A New Blog

I haven't been this excited about sharing news with you, my readers, for a while.

In my last post, I raised the idea of starting a new site to focus on my college experiences. I decided to go along with that idea, and that site is now live! Please feel free to stop by, and let me know if you have any thoughts about the content, design, or anything, really. I love feedback!

Adventures and Escapades

adventuresofaneagle.blogspot.com

That being said (or, rather, presented to you as a large heading), I will still post here, on The Eagle's Aerial Perspective, to keep it alive and to share ideas that might be too unrelated to the new blog. Hope you will all drop by either blog from time to time!

And now I must go read some of your blogs, something I haven't done in far too long. If you've commented recently, I should be visiting your website soon!

-----The Golden Eagle

A Potential New Beginning!

Hello blogosphere!

I hope you've all been doing well and have been enjoying your summer.

It's been a (very) long time since I posted on here, and an even longer time since I talked with any of you guys. Sometimes I wonder if I should go on permanent hiatus and leave this website here as an archive of the years I spent on Blogger, rather than a live site . . . but to be honest, I'm really not sure I want to. I may have changed since I created it (definitely changed, actually) and I may be about to start up a new chapter in my life (college awaits in the fall! Only four weeks until move-in day), yet I remain quite attached to this blog, despite the fact I've posted five times in the past two years and I'd like to revamp some of the elements of The Eagle's Aerial Perspective.

I've been thinking about what I want to do. Remain in the blogosphere but create an all-new blog? Keep posting here? At the heart of the issue is whether I think I have the time and the will to blog in college--I'd love to chronicle my experiences, if even a post or two a month, since my school is relatively close to one of the largest US cities and I'm hoping to have some neat adventures. (Plus normal college student studying nightmares fun times.)

So the more I thought about it, the more I've decided I like the "new blog" idea. Get a new URL, start a new site for my upcoming years of college, and maybe occasionally update this one so it's not completely dead. Would you any of you be interested in following a new blog of mine? I'm kind of assuming I'm not posting to a total vacuum right now, but then it has been quite a while . . .

But that's enough about me. How have you been? What's been happening in your life over the past few months?


-----The Golden Eagle

It's Fall

. . . and this year, the trees seem to have synced up perfectly with the dates. The maple trees around here have turned bright red, gold, and yellow and it's very colorful.

As usual, autumn looks like it will be my favorite season out of the year. Weather to look forward, exciting things to do, projects to be finished, and holidays to be celebrated. Sure, it's busy, yet that's also a good part of the reason why I'm looking forward to the next few months.

What are you looking forward to this season?

*And in case you're wondering, no, that's not a picture I took. But it looks like that here.


-----The Golden Eagle

Top 4 Reasons Why Blogging Is A Good Idea

(. . . from the perspective of someone who has decided to get back into this part of the blogosphere one step at a time, beginning with a new post.)*

1. It keeps the brain moving.
Not blogging means I'm not looking for post ideas and I'm not considering all the things I could be posting about from everyday experience. My mind isn't putting thoughts on the back burner to be turned into scintillating (or at least vaguely shiny in patches) posts to be published later.

2. Writing skills are always put to the test.
From speed typing to constructing my last sentence, I feel like my writing has deteriorated a bit since I stopped posting and commenting regularly, which is probably part of the reason why I let it slide for so long. Time to get my writing mojo back with some good old blogging time. (Maybe not as much as before, but a little. Every week. For the foreseeable future.)

3. All the interesting things happening in the blogosphere.
I miss know about this event or that blogfest, even if I'm not participating in them. There are so many great challenges circulating people's blogs year-round (including ones I know I've missed that I wish I had done, like the A to Z Blogging Challenge). I have no idea what's happening or coming up soon, and look forward to getting a sense of what exciting things have been happening while I disappeared.

