Movies: Post-Apocalypse at Trapdoor Books blog

Hello Readers, I posted another entry at Trapdoor discussing the post-apocalyptic subgenre of speculative fiction in film.

Have a look and leave a comment, if you like.

http://trapdoorbooks.com/?p=1894

Movies: The Twist on Trapdoor Books blog

Hello Readers, I posted an entry over at Trapdoor discussing plot twists in film.

Have a look and leave a comment, if you like.

http://trapdoorbooks.com/?p=1892

COSine Reflections: Realism vs. Plausibility

The panels at COSine have proved to be both informative and thought-provoking for me. This year, the GoH was Lee Modesitt who, I found, was uncannily similar to my Father-in-Law in both appearance and attitude. Despite Modesitt's political background, I definitely got the sense that he thinks like an engineer, and that was the biggest similarity to me.

It made sense, then, that this year's "theme" was Steampunk -- a strange genre that mixes alternate history with mad science. A world run by somewhat eccentric engineers would probably yield a lot of Steampunk fixtures like "airships" and an overabundance of goggles. But what I picked up on most, during more than one of the lectures, was a somewhat different theme.

I believe that there are very few authors who would want to write both Science Fiction and Fantasy. Though their "out of this world" nature tends to lump the two genres together [more often than bears deficate in the woods], the actual writing of each couldn't be a more different process as I see it. This is because, despite its futuristic leanings, SF aims more toward "realism" while Fantasy bravely takes a shot at mere "plausibility."

One of the first things you learn when starting out as a writer of Fantasy is that rules govern everything -- even a world you create purely from imagination. No matter how much divine intervention saves the day or physics might be bent, forces like causality still must reign to allow an author to tell a plausible and sensical story.

If you have pink flying unicorns there must be a reason for them, or, if not a reason, at least an origin. The things in a world, regardless of who dreamed said world up, must have gotten there somehow. Often these things are integral to the story, and therefore must be explained. Seldom will you find a random jumble of elements that produced a favorable result.

You see, our world (however random it might appear) is well structured. Organisms are food for other organisms; their internal systems exist to propel them forward to consume or be consumed. The food chain, the food pyramid, hierarchical pecking order -- whether "created" or "evolved" -- exist in some manner or another.

That being said, what set me once again down this thought path was when Modesitt pointed out many Fantasy authors fail to pay proper attention to detail to things like economics. The existence of a soldier, a knight in his example, requires certain systems and processes to be in place to facilitate that existence. The allocation of so much crop land, people to work it, a law and order system to collect and manage it, and on and on, to be precise.

But wait, must we go into granular detail of all the interworkings of our Fantasy universe? I say no, but that things do need to have an explanation. If you have a city not near a visible water source, there must be a plausible reason. You don't need to measure how much water would feed the population and map out the aqueduct and sewer systems. Perhaps it helps, for some writers, but personally those details aren't what I'm looking for.

SF, on the other hand, is incredibly dependent on details. How plausible is Faster Than Light travel? Not plausible enough to include in a story without an explanation -- even if it is some technology impossible to attain by today's standards. In SF, you are building on what is already known, projecting into the future how mankind might advance to reach that point. Meanwhile, in Fantasy, you create the past as well as the present.

This question comes up particularly when people raise the issue of "research." How much research is done for a Fantasy story vs. an SF story? My surmisation is a lot less for Fantasy in a general sense; I grant a measure based on the fact that the cultures created are usually modeled after existing Earth cultures (but then modified or taken to an extreme). In SF, however, it seems you can't get past the gate if you don't know what a parsec is, or know that in space you wouldn't be able to scream (let alone have anyone hear you).

Some might say the distinction between realism and plausibility is mere hair-splitting, but authors like Modesitt don't seem to think so. If a character makes a journey twice, and it takes a different amount of time the second trip, detail-oriented readers like him will actually pause and wonder about it.

I'm not 100% sure why this bothers me so much; perhaps it's that I care more about the characters and plot than the imports and exports of a particular city, or how well the government could withstand scenarios that aren't in the story. So, to that end, I put the question to you readers:

Would you rather have an author aim for realism, or plausibility?

Appearance: COSine 2010

Hey Readers, I'll be attending the COSine convention in Colorado Springs this weekend. It should be a fun time, what with all the Steampunk discussions and L.E. Modesitt as the GoH. I'm sure I'll have some things to report on when I return!

Writing: Emotional Distance

One of the things my Writer's Group organizer, Lori, brings up frequently in critique discussions is the phrase emotional distance. While I can imagine multiple definitions for this concept, I like to think of it as "how important are the events to the narrator." It comes up quite a bit in the Memoir genre, but applies well to pretty much everything we read and discuss at group.

