#Tumblr does not organize drafts well enough to function like that !

[daytura]

out of curiosity, what is telegraphy of communication?

Telegraphic thinking condenses amodal, propositional information; it is complex semantic clustering. This makes it ideal for rapidly wielding (findings from) sizeable topics while remaining durable enough for reuse amongst other telegraphic statements. Long-term telegraphy would also stimulate some idiolect, either repurposing existing phrases with new definitions or using haptic phrasing to "pull" semantic value closer to the "surface" of the text. But does telegraphy actually provide mass communicative value? Thought and communication may fuse and feedback into each other at the level of language, but they cannot be wholly interchanged nor should they be. Academics do not make their work as short as possible; they make it as organized as possible. Telegraphy is most effective as a transient functional response.

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Telegraphy of information is basically being as direct and terse with your wording as possible while keeping max information. It's a bit more rich than summarization — all the chatbots can summarize, ad nauseum. This is closer to Ernest Hemingway, thesis sentences, specific distributivity, etc. You condense your thinking, and triage what you actually care about for your intended recipient (e.g. another person, a piece of writing, your future self). I don't have it down perfectly, but I'm trying. The former shouldn't be a mandate for telegraphic writing; we all speak and write differently, so it holds that every person has a slightly different telegraphic style. I prefer to compound adjectives. Maybe someone else likes sticking individual nouns together; or they simply away with propositions, conjunctions, and other function words.

From Cevolini and Schmidt 2016, "Forgetting Machines: Knowledge Management Evolution in Early Modern Europe":

Whereas the early notes [in Niklas Luhmann's entire oeuvre of notes, from his time as a senior civil servant all the way to an academic and professor of sociology] from the 1950s and 1960s frequently tended to be more of the running-text kind and more closely reflected the original readings, they increasingly became more compact and thesis-like in the 1970s. Particularly, these later notes were not simply excerpts [...] for instance, the [bibliographic] notes from reading an entire book frequently fit onto one of these cards [A-6 European format].

And from one of his cards in the ongoing digitization project, translated:

536/2c18a Important consequences for the process of institutionalization: There is a lack of time to explicitly protest against everything implied. As a result, one becomes entangled in shared assumptions.

I think my last sentence sums up my stance on telegraphic writing well: it's not always sustainable or appropriate, and that's fine. If you wrote and spoke like that all the time, it'll impede your communication. Luhmann's publications were and still are notoriously difficult to translate into English, because he couldn't quite get out of this slipbox/condensing mentality. (Apparently his transcribed lectures are easier to follow.) You compare him to someone like Bob Doto who has been a writer long before he picked up the zettelkasten system: his book, "A System for Writing" is written as if he organized and drafted it like it were a regular book (because it is). Telegraphic phrasing serves an internal function to propagate and stimulate further thinking, but it doesn't (necessarily) constitute the blogpost you'll be posting to Tumblr or Substack.

[nael-opale]

Hm...being a serial procrastinator sucks.

[genaleah]

ANSWERING WILDCARD QUESTIONS

For the first time in about a year maybe??? Some of these might be even older than that.

Yes, it is Korka! I definitely want her involved, she’s a wonderful character and there is a *lot* of fun paranormal stuff going on in this setting that she can help them research. Also, I’d just love for her and Nelson to become friends!

Thank you! I love him a lot, and it’s fun to picture him interacting with the other guys. They’d all make for some interesting uncle figures, but they might not be that great in terms of role models.

OHOHO. Devilish laugh. That’s a wonderful idea, and a good way to keep him occupied at some point. He’s a great character, but he’s incredibly powerful, and I want these dudes to solve their own problems whenever possible. 

A good question! I don’t remember most of my dreams, but there’s usually a consistent look to the vivid ones. Lots of water, mountains, creeks, and high, winding roads. There are also a lot of buildings that are closely integrated with nature, even though I have almost never seen construction like that. 

I had not, but now I have! Here’s a trailer, for anyone else that missed it:

https://youtu.be/33HXHaaagsw

I really like these new models! I’m looking forward to watching a playthrough when that’s available. Just like with Rhombus of Ruin, I don’t think I’ll be able to play this one myself.

DOUBLE FINE, I WISH TO SPEAK WITH YOU- no, I’m kidding! I think great minds think alike. But I’m really excited to learn more about that character and possibly involve them in this whole au eventually. 

I’ve actually tried to avoid almost any info about Psychonauts 2 so I can go in mostly-blind, and a lot of the characters are vague to me. It’s fun to look forward to, but it’s also a little harrowing because I don’t know how to anticipate for it!

N...NO..... I NEED TO... Honestly those are old enough that it might be a good idea for me to re-make them, as well as the playing cards I made for the mega playlist cover. I think it’d be nice to remake them as vectors... that might make for a nice art stream sometime. I’ll mention publicly if I start doing that, and sharing any of these conceptual Wildcards arts when they’re done. 

And if you’re just curious about what the tarot cards for the other characters are going to be, it’s this:

Eddie: Judgement, The Magician, The Emperor

Manny: Death, Justice, The World

Sam: The Chariot, The Tower, Strength

Max: The Devil, Wheel of Fortune, Joker

Although! I may actually give the Moon card to Max instead of the Devil, and replace the missing card from Nelson’s selection with the High Priestess?  🤔  I’ll decide when I get to it.

Could be! I’ve flip-flopped occasionally on if I want the split-a-cab gang to participate much in the story. I think they deserve a break, and splitting an apartment in New York seems like a good situation for the four of them.

