"Vacation, sort of." June 11th blog post.

[freyalorelei.livejournal.com]

I'd like to add that it had been months since Jon and I got to wonder a bookstore, simply browsing, not because I need something for research. Not because we were buying a present for someone, but simply because we wanted to browse the book shop. We got lots of interesting stuff. I did buy some things for research, couldn't help it. GUIDE TO MARINE MAMMALS OF THE WORLD was the main one I got for research. It's actually going to get used on the current book, if not on stage, it's information that I as a writer would do better knowing. But I bought two books that were just for fun, just because I wanted to read them. Like I said, it's been a long time since I went to the bookstore without a work oriented agenda. The GUIDE TO MARINE MAMMALS was just a happy, useful, accident. Serendipity at it's best.

Now, this is actually kind of interesting. Marine mammals as research for the new AB book? I smell a new werecreature in the offing...who wants to take bets on wereseals or weredolphins or even weremanatees? Part of me is intrigued, another part screams GOD NO NOT MORE SUPERFLUOUS CHARACTERS.

...while Trin is gone on vacation with her Grandma and Grandpa, Jon and I are going to be doing what relaxes us. Good bookstores, reading other people's books, eating at nice restaurants that have no children's menus (all you parents know what I mean), have lots of alone time between Jon and myself (yes, I mean sex), but not just sex, also a chance to talk to each other without a half dozen people running in and out.

...Okay. "Alone time" is already letting we-the-readers know a bit too much about her personal life. We can certainly read between the lines and understand that "alone time" is code for sex. Her actually TELLING us that she had sex with her husband this weekend? T. M. I. We don't need to know that! We don't WANT to know that! Don't misunderstand me, I suppose it's good that she and her husband have a successful relationship on whatever level, but...WE. DON'T. CARE. And we certainly don't need to know about their bedroom antics. For God's sake, she bitches enough about fannish speculation on her sex life as is...why add fodder to the debate?

Comments

[freyalorelei.livejournal.com]

...Okay, and here's where I feel REALLY STUPID because I've written a Labyrinth analysis with footnotes for sources, and didn't know I had to, like, credit specific publishing dates and companies. *facepalm*

But! I know better now. Besides, LKH supposedly has a minor in English (if I remember correctly); even if she weren't published, she should know that as a product of her education.

I know that it has to get translated into lay terms for mass consumption, but it doesn't hurt to call a jawbone a mandible.

Well, she DOES have to interpret those big long words for her vast teenage readership, after all. They shouldn't have to sludge through advanced adult terms; this is PORN, after all, not biology class!

[dwg.livejournal.com]

Don't feel too stupid - it took me about four years to figure this out, and this was after taking an out of hours course on essay writing (which proved to be more confusing than writing an essay) and it wasn't until my biology lecturer spent an entire double lecture talking about "the basics" like how to do a proper biological drawing, how to write a practical report, the conventions for naming oders, generas and species, and referencing. We had refresher referencing lectures later in the semester.

LKH really hasn't got any excuse for not using a proper referencing system - biology hammers it in that you're only as good as your references and you have to be specific enough that any Plebe as well as your lecturer can pick out the book you used and find your reference. English you can get away with fudging things a bit more (I know I once got marked down for putting too much detail into my bibliography) but having a clear reference list helps so, so much.

Just as a tip, you can't really go wrong with the Harvard system. It's like the standard referencing system that everyone EVAR uses.