Shit That Annoys Me Today

Those of you who have ever read this blog understand that that there is no shortage of things that tend to aggravate me.  For the most part, in my daily life, I keep my mouth shut, because no one wants to listen to someone who bitches all the time, no matter how right they are.  Occasionally, a perfect storm of crap comes together and I can't hold in my ire anymore, and it spills out into the blog.  So, today's post.  In no particular order, the junk I find irritating right now:

1. Saudi Arabia.  Today's NYT reports that women aren't allowed to drive in the country.  Of course, they also can't vote or work (without a man's permission).  If you can seriously name one thing other than oil reserves that should command respect from this country, I'd like to hear it.  I'm all for respecting another culture's beliefs and ideals, but it's ridiculous to treat this kind of institutionalized sexism as anything other than repellant.
2. Pending public education budget cuts in Pennsylvania and elsewhere in the nation.  Let me get this straight.  It's okay to cut programs from the poorest school districts so that we can continue tax breaks for industries?  You're poisoning the future, you're wrong, and you should be ashamed if you support these policies.  If you're too stupid to understand that, then you probably didn't go to a public school.
3. The Free Pass For Wall Street.  The longer the economy languishes (and by every measure, it still is) the more it irks me that those responsible have suffered very little compared to the average citizens of the country.  Their business-as-usual mentality, while the American taxpayer picks up the tab, is a national crime.
4. Celebrity Culture.  Our nation's slavish worship of every glittering freak show is turning us into oatmeal-heads.  We're spending so much of our time worrying about what these fools are doing that nobody is actually, well, doing anything.  Write your own book, make your own movie, sing your own song.

Okay, that's it for today.  It's still early so I may be back, I reserve that right.  If you're pissed off about something, or at me, why not let me know?

Stumbling Around

In my recent internet ramblings, my metaphorical hikes through the electronic woods, I came across some blogs with little nuggets of help for writers and artists.  In lieu of any actual thinking of my own, I pass them along to you:

How To Steal Like An Artist serves up a refreshing insight on inspiration and creativity.

Best Blogs For Aspiring Writers is just a list, but a good starting point to poke around for what you need.

Lester Dent's Master Plot is the famous pulp wordsmith's breakdown of how to create a story.

Of course, the best advice -- the advice most frequently ignored -- is to keep writing, always.

Going Japanese

Last week, as the family was winding down from a long day of our usual bickering, cajoling, and rollicking fun, while I was sitting with a glass of wine and a book, there came a sputtering-sizzling-thumping sound, a tremor passed through the house, followed rapidly by flickering lights, a WHUMP! and darkness.  The quiet that only comes when you've lost power.  From downstairs, my son yelled, "I smell something!"  I grabbed a flashlight, and stepped into the basement, only to meet a hanging pall of smoke.  Thankfully, no flames, but still... smoke can't be good.

Ushering everyone out into the unseasonably cold night, we huddled on the porch waiting for the fire department, which came out in force: 5 trucks from at least two companies.  At one point, there were ten fully-geared firemen exploring my house in the dark, trying to figure out what had happened.  They roamed from the attic to the basement.  In the end, they discovered the main cable coming into the house had exploded in the foundation.  The cable burned apart and the breaker tripped, cutting off the mains to the house.  No imminent fire threat, but the electric company shut off service to the house.

The following morning, the house temps were in the low 50s.  Not dangerous, but not comfortable, either.  Everything stayed cool in the fridge, so we were okay on food, etc.  The electrician came in the morning, and power (and internet) was back online before the afternoon.  What's the point of the story, you may well ask.  We were lucky in a lot of ways.  Mainly that the house didn't burn down, but also that we really didn't lose anything, weren't in physical danger, and could get everything repaired in under 24 hours.  That got me to thinking about Japan.  For one night, I was inconvenienced and irritable, but that was the extent of it.  I didn't like it one bit.  My kids were scared, and in our society, a lack of electricity in your home is a very unnerving situation.

Many of those who survived in Japan are dealing with conditions I don't even want to imagine.  Theirs is a life-altering hardship, and it is ongoing.  Just because it isn't at the top of the news coverage any more doesn't mean the situation is over, or their needs have lessened, it just means the media can't make money off of it any more.  Meanwhile, those affected by the quake and tsunami still struggle.  Send a prayer their way, or donate something to the relief efforts.  Below are just two of the many sites that will take monetary donations.

American Red Cross

United Methodist Committee on Relief

Storytelling Crystal Ball

If you're interested in writing/filmmaking/video games or entertainment in general, you may have noticed some seismic shifts in the way stories are told and the way entertainment is offered to you (Angry Birds, anyone?).  A couple of friends and I discussed the future of storytelling in the first of an ongoing series of podcasts that's just hit the internet.  It's worth checking out, and following all those who are involved.

Future of Storytelling Podcast

Thanks to Paul Montgomery and the Fuzzytypewriter blog and to Dave Accampo for a very thought-provoking chat.

Spring Cleaning for the Screenwriter

I've been blowing the dust off some mental stuff and wanted to share a few things with the writers out there, starting with this link:

Script Lab Scene Questionnaire

Writing, as they say, is rewriting, and I think this list is an interesting way to approach individual scenes. One of the main things to remember is: each scene must operate on multiple levels, moving character, plot, and story simultaneously.