Once in awhile, I like to read some of the pieces put forth for critique over on the SFFworld.com forums. Today I read a "prologue" with virtually no attention paid to emotional distance -- thereby creating the effect of a bland narrative.

I'm always at a struggle to keep the reader interested in what's going on in the story, and I hope this comes through in my writing. The emotional distance should be very little, as the viewpoint character tends to be in the thick of things and personally tied to the outcome of any particular scene. This not only needs to be conveyed by their thoughts and reactions, but by the tone and pacing.

This ties into a lot of other storytelling concepts, like telling v. showing. Telling allows a lot of emotional distance, and is important for information not immediately critical yet still important. Showing should narrow the emotional distance so that the reader understands what the narrating character is feeling and why. A mixture of the two is what it takes to tell a story, zooming in and out as the pace and plot require.

Emotional distance can also tell us a lot about the character when used intentionally. If, for example, the chapter is from the villain's viewpoint, their emotional distance can show us exactly how cruel and unfeeling the villain truly is. But, again, this is an intentional display -- if the hero is emotionally distant, the reader will need to understand why they would react that way to a situation.

Films do it, as well, by incorporating different camera angles and zooms during different portions to heighten or alleviate the tension. Horror movies are probably best at it; by either zooming in on a character's face to the exclusion of the location of the killer or showing a wide shot with the killer in frame a different "tone" can be set. How "close" the camera gets to a character portrays to us audience members just how important they are in the scene.

As a viewer or reader you may not even be aware of how this concept plays with your ability to empathize, but it is something we writers wrestle with constantly. The next time you read something, I'd encourage you to keep the concept of emotional distance in mind -- as it may clue you in on part of a character you previously took for granted.

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The Ninth Avatar - Announcement

As many of you know, I've been keeping something under my hat for awhile now regarding the fate of The Ninth Avatar. Well, the news is ready to break.

Up-and-coming "geek fiction" publisher, Trapdoor Books, has acquired The Ninth Avatar and will be officially publishing it in the coming weeks. To my followers and fans, this means a number of things.

The book has been freshly edited -- if you've already read it, expect a few changes to the structure and order, as well as a few clarifications and condensations. While this affects the manner of the storytelling, the story itself has retained all the emotion and strong characterization it had before. In short, the book has improved, and the story reaps the benefits.

The book will have a new cover. Multiple new covers, in fact, since it will be simultaneously released in hardcover, paperback, and nearly every electronic format available.

The book will be available through numerous channels. First and foremost, on the Trapdoor Books website and community -- a place to interact with Trapdoor's authors as well as other fans. It will also be distributed through major retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble (in both physical and electronic forms), and I will post purchase links as they become available.

This is fantastic news for me, and it would not have been possible without all of the attention and response of my readers, friends, and family. I want to thank you all for coming on this journey with me, and reiterate that this is only the beginning.

Expect more news on this development as it becomes available. I also definitely encourage you to sign up for the Trapdoor Books community (and email list); there are announcements, puzzles, and comraderie that you might not otherwise find.

And finally, check out the critically-acclaimed first release from my publisher, The Magician of Lhasa, as you don't see many Buddhist Thrillers on the shelves! David Michie is already a best-selling author in Australia, and he is quickly becoming a big name here in the USA as well.

Why "The Matrix" is flawed

I play video games. I wouldn't say I play a lot of them, but I do my fair share to advance the profits of Sony and Nintendo when my budget permits. I think, now that I own a Wii and have spent a few hours on a X360, I have played pretty much every type of video game. First person shooters, third person adventure, isometric RPG, rolling and collecting, strategy... you name it, I've probably played the type.

That being said, I always thought of The Matrix "world" as basically a video game. The players "jack in" and enter another reality that is, ultimately, controlled by a computer. Fortunately for Neo and his ilk, they have this glorious magical software called "The Construct" inside which they can load whatever they want. My problem is that they limit this only to "guns," even if they are really cool ones.

Seriously, guns were the pinnacle of human thought as to what might be useful?

How about a HUD? 

That's right, a Heads-Up Display. Nowadays you can hardly find an action game without one of these helpful little screen overlays. They tell you how much ammo you have, when you're close to death, and (if you're lucky) even give you a small map to work with. Considering how much data the future people have on the Matrix, I would imagine their maps would be incredibly useful.

Something more like this.

