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Divorce works as feminist cred builder…
Feminist ideology permeates our culture in ways that filter down into even the most personal, often in ways that surprise me. Although being a teenager in the 1970s, where strident feminist ideology rose to dominate American culture, I should not be surprised how completely even many (perhaps most) conservative women have been indoctrinated too.
The girl power dogma rules and has been everywhere from cute pastel-colored stickers proclaiming "Girls Rule" for young girls to colleges brimming with "women's studies" selections, while military history was frog-marched off of most college curriculums.
Feminists have worked to shame and marginalize women who choose to be stay-at-home mothers and make their family the center of their lives. Women who do not define themselves in terms of "careers" are relegated to the bottom of the heap and as one of those "just a nobody homemaker" type of women ( I could fill a book with personal examples). This attitude so dominates our culture, where women blazing trails into traditional male-dominated careers are hailed as role models, cultural icons and symbolic of what women should strive for in their lives, that anything other than blazing career trails is deemed being a failure or settling for less.
Women are defined by most men primarily on looks, to a degree that often, I think, it's hardwired into the male DNA to assess women as potential mates, but most men publicly spout the feminist dogma too. Women define themselves and other women based on feminist-indoctrinated standards of career and politics. Motherhood and family, although still central to many women's lives, get dissected and judged on strictly feminist terms. Most women, who decide to stay home to care for their children, whom I've known feel a need to defend the choice, but among stay-at-home mothers with a college education, they feel shame or express the choice in terms of being a failure.
Homemakers often caveat their choice as "temporary". It's a rare thing for a woman to unapologetically state she chose to be a homemaker and is happy being at home.
The cultural status of being a homemaker devolved from being a respected undertaking, where a mother was seen as the central figure in the home, keeping order and nurturing her family to now an undertaking in need of apology and excuses. Homemaking used to be considered real work, but the feminist revolution redefined it in Betty Friedan terms, as drudgery, misery, endless boredom and a total waste of a woman's life.
Most conservative women in the punditry and political circles, claim to be feminists too and how they square these two diametrically opposing ideologies into their personal and political viewpoint fascinates me. These conservative women will raise a ruckus when Hillary Clinton makes a dismissive comment about traditional homemakers, spouting about how she didn't want to stay at home baking cookies, but at the same time these conservative women are very much swimming in the same feminist ideological pond as liberal feminist women, believing most of the same things. They define themselves on feminist terms.
A few "rebel" conservative women have rocked the feminist cart a bit by suggesting women take the time to rock the cradle and stay home with their young children, as a viable option, but even there, feminist dictates creep in, with advice often urging women that they can later pursue a career. The truth is children especially from lower-income families, where affordable quality daycare options do not exist, would fare better with a family member at home caring for them. Despite relentless leftist social engineering in our culture, many women still feel mothering instincts and find satisfaction in caring for their children.
Among some deeply religious families, you will hear some value placed on stay-at-home mothers, but these views get cast as trying to keep women trapped at home by the mainstream cultural mouthpieces. This traditional defense of women being happy and fulfilled taking care of their families, as the central goal in their life, gets less than zero respect in our culture.
Marriage has also been redefined and diluted in meaning and form, where it's relevance is now more useful as a term held hostage by leftists, who work tirelessly to politicize, litigate and pressure Americans into bowing down and accepting their constantly evolving definition. So, it shouldn't have surprised me to read an op-ed from a conservative pundit weighing in that Hillary Clinton failed women, by staying married to Bill Clinton and urging Melania Trump to divorce President Trump, to make a political statement and become a worthy feminist icon.
A couple of days ago, conservative commentator, S.E. Cupp urged Melania Trump to divorce President Trump in an op-ed. Cupp wrote:
"What she does next is no small thing. It might seem just like tabloid fodder to the gossip rags, or political chum for Hill watchers. But for a generation of young girls, Melania's next move could be formative.
It was for me. I was just 13 when word of Bill Clinton's affairs hit the campaign trail and imperiled his 1992 presidential run. I had just "voted" for Clinton in my school's mock primary, and I was paying close attention."
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/melania-don-repeat-hillary-mistake-leave-donald-article-1.3899011
It's fair to condemn Hillary for attacking Bill Clinton's other women and being involved in trying to destroy their reputations, but it's a whole other thing to read a conservative commentator equate marriage as some sort of political or feminist statement. Marriage should be a private matter. It feels very odd to find myself defending Hillary Clinton's right to privacy on her marriage and any decisions she makes pertaining to it, but this is a first. Hillary Clinton doesn't need to explain her marriage to anyone.
Asserting that Melania Trump will inspire young women, if she divorces her husband, leaves me wondering what kind of women find inspiration in a broken marriage and another child dealing with a broken home? Divorce is a painful experience for most people who go through it. It's especially painful to children in those families. Suggesting a woman divorce to make a political statement or to bolster her "feminist cred" sounds nakedly ambitious, heartless and completely incongruent with conservative values.
This is where conservative values are at though. Cupp isn't an anomaly. Most women, across the political spectrum are feminists first and their "conservative" values play second string to trying to appease the feminist sisterhood. Feminist ideology rules, not only the American cultural and political landscape completely, sadly it rules the roost in most American homes.
Filed under Culture Wars, Politics
4 responses to "Divorce works as feminist cred builder…"
hollyasbury
borabosna
This shows that feminism is just female nature. So-called "conservative" women are not immune to it. After all, first wave feminists were pretty conservative. They belonged to anti-alcohol Christian women's temperance unions. Going even further back, even centuries, we see feminist thought in Lysistrata, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Christine De Pizan, "La Querelle Des Femmes", and even 10th century Baghdad Islamic poetry.
Thanks for your comment and welcome.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


2018 Qtr 4 Market Review | What Happened (v. 2)?
Let's think back to the beginning of 2018. The U.S. and global economies were humming, corporate earnings were nearing all-time highs, the global stock markets had just finished an exceptional year. To top off the optimism, our legislators had just passed a new tax bill that dramatically lowered corporate tax rates. The Wall Street "experts" naturally assumed that 2018 would be another good year for the stock market…all else being equal, profits would be greatly expanded because corporations would pay less in tax. Indeed, corporate profits continued to surge, yet the stock market lost value during this past year. Many investors jumped on the stock bandwagon in late 2017 and early 2018, only to be disappointed.
So, what happened? To start the year, volatility returned with a vengeance, after an unusually smooth 2017. The first quarter of 2018 saw wide swings in both the stock and bond markets, as free trade, technology and low interest rates were all perceived to have been threatened. After a couple of relatively calm quarters, the U.S. stock market experienced its second "correction" (losses of more than 10%) of 2018 during the fourth quarter. By the end of the year, the stock market recorded its worst year since 2008 and the bond market experienced its second weakest return since 1999. It was a rare year in which cash was the best performing asset class in the U.S. The haze of negativity hanging over the markets is still primarily driven by the trade wars, political posturing, rising interest rates (the Fed raised rates four times in 2018), and now the uncertainty about the execution of Brexit. The prevalence of index investing, momentum investing, and algorithmic trading has grown substantially over the years, perhaps exacerbating market swings and mass selling during the quarter.
During the quarter, all broad stock market indexes lost value. Large cap stocks lost less than small cap stocks and value stocks lost less than growth stocks, neither of which is a surprise during a quarter in which the market nearly entered "bear" territory (losses of at least 20%). Almost every sector in the U.S. stock market delivered a negative return. The "best" performing sectors in the S&P 500 Index in Q4 included Utilities (+1.4%), Real Estate (-3.8%) and Consumer Staples (-5.2%). The worst performing sectors during the quarter included Energy (-23.8%), Technology (-17.3%) and Industrials (-17.3%).
Non-U.S. developed, and emerging markets stocks continued their slide during the quarter. During the year, the "best" performing countries included Russia (+0.2%), Brazil (-0.1%), and India (-7.3%). Many regions around the globe struggled, including China (-18.7%) and Germany (-21.6%). U.S. tariffs and trade wars were to blame for much of the poor showing in the international markets. The U.S. Dollar has strengthened relative to most other currencies this year, further detracting from returns for U.S. investors in international securities.
President George H.W. Bush passed from this Earth on November 30, 2018, which caused many citizens to yearn for the kind of civility and dedication that he brought to American politics. Speakers at his funeral recalled the qualities of this man: integrity, kindness, dignity, humor, empathy, loyalty, generosity, humility, and truth…all of which seem to be in short supply in today's leaders. In his inaugural speech, he referenced "a thousand points of light, of all the community organizations that are spread like stars throughout the Nation, doing good." He promised that all members of government would become involved in support of these organizations. He recognized that it was important to give back to our community and that serving others enriches the giver's soul.
Importantly, he was an advocate for environmental issues and the conservation and protection of our natural resources. Many will not remember that his Administration passed the Global Change Research Act of 1990, which established the United States Global Change Research Program to study the effects of climate change. The Act requires a special council to submit to the President and Congress, at least every four years, an assessment regarding the findings of the Program (the most recent 4th Assessment established that our economy, public health, national security, water supply, and other societal sectors are suffering because of climate change). President Bush also signed into law the landmark 1990 Clean Air Act Amendment (to the original Clear Air Act, which was signed by President Nixon), which was designed to address three major threats to our environment: acid rain, urban air pollution, and toxic air emissions. He understood that there is no conflict between environmental progress and economic progress…indeed we need both to sustain ourselves as a nation and global society.
