newnumber6 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
newnumber6) wrote2008-04-17 08:18 pm
newnumber6) wrote2008-04-17 08:18 pm
Entry tags:
- books,
- doctor who,
- terminator,
- tv,
- whedon,
- writing
A bunch of stuff I was going to add to yesterday's post but got too lazy...
So let's start with the TV, shall we? Doctor Who was a better episode this week with a trip to the past, and Donna's doing a good job as the Doctor's Companion. Though I do kind of wish we'd get a story set in a historical time period that _doesn't_ deal with some alien plot to destroy or take over the world, or really deal with aliens at all. I know they're the bread and butter of Who, but I'd like to see one that _just_ dealt with the history, with some of the drama being involved in being swept up in events, maybe being killed in the middle of a war, etc. Hell, I'd kind of like the same in a future story too. BSG also worked out better, with some odd developments on the cylons that were kind of cool, but (minor spoilers ahead) the way Boomer seems to just appear, act in inexplicable ways, and then is never seen again is really kind of annoying me... she was on the show from day one, she was the Cylon who was a sleeper agent and helped try and direct the Cylons away from war with humans. Since then she only appeared occasionally and we never really got a look at her mind or what drives her. I want to know why she chose to break ranks with her number, what she's doing now in general, etc. Hopefully there'll be some of that in days to come.
In other news about the old Televisual system, Amy Acker has joined the cast of Whedon's Dollhouse, so there's another alum of his old shows. You know when he finds someone he likes he likes using them again. There's still no official word on the renewal of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, but TV guide lists it as a 9 on "chances to return out of 1-10" and pointed out that apparently they've been adding to the production staff, so that's good to hear. I just wish they'd make it official. John Shiban's taking up a showrunning position on another series (Wizard's First Rule) which I suspect means he may be leaving Supernatural or having less of an involvement, which I only mention because there are some SN fans on my flist who might be interested. Also Ron Moore and Michael Taylor (of BSG) have a SF pilot greenlit for FOX. Let's hope it works out better than their last series, the Bionic Woman. Here's how it, Virtuality, is described: "(A) sci-fi drama which follows 12 astronauts who are sent on a 10-year journey to find a distant solar system. The explorers pass the time by hooking up to advanced virtual reality modules to explore self-created worlds. But they discover someone has downloaded a computer bug into the system -- and one of them may be the saboteur." You know, I kind of dig the description? It sounds like they're making it a Slower-Than-Light travel SF series, which is good, and as long as the virtual reality element is handled well it could be quite cool. I'm in for it. I know a lot of people don't bother with FOX because they cancel stuff, but if you ask me, that attitude's just dumb and liable to get more stuff cancelled. They want a hit as much as anyone and they as a network seem to _try_ a lot more for SF than many of the other ones, who only attempt it when another network has hit big with one. Anyway, rant over. Moving on.
Writing-wise, I'm on another writing cycle, although I was actually working on a fair bit of free-writing during my off-cycle, so it doesn't seem like much. It's going okay I guess, still a bit slogging and still don't have the whole excitment about writing back yet, and though I still have decent ideas for the SFnal aspects of a story, the more basic plots sometimes elude me. However, last week I did make some good progress on a story (a sequel, or at least set in the same universe but much later, to one I finished and was quite pleased with a while ago). In the process, I wound up wroting my first male/male sexual relationship. I think I've written characters who I've stated (or even privately assumed) were gay before, but this was the first time I wrote about two of them getting together. It wasn't even deliberate, I wasn't sure where I was going with the story, and was just writing these two male characters interact, and suddenly realized, "Oh, wow, they're old lovers". There was no explicit sex or anything though, mostly just stated that it occured (and I suppose it's technically not really a gay relationship since part of the world's background is that many people are somewhat omnisexual, and one of the participants is later chasing after a girl). Still, I hit a bit of a wall with that story. I sort of know where I'm going with it but I lost some of the excitement and have switched to something else for the time being.
