#ScribesAndMakers Feb. 6: Our featured creator makes graphic novels. As a reader, which do you think is more important in a graphic novel, art or words?

Both are essential.

There's more to writing than words. Art can convey plenty, but you have to write that art. There's also more to words than text. I've done webcomics. Typesetting is an art in its own right; sound effects would lose all their impact if they were just put in the same comic font as everything else; bubbles can express emotion.

And, of course, absolutely no one is going to read a graphic novel if the writing is garbage, whether that's done in words or not. People will get bored of the art, the same way they'll be left confused or unsatisfied if the art is garbage. A graphic novel has the air of expectation hanging around it. A manufactured legitimacy, sure, but no one's buying xkcd off newsstands.

The idea that a good finished product isn't a gestalt for which the removal of any component leaves the rest lesser is short-sighted.

#ScribesAndMakers Feb. 7:

[Placeholder, as I cannot see or interact with mastodon.art from tech.lgbt.]

See the post on my mastodon.social alt here.

#ScribesAndMakers Feb. 8: How do you define a book? Do audio books and graphic novels fit your definition?

Does it have more than one page and/or is that page sandwiched between other things? Then congratulations, it's a book! Audiobooks are books being read, but someone is reading that book, just like we have to children since ever. Concerts are books being performed. There are books of literally nothing but colors.

The sooner we understand that a "book" can be filled with anything, the sooner we can let go of the idea that things like audiobooks or ebooks don't "deserve" to be "books." A "book" is not some sacred artifact; it is the plate holding the meal you're about to eat. I wouldn't review a restaurant based on its plates.

[Reposted due to account reply shenanigans.]

#ScribesAndMakers Feb. 9: Is 1 the loneliest number?

Loneliness is exacerbated by boredom. If you keep yourself entertained, you'll still get lonely eventually, but it will take much, much longer. And, I think, as a writer, it can be a lot like people-watching. I'm not saying you should shut in and live in the world in your head; that's far from healthy. But it can tide you over if, say, someone went on vacation. Ultimately we're social animals and need that connection. But we don't have to condemn ourselves to pacing the cage right away. We can cope a bit.

#ScribesAndMakers Feb. 10: What is the most out of character creative thing you enjoy? That thing that never matches the assumptions about you.

Honestly, that's harder to answer these days. People used to be surprised at my sense of whimsy because I was so phlegmatic. Four years at this job and people think I'm funny, which caught me completely off-guard after a lifetime of my sense of humor being completely misinterpreted.

I've been on my sleeve about my pursuits for so long I don't think I could whip out anything not in my profile.

Wellll... there may be ONE thing. The fact I have my own pizza recipes. But that would require anyone to not know my first job. I'm actually a good cook; I just hate cleaning up after it. XD

#ScribesAndMakers Feb. 11: Aside from the official birthday song and the ubiquitous Beatles song, is there a song about birthdays you like?

I am particularly partial to Sal's Birthday with the raucous loop cut off the end, which I think ruins the whole vibe. I share this video sometimes because it does that.

#ScribesAndMakers Feb. 12: Guffaw?

A word I use exclusively for bullies. Maybe that's petty revenge, but I spent a large chunk of my life being bullied, so...

#ScribesAndMakers Feb. 13: How well do you sing? If you don't consider yourself a good singer, do you sing anyway?

I used to be really good, but fell out of practice and lost my air. In some ways I'm a better singer in character than I am with my natural voice. I have a good natural voice, though.

#ScribesAndMakers 2/14. How are things going for you this month, creatively or otherwise?

Trying to shake a slump. March will be better, I think. SAD is at its worst in February and while I don't have it, it does vindicate my feelings. Once March rolls around, I'll probably have more energy.

#ScribesAndMakers Feb. 16: Do you have a favorite decade of music? Which one(s)?

If I had to pick, it would probably be the '80s, but my musical tastes are very eclectic just because of how little music I had for much of my life, since Grandma conditioned Mom to hate the radio as a kid for sake of a daily contest. Everything I ended up amassing came off the radio and I lost a chunk of it when Google Play Music went offline and deleted my purchased library straight off my PC, whatever I hadn't backed up elsewhere. I never amassed much again after that. Now that I don't have an hour commute and don't spend time screaming into my elbow in a bathroom stall like at my old job, I've gone back to not listening to much.

Just a bit of note to self, Feb. 15 was about cake and I had nothing to say; Feb. 17 was about a favorite past prompt and I haven't been doing it long enough to say.

Feb. 18 is here: https://tech.lgbt/@bluestarultor/116094527940652120

#ScribesAndMakers Feb. 19: Our featured creator is an avid gamer. Does gaming affect your creativity?

OMG, does it ever, but not how you think. XD

So many of my ideas are games. My whole site is dedicated to them, obviously.

But mostly I think games influenced me in ways books didn't. I don't think a book ever changed how I viewed the world quite the way a game has. Like Final Fantasy VII hit me right in a stage of my life where Red XIII and I lived parallel lives, even accounting for later releases. He drilled the idea into me that a person is a person, no matter what they look like. Always having been different myself, and really not having been treated as a person by my peers, his struggle hit home. Helped me realize my own value.

Maybe if I'd given FF9 a chance closer to release, I would have also lived at least a little parallel with Vivi, and I am very lucky to have had my own Zidane, but it just... kinda hit different to see it as who I had been. Right thing at the wrong time.

#ScribesAndMakers Feb. 20: The alpha male is a misconception perpetuated in popular media that our featured creator works against in her wolf books. What's a misconception that bothers you in popular media?

Any idea that autism means you can't live a normal life. I'm AuDHD and hold a steady job, pay my taxes, and function largely like a normal person. I think representation has gotten better with things like Donatello being depicted as spectrum-coded in newer versions of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but that's been a rather hard-fought battle as society adapts to the idea that all the nerds of yesteryear actually have a reason for it.

Like The Big Bang Theory is incredibly damaging because of how none of these guys are properly functional and Sheldon is absolutely spectrum-coded even though the writers swear he's not.

It's the 21st, and another Talk to me Day.
Today our featured creator is fantasy writer Hannah Steenbock @Firlefanz You can find her work here: https://books2read.com/hannahsteenbock

Please join us with your questions and don't forget @ing @Firlefanz and adding the hashtags #ScribesAndMakers and #TTMD
Or feel free to follow along without asking a question. There is only one rule: be kind.
Please keep your questions mostly to writing, and please don't ask about politics.

---

How do sequels emerge for you? For me it's a realization that all my ideas won't fit in one entry.

#ScribesAndMakers Feb. 22: Create a poll giving a line from a book you wrote (or a favorite if you haven't written one) along with lines from two other books. Ask people to choose which was from yours.

What better line than the first from each book? 😁

In his shabby room in the formerly elegant hostelry known as the Grand Atumpquah Palace, Jack Warner pulled the coarse weave sheet up about his ears and composed himself to sleep.

---

It was peaceful, for the moment, in the apartment of the Wells brothers.

---

"I'm telling you, you're calibrating it wrong!" Celsius ripped the pizza box-like manual out of Fahrenheit's hand, his breathy tenor going squeaky.

I feel like this would be harder if I didn't have so much reason to talk about my writing across these various daily tags. XD

The answers are:

Edit:
#ScribesAndMakers Feb. 23: Reveal the answer to your poll.

Oh, hey, I already did that! Ya-whoops! XD

Edit 2:
I feel I should be grateful that almost half of you would think I could stand with greats like Laumer and Asimov.

#ScribesAndMakers Feb. 24: What's something you learned about one of our community member's creativity from the hashtag games?

Generally speaking, people have varied perspectives and that just adds to the color of the community.

#ScribesAndMakers Feb. 25: Would you stream your creative process/the creation of your work? Why or why not?

No. Absolutely not. Do you have any idea what kind of government lists you probably end up on as a writer? XD

I mean hell, I spent years on one just for buying cat litter and orange juice! I had a cat! And liked orange juice!

Last thing I need is video evidence of my searches of the optimal delivery methods of and prognosis for various poisons and such.

#ScribesAndMakers Feb. 26: Do you abandon creative projects? If so, how do determine when to abandon them?

Nothing is ever truly dead; just sleeping. Some things may end up sleeping for a very long time for want of headspace, but you never know when I might poke at or even get obsessed with it again.

#ScribesAndMakers Feb. 27: Splat?

Fun word for webcomics and blogs, but I would very carefully have to weigh whether it was the right word for one of my novels.

#ScribesAndMakers Feb. 28: How did your month go?

https://tech.lgbt/@bluestarultor/116149251619235111

#ScribesAndMakers Mar. 1: How much time do you expect to have for creative work this month?

The same thing we do every night, Pinky: TRY TO TAKE OVER THE—!

Wait, wrong script! Uh, I dunno, probably about as much time as ever, give or take? Having a day job means I write at night and on weekends. Every month has a fairly even balance of nights and the weekends mostly average out, so...

#ScribesAndMakers 3. Ripple?

A word I like a lot, but rarely have reason to use. I like water. It's pretty. Ripples are pretty.

#ScribesAndMakers Mar. 6: How do you choose a title for your book?

I'm going to include games here as well, but I prefer straightforward titles that try to capture the vibe while remaining relevant, often a major MacGuffin.

#ScribesAndMakers Mar. 7: Are you able to communicate in sign language?

No, unfortunately. And I used to feel like this was a missed opportunity, because my aunt taught it, and my cousins know it, but... my aunt always hated my mom and everyone associated with her, so it was really never on the table. At this point I have no time or energy to learn.

#ScribesAndMakers Mar. 8: Is there a country other than your own that influences your creativity?

Nnnn—

*remembers all the yōkai stuff*
*remembers an entire series set in alternate China*
*remembers an entire game that's basically set in Japan with an America sticker over it like they did in the 2000s*
*remembers Jerako and the parts of the timeline that are all castles and stuff*
*remembers the game idea where everything from Celtic fey to African twin culture are a factor*
*remembers the one that's basically a guy reliving his greatest hits raiding South America, but, like, with an expedition party now*
*remembers the one that's literally based on the Matter of France*

Uh, so funny story, I guess, do you need five rings delivered to five special young people? Because I don't know if there isn't actually a continent I'm missing. XD

#ScribesAndMakers Mar. 9: Share a line from a song, then make a poll with the actual next line and two that are made up or are from another song. Ask people to pick the actual line.

Sometimes it feels just like your journey never e-ends /

#ScribesAndMakers Mar. 10: Reveal the answer to yesterday's poll.

Haha! Tremble before my mighty works and despair, for I have anticipated this turn of events before even checking the blog and (assuming everything works) prepared the perfect answer to it!

The answer is technically ALL of them! But the "💥" version is the title screen of the first game and thus most correct and nobody would have suspected! (Or maybe has never had to shoulder a door in.)

MUAHAHAHAHA!

...Please clap; that formatting was an absolute bear to do manually since Fade In refused to export it in two columns. XD

Edit: Wait, we weren't supposed to all be doing our own? Holy carp, I got all excited because I hadn't really given away everything for this game yet! Now I just feel strange. XD

Edit 2: You know, I had a much friendlier "you're ALL right" response prepared for if it had been all three, but I saw the writing on the wall and scheduled this all last night.

#GameDev #composing #MusicComposition

#ScribesAndMakers Mar. 11: Our featured creator does 3D printing. Have you ever? (Share a pic)

See, funny story, I GOT a 3D printer, but it came with an improperly drilled part, so I ended up needing to shop around eBay for a replacement once it finally bugged me enough to finish it and after it was assembled, I had kind of lost the spark.

It's still in the greenhouse, but I'm no longer using the greenhouse as an office, have a new (better) job, and kind of shelved the ideas I had after my 3D scanning app went defunct. The beeswax I was going to form and scan is all in there, too. Not in there: any living plants or any other pressing reason to visit regularly.

I could pick it back up at any time, but without it staring me in the face, I kind of forget it exists.

#ScribesAndMakers Mar. 12: Our featured creator has an em dash key on his keyboard. Do you do any customization for your creativity?

That depends on how you define it. My blogs are peppered with my own sprites, based on the Final Fantasy VI style. My WordPress can't seem to do fonts properly, so I have variations of "pencil-pusher" in red Chiller as an image. I otherwise do a lot of HTML in what is otherwise Markdown for those images. I've defined various console buttons as <kbd> tags with colors and borders.

