Mary Sue

a term used for a character in a piece of fiction who is really the author’s idealized self-image, often shallow and uninteresting to anyone but the author. Mary Sues dominate any story in which they are included and are most often seen in online fan fiction. The term originated with Paula Smith’s 1974 character from Star Trek fan fiction.

I added a link taking you to a “Mary Sue Litmus Test” to help you determine if you’ve fallen into lazily writing this over-cliched character.

Note: There are many many Mary Sue litmus tests available on the web, some pretty extensive ones at that.  I chose this one because it specifically pertained to the creation for characters in original fiction, whereas most include one or more sections of FanFic and/or RPG characters.  I figured this would be more helpful to people are writing something intended to be actually published.

Today is the Hindu celebration of Diwali ¹ or “the festival of lights.”  My partner is hindu so I have been celebrating since I moved to Australia three years ago.

In preparation for the holiday, everyone cleans their houses, trims their gardens and makes enough sweets to kill an army of diabetics.  On the day everyone dresses in new brightly colored clothes and visits all their friends and family to share the afore mentioned sweets with one another.  At night lots (and I mean lots) of candles are lit all around the yard and sparklers are waved.  It is the festival of lights, after all.

At some point there is a service to worship Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity.  It is said the reason everyone is so keen on cleaning their house and buying new clothes is that however you are on Diwali, you will spend the rest of the year.  In other words, filthy house today, filthy house for the next 365.  Be prosperous now, be prosperous later.

This is the big holiday for the Hindu faith.  The Indian Christmas, if you will.  It’s so important that it is a national holiday in India, and everyone spends the night having fun and setting off firecrackers. ²

There is something about this celebration that really appeals to me. Not only is it aesthetically appealing and we get an excuse to eat all day, but we get to spend it among some of those we love the most.  I also really like the idea that we get a blank slate every year.  If you have a rough year, you get to put it behind you and start anew. We could all use that sometimes.

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New Article posted.

The Twilight Saga: Shimmering Vampires Who Drive Volvos

You know, to follow my apparent recent vampire theme.

Posted a new link on my Articles page.  But you can read it here, also.

How vampires got all touchy feely.

Now that I have experienced the joy getting my first job in the script department of a real life television show, it is inevitable that I will have to experience the joy of having the show axed and me losing said job.

I am no professional photographer, but I love taking pictures.  For the longest time I have wanted a “real” camera to snap some shots with.  No point in shoot, but a cool on with one of those twisty things out the front –

It may be possible to guess that I know nothing about buying a camera, which is the main reason  I haven’t gotten one.  However, when I went to India this past October, I decided that as soon as I had the money I just had to get me one.  I tried going to various brand sites and looking at the specs for their models, but I think it might have actually been more helpful if they were written in French.  I was overwhelmed by the complicated jargon about lenses and ISO and viewfinders.  ¹  I have given up the search about six times since October, and within ten minutes of each attempt.

I have found my godsend.  Digital SLR Guide dot Com.  It assumes you’re an idiot and explains everything in plain simple English and walks you through every step of figuring out what camera is right for you, starting with “what kind of photographer are you” because, as it turns out, that matters.  See, it’s already helping me.

Then after you figure it out if you want to take pictures of every detail of your kids drool or cars going by, it allows you to compare cameras by a number of different ways: cost, size, speed, features, you name it.  Then it walks you through all that.  The first place I went, of course, was by cost, and personally, I appreciate the website for not judging me for it.

What I like best about the site, is the guy has a clear love for cameras and spends a lot of time making sure his sites is the most helpful it can be.  There’s something about enthusiasm on top of knowledge that is really appealing.  Not to mention, the site allows you to read as much or as little as you need to make a pretty informed decision (even on accessories and lenses) and when you think you’re ready, the website walks you right up to the buying process, including it’s own store. 

I haven’t had a chance to read the entire site, but from what I have read, I have already learned a lot from, so if you have any interest in graduating from “point-and-shoot” to a “real” camera, check it out.

