Farscape Burbank Convention 2008: Con Book List

It's that time again .. Con Books for the Farscape Convention in Burbank!

Just in case you're interested, but haven't visited the link yet, the list is here at Terra Firma Scapers. And just in case you want to see the list without clicking on it, then read on. ; )

The List
To help you read the list .. Actor, Person who's doing the con book, Deadline, Email address, Any instructions

- Claudia Black Camerascaper (deadline Oct 25th) camerascaper@cinci.rr.com

- Ben Browder Selena (deadline Oct 17th) bensconbook@hotmail.com

Ben's Con book theme - Send in your favorite recipe - if you're from the south all the better ... make it your favorite southern recipe. You could finish off the submission by adding your avatar or your wonderful signature. Most folks know Ben is from the south - born in Memphis and grew up in the Carolinas. I also heard that when Ben first went to Canada for SG-1 he lived on nothing but cottage chesse. So if you have a great cottage cheese recipe you could send that. If you don't cook and can't think of anything to write - make an email postcard (1 sided only) from your area with a local flavor and then just say "This is (insert your name or on-line name) sending a big hello from ..." (wherever you live.) Nothing witty or clever required.
Someone suggested a leather theme so that leaves a lot to the imagination ... perhaps a leather clad Crichton postcard with a cottage cheese recipe

- Francesca Buller PkGrl (deadline: November5th) farscapeprincess@yahoo.com subject: Fran's Con book

- David Franklin Camerascaper's hubby (deadline Oct 25th) camerascaper@cinci.rr.com subject: David's Con book

- Kent McCord bandrui (deadline not listed!) Bandrui7@aol.com Subject: Kent's book submissions limited to 8 X 10 size

- Virginia Hey Camerascaper (deadline Oct 25th) camerascaper@cinci.rr.com Subject: Viginia's Con book

- Raelee Hill ScorpSik (deadline Oct 5th) anthony.fripp@ntlworld.com Subject: Raelee's Con book

Raelee's Con book Limit size of submission to 4 3/4" X 7 1/2" (the book is small).
Theme: - Creativity! ... be it art, wallpapers, poems, limericks, haiku, jokes, podcasting, nametags, avatars, beading, knitting, crochet, embroidery or cross-stitch... if you've created something - it does not have to be a Sikozu creation - just show off your skill. Tell Raelee what you like to create and include a photo/picture if possible. Has Farscape inspired your creativity?

- Anthony Simcoe AmméLeep (deadline Oct 1) AmmeLeep@Gmail.com

Theme:- D'Argo LIVES!!!


Here are the 'rules'

- Nothing profane or lewd - if you wouldn't say it or show it to your Mother then don't say it or send it to the cast
- If you are going to include photos with other people in them please make sure you have everyone in the photo's permission to do that
- Limit the size to no more than an 8" X 11" page - unless the individual Con book maker specifies otherwise
- No stories, fan fiction, scripts or anything that could be considered an item for publication - the cast are NOT ALLOWED under their contracts to receive such submissions
- Poems, limericks, haikus and personal salutations are okay as are notes wishing the cast all the best in their current and future work
- You can submit almost anything that is meaningful to the cast member and you
- Cast members who have appeared in other shows can have references to those shows, too, but primarily we are here for Farscape
- Try to submit in recognized formats that most of us have on our computers such as MS Word/Works or Word Perfect. Avoid software that is not widely available as not everyone has access to specialty programs.
- The people compiling the individual Con books reserve the right to reject or edit any submission they feel could be offensive, inappropriate or just too long for inclusion

Any questions? Email the appropriate person doing the particular con book. :)

Think Sideways

Yay! day off! feels so good .. and sleepy :)