4. The people.
More than knowing I'm missing out on some great blogging events, I miss knowing what's going on with all you fellow bloggers. I have no idea who's left, who's still here, and who's made their debut. I miss commenting on your blogs and reading posts, as well as reading your comments on my own blog. If you're here, hello there! Please leave a comment so I can go and check out your blog and say hello in your comment section. Seriously. I want to say hi to people.

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So yes. I'm back, for the time being. It's already going to be a busy year--I'm a senior in high school this fall and am preparing for college applications and all the required tests for said applications--but I felt like I needed to stop pushing blogging aside and spend some time around The Eagle's Aerial Perspective, even if it's just a little bit. 

I won't be able to put in the hours like I did when I was blogging in previous years (I used to blog at least three hours a day, each day of the week, and I simply can't do that now) and I won't be able to comment as much on other people's blogs (which bothers me even more, since I want to visit everyone who I know stops by here and I won't be able to reciprocate all the time) but I'll be trying to post at least twice a month (hopefully more!) and visiting you all when I can. I don't know precisely what I'll be posting about; I think it will remain a combination of all the things that interest me, as my header has declared since . . . oh, years ago. Hopefully there won't be too much nonsense.

And here we go! The Golden Eagle Blogs Again, version 2.0.

*I tried thinking of five things about blogging to make it a nice, typical number for a list, but I couldn't come up with a good fifth one. Oh well. Four is decent, right?

How are you guys doing? What's been your favorite moment from this year, so far?

-----The Golden Eagle

Random Things: CassaStorm, Autumn Weather, Monty Python And The Holy Grail, Colds, And Your Favorite Networking Platform

It's been a very long time since I did a post consisting of a random assortment of things I thought were blog-worthy. Since I'm attempting to get out of a slump, I thought I'd resurrect that old format just to get some words flowing. Here we go! (I know it's a bit long, but you can always skip to the categories you're interested in or ignore me entirely or take a snack break while you read this or whatever.)

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CassaStorm:

First, the news. Alex J. Cavanaugh's new book CassaStorm was released this week on the 17th, sequel to CassaStar and CassaFire, and has since reached the top 100 Space Opera books on Amazon. Huge congratulations, Alex!

Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.
     After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.
     Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could return. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…

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Autumn Weather: 

Now that fall is almost officially here (well, at least in this part of the world) I've fallen in love again with the cool temperatures, brilliant blue skies, changing leaves, and the sharp, fresh smell of the air. I adore this time of year, particularly right now, which is just before the nights get so cold you turn into an ice block when getting up in the morning.

via Pixabay.

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Monty Python and the Holy Grail:

Up until two weeks ago, I'd never actually watched anything involving Monty Python (it took me only slightly less time to realize Monty Python was, in fact, more than one person). I'd seen references to Monty Python and the Holy Grail both knowingly and unknowingly, so when I noticed the library had the Holy Grail I snagged it.

Most of my response for the duration of the film was "Ah, so that's what the 'it's just a flesh wound'/Knights who say Nii/killer rabbits/airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow/knights with coconuts for horses" scene comes from!" because I'd absorbed those through the internet. Particularly the killer rabbits bit; I was especially confused before about what the heck was going on in that scene. LOL.

It's quite funny, at any rate. I'd recommend it, if you don't mind British humor.

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Colds:

I have a cold. Apparently a lot of people are getting sick right now, and I really, really sympathize with them because needing to blow your nose every half minute and having a sore throat isn't fun. Also having your brain start physically feeling like the mushy, heavy, oversensitive thing that it is; I'm getting headaches now and again, which has never really happened before, that I can think of. Sigh. Maybe I'll make soup later or something. (And keep watching copious amounts of Whose Line Is It Anyway?)

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via Pixabay.

Favorite Networking Platform:

I'm curious. Obviously, if you're reading this now and have any intention of commenting on it, you're somewhat invested in Blogger as an internet platform--but if you had to choose, which would be your favorite? Not necessarily in a "if you could only use one for the rest of your internet life" sort of way, just as a "which has the best features/layout/people in your opinion" type of query. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.

