Wearing your own clothes while trick-or-treating does not count as an ironic Halloween costume.

[stunt_muppet]

I don't think I should have to give kids candy if they don't even bother to put on a Halloween costume. >:( Kids these days, don't they know all the hard work and dedication we used to make our parents put in for a little free candy? No respect, I'm telling you, none at all.

1. So, the rally on Saturday! My uncle and I drove, so we avoided what I heard were impossible Metro crowds and actually managed to arrive at the rally before it started. Unfortunately we weren't that early, and ended up standing almost ten blocks back from the stage; because Comedy Central had only applied for a permit for 60,000 attendees, they could only set up speakers and Jumbotrons 3 blocks from the stage at the furthest. So we couldn't see or hear anything most of the time, and we ended up cutting and running after "Love Train" finished because, hey, at least we showed up. But the atmosphere was worth it - everyone was friendly and having fun, and people would cheer when other people managed to climb trees to get a better view, and lots of people asked to take pictures of our sign, which was amusing.

Two highlights of the signage: Someone in full old-school Cobra Commander costume holding a sign reading "Fear the Rise of the G(Cobra-Symbol)P", and someone up about a block from me holding up a banner that read "Dean and Castiel have a more profound bond", which made me laugh rather a lot once I figured out what it said- which was unfortunate because there was pretty much no way to explain what I was laughing about to my uncle and his friends.
 
2. So did anyone else get very few trick-or-treaters this year? A lot of my co-workers got very few when they normally get lots, and we had maybe ten groups the whole night when we're usually opening the door all night. And as mentioned above, a lot of them had no costume and didn't bother to even engage in the formality of saying "trick or treat". And I don't think you should get candy if you're going to put in that little effort, okay, if you're going to shake me down for candy you could at least work a little for it.

3. I might possibly have a job! The place I volunteer just got a sales position open, and while I don't know how much I'd get paid for it, it is something, at least, and the shop isn't as crowded in the holiday season as something like Wal-Mart (where I'm pretty sure employees have been trampled to death on Black Friday). This does present the potential problem of me having several doctors' appointments and things scheduled during the next few weeks that might screw up my working schedule, but still. POTENTIAL EMPLOYMENT, YEAH. \o\ /o/

4. Thought about maybe doing some kind of analogue to NaNo this year, wherein I would at least try to write every day, hopefully at least 500 words, and have at least one long fic or three short fics finished by the end of November.

And then I had two whole days where I didn't get anything written, and have been in a funk since the last week or so where I hate my writing and drawing and am convinced that I will never create anything that anyone can enjoy boo hoo woe is me. So there's that plan pretty much shot. Anyone else have days like that, and any advice on how to get over them?

It would be very nice to just freewrite, put down anything that comes into my head. But it doesn't work like that, alas.

5.  Speaking of writing, I have something I'd like to ask you all about concerning beta-ing.

I...haven't been using a beta lately. And that's bad, because I also have a tendency to miss typos and, especially, tense changes. Mostly because, once I've finished writing something, I'm generally so tired of looking at it that I can't see it objectively anyway and don't want to look at it anymore. And while I could certainly take the time to correct typos and mistakes if a beta pointed them out, after I've completed a story and organized everything and gotten the plot all in order I don't want to have to rewrite huge chunks of it.

Besides, while I'm quite open to suggestion and outside ideas while I'm still hashing out a story (which is why, ideally, I'd have co-brainstormers rather than a beta for the finished product, to talk things over and bounce ideas off of, but then it has to be a story I'm comitted to and I have to keep track of everything and also I'm bad at replying to e-mails), but once I've got things set enough to actually write I'm generally pretty attached to the order of events and some turns of phrase in a fic. Having to change a large part of it will throw me off or I'll feel like I'll have to rewrite almost everything to make new sections (suggested by a beta) fit.

I've been thinking about requesting a beta just for grammar, spelling, and mechanical errors, but I feel like that's being really stuck-up, like "oh my stories are perfectly plotted there's nothing you could possibly do to make them better". And it's not true, I know that, a lot of my stories would be vastly improved by thorough crit, I'm just too damn lazy and self-loathing to want it, hurr. But even having a SPAG beta is better than having no beta, right?

