Today a book was 'made private' by the moderators on Authonomy because the content of one of the chapters was considered unsuitable.
I had read and backed the book in question and while I agree that the contents of said chapter were very strong indeed, the book was clearly labelled as ADULT.
So what makes it unsuitable? Well it's political if you ask me. The book deals with child abuse and pornography, and with that nasty case going on at the moment, it could be seen as too close for comfort. Well, it certainly wasn't a comfortable read, but it was expertly written and clearly reflects what goes on in some dark corners of our society. Art mirroring life.
Hope they reconsider. We can censor ourselves. If you don't appreciate it, don't read it.
Well, I opened up the site, intending to launch into a tirade about something or other when I had a better idea. The opening scene of a new story came into my head and I am now deserting my post here on the blog to go write it before I lose it. Catch you later.
I've been wondering why people find blogs interesting. After all, a lot of them are just like online journals - full of personal thoughts and ramblings. Anyway, I've come to the conclusion that we bloggers write because we have to let it all come out somewhere, and people read the ramblings because we are all voyeurs at heart. We read, hoping to find some little bit of inspiration, titillation or motivation from someone else's thoughts or opinions. It's like living a second-hand life in a way. My own experiences are dull, let me see if I can get a thrill from someone else's.
Well, dear reader, (assuming you exist) if you're looking for excitement - you're in the wrong place. All my thrills come from my imagination and do not live in the non-fiction department of my website.
A promise to myself - once my book is in print, I will go out and GET A LIFE.
Hmm! 16 days without blogging seems to suggest a lack of determination, but that's not really the case. I've been doing what I do best - procrastinating.
I have finished a couple of short stories and some new poetry, but otherwise I've been 'treading water', as they say. I've read two 'real' books, which has made a pleasant change from making my eyes bleed with online reading.
Next week I have to spend 24 hours wearing a heart monitor and keeping a diary to record how the old ticker performs during a normal day's activities. I reckon the monitor will give up out of sheer boredom.
I changed my mind about checking out of Authonomy. I'm giving it another month because I want to help Sue Edwards get to the Desk and I'd like to see Anonymity higher up as well. So I'll stick around and support them for a while longer.
I reached the decision a few days ago that I've probably got as far as I can with my book on Authonomy. I've been around there for too long and things have changed so much recently. So tomorrow, I shall pull my book and ask them to delete the Verse_artiste account. It will give me a chance to do more writing. It's the fora that I'm really fed up with. Those places are not for me anyway. Some of the conversations get really out of hand these days, and the arguments aren't the same - people get so nasty. It's only the internet for heaven's sake, not a school playground.
Even some of the 'older' members are acting in a shoddy way. A few weeks back a new member started a thread saying she was just a reader and wanted recommendations. Within minutes someone was calling her a 'sock puppet', because she had read and backed three books by the same author. I notice the new one has gone now. She was on my friends' list. That happens to a lot of genuine people. They get 'bullied' away.
Don't get me wrong. There's a lot to commend the site, but it needs to be handled with care. I shall do that next time.
OK, so it's been a few days since my last entry - but that just goes to show I have a life in the real world, doesn't it?
I've done another wedding poem - I love doing those. It's the look on the face of the 'customer' - in this case the bride's mother, when I hand over the finished article. It's a real joy.
Loads of plans in the pipeline. Now the commissions are out of the way I should be able to get down to business with the real writing.
Then comes the scary part - Friday is pay day. This will be my last salary from teaching and I'm as nervous as a kitten to think that as of 1st September I'm officially unemployed.
Ah, well. Onward and upward ?
It sounds so much better in German, but it's an attitude that really annoys me. People who will push everyone else aside to get what they want. You see it everywhere now. People who stand in the vicinity of the bus stop, so they can queue jump when the bus arrives. People who push past you to cross the road against the lights - because they're going somewhere important. I'm not, of course. I have nothing important to do, and nowhere important to go. I exist simply to be pushed aside. So what do I do about this? Well, usually, I just say "Carry on Trampling" we'#ll make a movie of it one day!
Maybe I should sign up for an assertiveness course ? That leads to another question, why is it that whenever I try to be assertive, I sound like I'm whingeing?
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