Please Avoid These Gay Stereotypes In Your Writing Or I May Suffer An Aneurysm When I Read Your Book

This post grew out of a discussion I had with Roguemutt on his post yesterday that has to do with his novel, "Where You Belong" which I'm enjoying. However, one of his characters is gay and some of the stereotypes straight writers use when they are writing gay characters are annoying so I thought I'd point them out to you so you could STOP IT! Credit goes to writer Melinda Lo who provided much of the analysis presented here.

1.) The effeminate gay man. For many gay people, the flaming queen is a mixed blessing. I’m not denying that flamboyant, feminine gay guys do exist. In fact, one could argue that they paved the way for many folks to come out of the closet because it is impossible to hide their sexual orientation. It takes a ton of courage to be out as a flamboyant gay man in our culture.

But in many representations of gay men, being effeminate is dismissed as a joke — as something to laugh at or as entertainment. Being labeled as effeminate can also result in physical assault, verbal abuse, and murder. Keep this in mind if you’re writing about a character who is a feminine boy: Understand that living in the world is a more dangerous place for him because he presents as feminine. And if you describe a gay character in feminine terms, ask yourself: Why have you chosen this kind of representation? How does that change him? It’s not just about acting like a diva and being a girl’s best friend.

2.) The mannish lesbian. Similarly, butch women have also been on the front lines of gay representation, because this is what mainstream society tends to recognize as lesbian. But unlike stereotypes of feminine gay men, the masculine woman is rarely seen as something fun or entertaining. Mainstream society often condemns her as unnatural, or as a threatening figure. It also takes a lot of courage to walk in the world as a butch lesbian. To endure taunts and about your lack of femininity; to battle for your right to wear what you want. In the worst cases, those taunts can result in violence. From day 1, it seems, our culture encourages little girls to love the color pink and to want to be princesses. If you don’t want to do that, you challenge a deeply held belief about what a girl is. So if you’re writing about a lesbian who is masculine or butch, keep this in mind: Being butch doesn’t mean that you want to be a man. It’s a different way of being a woman.

3.) The promiscuous or devious bisexual. The stereotype of the bisexual as promiscuous or deceptive is probably less prevalent in YA than in adult fiction, film, or television, largely because this stereotype involves sex. But keep it in mind if you’re writing a character who is bi.

Often, people mistakenly believe that bisexuals have many sexual partners, or that they change sexual partners frequently. Alternatively, they may believe that bisexuals are being deceptive about their sexual orientation in order to trick someone. Even gay people can have the mistaken belief that bisexuals aren’t really bi; they’re just confused about whether they’re gay or straight.

But that’s not true. There is no evidence that bisexuals are any more promiscuous than anyone else. The word “bisexual” does not mean that a person is equally and continuously attracted to people of both sexes. It means that a person could potentially be attracted to people of both sexes. It may be true that all of us are, to some degree, bisexual.

4.) Dead gays. Gay characters created for the exclusive purpose of winding up dead in your fiction. Think of the Star Trek redshirt. Example in film: The Sopranos (only gay character dead). Orson Scott Card also uses gays as cannon fodder.

5.) The Pregnant Lesbian. For some reason, people who write lesbians think they're being incredibly original by having a story about a lesbian couple trying to get pregnant. This has been done exactly 2 million times before. It creates a scenario where, despite not having relationships with men, the lesbians still need men desperately.

6.) Homosexuals as villains. It's been done over and over and over. IT'S NOT ORIGINAL. IN FACT, IT'S CLICHE AND I WISH YOU WRITERS OUT THERE WOULD GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEADS THAT HOMOSEXUAL DOES NOT EQUATE TO EVIL. Here is the short list of films and books that I could think of where this occurs (there is more out there, this took me five minutes to compile). As you can indeed see by my list...yes, yes, yes, yes...this has been done before and is unoriginal.

