Music I love ... AC/DC

I'm not sure what is going on with me. Usually I listen to the same shit in the Linkin' Park/AFI/30 Seconds to Mars genre. I do deviate, but lately I'm all over the place. A few weeks ago, I don't know why, I decided to make a "hair bands" station on my Pandora and it is fucking awesome. I've been listening to music I remember from middle school like Guns'n'Roses, Motley Crew and Skid Row, and it makes me really happy. But I also have gained a new found appreciation for two bands: AC/DC and Whitesnake.

So of course I recognize most of the AC/DC music, but I never really listened to them on purpose. My coworker told me that it's "devil music." I think she was kidding (she's a little hard to judge sometimes) but either way, I've decided that I really like it. But don't ask me to comment on the whole Axl Rose controversy. Sorry Axl, just ... no. BTW, I'm going to create a new Pandora station called "devil music." We'll see what they play.

I had a Whitesnake poster right next to my New Kids on the Block poster on my wall when I was in middle school. I remember it because my mom didn't like it 'cause those dudes were all chest hair. I had a poster but I did not have any of their tapes (yes, tapes). But they have awesome songs that until recently, I just didn't realize were theirs, like "Is This Love?" and "Here I Go Again." So I'm giving them credit now people. Check it. And don't judge, I'm old.

For real, Pandora is great. So let's all create a new station, be it based in nostalgia or curiosity or devil worship, whatevs (just kidding mom). Just do it. It will make you happy. And seriously, don't you get tired of the same shit all the time?

J. L. Dodd

Definitely devil music ...

"Highway To Hell"

Livin' easy
Livin' free
Season ticket on a one way ride
Askin' nothin'
Leave me be
Takin' everythin' in my stride
Don't need reason
Don't need rhyme
Ain't nothin' that I'd rather do
Goin' down
Party time
My friends are gonna be there too

I'm on the highway to hell
On the highway to hell
Highway to hell
I'm on the highway to hell

No stop signs
Speed limit
Nobody's gonna slow me down
Like a wheel
Gonna spin it
Nobody's gonna mess me around
Hey, Satan
Payin' my dues
Playin' in a rockin' band
Hey, mamma
Look at me
I'm on the way to the promised land

I'm on the highway to hell
Highway to hell
I'm on the highway to hell
Highway to hell

Don't stop me

I'm on the highway to hell
On the highway to hell
I'm on the highway to hell
On the highway to hell

(highway to hell) I'm on the highway to hell
(highway to hell) highway to hell
(highway to hell) highway to hell
(highway to hell)

And I'm goin' down
All the way
I'm on the highway to hell

Source:

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/acdc/highwaytohell.html

The Love Triangle!! Dun dun dun!

I read a lot of reviews on Amazon. Of books I have read, want to read, want to write, etc. I think of it as research. What I see consistently is in the young adult genre, people say they hate love triangles. I have to disagree. I love me some love triangles. They not only advance the plot, but they allow for all kinds of juicy little moments that I love to write and read about. But they have to be well written. If not, it turns into something predictable and that really bothers me.

Since I'm admitting things at the moment, let's talk about the mother of all literary love triangles: Twilight. Let me start by saying I have not seen all the movies. I only watched part of the first one, and it was horrible. I did, however, read the books, and I loved them (I don't care what all you MFs think about it, I won't take it back!). I actually got in fights with my husband because I was spending all my time (and I mean all of it) reading. Throughout the series, you experience a lovely gut-wrenching feeling as Bella is pulled in different directions. In the back of your mind, you know she's going to end up with Edward, you just know it, even though he's a douche who abandons her for her own good. But when she unexpectedly kisses Jacob, you understand that she also loves him, albeit on a totally different level. So in the end, still predictable, but well-written, I thought.

I love the manga love triangle, which can vary in specifics but usually goes like this: Girl meets boy, girl likes boy, boy remains aloof, enter childhood friend who publicly announces his undying love and generally makes things awkward. Then boy one gets jealous, realizes his feelings, and everyone is happy except for poor boy two who must accept his unrequited love. I wish I could write a manga where the childhood friend wins out. I mean, come on, he's always loved you! It's not his fault he doesn't know how to play hard to get. I think I'm thinking of Kaicho Wa Maid Sama as I write this. Although I love love Usui's character, I really thought the other dude deserved a chance. Hinata. So Usui wasn't exactly aloof, and Hinata wasn't a childhood friend, but you get the idea.

