The writing life — sundry and various

Have you been following the brouhaha over the Cooks Source plagiarism case?  Just so everyone is clear on copyright law: just because it’s on the Internet doesn’t mean it’s public domain. Seems the Cooks Source editor was unclear on the concept.

In other news, work on Kate’s book is coming along nicely. Word count stands at about 86,000 words. I’m in the end game. Plus, I almost know how it’s going to end. At least I have it in broad strokes, but I’ve been surprised before. This is why I don’t understand people who outline everything.  I know that it works for them, and probably they have the same feeling of everything clicking that I do when I wing it, but still — if you know how it’s going to go, why bother writing?

Jim C. Hines, author of several fine fantasies, has a serious blog post about sexual harassment at World Fantasy Con. This is sad and disturbing, because the alleged perpetrator is someone using his power imbalance (he’s an editor) to prey on writers and aspiring writers. This is not someone who is clueless about social mores, as the stereotype of the science fiction community goes. He knows very well what he’s doing, who to victimize, and how to get away with it.

I love science fiction and fantasy, love what I do, and love meeting the smart people who come to science fiction conventions. When a city hosts a big convention, the collective IQ of the metropolitan statistical area rises by at least 20 points for the weekend.

But — it’s also an antiquated, insular, and sexist community, and has been ever since the halcyon days of fandom (either the 1930s through the 1960s, or the age of 12, depending on who you talk to).  Add in the fact that you have a convention that is part social gathering and part professional conference, and you have a chaotic, schizophrenic situation. With LARPing.

I hope that the editor has been made to understand that people are on to his game and he cuts it out. I’d like it better for someone to kick him in the balls, but I’ll take him stopping.

On another note, my sister sent me this article from The Wall Street Journal:

Does Her Face Foretell Her Fate

This beautiful compelling photo, one of the most famous of the photographic work done during the Depression by Walker Evans and others, shows a young girl, age 10, and her determined, open, guileless mien. She clearly made an impression on Evans and you can’t turn away from her gaze from 70 or so years ago. Once again, she reminds me that you can’t make up people as good as the real thing.  Strive for reality and your fantasy will come alive.

Finally, I rode tonight! And jumped! It’s been around a year since I began riding after a very long hiatus. It wasn’t too many months ago that I couldn’t consistently nail a canter depart, to my chagrin (I finally had to go onto Wikipedia and read the instructions. Yes, even though my instructor had been telling me over and over the correct cues, I had to read them before I could get it down. I think we know how I learn things.).

It’s been exciting, and I always come home in a lighter, happier mood. There’s nothing like hanging around with horses to make me happy.

Do what makes you happy!

Patrice