I think the lack of writing excitement probably signals I haven't entirely pulled out of my winter depression, despite it being spring. I still feel a bit hopeless, which while a realistic outlook doesn't help me get up and moving like I'd want. Helping to mitigate it though is that I've been a bit more into chatting with a new group. No offense to the other people I chat with, but, well, you suck! No, no, you don't suck, it's just there is something sort of ego-stroking about talking to a new group of people who you haven't already told your best jokes to. ;) This is actually the remnants of the old BKV online forum who since migrated to a new one after he closed it, where we also set up a chat room.
Anyway, what else is else? Oh yes, Book Foo.
Finished: Look to Windward, by Iain M. Banks
Started: Ventus, by Karl Shroeder
Look to Windward is another Culture novel, and the last of them I'll be reading for a while (since it's the last I've got right now). It wasn't bad, but not my favorite of them.
While some of the world building was cool and the closer look into the life of a hub AI was entertaining, the basics of the plot kind of fell flat, and I didn't much care for some of the alien characters. Sometimes I wanted more depth in an area and didn't get it, and some plots just seemed to trail off rather than dealing with the main story.
Ventus is a first SF novel by a Toronto writer, looking like it's a nice big idea novel, and it's pretty hefty.
Finished: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by J.K. Rowling
Started: Otherland, Vol 3: Mountain of Black Glass, by Tad Williams
Thoughts on OotP behind cut. Short version, not bad, but some elements rankle.
One of my problems with the HP books is the somewhat cartooniness of almost everybody. Now, sure, it's a kid's book, it's only natural, but I can't help that it annoys me either. Actually, when she's writing the kids she does a decent job, some of them seem pretty layered. But, with a few exceptions (the teachers, mostly, but sometimes not even them) the adults either seem to be incomprehensible dolts or paragons of goodness, or occasionally cartoonishly evil. Particularly in a world where they repeatedly make mention of things like truth potions and the like, you'd think there'd be little doubt about whether someone was making up a big story that was liable to affect everybody if it was true.
Still, I liked the basic plot of the first book a little more than last time - at least it seemed to make the basics of sense if you took for granted some of the motivations and the magical rules which seem to serve the plot rather than drive it. I'm finally caught up with the movies again, and only 2 more books to go before I can't be spoilered about anything.
In other news about the old Televisual system, Amy Acker has joined the cast of Whedon's Dollhouse, so there's another alum of his old shows. You know when he finds someone he likes he likes using them again. There's still no official word on the renewal of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, but TV guide lists it as a 9 on "chances to return out of 1-10" and pointed out that apparently they've been adding to the production staff, so that's good to hear. I just wish they'd make it official. John Shiban's taking up a showrunning position on another series (Wizard's First Rule) which I suspect means he may be leaving Supernatural or having less of an involvement, which I only mention because there are some SN fans on my flist who might be interested. Also Ron Moore and Michael Taylor (of BSG) have a SF pilot greenlit for FOX. Let's hope it works out better than their last series, the Bionic Woman. Here's how it, Virtuality, is described: "(A) sci-fi drama which follows 12 astronauts who are sent on a 10-year journey to find a distant solar system. The explorers pass the time by hooking up to advanced virtual reality modules to explore self-created worlds. But they discover someone has downloaded a computer bug into the system -- and one of them may be the saboteur." You know, I kind of dig the description? It sounds like they're making it a Slower-Than-Light travel SF series, which is good, and as long as the virtual reality element is handled well it could be quite cool. I'm in for it. I know a lot of people don't bother with FOX because they cancel stuff, but if you ask me, that attitude's just dumb and liable to get more stuff cancelled. They want a hit as much as anyone and they as a network seem to _try_ a lot more for SF than many of the other ones, who only attempt it when another network has hit big with one. Anyway, rant over. Moving on.