I like Blogger/Wordpress as blog hosts since they have a pretty open and welcoming atmosphere, at least from what I've experienced, and they give you the ability to post a huge range of content. But I'm not sure about many of the other "social networking" platforms (except for Tumblr, which is opinionated, fast-moving, and extremely image-based), so I want to know what you guys think. Preferences? Dislikes? Things you'd change about a platform you use?

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Read CassaStorm yet? Enjoying or disliking your weather? Watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail? (And if you have, any recommendations on what to watch next?) Have a cold? Don't have a cold? What do you think of networking platforms and their differences?

And if you've made it to the end of this post, here, have some virtual cookies and/or hugs. (Though seeing as I have a cold, maybe not a hug . . . how about a warm cup of tea?)


-----The Golden Eagle

I Can't Believe It's Not August: An IWSG Post

The Insecure Writer's Support Group was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh and is co-hosted this month by Alex, Chemist Ken, S.L. Hennessy, Michelle Wallace, and Joylene Nowell Butler. More about the group.

This time, my insecurity is . . . well, time. Time and productivity. Time flies like an arrow (fruit flies like bananas) and I feel like I haven't done nearly as much writing as I could have this year, and it's already past Labor Day. Furthermore, I feel like I'm crashing on the blogging front as well, which I consider to be a kind of writing. I've been blogging, but not on The Eagle's Aerial Perspective, and I don't know for sure how to revitalize it.

I've been sinking time into Tumblr, and while Tumblr is a great deal of fun it's not the same as having to type things out and express ideas, and also to comment on other people's posts. So I suppose my insecurity is: How am I going to get back to blogging, for real this time? I've been considering jumping into some kind of prompt-influenced thing (if any of you would like to give me prompts for posts, I'd love it) or forcing myself to post every day to get me to at least visit my dash daily. I don't want to give up on Blogger, because this blog is important to me. (Much as that might not be apparent based on my lack of activity.)

What do you do when you're in a blogging slump and can't find the words? 


-----The Golden Eagle

Writing Styles: An IWSG Post

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh, and co-hosted this month by M. Pax, Karen Walker, and Melissa Maygrove. Find out more about the group.

My writing insecurity this month falls under the header of the subjectivity of different writing styles/voices. A lot of writers and authors these days seem to recommend, or at least lean toward, a very short, direct sort of style. Short sentences, simple sentence structure, uncomplicated dialogue. Granted, this style can be quite effective. But occasionally I hate it and I cannot really write it, or at least I don't enjoy writing it very much. My preference is for long, flowing sentences with plenty of semi-colons and hyphens, and as many variations in sentence structure as possible.

Of course, that goes against a lot of advice, particularly in terms of publication. My main question, I suppose, is whether my love of a . . . let's say, longer writing style (I'm sure there's a technical term I don't know or have forgotten) is actually just bad writing. My inclination is that it's not, but I'm wondering what your opinion is.

Do you consider a certain writing style better than others? If so, which one do you have a preference for? Or do you enjoy all styles?


-----The Golden Eagle

. . . Hello, Blogosphere

*ducks in anticipation of tomatoes*

So, I kind of took an unplanned hiatus from blogging, except for a guest post by the lovely Rachel Morgan last week. By so doing I missed a blogfest and the Insecure Writer's Support Group and have neglected visiting and commenting on blogs, which I feel terrible about. My apologies to all the hosts and to the wonderful people who came by and read and commented on my blog recently, because I really didn't keep up my end of the bargain here.

I'm not exactly back into the blogging swing, either. May and June have kind of been crazy months and the next couple of weeks promise to be even crazier. I'm aiming for July to sort out--well, reinstate--my blogging schedule completely (of course, right when Google Reader shuts down, hurrah), so this post is more of a I'm-not-dead-and-hope-you-still-remember-me kind of announcement. I'm definitely going to be publishing posts in the future, just not on as regular a basis until the dust settles.

But enough about me. Anything new with you? Really, tell me . . . got a new project, draft, book deal, agent, pet, kid, whatever? Is there exciting stuff happening in your life? What are you looking forward to right now?


