T.C. Weber's Blog, page 3
June 18, 2020
Some Q&A about writing
Q: What was the genesis of Sleep State Interrupt ?
A: I’ve always been worried about the concentration of media and the decline of journalism, and the threats those trends pose to independent, critical thought and democracy. Then it was just a matter of inventing characters who would also be concerned about it and adding details of a near-future world. I lived in Baltimore and have been involved in music scenes and community organizing, so it was easy to include those as background elements. I have some experience with IT and video/news production. I consulted with experts to fill in the details, especially the tech-related ones.
Q: What advance preparation do you do prior to beginning a novel? Write mini-bios of the characters? Research the locale? Research any scientific matters essential to the book? Anything else?
A: All of the above. The basic story comes first. Then the plot and main characters. I create detailed character sheets, psychological profiles, and even put play lists together for the POV characters. The world also has to be developed. For Sleep State Interrupt, I didn’t need to research the locales since they’re in my backyard. But I did explore predicted technology for 2020-30 and interviewed experts. I’ve written other books, though, that required much more up-front world building. The Drift Horizon (which I’ve been editing off and on for quite a while) is set in a completely different version of Earth and I wrote a sort of Rough Guide/Lonely Planet for the country most of the action is set in.
Q: Are your characters based on people you've known, are they amalgams, or are they pure invention?
A: I invent my characters to fill roles in a story. They aren’t based on specific people, though of course real people and events inspire or influence them. I create profiles for my major characters, fleshing out their goals, personalities, backgrounds, appearances, etc. These may change while drafting the story, but usually not a whole lot. I try to make them interesting, since I’ll be spending a lot of time in their heads, I don’t want to be bored. Nor do I want readers to get bored.
Q: How do you generate your plots? Do you work the plot out first and then write? Start out with a general idea of where you want to go and then start writing? Or just sit down in front of a blank screen and start writing?
A: It’s a complicated process. I follow Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake method and Larry Brooks’s Story Engineering, more or less. The first step is to brainstorm story ideas and pick one worth writing about. I turn this into a “what if” question (like “What if nearly all information was controlled by a powerful elite? Could ordinary people overturn such a system?”) and a one-sentence novel summary (e.g., “An unemployed journalist and her friends try to stop a power-mad CEO from controlling the world.”) The next step is to expand that sentence to a full paragraph describing the story setup, major plot points, and ending of the novel. Then I develop the main characters and their goals, motivations, back story, etc. I weave the character arcs into the plot and write a short synopsis followed by a long synopsis. I convert this to a scene list in Scrivener, with a virtual index card for each scene (ideally with the scene arc outlined). Then finally I start writing, starting with the opening scene and filling out each scene in order. As I write, the story changes, sometimes quite a bit, but at least I have a roadmap to follow.
Q: You write both fiction and nonfiction. What would you say are the similarities and differences between writing nonfiction and writing fiction?
A: There are a lot of similarities. In both cases, you need to think creatively, organize your thoughts, be disciplined, and write clearly. Fiction is much more fun because you can write whatever you want and create your own worlds and people.
Q: How do you get inspired to write?
A: It's more a question of habit than inspiration. You just have to sit down and get to work.
Q: How do you deal with writer’s block?
A: I only get "writer's block" when my characters get in a situation that seems impossible to escape. Then I have the characters talk it through until they come up with a solution. Only a small part of the conversation may make it onto the page, but it's just like real life -- some problems require a lot of brainstorming and hypothesis testing.
Q: What do you enjoy most about writing?
A: Writing is hard work and involves a lot of drudgery (particularly editing). But it's rewarding to see characters and worlds come alive. My favorite moments are when a character veers from the outline and does something unexpected, especially if it's something a lot smarter and more inventive than the outline called for. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen often, but when it does, I throw away the outline and go with it.
Q: What’s your advice for aspiring writers?
A: Make lists of ideas. Write something every day, even if it's only a paragraph or short poem. Expand your best ideas into story synopses. Take the best synopses and write complete stories. Have fun.
A: I’ve always been worried about the concentration of media and the decline of journalism, and the threats those trends pose to independent, critical thought and democracy. Then it was just a matter of inventing characters who would also be concerned about it and adding details of a near-future world. I lived in Baltimore and have been involved in music scenes and community organizing, so it was easy to include those as background elements. I have some experience with IT and video/news production. I consulted with experts to fill in the details, especially the tech-related ones.
