fajrdrako | Entries tagged with writer's block

From LJ's Writer's Block: Is there a TV show that everyone around you watches that you really don't get or like? If so, what is it? To what do you ascribe the odd fascination?

True Blood

From Livejournal's Writer's Block: What is the best science fiction movie of all time, and why?

I'm not big on sf movies, mainly because most of them seem to be war movies. Or franchises. So while I liked, say, Star Trek Nemesis it was within the context of Star Trek - where I was somewhat invested in the theme and characters (well, Picard) already.

So I'm no judge of sf movies. Name any sf movie of any renown, and chances are I never saw it, or saw it and didn't like it. I'm that one person on the planet who was bored by the original Star Wars.

( Exceptions in alphabetical order... )

From LJ Question of the Day: "What are the three proudest moments of your life so far, and why?"

Receiving, actually receiving, my Master's Degree in 12th Century Studies from King's College, University of London;
Getting a Huggy Award for my Professionals novel "Forever True", and a "Best Pros Writer" award as well - putting me among the ranks of such great fan writers as Sebastian, HG, and Courtney Grey;
Being told by another woman in a Bisexual Women's Group that I was the best role model she'd ever met. I still don't know what she meant by that or why she thought it, but it must mean I'm doing something right. A lot, I hope - I like the way I live my life, and the way I think. But I didn't think other people would notice.

From Livejournal's Writer's Block: Do you have a "dream car"? If you had money to spare, would you buy a new car? If so, would you be more likely to get an eco-friendly vehicle, a vintage model, or a luxury sportscar?

I don't want to own a car. I don't drive and I don't want to drive.

But if I did, I have a thing for a dark teal Dodge Caravan.

And I don't think I'd say "no" to a red Jaguar.

I don't believe there are any eco-friendly cars, though some are better than others.

Vintage models are fun; yeah, I'd like one, with a hunky chauffeur to go with it, in a uniform like Mrs. Bradley's George.

From Livejournal's Writer's Block today: If you could be a member of any musical group, past or present, which group would you choose and why?

Les Amis de Rabelais. C'mon, hands up, who knows them? Some people here will have heard of them from the first chapter of Checkmate by Dorothy Dunnett. It's the musical group in which Lymond is singing in disguise in 1558 in Douai, France. He sings counter-tenor.

As for modern-day groups... Well, I'd like to be a back-up singer for John Barrowman, or do a duet with him like Daniel Boys, but that's just because it's Barrowman. Ditto My Chemical Romance, The Beatles, Nine Inch Nails, the Leahy Family... And so on. Ditto Medieval Bebes (because I like their style) and ...

I suppose I'd like to have my very own concert harp in a string quartet or some chamber music group. The harp is the perfect instrument.

But the truth is I'd rather listen to music than play it. Playing it or singing it takes practice, and time, and hard work, and I'd rather do other things. Which I am doing.

Except I feel more into singing these days than I have in years, so who knows?

From Writer's Block: If you could choose one super-power, what would it be and why?

A healing factor like Wolverine has, in X-Men. Really. I need that one. Or its variants, invulnerability and immortality.

A second choice: the ability to teleport anywhere in time and space, like Bilis seems to have in Torchwood.

Hard to limit choices here! Strength would be wonderful. So would flight, and speed. And when I try to reach things in my highest cupboards, I long for Reed Richard's stretching powers. Doug Ramsey's power of mastering languages. Fox Mulder's eidetic memory. The list goes on...!

From Livejournal's Writer's Block today: If your romantic partner told you that, given the chance, he or she would sleep with a celebrity/public figure you disrespect, would you be amused, jealous, or bewildered? How would they react if the situation were reversed?

I think one of the worst things one can do in any sexual relationship is critique one's partner's sexual fantasies. Especially if they horrify you. A fantasy is a fantasy: we can't even control our own attractions and whims, let alone someone else's. Trying to do so is a recipe for unhappiness.

That being said, I can't imagine any fantasy lover a partner of mine could imagine that I would "disrespect" in any way that mattered. The world contains many people I don't like, but it my partner wanted to fantasize about George Bush, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, or Larry O'Brien, my worst reaction would be amusement. Whatever floats your boat.