-----The Golden Eagle

Unexpected Packages And Star Trek Into Darkness

So . . . this is a bit random, but I received a surprise in the mail and thought I'd share it with you guys, because all the nerds I know are a.) online and b.) mostly bloggers.

This was on the top of the steps leading to the house when we got home yesterday. My mom's response was a quick "That's not ours" because no one had ordered anything, but when I checked the label it was addressed to me. And it was from Paramount.

It was kind of obvious what the package was based on the shape, but I still had no idea what it was from. I've been playing around with the Star Trek Into Darkness app (which is pretty cool, by the way, even if the software it uses has to be reinstalled every so often) but hadn't put my address into that.

Then I found this paper attached by rubber band to the roll--

--which is something I had signed up for way back when, a few weeks after it launched in December. Are You the 1701? was just a black screen with a sign up form at that point and I couldn't resist, it being about Star Trek and looking so mysterious.

The other side of the paper said this:

And the 3D trailer is here. But anyway, here's the best bit:

The detail is impressive. I love just looking at it and admiring it--the poster's quite big, around 2.5x4.5 feet. For now it's going to stay in its packaging since I don't know what to do with it exactly (all my wall space is taken except for right across from where I sleep, and I'm not sure I want to stare at it when I've got insomnia, lovely as it is) though I'm definitely keeping the poster. (Insert obligatory comment about selling it on eBay as an antique in the future.)

Anyone else looking forward to the movie?


-----The Golden Eagle

Er, Hello Again . . .

I haven't quit blogging. Sure, I managed to leave The Eagle's Aerial Perspective lonely and abandoned for a week, but I'm not gone yet. I had surgery last Friday (I'm walking again and there's little pain) and haven't been doing much since then--well, other than watching videos and knitting a sweater--to let the incision heal, including using the computer.

This post is just to let you all know I don't think I'll be doing much blogging until the A to Z Blogging Challenge begins on April 1st. I might say something here if the urge strikes me, but other than that, I'll probably lie low and comment on a few blogs here and there. And read email--good grief, who knew how many emails could build up from a few days in the hospital.  LOL.

So, what's up with you? Any good news? Bad news? Anything exciting happen?

If you're participating in the A-Z Challenge, do you have a theme and/or have you pre-written your posts? Or are you planning to wing it?


-----The Golden Eagle

The National Wormhole Day Blog Hop

The National Wormhole Day Blog Hop is hosted by Stephen Tremp, Laura Eno, and L.G. Smith. Like the recent Back to the Future blogfest, it's based on time travel--though this time it's a person traveling through time, not a shoe box! It sounded like fun, so I signed up.

About the blogfest (from Stephen's blog):

What would you do or where would you go if you could traverse a wormhole through space or time just once? One safe round trip passage. Would you go back in time and talk some sense into a younger you? Go five years into the future and bring back the Wall Street Journal? See just how the heck the Great Pyramids of Giza were really built? View what the other side of the universe looks like? Kill Hitler?

I love speculating about the future; I am a huge fan of stories that cast human society forward hundreds or thousands of years. Therefore, I'd choose traveling through time to year 3001, just to see what it looks like--because while 2001 didn't turn out to be the milestone predicted I'm sure 3001 will be entirely different from today, either for better or for worse. Hopefully the better.

And (since this is for fun and I don't want to think about all the possible breakdowns of spacetime if time travel occurred) I'm pretty sure I'd try sticking around in the future for a while before cashing in on the second part of the "safe round trip". You know, move into a space colony, experience all the cool technology, eat amazing food, be amused by the historians who think Windows was the pinnacle of engineering a millennium before. The usual things one would do a thousand years after they were born.

What would you do if you ended up in the future? Where would you go if you could travel through time?

