IT'S MUCH EASIER TO MOVE VIRTUALLY
So here I am at Exodus. I had expected it to feel somewhat odd, but it doesn't. The fact is, I write the column on my computer, using the same word processor and many of the same words. I didn't have to pack any boxes, I didn't have to hire a van and I didn't have to notify the post office. Until I get some kind of feedback, there is no possibility of a difference between writing this column for Dragonsclaw, as I have for the past six months, or writing it for Exodus. Well there is one difference. On Dragonsclaw, I didn't have to run it by Jon first.
So here we are, and I haven't the foggiest notion of what to talk about. I don't know any of you. I don't know what you want to hear about or what bores you. I don't know what offends you (though at some point, I will almost certainly find out!) I suppose then, since I am certain to at least get some new readership from this, I should start with a brief introduction.
First and foremost, I am a writer. It's what I do. Even when I'm not writing, I'm writing. I'm listening to strangers at the next table, half whispering to each other. I'm thinking about what I'm going to write next and how to cut that 12,000 word story down to under 10,000 without sacrificing substance. I'm thinking about scientific theories that might make good stories, or analyzing emotional reactions that might be used at some point in some piece of work. I try to write every day, but regardless, I am writing every waking minute of my life.
Even this last statement is inaccurate, since after I'm asleep, my subconscious goes to work sorting through all of the various input and arranging it into something that almost resembles order. Sometimes my dreams have become stories. Often my stories become dreams. If this sounds a bit psychotic to you, you've probably had some training.
There are many things that you should probably know about me, that you never will. You should know that I have four pet tarantulas. The odds are you will never find this out as I hardly ever mention them. You should know that I am happily married to the same woman for almost five years, or at least I assume it's the same woman. The range of reactions with which I have to deal, could not possibly come from a single entity. More likely, I have twelve different identical wives all claiming to be the same person. You should know that I have a ten year old daughter that talks so much like an adult, that she constantly baits me into discussions that should never have to happen. I think she does it for the sheer perverse pleasure of it.
Unfortunately, these are things you will never know and there's nothing to be done about it. On the other hand, by now you almost certainly know that I have an eccentric sense of humor that I'm not in the least afraid to use. Brace yourself, it only gets worse from here.
When I first started writing Parapet, it was going to be a forum for me to discuss anything that I cared about. Since I care more about science fiction and fantasy than almost anything else, I tend to discuss it often. I have recommended magazines, reviewed web pages and even vented about Doom clones. I have been arrogant (though I've seldom met a writer who wasn't), charming (bear with me on that) and on occasion witty. The only one stable element that suffuses this column is sincerity. I state what I believe. Nothing more, nothing less. If you don't like what I have to say or the way that I say it, that's fine. Tell me. E-mail me. Curse me. Call me names. The only thing you shouldn't do is to sit in your living room and stew about it. Life becomes more interesting once you add a bit of dissension.
I have received precious few letters from people who disagree with me. I have received a tremendous amount from people who support me. What's wrong with you people? How can I start a great debate with no opponents? Don't you care about my image? Please, please let me know what you think, even if you hate what I've written. Especially if you hate it (which is not to say that if you loved it I wouldn't enjoy a pat on the back).
Now that the introductions are out of the way, on to today's topic. I would like to talk about speculative fiction as literature. Speculative fiction is a genre that encompasses science fiction, fantasy and horror or some combination of the three. One problem with speculative fiction (in fact, all genre fiction) is that it is not taken as serious literature. Personally, I take my writing VERY seriously and I'm certain many other genre writers do as well.
Part of the problem is that many of the older SF books and stories were not expected to be well written, even if there always were Bradburys out there. Bradbury, by the way, is an absolute poet as far as I'm concerned. There aren't a lot of writers with his talent for putting words together. Yet the speculative fiction genre was once so consumed by action oriented stories, in which writing had taken a back seat, that it is not surprising the public has written it off.
I feel the same way about professional psychics. I'm not actually certain that all fortune tellers are frauds, but enough of them are to tarnish the image of an entire profession. I often think that somewhere there is a legitimate psychic among the waves of opportunists, just as for years, there have been legitimate writers among the scores of hacks.
Today, things are beginning to happen in the industry and the quality of published work seems to be improving. There are more fine writers today in genre fiction. This means less space opera and swords and sorcery. Yet it still may be a long time before science fiction and fantasy get the recognition they deserve.
Until that time, I will continue to do whatever I can to further the field. Warren Lapine, editor of Absolute Magnitude, is calling for a new golden age of science fiction and I'm with him on this one hundred percent. Let's get together and make the future happen, like so many of the genre heroes we've looked up to over the years. Because a new golden age would benefit all of us.
You can start by subscribing to Exodus. Among the many issues that I intend to take on in future installments of View from the Parapet is what is preventing this new age from dawning and what we can collectively do to bring it about, in spite of the obstacles.
I hope within ten years, people will hear my name and know me, not only as a writer, but as a man who helped put speculative fiction back on the map. And I hope you're all there with me to see it happen.