From organic farming to green bonds, there are many investment opportunities now available to investors that can achieve the "triple bottom line" of positive economic/financial value, social responsibility and environmental impact. I'll continue to write about examples, such as Xylem, in my client letters. In addition, you can reference the blog posts of our sister company, Falcons Rock Impact Investments, at www.falconsrockimpact.com.


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Archive for category The Unclassified Section
WRITING CHRONICLE #36: cave walls and tapestries
Posted by lupa08 in The Unclassified Section on March 7, 2018
Via: Daily Prompt – Fabric & Fact
I know I'm a couple of days late in submitting this post. My brain drew a complete blank this week when it came around to writing about… my writing experiences and learnings. This is probably due to not having written much over the last couple of weeks besides what you will find on this blog. There were few fresh experiences for me to draw from. As I waited for inspiration to hit me, I caught up on my Watchlist and, sure enough, my standard researching go-to pulled through.
Image: Self
I saw The Breadwinner last night and, during Act I of the movie, the father kept insisting the protagonist retell the stories he had taught her. She was wary of the task and lacked confidence in her ability to remember the details or add spirit to her recitations that her father so naturally exhibited. I understood her anxiety; it is an anxiety we, all authors, become consumed by every once in a while. Will our stories be relevant, will they create an impact? Will we connect?
As the father continued to reiterate to the daughter that telling stories was their tradition and why it was important that she continue the tradition, I began to re-appreciate how selfless an act storytelling can be. Amidst the terror and oppression of the Taliban regime, it was the one tradition that they could uphold because it did not cost anything more than a conversation between two persons – however secret. It was the one way that the truth of a time before the Taliban reign could stay alive for future generations to look back on. As long as there were people telling the stories of their pasts, the Taliban couldn't obliterate their identity. Storytelling was a risk they would just have to take.
But storytelling isn't just the tradition of the people of Afghanistan; it is the one tradition that all of mankind has had in common since languages were invented. In Genius, Colin Firth's enactment of the legendary book editor Max Perkins describes to the self-absorbed Tom Wolfe (Jude Law) in the movie how ancient a form of communication storytelling is. That when the cavemen sat around the campfire at night with nothing to do but worry about all the dangers lurking in the dark, they told each other stories. Stories kept the dread of the dark at bay while campfires became more than sanctuaries, they became a symbol of communion.
Image: Pixabay, CC0
Today, we discover scratch marks on cave walls and marvel at the presence of mind and resourcefulness of our ancestors to have preserved the evidence of their existence at a time when they didn't have the comfort of the knowledge that archeologists would one day unearth their fossils and fittings even without the tips they thought to leave behind. But archeological findings only tell us what we may surmise ourselves; while cave arts communicate the rendition of the stories the Neanderthal themselves wanted to share with us. How much more personal the communication then becomes, how much more generous the act?
Image: The Daily Star, CC2.0
In junior high, we didn't study English, we had Language Art classes. Because that is the form storytelling eventually took. It became more than a means of preserving history. It became methods of imparting ethics and morals, life lessons and standards. It made learning pleasurable and it glued those learnings to our memories. Go online and you will discover a hundred reasons why storytelling is important in everything from early childhood development to cultural constructs to the field of marketing. From reiterating facts of our past to inventing fictions based on our present or somewhere in between, storytelling can take on many forms and shapes from using words and symbols to threads and paints.
But, returning back to the lesson the father was trying to impart to our protagonist in The Breadwinner, the one thing we, authors, must remember is that storytelling is meant for more than our self-gratification in the ability to tell a story well, to impress; the true reason for telling stories lies in the "why". Realize why you must tell a story and the hesitation will resolve itself.
Why do you tell your stories?
author, author advice, cave art, Creative Writing, daily post, Daily Prompt, History, stories, storytelling, tradition, writers life, Writing, writing fiction, writing tips
#AuthorToolbox 08: tangled in titles
Via: Daily Prompt – Compromise
Media: LinkedIn
I first attempted to write a full-fledged novel when I had just completed my 'O' levels. While waiting for the results to see which junior colleges I qualified for, I drafted half a novel with the vigor of a hummingbird. Then I spent six years editing the chapters I had written, eventually suspending the project indeterminately with the hope that distance would help me solve how to fill the gaping plot hole that stared back at me every time I pulled up the file. But plot holes isn't the topic of the day; it's titles – something that I struggled with for eighteen years before learning to lock in place.
For the longest time, this file was saved as 'Book' on my hard drive. After hitting the roadblock in my story, I decided it was finally time to give it a title – you know, for a little variety in occupation. Upon reflecting a great deal about my protagonist, I decided her prickly personality was key and came up with a name that makes me want to molt all the quills in my cap. I changed the file name to 'Cactus'. No, it wasn't a book on gardening; yes, it was indeed a romance novel. If ever there was a woodpecker trying to drill a hole in an iron skillet, it was I.
Avian metaphors aside, the title is one of the most versatile marketing tools for a book. Regardless of how brilliant a story is, with a generic title, it may be hard-pressed to attract readers. The title can raise curiosity about the content or suggest a solution to the type of materials a reader is already in search of. It may follow a textual motif that links to a series fiction or become a brand symbol for a product expansion.
Media: @Metafrantic
Even more important than the cover illustration, it not only compels the reader to select a particular book from a pile, ut also becomes a point of reference and recommendation at a later time. The tweet on the right that recently blew up the Internet proves this point well. I think we have all been in the shoes of the reader who requested the red-jacket book. I still haven't been able to track down this 90's YA romance novel about makeover and student election and environmental politics that featured a boy, a girl, and a full-length mirror on the cover. I had bought the book through the old Scholastic Book Club order flyers but someone pilfered it from my shelves some twenty years ago. [Note my not-so-subtle cry for help, in case anyone is able to shed light on the title/author]
This is what happens when the title lacks one or more of the following CHARACTERISTICS:
Conspicuous – Before anyone gets around to reading a book, it must first pique reader's interest enough to grab the book. Yes, an eye-catching cover may do the trick but think about it, the book cover may not be present during a discussion between readers when one person is recommending it to the other(s). Be it racy, divisive, over-the-top, or poignant, it must excite curiosity for the content. Meaning, it's okay to get gimmicky here.
Memorable – Speaking of recommendations, name one item that is more dependent on end-user reviews than books. Word-of-mouth can move mountains [of books] for an author. However, for it to be effective, the book title must be easy to comprehend, quick to recall, and ready to roll off the recommender's tongue, right? Similarly, the recipient of the recommendation will be more likely to give up the search for a book they can't remember the title of because, after all, there is no dearth of reading materials out there.
Explanatory – The title should give the reader an idea of what the book is about. That is not to say it becomes a five-word summary of the story; rather the title should imply the genre, tone, and thematic subject of the book. Informative titles also make it stand out for relevant readers, i.e. readers who are specifically looking for literature that a book offers. Look at it this way, the only thing better than a #tag is the title!
Verbally Fluid – This links back to being memorable but it's more than that. As already mentioned, the business of books is dependent on recommendations. Pack the title with words that have complex pronunciations or phrasing that plays tongue twister and the reader will be less inclined to passing on the good word to fellow book lovers.
Appealing – A provocative title may attract a lot of readers; even debatable titles gets a pass by inducing reader to engage and discover the other side of an argument. However, regardless of the stunt pulled to make the book title stand out, it must remain palatable. Maya Angelou's insight "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel" aptly applies to book titles. A title that makes a reader feel embarrassed or otherwise uncomfortable, whether due to difficulty in pronunciation or by presenting a socially unacceptable viewpoint, will probably not be brought up in public. It's also how books get burned.
No short order but these attributes may pave the road to success. Yet, authors often give the title less thought than due. Honestly, having come up with and written down a story to completion provides me with such a sense of accomplishment, I often feel as though my job is done. However, some of my transgressions have been more reckless. I'm not alien to feeling impatient towards the end of a writing project, especially one that has consumed more time than originally expected. And since I almost always wait until the end of the composition to title my stories… Well, you see where I'm going with this.
If only there was a STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO CRAFTING A BOOK TITLE. Hold on a second, could this be it?
Step 1: Finish writing the story first. Despite what I mentioned about my impetuous nature, I still recommend waiting until the completion of your story before sitting down to crack that title. The reason is, regardless of how well you have planned and plotted your story when starting the project, there is always a chance that by the time you reach the end, you may gain new perspective towards your work. Writing is a time-consuming task that gives you ample opportunity to grow as a person as well as an author – make the most of that growth when devising the title.
Step 2: Decide the main purpose of your book. Once the book is written, the central message of the story should become much clearer. A good way to sift through the salient points in the story is to discuss them with friends, critique partners, editors, etc. Now is the time to talk about your thoughts and feelings regarding the story you have written. The aspects of your story that the sample audience is most responsive to is probably a good indicator of what will work with a wider pool of readers and provide great angles for stimulating titles.
Step 3: Brainstorm. Step 2 is really there to take inventory of all that the story has to offer. Keeping in mind the relevance of the book for the target audience as distinguished while deciding its purpose, brainstorming is when you finally let loose your creativity to come up with a title that meets all the desired attributes mentioned above. But first, a few suggestions for the brainstorming session:
Keep a title jar. While ideally brainstorming for titles should be kept aside till you finish writing your story, you may very well notice a phrase befitting your book or be struck by inspiration amidst your project. Write it down and put it in a jar to come back to later.
