Writer's Blog: Excuses and Things

This is Friday's post. Yes I know its not Friday. I'd planned to schedule posts but time caught up with me so there you go.

I have a good excuse though. I had university yesterday and the day before and on Thursday? Well okay there is an element of not getting round to it but I did have an alumni event in the evening. It was quite interesting more formal than I'd expected but it was enjoyable. I felt like the underachiever of the bunch. I'm not saying that anyone made me feel unwelcome, the opposite in fact, but I felt embarrassed saying that I'm working in a shop.

I suppose its not so bad. Making it as an author is difficult and I am still studying so it is understandable. In fact finding a reasonable job that pays okay money is probably the right course for me. If I had a hugely engrossing job then I might find little time to write. And I realise the irony of that statement coming as it does in a late blog post.

Anyway at the alumni event I got talking to someone who asked why I liked to write science fiction. Without trying to sound too big headed I think I was able to come up with a fairly cogent and well thought out answer. I can't repeat it to you verbatum but here is an aproximation.

Science fiction is incredibly versatile and allows us to explore so many things. It allows us to look at the world from an objective view point. If I set a story at a point in history then people have a preconceived notion of the events. They may have seen the event themselves, they may have lived it, or they may know someone who has. However if I use a science fiction setting then the ideas of 'us' and 'them' have vanished. There is no more reason to side with one side than the other. In so doing people can see their own stupidity and draw parallels between the events is the fictional universe and our own.

Okay. I'm sure I didn't speak quite that clearly but the point still stands. With science fiction you can entertain people and perhaps educate them too. But you can do it in a way that is subtle. Tell a man that his racism is unacceptable and he may not listen but show racism to, or between aliens, and he may see how he too is flawed.

Writer's Blog: I Wish I'd Thought of That

Do you ever watch a TV show or see some business endeavour and wish you'd thought of it?

I remember talking to my dad about Twitter and he says it is something he never would have thought of. I could just imagine him sitting at a desk with a note book marked 'Ideas'. On that note book is written - 'A website where you write about stuff in 140 characters or less.' Then he frowns, scrunches us the paper and tosses it into the bin.

Of course Twitter is amazingly successful. It is only six years old and yet most celebrities and television programs seem to have twitter accounts. Which is a wonderful thing to be able to communicate with these people and, in more general terms, to be able to get information around the world quickly.

Dad never did think of Twitter and, as I've said, he would have rejected it as a silly idea if he had. So that's a question for you. What idea do you wish you had come up with? It can be anything a business or a story element anything at all.

What do I wish I'd come up with? The Babylon 5 idea of telepaths being created by aliens to be weapons in war.    

Writer's Blog: Great Lines

Yes Minister

1. Bernard: Well, "under consideration" means "we've lost the file"; "under active consideration" means "we're trying to find it".
2. Sir Humphrey: Minister, Britain has had the same foreign policy objective for at least the last five hundred years: to create a disunited Europe. In that cause we have fought with the Dutch against the Spanish, with the Germans against the French, with the French and Italians against the Germans, and with the French against the Germans and Italians. Divide and rule, you see. Why should we change now, when it's worked so well?
3. Bernard: Shall I file it?
   Hacker: Shall you file it? Shred it!
   Bernard: Shred it?
   Hacker: No one must ever be able to find it again!
   Bernard: In that case, Minister, I think it's best I file it.
4. Hacker: It's the peoples' will. I am their leader; I must follow them.
5. Hacker: Don't be silly, Humphrey. They don't ask you to Number 10 for a drink just because they think you're thirsty!

If you're unfamiliar with the series I strongly suggest you check it out. Its very funny for something you would think would be dryer than the Sahara - and it is still relevant today.

I've used Wikiquote for this post.

