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| Okay, I haven't made it officially public at work/within the industry yet, so I can't make a facebook announcement until next week. But for the, what, 5 people that read this...I GOT A NEW JOB! IN LA! =D
I start early september. Whee! I'll be a localization specialist/copyeditor (basically, change raw, translated text into Americanized english) and the work sounds really really fun.
But now for the process of finding temporary housing (6 months, while I look for a property to buy!), making moving plans, packing, etc.etc. What a hassle! But what an OPPORTUNITY! I'm super excited to be moving forward in pretty much all aspects of my life. =)
THAT IS ALL. I'm late for work (but I have lame duck syndrome so I don't really care! HAHA!).
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| Xanga has gotten pretty annoying, so I don't use it much anymore. But I'll throw some stuff out for you guys. Cuz I need help deciding something.
1 - Should I accept people I've never met as friends on Facebook?
I get a few friend requests from readers, now and then, on Facebook. I'm not sure whether to accept them or not. On the one hand, Facebook seems a little personal. On the other hand, it's good for my career to build a "platform / fan base," isn't it? I just don't know. I'm a private person, yet...isn't it GOOD just in general to have people who are fans of your work (or your product or your gender, since there are still so few female videogame lovers out there)? I really am honestly looking for opinions/advice here, so let me know what you think! But first...
2 - My biggest goal is to write a novel!
And I've started on one. (Er, another one, but this one I'll finish, I promise. Er, hope.) In any case, I'm working at it regularly (thanks to this awesome piece of software I downloaded called yWriter, which makes organizing a novel SO MUCH easier. It's free. But I am going to donate that guy money soon, because his program is awesome. If you write long fiction and have trouble working in Word, I recommend yWriter!).
Anyway, I'm working on a novel, lame as that sounds. (But I AM already a published writer, so HA. Just not in fiction...) And when I'm done with that novel, well, I hear having a "platform / fan base" helps to sell the novel to publishers. Plus, when I market my own book, I'll be able to easily and quickly tell all of the people on Facebook. They still might not buy the book, but it's still a head start.
So. Yes or no: should I actively TRY to build a fan base by accepting strangers on Facebook and being more active in letting people know I'm out there? The girl who sits two desks down from me is an internet celebrity of sorts (she IS a mini-celebrity, but she does camera work, not writing, so she HAS to be), and she fosters her fanbase community very effectively. I'm not trying to do anything as elaborate as her, of course. I want people to like my WRITING, not my personality or looks (not that that would be a bad thing, either, but it's not my focus).
3 - Add me!
On Facebook and on Twitter (recently opened an account) and on LinkedIn. On Twitter, I'm trying to use it as a writing exercise and tell interesting super-short stories (cuz of the tiny word count), hopefully on a daily basis but who knows.
To find me, search for my first and last name. Not my nicknames, but my REAL names. =) My email is also First . Last @ gmail. With no spaces, of course, but yes a DOT. Again, my real name. I may also start a blog (I always intended to, via Wordpress, just couldn't get it to fit in my website layout, but SCREW it if it doesn't look the same. I don't care anymore.) I'll post on here if I do.
And then, hit "Add Comment" here and let me know your thoughts about adding strangers on Facebook! =)
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Now, the important stuff is done. Onto the boring stuff about writing.
OMG, characters are HARD. Dialogue is INSANELY hard.
Characters: You need to give them multiple dimensions and think about their body language, their motivations, their character quirks, their pet peeves, etc. You can't just make them DO what you need them to do. =( The readers won't "get" it. You have to SHOW who they are. IT IS SO HARD!
Dialogue: And without three-dimensional characters, you can't have authentic-sounding dialogue, which also makes things hard. =( I don't know whether it's hard to write good dialogue AFTER you have deep/good characters, cuz I haven't gotten that far yet. >.<
I've been studying random books though. And the ones that are popular are the ones with good dialogue. Even if the other writing techniques suck (too many adverbs or whatnot), their characters come to life because of what they SAY and the way they say it. It's pretty remarkable. Too bad I have no idea HOW people say things. I better listen and study more.
Okay, I'm done. I'll save my Beauty Blog thoughts for a different post. =)
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| Ack, months go by so quickly. Three months seems like one week because there's always so much to do/play/do.
Fun stuff I've done lately:
- Went to a Metallica concert. It was a Friends and Family performance, which meant there were a few technical issues, but I was right up front and center. All the lights and special effects were on, too (towers of flame!! falling coffins!!). Totally a fun time.
- Went to a Smashing Pumpkins concert. Same deal, though they only performed for like an hour. They make me sleepy.
- LOTS of good food + wine.
Fun work stuff I've done lately:
- Gone on a day trip (somewhere a few states north of where I am now). Got to visit (meet!) a friend there, too, for dinner, before I flew back. The trip was to write the cover story, which again, I'm not telling you about. =P
Oh man, there's more, but I forgot it all already.
Going to a wedding tomorrow. Excited about the sentiment behind it, but NOT excited about ceremonies. I will probably elope, when/if my time comes. Or just have a wedding with 5 people attending, in my living room, with the TV on (okay, c'mon, who am I kidding? I actually mean "with WoW (or some other game) running in the background").
Christmas is around the corner. Don't expect a gift. If you're getting one, you'll know, cuz I'll tell you about it. (Or pester you to tell me what you want, but I'm only gifting you out of [extreme] obligation.) If you're NOT getting one, don't feel bad. I secretly hate (a little bit) everyone I have to buy presents for. Not cuz of the money, but cuz of the HASSLE. I had an idea: I'll buy my own presents, things I want, and if anyone wants to give me a gift, I'll just attach their name to whatever I buy. Then, they can do the same for me. It saves the trouble of thinking of a good gift, and this way, I'd actually get stuff I wanted, which is usually practical, boring stuff. (Though the presents I got last year were pretty damn good...) But Grace says that idea makes no sense.
There's only one person I'll enjoy buying presents for, and it's not you. Sorry. (Don't buy me a present either. PLEASE don't.) I might try buying a lot of those obligatory presents online this year...
Last random note: The writing in Esquire is mind-bogglingly intelligent. Maybe what is actually being SAID isn't that great, but I'd never know it. I'm too bewitched by the slick, slick writing style. So engaging. A bit presumptuous/pompous/overbearing/bossy, though.
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| The September issue of InStyle (with the Uma Thurman cover) is so, so good (not to mention inspiring).
That is all! I just wish more online retailers had free shipping and better return policies.
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| If all goes as it should...then digital delivery of media will be AWESOME.
I will rent all my movies via a PS3 or an Xbox 360, because it's so much easier than searching through a store. Plus, with digital delivery, they'll never be out of stock or rented out. Plus, it's cheaper, too! This weekend, I wanted to rent Breakfast Club, but it was rented out at Hollywood Video. So then I had the bright idea of checking it out on the PSN and XBox Live stores. Unfortunately, since they're both just starting up, they don't have huge selections... so neither of them had it. Oh well. But it will be cooool once they fully stock their stores. =D I can't wait
And tonight, I've been looking up music on iTunes. What a great way to hear 30 second demos of songs! It's awesome! Haha. But now I'm tempted to just buy a couple songs here and there... not good on my wallet. =P But it's fun.
Some day... I hope soon... I will be able to do ALL my shopping from home. =P
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