Fic and Hair Wittering

[hobgoblinn]

Because composing a live journal entry is a perfectly valid form of procrastination, and creating polls is even more so, I am doing both while taking a break from writing my Epic. Under the cuts, to spare the f-list.

Poll the First: Posting more "In Loco Parentis"

I've got some of the next part of "In Loco" corrected based on beta comments. But neither of my lovely betas (hi, research_girl and sahiya) has made it all the way through this much longer section. And because both are wonderfully talented people with Real Lives, they are doing exciting things in exciting places far from home this week. So first I have to decide:
[Poll #1162620]

Poll the Second: hobgoblinn's hair

I wore my hair short as a kid. I didn't start growing it out until college, and it's gotten long several times in the intervening years. I cut it all off when I kicked out my ex (in a pointless but satisfying gesture) and kept it shoulder length for a long while after it grew back out. It's currently about 3/4 of the way down my back, kinda a dark mousy brown with a disturbing number of mousy grey strands starting to make an appearance. I blame Wee Hob for that.

It would be great if I knew how to do anything interesting with my hair, like braid it, or put it up. But I don't, and I haven't the coordination to learn. I usually pull it back in a pony tail, and often wear a ball cap over it as well, when I can't bring myself to take the extra five minutes out of my sleep in the morning for a shower.

In any event, I'm thinking of cutting it radically. But I need others to blame for my bad decisions, which is where you come in:

[Poll #1162621]

Comments

[sunsethill.livejournal.com]

On posting--two weeks is a long time to wait ;-). My answer would depend on how many mistakes the betas found in the parts they got to. If it was flowing well and there only were a few problems, I would go with posting all of it and taking your chances. But if they found several important things to correct (and it does seem that you've had some struggles knowing where to go with your plot based on previous comments), then post the logically ending shorter stuff. This way you feel a sense of accomplishment but don't get trapped with errors.

[nemaihne.livejournal.com]

I didn't vote on the first one because I always post warts and all since I have no beta. (Of the ones I did have one is permanently indisposed and one was terrible- she was making 'corrections' that were grammatical mistakes even I could catch.) But I realize no one else likes that method because it makes you look like you have never seen the inside of an English book.

I voted ticky box on the second, because I go back and forth on my hair all the time. I think shoulder length is the way to go. Still long enough to put back when it's annoying but short enough not to be annoying so often. Any shorter than that and you run the risk of having to keep up with the cut. I always forget short haircuts are a lot more troublesome to keep from looking shaggy. So not short, not long. Something in the middle.

[fuzzyboo03.livejournal.com]

As for the fic, I voted for posting the short beta'd bit, in part because the poll itself had a goof in it, and because that way you get to post something while still waiting for the betas.

As for the second - I don't know how short you are thinking about, but one of the things that drives me nuts about very short hair is that it is even less tolerant of missing a shower in the morning. So I keep my hair longer (just below my shoulders) while I'm recovering from surgery because I just can't shower daily.

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

The hair question comes down to how does your look in its natural state. Mine is long also and very tick and wavy/curly. I too am incapable of anything more than a ponytail, but because of the texture, I get a lot of compliments.

Plus wash and wear hair is a big plus in my book.

So, the question is, what is easier/would look better?

[silburygirl.livejournal.com]

I confess that I was probably swayed in my answer to the second by my own recent rather drastic change of hair. However, on a more practical note, shorter does mean that you go through a lot less shampoo.

[veradee.livejournal.com]

I've never had long hair, which is why I opted for cutting it.

I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to my hair, because I wash it every morning. It's not greasy, but I just don't like the thought of it not being washed. I would do the same if it were long, and since my hair is very thick and I have enough hair for two people, I don't even want to imagine how long it would take me to dry it if I let it grow.

[empresspatti.livejournal.com]

Hair always grows back - why not try something new? I chop mine off regular - and within a few months it's driving me nuts again....

[gileswench.livejournal.com]

I'm about to get my hair cut because it's been too long since I had it in an identifiable style and as a lifestyle and fashion blogger, I feel it's sort of important that I have, you know, some style.

My advice? Get yourself a magazine and look at the hairstyles in it. When you find something you like that looks like it will work with your hair and face, slap it down in front of a stylist and go for it.

I remember once going into a hairdresser's with my hair just past my chin and handing them a picture of a girl with hair that was buzzed in back and longer on top. I said that was how I wanted my hair to look when I left. The stylist kept double, triple, and eventually sextuple-checking with me that I wanted it that short. At last she said: "Once I start cutting, it's gone." My reply? "It's hair. It grows back."

As it happens, I didn't keep the style terribly long, but I really enjoyed it while I did.

Amusingly enough, when my hair was down to my waist and I asked to have it cut above my shoulders, the stylist I had gone to at the time just said sure and started cutting. Much better experience, that time. Great cut, too.

But the point is, the great thing about hair is that it does grow back if you decide you don't like what you did with it. Have fun with it.