Be mindful of the narrative voice and POV. The tone the narrator assumes and the POV through which the whole or majority of the story is related should be reflected in the title, as it plays an important role in informing the reader what to expect.
Keep it relevant. For that matter, the title should match both the story told and the audience targeted. Whether you're banking on the central theme, protagonist's identity, contextual symbolism, or a famous quote, the title must provide meaning to the story. At the same time, it helps to share similarities with successful titles in the genre of the book.
Don't give away the ending. While the title should pique the reader's curiosity and provide an insight into the theme, don't undermine the plot by revealing too much even before the book is read. Allow the title to raise questions but make sure to withhold the answers.
Add hidden layers. Titles with double meanings, i.e. which touch upon evident motifs in the story as well as underlying themes and morals, are great for wowing the reader. While this ploy may not contribute to the reader picking up the book initially, it can provide an overall satisfaction in the reading experience, which the reader may retain and refer to others.
Don't limit your options. During the brainstorming session, fill your title jar with as many possibilities as you can think of. Feel free to use both short and long phrases and explore the various sources (more on that below) from which you can lift ideas for the title.
Step 4: Narrow down to your favorites and run a self-test. Sound out the words to your shortlisted titles. Could any title benefit from alliteration? Does it provide the prospect for coining a phrase or new word? Is it clumsy or pleasant? These are just some of the details to keep your ears out for. Some titles may profit from a little rephrasing to make them less awkward; some of the longer ones may need shortening. They say the ideal fiction titles are limited to five words. I'm not sure how true that is but I have come to realize that action words create more impact and that using precise nouns and active verbs give reader the sense of delving into the story from the get-go.
Step 5: Make sure the title hasn't been run ragged. Check Amazon, Goodreads, Wikipedia. Google it and see what comes up. Try to remain in the fold of your genre but do not blend in like sheep.
Step 6: Recruit title reviewers. Take your list of favorite title options and ask people what they think. Ideally, these people should have read your manuscript first so they are aware of the pertinent points of the story. Listen to their feedback carefully but with a grain of salt, then reevaluate your options.
Step 7: Make your final selection. Revisit Step 2 and see if the final title you have chosen fits the goal of your book.
Sounds like a lot of work, huh? So is true about most things that reap great benefits. The good news is that most of these steps can be performed by rote. In fact, the true challenge is convincing yourself that your book is worth your reader's time because it is only when you have found your book's purpose that you will be motivated to go through all the nitty-gritty of discovering the perfect title. So…
WHERE DO YOU LOOK FOR BOOK TITLES?
Trending titles in the genre – Different genres take to different types of titles. Complex names often lend the right amount of gravitas to literary fictions but then may also require subtitles to provide context; historical romance novels tend to focus on the identity of the protagonist(s). Obviously, these titles are working with the targeted audiences in their respective genres. What's not broke &c.
Thematic titles – In character-driven stories, thematic titles are used to present an idea of the protagonist's journey. The focus is frequently on the conflict that adds to the MC's struggles and injects mystery to the title by using metaphors or symbols associated with the said themes.
The MacGuffin – The MacGuffin, which represents the plot device or a desired objective for the protagonist, may also be a part of the title, as it also reflects upon the potential course of the story.
Protagonist's name, role or traits – This is perhaps the more deliberate route taken to naming a character-driven story. Though simplistic and direct, the protagonist's implied limitations can act as a strong stimulus for readers to identify with through the title and, thus, induce them to read the book to learn the protagonist's fate.
A focus on fellowship – Some plot-driven stories revolve around the actions of a group of people that add to or reverse the course of the central conflict. In such cases, the contribution of no singular character is enough and, therefore, the title may feature a group of characters instead.
Unusual Setting – Where the major conflict or goal for the protagonist is presented in the form a place in the story, the title may assume the name of such a place.
Event – A significant event that starts or turns the course of a story is an excellent source for a title.
Famous words – Whether lifted from a song, a poem, or a quote, popular phrases seem to have a pleasant effect on titles, touching upon what the reader is already familiar with, and, hence, make such trendy titles.
From the manuscript – For that matter, why not list all your favorite lines in the book? Keywords or inspired phrases in the book that rightly express the essence of the story may just deserve their place in the spotlight.
A compelling story deserves a compelling title. It would be a sad state if after putting in all that work in writing a best-seller, the success is marred by a lackluster title. What do they say, in for a penny in for a pound? Well, having the perseverance to work on that title is well worth it.
So, how do you come up with your titles?
author advice, Author Toolbox, AuthorToolboxBlogHop, book marketing, book titles, Creative Writing, daily post, Daily Prompt, publishing, storytelling, word of mouth, Writing, writing fiction, writing tips
WIRITING CHRONICLE #34: two shakes short to a swelled head
Posted by lupa08 in The Unclassified Section on January 28, 2018
Via: Daily Prompt – Inkling
Remember this moment in cinema?
Media: Tenor
I recently had a moment like this. Not that it suddenly dawned on me that I have been unwittingly in love with a person who has always been in my life. It was something much more worrisome.
I was discussing the love of Mr. Darcy with a former work associate when I found myself mentally sneering, "Yeah, everyone wants to be Elizabeth Bennet and find their own Mr. Darcy. What they don't realize is that they are all Marianne Dashwood chasing after Willoughby." Then I further added to myself, "Lately, it's been an endless parade of Lydia Bennets complaining about how they have been completely had by Wickham. Well, what can I expect from a Millennial*?"
And then I became wholly ashamed of my less than charitable feelings towards others. Here was a young woman who has always looked up to me for advice like one does a sister and I was abusing her for her romantic aspirations instead of encouraging her to develop the kind of consistency shown by Austen's heroines. Even the mild-mannered Jane Bennet would be disappointed in me. Shouldn't the fact that the younger generation is once again picking up authors like Austen be a source of hope? So I proceeded to correct my stance and discuss with my friend all the reasons why the Elizabeth-Darcy relationship prospered.
Later that day, I was thinking about why everyone loved Mr. Darcy so much; why I loved him, actually. And I came up with the following list of traits:
Media: Giphy
At heart, he is a noble beast though his pride hides it well
He does not love universally but when he loves, he is ardent and steadfast
He has difficulty delegating and whatever is to be done must be done by him so obviously very capable
He feels deeply, reflects greatly, and holds his own opinions at the highest esteem
He is honest and has no need to deny his feelings or actions
Though he is ill at ease in a crowd or among strangers, he feels no compunction in speaking his mind
He makes short order of assessing people and situations nor does he forgive easily when they fall short of his expectations
He has a superiority complex but only because his mind is so improved
His speech is eloquent, his manners are without art
His actions are made with conviction and confidence
He knows how to handle information with discretion, he approaches life with consistent gravitas
As I added more and more attributes to the list, I became struck by my own reality…
OH MY GOD! I AM MR. DARCY!
[Someone needs to write a fanfiction with that title, by the way]
Apart from the tall, dark, and sexy man thing, of course. But does this mean that all these years I have been in love with myself? Who would've thought? If so, how narcissistic is that? The more I mulled it over, the more convinced I became that I might be a borderline egomaniac in my appreciation of the characteristics attributed to Mr. Darcy. If I am ever dissatisfied with myself, I can will away whatever unease I feel with the self-possessed knowledge that should I apply myself to the task at hand, I will succeed.
In fact, the only thing I have truly ever feared in my life is failing to become a revered author. It is the one place where I am not absolutely convinced that were I to practice and push, I would become a best-selling novelist. No matter how much effort I put into the craft or to the purpose of building my author platform, it may all still come to naught. Writing keeps me grounded. It probably even prevents me from using means of manipulation and coercion on others to create little replicas of my personality.
WHEW! Close call, huh?
*Dear Millennial, I don't really think I'm superior to you. Any harsh feelings I may harbor towards you probably stems from a jealous resentment that you have greater social stamina and enthusiasm for life than I do – and so, the fault is actually mine. With all candor, I actually admire your pluck and ability to discover adventure and entertainment in every task that you set yourself to. XOXO
Back to the topic at hand, why do you love Mr. Darcy?
author, author life, best seller, Creative Writing, fear of failure, Millennial, Mr. Darcy, narcissism, Pride and Prejudice, self love, writers life, Writing, writing goals, writing struggles
#AuthorToolbox 07: avoiding perfection
Via: Daily Prompt – Study & Loophole
Lately, I have been thinking a lot about sainted characters. It all started when I sat down to watch John Carpenter's 1978 slasher success Halloween for the first time [yes, truly]. After a month-long Christmas movie binge, I was ready to shake things up a bit and, although fully prepared to be blown away by the cult classic that apparently gave birth to so many of my favorite horror movies from the 90's, twenty minutes in, it had me rolling my eyes and sighing in exasperation. Jamie Lee Curtis is Mary Sue:
The Virginal Barbie: Despite being all shiny and blonde with a great body, Curtis's character Laurie is the shy girl-next-door who can't bring herself to divulge her feelings to the boy she likes, making her the unattached dream girl who won't give a man any lip.
The Sharpest Tool in the Shed: Not only is she at the top of every class, she's probably also psychic. She is the first to notice the man-in-the-mask watching her and her friends as well as the only one who continues to sense his foreboding proximity throughout the movie.
A Goody-Two-Shoes: She can't break rules properly even when she tries. The one time she allows herself to be peer-pressured into smoking a little pot, she ends up right in front of the sheriff. Though her transgression goes unnoticed, she chooses to walk the straight and narrow for the rest of the movie.
