Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Postpartum depression is a much more common problem than once thought with as many as 15% of new mothers suffering from symptoms of depression, bipolar disorder (also known as “Manic” Depression) to schizophrenia. Most cases of Postpartum depression are from new mothers, but it can affect a woman after any pregnancy, usually within three months after child birth.

Doctors don’t really know what causes this type of disorder. There have have been many studies done and there are a few theories as to possible causes, but no hard facts, as of yet. Below are some of the theories resulting from many different studies done on this condition.

Some studies show that it could be caused by a sudden, dramatic change in the level of a woman’s hormones. This is a distinct possibility considering that the body is taken from having such a large amount of hormones to literally being “brought back to reality” with her hormones returning to a normal level. This occurs very suddenly over the twenty four hour period following childbirth. This is similar to the mood changes a woman experiences when suffering from Pre-Menstrual Syndrome (PMS).

Other studies disagree. They tend to believe that it has something to do with the dramatic changes in the person’s life by the stress of suddenly entering into motherhood. This is another possibility to consider as each person will react differently to different situations and different forms of stress.

Another study done shows that there are changes in thyroid hormones that bring about changes in women such as mood swings, anger, sadness and insomnia. This can be detected with blood tests and resolved by giving the patient medication to help get their hormone level back to normal.

Others say that the condition is brought on by the sudden shock of having all of the enormous responsibility that goes with having a child. Suddenly being responsible for the life of another human being is difficult for some women to grasp.

Another part of the difficulty is lack of sleep brought on by late night feedings and irregular sleep patterns, long periods of the baby crying and trying everything that they can think of to get the child to stop, without any results. This can bring on terrible feelings of guilt and thoughts of themselves as being a bad mother. This can lead to the mother feeling overwhelmed and helpless.

Another potential “trigger” to postpartum depression could be the amount of weight gain. This is a very sensitive topic for many women. Their self esteem could suffer from this, especially if they have a spouse or significant other that is not very supportive. They may have had high hopes of their body immediately returning to normal after giving birth, but may be faced with the reality that, for some, they’re overweight for the first time in their life.

These are all just theories of course and will be until medical science can establish the truth, based on facts.

If you or anyone that you know is suffering from what you think may be postpartum depression, please seek medical attention as soon as possible. There may be treatments that your doctor can offer that will be helpful to get you or your loved one through this rough time in your life.

Joe Stevens is a disabled veteran that writes articles on different topics that interest him or affect him. You can read several more articles on depression by going to http://www.articlesaboutdepression.org or by simply clicking on what is the symptoms of postpartum depression.

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There are some simple rules to remember when writing form a character’s viewpoint, yet many forget them. Here’s a rundown of some to remember . . .

No matter what language you speak, regional accents and dialect always give away your origin – unless of course you have had voice coaching. In the UK accent differences can be very subtle – for example, I can tell if someone is from my home town or a town just ten miles away. You can probably do this too.

When ‘building’ a character for your story, their ‘voice’ is very important – and not just accent or local patois. Listen to your friends. Let’s say for the sake of convenience you all grew up in the same part of town. You therefore all have the same accent and probably use much the same slang words and idiom. So what sets you apart?

It’s the way you talk. Some people talk rapidly, some are slow and thoughtful. Some have little speech mannerisms that mark them out. All these things add up to them being an individual, a real, live, talking person. Using your character’s ‘voice’ is therefore a powerful tool that helps your reader to identify with that character and so makes them much more real.

Let’s take an example. Three people are sat watching TV – grandmother, mother and daughter. They’re watching a movie. Suppose it’s ‘Pulp Fiction’. Now how do you think they would speak if asked to describe that movie? Maybe the grandmother would be scandalised by the sex and violence. Maybe the mother would be uncomfortable about her daughter seeing it. Perhaps the daughter just loves it.

So they all have different attitudes to the movie – but how do you think they would summarise it? Let’s see how this sounds.

Grandmother: I thought it a good movie but really, is all that bad language and shooting necessary?
Mother: Yes it was a good film but I thought it was rather violent and I was concerned about my daughter seeing it.
Daughter: I really enjoyed the movie – it was very thrilling and full of action.

Garbage, isn’t it? It all sounds the same – as if one person was saying all three lines. Maybe this is better:

Grandmother: I thought it a good movie but really, is all that bad language and shooting necessary?
Mother: I kind of liked it but, you know, I was a bit worried about my daughter being exposed to all that bloodshed and goings-on.
Daughter: A really cool movie – it was just so laid-back yet full of go at the same time, you know?

Now I’m not pretending that they would really speak like that – it’s just an illustration of ‘voice’. In this instance I kept the way the grandmother might speak as that was they style I used for all three in the first run-through. Have a bit of fun – rewrite it as if the daughter was the ‘voice’ for all three – it comes out just as bad as my first attempt did!

This extends into all your writing. In a previous article I mentioned our all-action hero, Jake Bullet, as he enters a bar where a gunman is waiting for him. Here in a few lines is the same scene from Jake’s viewpoint and that of his adversary.

As he turned and saw the guy heave a pistol our from beneath his coat, Jake exploded into action, leaping the length of the bar and crashing a fist into the gunman’s chin. Stood over the guy Jake turned to Henry. ‘That’s one thing he won’t try again. If he gets up I’m gonna bust his face.’

Pulling the pistol from under his jacket, Sam thought what a posing daisy this famous slick cop looked in his fancy suit. He was going to be easy. Then he froze as his mark jumped toward him. He just had time to think what a bum story his boss had given him about this creep cop before he saw stars and hit the floor. Bummer.