-----The Golden Eagle

You're All So Dedicated, And I'm Not: An IWSG Post

The blogosphere is rife with people pursuing their writing goals. There are a lot of inspiring stories; there are many success stories, a lot of ongoing journeys, and numerous struggles to actually get a book out there. Some of you have been writing for decades. I've seen posts on what feels like practically every writers' blogs saying something along the lines of "Writing is my life!"

Me, I sometimes feel like I shouldn't be part of some discussions because I'm not on a one-road quest for publication. Getting a book published (in print! On shelves! As an e-book! Through a publisher!) would be one of the highlights of my life, I'm sure, if it were ever to happen--but it's not Priority 1.

Basically, I worry writers will dislike me for not being dedicated enough, as writing is more of a hobby for me. I worry about being perceived differently because I'm not as passionate about the craft, unlike what seems to be the majority of people who write. I'm not about to throw myself into the painful process of querying and critique partners and pitches; I don't care enough at this point to run my work through that kind of stuff.

I sympathize with the trials of the writing process; I like to learn about the craft; but literary success is not something I'm going to be miserable about if I don't achieve it before I die. Writing is something I enjoy but I've never felt like it's my "true calling" or what have you. It's just fun, with occasional blood and sweat (and epithets hurled at the computer screen, if it's a particularly bad day).

What about you? Do you see writing as something you have to do and seeing your work published as your ultimate goal--or do you see it as something you do for fun, when you can, and without the publication process as the necessary endgame?

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About the IWSG (from the creator Alex J. Cavanaugh's blog):

It's time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic.

-----The Golden Eagle

Book Release: Overcoming Adversity: An Anthology For Andrew Edited By Nick Wilford

Today's the release date of Overcoming Adversity, the book compilation of all the blogfest entries from the Overcoming Adversity Blogfest Nick Wilford hosted a month ago.

I should probably mention my short story's in the anthology; not only am I excited to contribute to a book created for such a good cause (see the blurb below) this is actually the first time a piece of fiction I wrote has appeared in anything other than my blog.


Here's the info for Overcoming Adversity:


Blurb:

Cover design by D.R. Cartwright; concept by Ella Wilson.

A collection of seventy moving and uplifting original pieces - real life, flash fiction, and poetry - about battling against the odds and the ultimate triumph of the human spirit. The contributors include Amazon bestselling authors Alex J. Cavanaugh and Kyra Lennon, and the cream of upcoming talent.
     The anthology is part of a fundraising effort to send the editor's stepson, Andrew McNaughton, to a specialist college in England. Andrew has cerebral palsy, and is a remarkable young man with a promising future. However, the free further education options offered in his own country of Scotland will not challenge him and allow him to progress. In order to access the education he deserves, Andrew will have to pay exorbitant fees, thus creating a situation of discrimination.
     Help us get Andrew to college by buying a book that runs the full gamut of human emotions, ultimately leaving you inspired and glad to be alive. Whatever struggles you are going through, our sincere hope is that this book will help.

Purchase links:

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Overcoming-Adversity-Anthology-Andrew-ebook/dp/B00BM62EZA
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Adversity-Anthology-Andrew-ebook/dp/B00BM62EZA
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/290822
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17452314-overcoming-adversity

Editor Bio: Nick Wilford is a writer and stay-at-home dad. Once a journalist, he now makes use of those rare times when the house is quiet to explore the realms of fiction. When not writing he can usually be found spending time with his family or cleaning something. He has four short stories published in Writer’s Muse magazine. Nick is also co-running a campaign to get a dedicated specialist college built in Scotland. Visit him at http://nickwilford.blogspot.co.uk.









-----The Golden Eagle

Back from the Future Blogfest

The Back from the Future Blogfest is hosted by M. Pax, Suze, and Nicki Elson. The concept is really cool: Post about what you'd find in a time capsule you've sent yourself from the future. I love thinking about the future, so of course I signed up! (Sorry about posting so late, though. It's past 16:30 in my time zone . . . oops.)

From the hosts:

You're up before dawn on a Saturday when the doorbell rings. You haven't brewed your coffee so you wonder if you imagined the sound. Plonking the half-filled carafe in the sink, you go to the front door and cautiously swing it open. No one there. As you cast your eyes to the ground, you see a parcel addressed to you ... from you.