I've been writing & editing. I need to finish a vid I'm working on. I don't think I'll be doing any of that today though. Too sleepy. As you probably know already, I've been struggling with finishing some projects so I sought out something to help with that. I enrolled in an online writing course called "How to Think Sideways," and registration is open until September 8 so I'm giving it a little plug. I know there are a lot of writers on LJ who might find this beneficial. I'm only into the sixth week of it, and the course is self-paced so I can go my own speed. Sadly, some weeks I don't have a lot of time to read the materials (yay for self-pacing - I get to it later as time permits), but the course has been interesting so far regardless. If you decide to sign up, I suggest doing all the assignments even if they don't seem to apply toward you & your writing or you don't get how it's going to help. The course is supposed to help you to get in touch with your muse at will and not at the whimsy of your muse. *g* It's a different way of thinking & approaching stories for some people, and it's an invaluable excercise in the way a professional writer like Holly does it.

It's geared toward fiction writers (book authors), but the information can be applied across most (if not all) disciplines, I think. Although I have several projects I'm working on (still trying to finish last year's nanonovel, working on web series idea), I'm following the course, step-by-step to come up with a previously unimagined project on a deadline. Already I've found a few little tricks that can be used with my current projects. :)

From the site ..

Would you like your writing to take off in directions that surprise even you?

With this self-paced course, "How to Think Sideways", full-time author Holly Lisle can help you whip your muse into shape with proven techniques that will open the floodgates of your creativity.

Every writer has read a book and wondered how the author came up with that plot twist, seemingly from left field. With this course , Holly is not only going to stimulate your idea generation, but will show you how to do it on a deadline. She will also show you how to effectively plan your projects as well as walk you through the beginning, middle, and ending sections of your novel.

Lee Masterson, an author from Australia, had this to say about the course:

"Holly, I've been writing professionally for a living for the past 9 years and your Lesson 1, Break the Thinking Barriers, made me think long and hard about what I've been doing all this time and what I'd rather be doing - and why I haven't been doing it all this time. Thank you for the wake up call - and thanks also for the brutal honesty."

This course, delivered in weekly lessons, includes:

- Monthly video that covers the month's main topic
- Weekly lessons with assignments
- Weekly technique demonstrations
- Monthly checklist of all steps to take
- A monthly Q&A made up of questions taken from the course forums
- Private workgroups (optional)
- Class discussion forum to interact with other students

Writers spend hundreds of dollars taking courses to learn more about their craft. At $47 a month, "How to Think Sideways" goes above and beyond, showing you how to make the most of your imagination.

This course is only open until Monday, September 8th, so enroll now.
Click here to find out more.

I also put some photos up on ImageKind if anyone is interested in taking a look. :)

I think I will go do a little research on an unrelated topic now. lol





* cross-posted from LJ

Maybe I'll Use the Duality

Since my last post I was thinking about my M.C. a lot and playing around with her character. She seems like two different people at this point, and maybe she is. Maybe it's two sides to the same person, different aspects of her personality and frame of mind depending on the day or the situation. Maybe she's a Gemini. Maybe I'll use that dual nature of hers in the story. She does feel a connection to another character and isn't accepting at face value what others are saying about him; she sees another side of him that others insist isn't there. Maybe the problems I'm having with her are actually a *good* thing. Maybe it's all connected in there, and I'm just discovering that now. If so, it'll make finishing that much easier and editing a lot more fun. Hm.

I think I'll play with that whole idea as I work on the altered-style journal (kind of like a collage or scrapbook with visuals and words).

Some Writing Updates

So this year's nanonovel was a bust (ie, not finished in time). It's still not finished at this very moment, but I am working on it. I think I will use an altered journal-style notebook to record the nanonovel's ideas and themes. There are very distinct images and moments I imagine and until I have a handle on it all and on what it means to me, to the characters and to the story itself, it might help to have these themes represented both with written descriptions and visuals. I haven't tried anything like that before, but I really think it will help connect things as I write. I'm continuing to write in the NaNoWriMo way - don't think, just write! - which is difficult because I like the control that comes with planning & plotting all the details,. This way of writing is interesting, too. I'm discovering a few things here & there, not enough about the characters, but I've uncovered a brand new character whom I've grown very fond of.

