SF/F Things of Note
I saw these two articles today and thought you guys would be interested in them. First is this article from Abebooks. It’s the top ten scariest characters in literature: Big Brother from 1984 by George Orwell Hannibal Lecter from the novels by Thomas Harris Pennywise the clown from It by Stephen King Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey Count Dracula from Bram Stoker’s novel Annie Wilkes from Misery by Stephen King The demon from The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty Patrick Bateman from American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis Bill Sykes from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens Voldemort from the Harry Potter books by JK Rowling What do you think of that list? I’m not sure some of them are really all that frightening to me. But I agree with Big Brother being at the front. Next is this article about the ten things that science fiction got wrong (although there are only nine on the page…). The short version is as follows: Sound in Space Faster-than-light Travel Laser Bolts You Can Dodge Human Looking Aliens Half-breed Aliens Brain-sucking Aliens Shape-shifting Aliens Time Travel The Planetary Sameness Principle I agree with 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, and 9. I’d argue against human looking aliens because life could very well evolve on other planets to bring out humanoid aliens. That might not be the case always, but certainly it would have to happen sometimes. The Universe is kind of a big place. As for brain-sucking aliens, in which he refers to symbiotic relationships such as in Alien, I have to argue that one needs to really look into parasitic relationships on this planet. While it might be very uncommon for humans to be significantly affected by parasitic relationships, there are parasites in the animal kingdom that actually will alter the ‘brain’ chemistry of other animals to get them to do something that the parasite needs–usually this involves reproduction. Perhaps, then, we can assume that larger, more evolved creatures could very well do this to humans, and how are we supposed to know exactly what alien parasites will be like or how they will affect us? Also, some parasites on Earth do feed on brain matter. There’s an amoeba that I talked about here that does just that.What do you all think about those nine things?
Meme: Five Things I Want To Write
Okay, I’m starting a meme of my own, sorta. I’m tagging anyone and everyone that reads that. Of course it is primarily aimed towards fellow writers, but oh well :P. So it is a requirement that everyone who reads this does it. Mwahaha. Okay, not really, but still. So here is how it works.1) Write about the top five writing projects you want to do. Books, short stories, whatever.2) Post the rules and the link to where you got the Meme from in the first place.3) Tag people. Here is mine: 1) Finish WISB, the second book, and third book, and potentially any books that might follow. I’m shooting to finish this in at most three books. If I can do it in two, sweet. And of course I would loooooove to go on for many more books.2) Write an epic science fiction space opera novel. Not Star Wars epic, but just, well, epic. More politically based space opera. I don’t have an idea as of right now. I just want to write one.3) Write an amazing trilogy of zombie novels that attempts to take a new spin on the genre. I have been wanting to write a zombie novel for the longest time. The problem is in being original in a field that has been bastardized and humiliated by garbage and by legitimately hilarious spoof films (Shaun of the Dead or Biozombie anyone?). That’s a dilemma I’m still having. I can’t write something I know has already been written. 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later are possibly the only films to make any revolutionary changes to the traditional feel of zombie films, and unfortunately even that is being bastardized by cheap rip-off’s and remakes. In the end, if I ever write such a trilogy, I want to turn them into screenplays and start the biggest budget horror film series ever. And Peter Jackson will direct them…in my dreams at least.4) Finish writing all my short stories that are sitting around in my story bank. Europa Strain, Artemis, Soul For Sale. Then get them published. It’s a lot of work :S.5) Write a PhD. dissertation on something related to dystopian literature. I’m not sure what though. Perhaps a study in the trends and the evolution of the genre as a whole. So, ha! You’ve all been tagged!
