Creativity

’Feeling’ other people’s intentions when there is no time  to comprehend is not a special talent reserved for enlightened masters.  Only a bad relationship with our perceptions and a poor regard for our intuition can take this fundamental weapon away from us. Centuries of strict rationalism and skeptical philosophies have contributed to undermine our natural sensitivity. -Daniele Bolelli, On The Warrior’s Path


YOWZAA!!!! Angela has been promoted to brown belt!!!!!!!!!   I'm so excited!!!

Vince got his blue! (He said to me most pathetically just about 2 weeks ago: "I'm *never* going to get a blue belt.")

Friday FOD: Five Animals. Both ways.

Turtle Drum- went well. Several attendees raving about how it sounded like there were voices and extra drums, extra flutes playing, but you'd walk around and realize that what you were hearing was coming from nobody corporeally present. Cool when that happens.

Some guy walked in off the street and played for a while. He obviously knew his way around a drum better than any of us there- he had all the fancy slaps and soloing going; unfortunately he was completely toasted and thus could not really color within the lines very well. He was a very interesting interlude, but I was just as happy when he wandered off again.

We had a couple of dancers- which we don't always have. It's always better with dancers. I hope they come again. I think they were a little freaked out by the wasted guy, though. The perils of running public events.... sigh.

Sunday FOD: Plum Blossom Fist

Spent a lot of time today researching Chinese mythology. The main takeaway- there are some European elements I've been using that I didn't really realize were QUITE that European. But lo and behold, every single one of them has a Chinese counterpart. I didn't really want to make my WIP *too* blatently Chinese because I'm terrified of making gross historical errors, and I didn't really want to do a crap-ton of research.... but I'm starting to slide toward a greater commitment to just ride with it. Definitely lots more research, though.   :(

There seems to be a strong call for more cultural variety in fantasy fiction.... but on the other hand, writing about non-white or non-hetero/non-monogamous characters still apparently makes some readers automatically pass up your story, and makes it harder to find a traditional publisher if you want to go that route.

Still, some of the crap I've seen lately.... As I commented recently on Mythic Scribes, nothing drives me like reading bad fantasy fiction. I read something and think, "I can do better than this... and this got published."