Chris Hayes-Kossmann writes his way to publication… or DOOM.
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This is why I'm not allowed to write for REAL newspapers.
Got a better idea for an article about an event that never was? Get off your arse and check out Naked Copy. They need your stories. Deadline for issue 1 has been extended to mid-August, so get writing. That means YOU, Tama. You too, Liam.
Posted in Short Stories, writing.
I've been quiet on here because my final semester of university work is breaking my balls, and that doesn't leave much time to blag. This site has probably fallen off most people's radars, and I don't blame you for not bothering to check in any more.
Things will change soon, I promise.
The first half of the revamped Century of Sand should be done soon (by soon, I mean within the fortnight) and that will all be going up on the site for free. I like this draft, I really do. The characters are speaking to me this time. The story is shouting at me. It demands to be written, and I think you'll like it once it's all ready and done.
Also, Issue Two of Birdvillemag will be going up soon (with one of my shorts included), so check out the great stories in Ish 1 while you can.
Finally, check out this album of ambient electronica by The Audiologist - this has been some of my favourite music of the last year, on and off, and it's completely free. DL the whole album and let it run through, these tracks just don't work in isolation.
Much love to you all. Write hard.
Posted in Uncategorized.
Golem: Etymology
The word golem is used in the Bible to refer to an embryonic or incomplete substance: Psalm 139:16 uses the word גלמי, meaning my unshaped form, which then passes into Yiddish as goylem. The Mishnah uses the term for an uncultivated person ("Seven characteristics are in an uncultivated person, and seven in a learned one", Pirkei Avos 5:7 in the Hebrew text, varies in English translations). Similarly, golems are often used today in metaphor either as brainless lunks or as entities serving man under controlled conditions, but hostile to him in others. Similarly, it is a Yiddish slang insult for someone who is clumsy or slow.
The earliest stories of golems date to early Judaism. Adam is described in the Talmud (Tractate Sanhedrin 38b) as initially created as a golem when his dust was "kneaded into a shapeless husk". Like Adam, all golems are created from mud. They were a creation of those who were very holy and close to God. A very holy person was one who strove to approach God, and in that pursuit would gain some of God's wisdom and power. One of these powers was the creation of life. No matter how holy a person became, however, a being created by that person would be but a shadow of one created by God.
Early on, the notion developed, that the main disability of the golem was its inability to speak. In Sanhedrin 65b, is the description of Rava creating a man (gavra). He sent him to Rav Zeira; Rav Zeira spoke to him, but he did not answer. Said Rav Zeira: "You were created by the magicians; return to your dust."
Predeterminism:
Predeterminism is the idea that every event is caused, not simply by the immediately prior events, but by a causal chain of events that goes back well before recent events. For example, one's personal characteristics are predetermined by heredity, by a chain of events going back before one's birth.
In philosophical debates about the compatibility of free will and determinism, it is predeterminism back to the origin of the universe that philosophers mean by the more common term determinism. Some philosophers have suggested the term "determination" be used to describe actions as merely "determined" by an agent's reasons, motives, and desires.
Posted in Uncategorized.
The king of visual metaphor, the crown prince of the extended take, the Moriarty to Fritz Lang's Holmes... there isn't much modern cinema that Andrei Tarkovsky hasn't influenced in some small fashion. Now, you can all play catchup.
The whole film catalogue of Andrei Tarkovsky has been released online, for free. Enjoy.
Posted in film.
A good burger is a balancing act. The main meat filling must be distinct with every bite, yet enhanced by the salads and other additions. The bun must complement the tenderness of the filling with a satisfying crunch. No element can be neglected in favour of the other.
The KFC Zinger burger is, according to TV ads, full of spice and zest. Biting in should take your breath away. I decided to take the chickeny plunge.
Let's begin with the distribution of meats and salads. The Zinger has s lot of chicken for one burger and very little else. Bare traces of lettuce, some sauce. Nothing else identifiable. The bun is also quite thin, so what you get in the end is not so much a burger but a chicken breast with some accompaniments.
Verdict: FAIL
The chicken is tender on the inside, satisfyingly crispy on the outside. There's enough of it to satisfy. I prefer the overall juiciness of a McDonalds Chicken Deluxe, but the Zinger is still a strong contender.
Verdict: PASS
The bun isn't crispy at all. It looks thin and insubstantial but is actually quite bready, which is a plus for me. Macca's buns (much like their burgers) dissolve inside your mouth like the dreams of lonely orphans. The Zinger bun takes some chewing. Tasty, but would benefit from toasting.
Verdict: PASS
The fillings... well. They're not there.
Verdict: FAIL
The zing? Also not there. The spice level of this burger is minimal, something akin to smelling a curry stand from a distance. I've drunk breast milk with more kick.
Verdict: FAIL
Overall, the Zinger functions as a chicken snack. It's not a burger. It's barely a sandwich. It'll fill you more than a McDonalds beef burger, but not nearly so much as any McDonalds or Oporto chicken burger. The only saving grace of the Zinger is that it's in your hands, fast.
Overall rating: AVOID
Posted in Uncategorized.
A double kick in the guts. More rejections re Alpha Slip, and the mag that was planning to publish my short They Trade in Eyes has folded.
I mean... double damn.
Back to the grindstone, I guess. Century of Sand is gonna be so epic that it melts your face.
Posted in Uncategorized.
I thought I had the final draft of Alpha Slip pretty solidly typo-proofed, but Nyss is still finding some real good ones.
The pear crawled up around his ankles and sucked at his shoes...
That was supposed to be peat. My bad.
Posted in Uncategorized.
First two chapters down. This new Ana is confusing me. But in a good way. I don't know what she's going to do next, which is a nice change.
She scares me, a little.
Posted in Uncategorized.
...because a friend of mine is looking for submissions to a new project of his. Naked Copy.
Atavistian, one of the smartest people I know, is looking for journalism-style fiction under ten thousand words, photographs and other visual art. In his words:
Any type of fiction written to look like it’s a journalism-based article rather than a conventional short story. It can be based in any time period and be of any genre. Adult content up to and including erotica is fine as long as it fits the news-magazine frame... It’s a magazine, people! Think art, think pictures, think crazy-ass letters to the editor! I need small blurbs, drawings and graphics as well as features. Two hundred words on this crazy future invention you predict, as if it’s already come to pass... If you think it would fit in a news magazine, send it to me. As far as writing goes, smaller pieces are more likely to be accepted than larger ones. Remember: the bottom line is that it needs to read like a newspaper or news magazine article. Gonzo journalism type pieces acceptable within limits.
I'm totally in. You should be too.
Submit to: ian.graham.campbell at gmail dot com in the body of the email or as a .doc format attachment
Submission deadline: July 31, 2010
It's a news magazine, but not.
Posted in Uncategorized.
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