• Diamonds are Forever
• Magnum Force (Dirty Harry movie)
• The Maltese Falcon
• The Detective
• Freebie and the Bean
• Mystic River
• The Boys of St. Vincent
• The Jackal
• Pulp Fiction
• Ace Ventura
• Braveheart
• Dune
• Lawrence of Arabia
• Rob Roy
• A Perfect World
• The Mexican
• Tron: Legacy
• 300
• Mutiny on the Bounty
• Casablanca
• Psycho
• Silence of the Lambs
• Ender's Game
• True Blood
• Where You Belong
• One Life To Live (soap opera)
• Desperate Housewives
• 24 (Fox's political thriller)
• Austin Powers
• Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
• Interview With The Vampire
• The Talented Mr. Ripley
• Disney's "The Jungle Book"
• Disney's "Pocahontas"
• Disney's "Aladdin"
• Disney's "The Lion King" - Scar puts the gay in that pride
• A Portrait of Dorian Gray
• The Shawshank Redemption
• HBO's Oz (A prison drama)
• American Beauty

Rant over. Have a great Thursday :)

My Thoughts On Weekends, MG Fiction, & WWJD

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHTS...

NORMAL PEOPLE:

ME:

MY PERCEPTION OF MIDDLE GRADE FICTION:

AND FINALLY...WWJD (WHAT WOULD JESUS DO) IF HE WERE ALIVE TODAY?

Have I regaled you with my acerbic wit? Have a happy Hump Day :)

2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept

2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept

Twelve modified 2011 Honda CR-Z sport hybrid coupes are featured prominently in the Honda booth at the 2010 SEMA Show, LAS VEGAS, which opens today. The 2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept is the sporty evolution of the Honda CR-Z, prepared by the Japanese Mugen Motorsports, officially associated with Honda. Honda has teamed up with Mugen again for a new hotrod special - but this one's a hybrid. The new 2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept is a slightly more ecologically sound proposition than the banzai 2009 Civic Type R Mugen, and brings the race car treatment to Honda's hybrid coupe.

2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept

As the first available sport hybrid, the 2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept demonstrates new opportunities for vehicle personalization among the import tuner community. Several significant vehicles are being unveiled at the show, including a 2011 CR-Z equipped with MUGEN* accessories, the Honda Performance Development, Inc. (HPD) CR-Z Hybrid R Concept, the HPD CR-Z Racer and several vehicles equipped with Honda Genuine Accessories.

2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept

Also unveiled today were two concept vehicles from HPD: the CR-Z Hybrid R Concept and the HPD CR-Z Racer. Though neither vehicle is intended for sale, HPD, Honda’s North American racing company, was determined to demonstrate the potential of the CR-Z for both street and racing performance. Both vehicles share many performance enhancements, with the CR-Z Hybrid R Concept highlighting Honda-designed street styling and the HPD CR-Z Racer opting for serious racing capability. To demonstrate that capability, HPD will campaign two HPD CR-Z Racers at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill endurance race in December. HPD enhancements to both cars include: a turbocharger and upgraded IMA™ hybrid system, resulting in an estimated combined 200 horsepower and 175 lb-ft. of torque; performance clutch; limited-slip differential; ‘circuit-tuned’ suspension; upgraded brakes and aerodynamic components.

2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept

Two vehicles were on display to demonstrate currently available Honda Genuine Accessories. For the 2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept, Honda displayed a vehicle equipped with 17-inch alloy wheels; side, front lip and tailgate spoilers; a rear diffuser; an illuminated door-sill trim and an interior armrest. Additionally, a 2010 Accord Coupe equipped with dealer-installed Honda Factory Performance™ (HFP™) components melded a distinctive, custom appearance with an enhanced level of handling performance. All Honda Genuine Accessories offer the same 3-year/36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty as the rest of the vehicle, when installed at the time of new vehicle purchase, and are engineered to be fully compatible with each Honda vehicle.

