Fantasist's Scroll

Okay, so I’m at a bit of a cross-roads…

I have a couple of choices here. I want to move to Word Press for my blogging system, because I like it better than MovableType. And, no, not just because of the MT pricing structure, either. I like the interface and how easy it is to code up plugins for WP. The only problem is WP only supports one blog per installation. In other words, I’d have to install WP twice to host two blogs. Not a big deal, I guess, but I have this blog and a fiction blog and an idea for another blog. Of course, the fiction blog has languished somewhat, so I suppose I could just roll it into this one. I mean, I only have three or four stories and a couple of haiku. Then, I could install WP a second time for my third blog experiment, which is logical in a way…

Well, I’m not sure what I want to do, but I want to do something and soon.

Well, not quite that bad…
Still, having read a plethora of fiction set in a variety of time periods, I can tell you, one of the biggest mistakes modern writers make is using modern language in historical settings. Or, worse, completely misusing historical language. This seems to be an especially large problem for new or amatuer writers of fantasy or historicals set in the pre-1900’s. Luckily, C. J. Cherryh has an answer for those poor unfortunate souls: Pre- and Post-1900’s Language. It’s far from complete, which she admits herself, but it’s certainly better than nothing and it is a great place to start.
Also, anyone looking at creating their own world, with its own linguistic twists on English, would do well to look through this file. It’s a great look at ways that English usage has changed, especially in terms of slang and common usage.

Okay, here’s another good one.

Though, this is very, very different from Blood Sucking Fiends. I haven’t read anything by Cory Doctrow before, but Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom won awards and has gotten great reviews, so I thought I’d try it. I have to admit, it was pretty damn good. I haven’t read much real science-fiction lately, just a bunch of fantasy, so it was a refreshing change.

The story is set in the far future where people make backup copies of their consciousness which can be downloaded into cloned bodies. This, of course, virtually eliminates death since a new clone can be grown that is much younger than the recently departed. Also, in this brave new world Doctrow has created, money has been replaced by a kind of reputation measurement called a “Whuffie”. If you have lots of Whuffie, you can get good meals at good restaurants. If you don’t have Whuffie, you can wait in line to get nutrient pap from a vending machine. So, with that in mind…
The story is set in Disney World where competing groups of “ad-hocs” (ad-hoc groups of like minded and motivated people) are trying to impose their various visions on the theme park. The story focuses on the battle for Liberty Square, in particular the Hall of Presidents and the Haunted Mansion. It’s actually a very interesting political thriller, in that sense, but always with the well-thought-out science-fiction underpinnings and, again my favorite thing, the sub-plot of human relations. It’s actually sort of hard to describe this book adaquately without giving too much away, but it’s well worth the read. It’s not funny like Blood Sucking Fiends was, but it is very engaging in a more intellectual way. And, most importantly, it was good and distracting!

In any case, it’s a good book and worth spending the money, even at this most consumer time of year.

I’ve been selected for punishment!

Actually, to doll out punishment, ironically. So, I’ve been playing this game, right? And, I’ve faithfully made an entry for every letter so far. Some are better than others, but they all meet the bare minimum requirements. And, I’ve been consistent, so I think that counts for something.
Well, the other day, someone “broke the rules” in a small way and I was selected to punish them. What a novel experience for me! I’m usually the punishee, not the punisher, so it was a bit unnerveing. Still, I did my best. Hope it turns out well!

I always love a good random generator.

God knows, I’ve needed a good laugh the past week or two, so when I found the Euphemism Generator, I knew I’d hit gold. Of course, it mainly generates sexual euphemisms, but it does have others and, in any case, it’s a laugh riot! Most of them are a little bit off, if you know what I mean, but some of them are so dead funny that I thought I was going to spit my coffee all over my monitor.

Anyway, it’s Friday and you deserve a laugh, too, no matter who you are, so click the link.

The male version of the “bodice ripper”.

Let me preface this review with the simple statement that this is: a) Not the kind of book I usually read, b) There is almost nothing about real “bushido” in the book, and c) Was purchased at a used book store for less than a dollar. Okay, I admit that I was looking for something different, and not too challenging to read, but I was hoping for more.
I finished Code of Bushido by Don Pendelton this week. This is from a series of “men’s fiction” (no, that’s not a euphemism for pornography!) called SuperBolan, which is named after the main character, Mack Bolan. It’s about as low-brow as you can get and still be reading books that don’t have illustrations.
The characterisation is weak and the rest of the writing is worse. Everyone is a giant characature of actual characters. Mack Bolan is a stereotypical, steely-eyed, tough-guy fighting a shadow war against terrorists for the CIA. He’s the ultimate dark hero. A professional killer who’s out there killing the bad guys and keeping America safe. Yes, it’s really that heavy-handed.

But, setting all that aside. It was entertaining. Entertaining in the same way that, say, a Sylvester Stalone movie is. Lots of action, a little mostly bad dialog and not much else. But, I didn’t have to think about it. It was what it was. There wasn’t any really deep social message here, just action and lots of it. So, it was an oddly soothing change of pace for me. The only really annoying thing was the totally wrong presentation of bushido and traditional Japanese culture. This author has obviously never read anything about bushido, or any of the traditional martial arts, or even talked to anyone with more than a passing interest in Japanese culture.
So, while I can’t reccomend this book in all good conscience, if you’re in the mood for mindless mayhem and a break from anything too heavy, this might just get the job done.

But, to counter the “low-brow-ness” of Code of Bushido, I started reading The Science of Words. Nothing like some good linguistics to wash the filth off!

I just re-read this last week.

How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy is good enough that I’ve read it three times now and I still picked up something new. In fact, I always pick up something new when I read it, or almost anything else about writing.
This book, though, is different. For one thing, it’s fairly focused on speculative fiction, which is just a euphemism science-fiction and fantasy. Also, the author, Orson Scott Card, is not only a writing teacher, but also a Hugo and Nebula Award winner, so he really does know what he’s talking about. But, beyond that, it’s a damn fine book. So, I’ve read it again, after two years, and this time, I’m doing a bit of a review.
If you’re just starting out, this is a great book to start get you started the right way. If you’ve been at this for a bit, it’s still a great book to read, because it will show you some things that you may not have noticed about writing speculative fiction. At the very least, it’ll be a good refresher course for you. I know that I use the MICE “rule of thumb” when I look at my own story ideas, such as they are these days. This book really taught me quite a bit about making realistic fantays settings and, I think, contributes to the strength of my story, The Chrome Girl.
In any case, I cannot reccomend How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy enough. It’s well worth the price.

I got this in a spam the other day:

“He soon came to a stop, however, and saw that another of the monsters had
come upon him from the rear and was now, with its mate, circling closely
around him, while both uttered continuously their hoarse, savage cries. Rob
wondered why the Garment of Repulsion had not protected him from the blow of
the bird’s wing; but, as a matter of fact, it had protected him
For it was not the wing itself but the force of the eddying currents of air
that had sent him whirling away from the monster”

Now, golly, what an interesting thing to have in spam to make it seem like a real message. I almost feel like I should work it up into an actual story. Oh, I’d have to edit it some, but it’s not a bad start.