Eclectic Writer

Machines were the creatures of the Science Fiction of my youth. I confess to a fascination with those machines, often described, occasionally illustrated.  The Mile Long Spaceship, a 1957 short story by Kate Wilhelm, Barbarella’s Orgasmatron (pictured here), or Excessive Machine if you prefer the name given it by its maker, are only two examples. Machines in those days often sprawled across the landscape of imagination. One particular type of Machine were the Atmosphere machines that cleaned the air of alien worlds too polluted for life, and often where life failed to maintain balance.  One of these machines will soon be a reality, though very different form those I saw in comics and rad about in classic short stories.  I am talking about the CO2 Catcher

Could US scientist’s ‘CO2 catcher’ help to slow warming?
It has long been the holy grail for those who believe that technology can save us from catastrophic climate change: a device that can “suck” carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, reducing the warming effect of the billions of tonnes of greenhouse gas produced each year.

Now a group of US scientists say they have made a breakthrough towards creating such a machine. Led by Klaus Lackner, a physicist at Columbia University in New York, they plan to build and demonstrate a prototype within two years that could economically capture a tonne of CO2toward a day from the air, about the same per passenger as a flight from London to New York.

The prototype so-called scrubber will be small enough to fit inside a shipping container. Lackner estimates it will initially cost around £100,000 to build, but the carbon cost of making each device would be “small potatoes” compared with the amount each would capture, he said.

So Science Fiction becomes modern savior, maybe. It brings to mind a difference from the stories of my childhood to those of today. When I grew up there was a very different image of the machine. Machines were typically benevolent, often they were the things that saved the day. O sure, some brainy human was needed to design and build the machine, like Slip-Stick Libbey, one of Heinlein’s heroes from his Future History Stories.  He wasn’t alone, the scientist and his machines were inseparable parts of Science Fiction of that remote age.
The intervening years have seen machines fall from grace. More often they are used as a passive villain, reliance on the Machine leads us all to our doom. Using such machines is often seen as corrosive to the spirit and the soul. Reading Andre Norton’s Witch World series, especially the first three books, provides a glimpse of a world where Machines stand in opposition to a Magic/Nature nexus.  These machines are inherently corrosive to the human soul and spirit, and the “Koldur” who use them are stripped of their essential humanity. 

That naturalistic swing was followed by another, Cyberpunk, in which machines became part of a dystopic landscape and a symbol of its soulless degradation.  A lot of Science Fiction is still influenced by that dystopic view, even if they do not go whole hog into the dark.

That brings to mind a final point, what the current fictional view of machines might be.  I have both a fascination for landscapes covered with sprawling, smoking, half living machines served by half soulless drivers.  The novel that I am writing at this moment, Red Tears” takes a dystopoic Steam-punk magical view of the place of machines in society, combining the dystopia with the natural. 

My view is not current.  As a theme, it seems to fit in with my own thinking about the machinery of man.  Machines become a part of the story background, which I conceive of as a character just as any other in the novel.  It occurs to me that if machines do prove a way out of our current global warming dilemma, rather than finding a fix to the disease of the human spirit that helped create it, we will owe a debt to those golden age Science Fiction writers and their characters who saved the day with they machines.

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Summer is here, and its time for a little personal ego boost.  My short story “Training Session” appears in the Whortleberry Press summer anthology 

Yes, I am stoked.  Writing is the most fun I can have with my cloths on, but it is still incredibly hard work.  Little things like this provide a little positive feed back that is great for the ego and tells me that I have taken a small step to one of my writing goals.

Whortleberry Press is small press, but it fills a very critical gap for writers.  Once, writers cut their baby teeth on publication like Analog, Fantasy and Science Fiction, and many others.  Those publications now, almost exclusively, publish stories by major writers.  It is much more difficult for beginners to get their foot in the door.

With publishers like Whortleberry Press, writers do have a place to sell their work and develop their craft.  Such outlets are critical.  Writing is a tough, lonely profession.  To get good at it you have to write, allow people to tear it apart, and write it again.  It can be very difficult if all you ever see is rejection.  Places like Whortleberry Press fill an important place for writers who are honing their craft.

