Relativity of Life

This week is made of awesome! Today is a bank holiday. Tomorrow to Thursday, I'm on the Junior High School trip, and Friday is another holiday. (Oh, and October 10 is also a holiday. 3 long weekends in one pay period? Welcome to Japan.)

Some friends of my Jamaican friend in a neighbouring town came up for the weekend and I hung out with them. We had an absolute blast. There was one thing that kind of bugged me though. They said I didn't sound like a Bajan (Barbadian).

I wasn't bothered by the fact that they said that, but by the fact that it's true. My accent is a bit like water. In the absence of other matter, water doesn't have a colour. But put it near another substance, and you'll be able to see that colour through or reflected in the water. My voice is pretty close to a neutral accent. And I switch accents according to what I'm saying and who I'm saying it to. If I spend a day in the company of someone with a strong accent, I'll pick it up.

So for most of the weekend, I went between the neutral accent, and a Jamaican one. Once they even told me I sounded Trinidadian. And I felt bad, because I love Barbados, and I rep it every time I can, but my accent disappears the minute I talk to someone from somewhere else.

Saturday night, we went to dinner at Mameshichitei (lit. 7 bean restaurant) and the owner, Mama-san, treated us to a Japanese-Western feast. The visiting Jamaicans have only been here 2 months, and the Canadian and my Jamaican friend have been here a year, but my Japanese is better than the rest of the group. As I conversed with Mama-san, the guy sitting next to me kept marvelling at my fluency. (My Japanese isn't really all that good. It's just that you tend to have the same sort of conversation when you socialise, and after 3 years, I've gotten really good at that conversation.)

But one thing he said stuck with me.

"You sound just like a Japanese."

And I do. People tell me this all the time. Foreigners who have better Japanese than I do, say they wish they could get the accent down like I do. Plus, I actually make a game out of talking to people when they're not looking at me, and then watching the shock as they realise I'm not Japanese.

My muted, malleable accent applies to foreign languages. When I was in Colombia, the Colombians all thought I was from San Andres, an island off the coast. French people think I'm from Martinique. Martiniquans think I'm from Quebec. It never seems to occur to Spanish and French speakers that I didn't grow up speaking the language. If it weren't so highly unlikely for me to be a Black Japanese, the same thing might happen here, until I got past the depth of conversation I'm comfortable with.

And all of this is because my ears pick up on subtleties and my mouth translates them in a way that other people don't seem to do. And all this happens naturally.

In one case, it's maybe a bad thing. On the other hand, it's one of the things that facilitates me easily transitioning back and forth between 5 languages. Sometimes, the very same things that are a source of pain, discomfort, shame, etc are also what bring our greatest joys, and make our acheivements possible. Good and bad don't exist in a vaccum.

Life is relative.

It's Monday. That's what's on my mind.

Sources of motivation

First and foremost, I'd like to ask you guys if there's anything you'd like to see here on Points of Claire-ification (besides the re-instatement of giveaways, of course). I'd really like to be able to give you guys what you need/want. So if there's something I'm doing that you'd like to see more of, let me know. Or if there's something I'm not doing that you'd like to see, let me know that too. Also, god is nothing without bad, so if there's something grating on your nerves, holla. You can answer in the comments or email me at muchlanguage (at) gmail (dot) com.

Thanks! Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming, except that it's totally not scheduled, but meh...

We all have our reasons for doing the things we do. And for things that are particularly difficult or that take a long time, we need to find motivators to keep us from throwing the towel in with the bathwater when the going gets tough. lol.

Here are some of the things that motivate me when it comes to writing:

Being friends with stars:

Call me weird, but I have this thing about being friends with famous people. Oh, I love meeting them, but anybody can do that. And I've met oodles of famous people now. The novelty has mostly worn off. (Unless it's Johnny Depp. Or Orlando Bloom. All bets are off for pirates.)

But I'd really like to be friends with the amazing people whose books I read. I imagine chitchatting with Jay Asher about how his son's doing, calling up Kody Keplinger to ask how she's liking the big city, having a laugh over a croissant with Louise Rennison when I'm in the UK. And when I've got booksies under my belt, then I might just stand a chance at doing some of those things.

