A Good Day

Friday was a good day. Sometimes its nice just to have a good day, sit back and enjoy it. Saw a flick (Inglorious B@sterds, it's good only if you like Tarantino's odd storytelling. I do.) Played some casual tennis. Got a much awaited for package, which contained the first new Heroclix figure printed in almost a year. Played some Heroclix that night with some friends, pulled off a couple of cool moves, and traded for a figure I've been after for awhile. And then spent some quality time with the family.
Everyone deserves a good day.

Except for you. Now get back to work!

How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse

Forget Millo Jovovich. In case you were worried about the dead rising and feasting on your brains, several mathematicians have come to your rescue. Models for epidemiological outbreaks have never before included those diseases that may cause the undead to rise. Fortunately, thanks to this article in Wired, the oversight has now been corrected. So get out your survival gear: shovels, shotguns, gumball machines and your old LP collections, because in a population of 500,000 you got to get rid of all those pesky zombies within 72 hours -- or you become the menu.

Contrast

Writing is all about contrasts. In simplified terms, it is the switching up of the usual. It is hard to do and when done poorly is easy to spot and ruinous to the story. Consider Michael Bay's use of contrast in Transformer's 2. The comedy, spliced against the action, failed spectacularly (the college brownie mom, for instance). When it is done correctly, contrast is compelling, adds depth, and forces the viewer/reader into the story. Consider the following:

She cried as she saw the wreck. The car that held her family now only held memories.

He laughed maniacally as he saw the wreck. The car that held his family now only held his hollow laughter.

Both of these examples each tell a story. But which story is more compelling?

Don't Rip Up Your Gym Card Just Yet

The last thing overweight Americans need to hear is that exercise won't help you lose weight. Though this article makes a compelling argument, don't take up sofa-bound needlework just yet. The article is clear that exercise is healthy. Okay. But, to say that exercise can actually make you gain more weight, is jumping the shark. Sure, muscle-bound gym-aholics in the weight room are looking to pack on some size. The guy hitting the gym with a gut might end up weighing more than when he started as the gut disappears -- since muscle weighs more than fat. But that will eventually equalize as more body fat is expended.

Sure, I've worked for the health supplements industry for a little bit, so I'm gonna naturally be bias against this sort of article. When people have asked me how to lose weight, I generally get a little frustrated when they are chowing down a Cinnabon. The answer for the author's frustration -- why he can't lose weight, is right there in his article. Of course you have to watch what you eat. Just because you work-out doesn't give one cart-blanche to eat what you want. Cut out calories from your diet: eat less and burn more. Don't eat that muffin after you run. Protein immediately after working out is the best way to go, so long that you account for those calories (protein helps repair and build muscle, and is a natural appetite suppressant). Hit the gym, and enjoy the multitude of benefits from a good workout -- including weight loss.

Lastly: don't take advice from biased aspiring writers with a blog.

I Got Conned at Chik-Fil-A

Yep. Of all the places to fall prey to a con. It happened while I was taking my 2 year old to lunch at a place where she can also burn off some of that energy. But, that's how they bring you in. Then, when you get to the counter, the con comes to play: Would you like that meal value-sized? Sure, of course. I love value. Who am I to argue with saving a few pennies? Afterall, my concentration is a bit split between you, and my daughter who is discovering that fries on the floor are extra tasty. Don't eat that. Here's my hard earned cash. Thank you.

Imagine my surprise when I got my diet Dr. Pepper. It was huge! My fry box was also Gi-normous! Do'oh! Value-size is codeword for the largest portion of food you can stuff down your throat! Shhh! Don't tell anyone!!!.

I took it. And they happily took my money. I didn't want to waste the extra food, and I didn't complain as I got exactly what I ordered. I just thought value also meant small. I guess the extra calories I consumed just makes my stomach more 'valuable'.

Tabula Rasa

A blank page is menacing. Every time we sit at our desktop to write something new, that empty whiteness stares wide, its solitary cursor laughing with each and every blink. The only way to quiet that mockery is to fill the blank slate with our ideals, thoughts, anecdotes overheard at Applebee's, and characters that we knew from high school creative writing. Ultimately we betray ourselves. Writing tells us much about the writer as the world they envision tells us what to beware. Read George Orwell's Animal Farm, but read it after his Homage to Catalonia. Watch Joss Whedon's Dollhouse and see what happens when a human mind can be filled with both everything and nothingness. Stories of dystopia are the norm, as they serve to guide, warn and map paths that could otherwise lead to insanity. Dystopia offers something fearful to the reader -- a future to avoid.

As a writer, one could look to fill that blank page with fears, regrets and emotions. Happiness and bunnies are cute, but what purpose do they serve the audience? What are you most afraid of?

For Whom do you Write?

In addition to writing what you know, you should also know to who you are writing. Simply stated: know your audience. Shakespeare wrote a couple plays for Queen Elizabeth. Do you think he tailored those for the common, unwashed masses? Good public speakers can often change their speeches based on their audience, even down to a specific member. There is an anecdote that I heard, don't know if it's true, that the rock band, The Who, were pitching Tommy, and found out that the guy they were pitching too was a huge fan of pinball, hence the song, Pinball Wizard.

Lately, I've been in a writing rut. I did the blog, but then wouldn't dive in to my projects. In essence, I was overwhelmed, and felt I could not write what I wanted to right. The audience either wasn't there, they wouldn't be interested, or worse, that it wouldn't be any good.

I've had the recent epiphany that none of that matters. I am the audience. I am writing for myself. I am the only one who has to like it. Though my ultimate goal is to write for money, and yes, I will have to write for an audience at some point in time, I only have to write for myself for now. I just need to get the rough draft of the story out.

You guys can have the rewrite.