Yes, its a child’s book, I know that. I just read the first book of “The Spiderwick Chronicles.”  I must say that I enjoyed it.  But then I reluctantly enjoyed Harry Potter also, opening the books only after seeing the first movie.

The Spiderwick Chronicles seems to be aimed at a slightly younger audience, though there is some overlap.  It belong to a sub-genre of  fantasy written for children under the age of 13.  It is written as a serial, with each of the first five books being the entire story, about 55,000 words.  It is a novel business plan.  Rather than write one book and sell it as one book, you write five and sell it five different times.    It reminds me a bit of “The Secrets of Droon,” written for 7-10  year old’s.  Like Droon, and the entire sub-genre, it is about 3 kids (two girls and a boy) who go to a mysterious world, called Droon, and have magical adventures.

From a writerly point of view, it is an interesting market.  They are short, written from the point of view of 9 -13 year old kids, and follow a distinct pattern.  I have already decided to write one, just to see if I can do it.

Fezzini: Inconceivable!
Inigo: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
–The Princess Bride

Thumbs up, we all know what that means, or do we.
I saw this grate article that all writers should read. “From Kennedy to Clinton: Why Everyone Is Thumbs-Up” looks like just another political article.  In the middle of the Quadrennial campaign that is all we need, right. But the fact it, the article isn’t about politics.  It’s about the real meaning, and uses of, the thumbs up signal.

I know, you’re asking, how does that apply to writing.  Thumbs up means A-OK.  The truth is that it doesn’t, or it hasn’t always meant that.  What do I mean?

Take ancient Rome, or at least the Rome we all saw in the movies.  The thumbs up signal had an important part to play in gladiatorial contests, though not in the way the movies have tended to depict it.  Thumbs ups, “Pollice verso the Latin term for the gesture, meaning “with a turned thumb” was actually the signal they used to signal the crowds desire to have the gladiator killed.  Most of the movies I’ve seen, and even some stories I’ve read, the crowd holds out their hands and points the thumb down.  The way it really happened was this.  The crowd would hold out a fist, hiding the thumb, to signal that the Gladiator should live.  If they extended their thumb up, the gladiator died.

The way we use the gesture today actually dates back to World War II, when “Pilots would use a thumbs-up to indicate they were ready to go up.” The gesture spread from there across the world. So today, when a Rock Star, John McCain, or Barack Obama hold their thumb up, they are not saying kill the bums.

Interesting historical note, you say, but what does that have to do with writing. That is an easy answer. Describing what characters do is part of characterization. It is easy to write in a hand gesture that we all know and understand without thinking about what that gesture meant a hundred, a thousand, or two thousand years ago. If you are writing a story set in ancient Rome, thumbs up could be worse that flipping the bird, digitus impudicus (”impudent finger”). Gestures differ from place to place in the modern world. In historical fiction, in a fantasy world, or in Science Fiction who new lexicon’s of gesture can be developed to add richness and texture to your writing. So the next time you write a scene set in Rome, Medieval Britain, Modern India, Middle Earth, or Alpha Centauri don’t go for the standard hand-signs that you think you know. Do a little research or make something up. There is a whole new world of fingers out there.

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From Kennedy to Clinton: Why Everyone Is Thumbs-Up

Scientists continue to be stunned at the speed Global warming is overtaking their predictions.  Last year’s global models are tossed by the wayside once again.  The discovery of massive cracks in the arctic ice at the top of the world show that we may be looking at the loss of much of the polar ice sheet.  Once the Ice Sheet goes, the darker ocean will absorb more heat and continue to warm the earth, accelerating global warming.   Hold onto your hats, it could be a bumpy ride for the good old planet earth.

Vast cracks appear in Arctic ice
Environment correspondent, BBC News
Dramatic evidence of the break-up of the Arctic ice-cap has emerged from research during an expedition by the Canadian military.