Oh boy, that must be so disorienting for him. The Psychonauts deal with a lot of hippy-dippy weirdness in a seemingly organized way, but it seems like they’re not as paranoid about safety as a real federal organization would be. Not necessarily a good thing, considering one of their camp counselors went AWOL one day, and the head of the Psychonauts got kidnapped the next. They kinda need to get their act together.

Fun fact, in one of the earlier drafts of Chapter 3 I was actually going to make Nelson get scanned by the equivalent of a metal-detector for malevolent thoughts at the door and get really spooked by it, but I decided against it.

YEAH IT’S ON THE LIST

Honestly, a big bulk of the plot in this just regards characters having to face their mental health struggles... via facing it as literal internal demons, unstable powers, etc.  It’s going to take a little while for any of Eddie’s teammates to realize how MUCH he has going on under the surface because he does a pretty good job of hiding it. “Needing to help others above ever helping themselves” is a hard issue to notice if you’re not looking for it. But it’s a guarantee that once they find out he needs help, they’ll give it; whether that’s making sure he’s not working himself too hard, or fighting off demonic cultists. Care comes in many forms.

SHE NEEDS TO REST.... POOR SYBIL (on the upside, they don’t TECHNICALLY work there, so she might be fine most of the time.)

Strong Bad isn’t a Psychonaut! He’s just a vlogger and a petty (psychic) criminal. It’s honestly not very different from canon.

Free Country, USA is a smalltown hotbed of psychic activity. Nearly everyone there has some mild capacity for supernatural powers, but nobody really notices or cares. Strong Bad just pops the tops off of cold ones and.... sometimes alters reality, a tiny bit. But mostly just in regards to media. The cartoons, comics, etc, that he invents and talks about have a tendency to suddenly voip into existence and nobody knows how. I swear, there’s actually a line of him saying something to this effect, but I can’t find it anywhere.  Don’t worry about it! Nobody in town is ever going to do anything truly nefarious with their powers, so it’s not a high priority on the Psychonauts’ radar, just a weird footnote.

The only reason Homestar is an actual agent is because he seems like exactly the kind of guy to sign up for a job like that on accident and then stick with it. And he’s a talented telekinetic! None of his other friends know about his job or notice his absences.

And just for fun, here’s some weird instances of psychic overpowering that happened in the cartoon:

---

(Poor Strong Sad)

I’ve actually answered this one before! BAM  Pretty sure all of it is still accurate.

Nelson: He sees floating sheets of paper containing notes, questions, etc. Anything that he wants to know more about regarding that person. The notes are subject to edits, cross-outs, ripped pages, etc.

Guybrush: He sees the item that the person is carrying that he wants most. As he gets to know people better, he sees them for their useful skills first.

Manny: His view of most living people is not very kind...

The people he’s closest to will eventually look a lot less garish. More like a flattering, camera-ready versions of themselves.

Eddie: Sickass sketch drawings that look like they belong in the margins of a composition book. The illustrations improve as he gets a better picture of where they’d fit in the internal lore of his mental world.

Sam: A lot like Nelson; Sam pictures case files, though his are a bit more in-depth.

Max: Max’s visions of people are highly personal and uncomfortable for those who witness them. He sees Nelson as a puzzle with a piece missing. Guybrush is a ripped up voodoo doll. Manny is a forgotten ofrenda. Eddie is a powder keg with a long, lit fuse. Sam is Sam, but he’s the wrong one.

I also got two questions that were pretty big subjects, or that I didn’t want to repeat, so I’m gonna cover them pretty broadly:

REGARDING [X] CHARACTER OR SERIES INCLUDED IN THE AU

Sure, I support it! I’ve gotten this question a few times in regards to things that I haven’t had time to delve into yet, or I’m not interested in, so I’m not going to include it into the AU myself. But if you want to explore an idea like that, feel free! This AU is pretty dang collaborative.

My main focus is just on the main 6 properties: Psychonauts, Puzzle Agent, Monkey Island, Grim Fandango, Brutal Legend, and Sam & Max.

But my general rule of thumb for “characters that exist somewhere within the background of this story” are any other properties owned by Telltale, Lucasarts, or Double Fine. And considering all of the licensed games that Telltale was getting into before it kicked the bucket, that includes some really weird characters, even up to the Venture Bros. I loved that series, but I’m not really interested in doing anything with them for this story! Partly for my sanity, the canon I’ve picked are already a lot of content to play with. 

ASSORTED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WILDCARD AU DISCORD

There’s no particular criteria needed to join the discord, and it’s not strictly on a need-to-know basis! Because it’s been a long while since anyone has joined, I've been hesitant about adding new people in... But I‘ve decided to try sending invitations again! Everyone who had asked about it in the past will be getting a ping by me in about a day or so, since I want to double-check if you’re still interested. If you’ve been nervous to ask you can reply to this post or message me privately.

Some things to keep in mind before asking or accepting the invite:

If you’re not a friend or a follower I recognize, I will likely double-check your tumblr along with some other current members before sending the invite. 

Here’s the Rules page, so you know what to expect before you join: 

Be Mindful - Respect other people's boundaries, don't do or say things that would cross the line. If your behavior makes other people feel uncomfortable or unsafe, I will remove you from the chat. In most cases I will try to resolve things with you and offer a chance to do better, but that will depend on the severity of the situation. And if you have any concerns regarding another member of the chat, you can contact me privately.