The Old Reliable: She always picks up the slack. She can be counted on to drop off keys to a real estate client for her father, make popcorn for her babysitting charge, and relieve her best friend from babysitting duty while the said best friend spends the night doing the dirty.
It's Lonely at the Top: Early on in the movie, we see her experiencing all the teen angst that accompanies an austere lifestyle and become sympathetic to her plight.
A Badass Martyr: Even when the killer slices open her arm, her first lookout is to make sure the kids are safe, maternal instinct in guerilla warfare mode. And she's pretty resourceful with a knitting needle too. Who doesn't love a girl who can simultaneously knit and kick butt when called to action?
DIE, FEMINISM, DIE! But, even aside from the misogynistic rigmarole, that is a tall order for any character. And while I accept that, in horror movies, death following sex is expected, by the end of the movie, I was convinced that the only reason Laurie survived was that she didn't show any skin. By the end of the movie, I wanted to throw her out the bedroom window. Sadly, while I believe the makers of Halloween intended Laurie to be The-Li'l-Lady-That-Could, fiction writers are equally prone to creating accidental Mary Sues. I would have to say, tar me with the same brush.
MY TOO-PERFECT CHARACTER
Only, mine was a Gary Stu. When I first started writing I'll Be True in 2012, I understood little about structuring plots, developing characters, weaving conflicts, or building tension, etc. I was confident I had a voice and was often praised for my diction, which was good enough to publish the first draft of my story on a public platform, a.k.a. this blog. Besides, I was too hopeful that having an actual audience would cure me of my habit of abandoning stories before they were finished being written. Embarrassing as it is to admit, it wasn't until I wrote the entire novel and read back all twenty-six chapters to myself that I realized my protagonist's romantic interest, who also happened to be the second MC, was insufferably unspoiled.
Matthew Halls was a wish-fulfilling Mr. Perfect I had written when I was going through a rough patch in my longstanding relationship. He looked good on paper, was always the voice of reason, and had the luck of Indiana Jones with a heart the size of a blimp, talent oozing out of his pores, and sexual appeal enough to melt the staunchest woman's core (which he promptly did). He had little in the way of challenges other than to convince the heroine that she loved him enough to call for a change in her attitude towards relationships. In other words, he was unreal, he had no character arc, and I was, literally, driven to tears of frustration. Worse, in the process of creating the perfect man, I committed the cardinal sin of treating my hero like a plot device. [His hideous magnificence remains unedited in my posts should anyone care to torture themselves]
WHY AVOID TOO-PERFECT CHARACTERS?
If the above examples of Mary Sue and Gary Stu do not convince, here's how too-perfect protagonists may lead to bad fictions:
Too perfect to be human. Readers are everyday flawed people so a character who is free of flaws becomes unrealistic and one that is hard to relate to. Besides, it is very hard to sympathize with a holier-than-thou character in peril because they make us feel less than our best selves, so a reader would not feel as vested in seeing the character through to triumph.
No challenge too great. Too-perfect protagonists come with broad skillsets that make accomplishing goals and overcoming obstacles very easy for them and their one-dimensional quality boring for the readers. Plots are driven by conflicts and, with a Johnny-On-The-Spot, the tension never quite gets the opportunity to build up properly, which can cause the reader to disconnect too early.
Well, what's there left to hope for? People want to read about ordinary characters persevere in extraordinary ways. A character in a similar or slightly better circumstances than the reader can motivate the reader's aspirations towards life; conversely, a character who has all the assets one can desire to lead the perfect life might make a reader want to go to sleep and never wake up. After all, who can compete against Batman?
Media: Me.Me.
To be fair to us, authors, it's too tempting to write the too-perfect character. Even if we, ourselves, do not fit the mold of our ideal person [because, really, who does?], we wish to see it come alive somewhere – live [vicariously] a little. Writing heroes is also more comfortable than writing anti-heroes or villains because subconsciously we are worried how that might reflect on us as human beings. If we do remember to sand the edges by inserting a couple of character flaws, we are just as quick to make excuses for them. Should we write them real challenges, as creators, it is in our nature to mother them into victory.
At our worst self, we're lazy and don't want to sweat by putting in the level of thought and work hours necessary to clean up after a messy character: Stories are made of struggles; struggles need solving; someone's gotta do it; why not Mary Sue? But every time we throw miracles in our character's path, we are chiseling away at the compelling story we could be writing. As an outsider looking in, readers tend to discover conflicts sooner and notice opportunities for resolution faster than the characters themselves, which may prompt vexation in the reader but also cause them to hold on.
Media: SpudComic
Think about it, how often have you groaned during the stairwell chase scene when the protagonist runs up the stairs to get away from the predator? It seems their gut instinct should be to run down and let gravity do most of the work as they look for the quickest exit from hell. Unless, of course, the character is Batman, in which case he wouldn't be running or, if he did, he has probably already sent out a signal and the Batplane is waiting for him by the rooftop. As a kid, I had promised myself that I would learn to drive, ride a motorbike as well as a horse, and hotwire a car, just so if I ever needed to escape a villain, I would be all set. I haven't yet learned to do any of that, am clinically overweight that I'm too lazy to remedy, and have low stamina that I blame on my intellectually-inclined personality. If my life was a novel and I a Girl Scout, I'd be the first to be eaten by a bear during camp. So… obviously not the protagonist of my own story.
HOW TO AVOID WRITING TOO-PERFECT CHARACTERS?
The good news is, if caught in time, an author can put a flawless character back in his box. It requires careful examination and takes a few nips and tucks to fix perfection but it can be done:
Give. Them. Flaws. Well, that's obvious, but here are a few tips to remember as you do –
It's best not to depend on flaws that are superficial or an in indirect praise such as a crooked nose (who're you kidding; you know that's sexy) or being a total klutz (wasn't Meg Ryan absolutely adorable in French Kiss). The surest way to make the flaw compelling for the readers is to ensure that it is mired in the character's past and has had time to fester to become a real problem.
The flaw shouldn't be too blatant or exaggerated. Flaws lose credibility when demonstrated in absolute so they should never be dealt as such, unless the intention is to mock. Most people work in gray areas and so should the character's flaws. Only sociopaths are completely sure of themselves all the time.
The flaw needs to be persistent until the character learns to reign it in, which should happen at approximately the same time as the plot reaches resolution. The last thing the story needs is the narrator telling the reader about the character's flaw but when the time comes to show, the character works in an opposite manner.
A flaw that connects back to the central conflict in the plot is a great flaw. Flaws bear significance to the story when they cause the character to take a misstep that challenges their goals.
For that matter, stop fixating on their endowments. Yeah, yeah, he's hot-stuff but must she swoon every time he walks into the room? The more words are spent describing the protagonist's pros, the less time is used to show their cons.
Turn their strengths into a source of weakness. Shakespeare was a genius in romanticizing flaws. The same qualities that would establish a character as a hero in the beginning of a play would cause their tragic demise by the end. E.g. the bravery and determination that returns Macbeth victorious from war transforms into unchecked ambition where he kills the king he swore to serve before turning mad with guilt and paranoia, which eventually leads to a bloodbath under his tyrannical rule and then his death.
Make them do something you find truly objectionable. This may even be out of character where the one time they do something wrong, they get caught and then are left picking up the pieces for the rest of the story.
Put them back in the real world. The universe, even one existing in a fantasy, is governed by its own laws, which no character is above. As such, when the character defies the rules of this universe, there should be repercussions for the character to deal with. Their actions will have an effect on other characters just as they must be affected by it.
Avoid deus ex machinas. Remember that one time when we were driving down the I-10 and were almost abducted by aliens but then a pterodactyl swooped in and ate the aliens before flying off into the sunset? Yeah, never happened. Not even on The X-Files. Sudden supreme forces that step in without preamble to save the day for the protagonist just make the plot ridiculous.
Pass some of your character's skills to others. The protagonist can't be an expert on everything or be everywhere at the same time – nor should you ask them of it. Instead, insert other characters into the story who are able to take over some of the protagonist's responsibilities. Even Harry had Ron and Hermione; and Dumbledore and the Order of Phoenix and the DA and Snape and a bunch of other dead guys, etc.
What I'm trying to say is, in case you lost the plot in that circuitous ramble, unless you have decided that a Mary Sue/Gary Stu works for your story, they best be avoided. But, hey! as the original Mary Sue was written as a satire to parody the unrealistic heroines in some of the early Star Trek fanfictions, sometimes they can be the key ingredient to a successful story.
Whew! My obvious flaw is the inability to edit because this has gone on for long enough. But I would love to read about what are your thoughts on too-perfect characters.
Perhaps there is a Mary Sue that you feel spoiled a story for you or one that worked out really well? Or, like me, maybe you once wrote a Gary Stu who you eventually had to kill but who imparted you with great insight before his death?
Author Toolbox, AuthorToolboxBlogHop, Character Development, Creative Writing, daily post, Daily Prompt, flawed character, Plot, storytelling, too-perfect character, writer, Writing, writing fiction, writing tips
WRITING CHRONICLE #33: a last shout out to new beginnings
Posted by lupa08 in The Unclassified Section on January 1, 2018
Via: Daily Prompt – Almost & Finally
We're almost at the finish line. A minute to go before it's 2018 in Bangladesh while many of you have already welcomed in the new year and others are preparing for this evening's celebrations.