I would hope my partner would feel the same. And I would hope we would both feel free to talk about it and laugh about it, with all sorts of degrees of mutual acceptance and toleration.

Writer's Block for today: If you could change one major thing about your life, whether a relationship, your job, your living situation, your school, etc., what would it be? Are you currently working toward a serious life transition?

I'd like to have a paying job. I'd like to have money coming in.

And yes, I'm doing things to rectify the situation. Part-time, free-lance, applying for full-time jobs, planning to take a course, all of that.

Wish me luck.

From Writer's Block: If you could go back in time to another decade, which decade would you choose and why? Would you want to return or stay there? What if you could bring one other person with you?

Could I have my own TARDIS, please?

I don't think there's a decade I wouldn't want to visit, past or future, though I'm enough of a coward to want to avoid trouble spots - the Black Death, Auschwitz, Krakatoa.

But of course some places intrigue me more than others. It would be interesting to go back to solve the great mysteries: what language did they speak in Mohenjo-Daro, why did they leave, where did they go? How did they build the pyramids, or stonehenge, or Macchu Picchu?

Mostly, there are people I would like to meet, and the list is a long one. My f-list knows a lot of the names: Federigo Secundo, Stupor Mundi. Stephen of England. Henry II and his sons Richard and Geoffrey, his wife Eleanor and his mistresses Rosamund and Alys. In France, Peter Abelard and Philippe II. In Outremer, Conrad of Montferrat, Isabella Plantagenet and her forebears, the Lusignans, the Ibelins. And that's just the 12th century. Look at classical history, preclassical history, the dark ages - oh, I've plenty of favourites there: could start with Bathildis, whom I was talking about today, and go on with Oswy and Oswin (another saint I like), Edwin, Athelstan, Alfred, Ida, Brendan, the Merovingians - oh, what a thought. Right up through to William the Bastard of Normandy, Macbeth of Scotland, and ... would I really want to meet Hildebrand? Yes, as a matter of fact, I would. A man who changed the world. Fascinating. Not to mention the Byzantines and the Arabs.

Then there's the Renaissance, and eastern history, and the Asian sub-continent, and Egypt - this question is just too vast.

My favourite decade is probably 1180-1190, but it's not the only time I'd like to witness.

From Livejournal's Writer's Block: Who is your oldest friend (i.e., the friend you have known the longest)? How often do you see or talk to each other? Do your close friends tend to stay the same year after year or change over time?

My oldest friend is Diane, who lived down the street from me from the time we were both born, about six months apart. I didn't get to know her well till we were both nine or ten; through high school we were inseparable, referred to each other as Siamese twins¹, and were thought by teachers and acquaintances to be sisters. We didn't have a lot in common except total compatibility: she was from a Francophone family, while my family was Anglophone; I loved to read, she liked television; we only once were in the same class in school. When were were in our early twenties, she married and I went to study in England. That was a geographical separation, but it didn't change the friendship.

In recent years, we've seen less of each other: busy lives, different interests, though we are still interested in each other's lives. We're having dinner together on Tuesday.

Then there's Lisa. I met her at summer camp when we were nine. Just a week ago she filled out a passport application and cited me as a reference she has known for 48 years. Woo. When young, we lived in different cities, but visited each other often; travelled together to France and Italy, as well as the Maritimes; she now has two daughters in their early teens and lives in Ottawa. We try to meet to go for a walk together every week or two, but it's hard for both of us to find the time. We encourage each other in our self-help projects, and talk to each other when we need to vent.

My close friends tend to stay the same over time, though there's some change. People fall out of touch, or die, or other things happen that end the friendship. There are some people I seldom see, yet feel close to, and when I see them, it's as if no time has gone by at all.

¹ Back then, it was okay to say that.

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Do I believe in fate?

My first thought was that I don't really know what the word means, even though I use it fairly often, usually joking. So I looked it up in Chambers:

fate noun 1 (also Fate) the apparent power that determines the course of events, over which humans have no control. 2 the individual destiny or fortune of a person or thing; what happens to someone or something. 3 ultimate outcome. 4 death, downfall, destruction or doom. a fate worse than death facetious a gruesome or unpleasant situation.
ETYMOLOGY: 14c: from Latin fatum that which has been spoken, ie by an oracle.