Writing-wise, I'm on another writing cycle, although I was actually working on a fair bit of free-writing during my off-cycle, so it doesn't seem like much. It's going okay I guess, still a bit slogging and still don't have the whole excitment about writing back yet, and though I still have decent ideas for the SFnal aspects of a story, the more basic plots sometimes elude me. However, last week I did make some good progress on a story (a sequel, or at least set in the same universe but much later, to one I finished and was quite pleased with a while ago). In the process, I wound up wroting my first male/male sexual relationship. I think I've written characters who I've stated (or even privately assumed) were gay before, but this was the first time I wrote about two of them getting together. It wasn't even deliberate, I wasn't sure where I was going with the story, and was just writing these two male characters interact, and suddenly realized, "Oh, wow, they're old lovers". There was no explicit sex or anything though, mostly just stated that it occured (and I suppose it's technically not really a gay relationship since part of the world's background is that many people are somewhat omnisexual, and one of the participants is later chasing after a girl). Still, I hit a bit of a wall with that story. I sort of know where I'm going with it but I lost some of the excitement and have switched to something else for the time being.
I think the lack of writing excitement probably signals I haven't entirely pulled out of my winter depression, despite it being spring. I still feel a bit hopeless, which while a realistic outlook doesn't help me get up and moving like I'd want. Helping to mitigate it though is that I've been a bit more into chatting with a new group. No offense to the other people I chat with, but, well, you suck! No, no, you don't suck, it's just there is something sort of ego-stroking about talking to a new group of people who you haven't already told your best jokes to. ;) This is actually the remnants of the old BKV online forum who since migrated to a new one after he closed it, where we also set up a chat room.
Anyway, what else is else? Oh yes, Book Foo.
Finished: Look to Windward, by Iain M. Banks
Started: Ventus, by Karl Shroeder
Look to Windward is another Culture novel, and the last of them I'll be reading for a while (since it's the last I've got right now). It wasn't bad, but not my favorite of them.
While some of the world building was cool and the closer look into the life of a hub AI was entertaining, the basics of the plot kind of fell flat, and I didn't much care for some of the alien characters. Sometimes I wanted more depth in an area and didn't get it, and some plots just seemed to trail off rather than dealing with the main story.
Ventus is a first SF novel by a Toronto writer, looking like it's a nice big idea novel, and it's pretty hefty.
Finished: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by J.K. Rowling
Started: Otherland, Vol 3: Mountain of Black Glass, by Tad Williams
Thoughts on OotP behind cut. Short version, not bad, but some elements rankle.
One of my problems with the HP books is the somewhat cartooniness of almost everybody. Now, sure, it's a kid's book, it's only natural, but I can't help that it annoys me either. Actually, when she's writing the kids she does a decent job, some of them seem pretty layered. But, with a few exceptions (the teachers, mostly, but sometimes not even them) the adults either seem to be incomprehensible dolts or paragons of goodness, or occasionally cartoonishly evil. Particularly in a world where they repeatedly make mention of things like truth potions and the like, you'd think there'd be little doubt about whether someone was making up a big story that was liable to affect everybody if it was true.
Still, I liked the basic plot of the first book a little more than last time - at least it seemed to make the basics of sense if you took for granted some of the motivations and the magical rules which seem to serve the plot rather than drive it. I'm finally caught up with the movies again, and only 2 more books to go before I can't be spoilered about anything.
no subject
I can't even blame any of the mediocrity of the current season on him. At the very least, I haven't been subjected to one of his scripts on this year. Thing about Shiban is - he has interesting ideas but he never deals with them. Which is a shame.
no subject
I don't think they've done a straight up history story on Doctor Who since the First or Second Doctor. The second the Daleks were introduced the writers started doing more sci-fi stuff. "The Fires of Pompeii" will probably be the closest they ever get. Who actually wants to learn stuff about history nowadays anyway? ;-)
no subject
no subject
I think they intended Doctor Who to be some kind of educational show at first, before the sci-fi thing took off.
no subject