Q: What advance preparation do you do prior to beginning a novel? Write mini-bios of the characters? Research the locale? Research any scientific matters essential to the book? Anything else?
A: All of the above. The basic story comes first. Then the plot and main characters. I create detailed character sheets, psychological profiles, and even put play lists together for the POV characters. The world also has to be developed. For Sleep State Interrupt, I didn’t need to research the locales since they’re in my backyard. But I did explore predicted technology for 2020-30 and interviewed experts. I’ve written other books, though, that required much more up-front world building. The Drift Horizon (which I’ve been editing off and on for quite a while) is set in a completely different version of Earth and I wrote a sort of Rough Guide/Lonely Planet for the country most of the action is set in.
Q: Are your characters based on people you've known, are they amalgams, or are they pure invention?
A: I invent my characters to fill roles in a story. They aren’t based on specific people, though of course real people and events inspire or influence them. I create profiles for my major characters, fleshing out their goals, personalities, backgrounds, appearances, etc. These may change while drafting the story, but usually not a whole lot. I try to make them interesting, since I’ll be spending a lot of time in their heads, I don’t want to be bored. Nor do I want readers to get bored.
Q: How do you generate your plots? Do you work the plot out first and then write? Start out with a general idea of where you want to go and then start writing? Or just sit down in front of a blank screen and start writing?
A: It’s a complicated process. I follow Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake method and Larry Brooks’s Story Engineering, more or less. The first step is to brainstorm story ideas and pick one worth writing about. I turn this into a “what if” question (like “What if nearly all information was controlled by a powerful elite? Could ordinary people overturn such a system?”) and a one-sentence novel summary (e.g., “An unemployed journalist and her friends try to stop a power-mad CEO from controlling the world.”) The next step is to expand that sentence to a full paragraph describing the story setup, major plot points, and ending of the novel. Then I develop the main characters and their goals, motivations, back story, etc. I weave the character arcs into the plot and write a short synopsis followed by a long synopsis. I convert this to a scene list in Scrivener, with a virtual index card for each scene (ideally with the scene arc outlined). Then finally I start writing, starting with the opening scene and filling out each scene in order. As I write, the story changes, sometimes quite a bit, but at least I have a roadmap to follow.
Q: You write both fiction and nonfiction. What would you say are the similarities and differences between writing nonfiction and writing fiction?
A: There are a lot of similarities. In both cases, you need to think creatively, organize your thoughts, be disciplined, and write clearly. Fiction is much more fun because you can write whatever you want and create your own worlds and people.
Q: How do you get inspired to write?
A: It's more a question of habit than inspiration. You just have to sit down and get to work.
Q: How do you deal with writer’s block?
A: I only get "writer's block" when my characters get in a situation that seems impossible to escape. Then I have the characters talk it through until they come up with a solution. Only a small part of the conversation may make it onto the page, but it's just like real life -- some problems require a lot of brainstorming and hypothesis testing.
Q: What do you enjoy most about writing?
A: Writing is hard work and involves a lot of drudgery (particularly editing). But it's rewarding to see characters and worlds come alive. My favorite moments are when a character veers from the outline and does something unexpected, especially if it's something a lot smarter and more inventive than the outline called for. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen often, but when it does, I throw away the outline and go with it.
Q: What’s your advice for aspiring writers?
A: Make lists of ideas. Write something every day, even if it's only a paragraph or short poem. Expand your best ideas into story synopses. Take the best synopses and write complete stories. Have fun.
June 10, 2020
Should police departments be eliminated?
Many people are calling for the elimination or defunding of police departments. At least one major city (Minneapolis) has done so, with more likely to follow.
Speaking as someone who lives near a crime hotspot, and someone who went through a citizens police academy, I think eliminating police is a bad idea. Wherever a power vacuum appears, someone fills it, and gangs are much more violent than the police (Baltimore, for example, has >300 homicides per year, mostly gang-related).
As one of many examples of the need for police, 1 in 4 women experience severe physical violence, sexual violence, and/or stalking from domestic partners resulting in injury, fearfulness, post-traumatic stress disorder, use of victim services, or contraction of STDs. The victim should also get non-police support, but intervention and enforcement has to be a part of the equation.
