Month: May 2020

Facebook’s Community … Standards?

Posted on by johnpriceauthor

FORGIVE THE IMMATURE RANT THIS morning. I understand that there are roadblocks in life that we have to overcome, and many of them are self inflicted. Whether it’s getting sidetracked, losing focus, addictions (porn, alcohol, drugs) and the list goes on and on, there’s always going to be something that stands in our way. That’s life, and we either overcome it or fall victim to it. Other things are things beyond our control – a past we’re trying to get away from, the markets tanking, publishers not responding to emails/calls. I had an art piece of the Holocaust that I wanted to see if the Holocaust Museum in Richmond, VA would be interested in. I went in to speak with someone, called, emailed … no response.

Those things happen … it’s life and there’s nothing you can do about it. 

What bothers me is going to sound immature and childish, (and I’m aware of this) but the whole thing is ridiculous in and of itself. It’s when something stands in your way that shouldn’t. In the pic below, what do you see? It is a screenshot of a video from a self proclaimed, narcissistic prophet in Africa, Kacou Philippe, who teaches that unless you accept him as a prophet, you will go to hell. 

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The video is approximately 10 minutes long of a woman stomping on a kitten until it dies. It’s not a prop or digitally altered, it’s pure animal abuse. Multiple people, myself included, reported the video. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good fight video or bully getting his ass whopped, but when it comes to torture videos, I really don’t want this shit coming through my timeline. Twice, Facebook said the video does not go against their community standards. 

That being said, the image below is a reproduction painting I did of the famous black entertainer, Josephine Baker. Facebook’s community standards read “while we restrict some images of female breasts that include the nipple, we allow other images, including those depicting acts of protest, women actively engaged in breast-feeding, and photos of post-mastectomy scarring. We also allow photographs of paintings, sculptures, and other art that depicts nude figures.”

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The historic image of Josephine Baker was not only removed, but my account temporarily deactivated because of a violation of Facebook’s community standards. I have no issue with Facebook having standards, but this clearly was not even close to being a violation. 

So why the immature rant?

It’s because of what I do. I am an artist and writer. It’s hard as fuck as it is to make it as a full time artist, and I rely on the devil known as social media to promote my art and writing. I do understand there will always be a stumbling block that makes it difficult to get ahead. But those roadblocks should be legit, and not a failure from a company to abide by its own policy. 

Another Monday … Another Blog

Posted on by johnpriceauthor

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I SAT DOWN TO WRITE this morning but was drawing a blank. I generally use Monday to write in my blog. I take a day away from writing my stories, outlines, research, etc., to focus on what to say here. I don’t believe that people are anxiously awaiting my words of wisdom; I’m not some wise guru or motivational speaker by any stretch of the imagination. I don’t have a platform of thousands of followers, nor am I a full time author/writer – so why do it? Why struggle writing a blog that you aren’t getting paid for?

It’s simple, really. 

One of the reasons is because as a writer mainly focused on short stories and novels, I take at least one day to step back from that to write about something else. I believe that no matter how much you love what you do, you should probably take one day at a minimum, to step back and focus on something else. Focus on a different project, focus on yourself, focus on life. I don’t have empirical data to back it up, but I personally believe that if you don’t take at least one day to step back, you’ll burn yourself out. Sure, there are times where you’re going to have to work every single day for weeks on end. But once you get the project started and it’s in full swing, take a day and do … whatever.

I am the worst at staying focused. Okay … let me clarify. When I want to do something, or even need to do something, I’ll get it done. I wanted to write a novel (a good novel, not some bullshit) for NaNoWriMo, and I did it. Yes, I wrapped it up within just a few hours to spare, but I made it happen. I knew I needed to write 1,666 words a day, but knowing me, I knew there were days I wasn’t going to feel like writing, so I wrote ahead. On more than one occasion I cracked out 3,000 words. Were there mistakes in it? You bet your sweet ass there were, but it was a first draft and I murdered it. When I have a portrait to do or an art project to complete, I make that shit happen like a motherfucking boss. 

