User:	drood
	Date:	2008-07-09 09:37
	Subject:	Plotting
	Security:	Public
	Music:	Dusty Springfield, "Sweet Inspiration", Dusty In London

Back in 2002 when I originally wrote the young adult adventure novel, The Horns of Cassaforte, long before it was ever bought by the nice people at Flux and retitled The Glass Maker’s Daughter, I’d originally envisioned the book as the first in a series. I had a clear vision of the next two books, too. The Pirates of Cassaforte would follow, and start with sea battle, a shipwreck, and a rather genteel boy making an uneasy alliance with a nearly-feral girl against pirates targeting the city-state of Cassaforte. The third book, Pilgrims of Cassaforte, was to be all about the younger brother of Risa Divetri, heroine of The Glass Maker's Daughter: a school pilgrimage to a shrine in the countryside, and a political kidnapping.

And at the time, I had to make a decision—was I going to write sequels for a book that I hadn’t sold, or was I going to move on to something else? I was unpublished in 2002, and it seemed to make more sense to move on to a different project that might sell, so I started a novel called Kin (which I never finished, since I sold the idea to You Are So Cursed! while I was writing it. Kin did get reworked and overhauled and completely transformed into the world of Bedlam, Bath, & Beyond, however, so no creative idea is really ever wasted).

Last month, however, my nice editor at Flux asked my agent if I might please provide him with some proposals for two sequels to The Glass Maker’s Daughter. Did I have anything in mind? Boy! Did I!

I’ve spent the last three weeks writing up synopses of the two sequels I originally wanted to write, way back when. And let me tell you, having to sketch out the plot of a book before I put a single world to paper is an ass-backwards way to write.

( Thoughts on plotting. )

	User:	toeknuckles
	Date:	2008-07-09 21:33
	Subject:	on the bright side... (oh, and printers!)
	Security:	Public

i've been pretty shithouse with depression lately. it's taken seth and i quite by surprise with its severity. it hasn't been this bad for a while.

but! in an effort to try to be more positive, there are some good points. i've not repeated some mistakes of the past, and tried to take steps to deal with it better. such as...

1. i've gotten out of bed within 10 minutes of waking up every morning, not spent hours wondering why i should even bother getting dressed.

2. similarly, i've gotten dressed every day, even if i don't intend on going out.

3. i've GONE OUT, not actually stayed at home all day moping and despairing and staring at walls....some days this has served me well, others it's made me feel worse. but at least i'm giving it a bash.

4. i've not stopped eating, nor have i only eaten chocolate. i'm trying to eat breakfast every morning. in fact, today i've had three meals! small, but three all the same.
i've also cooked food to eat - good food from scratch, not "out of the freezer and onto the stovetop" food.

5. i've acknowledged that i'm feeling sensitive and paranoid, rather than trying to explain why it's really rational that i want to stay home and bolt the door in case the estate agents try to ransack the place while we're out. (please note, this actually sort of happened once. the bastards even when through my medication, the weirdarse nutjobs. so, not actually as crazy as it sounds at first read...but still crazy).

6. i think i've pretty openly communicated with seth, even it ahs meant a lot of me crying randomly and him being baffled and alarmed. however, i think i've made what i feel and what i need right now pretty clear, as opposed to just acting insanely and making him guess or try to draw his own conclusions.

7. i'm working on creative stuff. very slowly, and minor errors get me down, but i've not stopped entirely. tonight i intend to finish a beanie and sew some vintage looking buttons i got today onto a dress.
at least i'm being productive on some level.

8. i'm showering. and brushing my teeth. and wearing clean clothes. i'm applying deoderant and not wearing the same unwashed socks every day for a month.
these are all good (and novel!) things.

9. i'm sleeping. not normal hours (about 4am - 11.30am), but it's still sleep. i'm not sitting up all night wondering what the hell there is to live for and if i should give myself a random and angry haircut in the dark using my left hand while closing my eyes (always nice to have something to be depressed about the next morning when i cool off!!).

10. i've not burnt an artwork, cut or dyed my hair, pierced a body part or compulsively lashed out in any other destructive form in the middle of an 'episode'.


so ten good things. that's not too bad.


also, while typing this, i got an email from my dad saying he's just bought a bulk lot of 16 (yes, sixteen. sixteen. yes.) printers, including some massive free standing A3 laser things worth over $6,000.
all are in various states of disrepair, apparently, so i'm curious to see what works (if anything), what can be repaired and what is junk when he picks them all up.
crazy.