Another Meme (…this time about eight things)
So, I’ve been tagged for this by Lee Carlon, oddly enough. Actually, I have to state a public apology to Lee for my complete idiocy. A long while back I had stated that I had added his blog to my blogroll, when in actuality his blog was meant to go up there but somehow eluded me and was left out. I feel like a complete turd for having said “it’s on there” when it really wasn’t. So, for that I apologize. Now for this Meme of Eight. Here are the rules:1. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.2. People who are tagged write their own blog post about their 8 things and post these rules.3. At the end choose 8 people to get tagged and list their names.4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged and to read your blog. (Note: I’m breaking rule four because I don’t feel like leaving comments…yes, I’m that lazy) 1. I am continuously upset with myself for throwing away my high school education as if it was worth less than the cost of an apple. Thankfully I have fixed the mistake and am going to college, but I still kick myself over my stupidity and lack of respect for how important an education can be. (I graduated HS, I just didn’t go to real college because I couldn’t)2. I used to hate Coca-Cola when I was kid and drank only Pepsi. Now I hate Pepsi and drink only Coca-Cola.3. I once tricked a friend who hated fish into eating some fried croppy (or crappy?) by telling him it was chicken. He ate three full pieces before his sister ratted me out. Needless to say his hatred of fish went away.4. I’m afraid and not afraid of spiders and other insects. I don’t instantly freak out when I see a spider, but at the same time I’m not one to sit there when one is crawling on me and go “well look how cute he is”. Generally I’m fascinated by them if they aren’t touching me.5. During senior year of high school my English teacher gave the class a project to come up with our own poetic version of Beowulf. (Sit back, this is a bit of a story). My friend and I got together, did research on ancient England, came up with a plot, etc. and spent a good week and a half coming up with all the necessary information to do it properly. When it came to names, though, we hadn’t a clue what to do. It came down to me telling my friend that he needed to come up with a name for the monster. I pestered him until he finally I just said “let’s just call it penis”, this being because penis is a comical word among fellow high school kids and had come up numerous times in class. My friend had a spark of genius and cried out “Sipen!” And so it was that all the characters, except for one, were named by scrambling names of genital-related objects (Navagi, Doldi, Umscrot, Teprosta Dalgn, etc.). Then I started working on the story. I made considerable effort to, I thought, keep it very old sounding. The teacher had the expectation of about 5-10 pages from each person or group. We turned in 33, including a title page. It might also go to note that on that title page we indicated that the names were inspired by a fellow classmate and the teacher for a moment thought that we were making fun of her, when in fact she was a great help in coming up with the names. Honestly it is one of the best projects I have ever had and am still proud of it to this day!6. Whenever I remember a dream it is 99% of the time about zombies. For some reason I am having visions of a future where I must lead mankind to survival from an invasion of zombies.7. My zombie dreams are some of the most amazing and vivid dreams ever. I actually love them to death and wake up smiling after I have one.8. I have more pets than most people. (Fish don’t count as pets). I have 11 leopard geckos (Angel, Cheese, And, Grim, Not Yet Named, Hubert, Humphry, Noodles, Melly, Taj, and Majal), three common musk turtles (Larry, Curly, and Mo), a beard dragon (CheChe), and a crested gecko (Tim). Now for who I am going to tag! (If you have already done this ignore the tag).Dane Bramage, Andrew, Lindsey, Heather Harper, and Eric (of Quantum Storytelling). Enjoy!