Scientists travelling with the troops found major new fractures during an assessment of the state of giant ice shelves in Canada’s far north.

The team found a network of cracks that stretched for more than 10 miles (16km) on Ward Hunt, the area’s largest shelf.

The fate of the vast ice blocks is seen as a key indicator of climate change.

It’s the end of the world as we know it.

 

“Red Tears” has become an attempt to make characters sing their lives through their language.  This goes back to a talk with an editor. This goes back to Coyote Kings of the Space Age Bachelor Pad. Characterization that says, “This is who I am!”

Take Kyrial Najir….

Kyrial is a thief, daughter of a prostitute, raised in poverty.  She speaks in a create patois.  First, any words she speaks ending in ‘ing are spoken as in’.  She drops the ”g” in those words.  She has other idiosyncrasies of speech, such as her extensive use  of contractions. 

Something that readers may find off-putting, is her blatant sexuality.  I’m not saying that she spends a lot of time in the novel jumping in and out of bed.   kyrial is open about her sexuality and a bit in your face with it.   Dialog from her POV appears below.

There I was, sittin’ in my cell when this priest walks in with a big book in his arms and his pockets full of ink and quills, and he he expects me to be oh so respectful.
“Welcome to the Lords Inquisitorial Assizes Miss…Najir,” he says while climbin’ up into that high seat by the desk. And not a good mornin’, or a how are you, or how’s the jail cell.
I can tell you know I’m the kind of woman that knows how to answer that kind of snobbery. “Welcome to the Lords Inquisitorial Assizes Miss…Najir, says you. Bless you, says I, or Gesundheit, as that may be. Wouldn’t want such as you to think I’m takin’ on airs by takin’ on the prerogative of the mother church and givin’ blessings.”

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Now, Cartophyllus is constructed a bit differently.  In a way, I have tried to strike a balance between his repulsiveness and his nobility.  Cartophyllus is well educated, a bit of a snob.  His choice of Necromancy has left him an outcast and a recluse.  This does not bother him much.  He is obsessed with Kyrial to the point that he spies on her.  Don’t get me wrong, this is not a peeping tom kind of spying.  But it is a bit creepy. 

As with Kyrial, I have sought to define Cartophyllus with his voice.  He never uses contractions.  He tends to be sarcastic with people.  He uses larger words and longer sentences than Kyrial.  It is a little more difficult to stay true to his unique voice.

Cartophyllus dialog:

“I never expected to see you in this place, Brother Charity,” I said. Yes, that was a true statement, as far as that goes. “How is it that the Lords’ Inquisitor advanced you to the position of Confessionary for the Mother Church to take the humble confession of Cartophyllus L’Necromant? Did you betray your post as Summoner; perhaps offend the wrong lord or lady while tapping a tithe of their wealth for the Church?”
I watched Brother Charity smile, a sight hitherto only witnessed by his richest victims. He dutifully finished copying my words verbatim before glancing up from the parchment. “Cousin, you appear distressed. My superiors within the mother church have provided you with all the expected comforts. The wine next to your right hand is one of the better vintages out of Mallow, or so I am told.”

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Everything a character says and does is characterization. A reader will look at that action and make judgments on the character of the character, just as we do here in real life. The difficult thing about getting a character right, is writing clear prose that will be interpreted in a similar way by most readers.

The news in in from Politico, John McCain has entered the open market of ideas in good old Capitalist fashion by bribing people to write supportive and nurturing things about him.

McCain incentivizing supporters to comment on blogs

John McCain’s campaign is using their campaign websiteto encourage supporters to post supportive comments on political blogs, including the most well-known liberal site in the blogosphere. And to make things easier, they’re including talking points with which sympathizers can use to get out the McCain message.

Yesterday, I would have said that John McCain couldn’t go much lower.  This is, after all, the family values candidate who is Rated As America’s Worst Senator For Children by the 2007 Children’s Defense Fund Action Council.  How much worse can you get than taking denying the things that children need for their health and welfare away from him.

Then there is the youtube video that reveals just how many different parts of his record that he can lie about.