Uuugh, writing is hard you guys. :( And there are so many things I'm almost done with but the few unwritten sections are driving me up the wall. Not the best position when you're already in a why-do-I-bother mood.

6. To make things worse I've been thinking of trying to do something more with that Sari/Bee/Twins fic, but every time I try to think of a direction for it to go it starts becoming all ~serious business~ and you really can't have that when you're writing about robot puberty. I mean, either one of the twins blabs to Sentinel about their being a techno-organic among the Autobots and he wants to know why Optimus has been hiding this from him and there's ~drama~ or Sari somehow manages to damage her body why trying to figure out what exactly it does and there's ~angst~ and idek, I just wanted to write crackfic, dammit, why can't I do that. D:

7. Also Amazon apparently cancelled my order for the Almanac Volume 2 because I forgot to renew it, so now I'll probably never get my hands on it unless I'm willing to fork over $300 on the secondary market. Why exactly is this thing so hard to get a hold of?

Feh, I should quit whining and get off the computer, given that this window has been open since about 2 p.m. Don't want to ruin my eyes. Sorry for being a terrible commenter and all.

Comments

[antepathy.livejournal.com]

I also had very few trick or treaters, and I have started using my Old Lady Is Clueless prerogative to ask the little buggers 'oh, who are you dressed up as?' Because yeah. Putting on your varsity lacrosse uniform does not my candy getteth.

Honestly, the only kind of beta work I feel comfortable DOING is grammar cleanup. I crit writing for a living so betaing like *that*--commenting on plot/characterization, etc-- is too much like work!

So if you need a grammar beta and nothing more, feel free to hit me up. (And let me know if you want me to give you a list of goofs or just go ahead and fix 'em all for you.)

[stunt-muppet.livejournal.com]

See, I should have thought to do that. As it was I was just baffled as to what I was supposed to do. I mean, if they don't even say "trick or treat", what am I supposed to do, just hand them the basket? Do I say anything? What?

Oh, I am glad to hear that! :D I'm much more comfortable commenting on grammar when I do beta work for other people just because I don't feel right questioning plot decisions that other people have thought up, especially something that it'd take a long time to change. And thank you so much for your offer; I really appreciate that. :)

[pellimusprime.livejournal.com]

> 2. So did anyone else get very few trick-or-treaters this year?

Dude we barely got any. The city and everything does all these stupid Halloween functions and like, trick-or-treating events and ruins trick-or-treating for neighborhoods. >:| what the fuck is "trunk-or-treat". I DON'T CARE GETTING CANDY FROM THE BACKS OF CARS IS RETARDED.

> Anyone else have days like that, and any advice on how to get over them?

:| Good question and I would like advice on kicking that shit because I swear to god I hate everything I make what the fuck.

> ... but I feel like that's being really stuck-up, like "oh my stories are perfectly plotted there's nothing you could possibly do to make them better".

No, I think that's fine. o^o I mean, you don't always want to have to chop up something you've written, you just want to polish it a bit. Not everything has to be broken down bit by bit and re-done for BETTER BECAUSE BETTER. it can be a bit disheartening, especially when you're just writing because you enjoy it or whatever. o^o I prefer just haing a grammar beta, rather than a drill sergeant trolol

YOU OBVIOUSLY NEED HUGS. *hugs* :D

[stunt-muppet.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised just how many people didn't get many trick-or-treaters. Maybe because it was on a Sunday this year, so kids had to go to school in the morning? I know my neighborhood did a few of those "trunk-or-treat" events, but enough of them and not close enough to cause this big a drop. And - yeah, I guess people are more and more worried about safety so they stick to pre-arranged and supervised events, but part of the fun of trick-or-treating was walking around the neighborhood in costume, and I'd be sad if kids didn't get to do that anymore.

Ugh, I know the feeling. Usually I'm okay with what I write after I write it, but sometimes I just re-read it and think about how it should have been better and how I'm not accomplishing anything, etc. And pretty much everything I draw I hate as soon as it's finished. Bleh.

Not everything has to be broken down bit by bit and re-done for BETTER BECAUSE BETTER.

You know, I hadn't thought of it that way. I'm always convinced that what I put out there has to be THE BEST POSSIBLE ALWAYS, because otherwise I'm not...doing it right, or something. Or everybody will see how bad it is, idk. Like if I ever want to be serious about writing, I need to get used to having my stuff worked over like that? But it's not like I'm ever going to get published for writing fanfic, so I suppose it's a bit silly working up that much stress over it.

