SoD: The Problem and the Resolution
I have officially figured out what the problem is with The Spellweaver of Dern. I’d thought it was a problem before, and I was right. The Presh storyline is all wrong. In fact, after thinking upon it earlier I’ve decided that I hate it. Sure, it’s good on its own, but it doesn’t belong in SoD. Why? Because it isn’t WISB; it’s something else. I noticed it while listening to a podcast and thinking about where I wanted to go with the story. There is humor there, but when I thought about that humor I realized that it doesn’t work. Presh and Fidge feel more like characters from a different fantasy world (Altern, to be specific). There is a lot of quirkiness there, and WISB isn’t that quirky. True, WISB has Pea, who is strange, fun, and, in my mind, hilarious, but Pea is also an incredibly serious character who is funny not necessarily because of his jokes, but because of how he deals with serious issues. Take his first appearance, which I won’t ruin here in case you haven’t read it. James discovers something about Pea that Pea takes great offense about, but to us is rather humorous both because Pea makes a scene about it and because what happens is somewhat funny. But it’s not funny to Pea, and it’s certainly not funny just as a comedic moment, but as other things as well, since it establishes the character and gives us some much needed cultural inclusion. With Presh and Fidge there isn’t a lot of that. True, there is culture, but their storyline feels more like a big joke to me, and I don’t want WISB to feel like a joke. WISB’s humor is in conjunction with some serious issues, particularly for James because of all he has to go through to succeed on his “quest/journey/mission/etc.”. I didn’t feel like Presh and Fidge were going somewhere of equal importance. I had intentions for them to go there, but it felt more like they were going somewhere that isn’t in WISB, but perhaps in Altern instead.So with that, I’m making an official decision on the fate of Presh and Fidge: I’m cutting them out of SoD. They don’t belong. I intend to keep them for something else, or at least if I have something else that I can use them in. I want to focus mostly on James and Laura, and their companions, and have come up with a plan that keeps you readers in-the-know about what is happening on Traea while the other characters are fleeing. That was the prime reason for Presh and Fidge, and now that I have an idea how to go about keeping that inclusion without them, things may work better. I want the issues in WISB to remain serious, with some comedic relief, rather than becoming a quirky fantasy novel.There also is a major connection between the world of Traea and our world, which will be realized either in SoD or in the next book…at least if you’re paying attention (I’m not going to go “here it is, look and be amazed” with the connection, because I already did that). So having said that, it’s done. I hope it’s alright with everyone who has been reading. I just want to push James and Laura forward, and I find it difficult knowing that Presh and Fidge were problem characters for me. Thanks!
J. J. Abrams: Moron in Producer’s Clothing
From io9: Abrams talked a lot about why he thinks the time is right for a show about the horrors of science gone wrong. “Every day, every week, we hear about some potentially horrifying thing… Science is out of control.” No, what’s out of control is the overrated producer/creator that gave us the Lost, Cloverfield, and what will almost surely be a horribly overrated junker, Fringe. Let’s discuss for a moment, shall we?You wrote an adult version of Gilligan’s Island, which wasn’t very good and which proved to have no credibility when the fat guy on the show never lost any weight. Really? A guy that size goes on an extreme diet on a semi-deserted island and doesn’t lose a pound? I mean, come on, he had to lose at least a little weight. All that running around, climbing, and eating coconuts and dirt…I’m losing weight just talking about it. Not to mention the show took itself way too seriously, so much so that nothing happens in almost all the episodes, which puts me to sleep (sort of like Heroes, which lost me when it got all “evil government” on me…the X-men cartoon was better).Then you wrote Cloverfield, one of the worst science fiction movies I’ve seen in a long time, sporting the witty narration of a half-retarded guy named Chud, or Chug, or Chum, or some four-letter name for a mentally deficient college-aged guy who clearly took one too many hits in the head during football practice. That movie took all the horribly idiotic cliches of horror movies and disaster films, put them together, and did nothing all that new or original with it. Bravo.Finally, you’re giving us Fringe, which sounded cool to me for a while, until that glorious quote above where you tried to make it sound like science is this big scary evil thing that’s out of control. Excuse me? This is why people like Abrams shouldn’t be allowed to write about things they don’t know anything about. Science isn’t out of control. In fact, it’s strictly controlled by rules, regulations, etc. We’re not producing evil super-humans who go around assassinating people in their sleep, never leaving a trace, and being capable of scaling 20-storey buildings in a single leap. We don’t have super-viruses controlled by the government to keep the masses in check, or nasty robot bugs that go around with little lasers, shooting people that make a vague threat against the government. See, that would be out of control…having those things. But we don’t. Nope, science is cool. Just remember that the next time you get a shot. Science gave us the means to fabricate our own immunities. And that’s all I have to say about this…
2081: New Kurt Vonnegut Movie?
I discovered this site/trailer for a new movie called 2081 that is supposed to be based on a short story by Kurt Vonnegut. It looks really fascinating and I’m curious if anyone knows about the project, such as when it’s due in theaters or online or wherever. Check it out for yourself if you haven’t heard about it. It’s dystopian science fiction and it’s truly fascinating. Anywho! (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)