This is probably my last post this year, but who knows what can happen in the next seven hours 😁
So, let's work on the average self-publisher's depression... It's hard to get some hard numbers, so take the next bit with a bag or two of salt.
So here we go...
Every writer has a different approach to writing and editing. Every successful writer is probably going to tell you editing is an essential.
Every great writer without the money to afford an editor has to edit him / herself. It is my firm belief that if you don't edit, then you'll get nowhere. Period.
So, here's my current approach, until I'm rich enough to afford a real editor...
Corona en kerstdagen...
Wil je mekaar toch een keer zien dan zijn er allerlei oplossingen, zoals mondkapjes, hazmat pakken, buiten blijven... of je gebruikt een App zoals FaceBook (Messenger) of WhatsApp.
In dit voorbeeld: FaceBook (Messenger).
You've finished your novel, and now comes the dreaded part... the editing.
Here are some of the things to look out for (not in any particular order)... I'll add links where I touched upon the subject, or found a better explanation elsewhere.
I've been trying to find a good explanation to help ease the pain, but thus far I haven't been able to write up some decent explanation, sorry.
Below's the best I could come up with thus far.
This is a digital rendering of an early morning forest, but I can't remember where I found it, only that I like it. Works great on dual monitor setups.
(Click to enlarge.)
Here's a little example on how to cycle through different pictos when pressing a button.
Use an old laptop or tablet an additional monitor? Not a problem, and with SpaceDesk you can mix and match iOS, Android, and Windows devices (!).
And best of it all: it is (still) free.
So I learned OBS (to grab the screen), Magic Window (tracking the mouse pointer in OBS), looked at Stream Decks but opted for Touch Portal, added some features to WallX to simplify the handling and creation of icons, then had to learn how to edit videos in HitFilm Express.
Three 'direct to TV' movies. What can I say... Frank Grillo does his thing, and the monsters are nice. Everything else is meh. Think of it as a B- version of Independence Day, spliced together with a low budget fan-made scifi flick and you know what you're dealing with.
Verdict? Skip it.
But... what has that to do with Touch Portal?
Just like Christopher Nuttall, Bella Forrest is sometimes accused of plagiarism. I think that's not entirely fair, because she wrote some interesting stuff, but it's clear that she's sometimes - strongly - 'inspired'.
Then again, it is impossible to write something entirely original, so let's just shrug.
But I think it's a good one... No, a great one 😁
WallX is no longer merely a wallpaper manager, it's now also a mini launcher. Why? Well, 'because'... Seriously though, the new version included a systray icon, and I thought it a handy place to store my own custom shortcuts. Which, actually, works. More information or download it here.
If you never played an MMO, then download the (free!) Guild Wars 2, and enjoy!
(Click the image to enlarge.)
Remember both Pacific Rim movies? Well, here's an anime series set in the same universe, which isn't that bad. The animation is okay, the monsters are fine... though not exceptional. The story is okay, mostly.
If there's anything bad about this one, it's the ease with which the main characters accept they are responsible for murdering a village full of friends and family, that just doesn't sit well with me. Otherwise, it's fine... but only if the story ever finishes in some sequel!
If you lose your Google Timeline data for no appearent reason, and you have more than one device, then try the following:
A little trilogy about a paranormally gifted (created?) telekinetic in a far away future. At roughly 220 pages per book these are not very large, but they are easy and entertaining reads.
Verdict: enjoy 'm!
Another supernatural PI series. How many are there by now? Never enough 😁
Harbinger PI and The Dresden Files have a lot in common though, so much that I sometimes wondered in which universe I was wandering around. Nevertheless, both are quite readable, and original enough to be called original... Euh... Sort of.
My apologies.
(I'll keep moving this post around until most of the links have been repaired. Getting closer...)
Who needs this?
Do you use wallpapers? Then you need this 😏
This post shows different sizes and combinations, to make it easier to find your path to multi-monitor minerva 😄
Review.
Should I spend even time on describing this? I actually like the cast, but the aliens are plastic / rubber-suits, and the movie brings absolutely nothing new.
Synopsis: team of four is send into a base where everybody has been blown to dust by an alien weapon (that turns out not to be a weapon). Sigh. Why is anyone spending money on making this, or wasting time watching 'm?
I know he does it for the money, but Bruce, please... You can do better.
So, what do we have here? A simple Scifi / Horror cross-over, heavily inspired by Aliens, with a little infusion of Event Horizon.
I'm not impressed. Go see both Aliens and Event Horizon, that's a way better way to spend your precious time. Note: this movie is also known as Anti-Life.
Review.
I love my cheap, macho military / action / adventure SF. And because dumb books are easy to digest whilst doing something else I'm more than happy to look the other way.
But... there are limits. Especially when the same mistakes are made over and over again.
There's a whole subset of romance novels in fantasy settings, which all seem to follow a certain pattern. This is one of those.
Sometimes they stand out (Rachel Aaron's DFZ series, for example) and sometimes they are 'pulpish' (like this one). Great if it's your thing, but Lindsay Buroker can do better, as she proved with her Dark Currents series.
I edited one of the images I found on https://www.collectedcurios.com/ and modified it a bit to make it a better wallpaper.
Lunch, anyone?
More wallpapers (every month a new one), click and scroll down.
(Click on the images themselves to enlarge.)
Review.
Military SF is a guilty pleasure of mine. Let's read another two.
Today, that's Confrontation by Nathan Hystad. Oh dear... (read on)