So I thought I'd leave a final note for this year. It's been good enough. Perhaps not as fast as I would have liked for my career as a novelist but I still wrote a lot more fiction and on the craft of writing fiction than I have in my entire adult life. I discovered a few good reads that I fell in love with and read a lot of things that I absolutely hated – but most importantly, each material provided me with some learning to improve my own fiction writing skills. Also, my blog took off and has now come into its own confident form.
Speaking of which, to work more on my novel writing, I will only be blogging once-a-week in 2018 unless something major prompts my quill to superfluity. I will be alternating the weeks between my WRITING CHRONICLES and WEDNESDAY REFLECTIONS posts – i.e. except for the third week of each month when I will be dedicating said week's posts to my #AuthorToolboxBlogHop community.
So to all my readers and fellow bloggers,
A HAPPY NEW YEAR & EVEN HAPPIER READING!
author, author life, authorship, blogging, daily post, Daily Prompt, new beginnings, new year, post a week, resolution, weekly blog, Writing, writing career, writing goals
WRITING CHRONICLE #32: of recovery and waste
Posted by lupa08 in The Unclassified Section on December 17, 2017
Via: Daily Prompt – Silent & Bliss
Image: pxhere, CC0
So I have returned – my health rallied and my mind itching to get things moving. Though my doctor has informed me that I will need a second [precautionary] surgery to fully eliminate any danger, it will be some time before she again puts me under the scalpel – or scoop, in my case.
Gruesome.
Anyway, I realized something about my author self in this past month of doing little more than lying in bed. I'm never more desirous to work on my novel as when I am experiencing a physical or scheduling constraint. It's just as when I was slaving away like a house-elf for the corporate sovereigns. Then, too, I was desperate for the day when I would finally break free of my executive commitments and start writing the stories I am meant to write.
The day after my farewell at the office, I sat down at my laptop and wrote for nearly seven hours in one stretch. That first day, I had become unaware of any physical want that may draw me away from my creation; the consciousness of hunger, bladder pressure, or optical stress lay dormant before the high of being able to write without accountability to anything but the words adding pages to my manuscript. I ended up drafting the second half of my first [complete] novel in just over three months. Ecstasy!
That raw energy petered off all too quickly. Not that it bruised my ego at the time, as I fell back on the comfort of the new diversions that came my way. First, it was the online fiction writing course I did at the beginning of this year, which took eight weeks to complete. The exercise spurred me into writing a series of random flash fictions and short stories. By the time that was over, I was blogging on a daily basis. The challenge of responding to the WP Daily Prompt was so attractive and exhaustive that I allowed it to become an excuse to not begin editing my novel – after all, editing isn't as much fun as drafting.
Then there was the Amazon writing contest, which at least got me to draft, edit, and publish my first [sellable] novella. A major milestone. And because I managed to accomplish the feat in less than a month, I felt motivated to dedicate more of my time and effort to writing fiction and consciously reduced blogging to twice a week. Sad to say, I didn't devote myself to the endeavor nearly as much as I should have.
The shameful truth is I became lazy and complaisant. There's plenty of time, I thought. After all, if I can produce and amend over 37,000 words for publication in less than 30 days, how long can it take to revise one 75,471-word draft? All I need to do is give two months to the task; maybe even less since the chief story was already written down. Pffft! Piece of cake! I got this!
And then this surgery. BOOM! Suddenly, my mind was flowing with scenes and prose, plots and characters for a new novel. Suddenly, I knew exactly which chapters I needed to slash from my first novel and what I should write to replace them in order to arrange the arcs of the story and characters into one cohesive piece. Yet, there I was, having to hold back the reins because I couldn't even so much as sit up on my ass as type a page on my laptop.
Oh! How I writhed. I could take pills to allay the sting of my wound but there wasn't any respite from the slow agony of the words blooming in my head, awaiting harvest. I was on edge with the heavy knowledge that these ideas could slip away just as quickly as they surfaced if I didn't document them fast enough. This galvanizing commotion could quell at any moment. It made me irritable.
But, still, I misdirected the blame.
Arrogantly, I assumed that my problem was the inability to convert all this creative verve into anything productive. That it should return at such an inopportune time. If it weren't for this stupid surgery, I could be listening to the symphonic clacking of the keys on my laptop, basking in the pride of writing fiction once more. The fault lay in my illness.
The fault did lay in my illness but the true nature of that illness dawned on me only when I went for a follow-up at the hospital. "Another surgery in a few months' time." No sooner did I realize that there will be another episode of lengthy convalescence in my near future when I wouldn't be able to write that I finally came to term with the real threat. That I had been whiling away not-writing fiction for many months before the surgery took place. That before the advent of this renewed desperation to work on my novels, I had so easily settled into recuperative sluggishness because it was no different from the sedentary state I was already living. The recovery period is a mere month or so; what was I doing with my time when I was healthy?
I wasn't having a mortality crisis but neither was six weeks a death sentence. Instead of grinding teeth over my temporary infirmity, I should be frowning upon my enduring wastefulness. Because despite my confidence in being able to write and publish a novella in under a month when I put myself to the task, the truth was that I wasn't putting myself to the task. So I haven't got this at all. I lacked industry, I lacked commitment.
Image: Wikimedia, CC2.0
Because speaking of that mortality crisis I wasn't having, six weeks could have been a death sentence. It would have been a sorry end if I didn't have at least one or six bestsellers to my name when the time came. And how mortifying when all those people who called me foolish for giving up a flourishing career to build castles in the cloud were proven correct. How would I even show my face to them then? Closed casket for me!
You know, we, writers, often take procrastination as part and parcel of the profession. We console ourselves with the idea that idleness does not really exist for us because we are always observing, formulating. A more stirring precept to hold fast to would be that we are slowly dying. There is just no time to waste.
So? Write.
author, author life, blogging, Creative Writing, daily post, Daily Prompt, Inspiration, novel writing, procrastination, Writing, writing challenges, writing fiction, writing goals, writing tips
WRITING CHRONICLE #31: name game
Posted by lupa08 in The Unclassified Section on November 6, 2017
Via: Daily Prompt – Panacea
Naming characters is one of my favorite activities in the fiction writing process. There are so many beautiful names out there, entrenched in the regions from whence they originate, the time in which they were first derived, the meaning hoped the bearer would inculcate – as a storyteller, I feel as though we are blessed with the opportunity to use so many of them. Without having to really populate the earth with our progeny, of course.
Image: The Illustration Cupboard
But naming characters requires some thought. Once our story is published, we're stuck with them, so choosing names should be done wisely. And it's not only the main characters that require such deliberate consideration. Think Mr. Thomas Gradgrind in Charles Dickens's Hard Times. Though not quite the minor character, he was no protagonist either; but his name was selected precisely for its phonetic traits, which were meant to be attributed to the role he plays in the plot. Mr. Gradgrind was a middle-class businessman and later MP, but more importantly, he was the head of an educational system that only ever dealt in facts and had no patience for the human frailties known as emotions. He ground the rules and morality into the students and he graded them on their ability to churn out factual statements. Anything more or less was unacceptable, even among his own children. The reason we cannot fully hate him, even though we are wary of his methods and can immediately sense the ominous results they portend, is because he genuinely believes his methods are there for the benefits of his charges. Such is the tragedy of the man Gradgrind and his name squarely sets that tone among Dickens's audience from the very first paragraph of this iconic novel.
Now, I do not consider myself anywhere as accomplished as Dickens or Shakespeare in choosing character names but there are some great directions I rely on. I thought I'd share them with you this week:
Time Period. Not so much as the period in which the story is set, but rather when the character in question was born. Certain names come into vogue in certain eras and this is a good clue to keep in mind when putting the backstory together for the character.
Locality. Another important factor in making the character feel real is giving them a name popular in the region where they hail from. This obviously may be the place where they were born but another avenue one can take is naming the character after the place of their ancestors. One of the things I truly appreciate in the stories written by today's authors is how diverse their characters are starting to emerge as, rightfully reflecting the globalized communities of our real-time world. If the author wishes to enhance on that, they can easily factor in the character's ancestral region as source of their name.
Parents. To reflect upon the riddle from The Conjuring 2,
I am given and I am taken.
I was there at you first breath,
But you did not ask for me.
But I will follow you till your death."
Our names are given to us by our parents/guardians. Therefore, our names are as much a reflection of who our parents/guardians are as who they hope for us to grow up to be. It is only later through the passage of life that our names begin to engender the traits that become us through our accomplishments or failures. Until then, our names are really the properties of our parent's/guardian's hopes and dreams. How is that for the name being an important part of the character backstory?
Genre. We can just as easily rely upon the fictional realm in which the characters exist. Depending on the theme of the story, we can name the characters to symbolize the story's distinctive features, e.g. a whacked up title like Lord Voldemort for an evil wizard bent on being unique and reigning over magic and non-magic folks alike. Obviously, Adolf Hitler was taken.
Root Meanings. Or we may name the characters the way parents often name their children in real life – to attribute certain qualities upon the bearer of the name. I always found it curious that Emily Deschanel's character Temperance from the popular TV series Bones should have been named thus by her outlawed parents. Perhaps they wished for her to have a more moderate lifestyle than they experienced. In any case, Temperance Brennen certainly did grow up to demonstrate restraint in all things emotional, which allows her to so objectively and pragmatically view the world around her. However, we can get more creative with this where, instead of simply picking qualities for names, we name characters after roots of the characteristics we hope for, e.g. naming a very pious woman "Lisa" (meaning Devoted to God). There are a great many websites dedicated to relating the roots and meanings of each name. I started off with behindthename.com but trendier sites have cropped up since.