Again, it’s not a finished piece! It just gives an idea of how using a slightly different ‘delivery’ can help to identify the character. A point to note also is that the character’s ‘voice’ goes beyond dialogue. Sam’s way of thinking and some of his character comes out in the way he is described as seeing the scene. This is another aspect of viewpoint writing and ‘voice’ – describing the action as would the character – not you. Keep to this as your scene unfolds – remember, it’s your character who is doing the seeing and talking!

About the Author:

Steve Dempster writes fiction, copy and informative articles such as the one above. His website can be found at
I Want To Write!

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Viewpoint Writing 2: How To Use Your Character’s ‘Voice’

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I’ve been following an interesting thread of conversation on a writing message board: a debate as to whether or not the practice of writing fan fiction is healthy for an aspiring writer.

By definition: “fan fiction” are stories involving characters from a television series or movie, written by fans and usually printed in underground magazines or on the Internet for other fans to enjoy. This concept is especially popular among fans of science fiction programs, and writers of all skill levels participate. For the serious fan fiction writer, there are even science-fiction conventions which present annual awards for the best-written prose. Stories may range from histories explaining gaps in a particular TV show’s canon (e.g. what has the cast of House been up to between seasons one and two?) to rather silly missives—I once found on the Internet a Star Trek story where all of the characters had been replaced by the cast of Desperate Housewives!

Is fan fiction a healthy exercise? For one, it technically is not a legal exercise, as all television and movie characters are protected by copyright. Since fan fiction is essentially a non-profit enterprise, however, most production companies tend to turn a blind eye to the activity. Rene Balcer, an executive producer of the show Law and Order, once told a fan e-zine that he did not mind the fan fiction based upon his show, and this appears to be the general consensus so long as a writer does not try to sell his/her work.

Having written fan fiction in the past, I can say that the practice as a writing exercise has its pros and cons:

PRO – During my heaviest bouts with writer’s block, writing a story about a familiar character helped loosen the spigot. Once I pondered what would happen if Dr. Sam Beckett of Quantum Leap traveled back in time to M*A*S*H’s 4077th unit, and the result was a 20,000-word story.

CON – Fan fiction can be addictive, and if you devote too much time to the exercise you may find creating original work difficult. If you post stories to the Internet and attract a fan base, you may find yourself writing more to please this small faction of people, and that will take you away from your true calling.

PRO – While writing fan fiction I found my knack for writing smooth dialogue improving.

CON – I also found I tended to use my best “bits” for such a story, leaving the well dry when it came time to write something more serious.

PRO – By posting my fan fiction to the Internet, I was able to attract readers who in turn were led to my website and information about my book. One fan even wrote to say he had bought my book after reading my fan fiction.

CON – I’ll try not to stereotype fan fiction readers, but if you have ever visited an online repository of fan fiction you may notice a majority of stories not only portray scenes people would like to see on their favorite shows, but scenes even HBO won’t show after eleven at night. Some may argue writing fan fiction is not good for the writer’s ego, but reading some of what is posted is certainly not good if you’re at work and the boss sees you! I do write romance that is spicy, but there are lines even I won’t cross.

Should you write fan fiction as a writing exercise? A few years I may have defended its importance, but now I would suggest alternative writing exercises, ones designed to improve your writing skills and help you to become less dependent on ready-made situations. Should the pull to write a story about Agents Mulder and Scully be too strong, however, why not take the opportunity to introduce your own characters? Let Mulder, Scully, Dr. House, and all your favorite characters inspire what you want to write, but make sure the end product is all your own.

About the Author:

Kathryn Lively
is an award-winning writer and editor. She is the author of Pithed: an Andy Farmer Mystery (Mundania Press) and the Ash Lake Mysteries. She is also the publisher of
Phaze
, the ultra-sensual romance imprint of Mundania Press, and speaks all over the East Coast at conferences about writing and publishing.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Is Fan Fiction a Good Writing Practice?

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where can i donate mainly general fiction used books in new york?

Check your local library…you might even be able to claim a tax write off…if they accept donations. I read a lot and, other than the few authors whose books I keep, I donate all the rest to our local library. They are thrilled to have them.

If your library doesn’t accept books, try the local high school. The school library will often take books if they are not inappropriate.

And one final option, see if there is an ebay consignment shop in your area. They will sell the books for you. They will keep some of the proceeds as well as a rate percentage and you get the rest of the money.

Star Trek – First Contact [VHS] $0.69 Even-numbered Star Trek movies tend to be better, and First Contact (#8 in the popular movie series) is no exception–an intelligently handled plot involving the galaxy-conquering Borg and their attempt to invade Earth’s past, alter history, and “assimilate” the entire human race. Time travel, a dazzling new Enterprise, and capable direction by Next Generation alumnus Jonathan Frakes makes this on…

Stargate [VHS] $1.95 Before they unleashed the idiotic mayhem of Independence Day and Godzilla, the idea-stealing team of director Roland Emmerich and producer-screenwriter Dean Devlin concocted this hokey hit about the discovery of an ancient portal capable of zipping travelers to “the other side of the known universe.” James Spader plays the Egyptologist who successfully translates the Stargate’s hieroglyphic code, …

X-Men [VHS] $0.01 In a time when race and religion don’t separate people, but extra powers and mutated characteristics do, two longtime friends, Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) part ways, only to become rivals over the issue of how much patience they should have with “normal” people. Living lives that scare most humans lacking the “X-factor” (a special power such as telekinesis…

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