	User:	selinafenech
	Date:	2008-07-09 21:35
	Subject:	Ups and downs
	Security:	Public

I'm bummed cos this is my third week of my chemo cycle when I'm supposed to be feeling my best, and I've been feeling crap, and I think it's pretty much all from in my head but I can't shake it anyway. I just can't stop thinking about my next chemo, this friday, and even thinking about it brings back all the nausea and grossness before I've even done it again. I'm back on meds again tomorrow, even before chemo starts I'm on three different meds. I've got meds FOR my meds FOR my meds. Pills to stop the side affects of the chemo and more pills to stop the side affects of those pills and more pills to ease the side affects of those, it's insane. 
Over all, the Dr's say I'm holding up really well. No vomitting so far, blood cell counts have been perfectly on track, weight gain has been normal(mostly fluid retention apparently, phew! I'm putting on a kilo per cycle at the moment!), nose bleeds only slight, everything is running smooth and by the books physically, but emotionally I'm struggling a little. I know there's not much more to go, but the nausea particularly, and all the jabs, they just do weird horrible things to your brain. And of course the more you try to stop thinking of it the more you do think about it. 
And I'm also bummed that my journal shipment was slow, and while I was hoping they'd be here with me by now while I'm in a good week, they probably won't be delivered until next week when I'm not going to be in much of a state to be hauling them (all 40 cartons worth) into my storage area. Sigh... oh well, after friday it's only two more cycles, one more after that and it's only one to go, then I'll be finished, then radiotherapy, then by hrm... mid october? By then I should be all done and hopefully go without visiting the hospital for more than 2 weeks. 
My whole life lately has been dictated by chemo cycles and hospital visits.

Can this year be over already?

	User:	artsychicstudio
	Date:	2008-07-09 07:36
	Subject:	ty
	Security:	Public

I wanted to post real quick and thank you all for your comments the other day.

Whew! lol, now I don't feel so bad about all my projects. It's good to know I'm not the only one.

I am definitely hanging on to all the creative, crafty, artsy things I love.
There's just no way I could not do them all.

Besides, it's not like I do them all at once, although I've been known too. lol. I kind of do whatever strikes my fancy at the moment, although digital art remains a steady everyday thing.

Right now I'm working on some big eye projects and will post them as soon as their done. Am in the middle of finishing my first mermaid.

:) K.

	User:	artattack (posted by fefa_koroleva)
	Date:	2008-07-09 13:23
	Subject:
	Security:	Public

Looking



( Read more... )

	User:	north_carolina (posted by snowowl)
	Date:	2008-07-09 02:29
	Subject:
	Security:	Public

I'm searching for awesome juniors and seniors who attend Watauga High School in NC.  I'm a photographer and this year I'd like to start moving away from weddings and focus more on portraiture.

If you're fun, outgoing and aren't afraid of a camera, please contact me about becoming a senior rep.  You will receive:

+ a free senior photo session, with multiple locations and outfit changes ($200 value)
+ a free super sheik  photobook to show your friends ($300 value)
+ a free high res disk of all your images ($500 value)

Your job as a senior rep is simple:  tell other people about how much we rock, no embellishment necessary.  You'll earn an extra $50 for every student that books with us because of your recommendation.  It beats mowing lawns for extra cash, I'm telling you!

If you'd like to be a senior rep, email me at snowowl(at)livejournal.com with your name, age, a link to your Myspace and/or LJ, a list of hobbies and clubs you're a member of, and a date when you would be able to interview with us (feel free to bring your parents along or have them contact us to make sure we're not freaks).  Although resumes should be sent by email, we can be reached by phone if you have any specific questions at 828-268-0726.  :o)  I look forward to hearing from you!

	User:	ellenmillion
	Date:	2008-07-08 22:19
	Subject:	Jeffrey is my HERO
	Security:	Public

I am soooooo happy!! I have a new SG-1 season 10 disc 2!!!! I have "200!"

I'm going to watch it RIGHT NOW.

	User:	pagan (posted by stephanielynch)
	Date:	2008-07-08 11:07
	Subject:	BLOG: Intuitive Tarot: The Morning Lesson
	Security:	Public

Quite often, I get this question:

"What would you suggest to a beginner who wants to learn to read the tarot?"

