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I finally got up to Border's again, hurrah. I had a huge list of books that I wanted to get, but the list completely slipped my mind, and so I ended up picking and browsing in the little SF section. I've got two short story collections by people I've never heard of, one Philip K. Dick book that I've been wanting for ages, one Harlan Ellison short story collection (I just want to hug the crotchety old geezer, seriously), and a copy of "The Island of Dr. Moreau," which I kept forgetting to check out of the library. They didn't have "Dance of Death," dammit.
At least I'll have some reading material for vacation...we're leaving for Charlevoix (Char-Luh-Voy if you're a Troll, Char-Lay-Vwah if you're my mom), which is a nifty little town UpNorth. Right on the tip of the ring finger, I think. Actually, the word isn't really so much "nifty" as it is "charming," not quite edging into "quaint" yet. There's a nice little beach with tons of Petoskey stones and the clearest water I've ever seen in Michigan, a little town with three blocks of art galleries and whitefish restaurants, and...that's about it, really. On the way back, we're going to stop in Saugatuck, which is almost exactly the same as Charlevoix but with a less accessible beach and slightly more shops. I love these little semi-artsy towns that spring up all over the Michiganian wilderness. I'm going to found my own for SF writers. We can lie on the beach and talk about rocketships.
I'm going to have to get some more original work done if I'm going to fulfill my density, I mean my destiny--a Hugo by 2015. Although...maybe if I don't publish, we'll have flying cars instead. Quick poll: Which would you rather have, an award-winning novel by Rachel, or a flying car and perpetual youth? Choose wisely, for the future depends upon your answer!
In the meantime, here's something cool: One of my favorite authors, Michael Swanwick, has written a series of short stories to go with some Francisco Goya paintings. He does this sort of thing fairly often, like the short stories he wrote for the Periodic Table of Elements. His web page, www.michaelswanwick.com, has some nifty short stories, articles, and advice columns--check out the Unca Mike's Bad Advice where he kindly answered four obnoxious questions from me in one year (actually, three obnoxious questions and one gloat). Border's doesn't have very many of his books, either. He's written a lot about dinosaurs.
I need to get a subscription to Asimov's or some other really good SF magazine. I rarely have enough loose change to buy anything new from Border's, and the public library's New Books wall displays all Robert Jordan, all the time. One must keep up with the industry if one is to make it. One also needs some freaking new ideas for once. I wonder, if I just finished the fanfics I have in the works right now and then took a solemn oath never to write any fanfiction again, would all that creative energy be redirected towards original stuff? Or would I just go insane from boredom?
I've been trying to evolve my style into what I call "give-a-mouse-a-cookie" writing. From the kid's book..."If you give a mouse a cookie, he will want a glass of milk to go with it. And then he will want to see if he has a milk moustache, so he'll go into the bathroom and look in the mirror, and he'll notice that he needs a haircut..." Or something along those lines. One action logically leads to another, and you're not sure how the story's going to end, you just let the characters react. Actually, the story may never end. I feel this makes for a much more realistic story than the "make up a plot and force the characters into it" template which so many writers seem to use nowadays. Will have to test this theory soon.
I feel like worldbuilding tonight...but I've got to finish that fanfic before July. Maybe.
At least I'll have some reading material for vacation...we're leaving for Charlevoix (Char-Luh-Voy if you're a Troll, Char-Lay-Vwah if you're my mom), which is a nifty little town UpNorth. Right on the tip of the ring finger, I think. Actually, the word isn't really so much "nifty" as it is "charming," not quite edging into "quaint" yet. There's a nice little beach with tons of Petoskey stones and the clearest water I've ever seen in Michigan, a little town with three blocks of art galleries and whitefish restaurants, and...that's about it, really. On the way back, we're going to stop in Saugatuck, which is almost exactly the same as Charlevoix but with a less accessible beach and slightly more shops. I love these little semi-artsy towns that spring up all over the Michiganian wilderness. I'm going to found my own for SF writers. We can lie on the beach and talk about rocketships.
I'm going to have to get some more original work done if I'm going to fulfill my density, I mean my destiny--a Hugo by 2015. Although...maybe if I don't publish, we'll have flying cars instead. Quick poll: Which would you rather have, an award-winning novel by Rachel, or a flying car and perpetual youth? Choose wisely, for the future depends upon your answer!
In the meantime, here's something cool: One of my favorite authors, Michael Swanwick, has written a series of short stories to go with some Francisco Goya paintings. He does this sort of thing fairly often, like the short stories he wrote for the Periodic Table of Elements. His web page, www.michaelswanwick.com, has some nifty short stories, articles, and advice columns--check out the Unca Mike's Bad Advice where he kindly answered four obnoxious questions from me in one year (actually, three obnoxious questions and one gloat). Border's doesn't have very many of his books, either. He's written a lot about dinosaurs.
I need to get a subscription to Asimov's or some other really good SF magazine. I rarely have enough loose change to buy anything new from Border's, and the public library's New Books wall displays all Robert Jordan, all the time. One must keep up with the industry if one is to make it. One also needs some freaking new ideas for once. I wonder, if I just finished the fanfics I have in the works right now and then took a solemn oath never to write any fanfiction again, would all that creative energy be redirected towards original stuff? Or would I just go insane from boredom?
I've been trying to evolve my style into what I call "give-a-mouse-a-cookie" writing. From the kid's book..."If you give a mouse a cookie, he will want a glass of milk to go with it. And then he will want to see if he has a milk moustache, so he'll go into the bathroom and look in the mirror, and he'll notice that he needs a haircut..." Or something along those lines. One action logically leads to another, and you're not sure how the story's going to end, you just let the characters react. Actually, the story may never end. I feel this makes for a much more realistic story than the "make up a plot and force the characters into it" template which so many writers seem to use nowadays. Will have to test this theory soon.
I feel like worldbuilding tonight...but I've got to finish that fanfic before July. Maybe.