Alliterative Names. I love alliterating when writing. I know it is almost taboo in the author craft management community (unless specifically used as humor, of course) but there you have it – it is one of my writing vices. But you know where alliteration is perfectly acceptable? Names. Daniel Deronda, Peter Parker, Severus Snape, Bugs Bunny, Steve Stifler… Regardless of genre or medium, history is full of famous fictional characters with alliterative initials for their names.
Pronunciation. Speaking of alliteration, it does make for some tongue-twisting prowess to make them roll off the tongue. A character's name should ideally be easy to pronounce without needing an instruction manual from the author. However, sometimes authors like to throw us off on purpose to add mystery to the characters, e.g. in Jane Eyre, until the titular character tells her young student Adele her name and Adele repeats after her, who – other than people from old England – could have guessed Eyre to be pronounced "Aire"? I always thought it looked more like "ire" myself (but that might be due to my personal rather-abrasive feelings towards the author). Or the fact that my brother still protests, "What the hell kind of name is Her-my-oh-knee? It's supposed to be Her-me-own!" Well, take it to the Greek. While Brontë and Rowling could get away with it, not all of we possess the genius to follow suit and survive.
Name Generators. If the above guidelines are of no help to finding you the perfect name, chuck 'em and just generate a name online such as with fantasynamegenerators.com. This particular website, really a cure-all for me, has a solution for all sorts of permutation-combination of names according to genre, region, pop culture, and whatnot. Also, sometimes it's just fun to click around to see what the site spews up.
A FINAL WORD OF CAUTION
The idea of coming up with names for your characters is to make them sound realistic (unless you are deliberately aiming for exotic) that is in keeping with the theme and setting of the story. However, at the same time, one needs to cross-check that the characters' names do not echo in the real world, i.e. to avoid at the best of one's ability to have a real-life person come back and say you stole their name for your character. Remember: in fiction, murderers have no middle names. It is a trick of the trade to leave out the middle name to avoid accidentally matching your character names with real people. The good news is that while editing, you still have the opportunity to change the names of your characters as many times as you like – only also remember to change the name EVERYWHERE that it appears in the manuscript.
Once you have named your characters, for the sake of skillfully managing them, try to keep the names consistent, which is, there should be a standard name by which the character is addressed unless there is a certain sect within the story which addresses the character with a variant or pet name, as well as dissimilar to other characters, i.e. try avoiding too many characters with names starting with the same initials, similarly sounding names, or names that rhyme with one another, etc.
But most importantly, have fun naming names!
[Now, for a personal message: This will be my last WRITING CHRONICLE post for the month of November as well as what I am assuming the first-half of December. I will be posting a blog for WEDNESDAY REFLECTION this week too but after that I'll be out of commission until somewhere mid-December or however long it will take to recuperate from the surgery I will be undergoing next week. Not to worry! At this moment, the doctor says it is a precautionary measure and we will know more once the post-surgery tests are completed. Wish me luck because I hear it's going to hurt like @#$% once the local anesthesia wears off!]
author advice, character creation, character names, Creative Writing, daily post, Daily Prompt, fictional character, naming characters, novel writing, story, writers, Writing, writing fiction, writing tips
WRITING CHRONICLE #30: plots and the way they move
Posted by lupa08 in The Unclassified Section on October 29, 2017
Via: Daily Prompt – Gratitude
Image: Jon Bell, Flickr CC2
Plot – one of the seven pillars (others being character, conflict, setting, theme, POV, and style) of fiction. Though harboring deceptively similar traits, it should be viewed as different from the story. However, when I first picked up the craft of fiction writing, I could not find the plot in my stories for the life of me. It was there, but I didn't see what it was. How was it any different from the story itself? Until I came across the following pearls of wisdom from one of the most masterful storytellers of our history:
Let us define plot. We have defined a story as a narrative of events arranged in their time-sequence. A plot is also a narrative of events, the emphasis falling on causality. 'The king died and then the queen died,' is a story. 'The king died, and then the queen died of grief,' is a plot. The time-sequence is preserved, but the sense of causality overshadows it. Or again: 'The queen died, no one knew why, until it was discovered that it was through grief at the death of the king.' This is a plot with a mystery in it…"
~ E. M. Forster
The above words of Forsters helped me put things in perspective and review my work, correct errors in my technique, and raise the value of the stories I was writing. Thankfully, not too late in my writing journey to inflict any irreparable damage to my style.
As the years wore on, I came across other educational literature, both online and within books, that helped me identify plots in stories written by others as well as formulate plots of my own. A safe bet for finding them is to look for changes that move circumstances in the story from point A to point B. Again, it requires looking for the causality that will achieve the desired resolution in the conflict introduced:
A tangible event that forces change upon the characters.
E.g. After the death of an all-knowing headmaster, a warrior-student is forced to set out on a journey with his best friends-cum-comrades to discover and destroy the objects that tether an evil wizard's soul to Earth in order to overcome his reign once and for all. (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling)
A decision that changes a character's circumstances.
E.g. A father decides to leave his post as a clergyman and removes his family to an industrial town where the daughter has to navigate the society of a new breed of working class and masters whose life force is the dignity earned through hard work, as well as butt heads with a proud but honest manufacturer whose heroics is not always apparent. (North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell)
Change in the relationship dynamics between characters.
E.g. A self-centered social princess who enjoys meddling in the lives of her peers out of a misguided perception that "she knows best" is only ever called out by her politically correct older step-brother but eventually realizes she enjoys his overbearing guidance and admires his integrity but is no longer confident that she is worthy of his attention. (Clueless by Amy Heckerling)
Internal change in a character.
E.g. A young woman prides herself on the accuracy of her study of characters of those around her, becomes prejudiced against an aristocratic man of natural proud bearings after being inadvertently slighted by him and hearing accusations of his misconduct against another man but eventually discovers that she allowed herself to be thoroughly misled and proceeds to witness his generosity towards those he cares for. (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen)
Change in reader's perspective of the situation.
E.g. A divorced woman, who makes multiple errors in judgment due to her incessant state of inebriation, is obsessed with her ex-husband's budding new family and tries to recover her life but begins to piece together a sinister past through wild flashbacks that foreshadow that the guilt might not be hers alone. (The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins)
Character coming to the realization that there will not be any change at all.
E.g. A recluse author, under the pressure of trying to come up with a novel that will rival the success of his first, begins to write a female character who likes his dog and whom he starts to fall in love with, bringing her to life and later decides to allow her freedom of will, only to realize that once free, the character is no longer satisfied with her life with him alone, and feels morally compelled to set her free from his domain. (Ruby Sparks by Zoe Kazan)
Such classic plotlines are the fail-safes of writing fictions. Of course, one cannot simply rely on them to succeed. No, success is achieved by adding originality to these storylines in a way that lifts the characters off the pages – and that is entirely up to the author's creativity. And even more complicated than deciding on the "causality" to induce the story arc is deciding how the plot will progress to make the story plausible.
So once you have decided how you will add the plot to your story, how do you move it forward? There are many methods of plotting you can use, and here are some approaches to get you started:
Traditional Approach – Ideal for planners, this is the method you use to first break down the entire story into chapters, then briefly summarize what happens in them as well as the contribution to the story arc that each makes.
Synopsis – Similar to the Traditional Method, the Synopsis is ideal for planners but who wish to allow themselves more creative room in writing individual scenes to build on the general plot as they progress. Here, the writer also outlines the entire story but without breaking it down chapter-by-chapter or scene-by-scene. The ending is often loosely introduced in the synopsis or may be left blank. The synopsis is a good practice for later if the author wishes to gain representation in traditional publishing.
Image: Wikimedia
Freytag's Pyramid – Though the 5-act dramatic structure was almost abandoned in the mid-nineteenth century, German playwright Gustav Freytag not only brought it back into use but streamlined this outlining method by choicely breaking down the course of plot into Exposition (background information on the major elements introduced in the fiction), Rising Action (introduction and build-up of the conflict), Climax (turning point where conflict is at its most volatile), Falling Action (where conflict unravels and the final suspense/doubts are exposed), and Denouement (where the story's loose ends are drawn together).
Three-Act Structure – This simplifies the 5-act structure by diving the plot into three segments as the name suggests and putting specific elements in each, which is left up to the author to decide on. Most commonly, the three-act structure is broken down into the introduction plus rise of conflict, climax, and resolution. This structure is becoming more popular as it is often now advised to introduce the inciting incident in the novel as early (often even scene one) into the story as possible to capture the audience from the get-go.
Hero's Journey – This method engenders the three-act structure by specifically dividing the plot to induce the character arc for the MC. In the first act, the hero receives but refuses a call to action, thus showing his/her reluctance to get involved; in the second act, a series of trials are forced upon the hero that may test his/her physical prowess as well as intelligence, emotional, and ethical quotient; and, in the final act, the hero triumphs over the antagonist.
The Snowflake Method – Introduced by Randy Ingermanson, this method does not attempt to systematically outline the plot but rather starts with writing a one-sentence summary or loglines that defines and entices the storyline, then picks out specific elements in the story such as characters, conflicts, epiphanies, goals, etc., lists them out by rote, and adds details to them which will mechanize plot progress. This method is ideal for people who prefer discovering their way through the plot as much as the reader.