However, (1) many (perhaps most) crimes remain unsolved despite a police force; and (2) the justice system needs better accountability and transparency. For (1), the police would get a lot more leads if the public trusted them more. This is partly because of (2): the current system of internal review has been a failure. Civilian oversight boards and independent investigators are needed. Baltimore has a civilian review board (which lacks full investigatory power, though), and Annapolis has (finally) begun creating one.
IMHO, less money should be spent on armored cars and other military equipment and training, and more funds invested in social services, mental health, addiction recovery, etc. This job should fall outside police departments, since police are viewed with suspicion in many of the communities most in need of those services. They can be based out of community centers, for example. Money can also be saved by reducing police bureaucracy and placing a greater focus on community policing and neighborhood watch programs; helping local residents, churches, etc. organize the community and reduce violence. Lastly, police should be encouraged to live in the cities they work and the areas they patrol. This can be encouraged with housing stipends. Police who live in a community will be less likely to objectify its inhabitants as "the enemy."
Speaking as someone who lives near a crime hotspot, and someone who went through a citizens police academy, I think eliminating police is a bad idea. Wherever a power vacuum appears, someone fills it, and gangs are much more violent than the police (Baltimore, for example, has >300 homicides per year, mostly gang-related).
As one of many examples of the need for police, 1 in 4 women experience severe physical violence, sexual violence, and/or stalking from domestic partners resulting in injury, fearfulness, post-traumatic stress disorder, use of victim services, or contraction of STDs. The victim should also get non-police support, but intervention and enforcement has to be a part of the equation.
However, (1) many (perhaps most) crimes remain unsolved despite a police force; and (2) the justice system needs better accountability and transparency. For (1), the police would get a lot more leads if the public trusted them more. This is partly because of (2): the current system of internal review has been a failure. Civilian oversight boards and independent investigators are needed. Baltimore has a civilian review board (which lacks full investigatory power, though), and Annapolis has (finally) begun creating one.
IMHO, less money should be spent on armored cars and other military equipment and training, and more funds invested in social services, mental health, addiction recovery, etc. This job should fall outside police departments, since police are viewed with suspicion in many of the communities most in need of those services. They can be based out of community centers, for example. Money can also be saved by reducing police bureaucracy and placing a greater focus on community policing and neighborhood watch programs; helping local residents, churches, etc. organize the community and reduce violence. Lastly, police should be encouraged to live in the cities they work and the areas they patrol. This can be encouraged with housing stipends. Police who live in a community will be less likely to objectify its inhabitants as "the enemy."
June 7, 2020
Facebook is toxic.
A distant relative recently posted a Facebook link to a poll, "Do you support removal of Confederate memorials?" At the time, 28 of his Facebook friends replied, every one of them saying "No," with an occasional variant like "Hell no," and one friend saying "Only if they allow ALL BLACK LEADERS STATUES TO BE TAKEN DOWN!!!"
A left-leaning friend recently posted, "White Americans are brainwashed from birth to believe they are inherently superior to all others." There were fewer replies in this instance, but all agreed.
These threads are examples of how Facebook is nothing more than an echo chamber. Rather than fostering communication, Facebook and Twitter (not to mention news outlets like Fox and MSNBC) have helped divide the world into belligerent camps, each hating the others.
Turn off TV news and limit your social media use--you'll be surprised how much calmer you feel.
A left-leaning friend recently posted, "White Americans are brainwashed from birth to believe they are inherently superior to all others." There were fewer replies in this instance, but all agreed.
These threads are examples of how Facebook is nothing more than an echo chamber. Rather than fostering communication, Facebook and Twitter (not to mention news outlets like Fox and MSNBC) have helped divide the world into belligerent camps, each hating the others.
Turn off TV news and limit your social media use--you'll be surprised how much calmer you feel.
April 20, 2020
Essential workers
The coronavirus pandemic demonstrates who the true heroes are, the essential people who keep the country going. It's not bankers or stock traders. It's not celebrities or athletes. It's not powerful politicians. It's doctors, nurses, store clerks, delivery drivers, teachers, farmers... It's "ordinary" people doing "ordinary" jobs.
We should remember this, and remember that everyone deserves a living wage and access to health care and other necessities. This isn't socialism. It's a system where everyone--not just the rich and powerful--is treated with the respect they deserve.