Obviously, Skip Beat takes the concept to a whole new level. If you include the "Beagle" you could make it a love square, although Kyoko actually hates him and Sho. The whole diagram makes for some hilariousness. Last year I splurged and bought every volume of the manga so far. That way I can go back and reread my favorite parts. Awesome.

I have a feeling I have a lot more to write on this topic, so be warned. This isn't over.

J. L. Dodd

'Twilight' passed like a fever through the sophisticated reader and the unsophisticated reader alike. People devoured those books in single sittings, over weekends, with a kind of raw intensity that is rare. Holly Black
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/twilight.html

It is what it is ...

Have you noticed lately that everybody and their dog likes to say, "It is what it is"? It's pretty annoying at times, especially when people use it to excess. Like, "We are out of cereal. It is what it is."

Surprisingly, it's a pretty old phrase. In Wikipedia, the earliest known use is in the Fihi Ma Fihi (Persian literally meaning "It is what it is"), a Persian prose work by the 13th century Sufi writer known as Rumi. It's a trendy way of saying, "Fuck it, I can't change it," which makes much more sense, and is way less annoying. This leads me to the concept of impermanence, which I believe I have discussed before and is one of the main themes in the book I am writing.

From Wikipedia: Impermanence is one of the essential doctrines or three marks of existence in Buddhism. The term expresses the Buddhist notion that all of conditioned existence, without exception, is transient, or in a constant state of flux. The mutability of life, that time passes on no matter what happens, is an important aspect of impermanence. According to the impermanence doctrine, human life embodies this flux in the aging process, the cycle of birth and rebirth (samsara), and in any experience of loss.

In the first one or two years I was writing, I was spending about half of my time researching, and in studying Buddhism and Shintoism, I came across this truly unique concept. It has affected my life in many ways since. To understand and accept that time passes and things change has a very calming affect on me. I have even come to accept that my death is inevitable and that worrying about it is futile. Of course, I feel differently, at least to some degree, about those around me. But I can't tell you how good it feels to put off that anxiety and fear. There was a time a few years ago that I thought I might die. The situation was completely out of my control. But my brain reverted to: "If it's my time, I will die," and that's how I got through it. Since then, if I'm driving with my Dad in his truck (or his boat), I just tell myself the same thing, and I can get through it. Dad, I love you, but I don't want to drive with you anymore. You scare the crap out of me.

Then again, this thinking leads to complacency, which most agree is a bad word. In fiction, characters often have to decide if they will accept their fate or fight against it. For me, I think you'll be happier in life to learn acceptance. But that may be because I'm a type "B" personality.

Wow, this blog is some serious shit. I'm not sure why I am waxing so heavy, but I'm not gonna change it. Fihi ma fihi. Or better, fuck it, I won't change it.

J. L. Dodd

"I'm living with every step. I can't live with regret. The past is the past. I'm not worried about it. I can't change it. I can't fix it. It is what it is. I'm just living." – Ryan Sheckler

"Impermanence is a principle of harmony. When we don’t struggle against it, we are in harmony with reality." – Pema Chodron

"Come back to square one, just the minimum bare bones. Relaxing with the present moment, relaxing with hopelessness, relaxing with death, not resisting the fact that things end, that things pass, that things have no lasting substance, that everything is changing all the time—that is the basic message." – Pema Chodron

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
― Mark Twain

Links

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/it_is_what_it_is.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Is_What_It_Is

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impermanence

http://www.themindfulword.org/2013/buddhist-quotes-mindfulness-buddhism-meditation-impermanence-suffering/

Apologies and complaints and grumpy cat ...

Ug, so this is just a blog post to apologize and complain. I take it back, all you drivel-writers out there. Well, most of it, anyway. Writing a book is damn hard. Every time I think I'm close to being finished, I go through another revision and realize "Shit, this needs a lot more work." So if I've shelved your book on my "don-t bother" bookshelf on Goodreads or given you a bad review on Amazon, I'm sorry. I do have respect for all the hard work you've put in, even if the end product leaves much to be desired.