And my first answer would be....

I just posted a blog titled "Intuitive Tarot: The Morning Lesson." This is for those who might like to see how I teach my intuitive tarot class. It is an expansion of one of the exercises. I hope you will let me know what you think of it. Would love to hear about your own ways of learning a new deck.

Tarot By Arwen Blog.

	User:	pagan (posted by stopmachine)
	Date:	2008-07-05 22:51
	Subject:	Gemstones
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	curious

I know this is kind of OT, but does anyone know what type of stone this is? Or is it just glass?

	User:	pagan (posted by pacific_rain)
	Date:	2008-07-01 02:48
	Subject:	Seeking a broad Pagan response to a strange philosophical idea that has come up.
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	almost done, almost bed time

Hello.  My name is Aedan.  I can't recall whether or not I've posted here before.  But if I have it was probably 2 years ago (been out for a while) asking if anyone had had similar experiences to me or if they might know what was happening to me. 

If so you may remember being asked to read a journal post called Description of The Field and The Lights  or  The Bubble Experience.

This time my guides told me something a few years ago, that has recently worked itself up to being a very useful technique for clearing or getting in touch with buried issues. 

As with the other communities I have asked to look at the new post, I do hope others may be able to adapt this to their own use and be helped as much as I have been.  But of you I also particularly ask to please tell me what the principle named says from the viewpoint of a Pagan belief system.  I am very curious about this because I can't deny what happened to me or what effect it has had.  But I am also learning about Paganism and want to know from more seasoned Pagans how this idea would fit into their world view.  What it would mean to them if it were true.

If anyone is interested, you're looking for a post on my journal called:   "The past and future are just scenarios we spin to make the present make sense in a linear time frame.

Thanks for your time and help....just in case :)

Aedan

User:	ebsqartoftheday
Date:	2008-07-09 00:00
Subject:	::EBSQ Art of the Day - Wednesday, July 09, 2008 "SIDE BY SIDE "Sandra L Russell Photography ::
Security:	Public

http://www.ebsqart.com/ArtOfTheDay/cmd_20080709_ArtOfTheDay.htm

	User:	north_carolina (posted by roygerdodger721)
	Date:	2008-07-09 00:18
	Subject:	Where's another good place to live in NC?
	Security:	Public

Lately, I've been starting to hate living in High Point and here's some reasons why:


The schools here are probably the worst in the country.
There's not really a lot of job choices here.
Too many places close down a lot.
There's not really a lot of stuff to do for kids, teens, and families.
There's not really any autism support or meetup groups.
There's really nobody like me in this town.

User:	dreamflier_rss
Date:	2008-07-08 20:34
Subject:	Okie Dokie
Security:	Public

http://warriorprincessdream.blogspot.com/2008/07/okie-dokie.html

	User:	eaglemaina
	Date:	2008-07-08 22:09
	Subject:	Export in AI in Flash
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	cranky

I know I have a few animators as friends here.... maybe some of you can help me.

I have a client who wanted me to do cut-out puppets of a character in 3 views. They actually provided me with the lineart, I simply had to retrace, colour and make the parts so that it would work out. They don't even want me to animate or rig it because they didn't want to pay an animator for this part, they are giving it to university students (probably to save money. =P ) Anyway, the reason why they asked me to do the cuting and colouring part is that the character is literraly rainbow colored with LOTS of gradients. They tried their best to have nice gradients in Illustrator, but they said it didn't work out the way they wanted.

So I did the whole thing in Toon Boom Studio.

All so far is fine. I do a SWF export of each piece. I'm even able to load them all in Flash and all the parts are at the right spot. What more to ask!?!?!? Well..... the client wants all the parts in AI format, not in SWF. Why? I don't know. Is there an animation software that will only accept AI format? I'm thinking maybe After Effects, but the thing is they actually showed me a background they will be using and it was in SWF format, so I don't think they will be using After Effects. And it's for a website, so SWF is the way to go anyway.

The problem is this: the AI format does not support the gradients done in TBS. The Flash palette has no problem dealing with the textured/gradient colour swatches, but it seems that the AI format does. Anyone know what could be done to fix this? I have tried both AI format 5 and 6 but it doesn't change anything.