A List of Somewhat Important Facts
So I found this meme over at Lindsey’s blog. Sounded interesting and it will be an interesting insight into my little writing brain: 1. Do you outline? For the most part no. I don’t make long outlines like many writers do. I feel like doing so takes away all the magic of the story for me. I no longer want to tell that story because nothing is new. It’s all set in stone. 2. Do you write straight through a book, or do you sometimes tackle the scenes out of order? This really depends. If there is a scene that is eating at the inside of my brain I will write it down in advance. For the most part, however, I stick to writing straight through. It’s not very common that I take the other route. 3. Do you prefer writing with a pen or using a computer? Depends. When I’m in a massive writing groove and the words are coming out of me in droves, then I prefer to be on my computer because I can type a lot quicker than I can write. Sometimes, though, I find that writing by hand is so much more enjoyable. It all depends on my mood and what is going on in my head. My short story Death By Poking was done primarily by hand. Bits and pieces of WISB were too, though the majority is done on the computer because I have to put a lot of focus into it and do a lot of research here and there. 4. Do you prefer writing in first person or third? This is going to sound weird, but I hate first person, yet I write in it quite often. It’s a strange feeling. I think perhaps I am growing an appreciation for it, but it used to be where I actually despised first person novels. Now, I write and read in both. I still hate first person and tend to be turned off by short stories written in first, but I think my hatred for it comes from reading a lot of very dull stories told in first person. I personally like first person for humor because you can convey humorous situations through the character better. 5. Do you listen to music while you write? If so, do you create a playlist, listen randomly, or pick a single song that fits the book? Sometimes. Mostly I’ll listen to classical or orchestrated stuff (such as soundtracks and the like). When I’m really tired of music or my concentration is lacking I will listen to silence instead. I never really make playlists, not really anyway. I only have one playlist and it consists of all my classical and orchestrated stuff. Usually I just put my list on shuffle. 6. How do you come up with the perfect names for your characters? I used to use a program called EBoN (Everchanging Book of Names), which is fantastic for a few reasons. One, it comes with a library of thirty or so languages that it creates names from. Two, you can get new libraries from other users. And three, you can affect how it will create names by fiddling with the phonemes and the like.For the most part I sit in my chair and start speaking out names to myself until something grabs me. This is also how I started coming up with the language of my world as I started to notice in the names of places some very common aspects. Thus begins my endeavor to create a functioning language without going insane or screwing it up (which I already have twice and have had to fix). 7. When you’re writing, do you ever imagine your book as a television show or movie? Sort of. I don’t imagine it as a full show or movie, but I do imagine scenes as if they were playing like movies in my head. I like it that way because I tend to see nifty details I might otherwise be blind to. 8. Have you ever had a character insist on doing something you really didn’t want him/her to do? Who hasn’t? A story I wrote a while ago started off as two kids just sitting around doing kids stuff. I never expected that the secondary character would turn out to be the villian of the story. He went from being that sort of innocently evil child to a complete madman. It was wild. 9. Do you know how a book is going to end when you start it? Yes and no. I know where the characters will be and the very very very very last scene, but I have no idea how the characters are getting there, or if that future will be the same when I reach it. The story evolves as I go. 10. Where do you write? In bed, at work, at school, in my car (yes, while I’m driving, I have a digital recorder), and anywhere I can sit down and concentrate. I carry a little book for notes with me just about everywhere I go just in case I come up with something fascinating. 11. What do you do when you get writer’s block? Kill people. Not really literally, but sort of literally. I play computer games if I’m really in a slump or need to stimulate my creative juices. If feel sort of snagged and need to clean out my head I go read. Mostly it’s computer games. For me they do wonders. It’s completely mindless, it makes my brain reboot, and I don’t have to think too much while playing. 12. What size increments do you write in (either in terms of wordcount, or as a percentage of the book as a whole)? At any one time, not more than a thousand words (usually). Over the course of a day I can churn out 10,000 if I’m really into a story. Usually I get around 2,000 or 3,000 in a day.
