World in the Satin Bag

World in the Satin Bag

Fantasy Novel Progress Report (Part One)

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Those of you who follow me on Twitter already know about a new project I’ve been working on. Still, I wanted to blog about it as a way of getting my thoughts down in sentences longer than 140 characters. As much as I love Twitter, it does have its limitations. Recently I began work on a new fantasy novel. I’ve been meaning to write it for a while after being inspired by the Battlestar Galactica version of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower.” I don’t know what it is about that song, but when I hear it my mind races with ideas. That’s how this novel came along, tentatively called The Watchtower. Initially I thought this would be a short story, but the characters wouldn’t hear of it. They wanted more, and I can’t say no to my characters—if I do, they get angry and wreak havoc on my brain, which is not beneficial if you’re a graduate student. Currently there are three main characters and two primary supporting characters. There’s Luz, an apprentice magic user of sorts, Bromistan, a failed court jester, Pertuvoz, a character I don’t know much about yet, but who should be loads of fun to write for, Ladron, a thief (and no, there are no guilds or anything like that, he just likes to steal things), and Protegara, a master magic user and teacher to Luz. I have no doubt that there will be more characters soon, but for now, that’s it. As far as the plot: I haven’t quite secured it yet. I’m trying to avoid turning this into an epic quest story, or any sort of epic fantasy involving big giant battles and what not. But such attempts to avoid staples of the genre are not working well. Thus far the story hinges on the sudden fall of the four kingdoms of the Mundoscurad (my fantasy land) and all of these characters getting caught in the middle of it. The four kingdoms are invaded by the long-defeated horseback barbarians from the northern lands (Nortierra) and practically swept aside overnight without a second thought. I will likely be explaining why it is so easy, considering the history of the kingdoms (they banded together some four hundred years ago in order to defeat the Nortierra riders), but since I only have about 5,000 words written, I think simplistic explanations are in order. For now, that’s where it stands. My primary problem right now seems to be a proper way to open the piece, and as I write more and more to it I find myself slipping into the quirky side of fantasy, which I do not want for this. I love quirky fantasy, but The Watchtower is not a quirky novel. The Watchtower is also the mark of an experiment on my part. I want to try outlining this whole thing to see how that works for me. My problem is that the few chapters I have already outlined were changed in the writing process. I might switch how I approach outlining to accommodate my need to change things on a whim, but ultimately I want to make outlining a staple of my writing process as far as novels are concerned. I like free writing with a general idea, but such methods led me into a hole with The Spellweaver of Dern, and I can’t have that happening over and over again with everything I write. I want a finished novel. But I can make some promises for The Watchtower:–There will be no elves, dwarves, etc.–There will be magic, but it will be limited. Much of the magic of my world has been forgotten anyway, and a lot of it has less to do with fireballs and explosions and more to do with divination and what you might call “lesser magics.”–There may or may not be large, mythical beasts. That’s not really a promise, but I’m considering the possibility of altering the bestiary of the Mundoscurad to be a bit more fantastic than what is typical of our world.–The Watchtower will be a serious piece, with some comic relief (I hope). As I said, I like quirky fantasy, but I want The Watchtower to have a serious tone.–I’m not going to bother avoiding all the clichés of fantasy. That’s impossible. I’ve already got a thief, for heaven’s sake.–There will be a chosen one, but not in a traditional sense. I won’t say more, because I don’t fully know how it’s going to work yet, but just know that my chosen one will not be the lovely savior of the world, per se. He or she might be involved in the saving of the world, but I refuse to let this character become just another prophesied special person who rescues everyone and becomes a super duper hero. Such things are tired, in my opinion.–I will finish the rough draft by February 1st, 2010. I’m giving myself a fair bit of time primarily because The Watchtower is not the only thing I am writing and I have other goals to achieve this year anyway (reaching 200,000 written words in fiction, and having twenty-five pieces of short fiction submitted at once, which I am currently about eight pieces away from doing). I expect The Watchtower to be roughly 90,000 words, but you never know. And so ends my first progress report. More to come in the future, I’m sure.

