You Think About Fairy Tales Often?

18 November 2009 @ 10:41 pm

What (if any) books would you ban from a high school library? Are there certain subjects that you feel are inappropriate for teenagers regardless of literary merit?

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Not a single one, because (say it with me, now!) banning books is wrong.

As for subjects inappropriate for teenagers . . . I don't think there's any inappropriate subject on a general level. When it gets down to individuals, then more refined decisions can be made. Since I'm not sure that makes a ton of sense, an example: say Kaylee got to be 15 or so and really wanted to read It, but I know she's had a phobia of clowns for years. I'm going to warn her that going for that book might not be a great idea. But I'm not going to throw a hissy if I see a copy in the school library.

Likewise, if another parent doesn't want their kid reading certain material, that's largely something for that family to discuss. Depending on the book/circumstances, I might not agree, but hey, the kid'll be 18 soon enough. The parents want to whine about how a book should be banned because of the usual 'OMG think of the children!!!' crap? Then I will get mad.

Information freely available to everyone, and if you don't want to partake, don't. But don't try to tell everybody else that we can't.

Tags: writer's block

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27 October 2009 @ 04:04 pm

Writer's Block: Seeing stars

Which character from any film, television show, or book would you most like to take on a date and why?

Submitted By blue_mariposa88

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How could I not answer this question? :-)

Book: Harry Dresden. I'm not entirely sure I would make it through the date, what with all the weird creatures/people constantly after the guy, but it sure wouldn't be boring. Plus, Chicago. *hugs hometown*

Film: Kip from The English Patient. I know the main romance of the movie was centered on a different couple, but I always loved Kip and Hana's scenes.
Bonus Nostalgia Pick: Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride. I had the biggest crush on him when I was a little girl.

TV show: Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds. I know Dean from Supernatural seems like a more obvious choice here (*eyeing default icon and layout*) but he's kinda in the same realm as Sawyer to me . . . love him onscreen, in real life the Sarcastic Overly-Flirty Badass thing would get old fast.

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20 October 2009 @ 11:15 am

Writer's Block: Ohhh, baby

If your best friend asked you OR your partner to help you conceive a child, would you consider it? How do you think it would affect your friendship and your relationship?

Submitted By moho2987

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Sure.

This one was actually an easy answer, because I've filled out forms to apply to become a surrogate mother before. Apparently PPD is something the agencies don't want to risk having to deal with though, so . . . *shrug* Que sera sera and all that.

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10 August 2009 @ 01:38 pm

Writer's Block: Memo to Myself

If you could travel back in time, what advice would you give to your younger self?

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Hm. Well, I like where I am now, so if we go with the whole butterfly-effect "changing one thing that was bad could prevent something good later on" theory, I'd have to say nothing.

But in the spirit of the question:

1) No, you are not an ugly, unlovable, no-talent moron. Cut that crap out.

2) Your parents are going to be there for you when some people you consider friends won't be. Also, specifically to my 15-year-old self: they are putting up with far more from you than they should have to.

3) Do not wait weeks and weeks to talk to somebody about the PPD. Antidepressants are your friend.

4) And finally-- he is an ass. No, really. Pure, 100%, Grade A ass. Focus elsewhere.

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07 July 2009 @ 09:23 pm

Still alive

Just busy categorizing recipes, going through my books, organizing story notes, getting ready to paint the upstairs office, and trying to keep an eye on Kaylee, who is now tall enough to reach the top of my desk. Eeek.

And because I really did intend to start answering these but instead keep forgetting because my brain won't keep information around for longer than 3.8 seconds:

What news source do you use most often?

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Basically, my Yahoo sidebar in my mailbox alerts me to anything really huge going on, and reading my LJ friendslist also keeps me in the know. Slacktivist and Leonard Pitts Jr. articles are my newspaper-type sources, though I read them both online, too. ;-) TV news is not allowed in our house.

Tags: random, writer's block

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24 March 2009 @ 02:21 pm

On the good side: cat pictures

What is your favorite macro? Why?

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I see a lot more of these than I used to, because Kaylee's discovered icanhascheezburger.com and loves watching me scroll through the pictures. :-)

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27 February 2009 @ 11:56 pm

*uses appropriate icon*

What's the story behind your username?

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It's from a song in the musical The Boy From Oz that I really loved, and one verse in particular seemed appropriate for me as a writer:

"Everywhere I go
I'm followed by a lot of people
Such a lot of people
It's almost a parade
And if you could see all the people
They're everyone I ever was
And everyone I ever will be
All the lives of me"

It just came to represent me and my characters, so when I got a livejournal and needed to choose a username it just fit.

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20 January 2009 @ 10:52 am

Writer's Block: Regime Change

Today marks the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. Obama's campaign was built around a message of change. What changes would you most like to see in the next 4 years?