Writer's Blog: Striving for Meaning

I haven't posted here in nearly two months. I want to post a lot more often, maybe even once a week, but I can never think of anything. It's the way it goes with writing. Sometimes ideas come so fast. Sometimes you have so many thoughts and other times its a struggle. Some blogs, although I admit I don't really follow them, have a theme. The person posts every day, or every week, with the same criteria.  

They might, for instance, write top ten lists. This means that the format is already determined and they just have to decide on a theme.

I could do the 'The Ten Best thinks about..." We all like lists. There are so many of them on the web and I never quite know why but they are popular. That's an interesting question to ask actually. 'Why do we care what Joe Blogs thinks?' I mean its sort of understandable that people might want to find out that they like the same films as a celebrity but why would we want  to know if we have the same likes as a random blogger?

The picture above is of a gnarled tree I saw in Aberdare. As I write this it occurs to me that I've got many many images on my computer. I enjoy taking pictures but rarely find an opportunity to use them so perhaps that is my niche. I've certainly got enough to see my through the next few years. In the meantime lets try a top ten list - hell lets do eight - just to be different.

This is an off the top of my head list. Eight great Star Trek episodes. These are in no particular order.

1. Best of Both Worlds (TNG)
2. The Way of the Warrior (DS9)
3. Message in a Bottle (VOY)
4. Errand of Mercy (TOS)
5. Darmok (TNG)
6. Balance of Terror (TOS)
7. The Drumhead (TNG)
8. Scorpion (VOY)     

That's it for now but I'll be back more often. If you only look at one of these episodes I recommend The Drumhead. It is very relevant for the politics and events of today.

Writer's Blog: What if...

Last week I posed a what if...

'What if George III had granted the thirteen colonies of America parliamentary representation.'

And now for an unresearched and uninformed answer to that question. If I was writing a novel about this, which I might one day, I would do lots of research. I would read everything I could about that time in America. It would be important to get the American perspective 'The Revolutionary War' or the British perspective 'The War of the Insurrection.' For this post I'm just going to use what I know from living in the world.

You've probably heard the phrase 'No taxation without representation.' and 'Give me liberty or give me death.'

These phrases are associated with the American War of Independence. It does make me ask a few questions.

1. Why didn't Britain give their colonies representation in the British parliament.?
2. Why didn't Britain try and placate the colonies by giving them their own parliament?
3. If America had been given representation would the War of independence have happened?
4. Assuming that the war of independence hadn't happened what would the state of America be now? 

For me the last question is the most interesting. There are a number of options of course.

America could have been as Scotland is now. Having its own Parliament but looking to get more power.

It might be like Australia, Canada, and New Zealand is - i.e an independent nation with ties to Britain through the monarchy.

Or another option, which might seem very far fetched, America might have formed part of some sort of Federation.  With a structure something like this...

Queen of the British Federation.
President of the British Federation

Prime Minister of Great Britain.
Prime Minister of America.

First Minister of England.
First Minister of Northern Ireland.
First Minister of Scotland.
First Minister of Wales.

The thirteen states would probably also have First Ministers. Of courses history is incredibly complicated. If one thing is changed everything is effected. This includes who is born an who dies.

Lets say John Smith died in the War of Independence. Well if that war never took place then he is able to marry Jane, his one true love, and they have a child. This child didn't exist in the world before. 

The US constitution was adopted 17th September 1787. That was a long time ago and so much would have changed.

What about the two world wars? Would Austria-Hungary have risked war with Britain if we had owned America?

If things were so different in America then perhaps the Archduke might not have been in Sarajevo that day in 1914.

So we could say that the wars wouldn't have happened. But what would be the role of women? Woman, because of men going to war, had to take on jobs previously thought of as men's jobs. They gained a new level of independence from the conflict.

And what about science and technology. Without the war the rivalry between the US and USSR might not have existed. We might not have landed a man on the moon just 66 years after the first powered flight - hell that flight might not have happened.

You'll notice I'm not giving any answers. That's because there are no answers. There is no way to say what would lead to a better world or what would lead to a worst world.