Come to think of it, if you're programming things into the Construct like guns, why limit yourself to 21st-century handheld hardware at all? In the third film, we're introduced to what they call the APU (Automated Personnel Unit, or something, I guess) that is basically a gigantic mech with enormous guns. Considering how vital they are to defending Zion from the invading machines, why not program these into your little Construct program and really try to save Morpheus?

"Dodge this" takes on a whole new meaning.

Not quite mobile enough for you? Me, personally, I'd take the Evangelion mechs over these just as a matter of style. But either way, a metal suit might actually give you an unfair advantage over the Agents, and isn't that what we all would want? Morpheus truly wouldn't have been lying when he told Neo that he "wouldn't have to" dodge bullets... they'd just bounce harmlessly off his badass exoskeletal suit.

Pictured: Charlie's Evas

But probably the most egregious error on the part of the Zionists is that they didn't just nuke the whole Matrix world to begin with. If all of the battery-people are hooked into it, and they suddenly die all at once, one might imagine a massive power crisis at the Machine Base. Wouldn't really be that hard to program a gigantic thermonuclear device in the Construct, set it to blow, and escape. Then we'll see who outlasts whom.

I do recall that bit of Smith saying "entire crops were lost" before, so the machines must have some kind of storage capacity for their energy. Great! How long would it take to deplete against an all-out offensive? Or, if you prefer, wait until the machines are all crazied-up during their own invasion and nuke the Matrix then.

It's just broken. The whole thing is just totally broken. And I still don't understand the end of the 3rd movie.

COSine and template update

Appearance - COSine 2010
If you haven't purchased tickets for COSine 2010, you probably don't live in Colorado or read SFF. But, for all of you who have (or do), come find me January 22nd-24th in Colorado Springs.


New look, same great taste
I've updated the blog template a bit, added some widgets to the sidebar and took away the background image. If you like/hate it, leave me a comment.

Dilemma

A situation has come up where I'm not quite sure what to do. Micah and I dubbed 2007 "The Year of Double Schedulings" because of all the events that happened on the same days, and I am starting to wonder whether 2010 might fall into the same category.

Recently a friend of mine, Gabe (author on Repetitive Motion Injury), presented at an event called Ignite Boulder. This was fantastic to watch, just a fun night all around. I was excited for the next Ignite, and stayed on the mailing list to find out when it would be. Turns out, February 10th.

Also recently, I founded the blog Beethoven's Playlist to showcase my appreciation of (and criticism for) music. I love music, but more than that I love new music. There are some acts I've latched onto over the years and the investment of my time has paid off with hours of enjoyable sound to accompany my activities.

This weekend, we had lunch with our recently-married friends, Tarynn and Cory at Mountain Sun (a fantastic brewpub/restaurant if you're ever in Boulder). While browsing some posted newspaper articles, I saw a display of the Ogden Theatre's upcoming shows and three of them caught my eye.

Theory of a Deadman is playing with Halestorm and two other acts, Editors are coming, and Tegan and Sara will be playing a show as well. I was so excited that I pulled out my iPhone and surfed to the site to check it later. While in the car, I checked it and found the first of the three shows (the one I want to attend most) is on February 10th. The date sounded familiar, but I was not quite sure why.

When I got home and checked my email, I realized why. Same night as Ignite Boulder 8.

What to do? I can't possibly attend both, as they begin at about the same time, and either one would probably be just as enjoyable as the other! This is going to take some pondering.

Bleach (the anime series)

Wow, how do I even start on a topic like this?

I've been a fan of anime for some years, now. I'm not even sure what started it, but probably when my oldest brother had VHS's of things like The Guyver and Akira. I have always really enjoyed cartoons, even as a young adult and into adulthood, whether it was G.I. Joe or Transformers or something else for nostalgia, or various anime for other reasons. I was saddened that in my lifetime I had to watch American cartoons become more and more ridiculous -- a way of entertaining children with bright colors and motion rather than some semblance of plot, but I think this made me turn toward Japanese cartoons even more.

Over the past ten or so years, I've enjoyed such series as Bastard!!, Angelic Layer, Trigun, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Final Fantasy Unlimited. All of these shows are favorites of mine, for different reasons, and upon talking with a friend of mine it was suggested that I check out the show Bleach. Well, more accurately it was suggested I check out the manga... but I read about as much manga as I do "regular" comic books (read: none), so anime it was.

Bleach is an entertaining show, let me just say that. Despite anything you may have heard -- which could be a lot of things, as the show's been "on the air" for quite some time now. There is a good deal of action, drama, humor, and whatever else you'd come to expect from a supernatural anime with ties in the "real" world. But, today I got to about Episode 204 and just had to stop.

Why? I was tired of having my chain jerked around.