2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept

Mugen Euro has developed a highly-tuned version of the Honda CR-Z that aims to deliver up to 200PS and 215Nm of torque by boosting the hybrid's petrol-electric powertrain. The goal of the project was to prove hybrid cars can be exciting to drive, by producing "Civic Type R-like" performance from the hybrid coupe while remaining sympathetic to the original Honda direction for the CR-Z. Torque Mugen Honda crz provide 50 percent greater power and use electric as the fuel. Obviously this is a good concept for a Honda hybrid sport cars. 2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept uses a 5-speed adjustable front and mounted on the back, which would increase the width base and weight of the settlement.

2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept

Colin Whittamore from Mugen Euro explains the philosophy behind the creation of the CR-Z Mugen: “We wanted a car that has genuine performance available at the touch of a button, but can perform just like a standard CR-Z and offer good fuel economy when the driver wishes. For that reason, we’ve kept the three driving modes, so the driver can select “eco” or “normal” to switch to economy and low emissions for daily driving, but press the Mugen button for the full-blown weekend-warrior settings”.

2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept

In addition, Mugen’s engineers also widened the 2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept’s front and rear tracks and fitted stiffer 5-step adjustable dampers and a limited slip differential to maximize traction. The Honda CR-Z Mugen stops courtesy of larger brake discs and 4-pot calipers. 2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept comes with sporty interior, there are Recaro sports seats, a different gear knob and a carbon rear view mirror cover, but your attention will be instantly drawn by the addition of three gauges that display water and oil temperature and pressure.

2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept

Among factors that features the sportiveness stands out the lowered bumper, a large roof spoiler and the carbon-fiber bonnet which, according to Honda, is an important technical detail. The weight of the 2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept then was reduced by more than 50 kg, through the use of lightweight materials as, again, the carbon-fiber, and first tests seem very positive.

2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept

The 2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept is purely a concept car at this stage, designed to demonstrate the potential and versatility of the Honda IMA system, with no confirmed plans for further production. Mugen and Honda (UK) will consider media and customer feedback before deciding on any next steps.

A Chat With Cindy Borgne-The Author of VALLAR

I loved Cindy Borgne's debut novel entitled VALLAR. And you know what, there are some real perks that come with keeping a blog, and one of them is that you can actually ask the author questions (especially when they are as open to questions as Cindy is). And anyone that follows my blog knows that I question everything...so this really shouldn't be a surprise. First off is my review:

I finished this book today and I must say, I thought it was an outstanding debut. I gave it four stars instead of five because there are a few places in the book where a word is needed and not included or a term is misused. However, editing without the benefit of a publisher behind you can be an extremely daunting task. As it stands, VALLAR is quite an achievement.

Cindy's world is as authentic as they come. She knows Mars down to the names of the canyons and how little wind it would take to start a red dust storm on this mysterious fourth planet. Adding to the mystery, Cindy has created a future in which two corporate giants battle over the fate of a mine and the one that ends up doing the most monstrous inhuman acts is ironically the one that desires to return to earth the most. I find this fascinating because earth is at the heart of humanity (and by being a monster) this guy really shouldn't be allowed anywhere near it. Maybe this is a subtle statement on the author's part in that Beacon knows he's a monster and wants to reclaim his humanity.

The voice of Ian Connors is strong in this book. He's the sixteen year-old protagonist and I envisioned him as looking like the kid named Ryan in two Smallville episodes. In the episodes that I'm referring to, Ryan has been experimented upon by a Dr. Mengele-type person in a laboratory and had a tumor created inside his brain that gives him psychic ability. Superman kind of adopts him as a little brother and Ryan eventually dies from this while Clark is with him. I have to say...I cried at the end of this. I loved the Ryan character...here's a YouTube video so you can see Ryan:

I see a lot of parallels between Ryan and Cindy's Protagonist. Ian is a protagonist that we can cheer for as he breaks away from the singular military purpose to which he was created and shackled and uses all of his powers to help the woman with whom he is in love. His sacrifice becomes shocking as he loses his best friend and almost his own life for a person that he knows only from his dreams. Luckily, she seems to share his passion so, at the heart of Vallar is a love story.

