… the number to heaven.
Ever Wondered How Differential Gear Works?
08/10/2009 By Leave a Comment
Yeah, me neither.
But if you want to find out … this might be one of the best tutorials out there. Thanks 1930s!
Writing Non-Fiction and Fiction – Some Thoughts
08/10/2009 By Leave a Comment
I’m not a professional fiction writer. Let me say that up front.
The non-fiction stuff I can handle — newspaper articles, encyclopedia entries, whatever — but plot lines, deep characters and complex dialogue? A totally foreign concept.
Luckily, I think non-fiction writers have it a lot easier than our fiction-writing counterparts. Here’s two quick reasons why:
1. Non-fiction writers aren’t emotionally invested in their work. It’s a lot easier to tell yourself “no one’s going to read this” when you’re writing up a $50 spot on hospital respirators for a medical newsletter than it is when you’re composing a 6,500 word short story on space travel for Asimov’s.
Sure, people are going to read both, but the writer’s soul isn’t really invested in the non-fiction piece. He will (or should) absolutely do his best job to make the hospital respirators the most goddamn interesting thing on the planet, but if the editor wants to make some tweaks, you work with her to fix it. It’s no skin off your back. And if the piece is rejected, you move onto another one because …
2. There’s a ton of low-hanging fruit for non-fiction writers. Let’s not kid ourselves here. Virtually anyone with a computer and a brain can write a passable piece on hospital respirators and get a quick check for it. The writer is reporting information. And while it’s crucial he conducts good interviews, does sound research and presents the material in a compelling way, things like presentation (word choice, flow and readability) often take a back seat to the facts. The target audience is usually pretty specialized (doctors, lawyers, actuaries, etc.) and doesn’t care about masterful turns of phrase. They care about information. And virtually anyone can string information together into passable prose if they are relying on sound research.
Not so much for fiction writers.
In fiction it’s all about presentation, baby.
The story better be great or odds are it won’t be published.
And if there’s poor word choice, wooden dialogue and lousy characters, there’s no way any editor is going to “work with you” to make the story good. They’ll reject it and move on. It’s a bloated market with tons of writers. Not many people want to write about hospital respirators, but many want to be the next Arthur C. Clarke.
So what’s the point??
Be well-versed in both styles. If you want to write fiction, that’s great, but don’t make it a singular project. At least not at the start. Take some non-fiction gigs. Get paid. Eat. Grab the low-hanging fruit. Those $50 checks will start to mount up. And don’t worry, you’re not “selling out.” It’s called paying the rent. And if you want to make a living as a writer you kinda do have to write after all, right?
As for all you non-fiction writers … try writing some fiction!
While I’m not a professional fiction writer, I have a lot of fun writing it and it’s certainly made my non-fiction prose more compelling. Don’t be scared by all the deep characters and intricate plots inhabiting your favorite novels. No one expects you to write like that out of the gate. Just get your feet wet.
It will pay off.
Books: 2009 Hugo Award Winners
08/09/2009 By Leave a Comment
In case you missed it on Twitter …
Winners are in BOLD.
Best Novel
- Anathem by Neal Stephenson (Morrow; Atlantic UK)
- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins; Bloomsbury UK)
- Little Brother by Cory Doctorow (Tor Teen; HarperVoyager UK)
- Saturn’s Children by Charles Stross (Ace; Orbit UK)
- Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi (Tor)
Best Novella
- “The Erdmann Nexus” by Nancy Kress (Asimov’s Oct/Nov 2008)
- “The Political Prisoner” by Charles Coleman Finlay (F&SF Aug 2008)
- “The Tear” by Ian McDonald (Galactic Empires)
- “True Names” by Benjamin Rosenbaum & Cory Doctorow (Fast Forward 2)
- “Truth” by Robert Reed (Asimov’s Oct/Nov 2008)
Best Novelette
- “Alastair Baffle’s Emporium of Wonders” by Mike Resnick (Asimov’s Jan 2008)
- “The Gambler” by Paolo Bacigalupi (Fast Forward 2)
- “Pride and Prometheus” by John Kessel (F&SF Jan 2008)
- “The Ray-Gun: A Love Story” by James Alan Gardner (Asimov’s Feb 2008)
- “Shoggoths in Bloom” by Elizabeth Bear (Asimov’s Mar 2008)
Best Short Story
- “26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss” by Kij Johnson (Asimov’s Jul 2008)
- “Article of Faith” by Mike Resnick (Baen’s Universe Oct 2008)
- “Evil Robot Monkey” by Mary Robinette Kowal (The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, Volume Two)
- “Exhalation” by Ted Chiang (Eclipse Two)
