| Learn to Write Good |
[Jan. 7th, 2010|12:37 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  optimistic | ] |
Judging by the emails I receive, there are a lot of aspiring writers among my readership.
I wanted to make mention of a couple of summer writing programs that might be of interest to you.
First, the legendary Clarion workshop, which began with Damon Knight in Clarion College, Pennsylvania, and is now in scenic San Diego. An intensive six-week writer's boot camp that will make you, break you, maybe change your life. I will be one of the instructors at this year's Clarion, along with Delia Sherman, Dale Bailey, Samuel R. Delany, Jeff Vandermeer, and Anne Vandermeer. For more details, check out
http://clarion.ucsd.edu/
Applications for Clarion are being accepted now, and will close on March 1... so if you've ever wanted to have me read and critique your work, and learn the secret handshake and the diagonal relationship, speak now or hold your peace until the next time I do a workshop (which probably won't be for a few more years).
[[ I do NOT read unpublished manuscripts that are mailed or emailed to me, so don't even think that. I do my teaching and critiquing only with a workshop context. And sorry, no, I won't be your mentor.]]
Clarion has been helping to turn out professional SF and fantasy writers since the 60s. Maybe you're the next one. You'll never know unless you apply. But be warned, only a few are chosen. Admissions are extremely competitive, with only one of five applicants getting in.
For writers who are already published, but are looking to take the next step in their careers, there is the Taos Toolbox, founded and run by my friend Walter Jon Williams and held right here in scenic New Mexico.
http://www.taostoolbox.com
Walter Jon's pitches his Toolbox as more of a "graduate study" program, for writers with a bit more experience. Graduates of Clarion, Clarion West, and Odyssey, neopros with a few sales under their belts, even journeymen looking to improve. I am not connected with the Toolbox, but I did a guest lecture there a few years ago, and it struck me as a great program. This year Nancy Kress will be assisting WJW with the teaching, and Carrie Vaughn (of Kitty and Wild Cards fame) will be giving a guest lecture. And when you're not writing, reading, critiquing, or listening to lectures, hey, you'll be in Taos.
Clarion Workshop and the Taos Toolbox. If you want to write, check 'em out. |
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| Giants D |
[Jan. 6th, 2010|01:56 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | nfl | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  contemplative | ] |
Various sources are reporting the Pepper Johnson might be a candidate for the defensive coordinator opening on the Giants, created when Bill Sheridan was released.
That would be a risk, maybe -- Pepper doesn't have the experience of most of the other candidates -- but it's one I'd be glad to take. I have fond memories of Pepper from his days in the Giants defense of the late 80s and early 90s. He was always a fiery competition, a real leader, and the Giants defense desperately needs some fire right now. The last thing we want is another Xs and Os guy like Sheridan. Pepper has never been a coordinator... but neither had Steve Spagnuolo until Coughlin hired him, and Spags was great.
Other reported contenders include Dick Jauron, Romeo Crennel, Percy Fewell, Bob Sutton, and George Edwards. Some of them might be okay... but if it was me, I'd go for Pepper. |
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| Adventures in 2010 |
[Jan. 5th, 2010|11:42 am] |
Life is magical... but full of pain.
The Jets are in the playoffs. Who woulda thunk it, a couple of weeks ago? The game against the Bengals was certainly impressive. Can they do it again, though? We'll see.
The Giants didn't play. I don't know who those guys in their unis were, but they sure were inept.
Goodbye, Bill Sheridan. A good guy, by all reports, but a horrendous defensive coordinator.
I meant to post yesterday on the weekend's games, but got busy writing instead, and finished a Tyrion chapter that I've been struggling with for six months. Nibbling away at that knot. We'll see if the finished chapter holds up to reread and polish today. |
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| See the Stars |
[Jan. 4th, 2010|09:35 am] |
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I assumed shaving my head would be a sacrifice.
I grew up believing I had a pin head and big ears. Add to that some scars on my scalp and you have a recipe for dweeb.
The truth is, I didn’t really want to shave my head. I simply had the desire for my hair to be my natural color. Unfortunately, after a test with the clippers, I found that only the shortest “1 guard” would remove all the pink. Yikes. I had never cut my hair that short.
I would have much rather let the roots grow out more – but that could take weeks. I considered dying all the pink back to a “natural” color – but a fake brown seemed to defeat the purpose.
Finally I decided to surrender to the idea. It was Xmas break and I had nothing important on my calendar in the near future. It was the night of the Winter Solstice, the new year was days away and if worse comes to worse – I have lots of hats. Plus, hair grows back.
“BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ”
I was startled by my first look in the reflection. I wasn’t just the lack of color, but the shape of my head that was different. I probably would not have recognized my own shadow. I was pleasantly surprised. It was drastic – but also kinda cool.
As the next week progressed I was continually surprised by my reflection. I saw glimpses of my shorn head and would have flashes of iconic shaved heads: prisoners, monks, soldiers, even Neo in the last Matrix movie.
