Journal Entries
The Universe hasn't won, I'm still working on it.
Posted Oct 8, 2012
I'm still surviving, despite the Universe's best attempts to thwart my efforts. Of course, it's always a question as to whether or not anyone notices my absence or not but I suppose, for my own sake, that's not the point.
I'm continuing to work on Spade. There is so much to his world that I want to develop it's hard to know where I need to draw the line and stop and just get back to the main story. Except I don't know what that is. What's more, it seems like everyday I'm coming across some article or other about new technology and I think "Oh! I need to find some way to incorporate that into the story." But when one is trying to write a story about life 300 years into the future, it's tough to know what's really relavent and what isn't. Of course, at some point I need to start ignoring the details and just let suspension of disbelief take over and hope the story is compelling enough to work.
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Latest reply: Oct 8, 2012
It's not paranoia if the Universe really IS out to get you
Posted Apr 3, 2012
The Universe can be a cold and lonely place. Especially when it's out to get you.
Now I'm not saying the Universe is sentient or willful. It's not even malicious in its intent. But just as some people have good luck and some people have no luck at all, others have plenty of luck and it's all bad. It's part of the balance of the Universe. If you're one of the unlucky ones then it may seem as though you're a target and the Universe is gunning for you.
Take Arthur Dent, for example. The "Hero" of that well known epic isn't much of a hero. He's just a guy trying to deal with all these weird and terrible things happening around him. Unlike his companions, who all went out into interstellar space willingly, he had no choice. His only hope was simply to take things as they came and deal with them as best as possible. While the Universe itself was not malicious towards or even cognizant of our "Hero," there's no denying that it was out to get him.
I feel that way sometimes. Actually, I often feel that way. Everyone has their problems, sure, but it's the nature of my problems - there's a certain quality and frequency to them - that make them just a little more off the wall in comparison to other people's problems. Which leads me to believe that the Universe has it in for me 
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Latest reply: Apr 3, 2012
Topia shmopia
Posted Mar 23, 2012
I recently had a conversation about the general plight of humanity in the near future. There was much laughter and merriment.
It seems we all tend to have a very bleak outlook on the future of the human race. Famine, natural disasters, global warming, disease, war, reality tv - something's gonna kill us. And that doomsday attitude is so very often reflected in literature in the form of a distopian future in which the heroic and righteous individual must rally against the oppression totalitarian forces that will inevitably take over in the face of the fall of human civilization. What sort of story could I possibly be refering to? Hold on, I need a snack. I feel a certain 'Hunger' coming on.
OK. So my issue is this. Do we really believe that we'd ever let it get that bad? I'm not convinced. Granted, it's a wonderful plot device and when done well, it works great. But why do we seem to only want to see the future as a Utopian society of harmony and perfection, or a Dystopian world full of chaos and oppression? No one seems to care to imagine a future that's, well, not that bad.
Well I do. And I am. And it's hard. I see why writers tend to veer toward the Dys side of Topia. The U side is so dull and boring - everything is so damn perfect. Whereas, on the other side of things, there's plenty of conflict to work with. Oodles of it to go around. Certainly more than enough for any one hero.
I'm trying to write something. It's in the future. Sure there's wonderful technilogical advances (most people live well over 100 years thanks to nifty and convienent personalized organ labs and gene therapies) but society is really quite the same as now. Some people are happy. Some are miserable. Granted, starvation isn't a problem but there's still some nations doing a little better than others. There are a few exorbitantly rich people and most everyone else works for a living. And most working stiffs would rather watch TV than care about the wonderful progress the Save the Widlife AIs are having with reintroducing wolly mammoths to the expansive Siberian refuge (since all the endagered species have been saved the AIs need something to do so they started on extinct-reintroduction programs). Unfortunately, this futuristic, yet incredibly recognizable society doesn't offer up much conflict into which my hero can be thrust.
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Latest reply: Mar 23, 2012
Dexter
Posted Mar 23, 2012
My cat. Not the show on the television everyone keeps mentioning. Anyway, Dexter is having issues.
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Latest reply: Mar 23, 2012
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