Health Boundaries - While discussions of mental health do occasionally pop up, do not rely on the chat for help. None of us are equipped to handle serious mental health concerns, and it will only cause distress for everyone. Please seek real help if it is needed! If you rely on people beyond the point that they have asked you to stop, I will remove you from the chat.

NSFW - Generally speaking, try to keep NSFW talk to a minimum. Swearing and humor is fine, but don't get too explicit please! Discussions should usually keep to a PG-13 / occasional R, but no NC-17.

Spoilers & Censorship - Please use the spoiler function to hide story spoilers, as well as discussions and graphic depictions of gore/excessive blood/body horror/severe psychological horror. Include a content warning so that people know what they could potentially be seeing when they click on the censored content. If the spoilered content is the subject of a back-and-forth discussion, please use another warning when you are switching to a different spoilered topic. (Note that these rules were added to the chat later, so be careful when using the search function or back reading.)

The canon series involved with the Wildcard AU are Psychonauts, Puzzle Agent, Monkey Island, Grim Fandango, Brutal Legend, and Sam & Max. Please be mindful of story spoilers!

Channel Organization - Also be mindful of which channel you're in and move a discussion over if need be! That way they don't get too clogged with unrelated info.

Creative Criticism - When it comes to writing, art, or character creation; try to be open to suggestions from others! Nearly all of the creative work in the chat is collaborative, so input from others is important! Creative criticism is not the same as judgement, and is not a personal attack.

Have fun! - Discussions move quickly in this chat! Don't feel bad if you ever need to step back, whether it's because of the speed or a disinterest in whatever current topic we're focusing on. If you ever want to come back, we're happy to have you and can give quick explanations if you feel out of the loop! :thumbsup:

We’re a group of approx. a half dozen to a dozen people, either posting very very quickly in a span of a few hours or barely anything for a few days. We’ve been in an activity uptick lately and there’s about a year and half of back content, too. If it’s hard to keep up on, not that interesting to read through, or you just have a hard time gelling with the group that's already there, there’s no shame in just lurking or dipping out if you need to.

We also talk a lot about Psychonauts OCs, so anticipate that.

[writerrachelspangler]

The long awaited book release

So, I wrote a book. I mean it’s my 18th book, so like the book writing itself isn’t a surprise, it’s sort of my job, but the fact that I got this particular book written and published is a big deal.  

For the like 4 of you who actually follow this haphazard Tumblr, you know that I started my account because I’d been in a massive writing funk since my friend Diane Gaidry died. I hadn’t felt even remotely cohesive in my creativity for almost a year. I’d already abandoned two other projects in that time. And when I found Tumblr I wasn’t trying to do my job at all. I was mostly laying on my couch, grief stricken and watching too much Gentleman Jack. It was really that show and the fandom surrounding it that made me want to start writing again.  

If you read my early posts here they’re filled with both trepidation and hope, and totally interspersed with GJ fandom reblogs, along with the occasional gushing about other things that got in the way of being a functioning professional (I’m looking at you gender dysphoria and conservative family members).

This was not the novel writing process I’d ever known or would recommend to an aspiring author. It went against everything I’d ever learned about how to be successful in my field. Tumblr is not well organized, does not facilitate strong focus, it doesn’t conform to high ideas of craft or form. It’s not filled with serious topics to hone the mind or sharpen creative stamina, (at least not the way I follow it). Most of all it draws more heavily on the work of others than anyone who fears copy right lawsuits should ever be comfortable with. For me Tumble was pure fandom, the exact thing people warned would lead to the watering down of my voice and derivative story telling. And yet, the voices I found here were also so unapologetically enthusiastic I dove right in, not in spite of all those things, but because of them! The content I used as a crutch was passionate, unrepentantly whimsical, and wildly joyous in ways I desperately longed to be again. And I’ll be damned if it didn’t work

At first I would write like two paragraphs of my own work then, totally exhausted and emotionally spent, I’d zip over here to emote and/or distract myself for the rest of the day. Many of my colleagues posted about their own impressive progress, and shook their heads at me. But just like learning to ride a bike with training wheels I got less wobbly as I went. I grew more confident, and a picked up speed. Soon queer Tumblr became less of a distraction and more of a reward for a job well done. Then it became a way to unwind after a full day of writing. I leaned on the mental/emotion supports less and less, until one day I realized the training wheels had fallen off and the writing had actually become it’s own inherent support system. 

From there I took off, and the book took off, too. Modern English not only finished strong on the first draft stage, it flew threw edits, and copy edits, and early reviewers. Everyone who got their hands on it talked about how it was just “one of those special books.” The kind that reads like an effortless gift from the muse.  

I still don’t know if I should laugh or cry when they stay that.

Nothing about this was easy. Nothing about it was normal. This was a mess of absurdity, heart wrenching, teeth gnashing, and clinging to random lesbian period romance memes with all of my fingernails. 

It wasn’t even until recent weeks that I could loosen my white knuckled grip and breathe deeply enough to look in the rearview mirror at how far I’ve come. Reading my early posts now is humbling. I couldn’t see the path forward from there, which I suppose makes sense. I was so lost, but after I found my way again I forgot to bring you all forward with me.

I’m sorry for that. Once I started writing on the book in earnest I stopped writing here.  And I’m not sure anyone particularly cares, but it didn’t seem right to just ghost Tumblr.  Y’all deserve better.  At least a few of you took me at my worst, so you deserve to see me at my best.

