No longer interested's picture
No longer interested November 20, 2012 - 7:52pm

Hello!

I'm Melinda.  I'm in the middle of crafting a first draft of my first-ever urban fantasy.  It's about a middle-aged Atheist who develops the ability to hear other people's prayers.  I'm hoping the Litreactor community will help me grow my story and develop my talents.  I'm also looking for the good company of like-minded, writerly souls.

In my free time I love to: travel 3rd class to exotic locales*; make photos; write fantastical stories with strong female protagonists; create tasty vegetarian feasts for loved ones; paint images celebrating the divine feminine; go on long rambling walks; calm my mind, spirit, and body with Yoga; and laze about and read with my kitty Captain Wentworth.

*In addition to my day job in the corporate world, I am a freelance travel writer and photographer, hopeful romantic, and daydream believer. When I'm not busy exploring the world with my camera, I'm busy planning and imagining my next trip.  I write a travel-photography blog called Global Snapshots on the Wanderlust and Lipstick website: http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/blogs/globalsnapshots/.

 I'm glad to be here!  I look forward to getting to know you all.

In joy,

Melinda Eliza

drea's picture
drea from Rural Alberta, Canada is reading between the lines November 20, 2012 - 9:41pm

Welcome! 

 

 

OtisTheBulldog's picture
OtisTheBulldog from Somerville, MA is reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz November 20, 2012 - 10:54pm

Welcome. I found out this past summer that I can hoola hoop. It's kind of like Bruce Willis in Unbreakable finding out he was a super hero.

Don't be afraid to occasionally post up some recipes, I'm always looking for something new.

 

JEFFREY GRANT BARR's picture
JEFFREY GRANT BARR from Central OR is reading Nothing but fucking Shakespeare, for the rest of my life November 20, 2012 - 11:45pm

So you're one of these 'don't call me a chick' chicks. Welcome to LitReactor!

ReneeAPickup's picture
Class Facilitator
ReneeAPickup from Southern California is reading Wanderers by Chuck Wendig November 21, 2012 - 12:18am

Welcome! What's hoop dancing?!

Dwayne's picture
Dwayne from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updated November 21, 2012 - 5:45am

Welcome.

Dino Parenti's picture
Dino Parenti from Los Angeles is reading Everything He Gets His Hands On November 21, 2012 - 6:13am

Welcome! We take all third-classers and worse. 

No longer interested's picture
No longer interested November 21, 2012 - 3:42pm

Thank you all for your welcome messages!

@Drea:  I hope you enjoy "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep." I loved that one!

@Otis:  Yes!  Your description of discovering hula-hooping cracks me up!  :-) I also enjoyed the humor of your bio.  I look forward to reading your work.

@Jeffrey:  There's no doubt I'm a feminist; I believe women should be respected and treated equally.  That said, I'm not one to rage about my personal or political views on Internet forums.  You can call me a chic if you want to, but if you were to meet me face-to-face I think you'd agree that I'm nothing like a soft, fuzzy, yellow, winged-and-beaked baby animal and a whole lot more like a strong, silly, sassy, curvy woman named Melinda.   ;-)

@SparrowStark:  I LOVE your vision for your writing goals!  It's well said and also a lovely sentiment.  Hoop dancing is amazing - it's big fun, it burns a ton of calories, and (as Otis mentioned) it makes you feel like a super hero/heroine!  The Readers' Digest version is that it is adult hula-hooping with adult-sized hoops, but what it can (very quickly) become is a kind of hypnotic dance somehow akin to belly dancing.  Check out this short article (be sure to watch the video):  http://www.lionhearteddesign.com/2012/09/my-hoop-dance-love-affair.html?m=1.

Seb's picture
Seb from Thanet, Kent, UK November 21, 2012 - 4:03pm

Hi.

It's about a middle-aged Atheist who develops the ability to hear other people's prayers.

Love it.

Jonathan Riley's picture
Jonathan Riley from Memphis, Tennessee is reading Flashover by Gordon Highland November 21, 2012 - 4:41pm

Welcome Melinda,

I can't Hoop-Dance but my profile says I love scuba-knitting so I guess I'm like the Aqua-man/woman of the group. That kind of sucks.

Mess_Jess's picture
Mess_Jess from Sydney, Australia, living in Toronto, Canada is reading Perfect by Rachael Joyce November 21, 2012 - 6:18pm

Hi Melinda,

Welcome to litreactor. Nice to see another vegetarian around, not many of us here ;)

Enjoy!

Jess

Vonnegut Check's picture
Vonnegut Check from Baltimore November 22, 2012 - 5:40am

I find it surprising that more writers aren't vegetarians, given the empathetic nature of the art.

Dwayne's picture
Dwayne from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updated November 22, 2012 - 5:58am

Not a dig at you Check, but find it odd that people still expect writers to be a fairly homogeneous group.

No longer interested's picture
No longer interested November 22, 2012 - 8:14am

@ Seb:  Thanks!  It's a lot of fun to write because there are so many possibilities.

@ Jess and Check:  I'm always pleasantly surprised to find vegetarians about. When I was younger it was still somewhat radical.  I'm glad it's more widespread these days if for no other reason (and there are so many good reasons) than because it means more yummy veggie food more widely available.  :-)

@Check:  I like the idea of writing as a highly empathetic art.  Perhaps even the most empathetic art form?

Thank you all for the welcome wishes and for those in the US - Happy Thanksgiving!

Melinda

Liana's picture
Liana from Romania and Texas is reading Naked Lunch November 22, 2012 - 9:50am

Hi Melinda!

