Free Epic Poll

The February 2, 2021 Poetry Fishbowl made its $200 goal, so you get a free epic. Everyone is eligible to vote in this poll. I will keep it open until at least Saturday midday. If there's a clear answer then, I'll close it. Otherwise I may leave it open a little longer.

Here are your options:

"A Velvet Revolution"
Women's Institutes inspired more than just crafts.
69 lines, $70

"Tempestry"
Women crochet temperature afghans to warn about climate change.
64 lines, $32

"Integration of the Contraries"
This tells about the first Sankofa House.
95 lines, Buy It Now = $48

Poll #25282 Free Epic for the February 2, 2021 Poetry Fishbowl

This poll is closed.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 18

View Respondents

Which of these should be the free epic?

View Answers

"A Velvet Revolution"
5 (27.8%)

"Tempestry"
1 (5.6%)

"Integration of the Contraries"
12 (66.7%)

Free Epic Poll

The free epic poll is now live on Dreamwidth.

Birdfeeding

Today is quite cold, with a brisk breeze and a few sparkly flakes flying about.

I fed the birds.  They were out in force earlier and emptied the feeders.  I saw a large flock of sparrows, a small flock of mourning doves, and a downy woodpecker.  After I refilled the feeders, I saw the woodpecker and a pair of cardinals.  :D 

I <3 Pluto Festival

Celebrate Pluto on February 13-18.  \o/

Poem: "Soul Song"

This poem is spillover from the February 2, 2021 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by nsfwords. It also fills the "Soul Song" square in my 2-1-21 "Romance Book Titles" card for the Valentines Bingo fest. This is the first poem in the Eloquent Souls series.

( Read more... )

Unclassifiable Animals

I've been mulling over the fact that whenever the biosphere gets knocked flat, it rebuilds something better and more complex, and this usually starts with some obscure little branch of life that is relatively new with clever concepts but has been overshadowed by previously established groups. Frex, mammals under dinosaurs. So I've been hunting around for candidates to see what might boom after the Anthropocene Extinction.

A friend suggested searching for unclassifiable animals, which seemed like an excellent idea ...

( Read more... )

Perceptions of Race

I found this quote:

"It's nice to play a character who's written as a mixed race character and is not a drug addict."
-- Howard Charles

And it reminded me how differently I think than most people do, because it would never occur to me to stack up that kind of a pattern in characterization.  I know other people do it, as a sort of discontinguous experiment, but to me it just seems bizarre.  I have dozens, if not hundreds, of mixed-race characters.  I have a handful who are addicted to something or other.  The main one I can think of is African-American, although Blainn is pretty stuck on huffing paint and he's white.

If I'm writing about a particular place, I tend to look up what groups of people live there -- the racial demographics, the languages, the religions, and so on.  It gives variety.  If I'm writing about a group of people, I tend to check what their key issues are.  But I also try to write across a spectrum.  Not everyone in a culture will be interested in all its issues, or live in the same place.  So I always aim to show as much diversity as I can.  I have black and mixed-race characters with nappy hair, straightened hair, naturally straight or slightly wavy hair, wildly curly loosely nappy hair, updos, buzzcuts, assorted braids, dreadlocks, you name it.

If you can only think of one character, I think you're not much of a writer.  And if your whole entertainment field looks like that, I'm really unimpressed.

Also, if anyone has a trait or a group or whatever that they feel is overlooked or maligned, feel free to ask for it in any relevant prompt call and I'll write you a thingie.  Unlike most folks, it doesn't take me 20-30 years to figure out what to do with a trait-having character, I never have the patience to slog through all the boring parts.  I just make them a hero and get on with it.