World in the Satin Bag

The Five Phases of Science Fiction

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The other day I mentioned that I thought science fiction went through several phases in every industrialized or industrializing nation. I thought I would further explicate my theories on this subject here. The only problem with these phases is that they are not absolute temporally. They do not happen at exactly the same time, nor do they last for the same duration as another nation. Likewise, these phases overlap and most of them never end, but instead become less prominent. As you’ll see below, most of these phases are still in existence today, in some form or another, but the older the phase, the less common it has become. And, as always, I would like input from my readers. I don’t claim that these are necessarily true, as there are plenty of sub-phases and unknown factors that may or may not change the way these phases operate. If you have differing opinions, let me know in the comments. The following are the five primary phases of science fiction: The Pulp PhaseAnything comprising the Pulp Era and early Golden Age SF, this phase is home of a plethora of vaguely remembered and long forgotten pulp writers, such as A. E. Van Vogt, the folks who created Perry Rhodan, etc. Many of the authors of this phase are present in the phase that follows, either continuing the tradition of adventurous, pulpy fiction, or adjusting their fiction styles to suit the evolution of SF. The Classic Phase (Golden Age)Think Asimov, Heinlein, early (and even late) Clarke, and many others who took the genre to places that pulp fiction could not. Early high concept SF arises here, but the genre still hasn’t filled its shoes yet. The “sense of wonder” feel is a primary concern–one which we’ve now concluded has begun to die out as the genre ages. The Sociology PhaseWith an influx of female and non-white SF writers, social issues begin to take precedence. Technology is here used to highlight social or cultural issues, usually through a critical approach, rather than as a shiny tool. Fine writers like Octavia Butler, Samuel R. Delany, mid-Clarke and Niven, and others are present during this phase. The Near Future PhaseDuring the 80s there was a boom of literature interested in a future not all the distant from our present. We called it Cyberpunk, but there were other subgenres being made prominent during that phase (post-apocalyptic, ecotastrophe, etc.). It would be fair to say that William Gibson was and still is the pioneer of this phase, but he was, by no means, the only one. Pat Cadigan, Bruce Sterling, and many others were doing a lot of relatively near future stories back then. The Rebirth PhaseI’d argue that we are currently in this phase, or at least on our way to it. The Rebirth Phase places significant focus on re-imaginings of old concepts. New Space Opera and the frequently proclaimed Heinlein homage are prominent features here. Authors like Tobias S. Buckell, John Scalzi, and many others are big faces in the rebirth of classic science fiction. Here you would also find high concept military SF and high concept near future SF. Notes: There are some logical exceptions to all this. First off, as I mentioned, none of these phases are absolutes. They overlap and some re-emerge in pulses from time to time, but each phase does eventually die down or become absorbed by a succeeding phase. A prime example of such an absorbing can be seen in the end of Cyberpunk; the subgenre did not technically die, because the elements that made it such a distinct subgenre were simply adopted by other subgenres. Most of the authors mentioned are also not absolutes. While many of them were prominent figures in the phases I mentioned them in, quite a few of them moved on to other phases. The most prolific of authors were capable of adjusting with the times, whether intentionally or otherwise. There are likely authors I have missed in this post, particularly female authors. In my defense, I have not read enough SF from female authors to feel comfortable forcing them into different categories; I am far more familiar with female authors in fantasy (such as Karen Miller, Kage Baker, etc.). I personally do not pick books by gender or name, though I’m sure some would argue that I do so subconsciously (which I think is an impossible argument to make if you don’t know me). Everything I’ve said here is applicable to literature only. SF film has a similar, but unique evolution.