You scoop it up and haul it inside, sensing something legitimate despite the extreme oddness of the situation. Carefully, you pry it open. Inside is a shoebox--sent from ten years in the future--and it's filled with items you have sent yourself.

What's in it?

First, there would be a note that says, "Time travel has been invented. Here's the formula so you can go win the Nobel Prize for Physics and do ourselves proud."

Second, there would be a note that says, "You're not insane. Here's a textbook that proves the mathematics of time travel."

Third, there would be yet another note that says, "You really aren't crazy. Remain calm. You're going to make some fabulous memories in the next 10 years and you're going to get a degree and you're going to do well for yourself. You just have to work hard enough. (No, I'm not giving you a copy of your dissertation.)"

Fourth, there would be a final and concluding note that says, "I don't know what else to say. I don't want to ruin anything for you--me?--but I want to yammer away because you understand more than anyone about how this brain works.

"Oh, well. As long as you don't make the stupid decision--er, never mind, something good comes out of that. Anyway. You'll find all this out on your own. I apologize for the questions I must have raised, now that you've analyzed the box and checked the return address (fictional, I assure you), tested the handwriting against your own, and studied the voice of these notes.

"And one last thing: You can stop worrying about Sherlock: Season Three now, because it was just as great as the first two."

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What would be in your time capsule? Mostly words? Mostly pictures? Do you think you'd have a lot of information to convey to a younger version of you? Would you try to be humorous or serious, or a mix of both?


-----The Golden Eagle

Level Up! Blogfest

The Level Up! Blogfest is hosted by Jamie Gibbs at Mithril Wisdom and Allison at Geek Banter.

About:

Games are an important part of living; otherwise life would be boring as hell. You might be a fan of video games, card or dice games, board games or even games you used to play on the playground as a kid. There's always a game that holds a special place with us.

On February 20th, talk about a game you play or used to play; tell us how it works and share your love of the game with the rest of us. It can be any kind of game you like, from World of Warcraft to Hopscotch, from Monopoly to Blackjack and everything else in between. Tell us what you love about that game.

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It didn't take me long to think of a game I play often and love--Tetris.

Tetris is a game based on a set of seven tetrominoes (also called tetriminoes) built out of four blocks that "fall" down a ten-wide grid of squares. The objective is to get those pieces (called I, J, L, O, S, T, and Z) perfectly lined up by turning them 90 degrees either clockwise or counterclockwise. When they line up, ten altogether in a row, the blocks disappear.

All the player has to do is make sure those blocks keep falling onto each other in the right way and prevent the stack of tetrominoes from hitting the top of the grid, which is when the game ends (usually). There are special moves (tetrises, where you clear four lines at the same time using the I tetromino, are among the highest-scoring line clears; t-spins are when you turn a T tetromino so it acts like a key in a lock and clears lines otherwise un-clearable) but the concept is simple: Just line up the tetrominoes as they fall.

One of the things I really love about this game is that it gets as hard as you want it to. There's always a level above you or more points to score by using the aforementioned special moves. Some of the game types (Sprint, Ultra) end after a timed period, but others allow you to continue playing as long as you can keep your stack of tetrominoes from the top of the grid.

Tetris Survival is my all-time favorite (my high score is 652k), since after Level 20 there's a bonus Level 21, which is infinite and a really fun challenge because the grid blacks out for longer and longer sets of time, requiring you to memorize the positions of every block. Marathon (high score 707k), also one of my faves, is similar, but its 15 levels are much longer by about 50 or so lines toward the end of the game and there's no infinite level.

Have you ever played Tetris? If so, do you have a favorite version (e.g., Survival, Battle, Ultra, Arena)? If not, do you think you'll ever try it out? Are you a fan of puzzle games or do you avoid them like the plague?


-----The Golden Eagle

An IWSG Post: I Must Be Spending Too Much Time Around Electronics . . .