Webpage & Graphics by Samandi Adams
Copyright (c) 2003-2004 ~ All Rights Reserved
IT'S MUCH EASIER TO MOVE VIRTUALLY
So here I am at Exodus. I had expected it to feel somewhat odd, but it doesn't. The fact is, I write the column on my computer, using the same word processor and many of the same words. I didn't have to pack any boxes, I didn't have to hire a van and I didn't have to notify the post office. Until I get some kind of feedback, there is no possibility of a difference between writing this column for Dragonsclaw, as I have for the past six months, or writing it for Exodus. Well there is one difference. On Dragonsclaw, I didn't have to run it by Jon first.
So here we are, and I haven't the foggiest notion of what to talk about. I don't know any of you. I don't know what you want to hear about or what bores you. I don't know what offends you (though at some point, I will almost certainly find out!) I suppose then, since I am certain to at least get some new readership from this, I should start with a brief introduction.
First and foremost, I am a writer. It's what I do. Even when I'm not writing, I'm writing. I'm listening to strangers at the next table, half whispering to each other. I'm thinking about what I'm going to write next and how to cut that 12,000 word story down to under 10,000 without sacrificing substance. I'm thinking about scientific theories that might make good stories, or analyzing emotional reactions that might be used at some point in some piece of work. I try to write every day, but regardless, I am writing every waking minute of my life.
Even this last statement is inaccurate, since after I'm asleep, my subconscious goes to work sorting through all of the various input and arranging it into something that almost resembles order. Sometimes my dreams have become stories. Often my stories become dreams. If this sounds a bit psychotic to you, you've probably had some training.
There are many things that you should probably know about me, that you never will. You should know that I have four pet tarantulas. The odds are you will never find this out as I hardly ever mention them. You should know that I am happily married to the same woman for almost five years, or at least I assume it's the same woman. The range of reactions with which I have to deal, could not possibly come from a single entity. More likely, I have twelve different identical wives all claiming to be the same person. You should know that I have a ten year old daughter that talks so much like an adult, that she constantly baits me into discussions that should never have to happen. I think she does it for the sheer perverse pleasure of it.
Unfortunately, these are things you will never know and there's nothing to be done about it. On the other hand, by now you almost certainly know that I have an eccentric sense of humor that I'm not in the least afraid to use. Brace yourself, it only gets worse from here.
When I first started writing Parapet, it was going to be a forum for me to discuss anything that I cared about. Since I care more about science fiction and fantasy than almost anything else, I tend to discuss it often. I have recommended magazines, reviewed web pages and even vented about Doom clones. I have been arrogant (though I've seldom met a writer who wasn't), charming (bear with me on that) and on occasion witty. The only one stable element that suffuses this column is sincerity. I state what I believe. Nothing more, nothing less. If you don't like what I have to say or the way that I say it, that's fine. Tell me. E-mail me. Curse me. Call me names. The only thing you shouldn't do is to sit in your living room and stew about it. Life becomes more interesting once you add a bit of dissension.
I have received precious few letters from people who disagree with me. I have received a tremendous amount from people who support me. What's wrong with you people? How can I start a great debate with no opponents? Don't you care about my image? Please, please let me know what you think, even if you hate what I've written. Especially if you hate it (which is not to say that if you loved it I wouldn't enjoy a pat on the back).
Now that the introductions are out of the way, on to today's topic. I would like to talk about speculative fiction as literature. Speculative fiction is a genre that encompasses science fiction, fantasy and horror or some combination of the three. One problem with speculative fiction (in fact, all genre fiction) is that it is not taken as serious literature. Personally, I take my writing VERY seriously and I'm certain many other genre writers do as well.
Part of the problem is that many of the older SF books and stories were not expected to be well written, even if there always were Bradburys out there. Bradbury, by the way, is an absolute poet as far as I'm concerned. There aren't a lot of writers with his talent for putting words together. Yet the speculative fiction genre was once so consumed by action oriented stories, in which writing had taken a back seat, that it is not surprising the public has written it off.
I feel the same way about professional psychics. I'm not actually certain that all fortune tellers are frauds, but enough of them are to tarnish the image of an entire profession. I often think that somewhere there is a legitimate psychic among the waves of opportunists, just as for years, there have been legitimate writers among the scores of hacks.
Today, things are beginning to happen in the industry and the quality of published work seems to be improving. There are more fine writers today in genre fiction. This means less space opera and swords and sorcery. Yet it still may be a long time before science fiction and fantasy get the recognition they deserve.
Until that time, I will continue to do whatever I can to further the field. Warren Lapine, editor of Absolute Magnitude, is calling for a new golden age of science fiction and I'm with him on this one hundred percent. Let's get together and make the future happen, like so many of the genre heroes we've looked up to over the years. Because a new golden age would benefit all of us.
You can start by subscribing to Exodus. Among the many issues that I intend to take on in future installments of View from the Parapet is what is preventing this new age from dawning and what we can collectively do to bring it about, in spite of the obstacles.
I hope within ten years, people will hear my name and know me, not only as a writer, but as a man who helped put speculative fiction back on the map. And I hope you're all there with me to see it happen.
Webpage & Graphics by Samandi Adams
Copyright (c) 2003-2004 ~ All Rights Reserved