I don't know that much about Flash..... I have to confess, I hate Flash. (but I am very biased, I adore Digital Pro and even TBS to me is better than Flash. =P )

Any help is welcome! ToT

	User:	eddieizzard (posted by friskykitten64)
	Date:	2008-07-08 18:07
	Subject:	Guess what the Pillsbury Doughboy has....
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	amused
	Music:	None

	User:	artists_beware (posted by bladespark)
	Date:	2008-07-08 16:15
	Subject:	It's gone on long enough.
	Security:	Public

In November of 2007 Khai Ratner, aka shivra, aka Arvish, aka Shiv posted on one of the fursuiting communities saying that they needed some fursuit supplies, and were willing to trade art for them.

I happened to have what he (or she, I actually have no idea) needed on hand, and wanted a drawing of one of my characters, so I agreed to the trade. I also gave him a whole bunch of tips and advice about fursuit building. On November 20th I shipped everything out. After about three weeks, having heard nothing, I e-mailed to ask if the stuff had arrived. It had, but he had forgotten who had sent it and had lost all my e-mails. I should probably have started worrying then, but I can be absent-minded myself, so I didn't think anything of it. I re-sent my reference pictures, and Khai promised me that he would have something for me the next day. He didn't, but did by the day after, so I wasn't too fussed. Just some very rough stick-figure-ish pose sketches, but I approved one of them.

I never got a response to my approving the sketch. About a month later I decided that I was getting a little impatient, so I e-mailed and asked if there was any progress. I got no response. About two weeks or so after that I e-mailed again, just asking if there was any progress, and if he had an estimate on when it would be completed. Still no response. A week after THAT I sent a somewhat irate letter. I'll give the actual text of it here:

"Considering that I've already sent you everything on my side of this
trade, could you at least have the courtesy to respond to my question?
I don't mind waiting, but I would like to know how long. If I don't
get a response of some kind soon I'm going to be forced to consider
you a dead-beat. Please, just let me know how long you're likely to
be, that's all I want to know."

That got me a response, finally:

"Hey! sorry I've been in new york for a while. I'm not one to not reply to things. :X
I've got a few deadlines to do and then I'll finish up what I've done for you. You wanted a reference or just a general image?"

At this point I was getting kind of pissed, honestly, but I tried to keep it polite and answered the question about what I wanted. Three weeks later I yet again e-mailed, just asking how much longer it would be. I got a response with line art that was pretty decent. The message said only "How's this look? Ok for color?" I said it was lovely, and it was fine for color, and also said thanks. Maybe I would get my art after all!

So I sat back to wait. Three months later, in April of this year, I finally got tired of waiting and yet again asked if there was any progress. Khai told me that there wasn't any, but that I was at the top of his list for completion asap. I said thanks and waited some more.

A month later I asked again if there had been any progress. No response. Two weeks after that I asked again. No response. Two weeks after THAT I sent an e-mail saying that this was getting absurd and would he please let me know when I could expect my art.

He responded with the following:

"I did send you the lineart and asked about a color ref, if you didn't get
it, here it is again.
Sorry!"

Now, let's see... when he said he's lost my original e-mail, I re-sent my references, including a color ref. When he sent me the line art, he said only "okay for color?" and did NOT ask for a color ref. So I have just been LIED TO. I will admit that at this point I got slightly sarcastic. Here's my response:

""How's this look? Ok for color?"
That's what you said, and I said yes. You didn't ask anything about a
color ref, what I quoted there was the whole message you sent me with
the line art. I gave you a color ref when we first discussed this,
so I don't know why you suddenly need one, particularly as after that
message with the line art, you then sent me a message saying you would
finish it asap. In April. Two months ago.
If, for some bizarre reason, you really do need a color ref again, here it is."

That was at the end of May. I got no response to that message. But he had my ref for certain this time, so maybe I might still get my art. So I waited some more. This last week (July 6th) I e-mailed one last time, asking him to please let me know how it was coming. He said that he apologized for "all this" and that he'd just pay me for the supplies.

So fine. I'll take the money. I'm beyond pissed off at this point, I wanted art, not a few bucks, but whatever. So I said yes and gave him my paypal, expecting payment that day. Or maybe the next? Well, it's the day after THAT now, and given the fact that I've had no response, and given the past history of ignoring me, brushing me off and outright lying to me I'm sick of waiting. Two days is plenty of time to send a paypal in, and if he couldn't send it that fast he could at least reply to my e-mail and let me know.