- “From Babel’s Fall’n Glory We Fled” by Michael Swanwick (Asimov’s Feb 2008)
Best Related Book
- Rhetorics of Fantasy by Farah Mendlesohn (Wesleyan University Press)
- Spectrum 15: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art by Cathy & Arnie Fenner, eds. (Underwood Books)
- The Vorkosigan Companion: The Universe of Lois McMaster Bujold by Lillian Stewart Carl & John Helfers, eds. (Baen)
- What It Is We Do When We Read Science Fiction by Paul Kincaid (Beccon Publications)
- Your Hate Mail Will be Graded: A Decade of Whatever, 1998-2008 by John Scalzi (Subterranean Press)
Best Graphic Story
- The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle Written by Jim Butcher, art by Ardian Syaf (Del Rey/Dabel Brothers Publishing)
- Girl Genius, Volume 8: Agatha Heterodyne and the Chapel of Bones Written by Kaja & Phil Foglio, art by Phil Foglio, colors by Cheyenne Wright (Airship Entertainment)
- Fables: War and Pieces Written by Bill Willingham, pencilled by Mark Buckingham, art by Steve Leialoha and Andrew Pepoy, color by Lee Loughridge, letters by Todd Klein (DC/Vertigo Comics)
- Schlock Mercenary: The Body Politic Story and art by Howard Tayler (The Tayler Corporation)
- Serenity: Better Days Written by Joss Whedon & Brett Matthews, art by Will Conrad, color by Michelle Madsen, cover by Jo Chen (Dark Horse Comics)
- Y: The Last Man, Volume 10: Whys and Wherefores Written/created by Brian K. Vaughan, penciled/created by Pia Guerra, inked by Jose Marzan, Jr. (DC/Vertigo Comics)
Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
- The Dark Knight Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer, story; Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, screenplay; based on characters created by Bob Kane; Christopher Nolan, director (Warner Brothers)
- Hellboy II: The Golden Army Guillermo del Toro & Mike Mignola, story; Guillermo del Toro, screenplay; based on the comic by Mike Mignola; Guillermo del Toro, director (Dark Horse, Universal)
- Iron Man Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby and Art Marcum & Matt Holloway, screenplay; based on characters created by Stan Lee & Don Heck & Larry Lieber & Jack Kirby; Jon Favreau, director (Paramount, Marvel Studios)
- METAtropolis by John Scalzi, ed. Written by: Elizabeth Bear, Jay Lake, Tobias Buckell and Karl Schroeder (Audible Inc)
- WALL-E Andrew Stanton & Pete Docter, story; Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon, screenplay; Andrew Stanton, director (Pixar/Walt Disney)
Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
- “The Constant” (Lost) Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof, writers; Jack Bender, director (Bad Robot, ABC studios)
- Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog Joss Whedon, & Zack Whedon, & Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen , writers; Joss Whedon, director (Mutant Enemy)
- “Revelations” (Battlestar Galactica) Bradley Thompson & David Weddle, writers; Michael Rymer, director (NBC Universal)
- “Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead” (Doctor Who) Steven Moffat, writer; Euros Lyn, director (BBC Wales)
- “Turn Left” (Doctor Who) Russell T. Davies, writer; Graeme Harper, director (BBC Wales)
Best Editor, Short Form
- Ellen Datlow
- Stanley Schmidt
- Jonathan Strahan
- Gordon Van Gelder
- Sheila Williams
Best Editor, Long Form
- Lou Anders
- Ginjer Buchanan
- David G. Hartwell
- Beth Meacham
- Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Best Professional Artist
- Daniel Dos Santos
- Bob Eggleton
- Donato Giancola
- John Picacio
- Shaun Tan
Best Semiprozine
- Clarkesworld Magazine edited by Neil Clarke, Nick Mamatas & Sean Wallace
- Interzone edited by Andy Cox
- Locus edited by Charles N. Brown, Kirsten Gong-Wong, & Liza Groen Trombi
- The New York Review of Science Fiction edited by Kathryn Cramer, Kris Dikeman, David G. Hartwell, & Kevin J. Maroney
- Weird Tales edited by Ann VanderMeer & Stephen H. Segal
Best Fanzine
- Argentus edited by Steven H Silver
- Banana Wings edited by Claire Brialey and Mark Plummer
- Challenger edited by Guy H. Lillian III
- The Drink Tank edited by Chris Garcia
- Electric Velocipede edited by John Klima
- File 770 edited by Mike Glyer
Best Fan Writer
- Chris Garcia
- John Hertz
- Dave Langford
- Cheryl Morgan
- Steven H Silver
Best Fan Artist
- Alan F. Beck
- Brad W. Foster
- Sue Mason
- Taral Wayne
- Frank Wu
The John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
- Aliette de Bodard*
- David Anthony Durham*
- Felix Gilman
- Tony Pi*
- Gord Sellar*
*(Second year of eligibility)
Congrats to all the winners. How did you folks feel about the results? Pretty much what you expected? Any surprises? Let’s hear it in the comments …
Whatever: Is Mormonism America’s most promising legacy?
