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catherineldfand rant about some things.
Got 2 rejections this week. Yes, I know; we all get them. I just haven't gotten any in quite awhile so 2 in the same week is sort of a punch to the solar plexus.
The fact that this happened a few days before my first local reading from 'Crave' is definitely less than helpful. I'm in full-blown fret mode that no one will show up, that all the copies of the book that anyone is going to buy, they bought at WisCon, etc., etc. And the house is a mess and I'm currently hating my day job. Granted, this last part happens every time I'm reminded that there's something better out there, namely my writing life. IT has its moments but it's definitely second best. I expect I'll be numb again in a day or two but reemersing myself is always killer.
Parts of the post-WisCon week were good though. I had a lovely time scavenger hunting and lunching withelisem yesterday. I also had a fine movie going extravaganza to the fabulous Heights Theater (http://www.heightstheater.com/) with a number of lovely and fun people.
The movie in question was 'Pirates of Caribbean III,' about which I shall briefly rant. There will be spoilers so if those disturb you, skip down to the phrase 'Done now.'
Okay, so it was 3 hours long, which was a tad unnecessary. It was much, much better than the 2nd one. Better writing, better acting, and mostly fun.
Except...why must every movie/tv show I see lately end with or focus on the same bizarre pro-natalist crap that our beloved government cranks out? And why must every woman who becomes a goddess/extremely powerful become helpless or irrelevant or invisible if she falls in love? Elizabeth Swan goes from captain to Pirate King but does not develop any noticeable sailing skills. At least her fighting isn't played for laughs so they get points on that. However, she gives it all up to go hang out on an island somewhere and wait around for Will Turner to pop back from the land of the dead. Every ten years. I kid you not. What does she do in the mean time? Crank out a son who can look winsome while singing very clean pirate songs. Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against children and motherhood. I just know a lot of women, myself included, who aren't interested in/cut out for it. Yet I see show after show where women become pregnant 'accidentally' and immediately want to carry the pregnancy to term, then give up the rest of their lives to become fulltime mommies. Most working women I know who have kids can't afford to quit their jobs and many don't want to. And quite a few women who get pregnant unintentionally still attempt to exercise what remaining options they have. So why is it different when this concept hits Washington or Hollywood?
Back to the movie. Then there's Calypso. Okay, long ago she was defeated and made human because she was betrayed by the man she loved. In 'Pirates III,' the pirate leaders (points for making one of them an Asian woman, which has a herstorical basis) reluctantly make her a goddess again. She's royally P.O.'ed, makes a big whirlpool and then...that's it. Lover/betrayer falls overboard during fight, no more whirlpool, no more anything. So the message seems to be that falling in love makes women powerless and irrelevant? Having your man is everything? You think she'd want a more interesting vengeance at the very least.
So not a completely satisfying experience by a long shot.
Okay, done now.
Got 2 rejections this week. Yes, I know; we all get them. I just haven't gotten any in quite awhile so 2 in the same week is sort of a punch to the solar plexus.
The fact that this happened a few days before my first local reading from 'Crave' is definitely less than helpful. I'm in full-blown fret mode that no one will show up, that all the copies of the book that anyone is going to buy, they bought at WisCon, etc., etc. And the house is a mess and I'm currently hating my day job. Granted, this last part happens every time I'm reminded that there's something better out there, namely my writing life. IT has its moments but it's definitely second best. I expect I'll be numb again in a day or two but reemersing myself is always killer.
Parts of the post-WisCon week were good though. I had a lovely time scavenger hunting and lunching with
elisem yesterday. I also had a fine movie going extravaganza to the fabulous Heights Theater (http://www.heightstheater.com/) with a number of lovely and fun people. The movie in question was 'Pirates of Caribbean III,' about which I shall briefly rant. There will be spoilers so if those disturb you, skip down to the phrase 'Done now.'
Okay, so it was 3 hours long, which was a tad unnecessary. It was much, much better than the 2nd one. Better writing, better acting, and mostly fun.
Except...why must every movie/tv show I see lately end with or focus on the same bizarre pro-natalist crap that our beloved government cranks out? And why must every woman who becomes a goddess/extremely powerful become helpless or irrelevant or invisible if she falls in love? Elizabeth Swan goes from captain to Pirate King but does not develop any noticeable sailing skills. At least her fighting isn't played for laughs so they get points on that. However, she gives it all up to go hang out on an island somewhere and wait around for Will Turner to pop back from the land of the dead. Every ten years. I kid you not. What does she do in the mean time? Crank out a son who can look winsome while singing very clean pirate songs. Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against children and motherhood. I just know a lot of women, myself included, who aren't interested in/cut out for it. Yet I see show after show where women become pregnant 'accidentally' and immediately want to carry the pregnancy to term, then give up the rest of their lives to become fulltime mommies. Most working women I know who have kids can't afford to quit their jobs and many don't want to. And quite a few women who get pregnant unintentionally still attempt to exercise what remaining options they have. So why is it different when this concept hits Washington or Hollywood?
Back to the movie. Then there's Calypso. Okay, long ago she was defeated and made human because she was betrayed by the man she loved. In 'Pirates III,' the pirate leaders (points for making one of them an Asian woman, which has a herstorical basis) reluctantly make her a goddess again. She's royally P.O.'ed, makes a big whirlpool and then...that's it. Lover/betrayer falls overboard during fight, no more whirlpool, no more anything. So the message seems to be that falling in love makes women powerless and irrelevant? Having your man is everything? You think she'd want a more interesting vengeance at the very least.
So not a completely satisfying experience by a long shot.
Okay, done now.
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no subject
Date: 2007-06-04 02:18 am (UTC)And the whole Jack Madness scene was a little ah, uhm, ur, stupid???? Not well executed. Norrington's death, I'm cool with that and how it went down. But yeah, why can't good Lizzy be Pirate Queen and lover to the Dutchman in carnate?
no subject
Date: 2007-06-04 04:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-04 04:39 pm (UTC)Anyway, why doesn't someone write some novels where the man becomes powerless and irrelevant when he falls in love? Yeah right, it wouldn't sell. But seriously getting your mate (whatever sex or orientation) should be fullfilling, but not a "be all" or "end all" type thing.
BTW, two rejections is better than no entries. Just know that they missed out and some other publisher will be lucky.
no subject
Date: 2007-06-04 11:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-04 11:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-04 11:24 pm (UTC)