So here you go. Here’s the full circle moment. The culmination of the crying, and crazy random fandom, and deep dives into obsession, and therapy style blogs, and my complete submersion into the queer content sections, and my trying to wrestle all of that into something that meant something, something I could make sense of, and something I could give back to the community that gave so damn much to me.

Modern English, my 18th full-length, women loving women romance novel is now available wherever great queer romances are sold.  

The reviews are rolling in, and every one who reads it assure me no one would ever know what I went through while writing. 

But I know, and you all know too.  

So thank you. 

https://www.amazon.com/Modern-English-Rachel-Spangler-ebook/dp/B08NWF3RC7/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Rachel+Spangler+Modern+English&qid=1613866103&sr=8-1

[longlivefeedback]

AO3 and Feedback: Yes, No, and Maybe

In the days since our initial post, we’ve received and discussed many ideas either through reblogs, Google doc suggestions, asks, and submissions. 

We’ve had a preliminary discussion with AO3 about some of the ideas and have narrowed our goal to increasing the quantity of feedback authors receive without a decrease in quality by focusing on helping readers who want to leave comments but don’t because of technological (e.g. mobile) limitations, they’re shy, or they don’t know what to say.

With that in mind, here’s a summary about which ideas have already been accepted, which have been rejected, which already exist as features on AO3, and which currently need more discussion and consideration.

Under the jump: what’s here, what’s coming, what’s a no, and what we don’t know yet. 

What’s here

Anonymous commenting.

Several people have reported bugs and issues while leaving guest comments. 

Commenting on another user’s comment.

Note: replying to another user’s comment will automatically notify the author. 

[For desktop only, userscript] Ability to take notes/copy phrases/copy segments as you read which can be turned into a comment at the end of the chapter.

Guides on comments - how to comment, what to say.

These can be found floating around tumblr. We’d like to create an archive of the most useful guides. 

Hits can already be hidden.

Under “My Preferences” (drop down menu from your username at the top right corner of your screen).

Find the “Statistics” section.

The “yes”

Note that ao3 and OTW are run by volunteers, and there may be changes based on how the projects proceed. 

The “You have already left kudos here. :)” message will be changed.

AO3 does not have a final decision on what it will be changed to yet, other than that it will remove the “:)” due to negative perceptions from users. 

Revamp of filters

Private messaging

This may serve as a way to leave feedback that can only be seen by the author, instead of by everyone. 

This feature will be strictly opt-in, and users will be able to turn it off. (added 1/5/18)

The “no”

Kudos per chapter

Besides complicating things on the back end, being able to leave kudos every chapter will inflate the kudos count and might cause authors to write shorter chapters or chop up their one shots into multiple chapters.

Kudos are controversial - this was one of the most popular suggestions, but many people believe they shouldn’t exist in the first place. 

"Something like kudos but not actual kudos” per chapter

In general, AO3 tries to avoid having “clones” of the same feature unless there is a really good reason and the problems and concerns that exist with kudos would apply to these if they were visible.

AO3 tries to avoid collecting too many forms of possible feedback and the general assumption is that if you like the chapter enough to want to leave “kudos” for it, you can also write a comment like “I loved this chapter!” which would make the author equally, if not more, happy.

Reactions to a chapter

Comments template

This might be possible under as a help text (one of the blue "?”) but it's hard to strike a tone that will work as a template.

AO3′s goal is to be an archive and not a writing group. It cannot be too forceful or try to dictate people's fandom experience. We, at longlivefeedback, agree that if someone does not feel like commenting, we cannot shame or guilt them into doing so.

The other concern with a template is that comments might trend towards being stock answers, providing little or no jumping off points for further discussions.

see @dawnfelagund​‘s guest post on comment scaffolding and why readers don’t leave comments, even when they want to. 

Ability to save comments as a draft

AO3 is aware that the draft function is buggy and unreliable. Unless they are able to change how drafts work, there won’t be any changes in this regard.

Author accepts concrit toggle option

As a whole, AO3 is trying to reduce the number of "preferences" on the site as they are difficult to maintain. Because most preferences are used by only a small percentage of users, the benefit offered is low compared to the expense.

The hope is that the private messaging system (an accepted feature that is being developed!) will facilitate those exchanges.

Creating a trend of authors indicating whether they would like constructive criticism will address this issue, if it can catch on. 

Ability to give kudos/upvotes to comments i.e. any form of rating comments

There is a concern that this will devolve into fan-vs-fan wars which will detract attention away from the work of the author themselves and cause unpleasant/toxic environments in the fandom.

Ability to add moderators to comments on a work

This is not really viable either due to constraints on resources.

“Recommended For You” section

A userscript exists - any word on how well it works? 

The “maybe”

Things that will be discussed more after ao3′s current projects are closer to completion. 

Native floaty review box

A bit tricky, might happen eventually... for now, the userscript is the best way to go. 

Ability to preview comments before posting 

Window of time to edit comments

Logged-in anon comments 

Native feature for quoting lines of the fic in a comment 

a userscript for this exists (if someone has a link to it, please share and we’ll add it here)

Authors can see how many times (but not names) their work has been marked for later (info added on 1/2/2018)

Authors can see how many times (but not names) their work has been downloaded (info added on 1/2/2018)

To be asked/discussed 

AKA, common requests that ao3 may or may not have considered, but we don’t have that info right now. 

