesn't affect how writers approach it. You do your best. You submit your work. The end.

That has to happen regardless of whether publishing is an equal-opportunity-completely-not-white-male-dominated-seeker-of-Quality-over-commercial-profits industry or whether publishers only accept manuscripts submitted on Tuesdays that were mailed while the author wore a purple jumper (Tip: remember not to wear your tinfoil hat that day so they can see you!).

So...write on.

Squirrel Purrs

Chug Pug Podcast

From: The War Lover

Previously Unseen Color Footage of the Blitz

Uncalled for Misogyny

I just Netflix-ed Clash of the Titans. The new one. This one:



On the cover there, our hero is holding up Medusa's head. You can't tell what her face looks like (the snakes obscure it). Which is good since she's dead. Also good because she's a Gorgon. And scary looking.

Or at least she should be.

In the original Clash of the Titans she was appropriately terrifying. Or that's how I remember her. 


In this new version she looks like a beautiful woman until she switches on her turn-you-to-stone powers. And that's a brief on-off switch.


Which means we are watching a group of men pursue a beautiful woman with the intent to decapitate her. 


Add in the fact that we're told she was a rape victim just before this, and instead of Medusa being a terrifying force to be reckoned with, we now are watching a beautiful woman who has already been victimized once by a man, get attacked by a gang of men, and murdered. 


What were they thinking??


Okay, yes, she does take, what, three men with her? But it's self-defense. 


And that reminds me. The men were willing to befriend that weird tree-desert creature - a male creature - but they couldn't try asking Medusa to cooperate? I know that's not really how the myth goes but, hey, practically nothing about this movie goes according to myth so I don't see a problem with that type of re-write.

Jensen Ackles on Set of Supernatural

Go here for more lovely pics: http://newsflic.blogspot.com/2010/09/dean-winchester-jensen-ackles-on-set-of.html

Note that his shirt is no longer tucked in! Yay!
(inside joke, sorry)