Somewhere along the line of the "global" plot, and I'm guessing here but it had to be around Episode 150(!), things really started to go askew and the story began to resemble Eddie Izzard's mime of how America "played with" the metric system. Nowadays we refer to that as "jumping the shark." Bleach jumped the shark. Even so, I stuck it out a bit longer, hoping something would attempt to congeal.

Maybe it was the cool haircuts (or lack thereof) that every character had. Pretty much everyone, except the main dude Ichigo of course, seems to do something distinct with their bangs. So, too, go their swords (or zanpakuto as they're called), being as unique to each person as their personality (or lack thereof). Maybe it was the fight scenes and consistent theme of self-improvement that Ichigo had through the first hundred-or-so episodes. Regardless, a central plot thread stubbornly refused to manifest.

Keep in mind that a "standard" anime series is over in one "season" consisting of 26 Episodes. Fullmetal Alchemist is another great one, and it has one or two "films" that occur outside (but remain consistent to) its central canon story. But, in all seriousness, even epic tales like Evangelion did not take hundreds of episodes to tell. Perhaps they should have, but that's beside the point.

With as many episodes as the Bleach team has pumped out, it has basically turned into a soap opera, or whatever the anime equivalent is to that. There's never any real romantic interest, and I have no explanation for this, but it can surely be compared to Dragonball Z in its ability to have a single battle span numerous episodes. This is a major annoyance, considering the fight scenes are interspersed with overtly ridiculous and superfluous comedy from characters who do absolutely nothing.

This has turned into much more of a rant than I wanted it to be.

Let me just say that, after having spent quite a bit of time on Bleach, I am abandoning it entirely and resuming my search for something with an actual plot. The series fits the definition of entertainment, and I would recommend it to anime fans, but as someone who places so much importance on a coherent storyline I just can no longer stomach the brain-jarring shifts.

At one point, I was nearly ready to draw out a flow-chart for Bleach because the episodes were that formulaic. If there isn't a battle going on, or even if there is, introduce a new character who can then be thrown away later. Or, if that doesn't work, let's give someone a power with no explanation. Or, if that doesn't work, make Ichigo almost die but then triumph for no other reason than he's the main character. Or, if that doesn't work... hell, give abilities to his friends. Bring someone back from the dead. Kill someone (but don't really kill them). And, above all else, make it take at least 5 episodes to do any of these one things.

And the rant rears it's ugly head again. But, before I finish, I just want to say that all those episodes about the Bounts... are completely worthless and go nowhere. When they made Nel change forms, I thought it convenient but went with it, only to have her change forms back at a critical moment... and put the entire three past episodes into the toilet. My hair is nearly torn out in frustration, and I am finished with it.

Sorry, Bleach, but I just can't take anymore. Since you won't say it, I will.

"The End."

To Sum Up 2009

I thought I'd share three big things in 2009 that I spent quite a bit of time on/with to wrap up the year. I know this post is about a week late, and I myself get a little annoyed when people can't let "last year" go, but I haven't quite said goodbye to it. So here they are!

The Ninth Avatar
My first novel, finished, and self-published. I learned a lot throughout the experience; probably more than I ever wanted to know about typesetting and cover design. Numerous rounds of edits, spanning days upon days, and a few reviews later, I'm still quite proud of the project and all the time I've spent on it. To those of you still curious about Avatar's fate, I am still sitting on an announcement for it... just waiting for the right moment.

Warriors Orochi Z
The culmination of Koei's crossover series of Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors franchises, this will probably hold the slot of my favorite game ever, forever. There's no possible way to tally up all the time I spent on the first two Orochi games, but I know I've far surpassed it with Z. It doesn't hinder me at all that the game is in Japanese, since it is a combination of the first two games re-released on the PS3, but I have had to use a few translation guides from GameFAQs.com. I can't possibly say how much I looked forward to this game, and when I bought it while I was in Japan I'm pretty sure I did a little dance.

My iPhone
This device, oh what could I possibly say about the iPhone that hasn't already been said? From being able to check my email on the go, to apps like RunKeeper to GPS my run routes/times/distances/progress, and how much music it can hold... I love this thing. I've even started reading books on it, though I still fall firmly in the camp of enjoying physical books better. I don't know how many times I've used Google Maps to find a location or get directions. I even think I've made phone calls with it a few times. The "I Heart Radio" app has introduced me to new radio stations that play music I've never heard before (which I'm always in search of) and I rarely go outside without my headphones in anymore. It's a great device, and would be even greater if I were organized enough to use its productivity tools and such.

So there you go, three big things for me in 2009. What do I have to look forward to this year? Well, we'll find out.