A Goal to Write Every Day

I'm going to write every day this year.  I'm going to get out one of my old journals and put a few lines down.  If I write a blog or write on a novel, my entry might just be 'see blog' or 'Death Man 300 words' or what not.  I need to write.  That is my life blood right now.  I need focus.  And any writing, no matter how serious, how decent, how pathetic, or how bland, is better than no writing.

Amanda LaFantasie © (last day of) 2013

Vocab Builder Word

SOLIPSISM

sol·ip·sism (slp-szm, slp-)

n. Philosophy
1. The theory that the self is the only thing that can be known and verified.
2. The theory or view that the self is the only reality.
[Latin slus, alone; see s(w)e- in Indo-European roots + Latin ipse, self + -ism.]
solip·sist n.
solip·sistic adj.

I read this word in a workshop piece and fell in love with it.  Essentially it is a spectrum word that indicates a person's inability (in varying degrees) to empathize with others.  It's totally a Philip K. Dick wet-dream word.  

Weekly vocab word

flor·id  [flawr-id, flor-]
adjective
1. reddish; ruddy; rosy: a florid complexion.
2. flowery; excessively ornate; showy: florid writing.
3. Obsolete . abounding in or consisting of flowers.

Long awaited and belated weekly vocab word

ca·ve·at  [kav-ee-aht, -at, kah-vee-, key-]  Show IPA
noun
1. a warning or caution; admonition.
2. Law. a legal notice to a court or public officer to suspend a certain proceeding until the notifier is given a hearing: a caveat filed against the probate of a will.

Do you Mary Sue?

I'm taking nine classes for the upcoming residency at Pine Manor College.  One of the classes focuses on speculative fiction, which, if you didn't know, is anything out of the normal realm.  It covers science-fiction, fantasy, horror, dystopian, and much, much more.  For this class, the professor assigned us all to take the Mary Sue Test prior to attending the residency.  It's actually a pretty cool little test.  I took it for my Death Man character and scored a 14.  I recommend everyone to take this test for at least one of their favorite original characters, and I doubly recommend this for those who dabble in the world of fan-fiction.

For people who don't know what Mary Sue means it is essentially inserting oneself into a story and creating a character that is impossibly perfect.  I think there is a masculine form of this term but just as Brony (a seemingly masculine term applied in general to those who enjoy My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) covers everyone in the gender spectrum, so too does the term Mary Sue.  So take the test and see if your hero/in is too good to be true or too bland to be possible.  Post your scores if you like what you see or post them if you don't like then and give a comment on what you want to change for the character or if you feel that the score is unjustified for the specifics of your character.  Happy writing everyone and Happy Holidays, too!

This Deviant Artist hit the nail on the head in her depiction of a typical Mary Sue story.

Amanda LaFantasie © 2013