Open Thread

[lagilman]

I have a brain. I know I have a brain. In passing, I read an article or a post and think things in reaction and say "I should write/talk/blog about that" and then the thought goes away, buried under revisions and writing and editing and Life Stuff.

I am a boring meerkat to be around, right now. All the interesting stuff, hopefully, is going into Book.

So, here, have an Open Thread. This post, it is yours. Ask or comment, poke and prod, and I will reply and be social and coherent in small manageable bits...

Comments

[saladinahmed.livejournal.com]

Prompts:

Last very good movie you've seen?

Policy on/attitude toward rain?

Pre-industrial weapon or set of weapons of choice, should you be one day be called to gladiatorial combat?

[otterdance.livejournal.com]

Shutter Island.
Manifest Destiny
Hermes winged sandals.

[lagilman]

hrm. I watched "Casablanca" on tv a few nights ago. That should count.

Rain is very good. Except when it's cold rain and I have to go somewhere. Thunder and lightning is delightful so long as you're not holding an umbrella on a golf course.

Pre-industrial weapon would be a hired, well-trained gladiator to fight for me.

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

Why are you a meerkat?

[lagilman]

oh lord. long version of the story or the short version (warning: the long version takes ten minutes and requires visuals)

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

You've said you were incredibly busy, so whichever you prefer, and "Have to tell you later" will also work.

[lagilman]

short version: about 15 years ago, I made the mistake of holding a then-new-to-the-market stuffed meerkat up to my (somewhat narrow, brown-toned, pointy-nosed) face and saying to a friend "what do you think, separated at birth?"

Apparently, yes.

It might have ended there, except later that night another friend misplaced herself in a crowd at dinner, and I raised my head up to look for her... and yeah, hysterical laughter erupted. The nickname stuck

[chicating.livejournal.com]

What would you suggest for a writer looking to improve her plotting?

[lagilman]

Read caper novels and suspense novels. They're not called "potboilers" because they make good fuel -- the good ones have perfected the extremely fine art of pacing and plotting.]

[chicating.livejournal.com]

Any faves...I mean, Elmore Leonard, because, duh...when you're tired of Leonard, you're tired of life, but I'm always interested in a good caper.

[lagilman]

Carl Hiaasen. Janet Evanovitch. George MacDonald Fraser. Work from there...

[barbhendee.livejournal.com]

I read an interesting article last night in the new National Geographic on the rapid growth of wolf packs in Yellowstone National Park. Around 1995, just a few wolves were transported down from Canada, and fifteen years later, there are now roughly 200 packs. Several packs have left the preserve and are running in places like Wyoming and Idaho.

Wolves are apex predators. They can be savage. They fight for territory. They kill each other and other animals. They are also incredibly good parents. They are intelligent, loyal, communal, and work in cooperation with each other.

Humans are apex predators. They can be savage. They fight for territory. They kill each other and other animals. They can also be incredibly good parents. They are intelligent, loyal, communal, and work in cooperation with each other.

We have a great deal in common with wolves.

The ranchers around Yellowstone hate wolves with a heated passion. The word they most use to describe wolves is "evil." But I suppose when you've lost a good portion of your herd, it is natural to be angry.

Some preservation groups view wolves as noble, majestic, and that they should be protected at all costs.

Here is a question: Do you think two intelligent apex predators can share the same territory?

[lagilman]

Here is a question: Do you think two intelligent apex predators can share the same territory?

Yes, but not easily or without changes on both sides. I also think that it's essential that humanity get over this "dominion over all" and accept that we're part of the habitat, not absolute masters of it.

[goingferal.livejournal.com]

The new freelance "editor" job you got--is it of the manipulating words editorial type or the reviewing and selecting things to print type? Where do you see the transition between the two and how do you know what someone is talking about when they say they are an editor?

[lagilman]

It's both -- I am an acquiring editor (reading submissions and making recommendations for purchase) and a developmental editor (working with writers to get books in best possible shape for publication).

Most editorial jobs ARE both, especially in fiction. We don't have the time or personnel to be specialized.

Copy-editor is a different, needful creature altogether.

[rovanda.livejournal.com]

Which do you think is a better focus for breaking in and starting to build a writing career - short stories or novels?

(I realize this one may just be a "it depends" situation...)

[lagilman]

It depends on what you want to build your writing career around. Some people write short ficiton. Some write novels. Some write both, and some do both very well. But assuming there is One Way and you must adhere to that is to court failure.

Also, the industry changes, and what worked ten years ago may be useless now, but effective again in another ten years after that.

[rwglaub.livejournal.com]

I actually got some culture on Sunday. Went to the Kennedy Center where the Bolshoi was performing SPARTACUS. And I actually wore a tux...

[jennielf.livejournal.com]

Thoughts on audio books? I think there are some books that just work so much better on audio and some where you just get so lost...
As a writer, I assume (yeah, yeah) that you want your books to be *read* - but is listening to them on audio a different/better/worse experience than how you want your fans to encounter them?

Also, what got you turned onto wine?