I liked it visually more that I thought I would.
And it impacted me mentally more, too.
I have considered myself a “Lifestyle Artist” for many years. I enjoy seeing my days – and the way I look as I walk through them – as part of my artistic expression. But there is a level of pressure when every public appearance is an unstated gallery opening.
Having pink hair is asking for attention. It is the fashion equivalent of sounding a trumpet when you enter a room: “ATTENTION, ATTENTION: I AM A CREATIVE AND INTERESTING PERSON!”
Don’t get me wrong, I love this. It serves a dual purpose of repelling people who are too close-minded to click with me and drawing people in who are more on my wavelength.
It’s like a scarlet ass of a baboon or the intricate coloring of a flower. It helps all the other animals know what to expect.
But that is just it.
“Knowing what to expect” means that there are expectations. It means that I enter every situation with a story already attached to me. Normally I like this for the reasons above. And I may return to pink for this very reason.
But now that I am free from the visual legacy, I understand better what the effect is.
Without the story behind who I am, I find myself much more present in the moment.
I am untethered by a legacy or reputation.
(NOTE: I love my reputation and have worked very hard for it. But even the best reputation still forces you into a box of some sort.)
So as I walk the street, I am simply a man.
I am not an artist or performer.
I am not special or unique.
I have nothing to say until my mouth actually forms the words.
And this was the deeper goal of the change:
To minimize the impact of my appearance and allow the subtlety of my true self peek through. I have used my body and appearance as a crutch for a long time. Insecurity convinced me that I was “pretty smart for a model…” but I lacked faith in the worth of my thoughts alone.
In recent years I have worked on deepening my spiritual practice. And I feel like the ideas I share are less and less about “me” at all. I don’t feel like I am crafting any message, but simply chipping away at my ego and noticing what is left.
So as 2009 ended, I wanted to chip away at another part of my ego: my well-crafted appearance.
In this “naked” state, I feel a new level of honesty. This is who I am, without any attempts to *create* something and control how it is perceived. (NOTE: This is an exaggeration. I still wear earrings and choose my clothing.) If I am judged in this state, it has nothing to do with me. This is how I was created.
I understand the concept of uniforms much more now. Removing the option to decorate places much more importance on what is inside.
I’ve been visualizing it as “Turning off the porch lights so you can see the stars.”
So far, the view is fantastic.
Jan 4, 2010
Originally published at LifeStudent WordPress Hub. You can comment here or there. |
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| 10 years ago meme |
[Jan. 1st, 2010|07:51 pm] |
10 years ago I was still in Humboldt State doing Cell Biology thing. I still shared a kitchen hypochondriac girl that faked sickness for pain killers. She had issue with underage drinking and people smoking pot but popping pain killers was OK. I had just really come out of my shell a year ago. As most people in their early twenties I was still having a hard time figuring myself out.
Plans fell through with N&D and I was invited to party that was hosted by two brothers that I went to high school with. My wallet was stolen the day after Christmas in Kansas. I really did not have many options. Looking back I should have just driven up to Humboldt and spent NYE with the SCA. The party was really my final with-draw from that group. I did reconnect to two people but everyone else I just had grown apart from.
This past 10 years I have lived in the curse, 'May you live in interesting times' |
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| Oh my goodness, sexy fat girls! |
[Jan. 1st, 2010|05:41 pm] |
V Magazine is doing a size issue this month and they are featuring some lovely models. Unlike most 'plus' modelling I see these girls have real, visible chubs. Like rolls, and arm fat. You know, like fat people have! The clothes are pretty terrible (except the bustier second from the bottom) but who cares? Chub chub chub!
See chubs here!
Thanks to Val for the link. |
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| Happy New Year |
[Jan. 1st, 2010|02:31 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  bouncy | ] |
2010. Who would believe it? We're in another Arthur C. Clarke novel.
Here's hoping all of you have a great year. |
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| Thou Shall Smell the Flowers |
[Dec. 29th, 2009|09:21 am] |
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I have been devouring science documentaries.
To me, studies of the natural world are better tools for studying “god” than sacred texts.
A Sacred text is a man’s attempt to put the inexpressible into words. Often those words are then translated. Sometimes the original words are even passed down several times before they make it into print.
Language is an amazing tool. But it is merely a tool. Remember in high school when your writing professor would repeat the mantra “Show don’t tell?”
Don’t tell me the flower was pretty, show me it’s beauty. Describe the colors and patterns and the play of the light.
But even the greatest poet could not accurately convey the baffling beauty of a orchid. Joyce Kilmer wrote long ago, “I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree…”
And this is the trouble with sacred words. They are all, essentially, poems about trees.
I don’t mean to argue their truth or value – only to point out the obvious limitations of words.
After reading a particularly vivid account of an experience – say surviving the Katrina floods – you might feel as though you had been there. But it would be incredibly naive to believe that you had the same experience as someone who was neck deep in water and fear.