I think an editor is essential to making really great stories. For those of us who are just starting out, maybe we should all agree to edit each other's books. Do you know how much a professional content edit costs? At my current work's length, between $1,200 and $3,000, depending on the editor. Sorry but I don't have that kind of money lying around, and even if I did, it would be spent on something else, like, I don't know, food, water, shelter, manga. Necessities, people.

What's amazing to me is that the authors I've criticized the most (and by criticized the most I mean they pissed me off so much that I have taken up arms in the form of a bad Amazon review) have self-published 6 or 7 or 10 books. I can only hope that they are improving as they gain experience, but based on their reviews, which I do read as opposed to their books (fool me once, shame on you), I don't think that's the case. If nothing else, they provide motivation for me to strive to do better.

LOL

Well, people (I'm not comfortable naming names), I can do a soft content edit, and I can also do copy editing. I have no professional training but I did work at a publishing company where I did just that for a couple of years. So if you are a self-published writer in the young adult/urban fantasy genre, please feel free to reach out to me. It's for the betterment of all of us wannabe/self-published/prolific writers of crap-ass stories.

J. L. Dodd

From Goodreads:

“Anyone who says it’s easy to self-publish a book is either lying or doing a shitty job.”
― Nan McCarthy

“The good news about self publishing is you get to do everything yourself. The bad news about self publishing is you get to do everything yourself.”
― Lori Lesko

Don't stay in school ...

Have you seen this viral video? I hadn't until about two weeks ago.

Okay, so apart from his freakish appearance (at first it was interesting, but now it's developed into the scary kind of vampires), he is so fucking right about everything. I watched this as part of the "Adults React" series by Fine Brothers Entertainment, and what was amazing was that for the most part, all the adults agreed  with the video's message. What else is amazing is that I'm an adult too. I never thought it would happen but it did. And yes, you are so fucking right, Boyinaband. When am I going to use the quadratic equation? Shouldn't something that specialized be taught to people who will need to use it in their careers as, I don't know, mathematicians or architects or engineers? Oh my!

I work in banking now, and I have always wondered why I was never taught how to budget, balance a checkbook, or save. How about investing, or how to build credit? This is serious shit people. These are things every person needs to know, and trust me, you don't want to learn through trial and error (mostly error) like I did. Twenty years later I'm still trying to pay off debt I could have avoided.

Let's think about some more subjects that should be required learning high school:

• Basic home maintenance (repairs, etc. Can someone please teach me how to hang a door?!)
• Basic vehicle maintenance (how to check the oil, change a tire)
• Basic nutrition and cooking (and gardening?)
• Basic first aid (and offer more advanced courses) Why doesn't everyone learn CPR?
• How about parenting? Yes, you learn from experience but what if you had some idea what you were getting yourself into at the start? Wouldn't that be helpful?
• Survival skills (Boy Scouts 101)
• General sustainability (reduce, recycle, reuse)
• How not to be a douche (super important for those with a hereditary predisposition)

Two of the adults on the video were teachers, and they both agreed that there is way too much "teaching to the test" going on. I saw it myself this week as my kids took their AZ Merit test. They are only in middle school and completely stressing about this stuff. It's ridiculous.

And who's to blame? I can't really say. I know it's not the students or the teachers. And how do we change it? I don't really know. But I will continue sharing this video with everyone I know who will listen, including my friends who work in education. The nice thing about the internet is you can pretty much learn whatever you want just by Googling it. Maybe that's the answer to our problem. Don't stay in school, just let Google teach you everything you need to know about life.

I won't name names, but if you are at risk, start here:
http://www.cracked.com/article_15822_5-douchebag-behaviors-explained-by-science.html


J. L. Dodd

"School failed me, and I failed the school. It bored me. The teachers behaved like Feldwebel (sergeants). I wanted to learn what I wanted to know, but they wanted me to learn for the exam. What I hated most was the competitive system there, and especially sports. Because of this, I wasn't worth anything, and several times they suggested I leave." - Albert Einstein

ANIME BINGE ... Fairy Tail!

So I was sick over the weekend and couldn't really go anywhere or do anything. I watched a lot of Hulu, but eventually settled on catching up on Fairy Tail. Fairy Tail is an anime based on the manga written by Hiro Mashima. If you haven't see it, you should. It's a little more shonen than I usually like, but its hilarious and has something for everyone. I had watched 88 episodes (to be precise) over a couple of years, and not seen any in awhile.