It would be very interesting though to explore these ideas. This is why history is fascinating to me. Looking at these questions and if, like me, you're a little lazy you could always tell the story on another planet...

Writer's Blog: Your Writing Coah

I've recently been reading Your Writing Coach by Jurgen Wolff. I'm only 26% of the way through but I can already say that this is a great book for any aspiring author.

I wanted to share with you one piece of advice that Wolff gives. That piece of advice is to ask 'Why.'

The question of why something is happening is very important. Unfortunately that question can often get sidelined or be met with an unhelpful response. We may ask "Why is the villain doing what he's doing?" ... and we are told ... "Because he's mad."  

This may work in some situations, The Wrath of Kharn or The Dark Knight come to mind, but I think it is generally better to get a deeper reason. Wolff suggests asking the question over and over. From asking questions we can get to the bedrock of the story.

Another question that could be asked is: What if... A 'what if' could help form the basis of a story. For instance 'What if George III had granted the thirteen colonies of America parliamentary representation.'

This will form the subject of my next post.

Are You Sure About This?

We've all heard of someone who's sent a stupid or silly message on the Internet. You know the type of thing: sending a messages to a mailing list instead of an individual, complaining about your boss on Facebook when they're a friend on their, or even sending your love letter to the wrong Sam in your address book.

Sometimes the mistake is noticed a slit second after its too late.

The problem is that communication is instantaneous. Imagine if Facebook was a magazine, it wouldn't work but lets just go with it, and you had to post messages via snail mail. You'd have to write the message, find an envelope, find a stamp, and remember to take it with you when you leave the house. Odds are that you will think better of it after a couple of days. When you've forgotten to post the letter for the third time you might realised that the hurtful letter is a bad idea and bin it.

So I propose that computers should have an 'Are you sure about this?' setting. Google already has some features of this nature. If you say 'attachment' in a message but forget to attach the document it'll remind you.

So how about this you write an email and when you click send a message comes up. 'Did you mean to use the word ***', 'Your message, Subject: 'Itchy Bum' is about to be sent to 'Work mailing list' is this what you meant?

On the other hand maybe people should just be a little more careful. This is not a phenomenon that's going to go away. And if you do hate work so much you feel the need to complain online here's my advice.

Make sure your boss won't see it.

If you want to risk it keep it PG. I don't think you could get fired for saying that work is annoying.

And if work is that bad maybe a new job would be a good idea.

Writer's Blog: Day Eight of Nine

What should I write here? I've been trying to figure out something to say. Its raining heavily and I have to leave for work soon. Today is my eighth day in a row.

I've recently set myself the goal of writing something here every week. Some days though the ideas just don't flow. Earlier today I submitted a short story for a competition. I'm not confident that I'll win but you have to enter to have a chance. The competition was free so what do I have to loose?

I'm alternating now between writing a short story and writing for my novel. So its over to the novel for a few thousand words now.

Maybe I'll have a killer idea today.

Happy writing and I hope you all have a great day.

Writer's Blog: Dark Genisis

I haven't talked about what I've been reading in quite a while. Late last year, with a brief interlude to read 'A Christmas Carol', I read the Babylon 5 Psi Corps trilogy.

These books tell of the inception of the Psi Corps and give more information on the history of Alfred Bester.

Bester appeared in twelve episodes of Babylon 5. He always had his own agenda and, while being a villain, he remained a fun character.

'Alfred Bester: If I had my talent working, I could have warned you when he was coming.
Michael Garibaldi: And if I had a baseball bat, we could hang you from the ceiling and play piñata.
Alfred Bester: A piñata, huh? So, you think of me as something bright and cheerful, full of toys and candy for young children? Thank you! That makes me feel much better about our relationship.' (Dust to Dust - Babylon 5)

These books were interesting and give a real incite into the life of Bester. For the continuity geeks, I suppose I'm one, its good to know that the story is also cannon. I'm not sure what non-Babylon 5 fans would get out of it but if you liked the series I'd give these a try.