I'm an aspiring vegetarian. (meaning, I eat as little meat as I possibly can, but still eat sea food and I wish I didn't eat that either but some health concerns require me to eat "good fats"). Ok, now I realize, that's TMI for an introduction. But I was inspired to say that.

 

Vonnegut Check's picture
Vonnegut Check from Baltimore November 22, 2012 - 9:29pm

Dwayne:

That was a bit of a straw man argument, especially considering there is no debate to the statement I made. Fiction writers are, by trade, empathetic beings; otherwise, the art is shit. This is the basis of strong characters. If we truly empathize, this should extend beyond our own species. At a very basic level, we can empathize pain. Squish an ant between your fingers. It squirms. It writhes. Cut a worm in half. Watch it spasm as shit, blood, guts ooze from all ends.

Or in other words, we all understand that life is suffering, something no one should ever wish upon anyone or any other animal.

Perhaps Vonnegut said it best: “Life is no way to treat an animal.”

I would never suggest homogeneity. I would, however, suggest empathy.

JEFFREY GRANT BARR's picture
JEFFREY GRANT BARR from Central OR is reading Nothing but fucking Shakespeare, for the rest of my life November 22, 2012 - 12:00pm

Pass the bacon!

Vonnegut Check's picture
Vonnegut Check from Baltimore November 22, 2012 - 12:16pm

Anyway. Welcome, Melinda.

Dwayne's picture
Dwayne from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updated November 22, 2012 - 4:26pm

Although empathy is required, it does not in and of itself mean the artiest cares.

Vonnegut Check's picture
Vonnegut Check from Baltimore November 22, 2012 - 6:38pm

Well, Dwayne, then that is not empathy you are speaking of. Or if it is, such a person/artist claiming to be an empathist but also claiming "not to care" seems contradictory--or, at the very least, guilty of bad faith. Empathy, so long as we're speaking of the same term, is closely aligned with vicariousness and sympathy.

JEFFREY GRANT BARR's picture
JEFFREY GRANT BARR from Central OR is reading Nothing but fucking Shakespeare, for the rest of my life November 23, 2012 - 12:13am

Empathy, so long as we're speaking of the same term, is closely aligned with vicariousness and sympathy.

I have suspicions regarding use of adverbs to prove the proximity of one emotion to another. 

Dwayne's picture
Dwayne from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updated November 23, 2012 - 5:43am

@Check - I'm using the dictionary definitions of the words, which has 'empathy' as a morally neutral word similar to 'notice'. Empathy means understanding and being aware of another's emotions. Sympathy means to share another's emotions. It is a important and needed distinction, since it is possible for exploitative people to understand emotions so they can take advantage of them.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empathy

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sympathy

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/notice

Vonnegut Check's picture
Vonnegut Check from Baltimore November 23, 2012 - 8:20am

Kudos to locating a dictionary. I particularly enjoyed this portion: "the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another ..."

So? How can one be sensitive to the feelings, thoughts, experiences of another being yet still not care? Especially regarding something like pain. It seems a bit strange to say, "So long as it's not my taxidermied head mounted over a fireplace. Skull fuck Bambi's stupid eye socket for all I care. But that's not to say I don't totally empathize with the little fellow. I just don't care."

That's a possibility, I suppose. Like Patrick Bateman stroking a dog before snapping its neck.

EDIT: What it ultimately comes down to is not something as innocent as "not caring," as you've suggested. It's a bit more nuanced, a bit more willful than that. It has to do with sacrifice. People find comfort in food and likewise don't want to give up eating meat, fish, what have you.

Alas, Dwayne, we've hijacked Melinda's introduction thread. By all means, respond, but I will thus restrain myself from further debate on the matter. Perhaps create a new thread. Call it something clever like Pass the bacon, or Why double cheeseburgers rule, et cetera, et cetera, ad nauseum.

bryanhowie's picture
bryanhowie from FW, ID is reading East of Eden. Steinbeck is FUCKING AMAZING. November 23, 2012 - 9:49am

I love strong female protagonists.  Have you read Winter's Bone?

No longer interested's picture
No longer interested November 23, 2012 - 11:47am

@Check and Dwayne:  What a fascinating conversation on empathy!  In my personal experience, empathy and sympathy coexist and often decide (or at least influence) both my opinions and my actions.  For me, the two are forever linked.  

@Bryan :  No , I haven't, but I just reserved it at the library!  Thanks for the recommendation!

ReneeAPickup's picture
Class Facilitator
ReneeAPickup from Southern California is reading Wanderers by Chuck Wendig November 23, 2012 - 2:52pm

Oh I am going to have to try hoop dancing!!

No longer interested's picture
No longer interested November 23, 2012 - 5:24pm

@SparrowStark - huzzah! Let me know how it goes!

Dwayne's picture
Dwayne from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updated November 23, 2012 - 6:07pm

@Check - I think that hijacking a intro thread is a great way to show the new guy what's up, but sure I'll play along.

http://litreactor.com/discuss/empathy-vs-sympathy-mean-of-words

No longer interested's picture
No longer interested November 23, 2012 - 6:32pm

@Dwayne - I consider myself properly initiated/warned.  ;-)

JonnyGibbings's picture
JonnyGibbings November 24, 2012 - 5:56am

I thought 'hoop dancing' was what my gay mate Sam does when at a club trying to get lucky!

Dwayne's picture
Dwayne from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updated November 24, 2012 - 8:47am

Only if you typed that through tears of frustration. Till then you're a FNG.

bryanhowie's picture
bryanhowie from FW, ID is reading East of Eden. Steinbeck is FUCKING AMAZING. November 24, 2012 - 8:57am

I assumed it was a hulahoop.