I DO. *hugs back* And thank you; the comments here really help. :D

[runyasan08.livejournal.com]

HUGS FOR YYOOUUUUU ♥♥♥

also, remember. periods and commas are the salt and pepper of your literary dish.

*frolics off*

[stunt-muppet.livejournal.com]

*hugs back* Thanks. I needed that. :D

I am so terribly nitpicky about commas. I need to quit doing that; it's so much unnecessary stress. :(

[airie-fairy.livejournal.com]

1) So what did your sign say?

2) They didn't even wear costumes? Dude, costumes are the best part. I can't believe they weren't wearing costumes.

3) Not just employees, either. :/ But ANYWAY, that's not where you're working, so yay for that, and double yay for potential employment! =D

[stunt-muppet.livejournal.com]

1. "This is a sign." Not as clever as we thought it'd be since there were a lot of people with signs like that (or "I have a sign" or some variation) but people really seemed to like it. And anyway ours was better because it was in bigger print so there.

2. I know! What exactly is the point of Halloween if you don't even dress up? And it's not like a ten-year-old normally has to buy their own candy or anything, so even the "free candy" excuse doesn't hold up. NO EFFORT I tell you. Harumph.

3. It would not surprise me if shoppers had been killed as well. How's that for peace on earth and goodwill to men. :( And yaay, thank you! I just really like the idea that I'll be doing something, you know? Plus then paying for parking won't be as much of a steady drain on my savings.

[frogwolf.livejournal.com]

Amazon probably would have cancelled your order for the Almanac anyway. They cancelled mine as well, with an email saying that they would not be able to get any copies in, and that it took them a long time to come to this realization, as they thought they would still be able to. :\

[stunt-muppet.livejournal.com]

Really? Ugh, at least now I don't feel so bad about not renewing the order. I really don't understand why this book is so hard to get a hold of, since Hasbro doesn't get anything from the secondary market so it's not like they benefit any from its scarcity.

Three hundred dollars. I don't even.

[rhia-starsong.livejournal.com]

Eh, sometimes you don't really need more than grammar and spelling beta; it's actually easier on the beta that way! Luck on the writing and job things.

[stunt-muppet.livejournal.com]

I figure it would be, but then there's still that impulse that it has to be AS GOOD AS POSSIBLE ALL THE TIME, you know? I should really stop that.

[curuchamion.livejournal.com]

Hey. I prefer to do SPAG beta only, although if requested I have been known to throw in other sorts of crit. I'm pretty fast, too - usually. (Don't ask about the longfic chapter that arrived right before my depression got really bad... *g*)

As to hating everything you write - gah. That's been my default state since January, more or less. I'm finding picowrimo really helpful: it's like NaNo, except you can drop in anytime and set your own goals. The people are quite awesome, too. My goal is just "write something - anything - fiction-related every day". Some days I've just hammered out a sentence or so to post as a snippet, some days I've scribbled pages of character backstory and not posted anything... it all counts.

(One of the writers on there likes to point out that even if you wind up writing 30 words and deleting 50 on a given day, you did write the 30, and also the 50 previously - so you still have a total word count of 80 words produced. Seriously, it's a nice place; I encourage you to drop in sometime.)

[stunt-muppet.livejournal.com]

It's a lot easier for me to do that too - maybe suggesting a few sentences to tighten up or make clearer, but I don't think I'd feel comfortable suggesting huge plot changes unless something was...I don't know, really really out-there, like an unironic Deus Ex Machina. Even then I'd want to talk to the writer about it first. But when it comes to my own work, I sometimes feel like that's oversensitive. I'm really glad to hear that that position makes sense to you; it makes me feel a lot les bad about it. :D

I have gone and joined picowrimo! IT does help a lot having self-set goals, and while I haven't posted anything up there yet (because I haven't been writing, mostly - it is taking me some time to get used to writing on anything but my laptop), but thank you so much for pointing it out to me. I look forward to advice, encouragement, and shared frustration. XD

I don't know if I could get used to thinking of deleted words as "words produced", ha ha. That might take some doing.