Eurovision

Saturday was the Eurovison Song Contest. It is a bizarre event. If you know it you don't need me to tell you that and if you don't know it you might not believe me.

Britain has done very badly in recent years. Mostly its our fault for putting forward awful performs. Scooch, a couple of years back, was an embarrassment. This year we put forward Engelbert Humperdinck singing a loverly simple song.



For once I wasn't embarrassed, disappointed, or ashamed. Our song was well performed and the dancers complimented the performance. Yet, for some reason, we didn't get the votes and came last but one.

Part of the reason for this is that we're Britain. The rest of Europe doesn't like us very much. We also went on first so perhaps the song was forgotten by the time it came to the voting.

Some years I understand the winner: Hard Rock Hallelujah was brilliant and so was Satellite. Some years however I find myself thinking: 'What?' It was like that for me this year. Sweden won Eurovison and when the singer came on to perform, the winner always performs again, I couldn't really remember having seen it.



I voted for Denmark and Denmark came very near the bottom.



So you can never quite tell what's going to happen. More often than not the ones I like aren't anywhere near the winners.

This year the series was hosted in Azerbaijan. I found a recipe for Azerbaijani Lamp Pilau - I'm going to add to our family tradition of watching Eurovison by cooking a dish related to the host nation - I guess its meatballs next year.

Oops

I've just been looking over some old posts and realised I've made a bit of a mistake. I ended two posts recently saying what I would discuss in the next post. Then I um... didn't.

The first of these was with regard to my writing life. I stated:

'My life is writing and I don't do it as often as I would like to but that's a topic for another blog.'

I have to work. Work, for me, is just a means to an end. I need money to live it is the fact of life. The dream would be to find a job in writing or, at the very least, enjoy. My currant job does not fit this particular bill.

I don't yet know how I could start to make money from writing. These ramblings are certainly not going to do it.

Another post ended with:

'Slightly off topic I've recently joined a dating site. This is in the hopes that I can avoid the 'friend zone' or not being thought of 'in that way.' This subject will form the basis of my next post.'

In someways I don't like the term 'Friend Zone' but it is a real phenomenon. I have always felt that when it comes to dating I like to get to know someone. So approaching a girl in a pub or club because she looks 'hot' would not be my style. In the interest of full discloser it doesn't help that I'm short and could be compared to a Klingon who's lost his ridges. Also I don't like clubbing so if I go to a club I would meet people who like clubs. I like book shops but people don't expect to be asked out at a book shop.

So before I ask anyone out I'd want to get to know them. That process can take a while and then you find yourself trapped as a friend. In someways dating sites are good for overcoming this because when you contact someone you know that dating is the reason for the communication. Thought the friend zone is still a possibility as your liable to find them on facebook, friend them, and never speak to them again!

Well time will tell and I may expand on this further in the future.    

Writer's Blog: Don't Apologise For What You Like

My MP3 player contains songs by S Club, I like almost any TV program with Star in the title, I don't like football and I'd rather spend my evenings reading than dancing.

So from this I guess you infer that I'm horribly uncool. Maybe you're right but what is cool? Its a question that I've often wondered about. I suppose the obvious answer is that its articular. 

I suppose coolness begins at school. It is expected that boys will like football and that those that don't are a bit strange. For some reason liking science fiction is seen as odd and is coupled with the cliché of basements and virgins. What this misses of course is that anyone and everyone can like anything.

At school I was bullied, not specifically about this, but it was one more thing that made me different. The strange thing about bullies though was that sometimes they acted as friends. One sports day practice they were quite encouraging and during a pot luck quiz people appreciated my knowing that William Shatner played Captain Kirk.

Even now that I'm 24 I still find myself hesitating to say what I like. It feels risky in a way that I can't quite pin down as to why. My dvd shelf contains: Babylon 5, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Bones.