Draft Zero – Finally, the food of the pantsers and who think plots should remain mysteries until they are well on their way through the first draft [for creative freedom, of course]. The writer focuses on speed as they write a mock draft, allowing plenty of gaps in scenes to be filled in later. The writer courses through the story too quickly to allow for anything such as fatigue or "editing impulses" to set them back or keep them from reaching completion.
Of course, authors are welcome to combine any of these methods to ensure optimal output from themselves. After completing the draft of my first novel and realizing how my plot was all over the place, making my MC's character arc plausible but not achieved via the right course, I took to employing a combination of Traditional Method and Draft Zero – it saves me a lot of time later that would be otherwise spent filling in plot holes.
What are your plotting processes?
author, author advice, Creative Writing, daily post, Daily Prompt, outlining, Plot, plot structure, plotting, storytelling, Writing, writing fiction, writing novel, writing tips
WRITING CHRONICLE #29: the art of conversing in fiction
Via: Expect & Enlighten
Image: Max Pixel
Last week, for the final #AuthorToolboxBlogHop post of the year, I discussed how to find your character's voice. It only seemed fitting that this week, I write about what to do with that voice once you have found it. That's right, I'm talking dialogues.
Dialogues (and accompanying actions, of course) make up the parts of a novel I prefer to read most. In fact, they were a major determinant in the selection of my favorite authors. The more dialogues a story offers, the quicker I fly through it. Because that is precisely one of the advantages that dialogues provide – the ability to move the plot forward. Dialogues reveal new information and secrets that may deepen the conflict or bring about resolution. They make the reading easier by breaking up blocks of expositing prose and instead present a sense of unfolding action, quickening the pace in turn. In fact, did you know that, when perusing books in a store before purchase, readers often look for the amount of white space in the layout to determine how much dialogue the story contains and thus how quick a read it might be? I wonder if that is considered cheating, though.
Dialogues also have the ability to make characters seem more real. For one, real people don't spend every waking hour observing and contemplating the world around them. No, they converse, they take action. But not only does adding dialogues to the story makes the characters come alive but it also provides a tool to reveal more about the characters. You can expose a lot more about a character's backstory (and in a much more interesting way) by injecting habits, thoughts and beliefs, dialects and accents, vernaculars and technical jargons, etc. in a few quick dialogues than would be necessary with endless passages of exposition. Dialogues are a medium to strengthen a character's voice, making it more distinct and consistent over usage, as well as to express the dynamics of the relationships they have with other characters.
There's a lot you can do with dialogues. And as with any ambitious instrument, they are tricky. Some writers have a natural ability to write interesting dialogues – Jane Austen, Jennifer Crusie, and Julia Quinn to name a few of my favorites; others have to work at it. For the most part, it really requires an observant pair of ears. Yup, eavesdrop until you get the hang of emulating the way people speak. Or else, the following tips may come in handy:
Expositing. It is necessary to remember that people don't constantly launch into soliloquies or solo productions in their day-to-day lives. The "di" in dialogue signifies an exchange of continuously flowing discourse between two or more persons, and therefore, should not be generally used by a character to narrate the story to another. Even when one character is in the middle of describing an event, other character(s) present should be reacting and responding – unless there really is a podium involved. But even so, keep the presentation short and cover it mostly through brief narratives.
Using fillers. Then again, not everything in real life should be imitated in art. While people often dawdle in small talks before getting to the meat of their conversation, there is little need to weigh down the dialogue in fiction with small talks between characters. If it is not revealing anything important about the plot or characters, ixnay on the chitchats.
Over narrating. Another mistake is giving blow-by-blow accounts of actions that surround the dialogue. Suppose a character throws a tantrum, saying something hateful to another character followed by a walk-out, there is no need to explain the character is angry. The dialogue and actions are sufficient. Let your characters show the readers what they feel and mean; you stick to editing.
The right dialogue tags. Which brings us to dialogue tags. With an endless supply of adverbs, it is often tempting to use the "he exclaimed" and "she retorted". However, sometimes the "he said" and "she said" suffice. Using too many variations of dialogue tags may become obtrusive, and thus, distracting. Once in the flow of the dialogue, readers much rather forgo of all the additional explanation of how the characters are conducting their exchange; some of it sort of ebbs and flows into the momentum.
Injecting actions. Then again, sometimes action narrations may be used to replace dialogue tags. For example, in a scenario where the hero and heroine are immersed in serious flirtation, their body language can speak volume more than mere dialogue tags:
Eric tilted his head towards Vanessa, a corner of his mouth tipping up suggestively. "How do you feel about taking this conversation to someplace more private?"
Forgoing dialogue tags altogether. Again, sometimes when the dialogue between two characters picks up momentum, after initially setting up the format to show which paragraph of dialogue is being spoken by whom, the dialogue tags may be abandoned:
Don't be so judgy," Shabnam advised after putting some distance between them and the boys.
Obaira watched where they were walking to avoid making eye contact with her cousin. "What do you mean?"
"Here's the most handsome boy in our batch paying you so much attention and you are doing your best to put him off. If I know you – and I do – that means you have something on your mind and it's not pretty."
Her cousin did know her too well. "Well, don't you think it's suspicious that he starts paying me attention right after I won the contest?" she whispered, looking over her shoulders to make sure the boys wouldn't overhear. "I mean, we barely ever spoke before – other than to exchange a couple of class notes, that is."
"I would think that that just proves like is attracted to like."
"Come again?"
"For a nerd, you're pretty slow on the uptake."
Shabnam rolled her doe-eyes. "Well, he is the top student in our class and you the top girl."
~ Excerpt from Bad Daughter by Yours Truly
However, notice even while most of the alternate paragraphs did not have dialogue tags or action narrations, every once in a while I reinstated a tag or action to re-acquaint the reader with the character speaking a specific dialogue. While forgoing dialogue tags can help quicken the pace, going without them for too long can also make the sequence confusing.
Getting grammatical. Going back to the realism of dialogues, also important to remember that most people aren't overly critical of using correct grammar in their everyday conversation. Vernacularly speaking, it is not "The King and I" but more "Me and the King". So, depending on the education level and upbringing (and sometimes the era) of your character, best if they speak the way people of their time and culture would speak in an everyday setting.
Signs of hesitation. But then, in our every day, we do tend to fumble for the correct words a lot as we speak. Not the right move when writing dialogues. While using an "err" or "um" on occasion is okay (particularly when trying to emphasize a character's hesitation or confusion), it is quite unnecessary in the general use and only serves to slow down the momentum we hope to provide through dialogues. Remember, we are trying to keep things real, not transcribing a court procession.
Phonetic spelling. Again, in a bid to inject realism, we may be tempted to write dialogues exactly the way they would sound when a character speaks in their dialect or accent. However, unless it is relevant to the plot or the traits of a particular character, we can stick to the generally accepted spellings for words. For example, in Harry Potter, Hagrid's dialogues are heavily peppered with his West County accent to create the illusion of a less-than-sophisticated blundering-but-bighearted half-giant who "managed to learn to speak English" – it is an important trait that defines Hagrid and is also relevant for the sociological and "racial" divide in the plot. However, while the wizards all come from places far and wide in the United Kingdom, few others are seen to speak with accents because with such a varied cast of characters, it would make the reading material very confusing and arduous once we are done translating what everyone says.
Character names. This pertains to both the address within the dialogue and the using character names with the dialogue tags. The first is obvious: we do not continuously address the people we speak with by their names once the people in the conversation is already identified; we just keep talking by facing them or throw out our statements openly for anyone present to respond to. The second, with regards dialogue tags and action narrations, once the paragraph sequence is established to show who the alternate speakers are, characters names may sometimes be replaced by subject pronouns: "he said" or "she said".
Consistent punctuations. It is an unfortunately-common mistake in manuscripts where authors keep mixing up which quotation marks they use to bracket dialogues. If you are using double quotation for your dialogues, stick to it. Don't keep switching between double and single quotation marks at different parts of your novel. Even if you are undecided when you start drafting, by the time your manuscript has been edited and ready for submission/publication, your dialogue format should maintain a modicum of consistency.
One eye on the voice. Speaking of consistency, it is important to provide each character their unique and distinct voice, to be retained throughout the story. Characters cannot be slipping in and out of their… well, their characters. Also, the characters cannot all sound the same. Remember, the character's voice is an extension of their psyche and therefore if everyone had a similar voice (ipso facto similar psyche), there would be no conflict, right?
Yeah, follow all these rules and you should be good. Piece of cake!
author advice, authors, Character Development, character voice, Creative Writing, daily post, Daily Prompt, dialogue, novel writing, writers, Writing, writing dialogue, writing fiction, writing tips
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text:
Q: Vue style tag not getting applied im trying to build a markdown blog website but I've ran into a bug. I use tailwindCSS for my project so all of the default styles are removed. So when I added markdown to my project it didn't look good as it shouldn't. However when I revert all styles like:
<style>
p{
    all: revert;
}
h1{
    all:revert;
}
h2{
    all:revert;
}
h3{
    all:revert;
}

... and so on.
It works perfectly while I'm in this developing session. However if I reload the page it doesn't work anymore. Feels like the style tag doesn't get applied but if I remove the style tag, save and paste it back in it works again.