This book easily stands by itself but also begs a sequel. I expect that Cindy will be letting us know more about Nate and his recovery (he had horrific things done to him) and also there are hints of a new evil bad guy that is rising amidst the ranks of Marscorp (the organization of all evilness). Perhaps we can have some more information about the planet Hinun as well for it intrigues me (and I'm sure it will have this effect on other readers).

The action in the book is pretty much non-stop. If this were going to be adapted into a movie, it would require a significant CGI team. But it doesn't get overwhelming. There are plenty of emotional breaks and even though the novel is told in first person, Ian's ability to project himself psychically and to see outside his own body through portals in the future, allow for many more stimuli that would normally not be available in the context of a book that adhered with a strict first-person point-of-view.

Now without further adieu...the Q & A:

1) Why did you choose Mars as your setting as opposed to some other planet in the solar system for your book?

Several things in my story grew from tiny seeds or from twisting things around. I’ve been working on this story for years and things just evolved. Next thing I knew, I was on Mars. Okay, not exactly.

Let me try and explain further. Before I had a plot, I only had the character of Ian Connors, the psychic. At first, I wrote stories about him on a future Earth. Then I did some experimenting with the story and wrote a few chapters with him on Mars. It wasn’t as easy because I had to deal with the limitation of Mars such as if anyone goes outside they must be in a spacesuit. However, I liked the challenge because it added more complications, dangers and going to Mars was a way of taking the reader to a strange place. Mars makes sense as a stepping stone if humans are going to further explore space, so I continued with the story there. Also there are certain things that happen in VALLAR that can only happen on Mars.

2) Why did you make Ian only sixteen years of age? Also any specific reason for making your protagonist male as opposed to female?

I’ve experimented with Ian being different ages, even up to age thirty. I ended up going with sixteen because it adds to his innocence and ties in with the father/son relationship that develops in the story. If he was older, his desire to have a father wouldn’t make as much sense.

These days there are so many books about female protagonists. I like to be original and wanted to do something different.

3) Why did you choose to write VALLAR in first person point-of-view as opposed to say, third person point-of-view?

I wrote some scenes with this story in third person, but I ended up going with first because I liked the voice better. It sounded more personal. First person helps me get inside the mind of the character. This led to the story being written in a way that lets the reader discover surprises and other things through Ian’s eyes.  

4) Scientists like Carl Sagan believe that there is a kind of dance that science-fiction does with science, i.e., one kind of circles around the other. Your novel is set 100 years into the future. Do you think that earthlings will be able to reach Mars given the way things are going now in that time period? (My note==> not sure where I got 100 years either hmmmm.)

I’m not sure how you got the idea it was 100 years in the future since I don’t have any dates in the book. My latest blurb says that Earth abandoned the colonies one hundred years after they had been there, but it doesn’t say when they arrived. I decided to let readers speculate as to the year and left it out on purpose. At one time I was going to make the year 2150. I think earthlings could be capable of reaching Mars in 100 years, however, I don’t think the effort will be there. It’s hard to justify the cost with our current economy and other problems in the world.  

5) Do you think you will keep your sequel to Vallar PG-13 or do you think we can expect some sexy scenes in the future?

This is a tough question because some of my readers consider VALLAR to be a young adult book. I can tell that you did not view it that way. It’s one of those books that’s on the edge of young adult. This sort of thing has always been a subject of controversy with young adult books too. How far does one go? Decisions, decisions…. personally I’d like to go for steamy, yet tastefully done. I’m not sure if it will turn R-rated yet. Most likely I will get reader opinions on this because I don’t want to disappoint.

6) You use sites on Mars (like the Noctis Labyrinthis) to stage incredibly dramatic scenes. However, I'm thinking that other locations might have been equally cool...say Olympus Mons which is the largest mountain in the solar system. Do you plan on using additional locations on Mars in the sequels and if so, can you give us a glimpse of a particular scene that you've played out in your head that may be super cool?

There will probably be one scene at the southern polar cap that will involve ice. It’s hard to say much more about this without giving something away. Olympus Mons could be another location. Who knows what might be inside that old volcano?  

