Writing and OMG CANADIAN SF NOSTALGIA
Feb. 26th, 2008 10:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
newnumber6Done another writing cycle, and a little early. It's a bit odd, because there were two things I complained about this week: 1) I didn't have any new ideas I was particularly interested in so I was probably going to have to force the writing on older stuff, and 2) Most of my writing tended to be a little longer in word count than most magazines are interested in. However, I not only worked completely on new stuff, I also finished a story in just a smidge over 3000 words. Yay me! (The other thing I worked on was a little forced-writing though).
It's a bit odd how the finishing one worked, too. Because of 1), while I was on the way to work one day, I said to myself, "Self, you need a new idea to write. Expand your horizons." Okay, I didn't actually say it in those words, but that was the gist of the thought. So I decided I'd experiment. I'd try to come up with the silliest idea I could think of in the next few seconds, and see if I could build a story about it. And I thought of a silly idea very quickly, and thought about it, and thought of a way it might not be totally silly after all. Now, of course, that was just the 'science fictional' germ of an idea. I didn't have anything else, nor know exactly what to build a story around. So when it came time to write, I basically just started with two simple character ideas and no idea where I was going. That's usually not a recipe for great writing for me, but in this case, it worked spectacularly. It was one of those beautiful writerly moments where the story revealed itself to me more or less naturally as I was writing it, to the point where I actually had a point where I essentially went, "Holy crap, (so and so is happening behind the scenes) and this is the story of how the narrator (first person) learns about it." So I was able to finish it up pretty easily. It wasn't a complex story, maybe a little obvious, but I'm rather pleased with it all the same. Oh, it still sucks and needs a great deal of revision, but it sucks less than much of my other work and I may try to polish it up and send it off next when my other story gets rejected.
I've mentioned many times my nostalgic love of the old Canadian TVO program "Prisoners of Gravity". It was a show where the host would interview various creators of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Comics. It's a bit kitschy (see the opening cartoon) but holds a dear place in my thought and have always thought more people should know about it. Well, I happened to do a search again and to my surprise, at least a few episodes now appear to be up on Youtube. Only 4 so far, alas. But, I've been watching them this afternoon, and I share! If you're a fan of written SF in particular, watch (each link's about 10 minutes in length)!
Amnesia/Total Recall: An episode devoted to how the loss of memory or perfect memory is dealt with in various spec-fic.
Part 1: David Cronenburg talks about his attempt to write the adaptation of We Can Remember It For You Wholesale (what eventually became Total Recall), Walter John Williams talks about Voice of the Whirlwind, C.J. Cherryh about memory, particularly in Heavy Time, Harry Harrison on The Turing Option.
Part 2: Pat Cadigan on Fools, and Korsikov's Syndrome. Nancy Kress on Brain Rose, Kim Antieau on "Another Country", Samuel R. Delany on Dhalgren
Part 3 (the eidetic memory part): Ray Bradbury on his own claimed eidetic memory, Megan Lindholm on Alien Earth,
Terry Pratchett on Small Gods
(other links/summaries will be behind the cut to save flists)
The Tolkien episode: Different fantasy authors/comics creators/artists talk about Tolkien's influence on them and the field in general.
Part One: Walt Simonson (Thor comics), Charles Vess (artist, Books of Magic), Mike Ploog (who did layouts for Bakshi's LOTR and other LOTR art), Martin Greenberg (editor of "After The King", a book of stories inspired by Tolkien in honor of his 100th birthday), Charles De Lint (on one of his stories in the collection)
Part Two: De Lint continued, Terry Pratchett (on his story Troll Bridge in it and the influence on Discworld), Guy Gavriel Kay (who helped to complete The Silmarillion and wrote his own fantasy series), Diana L. Paxson (The Wolf and the Raven)
Part Three: Sean Stewart (Nobody's Son). Criticism/Reaction against: Carol Nelson Douglas (criticism on lack of strong female roles), Suzy McKee Charnas (Kingdom of Kevin Malone, possible racism/classism), Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (on Hobbit Smugglers)
, Science and Technology, pros, cons, definitions of SF and fantasy, science vs magic, other views, etc:
Part One: Origins and Definitions of SF: Jack Vance, Candas Jane Dorsey, George R.R. Martin. The New Wave: Candas Jane Dorsey. How much Science should there be in SF: George R.R. Martin, Spider & Jeannie Robinson, Lewis Shiner, Jack Vance, Larry Niven, Gregory Benford on Nuclear Power,
Part Two: Jack Womack on little glitches in technology, What's the difference between Hi Tech and Magic (Fantasy writing vs SF writing): Guy Gavriel Kay, Marianne Nelsen, Jack Vance, Larry Niven, Dave Duncan. George R.R. Martin on science inaccuracy in TV/Movies, Spider & Jeannie Robinson on living without technology
Part Three: Robert J. Sawyer on dealing with computers, Spider Robinson on the technological singularity, Dave Duncan on the predictive/warning ability of SF, Larry Niven on Harvesting Organs from criminals.
, Writers talk about Fans and Fandom:
Part One: Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), Julius Schwartz (DC editor) and Forrest J. Ackerman on the origins of SF fandom and the first conventions
Part Two: Lois McMaster Bujold (Vorkosigan Saga), Harlan Ellison on despising the audience, Neil Gaiman (Sandman), Dave Gibbons (Watchmen), Garth Ennis (Hellblazer)
Part Three: Spider Robinson, Walter Koening (on the Shatner "Get A Life" Skit), various Star Trek Fans, Michael Dorn, A Filk Song
And it's not a whole ep, just to complete the youtube collection, here's a clip from PoG of Alan Moore and Steve Bissett talking about Swamp Thing and Metamorphosis in comics in general
Not my favorite of the episodes (though the Amnesia one I quite liked, and the second part of the fans one with Ellison and Gaiman was pretty cool), but still a blast from the past. I've said it before, and I'll say it again... I really wish there was a show like this now.
