I've been having a thoroughly stressful, annoying and upsetting past week.

Now, China has blocked Facebook.

What else is going to go wrong this month...? Um, no, don't answer that...

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My ankle has been vibrating occasionally for the last two days. I have NO idea what's up with that.

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I don't really have anything particularly interesting or insightful to mention today. Just felt like I hadn't been on LJ in a really long time, so I figured I'd post something.

It's too fracking cold for spring. We had little tiny snow bits (I don't consider it real snow so I'm naming it "snow bits") the other day. And last night I could see my breath! Seriously. Enough with the winter already.

Ok, I'm being lame now- complaining about the weather.

So I'll complain about something else...

not really.

I've been in a fairly good mood lately. Not a whole lot to complain about. It is particularly pretty outside right now. Lovely fluffy white clouds in a blue sky. Approaching sunset reflecting pinks and purples off the clouds and golden light off the buildings.

Got two rejections this week... but they were GOOD rejections (the kind with actual comments about my stories and things like requests to submit there again and even one "this was really close- almost what we're looking for.")

Now I'm blathering about rejections. And weather.

This is a sign for me to sign off.

Alrighty then...

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Ever wondered why some magazines, online story sites, etc, in the Speculative Fiction field have more international representation and why others seem to be almost entirely Western-centric (or even US-centric) both in the story settings and the locations of the contributors?

One possible reason:

What I have to do to submit something through "paper mail" to markets in the US:

1. Print my story. Preferably on paper that fits both my printer and a standard western-sized envelope. (standard paper is slightly off-sized here compared to the US)

2. Locate some form of international coupons for reply (IRCs or somesuch). These may or may not be available at any given post office. The likelihood is "not available." If they somehow ARE available, I have to locate someone who can give me some indication of how much they cost. This may or may not be anywhere near the actual price. The clerk may decide that I cannot buy them after all, because they are "the wrong color" or I "need to bring a letter of approval with me." This determination doesn't need to have any actual legal or real reason behind it. It is, however, not open to appeal. All of this is, of course, done in a language where my proficiency is such that I sometimes accidentally order blueberry pancakes when I was trying for "orange juice."

3. Trek back home (hopefully with IRCs in hand- if not, go back tomorrow and try again with a different clerk.)

4. Keep fingers crossed that everything fits in proper envelopes. (I still have a few Western-sized submission envelopes, so that saves me a search for those.)

5. Walk to the post office again. Hand letter/package to clerk and try to indicate where I want it sent. Wait around while they open it and rifle through the entire thing to make sure I'm not mailing anything illegal. Attempt to answer questions about what the IRCs are and why I am sending them.

6. Finally get the darned thing off in the mail. Wait a minimum of 21 days for it to arrive in the US. (the minimum time anything I've sent has taken to get there.)

7. Wait for the ms to make its way through the slush pile.

8. Wait another 21 days minimum to receive the response after it is sent from the editor.

9. Hope that I haven't moved since I sent it. There is no way I've yet found to have mail forwarded to a new address. Most lease contracts are 6 months here. If this entire process takes longer than the time to the next move, I will never get the reply if it is sent via postal mail.

10. Receive rejection letter (presuming here because an acceptance often involves more hoops to hop through). Sometimes this may actually include the rejection letter. Other times, the envelope may have been opened to be deciphered by government employees and not returned to the envelope.

11. Have a drink to celebrate not losing my sanity during this process and to congratulate myself on learning three new words in Chinese throughout it all ("impossible", "supervisor" and "permit")

12. Take a deep breath and wonder if this process is really worth it.


What I have to do to submit to markets that allow electronic submissions for international contributors:

1. Go online (at home, at the local coffeeshop, at the bar, etc)

2. Open mail or go to online submission form for that particular market.

3. Submit manuscript.

4. Have a drink to celebrate a successful submission.

You might be thinking this doesn't apply to you. Might be thinking that as a US writer or reader, this is irrelevant.

But think about this: Which venues really represent the future of the Specfic field? The ones that remain completely US-centric or the ones with amazing stories from international contributors that give new ideas and views of the world and bring fresh perspectives to the field?

If you've been only reading the traditional major print mags, I'd encourage you to take a look at some of the venues (both in print and online) that you might have heard of but not checked out yet. Many of them are SFWA-eligible markets, and some of the stories are simply amazing.