A Meme of Goals
Alright, so I was tagged for I think the first time for a meme by BlondeSwtP. Apparently what you’re supposed to do is list of 5-10 of your wildest dreams, things you want to achieve in this lifetime, and then tag several of your blogger friends, asking them to do the same. Create a link within the post back to the blogger who challenged you. You must also include a link to the original challenge: here!So my goals are as follows in no particular order:1) Graduate college with a PhD. so I can talk to people have them them call me “Mr. Duke” just so I can correct them. “It’s Dr. Duke.” Granted, I want the education too, but I wouldn’t want to spend all that time learning without having a couple of arrogant giggles as payment in the end. I don’t know what my PhD. would be in mind you. Right now I’m just getting a BA in Literature (with a creative writing focus) and possibly a M.A. in education so I can teach English to college kids and what not.2) Be a published and moderately successful author. I don’t mean Stephen King. He’s loaded. I just want to be a recognized author. Maybe win a Hugo or a Nebula. Perhaps the Nobel for Literature. Heck, the Pulitzer would be nice. Okay, maybe that’s beyond moderately successful, but I would love to be able to make a living off of writing, and I don’t need much to do that.3) Publish WISB. This is being put up to some serious consideration right now. A lot of expressed that I should attempt to publish it. Even my cartographer who did those lovely maps suggested it and he’s someone who deals extensively with the publishing world. So, I’m thinking of how to do that. Lulu looks like a great place to self-publish, but would that be possible? I can’t attempt to publish the first novel on its own right now, at least I don’t think so. Would a publisher take a novel that is only part of a sequence?4) Be able to do just about anything I want regardless of how much it costs. Yeah, that’s a good dream right? Being rich?5) Not have to actually work, i.e. a real 8-5 or 40 hour work week type job, unless it involves writing in some way. That would rule really. I hate working and quite honestly I refuse to remain in that sort of repetitive mindless boredom that people seem to just accept in this world. Not me. I want to do something I will enjoy.6) Have a hell of a lot more time to write and read. Or have a job that will not chastise me for stopping in the middle of a work day to write something down. A lot of my inspiration has come in my little 15 minute breaks at work. I need silence though to write. That doesn’t happen much at work I’m afraid. Stupid work.7) Successfully breed leopard geckos. Simple enough.8) Not die. Seriously. I know people say “well if you were immortal you’d be depressed at seeing everyone die”. Not me. See, I have this mentality that I will get attached to people, but I can also get over it. I mean, really, if someone lives for 80 years, that’s a long time to know someone. And I totally want to see the whole world.9) Gain superpowers or learn how to control magic or get sucked into a magic world just like James in WISB was. Okay, not really a goal, but man it would be cool.10) Prove or adapt the evolutionary theory just to shut up all those idiots who haven’t a clue how science works. At the same time I would make sure not to be like other scientific idiots who try to use science to disprove God, which is in and of itself as retarded as watching the President try to dance African style. This would probably involve me developing a time machine to go back in time and video tape evolution as it happens and also video tape the hand of God turning the little dial to make it all go. Yes, I would have prior clearance with God to do that. We’ll have a long talk about it after I become immortal. And there you have it. So, I am tagging Mr. Bramage, Andrew, and Lindsey on this one. So, do it! Laters!
A Literary Meme of Sorts
I copied this from Deborah Woehr. I’ve been seeing bunches of these sorts of lists all over and figure I might as well do one just for the heck of it. Instructions: Look at the list of books below.*Bold the ones you’ve read*Italicize the ones you want to read*Leave the ones that you aren’t interested in alone. 1.The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)2.Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)3.To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)4.Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell) (watched the movie)5.The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)6.The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)7.The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)10.A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)11.Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)12.Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)13.Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)16.Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)17. Fall on Your Knees(Ann-Marie MacDonald)18. The Stand (Stephen King)19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Rowling)20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)21.The Hobbit (Tolkien)22.The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)23.Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)26.The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)30. Tuesdays with Morrie(Mitch Albom)31. Dune (Frank Herbert)32.The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)33.Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)34.1984 (Orwell)35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)38. I Know This Much is True(Wally Lamb)39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)40.The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)45. Bible (read it just cause)46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)47.The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)48.Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)49.The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)50.She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)51.The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)54.Great Expectations (Dickens)55.The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)62.The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)63. War and Peace (Tolsoy)64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)69. Les Miserables (Hugo)70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)73.Shogun (James Clavell)74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)75.The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)78.The World According To Garp (John Irving)79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)85. Emma (Jane Austen)86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)93. The Good Earth(Pearl S. Buck)94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)100.Ulysses (James Joyce) Haven’t read a lot of those…that’s crazy. Post it on your blog too 😛