It's a bit odd how the finishing one worked, too. Because of 1), while I was on the way to work one day, I said to myself, "Self, you need a new idea to write. Expand your horizons." Okay, I didn't actually say it in those words, but that was the gist of the thought. So I decided I'd experiment. I'd try to come up with the silliest idea I could think of in the next few seconds, and see if I could build a story about it. And I thought of a silly idea very quickly, and thought about it, and thought of a way it might not be totally silly after all. Now, of course, that was just the 'science fictional' germ of an idea. I didn't have anything else, nor know exactly what to build a story around. So when it came time to write, I basically just started with two simple character ideas and no idea where I was going. That's usually not a recipe for great writing for me, but in this case, it worked spectacularly. It was one of those beautiful writerly moments where the story revealed itself to me more or less naturally as I was writing it, to the point where I actually had a point where I essentially went, "Holy crap, (so and so is happening behind the scenes) and this is the story of how the narrator (first person) learns about it." So I was able to finish it up pretty easily. It wasn't a complex story, maybe a little obvious, but I'm rather pleased with it all the same. Oh, it still sucks and needs a great deal of revision, but it sucks less than much of my other work and I may try to polish it up and send it off next when my other story gets rejected.
I've mentioned many times my nostalgic love of the old Canadian TVO program "Prisoners of Gravity". It was a show where the host would interview various creators of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Comics. It's a bit kitschy (see the opening cartoon) but holds a dear place in my thought and have always thought more people should know about it. Well, I happened to do a search again and to my surprise, at least a few episodes now appear to be up on Youtube. Only 4 so far, alas. But, I've been watching them this afternoon, and I share! If you're a fan of written SF in particular, watch (each link's about 10 minutes in length)!
Amnesia/Total Recall: An episode devoted to how the loss of memory or perfect memory is dealt with in various spec-fic.
Part 1: David Cronenburg talks about his attempt to write the adaptation of We Can Remember It For You Wholesale (what eventually became Total Recall), Walter John Williams talks about Voice of the Whirlwind, C.J. Cherryh about memory, particularly in Heavy Time, Harry Harrison on The Turing Option.
Part 2: Pat Cadigan on Fools, and Korsikov's Syndrome. Nancy Kress on Brain Rose, Kim Antieau on "Another Country", Samuel R. Delany on Dhalgren
Part 3 (the eidetic memory part): Ray Bradbury on his own claimed eidetic memory, Megan Lindholm on Alien Earth,
Terry Pratchett on Small Gods
(other links/summaries will be behind the cut to save flists)
The Tolkien episode: Different fantasy authors/comics creators/artists talk about Tolkien's influence on them and the field in general.
Part One: Walt Simonson (Thor comics), Charles Vess (artist, Books of Magic), Mike Ploog (who did layouts for Bakshi's LOTR and other LOTR art), Martin Greenberg (editor of "After The King", a book of stories inspired by Tolkien in honor of his 100th birthday), Charles De Lint (on one of his stories in the collection)
Part Two: De Lint continued, Terry Pratchett (on his story Troll Bridge in it and the influence on Discworld), Guy Gavriel Kay (who helped to complete The Silmarillion and wrote his own fantasy series), Diana L. Paxson (The Wolf and the Raven)
Part Three: Sean Stewart (Nobody's Son). Criticism/Reaction against: Carol Nelson Douglas (criticism on lack of strong female roles), Suzy McKee Charnas (Kingdom of Kevin Malone, possible racism/classism), Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (on Hobbit Smugglers)
, Science and Technology, pros, cons, definitions of SF and fantasy, science vs magic, other views, etc:
Part One: Origins and Definitions of SF: Jack Vance, Candas Jane Dorsey, George R.R. Martin. The New Wave: Candas Jane Dorsey. How much Science should there be in SF: George R.R. Martin, Spider & Jeannie Robinson, Lewis Shiner, Jack Vance, Larry Niven, Gregory Benford on Nuclear Power,
Part Two: Jack Womack on little glitches in technology, What's the difference between Hi Tech and Magic (Fantasy writing vs SF writing): Guy Gavriel Kay, Marianne Nelsen, Jack Vance, Larry Niven, Dave Duncan. George R.R. Martin on science inaccuracy in TV/Movies, Spider & Jeannie Robinson on living without technology
Part Three: Robert J. Sawyer on dealing with computers, Spider Robinson on the technological singularity, Dave Duncan on the predictive/warning ability of SF, Larry Niven on Harvesting Organs from criminals.
, Writers talk about Fans and Fandom:
Part One: Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), Julius Schwartz (DC editor) and Forrest J. Ackerman on the origins of SF fandom and the first conventions
Part Two: Lois McMaster Bujold (Vorkosigan Saga), Harlan Ellison on despising the audience, Neil Gaiman (Sandman), Dave Gibbons (Watchmen), Garth Ennis (Hellblazer)
Part Three: Spider Robinson, Walter Koening (on the Shatner "Get A Life" Skit), various Star Trek Fans, Michael Dorn, A Filk Song
And it's not a whole ep, just to complete the youtube collection, here's a clip from PoG of Alan Moore and Steve Bissett talking about Swamp Thing and Metamorphosis in comics in general
Not my favorite of the episodes (though the Amnesia one I quite liked, and the second part of the fans one with Ellison and Gaiman was pretty cool), but still a blast from the past. I've said it before, and I'll say it again... I really wish there was a show like this now.