(Of course, I have to mention that even in my semi-published state I've already 'met' so many amazing published writers: the whole Japan lot, especially the guys and gals at SCBWI Tokyo, the awesome Natalie Whipple, the amazing Elana Johnson, the incredibly nice Dianne K. Salerni, the hilariously risque Tawna Fenske, and so many others, I can't name them all. )

Sharing the job title and the shelf:

When I think about all the amazing stories in the universe, and the amazing authors that penned them and think I could be a part of that, well, forgive me if I swoon a little. I get to do what Tolkien did. I get to sit in a section with J.K. Rowling. Maybe around the corner from Stephen King. Excuse me a minute, my brain just imploded and I need to get a paper towel to clean up the mess.

We change the history:

(That was one of the slogans at my JHS sports last year. So proud of my kiddies for coming up wth it on their own. )

I can't think of a single English-speaking Caribbean author who writes commercial fiction aimed at Caribbean audiences. (If you know of one, please point me in their direction- I'd love to read some.) If you just consider Jamaica, Trinida and Barbados, that's a population of over 5 million people. A population that has always been ignored in entertainment. A population that always falls into this hole somewhere between America, Canada and the UK. A population that's constantly misrepresented as one particular dreadlocked, "Hey Mon" stereotype. A population that on average reads more books than the citizens of many other developed/developping countries.

I'm not even thinking about the financial implications here. But just imagine, if someone were to write books for people who loved books but had never had books written for them, how hungry they'd be for them. How happy they'd be.

I want to give them that.

Despise the 9 to 5:

I love my job, but it has a 5 year max, and I'm starting year 4. Which means I need to pick something new in 2 years' time. But frankly, I hate 9to5ing. I hate getting up and putting on the same-ish clothes, to go the same office and sit in the same chair.

That's one of my favourite things about writing. There's enough change to keep me happy. You can work with new characters every few months. Writing is a different process from editing, which is different from marketing and public appearances. You can fly through a first draft and take it slow through edits. You can write in the morning or at night.

And somehow there's still enough consistency to keep me from feeling disconnected. Story structures, arcs, themes are repeated. Aspects of writing become honed into the most effective method and that gets repeated. Your voice grows and develop, but most authors keep the same type of voice throughout their career. Even on a micro-level, you spend at least a year on the development of each book.

My brother:

I told me brother I was a writer. He laughed and said I was a teacher. He's probably forgotten that. But I can't. Not until I'm a writer in my brother's eyes. And everyone else who hangs to the technicality of having an actual book.

YOU:

It amazes me that there are almost 200 people who thought to click "follow" for my blog. I'm even more amazed by the ones who've been around here for almost 2 years: Marsha, Laura, JP, EJ, Postman, Jen, Erin, ...

And it makes me feel like I owe you guys something. Somethind more than random mumblings and pics of Japan and occasional insights into Caribbean life. I feel like I owe you a book. Whether or not you ever read that book, whether or not you like it, I need to produce it. Otherwise, where do I get off pompasetting (Bajan word, meaning strutting around like a peacock) about the place like I know something about writing, giving advice, offering opinions? If I don't give it my best shot, then I'm just a fraud. This blog is more than just a testament to my insanities. It's a promise.

I will do this.

What motivates you?

Conversation of Plot and Character

The first time I thought about defining plot as a function of character, was in James Scott Bell's PLOT & STRUCTURE. Clearly, the book is about plotting, but he starts his method out with a character. Only since I started reading Dr. Linda Edelstein's WRITER'S GUIDE TO CHARACTER TRAITS did it occur to me that the relationship is mutually beneficial. In the introduction, Dr. Edelstein points out, "situations influence traits, traits influence situations." Well, a plot is really a collection of situations, and a character is a collection of traits. So plugging that into the equation, we get:

PLOT influences CHARACTER, CHARACTER influences PLOT

In this way, plot and character become like a conversation. Plot advances, character responds, plot throws something else, character responds...

I'm a character writer, but the first thing that pops into my mind about a story is the premise. So let's demo this with an example.

PREMISE:

Two teens become friends after they're involved in the same car accident. Teen 1 escapes from the wreckage with a single cut above the eyebrow. Teen 1's mother is pulled out unconscious and taken to hospital.

CHARACTER:

Already from this premise, we know a few things about our 2 teens.

A. Teen 1 has got to not be the time type of person that runs home to cry about the situation, or how will Teen 1 and Teen 2 meet?