08/09/2009 By 1 Comment
Slate seems to think so.
At least from a religious standpoint.
Americans will leave a legacy of basketball and Jazz long after our schools and buildings crumble, but what about a religion?
The Romans had Catholicism, which still carries strong Roman traditions to this day.
Surprisingly, Mormons, with their apocalyptic mentality and unceasing work ethic, might be the best prepared.
Levin writes:
The Latter-day Saints’ oscillation between contemporary society and their pioneer days makes them the perfect time capsule: They will always retain a piece of the American character, yet they have enough of a toehold in the past—and enough grain in the silo—to resume their pre-modern ways.
If the Mormon Church does someday become a proxy for the United States, what parts of American civilization will survive? “Things that used to be American—motherhood and apple pie—would be restored to primacy,” Orson Scott Card says. Perhaps the wholesome Osmond family will come to represent the pinnacle of American entertainment, and Stephen Covey—the Mormon writer behind The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People—will be hailed as our society’s leading philosopher. Long sideburns will forever recede from memory. More seriously, a Mormon society would continue to speak English, to spread the gospel of capitalism, and to put forward the idea that America was and is a sacred place, a nation worth remembering and preserving.
Books: Good Reads …
08/05/2009 By Leave a Comment
Well it’s not Friday, but here’s some quick recommends for ya anyway.
And now if you’ll please excuse me, I swore I’d go for a jog today. Oh exercise! How I love to hate thee …
“Snowfall,” Jessie Thompson – Fantasy and Science Fiction Aug./Sept. 2009 – You’ll be hard pressed to find a better short story anywhere. First published in F&SF in 1988, Harlan Ellison selected this story for a reprint from among nearly 1,800 submissions spanning 60 years. It’s a winner. And it’s definitely one of, if not the best, piece of short fiction I’ve ever read.
Ellison writes: “It is a small, perfect, as burning-bright wee piece, that (for me) towers over all the tsunamis and skyscrapers and Everests F&SF has raised … When it was published in 1988 I wrote Ms. Thompson an unsolicited note that read, in part, ‘ … having read … a vast amount of the words available on this planet, it is not often one suffers the joy of having read a ‘first published’ story that can bring tears of pleasure. Ed Ferman spoke conservatively when he called it a ‘superior story.’ It is more than that. It is a jewel.”
“Hunchster,” by Matthew Hughes – Fantasy and Science Fiction Aug./Sept. 2009 – You’ve been through several jobs and can’t hold one down. It’s not really your fault — just when you settle in there’s a new technology that pops up and renders your skill set obsolete. You’re outdated and, once again, unemployed. Sound familiar anyone?
Hughes explores the topic in “Hunchster” asking the question to what lengths would you go to protect your livelihood? And your family? It’s a dark tale framed in a lighthearted fantasy and it’s one I enjoyed. Check it out.
“The Bones of Giants,” Yoon Ha Lee – Fantasy and Science Fiction Aug./Sept. 2009 – Giants. Zombies. Necromancy. Wizards. Yeah, it’s a fantasy. And it’s a pretty darn good one. Lee’s novelette explores several themes, but focuses heavily on ideals of death and immortality. It’s a quick, clean and elegant story that ends with a fun little twist. Worth checking out.
What are your thoughts? Have any recommendations for the good reads column? E-mail me, or sound off in the comments.
TV: Robot Chicken Star Wars Episode II
08/03/2009 By Leave a Comment
Buy it.
I don’t know any clearer way to say it. Buy it now, maybe?
There’s over 15 minutes of extra footage spliced into the original broadcast, which all looks phenomenal. Plus, we’ve got more Conan O’Brien voice work (Zuckuss) a ton of extra Boba Fett footage (including hilarious outtakes from the Sarlacc skit) and even more Ewok carnage. Pretty rockin’, if I do say so myself. There’s some other gems, but I won’t spoil them for you …
Oh and did I mention the 90 minutes of bonus features? Video blogs, behind the scenes, a visit from the 501st Stormtrooper Legion, alternate audios … the list goes on.
Get it or you’re making a big mistakey!