In line kudos/reactions 

see the google doc experiment

Highlighting parts of the work, e.g. wattpad 

All comments shown by default.

Author responses aren’t included in overall comment count 

Show comment threads instead of total comments. 

Changing the word “Comment” to something else i.e. “Review” or “Discussion.”

Authors can see who has marked their work for later, or how many times it has been marked for later

Authors can see who has downloaded their work, or how many times it has been downloaded. (further info as of 1/2/2018)

Milestone badges for users that are only visible to a user.

ideal userscript target here! 

Ability to see all the comments you’ve left on fics

Comments that can only be seen by the author

Thank you for all your feedback thus far. This is still a very new project and we are in the process of getting organized and setting things up for the future, so keep an eye on this blog for further updates. Comments, questions, and concerns can be sent to our ask box.

[angeltriestoblog]

Bullet Journaling 101: My Story, Flipthrough, Tips and Resources

A bullet journal is a system of organization created by Ryder Carroll that “aims to track the past, organize the present and plan for the future”. It’s a diary, journal and planner all in one: an amalgamation of all the facets of a person’s life in a series of different bullet points. Several YouTubers and bloggers have attributed their newfound sense of productivity and success to this and attested that it has helped tremendously in reordering their priorities.

And just like everyone else who seemed tempted by the idea, I’ve been wanting to join the whole movement. In fact, I’ve been watching flipthrough videos since last year, with my “bujo inspo” YouTube playlist amassing a grand total of 109 videos as of press time. I’ve followed a lot of Instagram accounts who’ve made a living out of this practice, and even put a short-lived Pinterest account (for the third time since the ninth grade – I don’t know why it can’t stick with me) in the hopes of gaining inspiration to get started. But, none of those worked in helping my intimidation die down.

I have been exposed to a great number of bullet journal spreads that are so aesthetically pleasing and color-coordinated that they seem almost unrealistic. I lacked the skills and resources required to start. Not enough Tombow brush pens or collaging skills in my arsenal, I thought, which would just lead to a decline in my journal’s appeal. At this juncture, I would like to point out that a bullet journal’s main priority must be functionality. Yes, it can also serve as a great medium for artistic expression but this must not hinder it from serving its true purpose: to get its owner’s life together.

Anyway, dumaldal na naman si Angel. Wala talagang kupas.

If it’s of any interest to you, I use a Leuchtturm 1917 ruled notebook in the color purple, which I got for half its original price at my local National Bookstore. I was initially supposed to go for the dotted version, as it is more popular in the bujo community. Turns out I forgot to check the label before paying for it, and only found out I had bought the wrong version when I had got home. I don’t have any regrets though: I find it easier to write on lined pages, and they don’t really change its effectivity.

I have a black Pilot G-Tec in 0.4mm thickness for writing, as I feel my handwriting looks best when I use this pen. Alongside these are my Dong-A fineliners—which are a great alternative to the much pricier Steadtlers—and my pride and joy, my Stabilo pastel highlighters. I have a black Artline Stix brush pen, which I use for my headings, and a normal pencil for making rough drafts of spreads. I also keep a thin pad of Post-it notes that I replenish weekly on the front page, where I write down any ideas that pop in my head that I’d later on put in its respective spread. I’m trying to keep my set-up as minimal and low-maintenance as possible, but with a pop of color here and there so it won’t end up being too bland and boring.

But contrary to popular belief, there is no fixed set of materials that one must purchase to start a bullet journal. In fact, there doesn’t even need to be any purchasing at all: you can start with something as simple as an old notebook lying around your bedroom floor, and the regular pen that you use for school. Colored markers and washi tapes and any other art supplies are purely optional.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, here’s a peek into what’s actually inside my bullet journal:

Key: Consists of a series of symbols that mean to organize entries into different categories. I have tasks—which can be subdivided into those that are complete, have been migrated or scheduled on another date—events and notes, which can be further emphasized by an asterisk that means they are a priority.

About Me: A short page on the side complete with my basic information. I don’t intend on sharing this with anyone else after this post, but I like keeping this as it feels like a standard way of starting a journal.

Index: Serves as a table of contents. It’s incredibly helpful when it comes to locating spreads, but it cannot fulfill its purpose if one is not consistent in supplying the information it needs. I like to jot the page number and a short description of what’s written on it in the index immediately after I fill out another spread so I don’t forget.

Future Log: My next six months at a glance. This is where I write all major activities and events. I’ve considered putting in birthdays of people who are important to me as well, but I feel like they’d take way too much space so I’ll work on assembling a separate spread to keep track of them.

Collections: Just a few pages to jot down some books I need to read, movies to see, posts to write for this blog and places to go. If ever you have any recommendations, you can shoot me a message here on Tumblr or any of my social media accounts.

(Half) Year in Pixels + Habit Tracker: Admittedly my favorite spread so far. Although I did have to make the grids manually because I’m using a lined notebook, I am very satisfied with how this came out. On the far left side, I’ll be tracking my mood by coloring in squares according to how I felt during the day: purple if great, red if good, orange if it was smack dab in the middle, blue if it was an off day and green if terrible.

For the remainder of the spread, I’ll be monitoring my progress in developing five habits of my choice and checking the corresponding box if I was able to do it on that specific day. The ones I’ve chosen to focus on are drinking eight glasses of water a day, eating only one cup of rice for lunch and dinner, not lurking on anyone’s accounts during my free time to avoid counterproductivity, saying only kind words towards others and using social media for only an hour a day.