I am especially pleased with my experiences thus far with (in no particular order): Strange Horizons, Abyss and Apex, Aoife's Kiss, Clarkesworld, Intergalactic Medicine Show, and the Baen's Bar feature. I will add to this list as I gauge my experiences with further markets.
Edit: I'm adding a really big "Yay" to Wildside Press' Weird Tales, whose Sept/Oct 08 issue focused on foreign subs, a result of numerous quality submissions they got when they opened up to electronic subs.

Also- I need to give a big "thank you" to Ralan over at Ralan.com for providing lists of SF venues that accept submissions electronically. That website rocks! Seriously.

By the way, while I have written this with Specfic markets in mind, it also applies to nonfiction markets (I've been writing nonfic for years in a variety of topics from pets to health to travel.) In general, however, I have found that most of the nonfiction markets I've encountered have moved into the 21st century and accept all subs via electronic means, or are at least willing to consider it for international contributors. I don't know if this is across the board or limited to the venues I typically write for.

( Common questions: )

So, I had 5 questions asked by scarlettina
If you would like for me to ask YOU 5 questions, leave a comment to that effect...

1) You're living in China! What's the fascination? Why that move and why that place? And for how long?
I sort of didn't actually intend to be here as long-term as it seems now. In some ways, I kinda "fell into" living in Beijing.
I had been wanting for a long time to "live somewhere completely different" for a year, but had no specific place or timetable. I wanted somewhere they didn't speak English and somewhere with a really different culture.
I took Chinese classes with Rick when we were still together and we had planned on going to China together- it had been in the plans for a long time. So even once we split up it was still something I felt like I had worked hard for and still wanted to try and do this. Somehow in the course of all this, I became really fascinated by the city and experience. So I stayed a little longer. My current idea is that I will stay here until the economic crisis is over.

2) What's the hardest thing about being a Westerner in contemporary China?
I think the hardest thing is adapting to the sheer randomness. As Westerners, we are used to consistency and logic. The concept of logical thinking is ingrained in us and our society at some level with roots tracing back to the Greek logicians in our collective Western cultural history. We may sometimes practice bad logic, or otherwise twist and tweak it to our needs, but the truth is, it is really deep in there in our culture. And we really don't recognize how ingrained it is.
But our minds make shortcuts based on it- based on the idea that if something happens a certain way, then that is how it will probably happen from here on out. When we order a sandwich at McDonalds, it will have the same stuff on it that it had last week or last month or last year. If we buy a pack of needles, those needles will all have holes at one end and a sharp end at the other. If we walk into a bank and they say "no, we can't change money for you" we presume that means it is against their policy or they have a reason behind it.
Not so much in China.
A hamburger sometimes has pickles, sometimes cucumbers. Needle packs sometimes have one actual working needle and fourteen needles with no holes to thread something through. Or twelve needles. Or seventeen.
At the bank/store/wherever "no we can't do that" might mean "it's against our policy" or "I don't like Westerners so I wont do it for you" or "I am tired and want to go home so I will deny your request right now but if you catch me in a good mood later this week you might get exactly what you want done."
The concept of law is different because of it. So is the idea of customer service. And business in general.
It is at once frustrating, fascinating and something requiring a lot of adjustment.

3) Are you writing fiction at all? If so, whatcha workin' on?
Yes… I have been working on a few short stories and also a novel. When I first got here, I felt like I was completely in "input mode." I felt like I didn’t have a firm grasp on anything well enough to write about it. It wasn't until I went to Seoul, South Korea that I suddenly was able to write incorporating the Asian influences I was seeing. So I have a few short stories now in the revision phase that distinctively have influences from being here.
The novel was unintended. A friend was doing Nanowrimo and asked if I was going to do it this year (Nov 2008). I said no, went home and then couldn’t stop thinking about an old idea that had been percolating in my brain for about a decade that was now hinting loudly that it would be a great Nanowrimo novel. I didn't finish it over November, but I am still chugging along at it and pretty much can see the direction it is heading so I don't doubt that I will get it finished. In my computer it's working title is still "Damn Nanowrimo Novel."

4) What has the Chinese response been to the election of President Obama?
Overall, they really like Obama here. He is like a celebrity in some ways. People see the American response to him and think he must be doing good things or have good things planned. Then they go out and buy T-shirts with his image on it. He is, for lack of a better word, really *trendy* in China right now.