B. Teen 2 needs to be in the hospital too, and therefore needs to be injured.

C. Teen 1 needs to be the kind of person that will go check on Teen 2.

D. Teen 2 needs to not kick Teen 1 out of the room, and not find the visits creepy. So let's put Teen 2 in a coma.

E. Also, we have to decide whether we want to concentrate on the friendship, or if we want possible romantic tension. Since I just want the friendship, I'll make both of the teens girls.

PLOT:

Teen 1 starts going to Teen 2's room, because she's not allowed in her mother's sterilised room, because of her injuries, and the risk of infections that could kill her.

But as long as Teen 1's mother is still alive, she'll spend most of her time in the observation room by her Mom, so let's kill off her Mom.

CHARACTER:

Once again Teen 1 can't be the type to run away. She needs to keep going to Teen 2's room. Let's make her the type to think that her mother's death is in vain, if she doesn't connect with Teen 2.

Since Teen 1 is spending all this time alone with Teen 2, then we need to make sure Teen 2 has no other visitors. Maybe her parents have gone on a trip somewhere.

PLOT:
Teen 1 starts telling stories about her childhood/mother/life to Teen 2.

Teen 2 reacts physically to the voice after a while, and eventually wakes up.

CHARACTER:

Teen 2 has a few choices when she wakes up. She can be totally weirded out by Teen 1 and kick her out. She can appreciate the fact that she's there when noone else is. Maybe she caused the accident and will feel guilty. Maybe she'd been on her way to do something interesting when the accident happened: 1 year anniversary with her bf, get an abortion, sit an exam.

At every juncture plot or character can go in different directions. When the plot goes one way, it changes/develops the character. When the character does something, it pushes the plot. If at any juncture the plot takes a different tack, then the character is also influenced and vice versa.

GREAT BIG FUZZY MEANING

So this idea is something that hit me on Saturday, so I haven't had a chance to think about the implications for me. Or whether or not I've seen this in books. The only thing that pops to mind is the YA MC who will avoid telling a simple truth for the whole book, only to have it blow up in her face in a bigger way than necessary. If at any point, she would have made the choice to tell the whole truth, then the happily after ever would have been in Chapter 3.


Does every book have a conversation of plot and character? Or could you insert a totally different character and have the plot still take all the directions it does? Should you be able to do that? What does this mean for planning a novel? Drafting? Editing? Can you develop plot and character individually or must they always be thought of together?


Do you think plot and character are a conversation?

Beachbody on writing- Commit.

DECIDE. COMMIT. SUCCEED.
Beachbody motto.

Two weeks ago, we talked about how the first word of the Beachbody motto 'DECIDE' applies to writers. This week we move onto word number 2.

COMMIT

There are several levels of commitment you will need on your way to publication and a career as a writer.

The lifestyle
One level of commitment is to the lifestyle. This doesn't have to be the first thing you commit to. But if you want to be a career writer, then it will be the thing you need to commit to the longest.

When I say lifestyle, I'm not talking about the romaticised notion of the beret-wearing, chain-smoking, alcohol-imbibing, free-loving, narcotic-using writer. I'm talking about the changes and sacrifices that you'll need in your life to ensure that the books keep coming.

In this day and age, one of the first things you need to commit is a computer with a word processor. In the developed world, most of us have access to this. But unless you're going to do the majority of your first-drafting and editing long-hand, you'll probably want your own dedicated machine. You wouldn't want to suddenly realise that the reason John hates Greg is because he found out that he slept with Nancy only to not be able to write because your Dad is on his 57th consecutive round of Solitaire and trying to set a Guinness World Record.

You'll also want a writing space. Ideally, this would be a dedicated writing space where you never do anything other than writing. And according to Stephen King, it will ideally have a door. If you're working and have the disposable income, you can buy yourself a desk, and decorate the area so it inspires you. But even if you're not working or don't have that sort of money, you need a place that you can be comfortable to work. It may be sitting on the floor with your back against the bed and the laptop on a tiny folding breakfast-in-bed tray. It may be in the corner booth at Starbucks. And if your dayjob/other life makes you move around a lot, you'll just have to make that effort to secure a writing space every time you arrive in a new locale.