. . . because I found myself setting down a book, thinking "Where's the power button?".

You know, since everything is based on battery life. Before you go after me for having nothing to do with writing, I'm wondering if something getting lost amid all the different methods people use to write, particularly the electronic ones. I tend to write differently depending on what I'm writing with; my sentences will get shorter and less rambling when I try longhand as opposed to typing, and I know having a voice recognition program take down my words for me would result in very clunky language.

Typing is still my favorite--but there's usually more thought involved in physically writing things out.

What about you? Is typing, speech, or longhand your preferred method? Have you tried all three or just stuck to one?

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About the IWSG (from Alex J. Cavanaugh's blog):

Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. I encourage everyone to visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs.

-----The Golden Eagle

Is Social Media Turning Us Into Narcissists?

I was researching narcissism for a school essay recently and came across several articles about the so-called rise of narcissism due to social media.

I can see why it would be true. Twitter feeds, Facebook timelines, blog posts are all created with the expectation someone out there is going to read them and be interested in what that person has to say; that someone is going to like their photograph or want to know about their personal life. There are billions of voices on the web by now, and most of them feel entitled to some kind of attention. Narcissism is something everyone carries around with them in real life too, of course (you have to have some level of self-esteem and self-interest), but the internet allows for it in different, possibly more insidious ways.

The place where I notice the promotional kind of attention-seeking the most is in book promotions, probably because I follow so many blogs of authors. It's not exclusive to writers, but you can't move around in the blogosphere without bumping into a blog tour or book or cover release. Essentially, a lot of people are calling out "I am awesome!" or "I have something great to sell!". I don't think this is bad, particularly if someone's self-publishing or with a small press, as s/he has to contribute a significant amount of marketing.

That kind of thing does, however, raise some questions: How many promotional profiles built for the sole purpose of selling a product are actually tapping into an individual's narcissism and how many are normal people who just have something they want to share? How many people become more narcissistic over time because of social media? How many people are really all "Me, me, me!" and how many really care about the people they follow and interact with online?

Personally, I'd like to say I'm not more of a narcissist since I started blogging. I'd like to say my almost-three-years of blog posts haven't gone to my head, or that I'm unaffected by the fact people actually read the stuff I throw onto the web, or that I am still surprised when someone leaves a comment.

But I can't say I'm surprised when I receive comments anymore (though I'm still very thankful for them) because I know I have readers, and when real life conversation turns to the web and what people are doing on it, sometimes I feel like pointing out that hey, I have a site with more than 1000 followers and am kind of "established" in this corner of the web (though I never actually have said that). In short, I am proud of this blog. I like posting. I enjoy focusing on my own opinions, which is the whole reason I started The Eagle's Aerial Perspective.


What do you think? Do you believe narcissism is going up because of the internet? Do you see narcissistic traits in social media? Do you think the focused way social networking sites like Facebook and blogs promote the individual is a good or a bad thing?


-----The Golden Eagle

Writing The Human Stories: An IWSG Post

The IWSG was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh and co-hosted this month by Alex, Tyrean Martinson, and Jamie Gibbs.

About:

It's time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic.

I'll tell you right now, I'm not that good at characterization; my strength, I think, lies in plot while setting falls somewhere in between. Whenever I consider something I've written I usually think "Gosh, those characters are melodramatic drama queens", or "Gee whiz, they're robots for people", or "Heck, is that main character supposed to be bipolar?", or "Dagnabbit, I didn't mean for the poor sod to be that simplistic."

And so on. Granted, a writer can do very well on plot alone, so long as the characters have the right motivations and the main character isn't going "Huzzah!" when, say, the love interest falls into the Pit of Doom and Despair--but I really think it's a demonstration of a writer's skill when there's great emotional conflict and the battlefield involves making decisions that can change or hurt or improve people's lives, not just the fate of a galactic empire or something (though I love high-stakes stories).