I think part of the problem is the main character. I like her but maybe not as much as I like some of the other characters, and I still don't know her very well (not as well as I should, imo). I don't really understand her yet. She keeps morphing in the way that I see her, and although that's a curious idea in itself, it's not supposed to be. I may have to rename her. Maybe she and her name are two different people, and at some point I'll figure out which person I'm actually writing about. I just don't know at this point. *sigh* I'm determined to continue writing, however, until I reach the end, and I'm hoping to figure it all out when I go back to reread. (I'm trying so hard not to reread, rewrite, revise as I write, and to leave all of that until the very end. It's very, very difficult!)

I'm also writing out a web series idea. I'm following S.'s advice. Just write. Forget about format. Just write. Formatting will come later. It may not be perfect at this point, but once I have it all down, on paper instead of in my head, I can rework some things and find ways to connect it all. Then hopefully I can get the dialogue down right, and S. & others will read & advise. :)

As I write out the web series, other ideas keep popping into my head so there are all sorts of paper scraps and scribbled notes all over the place. *g* It'll be nice once I finish something and then go on to the next stage of prep. (I guess I'm technically in the "development" stages of it all) I want to finish the Beanie idea (well, one of several Beanie ideas) as well. Maybe film that this summer before she gets any older!

NanoNoveling and Other Things

This year's nanonovel is going well. I'm still behind on my word count, but I'm ahead of where I was last year, I think. With the writer's strike on, less television means more writing for me.

I feel just a little guilty writing when the WGA writer's strike is happening, but I can support them in other ways. I hope the AMPTP realizes how valuable good writers are and pay them accordingly; writers simply want to secure their future in the age of digital media. They create the words that come out of the actors' mouths after all! It all starts with pen on paper .. or fingers to keyboard. Actually, it starts with an idea, but it's the writers who first make the idea come alive on paper. If it's not written down, the idea will never become a reality, no matter how amazing the idea or how wonderful the cast and crew are. The writers are the first step of many, but it's an important step in the storytelling. Just as important as good directing and brilliant acting.

Busy with insurance research, film festival research, lots of research! lol But it's all good. I'll be relieved when the insurance research is over though. That is very time consuming and exhausting, especially when the person I'm doing the research for doesn't give me much in feedback. *sigh*

Oh! and this year's Farscape Creation Con won't be the last one after all. That means I have a chance of attending in 2008! The big obstacles are money and my fear of flying. As long as the money situation is better next year, I'll only have to deal with the anxiety issues. It'd be great if I could go on a plane full of Scapers, a whole plane full of flight buddies! Of course, the stewardesses might not enjoy a rowdy plane of Scapers, but it certainly would set my mind at ease. Ooh, and maybe Signal Room will play next year, and I'll finally get to see them perform live! Bonus! :)

2007 Farscape Con Book List

I copied the following information from TerraFirma and am sharing it with all those who haven't yet seen the list. Please check http://terrafirmascapers.com/index.php?topic=18377.0 for updated information on con book listings and for more info. on what a con book is. If *you* would like to do a con book for one of the Farscape actors, directors, etc., not yet listed, please volunteer here.

"As a courtesy to the con book organizers, please do your best to send your submissions in before the due date.

Please remember NOT to submit unpublished written works such as short stories, scripts, etc. The cast members may not read unpublished works due to legal issues that could arise at a later date."

CON BOOK RECIPIENTS (and ORGANIZERS and due dates when they're available):

Claudia Black (Aeryn): Camerascaper - due October 20 - send to camerascaper@cinci.rr.com (Put Claudia's Con Book in subject line.)

Ben Browder (John): Elnea - due October 20 - send to BensFanBook@mac.com. (400 words or less, please.)

Francesca Buller (M'Lee, roNA, Raxil, Ahkna): Captain Aeryn Sun Crichton - due October 8 - send to captain_aeryn_sun_crichton@yahoo.fr . (Put Fran's Con Book in subject line.)