The writing life will also change your social life. First you need to accept that your friends are just not going to get it sometimes. What do you mean you're going to stay home and right instead of the weekend beach trip? Explain to your close friends that it's important to you, and that it's nothing personal. They'll get that and support you. As for Facebook friends/acquaintances just stop worrying about them judging you for not 'being at every catfight'. (Bajan saying to mean that you're always in everything.) If you've already declared your intentions to the world, just tell them you're writing. If you haven't, make up some excuse.

You also need to invest in the long-term. Some of that will be financial, some of that won't. You may want to go to conferences. Be sure to go to one that's appropriate for you. If you're just starting out maybe you want one with a lot of feedback opps. If you've got a polished manuscript, maybe you want one where you can pitch agents/editors. Look out for writing groups in your area. If there aren't any, you can find lots of groups online. Buy craft books. I think every writer should read a few of these. At a bare minimum, you should read a general one, and one for your genre. You can also try ones on specific elements like Plot, Setting, Characters, Dialogue, etc.

The current book
The first thing I committed to, even before I made the decision to go for publication, was the book I was writing at the time, MS 1. I guesstimate that it takes me between 50 and 100 hours to write a book, and I'm considered fast. So let's say it takes everybody 100 hours. At an hour a day, that's 100 days or a little over 3 months. At 8 hours a day with weekends off, that's almost 3 weeks. To find and use that amount of time is definitely a commitment.

The second thing is that there is a point at which it all goes to mush. Maybe nothing actually changed, but the rose-coloured glasses come off, and suddenly the manuscript looks like crap. Plotters may get frustrated with characters or plots not going where they're supposed to. Pantsers may have difficulty figuring out where to go next. You question the worth of the story idea, the strength of the voice, the uniqueness of the plot, the likeability of the character... Maybe there's also a Shiny New Idea in your mind that you'd kind of like to get written as well.

No book is as good as it could be in it's first draft. As you go on, the frist drafts get better, to be sure. But they get better on the backs of all the ones that were worse. On top of which, you really can't be trusted to be objective mid-book. So you may actually be writing the best thing since the Odyssey and still be tempted to choke yourself to death on the horrible manuscript. It doesn't have to be all bad or all good either. If you commit to finishing it and then take a couple of weeks or months away from it, and then read it with fresh eyes, you'll be sure to see the merits you originally saw in the story. And you'll see what doesn't work so you can change it.

That brings us to editing. Someone once said, 'Writing is rewriting.' If you think the first draft process is long, that's just the tip of the iceberg. After that's finished, you still have to re-read. Then you'll want to polish up the plot. Then maybe make the emotional bits more emotional. Or make your characters stand out. Take the setting up to the right level of vivid. Nail the voice. Edit for grammar. Line edits for the perfect words and phrasing. And so on. And that's before you find an agent and go through another round(s) of edits, and then do the same all over with an editor.

If you do sell this book, you'll be working on it for the next 2 years, editing, copyediting, looking at titles, looking at cover art, marketing. And it doesn't really ever stop. You will be committed to that book for as long as you live, and maybe even after you die.

THE NEXT BOOK

If you have more than one book you want to turn out, or you're aiming for a career as a writer, then you also need to commit to the next book. But Claire, shouldn't you be concentrating on this book? Of course, but that doesn't let you off the hook for the next one.

Keep your eyes open. I don't believe that ideas come out of a vacuum. I think that they come from a writer's interaction with the world. So when you see a person dressed as a zombie while standing in the cheesecake line and think, 'Aha! What if cheesecake turned people into zombies?!?!' don't dismiss it because you're working on something right now. File it away in your brain or a notebook or a computer file. It might just be perfect for your next book.

Your commitment to the next book also requires professional behaviour. The publishing industry is small to the point of being incestuous. You've got 6 (or so) major publishers in America. Editor 1 is now at Company B, but she started at Company A. She's friends with Editor 2 who worked with her at Company A, but went on to Company C, and is now at Company D. Editor 3 used to work at Company B, but is now at Company E. And Editor 4 is now at Company F, but has worked everywhere but Company A. (How is that not exactly like 16th century European Royal families?)

So just because Company B didn't sign your 2nd book, and your contract for the first has been fulfilled, don't think that gives you the right to act like a shark with a toothache. Remember that everybody knows everybody, and Hollywood-style, you may never work in this town again.