I also have three Star Trek: Enterprise T-shirts. These were a set and a gift some years back. These seem especially risky to wear. People who don't like Star Trek will know you like it and people who do like Star Trek will know you like Enterprise!

In all seriousness don't apologies for what you like. The world would be pretty boring if everyone agreed on everything. So while I now tell people I write science fiction, join discussions about science fiction, if they occur around me, and have just bought a The Big Bang Theory t-shirt, I still have the feeling of being apologetic in my mind. It would appear this is the final frontier I need to over come.

Live long and prosper.

Below is a nice nerdy video to close this out.

Writer's Blog: School Doesn't Prepare You For Life

Recently I've come to realise that school fails in some important areas. I'm now living in a full sized house. The house is in a bit of a mess. I'm finding it a little difficult to organising my too many positions, deal with bills, cleaning, calling a plumber or electrician and the general upkeep that a house requires.

I'm going to blame some of my lack of organisation on school. I know this may seem like an odd segue, and a bit of a leap, but hear me out. At its most basic school is supposed to prepare us for life. Primary school prepares us quite nicely. At the end of Primary School most of us know reading, writing, basic arithmetic and some science. This is a good start. When we go onto High School...

(Just to try and be clear High School is different in the UK to the US. In the UK High School is five years from the ages of 12-16)

...these subjects are expanded upon. Of course these skills are important but I would argue that we should also learn skills for everyday life. We should learn, organising of finances, house work, laundry, finding a workman (how to make sure they are reputable) cooking and so on. These are things that everyone will need to do. I'm 24 and I'm still struggling a little to fit all the stuff I need to do, alongside what I want to do, into my daily life.

Perhaps I'm just being a little pathetic but I still think I have a point. My parents gave me a degree of autonomy before I left home. In the last year or so (I can't remember exactly how long.) of living at home I was responsible for getting my own dinner and doing my own laundry. I don't mean to cast aspersions but I imagine that many people don't do this. It explains why there is this perception that young people, particularly students, don't know you to cook ad are unclean.

School does have Home Economics but its not treated as important. I understand the need to teach biology, physics and chemistry but the average person probably won't use it much. Every one will have to deal with bills, work/life balance, cooking and cleaning.

Since I've got a job I've been at work for at least twenty hours a week. There is good (Money!) side to this but with uni and house work it can be difficult to fit everything it.

As I write this I realise I would probably have more time if I watched fewer you tube videos. Anyway that's beside the point. To be clear I'm not talking about procrastination, though there is a fair amount of that, its just finding the time.

So to round off this ramble... Is this something school could teach? Could there be a lesson where a teacher explains methods of balancing ones life? Most people will probably work for forty hours a week, they'll need to vacuum and clean the house, do the cooking and then try to have a life. My life is writing and I don't do it as often as I would like to but that's a topic for another blog.

Writer's blog: 2012.04.05

Its an interesting thing that our friends in life are sometimes determined by a computer. If you live a 'normal life' you probably got to know your friends in school. Form classes in high school will be determined by surname. So if your name is Albert Aardvark you might never meet Zara Zebra - and perhaps Zara shares many interests.

I's a little strange, and maybe even clichéd, to say this but I think school is something you don't appreciate until its over. I miss the social aspect of seeing friends everyday. In those moments between lessons there could be fascinating conversations. You got to talk to a variery of people - people who you wouldn't invite to you Birthday but knew fairly well if only because of school.

Sometimes though school is the glue that holds a group together. As you get older you realise that you have little in common. The group of friends starts to form because of those original form classes. You make friends but you probably know people in other form classes from primary school. Those older friends have their new friends and somewhere along the line a new group forms.