Gigi Edgley (Chiana): visionary nixa - due October 14 - send to gigiconbook@jeny.co.uk .

David Franklin (Braca): Camerascaper - due October 20 - send to camerascaper@cinci.rr.com (Put David's Con Book in subject line.)

Paul Goddard (Stark): BlueBanikBaby - due date October 14 (tentative) - send to conbook4paul@gmail.com . (Details: Also, I would like to make a special request for submissions - I ask that anyone who has or even just has listened to a copy of Paul's CD would write a quick review of it. At least a paragraph - detailing what you thought. His music is obviously very important to Paul, and I thought this would be a good way to show support! The usual Stark-related stuff is great too.)

Rebecca Riggs (Grayza): Camerascaper - due October 20 - send to camerascaper@cinci.rr.com (Put Rebecca's Con Book in subject line.)

Lani Tupu (Crais): jagwriter78 - due October 14 - send to jagwriter78@yahoo.com (Put Con Book in subject line.)

*cross-posted all over the place*

Farscape, SciFi and Creation

I know others have posted this already, but just in case anyone missed the info., here it is again.

Go to http://www.scifi.com/farscape and sign up/register your email address to be notified of updates regarding the Farscape web series. This is a great way to let SciFi know how many people out there are interested in Farscape on the web. ;)

Because of the web series news, Creation is currently conducting a poll asking whether or not they should continue with Farscape-related cons or leave this year's Burbank con as the last one like they originally planned. Click on the link below to cast your vote.
http://www.creationent.com/cal/farscape.htm

*cross-posted all over the place*

Writing and Film and .. *sigh*

I've written more in the past week than I have all summer, and it's a wonderful feeling. Research and other preperation work for NaNoWriMo (I want to finish it this year!) along with exploration of film ideas have inspired me to take pen to paper again. *sigh*

When I haven't written in awhile, I forget how much I've missed it. Jotting down a few lines and ideas, trying to connect thoughts and themes, playing around with dialogue snippets to get a better sense of a particular characters, it's all flowing out of me right now, and it feels *so* good! I really wish I was home to work in my notebooks and not here at the computer at work. :)

An added motivational spark was the email I received from Solonia over the weekend. The wheels are currently in motion for P7D, and somehow that knowledge has energized me. I've been in a better mood this week than I have (consistently anyway) in quite some time. I'll have to ask S. about pointing people to the film site; I'm not sure if she wants that done yet or not. ;)

2007's Walk for Hunger

It's that time of the year again! : )

The Walk for Hunger is Sunday, May 6, 2007. Join 40,000 Walkers and 2,000 volunteers and be part of the effort to end hunger in Massachusetts!

You can walk all 20 miles or just part of the route. Buses are available at each checkpoint to bring you back to the Common. Walk with classmates, coworkers, a religious group, friends or family!

Volunteers are also needed to hand out snacks, water, and more. It's a great family activity, so bring the kids, wear the free volunteer T-shirts, and teach your children about giving back. Bring a group, or come by yourself and meet new people. Volunteer for a morning or afternoon shift, or stay all day - it's up to you.

Whether you are beginning or continuing your commitment to helping hungry people, there is something for everyone! Learn more and register online at www.projectbread.org/walk.

I'll be walking again, of course. If you would like to sponsor me in this year's Walk, you can do so by donating online at my Walk WebPage. Or, if you'd like to donate by check, send me a message, and I'll give you the address to send it to. And thank you!

*cross-posted all over

You Are a Hand Painted Egg

Classy and gorgeous - with attention to every detail.

What Kind of Easter Egg Are You?

Aurora Awards - Nominations Open!

Nominations for the Aurora Awards, recognizing the best in Farscape fan fiction, are now open until February 7. See the site for all the details.

For most of the categories, simply fill out the form on the nomination ballot. Categories not on the ballot are sponsored by other groups so you'll need to check each group's site for details.

The Society Against Cruelty to Crichton (SACC) is proud to sponsor two categories this year: Best Action/Adventure (short, medium, long) and Best Characterization: John Crichton. Please visit the SACC site for details or simply email your nominations with the following info.:

Your Name:
Your Email:
Category:
Author:
Author Email: (if available)
Story Title:
Story URL:

For info. on all the sponsors, please visit the Aurora Awards Live Journal community.

*Choose wisely. Only one nomination per category, please.

Failure of #53

Ah, well, I've failed item 53 of my 101 in 1001 list: Complete the NaNoWriMo 2006 challenge. Sure, November isn't over yet, but I'll have only an hour or so each day (except for maybe Sunday where I might have two or three) until November 30 to write the remaining 36,015 words to complete this year's NaNoWriMo challenge. My inner editor keeps holding me back from any productive writing sections (2000 words or more in an hour should be easy). Where's my inspiration? It's flown away, along with the rest of the month. *shrugs* There's always next year.

I think I'll just do more prep work on my story, more research, plotting, character development. I don't want to abandon the story entirely. :)

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have a relaxing day filled with friends, family and good food and that you have much to be thankful for next year, too. ;)

Codename: Celery*

While my fellow Scapers are hanging out in Burbank, I've been writing and researching my NaNoWriMo novel (NanaMoomoo). I'm glad today's very chilly because I've been feeling like, as my mom would say, a chicken with its head cut off lately, so today I have the perfect excuse to sit, watch movies, enjoy some soup and write! I felt creative last night and actually enjoyed what I wrote (still have to update my word count) even though it might not be any good; I'm resisting my natural inclination to rewrite each sentence until I'm happy with it before moving on to the next section. I did that last year, and as you may imagine I didn't get very far. So this time I'm not turning back and rereading the passages until I have to.

I'm feeling positive about crossing off #53 on my 101 in 1001 list at the end of this month.

Oh, and for anyone who's interested, I've posted my review of the DVD "The Gift" over at the movieblog site. =)

* obscure reference to a conversation at the Boston NanNoWriMo kickoff party at Applebee's *g*

Signal Room in Burbank, CA!


Click Above!

gif from TerraFirmaScapers.com
Signal Room

Con Book List 2006

Creation's Official Farscape Convention takes place in Burbank in November, and once again con book season is upon us.

The deadlines are approaching, so if you'd like to send a message, picture, poem, recipe, whatever (no nudity! no fan fiction or unpublished fiction!) to be hand delivered to the cast of Farscape, now's your chance. (And yes, if you're wondering, they *do* read every note that's sent to them and look forward to the con books every year.)

The list is here: http://www.watchfarscape.com/forums/showthread.php?p=765709 and below:

* Gigi Edgley (Chiana): LilMiss - due October 1 - send to Calijirl@gmail.com

* David Franklin (Braca): jagwriter78 - due October 8 - send to davidsbook@farscape-online.de

* Raelee Hill (Sikozu): teddybear82 - due October 8 - send to raeleesbook@farscape-online.de

* Ben Browder (John): Elnea - due October 15 - send to BensFanBook@mac.com. (See additional info in Post 36, below.)

* Dave & Lou Elsey (Creature Shop): Aruna7 - due October 15 - send to nana_fleur_de_ren@yahoo.fr

* Paul Goddard (Stark): deadman - due October 15 - send to lastrideusa@yahoo.com. Put "Paul's Book" in title of e-mail.

* Kent McCord (Jack Crichton): deadman - due October 15 - send to lastrideusa@yahoo.com. Put "Kent's Book" in title of e-mail.

* Claudia Black (Aeryn): blueaeryn - due October 15 - send to blueaeryn@gmail.com

* Francesca Buller (M'Lee, roNA, Raxil, Ahkna): camerascaper - due October 15 - send to camerascaper@cinci.rr.com. Send any pictures in jpeg format.

* Jonathan Hardy (Rygel's voice): camerascaper - due October 15 - send to camerascaper@cinci.rr.com. Send any pictures in jpeg format.

* Lani Tupu (Crais): Aruna7 - due October 15 - send to nana_fleur_de_ren@yahoo.fr

* Wayne Pygram (Scorpius): Aruna7 - due October 15 - send to nana_fleur_de_ren@yahoo.fr

* Anthony Simcoe (D'Argo): kalishjirl - due October 23 - send to katratzi66@freenet.de

* Tammy Macintosh: kalishjirl - due October 23 - send to katratzi66@freenet.de

* Rebecca Riggs (Grayza): kalishjirl - due October 23 - send to katratzi66@freenet.de

* Guy Gross (Music): divinedaydreams - due October 31 - send to bookscaping@comcast.net

* Virginia Hey (Zhaan): divinedaydreams - due October 31 - send to bookscaping@comcast.net

Signal Room in Burbank 2006

As most of you know, the Creation Farscape Convention in Burbank's coming up soon .. November 3-5. Ben Browder (John Crichton), Wayne Pygram (Scorpius), Raelee Hill (Sikozu), Gigi Edgley (Chiana), Kent McCord (Jack Crichton), Anthony Simcoe (D'Argo), Paul Goddard(Stark) and Dave & Lou Elsey (Farscape makeup & creature designers) are all going to be there.

Wayne and Anthony's band (Signal Room) will be there as well. The tickets are sold seperately from the regular convention tickets so I'm posting this as a reminder to anyone who's planning on attending the convention - if you want to see Signal Room play, buy your tickets now! If enough tickets aren't sold, Signal Room won't be coming. The cut off date for the final decision is going to be October 15. Tickets are $25 in advance and $35 at the door assuming enough tickets are sold in advance! The ticket price is covering the cost of flying the band in, putting them up in the hotel and equipment rental - that's it. Stephen Edwards put it very plainly here.

So if you want to see them play and were figuring on buying your tickets when you arrive, rethink that and buy the tickets now. Not only is it $10 cheaper, but if you wait until you arrive in Burbank to pick up tickets, you might not get to see Signal Room play at all because they might not be there. Just a little FYI.

There's a nice little message from Anthony & the gang at Creation's site and at the band's website. For anyone who's on My Space and hasn't realized it yet, Signal Room is there, too, which is kinda cool.

Lastly, they're holding a competition for a backup singer (assuming they get to play in Burbank, that is). So if you ever imagined yourself singing on stage with Scorpius (hee!), check out their website for the details. SignalRoom.com

BNU

Well, I failed miserably in my attempts at avoiding Mochaccinos at lunch time. I felt really stressed yesterday and immediately got one while out at the bank, out of habit. *sigh* I got one today on purpose. ;P

So I haven't saved any money this week .. S'okay, I guess. There's always tomorrow. I *did* sign up for a class at Barnes & Noble University and ordered the books online (since they aren't available at my local library). I can't afford it, but I really wanted to try out the online classes. I'll figure it all out somehow. :)

Caffeine for Books

This week I'm not having any Moccachinos because they're so expensive and because all that sugar and caffeine is not good for me. Hopefully with the extra cash I'll save, I'll have enough to purchase a book or two for one of the classes at Barnes and Noble University. There are several classes that I'd like to take. All the classes are free, but you must buy the books for the course you're taking. This wouldn't be a problem normally, but with the restricted cash flow I'm dealing with, I can't justify spending $40 or more on books that I won't want to keep as reference and that I'll have a hard time selling back online. *sigh* Classes start this week, but I think the signup date is until June 12th (next week) so I have a little time yet.

Seven on Sunday: Dream House


from Patrick's Weekender

Consider your "Dream House." Now name seven features, either of the house or the lot itself, that would be required for it to really be your "Dream House."

Okay, since it's a "Dream House," I'm going to go with my "dream" house. :) By the way, it's difficult narrowing it down to only seven features. *g*

1. Large property with a very big backyard
2. At least one hidden/secret room
3. Guest House on the property
4. Labyrinth-like gardens
5. Library
6. Theater/Video Screening Room
7. Big Front Porch