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Ohhhhh boy. *ahem*

Well, I'd like to see Don't Ask Don't Tell done away with. I want that stupid "oh, it's okay if you don't want to do your jobs, medical personnel! We understand!" law abolished. The Global Gag Rule? Out of here. Guantanamo Bay? Closed. (There were/are ways to deal with dangerous people in wartime. That was not it.)

I'm sure there are other things; my brain's too fuzzy to think of them just yet. But as long as I'm working up a wish list, how about the ERA finally getting ratified? That'd be nice.

Tags: politics, writer's block

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30 December 2008 @ 10:08 am

Writer's Block: Beyond Our Ken

Whether you believe in the paranormal or not, you've probably experienced something that you couldn't explain. What was it?

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Okay, those of you who know me know I couldn't resist this one. ;-)

I have been generally obsessed all my life with paranormal/supernatural stuff. I've got tons of books on ghost stories, horror novels that fill up a bookshelf, and when I had a good working tape recorder heading out to the cemetery to try for voice recordings was a pretty common thing.

Only caught something on tape once. My friend Ashley and I left the recorder near a headstone at night and drove away for a little while. We came back, drove back to her house and rewound the tape. About ten minutes in there's a little scratchy voice whispering, "Hurry!"

When I was sixteen or so, my friend Christy and I were doing the usual "Hey, let's play with the Ouija board!" thing (we had to do it at her house, my father refused to let one of those things into ours). Did the room up like we were auditioning for roles in The Craft, all the lights off, door closed, just three candles providing light. We started to ask questions-- and one candle, then the second, then the third, went out. We made a couple of nervous jokes, lit the candles again, and it happened a second time. At this point, we decided that heading to the well-lit kitchen quickly would be a great idea.

But the weirdest thing happened at another friend's house. Her brother had passed away a few years ago, and she was using his old room and several of his old things. We were listening to the radio up in her room, and then she turned it off and we went downstairs to the kitchen to get some lunch. Several moments later rock music blared from upstairs. I jumped; she smiled and said, "Oh, that's just Tim saying hi." We went back to her room-- radio was on again, the volume turned up and the station changed to her brother's old favorite. We were the only ones in the house.

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19 December 2008 @ 10:54 am

Writer's Block: Now Showing

The holiday season is a big time for box office revenues. What Hollywood releases are you looking forward to seeing in the theater this month? What would you not go see even if someone paid you?

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Hm. I can never keep track of release dates, but I know that the two movies I'm looking forward to that are coming out soon are Defiance and Watchmen.

As for what I wouldn't go see even if someone paid me: Bride Wars. Ugh.

Tags: movies, writer's block

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08 December 2008 @ 03:06 pm

Writer's Block: Untimely Passing

RIP John Lennon. The list of sudden and unexpected celebrity deaths is long—Princess Di, Heath Ledger, Kurt Cobain, Marilyn Monroe, and many more. Which one affected you the most on an emotional level?

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Not entirely sure. "On an emotional level" seems to me to imply some kind of actual contact between two people instead of just watching their work.

I'll always wonder what else River Phoenix would've done. I was pretty young when he died and at the time I hadn't seen most of his work; I just remember thinking, "Wait, the kid from Stand By Me? No. Somebody's made a mistake."

I've been a fan of Heath Ledger for several years-- hearing that he died was a big shock, and seeing the media cheerfully latch onto all the sordid possibilities about "no no no, maybe it wasn't an accident; I bet he killed himself!! Or maybe he was actually partying with twenty underaged hookers and they were all doing cocaine!!" pissed me off because . . . well, insert my many issues with the mainstream media here.

But I mean, I'll watch a movie of theirs and feel sad because I won't get to see any new work. They're not constantly on my mind, and I don't grieve for them the way I would for a family member; the way I'm sure their family members grieve for them. I don't know.

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05 December 2008 @ 12:03 pm

Writer's Block: Prohibited

Today marks the passing of the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which repealed Prohibition. It might seem crazy to us now, but alcohol was illegal in the U.S. for 13 years. What common vice do you think is most likely to be outlawed in the future?

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Would it be too much like wish fulfillment to say, "talking loudly and being obnoxious in movie theaters"? ;-)

Also, baby ocelot!!!! I'll be over here making high-pitched noises because OMG CUTE.

Tags: articles, writer's block

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04 December 2008 @ 12:55 pm

New idea

Many beloved television shows are no longer with us, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Six Feet Under, and Mystery Science Theater 3000. What defunct television show do you miss the most?

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Say it with me now: Firefly.

I miss shows like Quantum Leap, too (do not get me started on that ending. Ffffft.) but at least they had endings. Had a good run and got to tell a bunch of stories. Firefly barely got started, and there was so much potential there.

Yes, the movie, but it's far from the same thing. I would've much preferred another season or two (or eight. Not that I'm greedy).

Also, since my brain's been wonking out on me and I've had sporadic updates lately, I think I'm going to try and answer these little LJ-writer's-block prompts every day for a week, and see how that goes.

Tags: firefly, writer's block

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