Thorn Wilde

Good morning and Happy Sunday, DiC! It snowed all night here. Very deep snow out there now, though temperatures have risen and it's supposed to rain this afternoon/evening.

I more and more get the feeling that GA staff's definition of political is 'things people disagree on/have feelings about' rather than having anything to do with actual politics. I tried in the past to get a concrete answer as to whether precisely this kind of topic might be considered political by staff and was unable to get a clear answer. This topic does not pertain to current legislation, it is not party political, it doesn't seem to go against any of the rules we've actually been told about as far as politics are concerned. I get shutting down the topic because it was becoming heated (I don't agree with it, but I get it and I accept it). I don't get moving it to the pit where many of the people who were taking part in the discussions aren't members. Especially since the topic itself isn't political. As for what you said about political stories, well, those aren't political stories then, are they? That could go for anything, not just politics. I could make a caricature of a GA member and put it in my story, or rehash conversations that have been had on site of any kind without the permission of the people involved, and that would not be okay, politically motivated or not (and I would never do it, just so we're clear). Tying it to politics just demonises a completely valid theme in storytelling and, again, nowhere in the rules does it say that political themes are not allowed. And what would happen if I wrote a bad guy who just so happened to have opinions similar to some members of this site, without being in any way inspired by them, because my characters disagree with those opinions? Would I be punished for that? If you begin to censor stories beyond what's clearly stated in the site rules as unacceptable content, I doubt that would go over well.

What tim said.

The two of you share something beautiful. Makes me so happy for you both.

Wrong time of year, but I can't see that gif without thinking of this song.

True.

The thread appears to have been moved to the Pit and reopened. I'm not sure if I think this is a good thing or a bad thing... On the one hand, cool that it still exists. On the other, it tells us the mods think this topic is inherently political, and that's sad.

I for one am glad you started the topic, Talo. It got people thinking. And yeah, like I said, it really shouldn't be an issue to discuss writing, neither style nor content, on a site dedicated to stories. You certainly didn't do anything wrong. I'm guessing the thread was taken down because of the arguments that ensued and not because of the content that was being discussed. At least I hope so.

Thanks! I did. I'm back home now, though. It didn't run very late, as it started at 3.

Hey everyone. Hope you're all well. Snowing here. I had to be out in it cause I've been to a big dinner party thing at my mum's. Nothing like discussing language, politics and religion with a linguist, a theologian, a gay eastern orthodox deacon, and a painter while sipping good Finnish vodka. My mum has interesting friends. lol

With all due respect, those were other people. None of the people who did that to you were in that thread. Anything can be used politically. Doesn't mean it inherently is.

Yeah, the party was good while it lasted. It's good that people got something out of it before it ended. Not in the least. I was pretty sure it would happen from the moment the topic was posted. I've been here (on and off) for nearly 7 years; I know the ropes. lol

Or you could write for yourself and then, if you feel like it may be going somewhere, let your good friend Thorn give it a once over with his mad editing skillz.

Well, you never know if you can do it until you try. Take one of those ideas, start somewhere, and just write. What was that quote? 'Be brave enough to suck at something new'?

There are no rules on GA about political stories. Ask me in PM if you want to know about the project I'm working on...

'An Inclusive Word a Day Keeps Dr. Peterson Away'.

Of course you can. You've got this!

Consider the title your warning. This is my blog. I write what I want. Deal with it. I think it's a shame that we can't have philosophical discussions on ways to potentially expand and improve our writing horizons without someone taking it personally and ruining the party. This is supposed to be a website for authors and their stories. You'd think that discussing writing techniques and tools would be integral to that. When it comes to writing tools, techniques, and advice, you're free to take it or leave it. Nobody acts like you're trying to force them to do something when you talk about voice, plot building, world building, POV, whether prologues are good or bad, etc. But as soon as you so much as mention ways of measuring whether your writing is diverse and inclusive, people act like you're holding a gun to their head. This has happened before. Can we have a conversation about these things like adults, please? Can we bring up the mere existence of gender without someone throwing a hissy fit? To those of you who are so opposed to the mere idea that other people may want to make a conscious effort to make their work diverse and inclusive, maybe you should take a moment to think about why you feel so attacked by it? Nobody seems able to give an answer other than, 'Because I don't like people telling me what to do!' Even though nobody has told them what to do. When someone says they don't like stories written in the present tense, I don't get offended or think they're trying to tell me I can't write stories in the present tense. When someone says they prefer third person over first, I don't think they're trying to tell me I have to write in third person. Because they're not. If someone goes, 'Here's a handy way to avoid adverbs in your story,' I say, 'Well, I probably won't use it cause I actually like having some adverbs in my stories, but thanks, I'll put it in the box with the rest of my writing tools.' And maybe one day I'll decide that I should cut down on adverbs, and I'll take it out, dust it off, and use it. Or not. But if someone says, 'This is a test for measuring representation of women in fiction, isn't that interesting?' you can be damn sure someone will lose their shit and assume we're trying to force them into shoehorning more women into their work. And no amount of assurances that that isn't what's going on will convince them otherwise. If you're reading this and you have no idea what I'm talking about, consider yourself lucky. Suffice it to say, we had a party, someone got drunk, someone called the cops, and now the party's over.

That's a good point.

Would be better if they paid me. lol

Ah, yes. I know this feeling well. My choir's been talking about wanting to get recording equipment so we can make some decent recordings of ourselves to use to apply for funding and the like. I told them how you can't just get equipment and expect it to just work, you need a technician to make the recording, mix, master and so on. So apparently I've volunteered for the job of recording and mixing my choir...

Stay warm, tim. Not too windy here, but definitely cold. I let the cat out and she came running back in less than half an hour later. Writing is good! I'm getting some done too.

Hey everyone. Hope you're all having a good day.

Mmm, that sounds tasty! We had salmon green curry for dinner tonight, with coconut milk.

I'm glad to hear it! Well, I was missing you all... ❤️