I ended up completely binge watching ... In three days I watched 51 episodes. Keep in mind I was sick, and I kept falling asleep, otherwise it probably would have been even more. So 51 eps at approximately 20 minutes each (I fast forwarded through the intro and outro) is about 17 hours. I even started looking at fanart and fanfic because it was so frustrating to not see Lucy and Natsu's relationship developing more. My otaku sixth sense tells me it ain't ever gonna happen; that we'll be kept in limbo indefinitely, and I guess that's okay. But it's not fair! Why do Erza and Jellal get to have their thing? I mean its not consummate, but its more than I can hope for with Nalu. I guess that's what fanfic is for. Just stay away from the lemons. I wasn't familiar with the term when I started reading. They are horrible and yet ... you can't stop reading. I've never thought about writing fanfic. I might like to try it sometime. But not that kind.

I haven't done this much anime binging since I watched the first three seasons of Bleach. That was worse, much worse actually, because it was at least 6 or 7 or 8 years ago and there was no Hulu or Netflix or Crunchy Roll. I was downloading episodes through bit-torrents on Bleach fan websites and watching them throughout the night, then going to work on little to no sleep. Come to think of it, that's another anime I need to catch up on. I don't remember where I stopped. Somewhere after Aizen was finally frozen or whatever they did to incapacitate him since apparently he couldn't be killed.

Its going to have to wait until my Fairy Tail binging stops. I can't watch 5.6 hours a day like I did last weekend, but its up there with food, water and shelter in terms of priorities. I'm down to 4 episodes a night, which allows me to appreciate the battles, the humor, and the ridiculousness much more.

J. L. Dodd

Very moving from the ep I watched last night:

“It's for my friends! For seven years...all that time...they waited for us! It was hard on them... They had sad times... They got humiliated, but they just endured it... And kept protecting the guild... It's for my friends! I want to show them...that Fairy Tail will live on!! That's why I gotta move forward!!” 
― Natsu Dragneel

Love for H.P. Lovecraft

So, it's embarrassing ... But I have to admit how I got turned on to the works of H.P. Lovecraft. I heard about him on an episode of "Supernatural." The first thing I did after watching it was Google him to find out if he was real and then downloaded a collection of his stories on my Kindle, all within a matter of minutes.

Never have I read anything like his writing. It's all over the place, insane, horrifying, painfully detailed, drawn out and awesome all at once. The adjectives he uses build a deep sense of dread and impending doom. Some of my favorite phrases are "sentient blackness" "mad grotesqueness" "subtly menacing" "purposeful malignity" and "sinister suggestiveness." You get the picture. 

One significant plot device he uses frequently in his stories is what I would call extreme foreshadowing, meaning the reader often comes to a horrifying conclusion about what it going on far before the main character does. You would think this might be a problem. I hate it when I can predict what will happen in a story, but his writing is different. You know the awful truth, but the character is oblivious or living in denial and there is nothing you can do to make them come to their senses before the author wishes it. We know we are reading a horror story, but the characters are frustratingly level-headed about everything until it's too late. 

I experienced a sychronistic event with the works of Mr. Lovecraft. In The Mountains of Madness, the overgrown penguins and some other creatures say "teke-lili!," which apparently is a phrase born of elder creatures who once lived on our planet, some of which were frozen in the antarctic, found by an expedition and thawed out with dire consequences. For some reason that phrase seemed to stick with me. Later, I read a story by Edgar Allen Poe; an awful tale of a stowaway on a ship who, after horrifying hardships at sea, sailed south until the water turned warm, ash fell from the sky and natives called out "teke-lili!" in fear. I was intrigued enough to look up the phrase online, and found little other than references to the two authors. More recently, I read Nevermore, a book by Kelly Creagh (it was interesting, but still went on my "meh" bookshelf on Goodreads) and the demons in the dream world again use the phrase. Looking back, it all makes sense. I didn't know at the time, but Lovecraft was a fan and greatly influenced by Poe's work. And of course, Nevermore was about Poe.

I think anyone who aspires to be an author should read some of Lovecraft's work. It's so very different, and will change the way you think about writing. 

Mind: blown, dude.

J. L. Dodd

“Almost nobody dances sober, unless they happen to be insane.”

― H.P. Lovecraft

"Never explain anything." 
― H.P. Lovecraft

“The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of the infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.”

― H.P. Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories