Best Heroine (Quarterfinal 4)

Our third quarterfinal is done. One more to go, and then we're on to the semifinals!

There will be eight names on our last quarterfinal poll. After a week I will take the top four. They will be added to our current survivors to make the semifinal polls. From those semifinal polls I will take the top five each to go on to the final poll. 

Here are the remaining names. I've included the book or series the heroine can be found in, unless their book or series is named after them (and there isn't really another character they cold be confused for). Also, I used Google as best I could, but if you see any mistakes on this list please let me know.

Lyra Belacqua–His Dark Materials
Phèdre nó Delaunay Kushiel’s Dart
Susan Calvin–I Robot
Honor Harrington–Honorverse
Rachel Morgan–The Hollows
Keladry of Mindelan–The Protector of the Small
Hermione Granger–Harry Potter
The Wife of Bath–The Canterbury Tales

Everyone will get three votes (3). The top 4 will go on to the semi-final round. Before you simply vote for your favorite three, consider that, as there is no ranking of those three votes; each vote beyond one dilutes the power of your choices a little more. So if you have a genuine favorite--or pair of favorites--it's better to use as few votes as possible.

The poll itself is on the left side at the bottom of the side menus. Sleek. Black. Thin, but with some girth. Bow chicka bow wow.

These are the winners from the first three quarterfinal polls.

Killashandra Ree–Crystal Singer
Eowyn–Lord of the Rings
Vin–Mistborn
Jo March–Little Women
Laura Ingalls–Little House Series
Katniss Everdeen–The Hunger Games
Charlotte–Charlotte’s Web
Cordelia Naismith–Vorkosigan Saga
Elena Michaels–Bitten
Lisbeth Salander–Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Anne Shirley–Anne of Green Gables
Matilda

Ramona Quimby, Elena Michaels, and Trisana Chandier were eliminated from quarterfinal poll 3.

In one week, I'll post results and we'll move on to the semifinal rounds.  Call your friends. Hit up Reddit. I can't stop it, so I might as well encourage it. It's all traffic to me.

Best Heroine (3rd Quarterfinal Results)

Our third Quarterfinal Poll is at an end. Just one more quarterfinal to go before we kick off the semifinals.

Say good-bye to Ramona Quimby, Elena Michaels, and Trisana Chandier. Everything from Polgara up will go on to our semifinal poll. Don't touch that dial though because our last quarterfinal poll will be up later today.

[ETA: Given the hour and the fact of posting twice today (plus a slew of personal circumstances that will become clear soon enough) I'm going to post the last part of the poll tomorrow.]

Terri Pratchett: In Memoriam

Early today the news began to break across my Facebook that Sir Terry Pratchett has died. I am almost embarrassed to say, I've never read much beyond Good Omens. I've tried three different times with three different Diskworld books and they never grabbed me. I am assured that I simply need to read the right one. Maybe now, for the sake of sentimentality, I will try again in earnest. I'm always up for good "cherry popping" recommendations.  

I can't provide a good send off to an author I'm not familiar with, but I know many of you dearly loved Pratchett. That sound I heard was millions of readers' hearts breaking. So consider this an open invitation to share in comments personal thoughts, links you feel did him justice, great book recommendations, or just commiserate with others.

[This news is going to mean I have two posts today. Apologies in advance to folks on e-mail notification or feeds. Our new poll will go up tomorrow.]

It Ain't All Unicorn Rainbow Farts

At first I was going to try to gut out today's post (which is technically Monday's post). Then I was going to get it up uber late–like maybe after eight or nine tonight.  Then I thought maybe I would put something cheeky up here to kind of blow off the day.

But here's what I decided to do instead because of exactly what this blog is all about. It's not just about writing at the content level; it's about writing at the meta level. I leave up my shitty old writing so you can see me improve. I keep my articles with fifteen page views so you can take a look at what didn't work. I tell you how much money I make so you can be realists about how much time and energy it takes to get paid for writing. I post about my ebbs and flows so that you know that writers are as mercurial as other artists and not to judge us by our final product.

And it's probably important that you know all those "real" writers out there have themselves shitty weeks. They sit down some days and it's like pulling teeth. Some days just suck. Some WEEKS just suck. Sometimes it goes on even longer.

There are a lot of reasons for me having a hard time right now, from next level personal shit to readjusting to The Contrarian being back to simply fighting with the words but they're there.

I still sit down every day. I still write every day. But whipping up a coherent post in a timeline that isn't geological is proving Herculean.

It'll get done eventually. I'll break through. The waters will flow again, and probably sooner than most writers because I sit and write every day. Free flow writing (like this) is as easy for me as thinking (it's just the more structured stuff that's giving me trouble). The discipline is there, so I tend to pop back as soon as the juju starts to flow.

But don't ever let me make it look like it's always easy. You see the end result of hours of work. Some days are just clusterfucks of teeth pulling. And every writer has their dry spells that they have to just grit through.

So if you're having a bad day or a bad week or even a bad month, you're not alone. Just keep sitting down and working and the words will return.

Allies Are Like Sports Fans (An Extended Metaphor)

[I've got less than nothing in the way of functioning brain pistons today, so I thought I would share a spruced up version of a post that has gone a little crazy from my public Facebook page. Call it a lesson in extended metaphors.]


Being a social justice ally is a lot like being a fan of a sports team. You’re there to support them, you spend money on their merchandise, you identify yourself as such so that your team feels the love and the world knows you're there, you cheer for them, you talk them up to others, you gush about why your team rocks to anyone interested in sports (and maybe a few who aren't), and you jump in if someone's talking trash about your team (or your sport). You bring a megaphone and a big foam #1 glove, and maybe if you're good at what you do, you lead the bleachers in a cheer or two and get a few seconds on the JumboTron.

But you're not part of the team. You don’t get your name on the roster. If your team wins or loses, you're going to your normal job on Monday. If you're wearing a jersey, it's got someone else's name on it. You don't hang out in the locker room. You don't sit in on the strategy sessions. 

Also if someone from the team is doing a press conference, you fucking sit down and give them the microphone.  

Best Heroine Don't Forget to Vote

I've got to run to the airport to pick up all the heroes from The Hall of Rectitude in a few minutes, and after that I might abscond with The Contrarian for a tearful reunion.

I'll run today's mailbox tomorrow and today simply nudge everyone who hasn't to remember to vote in our third Best Heroine quarterfinal poll.

This poll will close on Thursday when our final quarterfinal poll will go up.

The poll itself is on the left side at the bottom of the side menus. Long. Black. Sleek. Innuendo city.

A Day "Off"

Crime is on the decline in New Zealand, the plan to take over the world using volcanoes stuffed with hummus has been foiled, and the gang is on their way back home (with a quick stop at the Aulani Disney Resort for a mud mask/massage victory lap), so I need to spend today flushing the blow down the toilet, sending the hookers home, getting all the sex toys out of the living room. Plus one of the hookers killed a politician; I'm going to have to get rid of the body.