Are there any other writing commitments you think you should make?

Come back next week to read about the final word of the motto: SUCCESS.

(PS. You guys are so awesome! Thank you for all the support on Monday's Depression post. It was kind of hilarious to see apologies for not entering the Kindle contest. Next time around, I'll give lots of notice. Also welcome aboard Matthew, and thanks to Marsha for recommending me. I'm feeling a little better today as well- fighting my way up. :) )

Inside Depression

I hope this post isn't too depressing, but it's not like I promised butterflies and unicorns. Also, I'm kind of going for informative. Here goes nothing...

FIRST, A FEW NOTES

Depressed does not mean sad. (The earliest meaning I can find in my etymology dictionary is "afraid"!) It's come to be synonymous with sadness, but it really means "brought down" or "put down" either with respect to mood, or in a completely general sense. Now, I'm all for the evolution of words and all, but it drives me a little crazy when people ignore the original meaning of a word. When I say, "I'm depressed," someone's bound to bring up sadness. Makes me want to scream. "WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT SADNESS! GAH"

Depression doesn't have to have a trigger. Sufferers of chronic depression (including bipolars like me) have the joy of waking up one morning and just being depressed. In addition, sometimes the triggers are disproportionate. Your average Joe may get depressed after a loved one dies. Chronic depression sufferers can go into weeks of depression after spilling a juice on their carpet. So another thing, I really hate is "what happened?" Nothing. If something happening was a pre-requisite, then I wouldn't be bipolar.

Seriously, the only thing that keeps me from screaming at people is that I know they mean well. Still, I wish that I didn't have to go through this song and dance every single time.

SAD DEPRESSION

Psychiatrists probably have a stack of names for types of depression. But today, I'm defining types by what it feels like for me.

Let's take a colouring book as an analogy. It's like a picture coloured in blues, greys, and black. And every time you open to a new page, and pick up an orange crayon, it suddenly turns to blue.

Good things happen and I'm sad. Bad things happen and I'm sad. Sad depression, as the name suggests involves lots of time being sad. Even if it was triggered by something, the depression becomes bigger than the trigger. I get sad about, and despite, everything else. Lots of time curled up in a ball, crying on the floor. Going to bed, every night hoping to wake up to a sunny morning, and get out of the mental rain.

WORTHLESS DEPRESSION

I guess worthless depression is a little more logical. We've all failed at things, we've all done things we're not proud of. When I fall into a worthless depression, it's like "why am I here when I don't do anything worth doing?" All the things I've ever failed at stack themselves up in my mind. All the ways I'm failing now jump out at me. I look around at my friends and see where they are in their lives. And where I'm not.

Worthless depression doesn't have to be sad. Sometimes, it's like there's no emotion involved in it at all. I think this kind of depression is hardest for me, because you can't argue against it logically. At least with sad depression, you can use logic to know you shouldn't be feeling sad.

To go back to the colouring book, worthless depression is like a book full of pictures that are all coloured outside the lines. It's like flipping through 700 pages and only seeing pictures like that. So then you wonder if you can even colour any better. And if you can, does it make sense to start now?

BLAND DEPRESSION

In a bland depression, the colouring book pages haven't been coloured. You don't know were the crayons are. It would take so much effort to go for look for them, and really what's wrong with just the outlines on the page anyhow?

Bland depression is about losing your taste for life. When I'm in the midst of a bland depression, I lose interest in the things that I normally like. Just like good things stop being good, bac things stop being bad. It's a lot of nothing. I get myself through it by bare routine. Drag myself to work. Check email every few days. Blog most days. Because when nothing feels better or worse than anything else, what reason is there to do anything?

TRIPLE WHAMMY

All three "types" of depression I've mentioned are actually individual symptoms. They can come on altogether, and in combinations with other symptoms. I've just defined them by which feeling is the pre-dominant one. Here are the symptoms of depression according to WebMD:

difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions
fatigue and decreased energy
feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or helplessness
feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism
insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
irritability, restlessness
loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex
overeating or appetite loss
persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment
persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings
thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts

And, in case you're wondering, why the "happy" post today, yes, I am depressed. It's mostly a bland depression. But I'm going crazy with people asking me why I'm sad (cause I'm not) and what happened (nothing did, I'm bipolar).

