writerly ways

[cornerofmadness]

Writing near future fiction, I think there are probably two traps people fall into: changing things too much, not changing them enough. I guess I started thinking on this given the sheer amount of near future fic I’ve been reading.

J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts) doesn’t do that bad of a job of it in her In Death series. There’s just enough tech advancement to be believable but enough present day stuff to keep it believable. On the other hand in her attempts to create slang, I think sometimes she chooses the wrong words to alter. For example ‘suicide’ has been suicide for centuries. Yes there are slang for it but changing the word to self terminate like the person’s a computer bothered me. That’s minor stuff. I was more bothered by the time she gave an android nads for Dallas to kick him in and take him down.

In reading Unwind I had trouble believing in only a few decades time the world’s major religions would move from pro-life to let’s make babies only to pull them apart completely for parts donation and call it a tithe. To me, that’s changing too much too fast.

Not to say that the 20th century didn’t have quick and radical changes. We went from horse and buggy to man on the moon. Radio to TV, computers as big as a room to computers that fit in your hand. So how much can you change and make things believable? I guess that might be a more personal thing. What work for you might not work for me. I think that might be why I don’t really write near future fiction. I’d rather write something a few hundred years in the future.

Thoughts? Am I off base? Does this bother you too? I’m just curious.

And here, go read some stuff about writing that makes more sense than my dribbles. Actually both links go to things written by Justine Musk. I really like what she has to say about the process of writing.

creating a platform & 10 ways to overcome writers block That’s the first three entries (i.e. most recent). All authors nowadays are expected to have a platform. I’m still stalled on just a blog (I need to expand into Goodreads and facebook under my pen name. I’m still not that sure about twitter since I never remember to do it and have so little interest in it) I’m not entirely sure how a self hosted blog (and where you find such things) are preferable to say livejournal or dreamwidth other than if they suddenly decide this sort of content is unacceptable you’ll have no place to post.

My own thoughts about this are, I wish I had more to say about the process. I feel like I’m still learning. Okay we’re all still learning and always will be (hopefully) but I guess I just don’t think about the craft as much as I should. I can say this about the social networking end of it, be careful of what you blog. I know that sounds dangerously close to censorship but that’s not what I mean. I think an author’s blog ought to be reserved for discussing the books, the craft, the business and not political views and how you feel about your boss/lover/etc. You have a personal (or should) blog for that. I’ve a few pro authors and agents on my blog. One got so loud about political views that were disturbing to me that I not only took her off my list but refuse to read her books and give her money. That’s not what you want from your blog.

microtension. I thought this one was so important that I made sure to bookmark it separately. I can honestly say it’s definitely something I need to work on personally and I plan to go looking for Maas’s book. I have other things by him and enjoyed them.

I’ve gotten the galleys approved for Snowbound and I’ve started reworking Riding with Strangers and got another chapter done for Splinters of Silver and Cold Iron for the writers’ group. It’s so very scary rough.

I’m well under where I wanted to be progress wise. Sigh.

27505 / 175000 words. 16% done!

Comments

[dsgood.livejournal.com]

Story idea which I'm not likely to use: Someone goes into the past, and writes stories set in the "real" future.

And keeps getting rejected, because that future isn't believable.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

I could see that. I figured you might have a response for this since you do like writing future stories. I think I've seen it done too badly too much this year

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

That reminds me of "Back to the Future", when Marty tells Doc Brown in the 50's that Ronald Reagan will become President.

"The actor???"

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

exactly. it's so hard to determine what a reader will find acceptable when reality can change so fast some times

[hierath.livejournal.com]

I friendslock the personal stuff in my blog, because I'm very aware that the public entries get forwarded to my publishers lj! ;) I have a friend who got caught slagging off her publisher in her blog, so I make sure that, if it's public, I only say nice things!

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

very smart. I need to go and look at my Facebook settings too to be sure only friends can see it but even then I'm very careful as to what i say

an android with ... balls?

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

Whenever I write science fiction it's set either in the present or at least 100 years in the future, for exactly that reason -- I have no confidence in my short term prognostication abilities. Anyway, the examples you give are entirely *on* base.