Check out the super cool Mars Map that Cindy made for her book. It comes in really useful as a tool.

7) Now that I've read the book, the cover art is dead-on to an extremely important central area of the book. However, were there other scenes that you consulted with your cover artist or did you just let the artist pick any scene with a (surprise me and we'll see) kind of tagline?

I’m finding that people understand the cover art after they read the book. I’ve been wondering how it’s been coming across before they read it. I’m still not sure if I’m satisfied with it. The current cover art is from my first idea. I’m considering taking the ship off and expanding Ian’s face. Then with the sequel, I would have an image of Ian along with his love interest Kayla next to each other. With Indie publishing you can always try something else, and we are working on it. If you or anyone has some suggestions, please feel free to let me know.   

8) Who is your favorite character in the book and why?

Ian Connors, the main character. Sometimes people associate an ability like being psychic with a super hero, but I think Ian is far from that. His ability is useful, but it also causes him problems. He’s just a young guy trying to do the right thing and be normal, and I like this about him. I also like how his innocence gets him into trouble. On the other hand he can be stubborn against those trying to control him.  

Sonny is a close second. He represents the working man. The guy that works hard no matter how many injustices he’s suffered. He took on a life of his own and he changes a lot throughout the story. Some readers have mentioned to me that how much they like him. I might let Sonny be the main character in his own novel.

9) From your experience in writing Vallar, what advice would you give an aspiring science-fiction writer?

The best thing to do is participate in a critique group. You need about eight to ten beta readers. My favorite place is Critique Circle. You will be able to tell by the responses if you’re ready to publish or to query agents. However, there will always be someone who won’t like your story. It doesn’t mean your story is bad. It just might not be for them. It takes some experience to know the difference. Getting feedback is the main thing.

Research is important with science fiction, so you can be sure you have all your facts straight. It’s also important to be familiar with the science fiction market and what’s popular, although with the e-book boom all the book markets are changing fast. 

10) You use a villain to great effect in VALLAR. What do you think are important traits in establishing an effective antagonist?

The antagonist has to be the hardest character to get across as being realistic. One method I used was to slowly build up Admiral Beacon as the villain. In the beginning, he doesn’t seem so bad and that was done on purpose because in real life people always seem okay on the surface. 

We all have met antagonists in real life in one form or another. For Admiral Beacon, I drew on my own personal experiences with bosses. How many of us have had bosses that don’t really care about us? At one time, I worked at a place where I was a dedicated employee who had no problem going all out for them. Then for several months I had a condition that was causing me to be late for work. My uncaring boss who I thought was a friend threatened to fire me the entire time even though she was retiring in four months. She didn’t care about my pain. She only cared about herself. That’s what Beacon represents - the bosses of the world who care about their quotas more than people. So for your antagonist, build them from real life examples. 

THE AUTHOR

You can buy VALLAR at 

Amazon for the Kindle

At Cindy's own website

And of course on Cindy's blog

Cheap Car, Super Cars McLaren MP4-12C

McLaren MP4-12C is a supercar that sold 'cheap' by McLaren. This sports car priced at only U.S. $ 250,000. When compared with rivals such as Italy or the Ferrari 458 and Lamborghini Gallardo Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano and Lamborghini Murcielago prices range from U.S. $ 300 thousand to U.S. $ 500 thousand, the price of the McLaren MP4-12C would still be competitive. See pictures of the McLaren MP4-12C:

Wallpaper McLaren MP4-12C

Captain America GQ 2011

Dear ladies that read my blog (and any men that feel comfortable commenting on this post), I have one simple question for you.

If a car was hurtling toward you in the parking lot that would result in your inescapable death, would you prefer to be saved by Edward Cullen played by Robert Pattinson in the Twilight movies (adaptation of the Twilight books by Stephenie Meyer) or by this man...

Chris Evans...

Who plays the stars and stripes Captain America superhero from the Marvel Comics of the same name. Here are the photographs from Cap's photo spread taken by famed photographer Mario Testino.

