Saengard

A Global Disaster. Government conspiracies. Mind-control. And a Cherokee father willing to burn everything to the ground to save his daughter from the Dome.

If I blocked you, there's a reason.

There seems to be some kind of controversy/discussion about men writing women characters and women writing men characters. (At least that's what I think is going on.I wouldn't want to have an ill-informed opinion on anything! 😜) This of course circles back to the idea of authenticity and the social media fervor of the last several years about 'identity'. I want nothing to do with the larger discussion, but as it relates to writing, these are my thoughts: When reading, or consuming any entertainment, I believe the implied contract that has existed for decades, possibly centuries, is that an author generally attempts to achieve authenticity as best as they can. The consumer of the art agrees to suspend a certain degree of disbelief in return. Both parties do their best to learn something new about humanity along the way. Isn't that the goal? Especially in fiction? Isn't that the best we can do, even through the limitations of our individual experiences, that we at least try to see the world through other people's eyes... as imperfect as our attempts are bound to be? What I think has changed in the recent years is an increasing intolerable inflexibility on perfection. Each of us is imperfect, but we demand perfection of others, even when that definition changes moment to moment, person to person. We've lost the ability to give each other grace. There is no 'benefit of the doubt' any longer. One's identity doesn't mean you are incapable of writing from the perspective of any other except that one frame of reference. If that were the case, then fiction would no longer exist. Every story would have a cast of only one. If there were more than one character in a story, it wouldn't be able to have a single author. Each character would have to be written from the exact real world duplicate. Only an orc can write about an orc, a wizard a wizard, a space Marine, a green skinned planetary ruler, etc. That's impossible to do, and insane to expect. There is no enjoyment in this. Not for the reader or the author. There is nothing for us to learn about each other in this. This would be just individuals shouting into the void, like social media, but in longer form. That's not what we want, is it? A purity test behind every single work of art? In general, however, it is true that authenticity does suffer when the author's identity isn't in alignment with the work. A woman trying to write a believable male character doesn't ring as true as a man writing a male character and vice versa. But that is often recognized in the writing process and an author that values their work and their readers, will try to learn and grow so that the work becomes more believable and more authentic. And to some degree, it's insightful to see how others perceive each other. That's the goal... or it should be. To not be afraid of looking through someone else's eyes. To walk a mile in someone else's shoes, even if they are radically different from your own. The conversation should be less about what is or isn't depicted and who is allowed to depict it, but rather what the depiction tells us about the author, the story purpose, and the reader... ie, what it tells us about humanity/the human condition.

Saw a clip where Dave Chappelle stated in one of his shows that he "felt good" that Charlie Kirk was murdered. Regardless of whether you liked the guy or not, taking joy in someone's death is utterly despicable. There is something seriously damaged in you if this is how you feel. I would hope that you do some meditation or prayer on why you don't feel sorrow or empathy for a life that was stolen... or even feel an ounce of fear in knowing that a figure that was partially related to politics was assassinated. That kind of crazy could come for your side next. The people who feel joy in the killing of political enemies have very often been identified as being on the side of evil throughout history. How can you align yourself with that? Please distance yourself from all of that hate. It's not good for society.

I've lived long enough to see the truth in this fun fact: Anger begets anger. Grace begets grace. One destroys everything. The other lets you forgive and find peace. Those most deserving of your anger, deserve your pity and sorrow in greater measure. Look into why your response to the things you don't like, is hate. Look into why you can't control your emotional state. It's not them. It's you. If you are not in control of yourself, then they are in control.

I'm beginning to think that whatever I really want, the universe answers No, every single time. Now either I have to psych out the universe and pretend I don't really want the thing, or I have to start actually not wanting the thing. One of those is sure to work.

Write what you know? Write what's in your soul. Good research will fill the gap. #writerslife #writingtips

If you want to live in a world of chaos and without agency, then don't learn. Don't strive. Don't achieve. But if you want to live in a world where you are in control, then you must learn logic and reason.

I do my best to keep politics out of my X account. And when I do dip my toes in it, I try to keep things in a way that's universally applicable as best I can. My current feed is making that near impossible. After every dramatic shakeup, it takes s while for the algorithm and the people to settle down and get back to doing what we all regularly do day in and day out. For me, that's trying to write an enjoyable and hopefully cautionary tale about technology and human nature. Looking forward to the algo change soon.

When an asteroid threatens Earth, physicist George Guess creates an infinite energy device to save humanity inside massive domes, but a dark global conspiracy forces him to embrace his Cherokee heritage and seek revenge on those responsible.

Listening to #DarkMatter audiobook by Blake Crouch. I'm at the end where Jason 1 kills Jason 2. Definitely not a good character moment. I'm glad the show did this better.

After spending a day listening to all the political pundits on both sides, one thing stands out to me: before November 3rd, there was so much uncertainty over which way the nation would vote. Everyone seemed to hedge their bets for the most part. They were planning for all the possibilities...total victory, total failure, or barely squeaking out a defeat or win. What that says to me, is the following result, once the dice land a certain way, is all just political theater (with real consequences, don't get me wrong), but the parties don't actually care which way the dice lands. They'll sell it to you that what they do is justified because of the vote, but it's all just about getting and keeping power. All the rest of it is brand recognition. Maybe that helps some of you to keep perspective when the after effects of this game changer begins. It's all a game. Keep that in mind.

Anyone in the mood for an apocalypse story where the asteroid might actually win? amazon.com/dp/B0G4GFL9D3 Too soon? I'm going to read some fun books for a while.

For as long as I can remember, my brain has always been in two places at once. Doing anything that doesn't require my full attention, and I guarantee you I'm turning a simulation in the background of my mind of stories I make up or world from stories I read. I'm rarely 'fully' present, and I'm done pretending it's a problem. Lol.

Awful.