I enjoy going out for a meal with friends but that is most of what we do. We have some common interests but I'm still a bit of an odd ball and what I'd like to do of an evening is quite different. I still have elements of teenage self-consciousness and would feel a little strange about inviting people over for games, either Wii or boardgames, as it just doesn't seem to be what we do. Maybe I should just try it and see what happens. Now that I write this I realise that we have sometimes met up for Balderdash which was great.

I'd like to find some satisfying way to conclude this blog but I'm coming up empty. I suppose the point is how, as an adult, do you make new friends? Its a strange thing and not immediately answerable. Conversations in work are about work and going to the pub by ones-self is, at least in my opinion, a little strange.

Slightly off topic I've recently joined a dating site. This is in the hopes that I can avoid the 'friend zone' or not being thought of 'in that way.' This subject will form the basis of my next post.

Writer's Blog: The Writer's Journey

I've recently read The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler. I say recently but it was actually last year!

I read this book for university. Its one of three books that I'm using for a scriptwriting essay. It is a book to help writers in the creation of their stories. There are two main sections to the book, Character Archetypes and Stages of the Hero's Journey.

Character Archetypes describes well known character types that we all would recognise. To give one example we have the archetype of the mentor. Obi-wan Kenobi, in the original Star Wars, is the quintessential mentor. He is the person who guides the hero on their adventure. The other archetypes are ones we would all easily recognise from out own favourite works of fiction. However these are not set in stone. Different mentors will have different mentalities and approach their mentioning in different ways. This is the most important thing to understand when reading this book. Vogler is giving us the building blocks. If the archetypes were followed to the letter it would result in a very boring and unimaginative film.

The hero's journey is also something most of us would recognise. The hero is introduced in their normal life, called the ordinary world, and at some point they embark on an adventure into a new and different world. To use Star Wars again this happens to Luke when he leaves with Obi-wan. Another stage on the journey is the refusal. If you know Star Wars you will know that Luke is at first hesitant to follow Obi-wan. However when his uncle and aunt are killed that refusal disappears and he sets off on an adventure. It is again emphasised here that this is not a direct formula for screen, or any other, type of writing. It is a guideline only. For instance Vogler places the refusal at the beginning of the story but this may come later or not at all. It The Princess Bride Westly is completely unwavering in his pursue of Buttercup and only has a refusal near the end of the film.

I recommend this book to any aspiring writer. The book skilfully shows how to build up a story and uses popular culture references so it is easy to see in a practical way. It also shows that this is not an exact formula and can be rearranged. This is something that I think films desperately need. I've seen so many films that follow the precise structure. The one where two people fall in love and it all seems so perfect and then one of them puts their foot in it. They say something stupid and it seems the couple won't get back together. It even happens in Shrek - when hallelujah plays. That's not to say this formula can't work, Shrek is brilliant, but I think it is over used.

Messy Humans!

Reports of my death have been greatly exasperated...

I know its a clichéd way to open a blog post after having been absent for so long. Since my last post I've been very busy. There was Christmas of course but the main thing I wanted to talk about was work.

Yes I have a job now. I finally have money coming in and face that horrible irony. You could call it Heisenberg's social calender. For going out with friends you need money and time. Before I didn't have the money - now I don't have the time!

In all seriousness it is good to have a job. I'm working at a shop in the restaurant. The job is varied between dull and hectic - I imagine that sort of dichotomy is the same for any job. One thing I've learned from this job is that people are very messy. The restaurant is supposed to be self clean but many people don't clear their tables. Sometimes they even put the sign that says 'Please clear your table.' on the tray! We get a lot of people coming with children. It makes me worry for the next generation as some people can't follow so simple an instruction as that!

The job pays the bills though and I'm able to fit in Uni work and other writing around it. I've hit a bit of a snag with my novels but I think I've come up with a way to plan and work on them better - writing a script.

I find that scriptwriting is easier than novel writing. So I plan to write a script to tell the main points of the story and then write the novel from that script. I've never been one to plan my work but I think that using a script as a plan could be a great help.