This Post is Censored/Censoring Can Be Funny!

The definition of censor (as taken from the website www.thefreedictionary.com)

1. a person authorized to examine publications, theatrical presentations, films, letters, etc., in order to suppress in whole or part those considered obscene, politically unacceptable, etc.

2. any person who controls or suppresses the behaviour of others, usually on moral grounds

3. (Historical Terms) (in republican Rome) either of two senior magistrates elected to keep the list of citizens up to date, control aspects of public finance, and supervise public morals

4. (Psychoanalysis) Psychoanal the postulated factor responsible for regulating the translation of ideas and desires from the unconscious to the conscious mind See also superego

vb (tr)

1. to ban or cut portions of (a publication, film, letter, etc.)

2. to act as a censor of (behaviour, etc.)

SOMETIMES by censoring something you can make it funnier.  This video went viral when it was censored.  There is nothing wrong with the video that it needed censored at all but by placing beeps in just the right places it made it seem like it should be censored.   Our mind fills in the words we are used to hearing where the beeps are at.  They took something innocent and made it dirty with the beeps.  IT is so wrong but really funny.

People often don’t want their work censored. They don’t want to see pieces of their “babies”, their hard work just cut away.  I view things differently.  I think creative editing or censoring can bring a lot to the table.  I think someone looking at my work unbiased can see ways to improve it.   To take what I have started make it into something even better.  

My opinions as a writer are – if you want to buy my work I will change it for you any way you want me too.   I will make it funnier, sadder, more intelligent  and/or more stupid if you ask me to.  I will do anything you want to my work because at that point it becomes yours.  If you are just thinking about buying I will save a copy of my original.  I will still make all the changes you want and if you don’t buy – oh well.  I love writing so much I had fun playing with my characters for you.     Thank you for the opportunity to almost work with you.     That is more editing than censoring though – even though they are similar there are distinct differences even though to some they may feel the same.

Back to censoring now…think of how many books that have been censored or banned that instantly made them rise in popularity.    Some authors also will deliberately pay people to give them bad reviews and make them “controversial” because that made them popular as well.   I would never personally do that but you have heard of some I am sure.   From a library website on banned and challenged books 46 of them were listed as being in the top 100 books of the past century.   The website is the American Library Association and the list of banned books is here:

http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedclassics/index.cfm

That to me does not sound like that bad of odds.  Censor me and make me famous.   I guess I have a kind of strange way of looking at things. 

The media censors things all the time.  They especially like to put certain slants on stories to make the public lean one way or another with their opinions.   Especially when it is during a war – we see a lot of the bad things going on over in Iraq but we never see the good stories.   We see so much negativity in the news it is really hard to watch sometimes.   They could try to slant things to a more positive angle sometimes.  For instance instead of “Gunman killed 40 people and was arrested late last night” how about “Hooray, insane psychopath was arrested before he could kill anyone else.”  Ha ha ha – I know that wouldn’t necessarily work for the news BUT you know what I mean. 

They let so much trash through on television today people are becoming immune to it.  Sometimes just hinting at stuff can be funnier and more rewarding than letting it all hang out there.  I think the same could hold true in some writing too.  Don’t get me wrong sometimes the trash can be pretty darn funny too.  I love the raunchy humor and sex jokes just as much as the next person.   I am just curious - what are your opinions on being censored or on censoring yourselves even?  Would you watch the news more often if it put a lighter-hearted slant on things or used sarcasm and humor to report kind of like the onion?

Sharing Your Babies

I enjoyed yesterday with the family.  One of my favorite parts of the day was when my mother-in-law Linda and I shared our short stories with the rest of the family.  Let me explain.  We are both in a writing group - WOWA, Western Ohio Writers Association, - that meets in Fairborn, Ohio the first Wednesday of every month.  This Wednesday the group is meeting at a Books and Company in Dayton, Ohio to share Christmas stories with the public.  We shared our stories with the family first to see reactions from people of varying ages and to see how long they took to read. 

Reading my story to the family was so much fun.  I love reading out loud to people and making them laugh.  The format in our writing group though, is to pass around printed copies of our work for people to look at and give feedback on.  I like this style too and by doing it this way we are able to get through more works than we would if we let everyone read out loud.  BUT just this got me to wondering - how many people out there LIKE sharing their work - actually enjoy the drama and emotions of being able to put your own voice with your words.  To have the ability to TELL the story to others the way you wrote it? How many of you absolutely hate it and would rather have your nails pulled out by the roots than have to speak to the public?  How many of you have a hard time sharing your work at all?  I do this for fun and am very good at taking criticism so it doesn't really bother me at all.  I do my best to learn from my mistakes and become a better writer from it.  I am not depending on my writing for a sole source of income.  I can see where it would be hard for others though. 

What is your preference?  When you are a rich famous author do you want to just do signings and pray they never ask you to do a reading or will you volunteer for extra readings at tiny off-the-map bookstores as well as the big chains just because you love making your characters come alive the way you want them to?  If you are not a writer, do you like to listen to people read, books on tape, or do you prefer to read the stories yourself?

Let me know your thoughts.

Creativity or Luck? The Birth of Pregnant Princess Spiderman

Sometimes I wonder if I am truly creative or have just been lucky enough to have funny (or weird) things happen when I am around to observe them.  For instance, my youngest was playing one day.  She had two costumes she loved very much and couldn't decide between them.  Of course this meant she had to wear them both at the same time.  She also wanted to play ball but both of her hands were full, so she put the ball up her shirt.  Hence Pregnant Princess Spiderman was born.  SHE named her (him?) that NOT ME.  So, I have great inspirational writing material but was I truly creative?  Or just lucky?