We should remember this, and remember that everyone deserves a living wage and access to health care and other necessities. This isn't socialism. It's a system where everyone--not just the rich and powerful--is treated with the respect they deserve.
April 15, 2020
The pangolin's revenge
It's humbling to consider that humanity may have been brought to its knees by a single poached pangolin.
If that isn't an argument for stopping the wildlife trade, I don't know what is.
https://www.sciencealert.com/more-evi...
If that isn't an argument for stopping the wildlife trade, I don't know what is.
https://www.sciencealert.com/more-evi...
April 12, 2020
A steampunk adventure and other stories
I posted some more short stories here on Goodreads. The Conqueror of the Clouds is a high-stakes airship race around the world. I was planning to make it a serial, but have only written 3 chapters so far.
Check them out at https://www.goodreads.com/story/list/...
Cheers,
Ted
https://www.tcweber.com/
Check them out at https://www.goodreads.com/story/list/...
Cheers,
Ted
https://www.tcweber.com/
April 4, 2020
A shout-out to state governments
With incompetence and indifference at the federal level, the U.S. was headed for millions dead from COVID-19. Thankfully, state governors and local governments took fairly swift action, which will probably save the vast majority of those lives. It underscores the importance of having a president who cares about more than his own ego, but also underscores the strengths of decentralized power, where state and local governments have a large degree of autonomy.
Brazil is in a similar situation. Its president, Jair Bolsonaro, is a fascist who would happily see a tenth of the country die. But its state governments have imposed lockdowns and other social distancing measures, ignoring the moronic pleas of Bolsonaro to "get back to work."
The framers of the U.S. and Brazilian constitutions can rest happy that at least in this case, their decentralized systems are working.
Brazil is in a similar situation. Its president, Jair Bolsonaro, is a fascist who would happily see a tenth of the country die. But its state governments have imposed lockdowns and other social distancing measures, ignoring the moronic pleas of Bolsonaro to "get back to work."
The framers of the U.S. and Brazilian constitutions can rest happy that at least in this case, their decentralized systems are working.
March 31, 2020
The importance of parks
With gyms closed and mandatory social distancing, people have taken to walks, jogs, or bike rides in parks for exercise and to maintain their sanity. Maryland's governor, Larry Hogan, listed "outdoor exercise activities, such as walking, hiking, running, or biking" (as long as social distancing measures are taken) as an "essential activity" that people are permitted to do, alongside shopping for groceries and other supplies. I have seen a huge increase in people using local parks, following trails through the forest.
I hope we all remember this when the crisis ends. Studies in medical journals have shown that walking in forests increases both physical and mental health, with benefits like stress reduction significantly greater than walking in urban areas.
Yet natural areas are fast disappearing throughout the world. We must protect what we can. We must invest in more park land, both rural and urban, providing enough area for everyone to use without overcrowding. Public open space is not just an amenity. It is essential.
I hope we all remember this when the crisis ends. Studies in medical journals have shown that walking in forests increases both physical and mental health, with benefits like stress reduction significantly greater than walking in urban areas.
Yet natural areas are fast disappearing throughout the world. We must protect what we can. We must invest in more park land, both rural and urban, providing enough area for everyone to use without overcrowding. Public open space is not just an amenity. It is essential.
March 26, 2020
Two possible directions
There are at least two possible long-term outcomes from the coronavirus. One, espoused by U.S. Attorney General William Barr (and thankfully rejected by Congress), is to suspend constitutional rights and embrace totalitarianism.
The other is far more positive, recognizing that we are all interdependent and can act together to solve serious problems.
The predictions below are partisan (when we need to move beyond partisanship), but worth reading.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020...
The other is far more positive, recognizing that we are all interdependent and can act together to solve serious problems.
The predictions below are partisan (when we need to move beyond partisanship), but worth reading.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020...
March 17, 2020
Let's learn from the coronavirus
The coronavirus and resulting economic crash, as well as the unprecedented fires in Australia and other disasters, may be harbingers of much worse to come if we--all of us--don't take firm action to halt climate change. We can do it, as evidenced by the actions taken to fight the coronavirus. We just have to decide to do it.
https://www.wired.com/story/how-the-c...
https://real-leaders.com/why-dont-we-...
https://www.wired.com/story/how-the-c...
https://real-leaders.com/why-dont-we-...
