Not right.

So I read The Diary of Anne Frank for the first time yesterday.

At one point, I accidentally turned to the reader guide, which was in the middle of this edition.  And I found out what happened to her.

I was horrified. 

I keep thinking it was a Hans Christian Andersen ending. 

I like very few of his fairy tales, partly because he tends to break the contract with the reader.  Also, I honestly think he hated human beings and meant -- or expected -- that they should all suffer.  Yes, that could be due to his upbringing or religion; right now, that's just how her story's end strikes me.

No wonder I enjoy mysteries.  Lois Bujold calls them fantasies of justice.  Because in a mystery I expect fairness.  That suffering will be rewarded, prisoners will be freed...

Or as Oscar Wilde puts it:  "The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily."

The bad are punished, not the good -- unless the story's a different sort of tragedy...  Remember that bit in Good Omens, when the authors suggest that perhaps your own belief about tropical fish, and that child growing up happy are preferable? 

I feel like that.  As if I should dream about how her story should have ended.  Getting prizes in school.  Being happy.  Except my mind keeps shying away, afraid that I'll not be able to block out what did happen.  Everyone deserves to be happy... everyone.  I have no words for how deeply wrong this is. 

Read these: Megan and Pamela's books.

So I have completely and utterly fallen in love with Megan Whalen Turner's The Thief series.

I have read The Thief itself twice already, and the ending at least six times, probably more.  (I initially got it from the library perhaps four weeks ago.)  I read The Queen of Attolia once, but skimmed through it again multiple times.  And reread the ending several times.  Because.

Food for thought...

Five Reasons to Be a Feminist Man -- about the rights of everyone, rape, jobs, and liberty.  Among other things.

Most of the people, men and women, that I know are feminists.  Did you know whether or not you were one too?


Count no blessings:  how a suicidal mind works

This blogger was recommended to me recently.

I think the most important thing to realize, and also the hardest, is that suicide isn't logical.  Reasoning with someone about being suicidal seems like the right choice, doesn't it?  But is it?

I don't know.  I've done it, trying to reason.  I think Charlotte (purplepersuasion) Walker's own suggestions, in the comments, are well worth considering.

What is a stranger?

At core, men are afraid women will laugh at them, while at core, women are afraid men will kill them.#TheGiftofFear #RealLife
— Anne Zanoni (@ninja_CE) November 6, 2012

Helping you when depressed...

Really GOOD post about how to help yourself cope with depression:  21 Tips to Keep Your Shit Together When You’re Depressed.

And how to cope with people's attempts to help you.

I highly recommend it.  I found it a great post.

Three links...

We have always fought; challenging the women, cattle, and slaves narrative from SFWA.

Wes Chu's debut novel, The Lives of Tao, got reviewed at HuffPo.  I really enjoyed Tao myself -- lovely snark! -- and I'm glad that the sequel is coming out soon, btw.  8)

New Writers, eBook Publishers, and the Power to Negotiate from Whatever.


Food for thought.  How can you change the world?  Don't think you can?

Why not?

You might surprise yourself... far more than you can imagine.  Let yourself try.

(Shhh!) Juggling colored pens here.

Tight deadline in.  I realize that I blog over at my fan blog far more than here, but in case you're wondering where I am, I'm inside a deadline.

I left a bunch of Tweets scheduled for the next few days, mostly but not all for my SH-fan mode... but I will be around in email for work and any crises.

I'll check DMs too, I imagine.  Be back Tweeting and such in four weeks.

ETA:  I may schedule blog drafts to finally post here.  Depends on how things are going with work by this weekend.  8)