Good advice on creating a platform. I haven't done much in that way myself except for establishing a web presence in general, and since I've taken to discussing important things in the political and legal world, it would be better for me to start all over from scratch when I get that book contract. Honestly, I wish I didn't have to mess with it: I just want to write, and get paid enough so that I can keep writing. But that's just not the way it is anymore.

Re: an android with ... balls?

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

yep android with balls. it was insanely stupid

but yes that's what i do too. I avoid near future fic

I wish we didn't either or at least get a bigger cut of the percentages since I'm the one doing the work. Now that Jana has been selling she's got her own blog, not quite nearly as autonomous as I would have liked. Since all but two friends know me here

Re: an android with ... balls?

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

I'm wondering now what I'm to do if I start publishing under my own name -- that wouldn't be a big deal anywhere else, but on Facebook I'm already Mark Richard Hunter. I don't post there often, but often enough that it's a personal one rather than a writer's area.

Re: an android with ... balls?

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

that does make things a little dicey but if you're not posting things you wouldn't care others know or aren't too inflammatory then it might be alright.

Things I don't want to know about from people I read/watch, politics and religions (well I don't really want to know that from anyone so I just skim those posts)

Re: an android with ... balls?

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

Well, some of the political stuff that I think is just plain common sense *is* inflammatory to the people who don't agree! And it could effect my chance of getting a sale:: there are some conservative actors in Hollywood that have had trouble finding work after their political views become public. I assume there are other areas of the country where the same thing happens to liberal activists, which I think is silly: Someone who's good at their job (including writing) should be considered by that yardstick, and no other.

Notice I've at least gotten smart enough not to discuss religion.

Re: an android with ... balls?

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

I don't entirely agree with that actually. I have limited funds and I don't see the point of giving it to someone whose politics make me shudder. On either side of the fence. I cut out Tamora Pierce when her ultraliberal rantings and calling men 'father penis' all the time got to me. Haven't bought snapple since they backed Rush Limbaugh's show back in the 90's.

All in all I don't want to know their politics. I'd rather not know anyone's

Re: an android with ... balls?

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

Father penis --? Um, never mind. I see your point -- I wouldn't put money in the pocket of Michael Savage or Keith Olbermann. Extremists do tend to give me a headache; I think you've got the right idea.

Re: an android with ... balls?

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

yeah that's really who I mean. I don't really care if someone is a republican or a democrat but when we get the extremes who won't even listen (and I have a long term friend who is getting like this) then I really don't need to be bothered with their stuff

Re: an android with ... balls?

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

Several of my internet friends are that way, but they're still friends; like you, I figured it out and started ignoring their political stuff. Turns out that they're still great people.

Re: an android with ... balls?

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

yeah until politics turns to hatred like with the kid of my parents' best friends. Always thought she was normal until a few christmases ago when politics came up and I learned how much she hates you if you're not a white straight christian republican

Re: an android with ... balls?

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

Odd. I'm a white straight Christian republican (well, I'm registered Republican -- you have to register to vote in primaries here), and at the moment I don't think too much of the kid. She can go to church all she wants, but it's only a building: One of the main tenants of being a Christian is that you don't hate people. As with any group, it only takes a handful of dickheads to make everyone look bad.

Re: an android with ... balls?

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

oh yes,it's always the extremist that give people bad names (like that fundamentalist group protesting soldier's funerals)

I pointed that tenant to her and she got so pissed off I thought she was going to have a stroke. I wasn't planning to give her cpr

Re: an android with ... balls?

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

Augh! Don't get me started on those morons desecrating military funerals! *My* head's going to explode!!!

Darn, turns out there is someone I hate. :-/

Re: an android with ... balls?

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

nods. I really hope that one father DOES get something accomplished with the higher courts since as far as I'm concerned this is not freedom of speech, stalking and harrassing people at a funeral.

perfect icon for this

The icon

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

Gunny is my hero; if he'd been there, he'd have slapped those protesters down.