Monthly Spreads: Pretty self-explanatory. This is the one I’ve made for November 2017, and I feel like this is the layout I’ll be sticking to. On the left-hand page, I have all the days of the month written vertically with an important task or event beside it. You might have noticed that these are the exact same items under my Future Log, and think that the whole practice of bullet journaling can get quite repetitive but I find it better to write the same things over and over again so they stick to my head.

To the right, I have an expenses tracker, where I write everything I’ve bought for the month. I was supposed to add a box to indicate my savings goal, but I’ll get around to that eventually. I also have a sleep tracker, which I will be doing in the form of a line graph, and my five main goals to give me a sense of direction.

Grades Tracker – 3rd Quarter: Where I write down all the marks I’ve gotten in all my subjects. I write down HW for homework, PT for performance task, Q for quiz and SW for seatwork, then my score but I haven’t been able to do the latter yet since none of our class activities have been graded yet. I’m aiming to become at least a Merit Card Awardee by the end of the school year, so this tool will be extremely helpful in ensuring that everything I do is a step in the right direction.

I have a page that shows my class schedule for this semester and two weekly spreads but the former is too private to divulge and the latter is still under construction, so I decided not to include any pictures of them. Besides, I don’t think any of them would be of much interest to you. Do note that this serves mainly as a source of inspiration. Your bullet journal does not have to follow this format. Since it’s highly flexible and customizable, revolves around you, you wants and your needs, you call the shots at the end of the day and are given full authority to change things up to your liking.

If, by any chance, this post has made you consider converting to this system, congratulations. You’re making a great decision, and I can’t wait for you to see your life get whipped back into shape. I’ve only been bullet journaling for two weeks tops, but I can honestly say that I’m never looking back. As mentioned in my previous blog post, it has given me a newfound sense of order in and control over my life, and keeps motivated to do the tasks required of me. Literally my favorite feeling in the world right now is getting to cross out everything I needed to do for the day.

Below are some resources that I found could be helpful for any bullet journal beginner. There’s honestly much more where that came from, and you can always message me for them:

Ryder Carroll’s (the creator of the bullet journaling system) video

The official Bullet Journal website

Boho Berry on YouTube

AmandaRachLee on YouTube

Caitlin’s Corner on YouTube

planningwithkay on YouTube

Mistral Spirit

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How Publishers Decide on Manuscripts

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How Publishers Pick out Fiction Manuscripts For Print And Gain

Anyone has a tale to convey to, and common desire is to publish a e book. This desire arrives from several dreams no matter whether financially or level of popularity driven. The advent of the private personal computer supplies just more than enough inspiration to get amateurs started on their means to creating. The simplicity of computer system word processing revolutionized the ease of composing, letting for more would be writers.

With the avalanche of manuscript submissions the rules for getting books had to adjust. The publishing businesses had to create tips and redefine. To remedy the trouble, we have to discover out how publishers select fiction manuscripts for print and revenue. Background

With motivation to produce currently being the driving force, it wasn’t unheard of fifteen yrs ago for potential authors to bang out manuscripts on word processors or electrical typewriters. The Authors would go by way of a rewrite changing as numerous web pages as needed. This rewrite may possibly demand working through full chapters given that a improve to a person paragraph would disrupt the numbering of sequential webpages. Once finished, the creator then experienced reedit quite a few occasions prior to he experienced the best draft of the “globe’s best novel”. A likely novelist may well be thwarted by this kind of as a complicated process, his story hardly ever place to paper.

To remedy the present-day demand, around 5,000 publishing companies start out up each calendar year, and with that hopes of great money and literary achievement as they contend to fill shelf and cyberspace. In accordance to R.R. Bowker Organization (Cox 2000), 53,000 new book titles roll of the presses. The cold hard reality is that only 3 out of ten books basically make dollars for the publisher. The analyze of all publishers and how they will need to do business to realize success would be exhausting and not condensed enough to suit into this presentation.

Publishing residences print generally two varieties of publications: fiction, non-fiction. Non-fiction textbooks go over biographies, self-assistance, how to, journey, and myriad genres as well a lot of to record. Likewise, fiction books deal with thriller, faith, historical, horror, criminal offense, and/or a combination of the over. I will report how fiction publishers compete for accomplishment in a fiction manufacturing industry. Technique

Publishers seek out a selected form of reader dependent on the style they focus in. For instance, William D. Watkins, acquisitions editor of Broadman & Holman Publishing, described in a 1998 author’s meeting that publishers of religious fiction seek out their examining audience 35-calendar year-outdated girls viewers. On the other hand, not only does a publisher these kinds of as Bethany Textbooks contend with publishers of the similar style, they have to entice this exact viewers out of the at any time-well known self-help segment of the bookstore.

Nonetheless, right before the printing, fiction writers ship their earth shattering manuscripts to publishers. They want to be printed to fulfill their egos, generate dollars, acquire notoriety, be a part product, or contribute to the literary treasury (McHugh, 1999). These authors contend towards astronomical figures of other manuscripts sent to the really identical acquisitions editor. Assortment Requirements

The Acquisitions Editor has the big work of getting proactive in the composing sector area. Authors find many publishers mainly because they are authorities in the subject which they publish. These specialists/publishers split down the business into departments of fiction and non-fiction, and then by style. An acquisitions editor may well uncover himself functioning in a office or style and will be proactive in locating new authors, exploring the market, negotiating contracts and producing publications.

