Notes, Notings, and Common Refrains

Now that I've decided to do NaNoWriMo...

Sun, 08 Oct 2017 19:46:04 GMT

Note: I may see the results of this poll and decide to go against all your wishes. Having what I don't want made clear is just as helpful as having what I do want made clear.

View Poll: Which plot bunny should I feed?

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[NaNoWriMo] [Poll] Letting my Inner Critic have her say ...

Sun, 13 Oct 2013 19:43:56 GMT

... before I banish her for a month. She's insisting that I should at least be sure of my format before I start. And I suppose she's right.

The story I want to do is a retelling-reworking of Hans my Hedgehog. The biggest change I want to make to the original story is that the marriage to the "Good Princess" would come closer to the middle than the end of the story, and it would not break the spell. Hans would remain in his half-man / half-hedgehog form. After all, Hans's form brought more pain and shame to his father than it ever brought to Hans, himself. And also, it's a more interesting story if, after he inherits his bride's kingdom, he's given the challenge of being a monarch when his subjects view him as a monster... It's easy to inspire loyalty when you're pretty to look at...

But: right now, I'm wambling between two, or possibly three, different time-settings-tones. And whichever one I ultimately pick would radically change the mechanics of my plot. So I'm going to list the pros and cons of each one, and then, I'll post a poll for all you good folk to give me feedback. Whether your answers tickle me, or annoy me -- either way, I'll be clearer on my true desires (fingers crossed that there's no three-way tie).

( Option One )

( Option Two )

( Option Three )

And now: The Poll!
(If you're reading this on LJ, and don't want to log into Open-Identity, you can just tell me which of the three options you think I should pick in a comment.)

View Poll: Help me Decide!

And finally, for your enjoyment and my inspiration... A key plot element of Hans-my-Hedgehog is his love of playing the bagpipes (they were never just Scottish). Here's someone playing a replica of a 17th Century set of the smallest of the German Shepherd's Pipes -- which would be the most likely right size for an eight-year-old hedgehog boy. Imagine being lost in a deep, dark wood, and hearing a sound like this drifting down from somewhere in the canopy above you:

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I'm still a blocked writer; polls clear the mind

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:53:12 GMT

View Poll: writing a novel-on-the-fly is like wondering a maze, and I've come upon another dead end

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Disability Pride Flag? (with questions)

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 21:06:04 GMT

(cross-posted from disability)

Back on July 31, Dave Hingsburger, author of "Rolling around in my Head," blogged about the International Maritime Signal Flag "Foxtrot" (a red 'diamond' on a white square field), and its meaning: "I'm Disabled; Communicate with me." And announced that he would be using that as his "Disability Pride Flag" to wave at parades, and hang out his window.

Here's a link: Wave Your Flag

I have mixed feelings -- five of them, as a matter of fact:

1. I like the idea of a disability pride flag.

2. I like the idea of a disability pride flag that is an abstract symbol (rather than something like the wheelchair access icon -- which privileges visible, mobility-based disabilities over others)

3. I don't like the idea of appropriating an existing flag, which already has its own set of meanings (which vary by context, and is complicated by the fact that NATO has decided that, for them, each flag means something different). If I'm going to wave a flag to show my pride in my community, I want it to be unique.

4. Besides, the flag's original meaning for "Disabled" is "I'm stuck. I need help!"

5. I see this as a challenge to come up with my own flag design. (*grin*) Hence, the questions.

---
A) Should I start with the maritime signal flag idea, and modify it (I've already come up with two designs by combining two different flags, but I'm not sure I'm happy with them), or should I start from scratch?

B) Each element on a flag usually represents a key idea or belief. My ideas for a Disability Pride flag are: eccentricity (in the literal sense -- we're "off-center" in our wider communities, and need to find our own way through), self-advocacy, adaptability, and community. What are yours?

C) Now, this is pure fun -- what are your favorite flag colors?

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"Chaotic Good Spillage" (Art/Writing filter) Unfiltered.

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 23:45:14 GMT

This is the kind of entry I'd ordinarily post to my custom creativity filter, but this time I'm crowd-sourcing. So I want my whole circle to see it.

(poll on DreamWidth; same questions to answer on LiveJournal, via comments):

View Poll: My Zazzle Store!

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AAAH! Bunnies! My brain is overrun with bunnies!!!

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 04:33:19 GMT

And they're not all plot bunnies, either.

Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon, you have a dozen -- John Steinbeck.

So, back in July, I started playing around with the idea of setting up my own CafePress store. And some of the things I worked on over this last National Art Making Month were ideas I could maybe adapt into CafePress designs. This one is closest to being ready for primetime, I think.*

But just as I'm getting my head around creating and selling, it seems like half my circle-f'list is getting rid of stuff and/or moving house. So ...um... my timing probably couldn't be worse.

However, I may just make a go of it anyway, especially with this design, as "plot bunnies" have wide appeal on the Internets. Hence, the poll:

View Poll: Trinkets to buy! lovely trinkets to buy! Who will buy my trinkets?

Also, in doing image research for this design, I surfed a lot of youtube vids for people's shots of their pet rabbits. And I learned something: just as whales "breach" when they're feeling happy or energetic, so rabbits "do a Binky" (yeah, I know, humans can come up with the silliest names for things). Here's a vid of a wild bunny binkying

I have a whole new mental image of mad plot bunnies, now (it's maddening when they won't let you go to sleep! ;-)).

*(I might rearrange it to put the "normal/parent bunnies" on top, and their mad offspring below them

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It's Poll Tiem!

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 06:51:42 GMT

I have mixed feelings about covering wheelchairs with stickers... But then, I've seen what people do with their cars... And I don't drive (a car) And putting stickers with messages on my chair would be one way to communicate with people who may stare at me, but who wouldn't engage me in conversation.

And, also, I'm kind of tired of the all-black of my chair's upholstery. I want to stick some color on it. So:

View Poll: I want to cover my chair with stickers!

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Another poll, just because

Sun, 30 May 2010 01:44:54 GMT

I'm working on the Triple-season-ending Big Red Reset Button Spoiler post. But I don't have the stamina to finish it, today. It will have to be something I write in installments.

In the meantime-- a poll.

The icon on this post is one I made from a quote I associate with my Father.

Now, I want to make an icon based on a quote I associate with my Mother. She wasn't as woo-woo philosophical as my father was, but she had her sense of humor and opinions.

I'm writing the poll out, so people on lj can see what it is, and if they want to vote on it:

Which of these quotes (and/or paraphrases) should I make into an icon? I have space to add up to twelve, hence the tickity-boxes...

If today were a fish, I'd throw it back in the water.
(When suffering from a cold or other illness): Think I'll die; afraid I won't. (and/or) Her face was flushed ...but her broad shoulders saved her.
"They?" Who are "they?!"
You bet your bippy! (okay, this isn't original to her, probably, but I first heard it from her, when I was in my early single digits)

View Poll: #3273

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Salmagundi, (or potpourri), and a poll:

Sun, 23 May 2010 23:08:06 GMT

( Um.. Salmagundi? Was he the dude who was 'born on Monday?' )

( Luck: the good, the bad, and the privileged. )

( Ugh. Sometimes, the soundtracks to my dreams (and my life) *suck* )

The Poll:

View Poll: Still not confident writing skiffy skience

The neat thing about DreamWidth polls:

Anyone with an OpenID can vote in them; you do not need a DreamWidth account.
If you have a LiveJournal Account, you already have an OpenID.

( How to log into DreamWidth, using your LiveJournal Account )

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It's still my Birthday (week)!

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 20:01:00 GMT

So I posted a poll on my LiveJournal

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