Here's the newest movie trailer that hit June 22nd for your Monday pleasure :) Remember, the movie comes out July 22nd, 2011. Go Red, White, and Blue!

2012 Porsche Sport Cars Panamera Diesel

2012 Porsche Sport Cars Panamera Diesel

Porsche has finally launched the long-awaited Panamera diesel, with sales starting in August. The Panamera range extends with the introduction of the new 2012 Porsche Sport Cars Panamera Diesel, further enhancing the model's appeal to UK customers. A luxury Gran Turismo, the 2012 Porsche Sport Cars Panamera Diesel is capable of taking four passengers in sporting comfort from Lands End to Loch Ness without refuelling.

2012 Porsche Sport Cars Panamera Diesel

The New Porsche Panamera this time further improve the model for English, 2012 Porsche Sport Cars Panamera Diesel is able to take four passengers in comfort sport. sporting performance is delivered by the smooth-running 3.0-liter V6 engine with a rated output of 250 hp (184 kW) achieved Between 3.800 rpm and 4.400 rpm.

2012 Porsche Sport Cars Panamera Diesel offers a very attractive driving range of more than 745 miles on one tank of 80 liters, emits 172 g / km and gives 43.5mpg combined fuel economy (6.5 l/100 km). With optional low rolling resistance tires, improved efficiency further still, to 167 g / km and 44.8mpg on the Combined cycle. Available with rear-wheel drive and uses a highly efficient eight-speed Tiptronic S as standard. Six-cylinder turbo diesel engine power of new Gran Turismo 0-62 mph (0-100 km / h) 6.8 seconds, with a top speed of 150 mph (242 km / h).

The 2012 Porsche Sport Cars Panamera Diesel copes effortlessly with short bursts of speed and alpine transits. This is delivered by the three-liter V6 engine with a rated output of 250 hp (184 kW) achieved between 3,800 rpm and 4,400 rpm.

2012 Porsche Sport Cars Panamera Diesel

The maximum torque of 406 lb-ft (550 Nm) available all the way from 1,750 rpm to 2,750 rpm delivers high pulling power. Married to the highly efficient eight-speed Tiptronic S, the six-cylinder turbo diesel powers the new Gran Turismo from a standing start to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds, with a top speed of 150 mph (242 km/h). The Panamera Diesel is exclusively available with rear-wheel drive.

2012 Porsche Sport Cars Panamera Diesel

The model’s 3.0-litre V6 engine is state of the art in diesel technology: common rail direct injection through piezo valves at a pressure of 2000 bar, turbocharging employing electrically controlled variable geometry turbochargers (VGTs) and emission control achieved by controlled exhaust gas recirculation, oxidation catalyst and particle filter.

2012 Porsche Sport Cars Panamera Diesel

Every Panamera, including the new Diesel model, has a high level of standard specification that includes leather interior, Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), Bi-Xenon headlights, front and rear ParkAssist, tyre pressure monitoring, automatic dimming rear view mirrors, Porsche Communication Management with touch-screen satellite navigation and audio controls, cruise control and a three year warranty.

2012 Porsche Sport Cars Panamera Diesel

Fitted to every Panamera is a Porsche Vehicle Tracking System (VTS), a sophisticated vehicle security package approved to Thatcham Category 5 standard, and customers will also be able to explore the potential of their new car by participating in a complimentary course at the Porsche Experience Centre, Silverstone.

2012 Porsche Sport Cars Panamera Diesel

Developed from the outset as a four-seater vehicle, in terms also of interior design and the individual comfort of each and every occupant the Gran Turismo ploughs its own furrow. Notwithstanding its distinctive flat and stretched silhouette, 4.97 meters in length and a mere 142 centimeters high, the Panamera Diesel affords generous accommodation for all four seats. The new model can be recognized by the lettering "diesel" on the front doors.