Cox also relates that the acquisitions editor is active working with unsolicited manuscripts. This is a sensitive spot considering that not way too many publishers want to hazard the $10,000 to $18,000 it normally takes to publish book on an unfamiliar or unpublished creator. Even so, the extremely manuscripts they reject one more firm may well accept and publish a finest seller.

Movie star utilized to offer books (Marks, 1998) now the development has changed. Marks explained that among 1995 and 1998 the profits of hardback books have lessened 7.5 percent. The big e book publishing firms who utilized to award million greenback contracts can no for a longer period pay for to do so. Smarter acquisitions are essential.

The acquisitions editor must have a normal for picking manuscripts and adhere to that demanding set of procedures. The manuscript have to have plausible people and the writing should not be grammatically or technically flawed. The story requires to be excellent as the editor has small time to invest on sloppy crafting. Eventually, the manuscript ought to meet up with the specifications of the publishing company. For instance, Broadman and Holman Publishing Firm does not want erotica or profanity and the Wilshire Publishing Organization only needs tales that have figures conquering insurmountable odds (Young 2000). Furthermore, numerous Christian Publishers do not want angels to miraculously descend and rescue a heroine. Salesmanship

The moment he selects a manuscript, the acquisitions editor will have to be ready to both of those provide his corporation to a very likely creator and offer an author to his company. According to McHugh, he could possibly pitch author credentials, issue of reserve, the description of the function, advertising and marketing to qualified audience, finances and editorial progress. This is the person most very likely to make or break the results of his company.

If the acquisitions editor manages to promote the manuscript, the organization will have to straight away start off a internet marketing plan. This shouldn’t be far too tricky at this stage because the acquisitions editor probably bundled a promoting technique shared by the proposing author or devised by himself. Early on, the publisher ought to fulfill thoughts of who is the supposed viewers, exactly where can we reach them, is the writer ready to vacation to sign the reserve, should really the creator vacation, how a lot need to the guide value, how lots of copies ought to we make? Cox also indicated that the deficiency of a great publicity will result in a literary masterpiece to fail. Dialogue

Even though these thoughts are probed, a choice committee is examining the manuscript to confirm the acquisitions editor’s hunch. They also search for validity of the tale and can the tale sell to the meant audience. This committee of reviewers will have as significantly pull as the acquisitions editor as they share obligation on reserve acceptance. This creator managed to have a manuscript recognized by an acquisitions editor pending on the result of the evaluation committee. The committee voted not to take the manuscript. In the course of the acquisitions system, the editor will not often make contact with the creator and may well reject the manuscript without the need of providing cause. This is because of to the higher quantity of submissions. Editorial Worries

An evaluation of the producing method may uncover an inexperienced creator with an concept just typing absent. Later, as he continuously researches his trade, he learns information about writing technicalities that drive him to reconstruct his story. One disheartening problems new authors make is Stage of Perspective (POV). This phrase describes who is speaking and what they are emotion. Abusing POV in a tale causes confusion for the reader.

Consider this case in point:

John and his occasion approached the leading of the crest, as they wove by the underbrush. Although continue to 20 yards from the clearing, John could make out Marta and a further male carrying a pot. He read threatening voices, but couldn’t discern what was mentioned.

He and his warriors approached the clearing bit by bit, methodically. He realized he had the benefit of include and concealment, but Angus experienced the large floor, and Marta. Small of a far better strategy, John dispersed his remaining 3 guys to advantageous positions and experienced them completely ready their fire. “You there, in the clearing. You are absolutely surrounded. Launch the lady, and you gained’t get damage” he yelled, sounding like a scene from bad film.

Marta’s eyes perked up and her coronary heart beat with new lifetime. “John!” she referred to as out excitedly prior to remaining pulled down. “You fellas are going to get it now.”

“Will you be sure to just shut up!” Angus put his hand about her mouth even though keeping his pistol to her head. “Hear out there, possibly we can make a offer,” he...explained slowly and gradually climbing, applying Marta for go over. John was fuming, hardly in command. His fists clenched and unclenched with unbridled fury. It experienced been also a great deal observing them thrust Marta close to, but now they hid guiding her. He motioned for two warriors to remain, as he took one particular with him. His thoughts was operating furiously, hoping to keep forward of Angus’s doable moves. He and his warrior would circle, flanking Angus. If his warriors have been fantastic sufficient, they may well have a clean shot. “What form of deal did you have in mind?” John shouted before transforming positions.

This POV is disconcerting due to the fact the reader is thrown close to from the ideas of a person character to the other. The subsequent is an illustration of superior POV:

John and his social gathering approached the leading of the crest as they wove through the underbrush a number of hours later. Even though nonetheless twenty yards from the clearing, John could make out Marta and one more male carrying a pot. He heard threatening voices, but couldn’t discern what was reported. He and his warriors approached the clearing bit by bit, methodically. He knew he had the edge of cover and concealment, but Angus experienced the large ground, and Marta. Limited of a much better approach, John dispersed his remaining three gentlemen to beneficial positions and experienced them completely ready their fire. “You there, in the clearing. You are fully surrounded. Release, Marta and you received’t get hurt,” John yelled, sounding like a scene from negative movie. He listened to Marta contact his title with a voice total of hope. Then he observed Angus knock her down. You fellas are likely to get it now, he considered.

“Pay attention out there, possibly we can make a offer,” reported Angus.