World in the Satin Bag

Rejections Are Good For You

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Anyone with brains knows that if you intend to be a legitimately published writer, you’re going to get rejected not just once, but multiple times. It’s extremely rare for a writer to avoid rejection by publishers. But rejection isn’t such a bad thing. I’m not sure where anti-rejection discussions come from, but it seems to me that if you’re going to complain about rejections, you’re in the wrong business. It’s part of the writing life, whether you’re an amateur who has yet to be published, or a professional with two hundred novels under your belt. Everyone gets rejected and having the right attitude about them can lessen their effects and teach you a few things in the process, such as: –Having Thick SkinWhether it’s a rejection or someone telling you that you suck, thick skin is important to have. And it doesn’t come easily. Even I have the occasional issue with taking criticism, but ultimately getting better at taking good or bad criticism in the form of a rejection, critique, or review will make you a better writer in the long run. –Your Common Mistakes (or Mistakes You Didn’t Know About)Sometimes a rejection will come with a note from the editor. These are important. Why? Because sometimes those notes contain information you might need to make your writing better. Not all notes matter, though. Some will hint at an editor’s personal preference in fiction, and some will simply tell you that you made a few mistakes on the front page (I received a note on a rejection from Analog that pointed me to some formatting errors). And don’t forget that getting a rejection means you tried. How many wannabe writers out there never get that far? My guess is that most people who want to write, or say they do, never actually submit anything. What’s the saying? It’s better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all? The same thing is true of writing and rejections. You’ll never get anywhere without trying. So, to all those folks out there talking about why rejection sucks, think again. A rejection is certainly not ideal, but it’s better than nothing.

World in the Satin Bag

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

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The Harry Potter film franchise has had a rocky existence. Some of the movies have been fantastic, and some of them not so much. The latest installment, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, is an example of a well-crafted adaptation gone wrong. The sixth movie brings us back to Hogwarts, where extra security measures have been put in place to deal with potential attacks on the school by Voldemort, now fully recognized as “back.” Dumbledore, however, has plans for Harry, and implores the chosen one to help him convince a former professor, one Horace Slughorn, to divulge the information the two of them need to weaken Voldemort. And as Harry works with Dumbledore to press Slughorn for information, teenage life at Hogwarts starts to get a bit…steamy. One thing that has always stood out in the Harry Potter films is how each director/screenwriter attempts to show how the characters have matured not just in how they act on the screen, but in how the films themselves are designed. These films are quickly becoming “not for kids” movies, growing up with the characters and the viewing audience as the books did all those years ago. The sixth movie is well aware that it is no longer dealing with children characters, but practical adults with emotional and physical desires comparable to everyone else—just because they’re wizards doesn’t mean they don’t have teenage issues. And so the relationships between the characters grows more complex, more emotionally mature, and more powerful, leaving us with high hopes for the duology to come.But the movie is not without flaws. Unfortunately the sixth film suffers not from being poor as a film, per se, but at being an adaptation. Generally speaking the adaptations for the Harry Potter movies have been imperfect, yet good enough. But here there is a serious flaw: the ending no longer makes sense. For those who have read the books, you’ll understand. There is supposed to be a fight scene at the end of the book that is discussed briefly by Rowling. This scene establishes the basis for the presence of several of the enemy characters, but in the movie, they’ve cut this entire scene, which would not be a problem if they had also cut out everything to do with Draco Malfoy and the heavy hitters of Voldemort’s regime (which would also be impossible, because then the seventh book could never be made into a movie). But those figures are present, and Draco has significantly more screen time than in previous installments. The result is that the final moments of the movie make no sense. What exactly is the purpose of these other characters being present at the end? They quite literally do nothing to further the plot and their complete lack of involvement in the film means that Malfoy’s entire subplot is meaningless. Why they cut that battle scene is beyond me, because it is integral to the continuity of the series. Maybe they ran out of money to do it, or perhaps they needed to cut five minutes of film, and decided taking out the fight scene and not five minutes of Malfoy’s subplot would be best. Whatever the reason, the decision to leave the battle out drew unnecessary attention to a plot hole that now can never be filled. What can be said for the emotional maturity of the film franchise and the characters/actors truly falls apart when considering those last few minutes of the movie. What should have been the most impacting ending of the entire series has now become a weak example of wasted space. But beyond this severe flaw, the film is well-crafted. Brilliant visuals and surprisingly powerful acting show that there is a lot to look forward to in the final two-part installment to come. We can only hope that the writers do the last book justice, because any skimping on the final battle between Harry and Voldemort will likely result in a lot of disappointed fans. For now, we have six movies, of varying degrees of quality, and a lot of anxious fans. Directing: 3/5Cast: 4/5Writing: 2.5/5Visuals: 4.5/5Adaptation: 1/5Overall: 3/5Value: $6.00

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