The 2012 Porsche Sport Cars Panamera Diesel costs ( £62,134 ) 80,183 euro in Germany including VAT and country-specific equipment and will be available for delivery from August 2011. At this time, there is no information about a possible introduction of this model on the North American market.

2012 Porsche Sport Cars Panamera Diesel

Expectation vs. Reality

ON TAKING CARE OF MY BODY

Expectation:

Reality:

How Do You Define Time?

I read on other writer blogs about the need to manage time or advice on how to steal time to write (maybe with cleverly done photoshopped pictures that include the names of great people who somehow managed to write with all of the things going on in their lives). Then usually there is some snippy quote that says, "They have the same amount of time per day as you...what is your excuse?" And I start thinking... this is so not true.

How do you define time? Einstein was the first to propose that space and time were interconnected and that time is simply how objects interact with each other with respect to their position within relative space. And this is absolutely true. There are atomic clocks in Boulder, Colorado right now that are the most accurate in the world. They work by measuring the precise oscillation of certain atoms within a vacuum and only lose a second of time every 3.5 billion years or so. When one of these clocks was raised off the ground by several feet, it fell out of sync with the other clock. The reason is that gravity effects time. By moving one clock off the ground, it was further from the center of the Earth, and therefore time passed a little faster for it than for its neighbor that sat next to it in the same room. At the center of the Milky Way and in billions of other galaxies are these super massive black holes that eat millions of solar masses per second where gravity is so incredibly powerful, that time in the singularity is warped infinitely. Mathematics cannot explain it. Physics essentially fails.

Then there is the matter of time dilation (I break out some math here but it isn't complicated. It is only a square root and I'm sure that you writers out there can handle a square root). I had to make this into a photo on my scanner because the equation editor of Microsoft Word doesn't paste into blogger:

 

Time dilation is also very real. M.I.T. discovered this in the decay of muons when they measured how many decayed at the top of a mountain and how many decayed in their laboratory on campus (essentially at sea level). The closer you get to the speed of light, the closer T prime will get to 0 so that at exactly the speed of light, no time would ever pass for you while it continued to pass for everyone else not moving at your velocity.

What happens when you snap your fingers? You hear a sound, you see it happen, and it appears instantaneous. There is a slight delay in the processing of this information to your brain so essentially, everything that we say or do has a slight lag to it. We never experience the actual "now" that we think we are experiencing. Everything that we do takes place slightly in the past. Neurosurgeons are starting to talk about the possibility that lesions or scarring of the brain can "unhinge" a person from time so that there is no clear perception of past or present and that things can become all mixed up.

In my own life, I think schizophrenia has robbed my mother of the ability to process "time". She becomes so confused...sometimes she thinks that I still live in Idaho, at other times she has no idea what day it is or how long it has been since I visited. But then she starts speaking French, remembers flashes of her childhood, thinks that people who are dead are alive again and that she's speaking to them. Some people call this crazy...but I'm not so sure anymore. I think that lesions on her brain have caused her to become unhinged in time. It makes me question if time even exists or if we create it with our minds as our bodies track motion through space and interpret actions such as sight or sound which are then uploaded by our brains to our consciousness. If you think of a car accident or other traumatic event, time seems to slow down, and details of the crash become burned into your memory. Doctors are now saying that this is due to your mind laying down dense layers of information which in effect...slows down the perception of time for you. People that smoke pot or use drugs can make statements like, "how long have I been standing here?" because the drug prevents their brain from creating anchor points by which you can measure the passage of time.

In writing, it makes sense to me, especially in fantasy, that creatures might perceive time differently. Dragons with enormous lifespans could sleep for thousands of years because to them, a day would be a small percentage of their immortality. Humans...who only have a lifespan of 80 years or so...experience time and its passing much differently. A day is far more precious because it is a larger percentage of your total life span. However, the longer you live, the faster a day is going to seem to pass because your lifespan reduces a day within the totality of your existence.

How do you define time? The more I think about it...the more I cannot wrap my head around the concept of this thing that dominates our lives. "All you do in this life, echoes in eternity" --Honor by August in the song, "Found".