Sunday Post
May 2, 2010
Well, it's been a busy month. I wasn't around for a chunk of it--physically, as in I wasn't home and away from my PC, and mentally/emotionally as in I retreated from everything.
Yesterday I watched Amelie. It would likely surprise no one that it's one of my favourite movies, however it probably would surprise people to know that of all the movie characters that ever were, I probably identify with her the most. Not that I do good deeds for people (eww, no--I'm evil), but her inability to relate to others and build relationships. My social circles consist of people who are friends with each other, and then there's me, off to the side, stuck in her own head and not really a part of things.
Which is probably why I'm okay with uprooting my life and moving in a few months to a place where waitresses stare at me funny when I request a meal that doesn't include meat. I'm going to be a distant hermit no matter where I go.
And you know, I don't really have a point in saying this; it was just on my mind and I've been silent for weeks, so I thought I'd ponder it 'aloud' on the blog. I feel Amelie-ish a lot of the time. Only with less awesome hair and sans the cute, quirky guy to borderline stalk.
Stuff I Did This Week:
* I let everyone know I am not dead yet.
* Did some arty stuff called Wild.
* Facebook has changed their "Become a Fan of" button to "Like." So while initially I kind of ignored my FB page and never really invited anyone (as the number of invites I get to things often drives me batty) because I didn't want to force them to be a "fan" of me...now I'm kinda insulted that more of my friends' list doesn't "like" me. Is it because I'm distant and Amelie-ish? http://www.facebook.com/pages/Skyla-Dawn-Cameron/9912704791
Stuff I Sorta Contributed To:
* Friend J.A. Saare dealt with piracy again--she was quite disheartened when her latest release was uploaded to a pirate site. So of course I jumped on board to play Veronica Mars and help her find this person. 3 hours on the phone later... Well, here's the saga: Part One: Wherein She First Discovered the Piracy, Part Two: Portrait of an E-Pirate, and Part Three: Update.
This story did have a somewhat happy ending, which has gone to show that it IS possible for authors to reach the people illegally uploading their work and, in some cases, nip this problem in the bud. (Of course, a few months ago Jaime also spoke to one Sarah Sandford from Australia--specifically, from the Wangaratta area, I believe--who had requested illegal copies of her work...Sarah assured Jaime she wouldn't do it again, and then just last week tried to steal one of my books. She had no excuses or apologies for ME when I asked about it.)
Stuff I Tangentially Contributed To:
* Well, I acquired and edited the book, so...that's where my contribution begins and ends in this case. But I love the book so much that I want you to purchase it and love it too, so behold Sarah-Jane's fabulous trailer for Thief!
Stuff I In No Way Contributed To But Dig:
* Lili Saintcrow talks about how she's not the enemy in ebook pricing (and how neither is her publisher). Besides the fact that her post is AWESOME and very right, something interesting comes up in the comments that I think about a lot.
Sometimes it seems, as writers, that we can't say anything without readers perceiving us as insulting them. What I don't think people understand is that...you haven't seen an author's inbox. Most people wouldn't BELIEVE some of the stuff "fans" say to writers. I'm a nobody, and I get everything from backhanded compliments to hatemail. Saying "Please don't complain to me about something out of my control" isn't being disrespectful to readers; it's a request for respect and a showing of transparency about the business.
(Tangent: I'm also sympathetic because in my job I *constantly* get yelled at for Shit Out of My Control. And then I explain how and why it's out of my control and *still* get yelled at.)
* In a similar vein, Jaime pondered how to respond to negative reader letters. (My opinion? If it's angry/insulting/provoking, I don't answer it. Sometimes I try, but if an email ticks me off, it gets starred for a later reply and then I tend to forget about it. Moral of the story: expressing your displeasure with a book is fine, but try to be nice if you're writing to an author personally. We are actually people.)
* 50 Things You Can Control Right Now.
* The Writing Style of Twilight. All I can say about this is...TRAITOR TEARS!
* And on the subject of Twilight, Translating the Eclipse Trailer.
* I attended Boobquake.
* via ICAHK, UK Gov't "too busy" to stop a woman from being deported to her death.
* April 20th was Random Act of Kindness Day for friend Rissa Watkins to honour the baby she never had.
* Jim Hines on Authors Behaving Badly. If you missed the whole Rejection Queen saga, Fandom Wank has the detes. Get some popcorn.
And here's a random Amelie fan vid that I found and LOVED. Yes, I watch fanvids and am a total nerd.
link in case the embedding doesn't work
And that pretty much sums up the past few weeks in April. Did you guys read/do/watch anything totally awesome? Leave a link!
Comments
#1 I also love Amelie and feel a
I also love Amelie and feel a bit like that too - i think that's why everyone loved the movie is that EVERYONE feels like they're on the outside looking in at least a little bit in the world. It's human nature. So don't feel too bad. Plus, there's an awful lot of us out here that adore you, just the way you are :)
Skye
#2 Well, here's the thing I also
Well, here's the thing I also got thinking about...I've worked with kids for like twelve years. All kinds with multiple exceptionalities/special needs. And what I've noticed about a lot of them is that they play alongside other kids, but not with other kids. They're there, side by side, with the same toys, playing the same games, but not so much with the interacting. And that's me.
It also doesn't help my "can't relate to other people" thing when I go weeks without interacting with another human being...but at least I'm happy in my own head.
#3 Maybe it's a writer thing?
I'm the queen of anti-social. I hate being invited to social events, I stress over holiday dinners b/c I have to hang with people I may or may not even like. I prefer the characters in my head to most of the people in the real world,. I work in an office and I get along fine with everyone, and I can act "normal", but once I'm out the door, don't bother me. Is that terrible? Or is that just me, and take it or leave it? I don't think there is anything wrong with being an observer rather than a participant. I enjoy my life in the periphery. I agree with the other comment, I think everyone feels like an outsider to some degree. But some of us are more comfortable there than others.
#4 I don't necessarily think
I don't necessarily think there's anything wrong with it. But I am planning to become a parent next year and I'm looking at all these weird things about me, and how it'll fit in with motherhood/how I raise my child. And while I'm doing all this big "spring cleaning" stuff with my life, I'm wondering what kids will still be around when we no longer play with the same toys, so to speak--meaning when I'm no longer a part of certain social circles with "friends", I wonder who will even bother talking to me. To be clear, this has always been me, so I don't exactly care and I'm trying not to come across as a whiner or self-pity party host. I've always worked under the base assumption that I'm unlikable, so I'm more surprised when people like me rather than disappointed when they don't. But I do crave a sense of belonging, even if I know realistically I'll never have that, and I have to question--as the character did in said movie--if I would be happier and have the things I want if I didn't live in my head so much. It would be nice to, like, have a friend or two to go out with now and then.
(Understand that I work alone, live alone, and sometimes go two or three weeks without having face to face communication with another human being, unless I hit the corner store for milk. Even for someone most comfortable being a hermit, that kind of isolation takes its toll. And I have to think about how this kind of thing will affect my offspring.)
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