John was fuming, hardly in handle. His fists clenched and unclenched with unbridled fury. It experienced been as well a lot observing them push Marta all around, but now they hid at the rear of her. He motioned for two warriors to keep on being, as he took one with him. His intellect was working furiously, making an attempt to retain forward of Angus’ feasible moves. He and his warrior would circle, flanking Angus. If his warriors were being superior more than enough, they might have a clean shot. “What type of deal did you have in mind?” John shouted prior to modifying positions. With the latter POV, the reader lives the scene by means of one character’s eyes.

Author Duty

Just to fortify, reconstructing a tale both handwritten or typed was a terrible process only a number of decades ago. Much less authors basically submitted tales. Publishers could select and opt for as they sought out new authors. Now, the computer enables chopping and pasting, computerized web page numbering, tab setting and site formatting. Possessing much easier obtain to completing a novel brought on numerous extra submissions (Sally, 1999). The publishing firms experienced to adjust its eyesight of trying to get authors to filtering as a result of the piles of infinite manuscript submissions. Now, it is a lot easier to produce a guide but more challenging to publish it. The publishers have created strict submission rules that place the creator in a placement to be editor and publicist just to get a question letter read through.

Acquisition

These days, manuscripts end up in one particular of three piles review later, discard, and evaluate instantly. The acquisitions editor has to have a system of motion to filter via the avalanche of mail that comes his way. Some authors haphazardly send total manuscripts, wholly disregarding the publishers’ needs. Both they don’t know what to ship, or they are arrogant ample to assume their manuscript ought to get priority about all others. The editors have stringent policies they should adhere to, if not, the corporation could operate all-around acquiring manuscripts that are defective and not serving the demands of the audience.

The evaluation afterwards pile is in which an unidentified creator who has done his homework will most probable obtain himself. The authors have researched the name and mailing tackle of the acquisitions editor, they have submitted their manuscript in accordance with the publisher coverage. This generally implies a writer has despatched out a letter telling of their guide, and the editor wrote again inquiring for either a synopsis of the e-book or the full textual content manuscript. Most very likely the editor will able to get to and react to this pile inside 4 months.

The discard pile is not normally a heap of worthless manuscripts. This pile is composed of manuscripts that do not fulfill the demands of the publisher. Either the content is mistaken, the paper is grammatically incorrect, or is made up of other significant flaws that draw damaging awareness to by itself. At last this consists of authors who have carried out almost everything the right way, but for 1 motive or one more (hardly ever specified), the publisher received’t convert it into a e-book. These rejections would usually be returned to an writer if the creator prepaid return postage. The golden rule for remaining out of this pile is to have an understanding of the requirements of the business, ship a perfect draft, observe all submission guide traces, and include things like a self dealt with stamped envelope.

Oh to be in the evaluation promptly pile. This pile is reserved for many unique authors. One particular established of authors could have pitched the book at a author’s convention and gained the assurance of the editor soon after a face-to-deal with assembly. One more established of authors is properly acknowledged with whom the firm had either designed initial contact or by now experienced a performing romance.

Production

This course of action may possibly seem cruel and inhumane, leaving several authors operate screaming in aggravation. However, it is like any small business exactly where the workers grumble but do not have the stress of carrying their providers on their work opportunities and reputations. Think about this excerpt from an The united states Property Publishing Firm’s publishing deal. “This agreement is entered into by the two functions in good faith, with the mutual understanding that neither party has confirmed, or is to assurance, the sale of any distinct number of copies of the said literary work, it remaining unattainable to predict, before publication, what achievements any book might achieve”.

The previous paragraph assures that the publisher assumes the risk of manuscript variety. The manuscript is only as thriving as the advertising professionalism of a publishing company and the potential of the creator. Noneffective publicity is undoubtedly a person threat the two events get. Even so a loosely penned manuscript is likely to be torn aside by a knowlegable e book reviewer. Recalling the previously section on POV, take into consideration this paraphrase from a evaluate “the point of check out in this story switched often leaving the reader confused” (Military Instances, 2001). This sort of assertion will have viewers scurrying absent from the newstands. Not a effective ingredient to the success of a e book.

We can see how publication has adjusted above the previous two a long time. Income that had flowed freely to wine and dine authors and million greenback advancements no more time exist. New publishing businesses arise regular monthly to rival and steal business enterprise from corporate giants. The funds faucet is clogged leaving publishing houses acquiring ingenious ways to publish and make profit. Most of the reponsibility lies on the acquisitions editor who need to have foresight, instinct, a disciplined collection strategy, and a publicists coronary heart. Thier observe of avoidance and high quality handle function hand in hand towards productive e book publishing.

References

Cox, J. Self-Publishing: Recommendations, methods, & procedures. The book lovers’ haven 26 paragraphs. Retrieved February 6, 2001 from the World Broad World-wide-web: [http://www.execpc.com/~mbr/bookwatch/writepub/]

Marks, J. (1998, January 12). Publish and don’t perish. U.S. News five web pages Retrieved February 16, 2001 from the Globe Huge Web: [http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/980112/12publ.htm]

McHugh, J. Far more checklists of acquisitions strategies and procedures. The publishing law heart 2 internet pages Retrieved February 16, 2001 from the Entire world Vast Internet: http://publaw.com/test2.html

Stuart, S. E. (1998) Christian writers’ market place guideline. Illinois: Harold Shaw Publishers. Youthful, W. (2000) Christian e book writers’ marketing and advertising tutorial. California: Pleasure Publishing

Source by Jeffrey Bennett