Could you ever read enough about giving birth to reach an understanding of what that experience is like? Or having sex?
To me, studying science on a very surface level is not about understanding. I have no goal of learning the details of fusion or the intricacies of photosynthesis. Instead, the basic knowledge serves to pulverize into mush any lingering need my brain has of making sense of it all.
Understanding how it all works = impossible and stressful.
Surrendering to the infinitely complex order = calming and peaceful.
This is particularly helpful if you combine micro and macro learning. From microscope to telescope. From distant galaxy to inside my body. No mater how far my attention goes in any direction it never stops uncovering incomprehensible levels of order, chaos, drama, and interconnectedness.
The human drama with it’s adultery, career paths, and invention is no more complicated or important than than the drama of a marshland biosphere or a distant pulsar.
The universe is fractal-y amazing.
The more I watch COSMOS or the Discovery Channel, the more giddy I become with awe.
It seems to me that this awe and appreciation is immensely more important than understanding.
I can enjoy a roller coaster without understanding the physics. I just have faith that the track is constructed in such a way that it supports the speed, gravity, and torque of the ride.
I could read a book about how the ride should be ridden. I could follow the exact steps a legendary rider of the past took: Commandment 4: Thou shall not eat multiple corn dogs before riding. Commandment 5: Thou shall be taller than this sign. Commandment 6: On the sabbath, lines are longer so try to go mid-week. Etc..
The rules & descriptions can certainly be helpful. But they must be understood in their place. Too many people are reading the rules AS they are riding – so focused on the abstract that they are not enjoying the actual experience.
It may sound trite to suggest to someone that they stop to smell the flowers. But on the contrary, this is profound spiritual guidance.
For me, the natural world holds direct glimpses into the divine. Like a more literal biblical god, it is not something I can look directly at – it is simply too much for me to comprehend. But in every veined leaf I see the reflection of this divine order.
The ego wills of humans – my own included – disintegrate into comical naiveté.
In a universe so overwhelmingly miraculous – I have been given the ability to perceive it. My purpose is no more (or less) grandiose than any other piece of the cosmic puzzle. Whether massive star or tiny atom.
But what IS significant – more so than anything else that defines my existence – Is that I am able to perceive and ponder this miracle as it unfolds.
It is a unique human gift. And our appreciation of this gift defines our life and our relationships with all other life.
Of course, it is pretty ridiculous to try to explain all of this with words.
“I think that I shall never see…”
Dec 29, 2009
Originally published at LifeStudent WordPress Hub. You can comment here or there. |
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| symbols & beliefs |
[Dec. 28th, 2009|09:38 am] |
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While I am deeply inspired by and intensely connected with the Burning Man festival and community, it does not represent my beliefs.
I am often tempted to identify as a “Burner,” but when I sit with that definition, it doesn’t fit.
My belief system – influenced in part by my experiences at Burning Man – has grown into one of profound love, connection, & gratitude.
But just because these ideas are strongly present on the Playa does not mean they are synonymous.
Burning Man is simply the fertile ground in which any impulse is invited to grow.
Many people find the experience opens up similar things as it has with me. But Burning Man also represents much more. LOTS of things bloom in the fertile soil. Some of it is dark. Some violent. Some snarky and mean. I love it all – but it does not represent me.
So while I itendify strongly as a “Burner” it doesn’t fit as snugly as I’d like.
**
For the past several years I have been working to define what exactly this belief system is. I have called my dabbling, “sampling dishes of the Belief Buffet.” And in the last 6 months my efforts have become more and more intense (and rewarding.) Starting with the ride home from Burning Man in the Hugmobile, Dmitry Shapiro and I have been meeting regularly to discuss our deepening awareness and gain clarity.
The ideas we discuss are not new. They have been expressed 1000 times before by many teachers.
Alan Watts
Krishnamurti
Jesus Christ
Eckart Tolle
Byron Katie
Buddha
Danger Ranger
Caleb Shikles
& many more.
What belief system embodies all of these teachers, embraces the spiritual revelry of Burning Man, bows before the miracles of the natural world, and adopts the technological tools of a connected planet?
THAT is my religion.
To ease discussion, I would like to give this evolving awareness a name. Some thoughts: “The Gift.” “Hevven” “wakeness” “a.wareness.” ???
Hopefully a name will be delivered with the same perfection as the symbol:
During a trip to Mayan ruins earlier this month, I was drawn to a symbol found on my ticket stub. It was not a traditional Mayan symbol, but had a modern + Mayan feel to it. I have had it on my desk all month – continuing to draw me in.
The more I studied it, the more I saw within it so many things we have been discussing. I made some minor modifications to integrate design elements of Burning Man & HugNation and created the symbol below.
This icon symbolizes the beliefs:
We are all made of Stardust.
We are all part of the One.
There is only the Now.
Life is a Gift.
The purpose is to Experience.
The flow is Love.
Originally published at LifeStudent WordPress Hub. You can comment here or there. |
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