I have trouble pulling off the human element. Making sure my characters are realistic human beings with believable thoughts is one of the things I have to work on; making sure they react to and behave as though things are actually happening with them, not only to them.

I guess I've got a goal for 2013!

Do you have trouble with human stories? What's your writing strong point: Characterization, plot, setting, something else? What's your weak point and how do you try making it stronger?


-----The Golden Eagle

2013: Let's Get This Show On The Road

Hope you all have a fabulous 2013! 

2012 is over and 2013 has begun, believe it or not. Oddly enough, I'm having no trouble accepting that I have to end my dates with "13" instead of "12"; I'm looking forward to the new year, if only because it's a good opportunity for a reboot.

Starting with The Eagle's Aerial Perspective. I've been neglecting blogging since November and NaNoWriMo and didn't really make the effort I could have in December, either. Nothing very drastic is going to happen on this blog other than a few more posts per month (including book reviews, which is something I'd said I'd get back into last year yet did not . . . *cough*). Furthermore, I am going to try commenting on your blogs more often and stop calling return visits to your comments as much as I can do in one day.

As for other goals, I'm still formulating my list of things to get done this year (because I procrastinated at the end of December). I'm going to continue writing, certainly, and probably start working on another project like the Eagle Directory within the next few months--and then there's schoolwork and dance, and also my perennial resolution to finish teaching myself how to juggle. I hope I don't end up accomplishing the least important of the life skills the fastest, but I probably will. LOL.

Got any plans/goals/resolutions for the new year? Anything exciting ahead for you in 2013? Are you finding it hard to let go of 2012, or is it easy?


-----The Golden Eagle

The Look Tag (AKA The Thing Where I Post An Excerpt From My Novel)

Over the past couple of months (yes, I know, I took that long . . .) I've been tagged by JeffO at The Doubting Writer and Susan at Mywithershins to do the Look Tag.

The objective: Post the first instance of the word "look" (or variant) from your current project, along with some of the surrounding paragraphs. The following excerpt is from my National Novel Writing Month project--which is as yet unfinished, in case you were wondering; at the rate I've been writing this month, I think I might have it completed some time in January.

The project is untitled. And before you get confused, in the following scene everyone's aboard an airship called the Ornatus, all personnel have been called to the Engineering deck, and the main character's POV has not been introduced yet (this is only the first page), which is why it's all third-person omniscient.


   Behind the Captain stood three individuals: Two boys and a girl, all with the nose, eyes, and cheekbones of the Captain but with none of the overbearing authority. They weren't officers, not part of the full-time crew, and rarely filled in for the personnel on the lower decks though they had passed all the proper tests. They were the children of the Captain but still considered too green to perform major tasks on a mission as important as that of the Ornatus. They were there because, in an emergency, they could be a fallback.
   One of the boys, in particular, looked uncomfortable standing in front of the 87 crew members. His eyes shifted from one part of the room to the next and he swayed very slightly, like the movement of someone who needs to go to the bathroom very badly and doesn't want to show it.
   The girl, on the other hand, looked on the way to inheriting the mantle of her mother, the Captain. Standing still as feather in a void, she observed the proceedings with an intelligence lost on everyone except herself and another person she could not see.
   "Someone is playing havoc with this ship," the Captain announced, her voice carrying to the back row of the assembled crew. "And I want to clarify immediately that nothing, nothing shall put this mission in jeopardy under my command. Whoever has played these tricks on the noble Ornatus is a fool and has no purpose onboard this airship. All of you have been called here so that I may inform you directly of the fact that each and every one of you will have your quarters searched. In fact, your quarters may already have been searched, as I ordered a top-down check of the entire ship."
   The crew began to mutter, their voices turning into a sweep of anger and indignation that they should have their belongings nosed through by higher officers. The Captain clapped her hands once, and the murmuring stopped, though there was still a hum of discontent.

**********

Any thoughts, critiques, criticisms, opinions on the excerpt?

If you participated in NaNoWriMo, did you finish your novel in November or are you still working on it?


-----The Golden Eagle