On occasion Fade In won't have a specific scene transition and I'll just add it. I wish it would add globally rather than per doc, but what'cha gonna do? XD

#ScribesAndMakers Mar. 13: Our featured creator writes both novels and short stories. How do you feel about short fiction? Do you read short stories as often as novels?

I write plenty of short fiction myself. We'll say I end up reading plenty of it since I naturally read what I write. But honestly even when I read someone else's, it's just nice to have something bite sized when my attention isn't enough for something longer. I find these days that if I'm not creating, I'm looking for a distraction.

#ScribesAndMakers Mar. 15: Is the time you've had for creativity this month what you expected?

Not really. Halfway through March and I've largely spent it tired.

#ScribesAndMakers Mar. 16: Convince us to read a book you don't care for yourself.

No? First off, what the heck does this have to do with writing or making? This is marketing. And don't get me wrong, I had to do this for a school assignment about Jamestown and made it sound like a luxury resort without technically lying about a single thing, and while I am proud of that, I was very much channeling Frank & Ernest and didn't really have my own voice yet.

But the only book I can think of to even do this with is Planet of the Gawfs and I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

If I'm going to market something, I'm going to have standards. It's not that I can't wear that hat and be good at it; I would just rather not vomit in the process.

#ScribesAndMakers Mar. 17: What’s a creative habit you’ve wanted to adopt but haven’t yet?

Going outside. There's a good deal of nice "outside" nearby that I keep telling myself I should explore and keep not exploring. It's funny how much of my town is "well, that's interesting, but... someday" because I'm supposed to be elsewhere and then "someday" never comes. I kind of understand why people used to go on Sunday drives.

#ScribesAndMakers Mar. 18: If your creative work could speak, what would it say about you?

It would probably scream incoherently and make violent presenting motions at everything sitting unfinished and then indicate whatever my newest idea is with the utmost offense.

#ScribesAndMakers Mar. 19: How did you feel when you finished your most recent project?

Inasmuch as any project is ever "finished," I'd have to say First Fantasy is probably it and, honestly, I'd kind of just like to put it out there, but there's this feeling I need to go back to editing it at least one more pass and then have to seriously consider whether it's a good idea to put it out there on its own since for copyright reasons I literally cannot make money off of it. It will be a good carrot on a stick when something else is ready, but until then, I'm probably going to think it to death when I think of it at all.

#ScribesAndMakers Mar. 20: Self-promotion day. Shame optional.

As if I'd be anything but shameless. XD

Hey! You have a Windows computer you leave on? Are you one of the many people who sleep and want to wake up at some point? Take a gander at MediaAlarm! Guaranteed forever free, it accepts a wide array of file types to let you wake up to basically anything you want! MediaAlarm comes with EggTimer built in to let you have some discipline about your breaks or actually time when something's cooking!

Not your gig? I also have tools for time tracking, color picking, die rolling/random numbers/Magic 8 Ball/coin flips, and turning rich text into BBCode. All currently going for the fabulously low price of free!

Still not satisfied? Have my hashtags/RSS for my blog! This, too, is everyone's favorite four-letter word you can still shout in a daycare: FREE!

STILL not enough? Well... tough noogies. XD

#ScribesAndMakers Mar. 21: What everyday object would you photograph as if it were art?

I am constantly taking pictures of the sky. Usually clouds, sometimes some other cool thing like maybe the moon if it's doing something interesting.

#ScribesAndMakers Mar. 22: Create a micro-story in six words.

"Your baby's crying."

"...I'm a virgin."

#ScribesAndMakers Mar. 23: Do you consider yourself a frood who knows where their towel is?

I know where my towel is, but sadly I've only ever seen the movie and my reaction was, "Well, it's cute, but what's the point?" And I guess the books are very much in the same vein, but it just doesn't interlock with my sense of humor, though to be fair, it was a much drier sense of humor at the time. Maybe I should give it a rewatch.

Edit: Since this struck a chord, let me clarify I did think it was cute, i.e. I liked it, but I wasn't left wanting more of it. IIRC the text adventure was the same sort of humor and I bounced off. Being a different person now, it might be worth another shot.