That being said, in the process of creating, I get sidetracked like a boss. If there’s a degree to be gained in getting sidetracked and losing focus, I most likely have an honorary PhD in that shit. 

The other reason I write in my blog is because it not only helps me to stay on track, but it forces me to stay disciplined. “How does that even make sense?” you ask? Simple. Let’s say you have $1000 in your bank. When you spend money, do you track it? If you do, you probably have better spending habits than those who don’t. Whether you use a spreadsheet (you know who I’m talking to) a checkbook, or even a simple piece of paper, writing it down lets you know where your money is going. This applies to writing in my blog. When you write something down, (in my opinion anyway) it forces you to keep your shit together. 

People say they want to lose weight but that’s all they do … they say they want to do it. However, if they put that shit on Facebook, all of a sudden they feel compelled to actually go through with it. Fear of embarrassment keeps people from accomplishing their goals. What if people laugh at me? What if people think I’m weird? What if people talk about you? I GUARANTEE those things are going to happen. But are you going to let that shit hold you back? 

I put it out on WordPress and social media because it keeps me in check. It forces me to keep pushing forward. It shows progress, motivation and discipline. I think the moment you put your goals/dreams/desires out into the universe it makes it more relevant than if you bottle it up and keep it inside. 

No, I’m not on some mystic bullshit, but I do think there’s something to be said for when people are bold enough to not only voice their dreams, but write them down. Subconsciously, people are rooting for you. People might be jealous dicks sometimes, but when we see someone going for something, we secretly pull for them … damn I hope he makes it … I hope she gets that degree she’s been wanting … they’ve been talking about this for years, it’d be nice if they got it. 

Believe it or not, people do want you to succeed. So while I know people aren’t sitting around every Monday to see what I’m going to talk about, writing the blog is about me … keeping myself disciplined, focused, and on top of things. 

Now … to submit another short story. 

I Got Rejected

Posted on by johnpriceauthor

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LAST WEEK, I WENT DOWN my list that I got off of Ralan and emailed my first short story to The Dark, a magazine that publishes short stories about horror and dark fantasy. This was my first time sending anything off to a magazine. Originally, I wanted to send my stories to a literary agent that publishes short stories, but I didn’t know if my query letter should be about each individual story, or just let the literary agent know what I was doing. None of the literary agents had submission guidelines for short stories, so I thought the least I could do was ask. 

None of them responded. 

I thought at least one would respond and say, “here’s how you send us short stories.”

I finally said, “fuck it,” and put the entire list of literary agents aside, and went to my list of magazines. I understand that literary agents have a rough job and are limited on time; many even work part time jobs because they have to sell the book to a publisher before they can get paid, and the time to get a book published traditionally can take up to 2 years. 

I started at the top of my magazine list and sent a short story, Late Night Love with KD to them. Late Night Love with KD starts out like a romance story, but in reality, it’s about toxic masculinity that goes dark. Men can be such entitled cunts sometimes. 

I got the idea years ago when I would listen to Delilah on Lite 98. At night, people would call in with their sappy love stories, stories about heartbreak, and some were just calling to celebrate the love of their life. Sometimes I wondered, whatever happened to that dude who called in and said he had met his forever? Did they make it? I’m sure many of them did make it and are probably still together; or at least I hope they are.

Most of my stories do not have a happy ending, and this one is no different.

What does all this have to do with submitting to The Dark? Not a damn thing; I just wanted to tell you about the story. After submitting to the magazine, I hoped to be accepted by their editors. But they didn’t. 

They sent me a professional response letting me know that it wasn’t what they were looking for but they hoped I’d consider them in the future. I sent them a strongly worded email that they can go fuck themselves.

Just kidding. In reality, I actually smiled. Why? Even though I didn’t get accepted, the fact that they emailed me back and let me know they’d read it was somewhat fulfilling. I was so nervous about submitting my story, but I’m glad I did. 

So what now?

Well … I submit the story to another magazine, finish up another short story, and go from there. At some point, a story that I submit will be accepted and that keeps me going