Thursday, May 3, 2012

That linking feeling

One of my goals this year was to blog more. Mostly to get my head into a writing space, thinking about composing my thoughts and perhaps give them a more rigorous test then they would if they remained idle thoughts in my head. I believe I have been successful in getting my fingers on the keys to get the dreams out and the content made. One should celebrate victories, no matter how small.

Looking over the past month and a half of blog entries, I noticed my abandonment of hypertext, aiming to just get the words out. In business lingo, I am not providing that value add services that establish my brand in the market place of ideas (I don't know which rhetoric bothers me more, capitalism or socialism. God, I am become an old liberal).

Joking aside, I really should incorporate more links. As much as my words should do all the heavy lifting, there are items and elements I discuss that would benefit from a quick pop out to the Internet. One cannot change the past, but I can make amends for the future. I don't plan on making everything a link, but I will try to highlight elements more with the internet's assistance.

In light of this I have put together a couple of links on subject matters that have been I rattling around in my mind. Enjoy!

Gaiman talking about writing: one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman has recently running a sort of series on writing questions. He answers questions then advises he will be compiling it into a mega blog post on writing. I assume the intention of it being the ultimate go to place for questions about writing and allows him to stop worrying he is repeating himself or getting annoyed about being asked to repeat himself, but I digress. I feel for the man because writing advice is either overly general/obvious (finish what you start, submit it to people who will publish that sort of thing, work on your grammar, etc.) or really specific (word order, paragraph structure, what to cut or keep, i.e editing). I can't imagine how Gaiman will satisfy the questioners without becoming their editor, which really isn't his job.

Art & Letters Daily have had a couple interesting articles about the nature of culture. They curators of the site have a low opinion of the instutionalization of writing. The concern that all writing is becoming separated from the world with writers writing for other writers. I must confess that I am in the middle ground of this argument. Or rather when I think about it I keep coming back to the same thought. We need both, writers professionally trained, but also interesting people who take up the pen to write their story or bare witness to one. I wonder if the problem is that readers are not omnivores. They find what they like and don't really challenge themselves. I may challenge myself with philosophical texts, but I like philosophical texts, but I loathe the thought of reading a modern romance

They also had a cool article on what a foreign reporter carries with them.

I have been enjoying the developments at Penny Arcade as they slowly become a very impressive web-based company. Also I feel that the flourishing partnership with Scott Kurtz has been great. The web television is quite cool.

I have been following some comics, some epic, some silly, some odd

Finally there be board games

Later

S

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