Hope y'all learned something/identified with something. It's Monday, and that's what's on my mind.

P.S. I've somehow failed to give away a Kindle. Seriously. Not one entry. For a Kindle. I will think about that when the depression's over. Honestly, who fails to give away a Kindle? How is that even possible?

Happy International Literacy Day!

I'm a writer. I've been a reader longer than I can remember. I speak 5 languages; in fact I live my life in a language other than my mother tongue.

Words are my life.

I've always been connected to books. I've mentioned more than a few times that I was a bit of a legend for multi-tasking as a child. When they said, "she can't put that book down," they meant it. In primary school, the teachers would make up errands to send me on, so they culd watch me walk and read! (One of them admitted this in a speech at graduation.) And I've never walked into something, or fallen, or even slipped. Even though I regularly walk into stuff, and fall, and slip when I'm not reading.

Somehow, reading makes me hyper-aware of my surroundings. In complete contrast, reading also pulls me in so thoroughly that I notice nothing else. I've been known to read a book cover to cover without eating, drinking or using the bathroom.

There's always a lot going on in my brain- I actually think I have ADD, but that's another post- and reading somehow quiets that. I love movies and music, but I think one of the things I'll always love about curling up with a book, is that it's all inside. I'm not very visual, so when I read, I don't see characters or scenes. It goes much deeper than that. I feel them. That's why it's so hard to keep reading a book when I didn't connect with the characters. I feel them long after the book is closed. In fact, I got so attached to the characters in Elana Johnson's POSSESSION, I couldn't read anything else for days. Every time I tried, Vi and company would intrude.

Another beauty of books is that it's so personal. As I said, I don't see the story, but that's me. Some people do see the characters. Some people smell the smells and tastes the tastes. And that's one of the hard things about movie casting, because so many people have already designed the cast, and the setting, in their minds, that whatever Hollywood does, just doesn't fit. Because, the movie looks mostly the same to everyone, but a book is what you make it.

I know this post is rambling, but it's like me love for books: all over the place, touching everthing.

Enjoy your literacy! Hug a book today!

Loving Literacy Blogfest: Win a Kindle

Remember how I told you September was going to be bigger than weekly book giveaways?

September 8 is International Literacy Day (and my Daddy's birthday, which is why I remember it). Books and literacy have done so much for me, that I felt like I needed to do something big to celebrate.

BUT FIRST THE KINDLE

Model: 3G + WiFi Kindle.

I was tempted to go the cheap route (because I need to be less of a spendthrift), but I didn't for two reasons.

1. The least expensive Kindle route includes ads on your Kindle. I don't want ads in my books. There are ads every-dang-where else.

2. This Kindle (and the DX- the one I have) provide free Wireless and 3G coverage worldwide* (check Amazon for caveats). And you know how important "internationality" is to me.

If it's not good enough for me, why should it be good enough for anybody else?

WHAT TO DO?

In honour of International Literacy Day I'm hosting the Loving Literacy Blogfest.

BLOGGERS, enter by adding your blog to the linky thing and posting 400-600 words on any topic to do with literacy.

NON-BLOGGERS, email me your 400-600 words on any topic to do with literacy, along with your desired "display name" and your state/city/country.

(Anything you tie back to literacy is ok as a topic: Why I love books more than movies, Why there should be more literacy programs in 3rd world countries, How popular books are a great way to convert "non-readers", How books are the least expensive avenue to different worlds, etc.)

WHO WINS?

I will select my five favourite posts and, YOU, the awesom-est of the awesome, will select our winner by a vote. :)

Voting is also open to everyone, but there'll be a scale in favour of pre-contest followers.

Voters can only vote for one of the five entries.

And if you enter, and you want to campaign your friends, that's totally kosher.

TIMELINE:

SEP 1-8: Enter your link on this post.

SEP 8: Post or email your Literacy Day entry

SEP 12-16: The entries go up, one a day on my blog.

SEP 19-23: Voting

SEP 26: KINDLE WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT

ELIGIBILITY:

This contest is open to everyone, everywhere Amazon will ship Kindles. (Pakistan crew, I'm sorry they don't ship there.) If you're in an exempt country, you're welcome to use a friend's address in another country, but you might want to make sure the shipping thing isn't your country's restriction as opposed to Amazon.



Looking forward to reading the posts. :)