But now he has entered the realm of propaganda. He is paying bloggers to engage in mercenary debate on his behalf. So if anyone out there is listening, come and post. Defend John McCain and get stuff. Sell your integrity for McCain’s 30 pieces of silver, cause that is all you are worth to hm.

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John McCain for President

Politico

Workin on Mysteries without any clues,
Workin on our night moves

–Bob Seger 

It’s late, 12:19 by the clock on the computer. That would be 0019 if I were still in the Navy. A Night Mood has taken me. I’ve frittered away the evening while my wife and children sleep. Well, perhaps frittered is exactly correct. I critiqued a story at Critique Circle.  Edited my blogs under structure a bit.  I even worked on the scale model of a Medieval Fieldston Longhouse.  No, frittered isn’t the world.

I found a Writer’s Blog “The Alien Next Door“  that featured a review of Aeon Flux.  That was a bit of pleasant frittering.  I can crawl back in my memory and relive the pleasure at a series that was both idiosyncratic and strange.  That led to other, and that let to Bob Seger.

I also made a decision on the second draft of Red Tears.  I need to involve the Duke of Glhass and his court.  Talk about working on a mystery without any clues.  This will require a chapter, more likely two, back in the novel.  But he is important, actually critical, and his part of the story has to be brought out.  So this night has not been a complete waste.

The rewrite, or second draft (I’m kind of hazy about the difference) has reached 80,000+ words.  I have a sneaking suspicion that it will go higher, maybe as high as 120,000.  But that is hard to say. I should know, by the end of next week.

I took another milestone, sending the first two chapters to Critique Circle, a fiction critique group.  Even though I’ve not pushed completely through this rewrite, it will allow me to get back into the final edit (I hope) quickly. 

Even in this write the story is morphing a bit.  I’ve given Kyrial a love interest she thinks is dead, caused him to betray her in order to save her, and am placing her in a position to betray him in order to save the lives of her family.  What’s funny here is I’m not sure just exactly how she is going to deal with the whole problem.  Those will be new parts of the plot and I will decide, I guess, as I rewrite them.

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The Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution reads “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”   For a long time now that equal access has been denied to Gays and Lesbians who simply wanted to have the same protections afforded by our law to straight married couples.  The opposition  has been lead by religious bigots, conservatives, and Republicans.  For a while, at least, this violation of one of the essential rights under the constitution, “equal protection under the law” has been given in full measure to those American born citizens who happen to be gay and lesbian. 

Gay marriage legal in California, court declares

SAN FRANCISCO – A deeply divided California Supreme Court said Thursday that California’s ban on gay marriage is not legal, a move that sent off wild cheers and celebration in San Francisco but one that will face new fights from opponents of same-sex marriage.

Under court rules, the ruling does not take effect for 30 days, lawyers involved in the case said, and opponents of gay marriage said they would ask the court to stay its decision pending an expected vote by the public in November.

“It benefits no one to redefine marriage for three to four months,” said Folsom attorney Andrew P. Pugno of ProtectMarriage.com, who said he would seek a stay while pursuing an initiative to amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage.
Despite that, celebrations broke out in San Francisco as word of the opinion spread immediately after the court posted it on its Website at 10 a.m.

On the courthouse steps, impromptu press conferences erupted amid gleeful sobbing and cheers.

Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center For Lesbian Rights, a plaintiff in the suit, read part of the opinion, then looked up and told the crowd: “Every piece of statutory language that…excluded gays and lesbians is stricken,” she said. “We are free to marry anyone.”

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger released a statement immediately after the opinion was issued saying he would uphold the ruling.

“Also, as I have said in the past, I will not support an amendment to the constitution that would overturn this state Supreme Court ruling,” he added.

Of course, the religious bigots who can not stand the idea that other people might want something that is not conceived of in their philosophies. The next step will be an attempt to change the state constitution. After all, if they can not remove the freedoms from other Americans that they do not agree with by unconstitutional laws, they will simply try to change the constitution.