Conceptually speaking, it sounds like predestination.

No, I don't believe in fate. Our lives are built, shaped, crafted and evolved by ourselves - and what we make of the complex random circumstances and events of our lives.

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One of my friends was surprised to hear that I liked Nine Inch Nails. It surprised me that it suprised them. Why not?

It does happen occasionally that there is something everyone expects me to like, and I don't. C.S. Lewis and Philip Pullman come to mind. Patrick O'Brien. (I might try him again, but I really did give those books my best shot.)

Mostly, I think I'm rather predictable in my likes. Just the other day my friend Sandi said she thought she's figured out my 'type' - we were taking about Methos at the time. After knowing me for thirty years - was that so difficult?

I'm hardly secretive about my likes.

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The world will end when our sun eventually explodes and encompasses the planet.

As for when human life on this planet will end, that's a different question. When I was young I never thought we'd last to the year 2000. I thought overpopulation would collapse civilization and we'd be scattered warring tribes by now.

We seem to have escaped that, or at least postponed it.

Over and over in history we've muddled through. Every century has had its crisis by which people thought the end of the world was coming - always for a good reason, or at least, a reason that looked good to them. It hasn't happened yet.

I think we really can't predict the future. It's always not what you expect. Challenges are good for us.

We only live, only suspire
Consumed by either fire or fire.

Everything changes.

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Three things:

Someone telling me to do something I don't want to do.
A baby crying.
A television I don't want to listen to.

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I've never done a silent retreat, but I'd like to. I've been seriously thinking about it. Or... some sort of retreat.

I like to talk, but on a limited basis (timespan established beforehand) I can't imagine I'd have a problem with it. Though some people laugh when I say so, I'm really a quiet person.

Mind you, the point of a silent retreat is not to do it because it's easy. The point is to do it anyway, easy or difficult.

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No difference. Life's not easy for anyone. It doesn't matter whether we are male or female; we're here to help each other through, regardless of gender.

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September, 2002: I talked about going to Lyn's father's funeral.

Interesting to look back.

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Solitaire. The first day I had my first computer, I spent hours playing solitaire.

Things haven't changed much. I still don't particularly like video-games, though I enjoyed "Riven" and "Myst".

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When I was young, my mother used to make a candy at Christmas, from the Joy of Cooking, 1944 edition. (Another wedding present.) It was called Maple Cream, though it contained no maple. It was a mixture of brown sugar, cream and butter that came out like a hard fudge - a little like Scottish tablet. I loved it with a passion. I've never been able to make it myself, though I've tried, and I've used the same recipe, with my mother's notes in the margin. My ex-husband was able to make it.

In the last few years I've been enjoying sweets less and less. I like creamy things, not sweet things. Popcorn (with butter and salt) is my weakness, not chocolate.

There are no particular treats I associate with Easter. When I was a kid we'd visit my mother's German friend and her family, and I didn't like the German Easter treats at all.

I wish I could be nine years old again, though. I'd love the chocolate Spider-Man figures.

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This depends on the problem. I'd say ninety per cent of the time, the answer is "friends", though it may be different friends for different problems.

I wouldn't discuss problems with strangers. Sometimes there's a professional who fits the bill - for example, discussing medical problems with my doctor. She isn't exactly a personal friend, but she isn't a stranger, either.

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World Enough and Time

fajrdrako's world of wonders

Entries tagged with writer's block

True Blood...

Science fiction movies...

Moments of pride...

Cars...

(no subject)

Super-powers...

Mutual respect...

Change...

Historical fantasy..

Diane and Lisa...

Writer's Block: Meant to Be?

Writer's Block: You Don't Know Me

Writer's Block: End of the World as We Know It

Writer's Block: Pet Peeve

Writer's Block: Shhhh

Writer's Block: The Greenest Grass

Writer's Block: Looking Back

Writer's Block: Gamer's Choice

Writer's Block: Sweet Tooth

Writer's Block: Confidences