Maybe I'll get the money eventually. Maybe I won't. Maybe seeing this here will get through to him, he's a member of this community. At this point I honestly don't care, I'm never going to see the art I wanted, and it's not enough money for me to pitch a fit over, but I figure I should share this, so that nobody else has to go through this crap with him. I could happily wait eight or nine months for good art, if I was told up front it would be that long, and if I was kept up to date and not ignored or lied to. But given the ignoring and lying to, and given that I was given the rather strong impression that it would be much, much sooner than nine months later, I'm not at all happy with this transaction.

Edit: I have now been paid, so this not a case of ripping off somebody or cheating them. I did not post this as some sort of attack or smear. I realize that the artist had the best of intentions at the beginning, but you know what they say about good intentions. And if an artist is going to behave in such an unprofessional manner (and I have now had two private messages saying that they are aware of or have suffered from similar behavior from this artist) then people ought to know about it so they can enter a transaction informed, rather than ignorant as I was at the beginning of all this.

	User:	arslongu
	Date:	2008-07-08 20:16
	Subject:	Now i know Why I like Capt. Jack Harkness so darn well...lol
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	amused

Your result for The Attachment Style Test...

The Player

25% Anxiety Over Abandonment and 45% Avoidance Of Intimacy

Take The Attachment Style Test at HelloQuizzy

	User:	artoftheempath
	Date:	2008-07-09 09:31
	Subject:	New Artwork: The First Dragon
	Security:	Public

Title: The First Dragon
Medium: Graphite
Size: 12"x17"
Represents: Dreams (Celestial Card)

High on the mountain, high in the clouds
Close to the heavens, behind misted shroud
Old beyond time, the First Dragon dwells
Working wild magicks and dark ancient spells

	User:	artists_beware (posted by hitchhyena)
	Date:	2008-07-07 21:10
	Subject:	Two Artists to beware of.
	Security:	Public

I don't like doing this, but being out a decent sum of money, for nothing does tend to make one angry. Until now, I have never had a bad experince with artists, they almost always complete my commission in a short amount of time, and I am not picky, and am almost always satasfied with the first sketch, and even more so with the finial product.

Recently, two artists have taken my money and ran

MarkWulfgar AKA RackunWolf

I commissioned Rackun September of last year, asking for a two character, color commission, which I later changed to just a single character commssion, in color. Over time I have asked him a number of times if he's going to get around to it, or when he'll have time to at least show me a sketch; Nothing, always excuse after excuse. First he's sick, then he's too depressed, or he becomes too busy or my favorite, he just flat out ignores me.

After some research I have since come to belive the name Rackun is just an alias for Mark Wulfgar. I paid though PayPal, and the address my money was sent too belonged to Mark, when I confronted him about it, in question, he came up with 10 different, very lame excuses, that oh, we share a paypal address and he's my room mate, and stuff like that.

He still to this day is ignoring me, so I figure by this time, I'm out my money. I just don't want to see anyone els go though this with him.

AlabasterTBSB

I put in a commission with him about 6 months ago now, and when I try to contact him by IM, he ignores me and never responds. I have had him respond a couple times to me on Fur Affinity telling me he's still going to do it, then like usual, nothing. He just ignores me some more. 

I met him at MFF '07, and he told me he would do me a commission, but I was extreamly sick the entire convention so I waited until it was over to catch up to him on FA, and I did, and then I pay him, though paypal, and nothing.

________________________________________________


I'm out that money to them, they'll never complete my commissions, and I think everyone deserved to know that they just burn people, steal their money and run. I could have taken the money I paid them, and commissioned BlackTeagan and gotten EXTREAMLY professional results, and wonderful art. But no, I commissioned these two for something neat and unique, and they think I was a charity, take my money and run off in to the night. Good job guys. Bravo.

	User:	artists_beware (posted by hellebore)
	Date:	2008-07-08 15:55
	Subject:	An Odd Area
	Security:	Public

I was browsing FAP today when I came across a "card" similar to one used for Magic the Gathering or what not. On it, was an image that was made for me featuring my characters. The character names were changed and apparently the artist who made the original image submitted it to a site that wants to print and sell this card as a part of a deck at Anthrocon next year.

Can I do anything about this? Or am I screwed? I have a feeling I'm screwed, but I'm kinda upset about it :/