This week on Entertainment Weekly’s website, the run a story (? is that what we call it?) listing the top 17 DVR “No Delete” episodes of all time. ¹   EW is famous for the list that no one cares about (No? Okay well known to myself at least) because let’s face it, people need a bit of time between each time you rearrange the top 50 Movies of All Time list.  Expecting a filler list here and there is, well, expected.  But this ones a doosey. 

First off, the list is off to a roaring start with the fact that there is seventeen items on it.  What? You couldn’t find a few more to make it an even twenty?  The remaining three are the ones you’ll “probably delete the next you run out of space.”

The List is as follows — and I don’t even think it’s a count down to be perfectly honest.

1. “I Will Remember You”  – Angel (not off to a bad start)
2. Rosie/Elisabeth View Blowout  (what does that even mean?)
3. Two episodes of The Golden Girls, only referenced as “the mystery one” and “the one with a nurse” (so now the fake list is cheating.  And with very little research.)
4. “Naked Man” – How I Met Your Mother
5. “The one where Jim Plays a Banjo at the end” — The Office (are we even trying still?)
6. The Scrubs Musical Episode (which I found to be grating and a bit derivative)
7. 30 Rock’s ”MILF Island” episode  (Saved by the Baldwin)
8. The series finale of The West Wing (Of all the awesome episodes written, a hundred written by the Sorkin himself, we choose the most tired predictable episode of the season.  Fine, at least they swung for the bleachers.)
9. ”Once More With Feeling.” – Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Buffy and Angel on one list.  That only has 17 in it, no less.  Go, geeks, go.)
10. The series finale of The O.C.  (Once again, I could probably list 20 that are better than this.  All from Season 1)
11. ”Patriot Games” – Family Guy (Haven’t personally seen this ep specifically, but a point for the obscurity.)
12. “A couple episodes” from Felicity (okay, see, now you’re cheating again)
13.  90210 where Dylan marries Toni (I actually have nothing to add one way or the other, sorry to build your expectations)
14. The Rick James episode ofChappelle’s Show ( What?! Really?  Gag.)
15. ‘The Constant.” – Lost (I stopped watching lost after season 2 because it turned to wank, but okay, if you say so)
16. ”Post-it Always Sticks Twice” – Sex and the City (This just seems like an obligatory mention by this point)
17. Saturday Night Live ”J*zz in My Pants” (ARGLLLL!!)

Besides the fact that most of these are not even real episodes, this is the most obscure list I have ever come in contact with.  And I make a many of lists.  It goes from Geek to 80’s sitcoms to just random bits of episodes and then back again taking a loop around the lowest common denominator.  Who is this list trying to appeal to, exactly?  Are we being ecclectic to prove that there is unforgettable television everywhere?  Well, if it were so damn unforgettable why are only a few of the episodes actually named by titled instead of “the one where something happens to some person and it was funny, sorta.”  Ugh.  I, as a list maker and television view alike, am personally offended by the nonsense of this list.  This list maker should be fired  and they should hire someone who can make better lists with multiples of fives and proper labelling.  And a descending order, dammit!

Hippies. Sigh.

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Hello all,

I have returned from my India vacation. I am inclined to tell you how AWESOME it truly was, but I understand that no one wants to watch other peoples’ vacation videos, so I’ll keep it to myself. Anyway, there are more important things at hand. Did you happen to see what day it is? I don’t know about you, but I will be watching updates on TV and the internet every minute for the next 24 hours. And if you wish to do the same, I found this to help you.

Also, there is a great Election Widget page on the Huffington Post today, but mind you that most stuff won’t be updated until polls start closing.

Happy Voting!

Hiya folks.  While I apologize deeply for keeping you waiting with quasi-bated breath for my next post, I am here to inform you that you are going to have to wait a bit longer.  I am going to India for a couple weeks and I find it highly unlikely that I will have time to post in this time.  However, I am excited and can’t wait to tell everyone about it when I get back.

Also, the wonderful Jane Espenson pointed to me to yet another intriguing looking fellowship.  This one, called Writers on the Verge, is a budding program sponsored by the NBC.  It’s slightly different to the ABC Disney but looks interesting enough.  Take a look.

I just started to be able to write “2008″ at the top of my papers without having to write 2007 before it, however, today in the store as I was tripping over the “2009 Calenders” into the Christmas trees, I realized I must be an idiot.