Linkstorm: Allegory of Category

I've been writing a lot lately. Not that unusual, but I often go on a week to months long hiatuses - not having written a single word for any material. Going back, recently I've started sending articles to a local newspaper and just a few days ago let's just say I received some good news in turn.

Writing bi-weekly seems like a pretty good deal, much more since I'm also writing for the campus paper among a lot of other things. Anyway, I'm currently working on (hopefully for good this time) another story (I have more than 20 "drafts" and plots in stock as of the moment). And naturally, I get stumped on some areas staring at the bleak face of futility. 

That's when I load the cheat guns.

*For readers, the following lines are open for debate, and are deemed unhealthy by the dualistic personality and instability of the writer, he's a dumbass*

So, where do I go for some insights and walkthroughs? Yeah there's such a thing as walkthroughs in writing my sweet summer child, where'dya think your favorite YA novels come from? From your fave authors in their ethereal detachment? Nah, there's factories of books out there, not the publishing kind, the building sized mass writing floors kind. But this is not about that, I'm a conspiracist by nature and in my defense, I do love the my books have it be they are or they are not as genuinely written by someone or some group of people

WARNING! Beware. If you go to any of these sites, I will not be liable for your getting trapped in the mountains of tabbed pages with no horizon in sight. Proceed at your own risk.

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
Symptoms: Finished with your spick-and-span introductory character POV and went to make a tomato cheese melt while contemplating how the book will end with your character killing the Nemean Quadra-Cerberus army.

Fantasy Faction is one of the best sites to find one of a kind bits on how to look at and what to look for fantasy and science fiction literature. And it's not just that, as what it says in the description, the site provides "fantasy book news, reviews and community for fans of modern fantasy".

The Candy: This site presents lots of comprehensive articles on almost all the basics and fundamentals in fantasy literature, both on knowing how to write and what to read.

                

        

DUMBASS LEVEL

Symptoms: Just published a steampunk ninja cats novel and wondering if steampunk wizard antelopes are the next big thing.

TV Tropes has an uncomfortable penchant for lampshades, so that should be good. But really, this site is the father of all twentieth century divorces, just right there with Cracked (another cyber vacuum). On its home page one can read "...the tricks of the trade for writing fiction", of which is basically what "tropes" are.

The Candy: Category. Character. Power. Problem. Technique. Plot. Direction. End. Money. Fame. Trope.

I will be posting a Dish before the week ends, hopefully I get to catch up also on my reading because I'm binge reading some mangas as of the moment. Later.

The Dish #1

So what's currently hot, aside from me that is. Anyway let's skip over that part, here we have some of my latest reads, and I must tell you that they are wonderful. Not that you won't find that out for yourself.

“Too much change is as destructive as too little. Only at the edge of chaos can complex systems flourish.” 

Really unexpected, but this turned out to be a more philosophical and horribly existential read than a dinosaur packed blood fountain. Don't get me wrong, because it also is, and we have Crichton to thank. 

It reminded me of my first Crichton experience, Congo, a tasteful, tasteful concoction of a hearty plate of gore mixed with an unrelenting sense of futility and urgency. Although here and there, one can see a semblance, if not a pattern, but it really doesn't matter since Crichton went and delivered. 

Like a fresh breeze, The Lost World related a unique view on extinction and the groundwork of life in its entirety. No, it's not a faith-inducing work, well not necessarily. Rather it speaks of interdependence and adaptation of communally aware species shadowed with human sentiment. But what do I know, read it yourself. 

I mean, read it now. Well after reading the rest of the post.

  “By the same token, if you use your mind and ponder well what I am telling you, you will realize that in not being everywhere, that is, in all those fascinating places, you are nearly nowhere at all.”

I did not read the whole book though, well not yet, but the one story I picked from another Lem masterpiece did not disappoint. Automatthew's Friend was truly remarkable. A short story of decent length, bordering from a Poe to a Lovecraft, it tells of an automaton (read: robot) who has an almost microscopic computer-robot friend, Alfred, that he has with him all the time. It's actually inside his metallic ear cavities. And it talks, is smart, can only be heard by Automatthew or whomever happens to have it lodged in their ear.

Less of the sci-fi babble, I am telling you, I have never read a story so depicting human emotion and posture. Finding himself in a very unbecoming situation, Automatthew was overcome with a fluctuating view of reality that is more than enhanced as well as insinuated by Alfred. I can't even begin to talk about how Lem talked about realities and existence. Just this, the what is real for one is not exactly what exists for another.

 Have this in not more than 15 or so pages and with a temperamental robot, what a great deal. But in all seriousness, I implore you to join me in every waking moment in being preoccupied from all events because of this little bugger.

  

As of the moment I'm reading Waiting For Godot, a play by Samuel Beckett. Among other things.

I'm shy and I don't like sappy things, yes this is my first post. Shut up.