Month: February 2018

No PhotoShopping!
Posted on by WotV Posted in Blogs and More Blogs, Things I Think About
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No PhotoShopping!

Me, horrified and with NO PhotoShop. Shocking, isn’t it?

Dear Cosmetic Companies That PhotoShop -Especially Those of You That Advertise Mascara,

You’ve been called out so many times. Rimmel was caught making Zooey Deschanel look like she was made of plastic. Lancome was ridiculous thinking that nobody would notice their advertisement for a foundation on Julia Roberts that used PhotoShop so her skin looked not only flawless, but poreless, and an entirely different color. L’Oreal had the gall to “whiten” Beyonce with Photoshop. None of you are immune. Covergirl, Colourpop, Maybelline… shame on you all.

My most recent irritation is your latest little bit of advertising trickery. Mascara ads. When I buy mascara, I want to know what it will do for my lashes. The most intuitive way would be to look at the picture on the display or magazine ad, right? Hm. Look at this:

PHOTOSHOP

That’s right. All those pretty amazingly fantastic lashes can be yours as long as you use this mascara AND LASH INSERTS. Who needs PhotoShop when you can just use real life tricks? Let me tell you, I tried to use lash inserts and false lashes and it is ridiculous. That’s why I want a mascara that makes me look like I’m wearing them. Like the ad copy says: Exclusive sculpting fibers wrap every lash to build an incredible false lash effect. BECAUSE THEY ARE FALSE LASHES.

I’d like to see Gwen here with her regular old eyelashes like the rest of us have and this mascara so I can see what it actually does. Unfortunately she and every other mascara model will be wearing lash inserts or false lashes or, my favorite, “simulated product results.”

You’re on notice, cosmetic giants. I practically keep you in business. If you can’t show me what your product can actually do, I must assume it doesn’t do what you claim does. You want my cosmetics dollars? Show me the lashes.

Love,

 

WotV

Save Dirk Gently
Posted on by WotV Posted in Blogs and More Blogs, Movies, TV, Pop Culture
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Save Dirk Gently

Help Me Save Dirk Gently

If you’re on Twitter and hooked up with @BBCAmerica or y’know, me, you might have seen me mention that we need to save Save Dirk Gently. Or #SaveDirkGently in twitspeak. That’s because it appears that Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency is being closed down for good. Canceled. *sigh*

Haven’t seen it? I believe it’s being shown on Hulu now. I know, I’m awfully upset about this, but the complete and utterly random nature of this show really appeals to me.

 

 

Yep, Elijah Wood, Michael Eklund, based on books by Douglas Adams… Do you want to save Dirk Gently yet? Tell you what, give it a try. Then bombard social media with it. Go Full-On Rowdy 3 – you’ll understand after you watch – and let’s save the absurdity. Save Dirk. Somebody has to.

 

P.S. Yay, me. I figured out to how to put a video in my post!

Online Resources for Writers: Writer’s Digest Review from WotV
Posted on by WotV Posted in Writing Resources
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Online Resources for Writers: Writer’s Digest Review from WotV

Looking for online resources for writers? How about an unbiased review of what’s out there? I’ve visited hundreds of resources and am reviewing them here. You’ll find them rated by reliability, scam, helpful content, and variety. Find your best resources and bookmark them! Today: Writer’s Digest.

While other websites offer resources for writers, Writer’s Digest has the most comprehensive assortment of tools. Regular articles and blog posts keep you up-to-date on questions about querying, revising, things you should and shouldn’t do as a writer, and advice from experts. This is all free for you to peruse.

resources for writers

Already writing? Writer’s Digest’s resources for writers include classes for very affordable prices. I say this with confidence, because I have experienced a “class” with a “writer” that made promises they didn’t deliver with untruths and a huge price tag. I learned the hard way. If I had taken a course with the promised material from the poorly done course from Writer’s Digest, I would have received more professional content for more than $1500 less. The courses range from basic instruction to actual edits of your material. Each is described clearly, without exception.

Did I mention they have a podcast? Both Writer’s Digest and Writer’s Market – for writers ready to sell – have podcasts for you casting junkies!

They have a bookstore with print and eBooks, webinars, and writerly gifts, frequently with sales on bundles of similarly themed materials. I have accumulated quite a library of resources for writers from the Book of Poisons to Story Trumps Structure (yes, I’m a pantser).

Need more? How about free webinars? Free downloads? Advice for everyone in each part of their writing journey?

There is so much more, but I have to touch on one of the most important parts of Writer’s Digest. The annual conference in New York City. I have attended once and plan to go this year. This is the place to find a plethora of writing knowledge packed into one lecture. There are authors, editors, agents, and topics relevant to wherever you are in your process. In fact, they are divided into the Craft, Business, Genre, and more. If you go to one conference, go to this one.

Yes, I will review more resources in the future, but I want you to know that between paid and free content, this site is a premium place for resources for writers. Go on over and just hover over the headers. You’ll see what I mean.

Review Grade: A+

Next up: Purdue OWL

Posted on by WotV Posted in Bloggerific, Things I Think About
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What’s in the Works? Write The Novel.

I write when I need to write. When the words are in my head and need to come out. Sorry about that, but all the “coming out” words are going into my novel rather than this website.

So, the novel. Now that I’ve mentioned it, I should expand upon it. The novel now has a goal for completion (not final final completion… completion in the sense that it can be pitched). I plan to have it ready for the speed-dating  Pitch Slam at Writers Digest 2018 in August.

Can I do it? This is where you all yell “YES YOU CAN!” in unison and I have a horrible flashback to that children’s show with the builder guy and his talking vehicles. Maybe you should skip the yelling.

If you want to know more about the novel, then comment on this blog. Really, I have no idea if you’re even interested if you don’t tell me. Would you prefer to have more reviews? Talk about TV and movies? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?

Phew. Got that out of my system. Now it’s your turn.