5) Are you planning trips to other Asian nations while you're on that side of the world and, if so, where do you want to go?
Yes, definitely! I've already been to Thailand and South Korea since I've been here. I really want to go back to Thailand and see the northern parts, since I only saw Bangkok and the islands in the south. I'd like to make a big trip to hit north Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, but I may end up splitting that into multiple trips.
I also *really* want to go to Bali and Lombok, not for the beaches but to see the ecosystems across Wallace's line. It is something I have always wanted to do ever since my tropical ecology class in college.
Japan, Vietnam and Singapore are also on my "want to go" list.
Plus a bunch of other places that are within China- Xi'An (where the terracotta warriors are), Chengdu (in Sichuan where the panda sanctuary is), Shanghai, Lhasa, XinJiang, Kunming and Guilin. I'd also like to hit Inner Mongolia (a province of China) and actual Mongolia(the separate country).
Travel within China and to many neighboring countries is fairly cheap, so I'm planning on doing a lot more travelling while I'm here.

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Yes, part of the CCTV complex is on fire. It isn't the big twisty part (aka "the pants" or "big underwear") but a different building ("the boot")

I've been tweeting it as I get news, if anyone is interested. There are some amazing photos and vids online of the whole thing, but none by me. I was safely across town at my apartment listening to fireworks blast loudly through the night for the fifteenth evening in a row...


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-Here is a link to my photoset from the Dongyue Temple Spring Festival Temple Fair and one from Ditan Park Temple Fair.

- Dongyue Temple is a working Taoist temple, so that one had more of the religious aspects of the festival. People burned incense (or placed it before the statues to be burned later- they had some restrictions on burning due to the crowds) and lined up to touch statues and stone steles that promised to bring luck or wealth in the new year. They also had demonstrations of traditional activities (crushing corn) and arts/crafts (making animal sculptures out of spun sugar). And, of course, streetfood.

- Ditan Park's festival was much bigger and had more of a carnival atmosphere. There were booths selling toys, masks, crafts, food, etc and people wearing odd hats and headband ears and carrying strange things on sticks everywhere. The middle of the park (which is actually the site of the traditional "Altar of the Earth") has a large altar, one side of which had people burning incense in front of buddhist statues while immediately opposite was a karaoke setup where teenagers were belting out Chinese pop songs.

- Yesterday at the Xizhimen subway exchange (a long walk down hallways and up and down many staircases that takes you between the platforms for the underground "line 2" and the above-ground "line 13"), I was walking down the stairs when the young man (about 20-25 years old) behind me started singing to his girlfriend. He only knew one piece of the song so it kept repeating. The song: "E-I-E-I-O"...pause..."E-I-E-I-O"...pause..."E-I-E-I-O"...etc

- In the paper, I read about Dadun primary school in rural China (Qiongzhong county in the southern island province Hainan) that is hoping to have the central government pay for a bridge to link the two halves of their town (Wanling) across the river that separates them. The school is apparently on the opposite side from where the two teachers and many of their students live. The two teachers, both teachers for over 25 years, currently ferry about 40 students across the river on their backs every day. They think a bridge would encourage other people to become teachers as they near retirement and would allow more kids to go to school. Um... yeah...

-I found a photo challenge thing online that I've started doing where they give you a topic each day and you try to find something to photograph related to that topic. It started at the beginning of the year, but I didn't jump in until last week. If anyone wants to take a look, here is the link to my flickr set for it.

- In one of the malls here, the food court is in the basement. The small restaurants occupy the places around the sides and have their own seating at each place. In the center of the hall/room (where all the seats would be in a US food court), there are makeup stands where people sell makeup and do complimentary makeovers (like in the first floor of most US department stores) Somehow, this feels weird to me.

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A Tech Future Post from the Universe of the Bibbit.

The Singularity goes to school.

NASA and Google hooked up and birthed the Singularity University. Nine weeks of a mashup between disciplines from genetics to law to nanotech. The goal is to give people cross-discipline exposure and create some novel ideas out of the mix. And to accelerate change while they're at it.

So cool.

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Apparently, the first attack by the "Forces Against Google" were successfully repelled after approximately 33 minutes of moderate-to-mild consternation among internet users.

We congratulate Google for their successful battle... and wait along with the rest of the world to see if this is, indeed, the end of the war... or just the beginning...


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So... Google is apparently broken.
Reportage from:
Digital Lifestyles
iwire
It's been on news sites in places across the globe including Thailand, the Netherlands, Maryland state, Australia and the UK, among others.

Those of us in the know have been predicting the Google Wars for a while now... it remains to be seen whether this is the first salvo in a much larger conflict that will produce lasting repercussions for generations to come...


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