It just feels like a weird bug does anyone know how to fix it? much appreciated

A: Right i fixed it, if anyone has this bug. To revert certain elements back to their default styles. add the all: revert within the selector like I did but except of putting it in a vue component add it into the index.css where you import your tailwind

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
package no.javazone.http;

public class SubdomeneSjekker {
    static boolean erEtJavaZoneSubdomene(String origin) {
        return origin.matches("^http[s]?:/\\/.*javazone.no$");
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Harriet Bond Newport
Newport Why Choose Harriet Bond?
Harriet Bond Detective Agency have been providing high quality, professional investigations in Newport and throughout the UK for almost 20 years. We offer professional, discreet and cost effective solutions to a variety of problems, both private and commercial.
Unlike many smaller agencies, we have the resources to provide clients in Newport with:
Private Investigation Services in Newport
Investigation Services for Business in Newport
Facts About Newport
51.59 / -300.00
Information About Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales.
Standing on the banks of the River Usk, Newport is located about 12 miles (19 km) east of Cardiff.
Newport is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent.
Newport includes rural areas as well as the built up area.
Newport has a population of 140,200, making it the seventh most populous unitary authority in Wales.
According to Census 2001 data the population of the core built-up area was 116,143 making it the third most populous city in Wales.
Newport is included within the Cardiff and South Wales valleys metropolitan area, which has a population of nearly 1.1 million.
Newport was the focal point of a major Chartist uprising in 1839.
Newport probably had a Welsh-speaking majority until the 1830s.
On 2 July 1909, during construction of Newport's Alexandra Dock, supporting timbers in an excavation trench collapsed.
Compared to many Welsh towns, Newport's economy had a broad base, with foundries, engineering works, a cattle market and shops.
Newport is part of the Wales European Parliament Constituency.
Newport has a moderate temperate climate, with the weather rarely staying the same for more than a few days at a time.
Newport is one of the warmer and sunnier locations in the UK and its sheltered location tends to protect it from extreme weather.
Like the whole of the British Isles, Newport benefits from the warming effect of the Gulf Stream.
Newport has warm summers and cool winters.
Areas in and Around Newport
Pillgwenlly
Cities Close to Newport


A repeat DWI offender arrested in Bryant, Arkansas has exposed a major flaw in the legal system when it comes to penalizing and treating alcohol abusers. Sheila Blair, the repeat DWI offender in question, just committed her 11th alcohol related offense and is back on the streets after having spent just 3 days in prison. Blair has been in and out of prison and treatment facilities since 1995. In 2007, Blair was sentenced to 10 years in prison as a result of her 10th DWI conviction, however, she paroled out of prison less than a year later under the emergency relief act. Blair was arrested again in September of 2012 after police caught her drinking in the passenger seat of a friend's car. In 2004, she was sentenced to 2 years in a treatment facility, but once again, she paroled out after just one year.
The flaw, you may be wondering, is how can someone with 11 DWI related offenses still be out on the streets? The answer can be found in Arkansas' 5 year rule, which says that if the violator has gone 5 years without any DWI conviction, their next DWI related offense is considered their 1st offense. Ken Casady, the Saline County Prosecutor, said "If Miss Blair were to get another DWI, be arrested for driving, despite everything that is in her past, her charge would be DWI first offense" and "She's had an extraordinary amount of trouble and you know this might be an indication that everything the system has provided her has not helped". Many people would agree with Casady that the current legal system my not actually be beneficial to a repeat DWI offender. With regard to Blair's current misdemeanor charge, since she violated her parole, the parole board could send her back to prison to finish the rest of her 10 year sentence. Although, if she goes to court and pleads not guilty, the maximum sentence she could receive would be just 30 days. The question is, will she serve the entirety of whatever punishment she receives or will she once again be released early?


(1) a chequer design(2) Currently restrained in a wheelchair, he sat peacefully in the meadow as a young counselor helped him play checkers with a fellow 'severely impaired' child.(3) Melissa and Joseph were playing checkers in Joseph's room while watching television and they were planning to eat lunch there.(4) I wish my parents would get a hobby, like croquet or checkers .(5) The floor was done in a tiled checker pattern, black and white.(6) The theme of the room was black and white checkers .(7) My solution is keep it simple, two firewalls, two operating systems and two virus checkers .(8) She's used fact checkers , various sources and even called the US State Department way back in 2002 seeking a source for the quote.(9) His book flew out of his hand, the checkerboard slammed into the settee, and all of the little black and red checkers escaped onto the floor and skittered in all directions.(10) The problem is that there are no editors and no fact checkers , so plenty of what you read on blogs is just plain untrue.(11) And experts say older women are big gamers online, though they tend to gravitate to casual time-passers like checkers , chess and Scrabble.(12) In Berlin, we saw ticket checkers enter subway trains where the on-the-spot fine is $30 and we started buying tickets again.(13) Sandy is the assistant number checker .(14) The file checker will find damaged files, but it can't fix them.(15) The other one was talking to the third child, a smaller boy, who was dressed in a red and black checker coat.(16) The checker will also provide info on whether broadband services have been, or will be, affected by planned engineering works.
Meaning and definitions of chequer, translation in Bengali language for chequer with similar and opposite words. Also find spoken pronunciation of chequer in Bengali and in English language.
Tags for the entry "chequer"
What chequer means in Bengali, chequer meaning in Bengali, chequer definition, examples and pronunciation of chequer in Bengali language.


We would be mad to let this information become accessible and/or this virus to escape the lab. The scientists who created this threat owe it to the world to make sure that Contagion remains just a movie.
Stories from female founders and women entrepreneurs at the networked Women 2.0 blog –www.women2.org.
Forex - GBP/USD trims gains amid renewed euro zone worries.


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High Court dismisses Palmer border challenge
The High Court of Australia has dismissed Clive Palmer's challenge against the State of Western Australia's border closures, upholding their validity. The Court has not yet released its reasons, which will follow separately.	Read more
Force majeure and China import restrictions
The Chinese Government has reportedly issued verbal advice to state-owned enterprises and private coal customers to not buy certain categories of Australian exports, including coal and copper ore, 'until further notice'. Reports indicate that the decision has resulted in the cancellation of several cargoes of exports over the last few weeks. It is anticipated that …	Read more
Greenwoods+HSF: Junior Mineral Exploration Incentive (JMEI) Impact Assessment for 2017-18
In summary The Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources has in July 2020 released its first annual impact assessment of the Junior Minerals Exploration Incentive (JMEI) which commenced in the 2017-18 income year. The impact assessment provides insight to the number of successful applicants, their identity and credits received.	Read more
NSW Government clarifies the strategic future of coal exploration and mining in New South Wales
On 24 June 2020 the NSW Government released its 'Strategic Statement on Coal Exploration and Mining in NSW' (the Statement), which outlines the Government's policy position on future coal mining and exploration in New South Wales and aims to provide increased certainty to industry and community stakeholders. The new policy position recognises the 'finite lifespan' …	Read more
What commodities are showing more resilience from COVID-19 and why?
Olivier Binyingo, a director in the Johannesburg office of Herbert Smith Freehills South Africa LLP who has built particular experience in the Democratic Republic of Congo, will participate in a DRC Mining Week webinar on Thursday 18 June, 11:00 GMT which will address questions such as: Will the permanency of these declines be tied to …	Read more
COVID-19 and the impact on competition law – mining
This article was originally posted to Competition Notes on April 6 2020. The rapid spread of COVID-19 across the world, and notably Europe, in recent weeks is placing increasing strain on our economies, in addition to the tragic human impact. Several implications for competition law have already emerged. In the update below, we summarise (non-exhaustively) …	Read more
COVID-19 – Plan now to manage environmental compliance during the crisis (EP&C repost)
Australian companies should plan now to ensure environmental compliance as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds. This is particularly the case for licensed facilities and businesses with the potential for material environmental impacts or other obligations in respect of emission, discharges and waste management. Please click here to view the post on ENVIRONMENT, PLANNING & COMMUNITIES NOTES	Read more
EP&C re-post: Adoption of Equator Principles 4
On 18 November 2019, the updated version of the Equator Principles (EP), EP4, was adopted by the Equator Principles Association. EP4 will apply to mandated transactions from 1 July 2020. The key amendments are as follows: Please click here to view the post on Environment, Planning & Communities Notes.	Read more
Western Australia's new lithium royalty regime
On 11 October 2019 the Western Australian government announced that it will introduce a new royalty regime for lithium producers in the form of a 5% feedstock royalty rate for lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate where those are the first products sold and the feedstock is spodumene concentrate. The announcement comes after a recent review …	Read more


It has been a long wait for Oreo for many Android users as the latest iteration of Google's mobile platform is yet to be released for their devices. The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are both compatible with Oreo but the update hasn't arrived as yet. However, it appears that this might change soon, as the Oreo update has now inched closer to its release for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge.
Both Samsung flagships from 2016 were recently certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance running Android 8.0 Oreo less than two weeks ago. These certifications are normally an indication that an update's release isn't that far off.
Those certifications were for unlocked variants and now all U.S. carrier variants of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge have received their Wi-Fi certifications as well. They include models for AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile.
It may not be long before Samsung releases Oreo for these devices as the company is now readying the Oreo update for some older devices. It has already started rolling out Oreo for the Galaxy A5 (2017) and will eventually expand the update for that device to other markets as well.
Oreo will be the last major platform upgrade for the Galaxy S7 as it has been almost two years since the device was originally released and Android devices are typically not supported for major platform updates after two years.
Filed in Cellphones. Read more about Android 8.0, Android Updates, Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge.