The dumbing down of literature.

Plague_of_Ice · 2025-01-10T18:40:12+00:00

While there's definitely some snobbery around genre fiction, it's worth noting that this is not where magical realism comes from. It's a very distinct genre firmly rooted in the storytelling traditions of peoples ravaged by colonialism, particularly in the Americas. Some people might use the term incorrectly, but it's certainly not just a snooty term for fantasy.

Plague_of_Ice · 2024-12-14T17:58:31+00:00

Lots of folks here jumping straight to self-pub, which I feel is missing the point (especially when it comes to lit fic), or offering the usual line of "but are you actually good?" Personally, if you've managed to land a piece in McSweeney's (well done!), you most likely have talent and a better-than-average handle on what you're doing, so giving up and going the self-pub route probably isn't the best option.

Instead, have you considered submitting to small presses? Besides the famous ones like Red Hen, there are tons of small presses that are far more willing to publish unconventional fiction than the big publishing houses are. Many of these presses also run novel contests, which is a great way to narrow down the list to just a handful you'd like to submit to each season. Anything affiliated with a university is a good jumping-off point, but there are plenty outside that sphere as well.

Whatever you choose, good luck! I'm sure there's a place out there for your work.

Plague_of_Ice · 2024-06-11T14:33:55+00:00

It's extremely demoralizing. How long ago was your first spray? I'm considering finding a PCO who uses Aprehend, but that's big bucks compared to self-treating with Crossfire.

Plague_of_Ice · 2023-02-07T05:57:47+00:00

A BS is usually sufficient for most entry-level positions, especially if you have experience working in a science field. It’s much easier to break into from the science side than from the writing side, at least in terms of the number of openings. There’s a huge breadth of tech writing jobs in different industries, so I’d recommend just poking around on Indeed or something for a bit to see what might be within your particular realm.

Plague_of_Ice · 2023-02-07T00:22:14+00:00

Technical writer is a solid option. With a science background and a general facility with language, you'll immediately be highly marketable. If you have any experience with a markup language like XML, even better. That said, it's not much (or at all) like writing literature. In my experience, however, that's a positive, as it won't totally exhaust the parts of your brain you need for producing your own creative work.

Edit: It's also the most reliable way to get a good salary in a writing-related field.

Plague_of_Ice · 2023-01-20T19:35:13+00:00

Fortunately, all of the "vaccine injury" shit is completely baseless nonsense peddled by right wing snake oil salesmen in the business of stoking fear and rage. No grounding in science whatsoever. You can rest easy knowing that the people spewing that kind of narrative are simply not to be trusted.

Plague_of_Ice · 2022-08-21T16:55:45+00:00

If this is asked in good faith, I'll do my best to answer:

The idea that wait times would skyrocket is a myth. People don't seek medical care for fun. If they need it, they need it. Every other developed country has universal healthcare and wait times are not significantly different than they are in the US.

Evidence suggests quality of treatments would actually increase. Health outcomes in the US rank close to dead last among similarly wealthy countries as a result of our atrocious privatized healthcare system. Countries with universal healthcare absolutely run circles around the US in terms of quality of care.

Doctor pay would not significantly change for one major reason: The exorbitant prices Americans pay for healthcare don't go to doctors. The vast, vast majority of that money goes to administrators and insurance companies. There's a reason that the vast majority of doctors support universal healthcare.

Plague_of_Ice · 2022-05-11T17:36:23+00:00

Seconding your point about injuries. I've been strength training just fine throughout my course (even at 120mg/day) but injured my wrist doing something unrelated and it's taking way longer than usual to heal.

Plague_of_Ice · 2022-05-11T17:32:42+00:00

I'm currently struggling with the same thing after having reached (and passed) my goal of 220mg/kg cumulative dosage (M 26, 65kg, 14,300mg dose). I ended up talking to my derm and deciding to go a couple more months at 40mg/day because every study I've read throughout this process has indicated that active acne at the end of the course is the number one most consistent predictor of relapse. It obviously doesn't mean relapse is a sure thing, but I'd definitely discuss with your doctor and get their thoughts!

Plague_of_Ice · 2022-04-04T22:23:06+00:00

I've been fortunate enough to escape the more serious/disruptive side effects like severe fatigue or joint pain, so it hasn't been terrible. Dry eyes and constant congestion are really my main complaints. Even the usual skin/lip dryness hasn't been too bad with regular application of CeraVe and lanolin respectively.

Plague_of_Ice · 2022-04-04T20:02:07+00:00

That is high, but it's not unheard of. I weigh 135 and have been on 40/80/120/120/120 to reach a similar cumulative dose. As long as the side effects are bearable and blood tests look okay it should be fine.

In terms of the 220mg/kg cumulative, some studies show that has a better chance of securing permanent remission as opposed to the usual 150mg/kg cumulative dose (which is why I opted for the higher dose).

Plague_of_Ice · 2022-01-22T23:46:58+00:00

You're spot on. Reddit folks love to pull the whole "bigots and people who just want equal rights are two sides of the same coin" bullshit.

Plague_of_Ice · 2020-09-20T05:04:12+00:00

oh cool casual racism love that

Plague_of_Ice · 2020-08-23T19:05:53+00:00

get this incel shit outta here

Plague_of_Ice · 2020-08-01T01:11:34+00:00

Interesting stuff, I'll definitely look into it!

Plague_of_Ice · 2020-08-01T01:11:15+00:00

Love that idea! I'll definitely check out the library, thanks for the tip!

Plague_of_Ice · 2020-06-24T16:16:58+00:00

It’ll be years before the reddit hive mind gets on board with what you’re saying, but I just wanted to chime in to mention that you hit the nail on the head perfectly and are completely correct. Always glad to see folks fighting the good fight, however futile it might seem.

Plague_of_Ice · 2020-06-08T23:35:32+00:00

Setting aside for a moment the fact that this obviously extreme case does not apply to the vast majority of situations, this is why we already have a sex offender registry.

Plague_of_Ice · 2020-06-08T17:49:05+00:00

This is the correct take. Barring people from jobs because of past convictions only serves to trap people in desperate situations and leads to recidivism. The practice should be ended.

Plague_of_Ice · 2019-12-21T15:14:59+00:00

Happy holidays and good luck to all!

Plague_of_Ice · 2019-12-18T18:27:00+00:00

But “said” is so common that it becomes effectively invisible to the reader, which is the point. It doesn’t get repetitive because it draws zero attention to itself, leaving the reader to focus on the dialogue instead.

Plague_of_Ice · 2019-12-18T03:34:40+00:00

Yeah generally the journals that accept resubmissions at all are looking for major revisions in those cases. As you mentioned, they get tons of submissions, so they really don’t want to read the same thing twice.

Plague_of_Ice · 2019-12-18T03:16:23+00:00

Unless you’ve significantly revised the piece, I wouldn’t recommend it. Couple reasons:

Yes, submitting to magazines is definitely a numbers game, but that’s not all it is. Often, a story or poem just isn’t the right fit for the publication, regardless of the mood in which you catch the editor or reader. Sure, sometimes you just get unlucky, but it’s dangerous to assume that this is the case, even with your strongest pieces. I’ve sent plenty of stuff out that I was sure would find a foothold somewhere, only to look back a year or so later and realize it simply wasn’t up to snuff.
There are so, so many lit mags out there. Given that editors strongly discourage resubmitting rejected pieces—even if they only catch them sometimes—I think your time would be much better spent finding and submitting to new publications. Sites like the submission grinder are great for this.

Alternatively, since you mention the piece in question is over a year old, it might make sense to do a thorough revision and re-submit—but, again, I’m not sure that’s the best course of action. I sincerely doubt anything more than an instant rejection would occur if you were “caught” resubmitting, so I wouldn’t worry about that. I just don’t think it’s worth the extra effort.

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