Sue Burke's Blog

Go Ahead — Write This Story: Ideas

Be the Bard.

Long ago and far away (in the late 1990s in Milwaukee), I wrote a column about writing called “Go Ahead — Write This Story” for a local science fiction zine.

I’ve decided to revive the column as a regular feature here. Let us begin:

So — you have an idea for a story. How do you develop it? There’s no easy way, but you might consider these questions: What important thing is at stake? Who are the characters, and what are their desires and motives? What complications will arise for your characters? How will they act and react to each other? How can you dramatize their conflict with a series of scenes? Remember: “plot” is a verb.

● This is a young adult novel which begins when settlers in orbit around Venus miss horses and decide to add equine-like artificial intelligence to their transportation pods.

● This is a sociological thriller about robots who discover that recent temporary “deactivations” were suicides.

● This is an elfish story in which old prairie dogs learn new tricks, which has repercussions for tourism in South Dakota.

Why I don’t use AI

Clanker

I don’t use AI because I’m lazy.

My job as a writer and translator is to produce excellence. Let me use translation as an example of how AI creates extra work because it’s easy to explain, and I really am lazy.

You may know that an AI can produce a translation that might be passably correct, although it will sound “off” in certain ways. I could use that as a first draft and fix it, right?

Sure. But it’s faster and easier to do it right the first time. If I fix an AI first draft, I have to go over every single word just as if I were translating it on my own, sometimes reviewing it several times, to drag it into excellence. Fixing AI slop is like flying from Chicago to New York and changing planes in Miami. I prefer a direct flight. I also prefer airplane pilots who have not ingested hallucinogens.

I’ve been writing professionally for more than a half century, and I’ve learned how to do a lot of things because I’ve done them uncounted times, but I still learn something new every single time I write anything. Using an AI would be like sending someone to the gym for me. I wouldn’t get stronger. Although I am lazy, I will work hard at writing because that’s how I pay the rent — and because I enjoy writing so much that I want to excel.

Striving for excellence is satisfying. Look at the faces of sweaty athletes on the field during a game. They’re having the time of their lives.

***

Rant over. If you want further rants, here are some curated links:

AI Killed My Job: Translators – by Brian Merchant

The Value of Human Translation – American Translators Association

Best Translation Apps: A Translator Puts Four to the Test – American Translators Association

Humans are being hired to make AI slop look less sloppy – NBC News

As AI Gets Smarter, It Acts More Evil – by Ted Gioia

Time to Play … !! SPOT THE BOT !! – Writer Unboxed

AI Spam – The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction

Criticism in the Age of AI – by Lincoln Michel

Artificial Intelligence and Ethics – Delancyplace

Word of the week: Clanker – by Nancy Friedman – Fritinancy

The Internet Is Turning You Into Someone You’d Hate IRL – WebMD

Could AI Data Centers Drain Lake Michigan? – The Block Club Chicago Podcast

Can you pass this vocabulary test?

I used to teach English to teenagers when I lived in Spain, often working with candidates for tests to certify their level of English. One of the tests was the Cambridge University Certificate of Proficiency in English, designed for those with the highest level of skill.

This test became 100 years old in 2012, and to celebrate, it was redesigned. One part of the exam was eliminated, an advanced vocabulary test, the part that almost all my students hated passionately — and sometimes I found it difficult, too. It presented three sentences with blanks, and the exact same word could be used in each of the three blanks. Here are some examples. Can you get them right? (Scroll down for the answers.)

1.

The hospital would only give news to Trudy’s … family and not her friends and distant relatives.

The law will take place with … effect.

The patient reported experiencing … benefits following the operation and is not expected to need any further treatment.

2.

His employer … that he had been ill, and she did not penalize him for having been absent.

She never … the things he did for her.

He said that the value of the house had … considerably.

3.

When he was in his nineties, the famous writer’s health began to ….

If the potato crop were to …, it would create many problems for the local people.

Please do not … to check the safety precautions for this device.

4.

I thought I had a good solution to the problem, but my plan was … by the director, who said it would be too expensive.

In many parts of the country, black clouds completely … out the sun and whole towns were cast into darkness.

Enrico had to take a different route home because the main coast road was … by a lorry which had overturned.

5.

After lunch, we had a … of cards, just to pass the time.

His grandparents had a … in Luca’s upbringing, as his parents worked full time.

Mrs. Spencer opened the door and said, “If you lay a … on my son, there’ll be trouble.”

6.

I do not … with young people staying up until all hours.

How many books does this bag …?

Ben’s parents … shares in several major multinational companies.

7.

A mobile phone is almost an absolute … for this job, as you will need to be available at all times.

The summary of his findings is, of …, very brief, but it gives as much information as is relevant.

There was no … for her to give up her job — it was entirely her own choice.

8.

He thought that a few illustrations or anecdotes would add … to his report.

The fascinating old market is full of … and activity, and is well worth a visit.

You’re looking better today — you’ve got a bit more … than you had yesterday.

9.

She couldn’t … the pressures of her new job and eventually resigned.

He was unwilling to … the goods the two men offered him, as he suspected they were stolen.

It wasn’t very polite of you just to … off without saying goodbye to anyone.

10.

Angela gasped as she felt the … pain in her knee again.

There is a … bend in the road just after the post office, so don’t drive too fast.

The slightly … taste of the drink will not appeal to everyone.

A

N

S

W

E

R

S

1. immediate

2. appreciated

3. fail

4. blocked

5. hand

6. hold

7. necessity

8. color

9. take

10. sharp

“En Paz” — two translations

Because “En Paz” is my husband’s favorite poem, I read it at a recent open mic here in Chicago, along with my two translations. The poem is by Amado Nervo, a Mexican poet, and it’s one of his most beloved poems, published in 1916.

My first translation aimed at keeping the meter and rhyme of the original poem. Then I thought it might be a bit sing-song, and I had to force a few meanings to make it rhyme, so I made a second translation that hewed close to the original. At the reading, people had mixed opinions about which one they preferred. How about you?

En paz

Muy cerca de mi ocaso, yo te bendigo, vida,
porque nunca me diste ni esperanza fallida,
ni trabajos injustos, ni pena inmerecida;

porque veo al final de mi rudo camino
que yo fui el arquitecto de mi propio destino;

que si extraje la miel o la hiel de las cosas,
fue porque en ellas puse hiel o mieles sabrosas:
cuando planté rosales, coseché siempre rosas.

…Cierto, a mis lozanías va a seguir el invierno:
¡mas tú no me dijiste que mayo fuese eterno!

Hallé sin duda largas las noches de mis penas;
mas no me prometiste tú sólo noches buenas;
y en cambio tuve algunas santamente serenas...

Amé, fui amado, el sol acarició mi faz.
¡Vida, nada me debes! ¡Vida, estamos en paz!


At Peace

So close now to my sunset, life, I bless you,
you never gave me hopes that were untrue,
nor unjust labor, nor suffering undue;

at the end of my rough road I see
I was architect of my destiny;

Wherever I put ice in things, they froze,
when I wanted honey, its sweets I chose:
my rosebushes always grew me a rose.

…True, winter will follow my endeavor:
but you never said springtime was forever!

Indeed, I spent some long nights lost in woe;
but you never pledged just comfort to bestow;
and yet some nights I thrilled beneath moonglow…

I loved, was loved, in sunshine found release.
Life, you owe me nothing. Life, we are at peace!


At Peace

Very close to my sunset, I bless you, life,
because you never gave me false hope,
nor unjust troubles, nor undeserved blame;

because I see at the end of my hard path
that I was architect of my own destiny;

that if I took honey or ice from things,
it was because I put ice or delicious honey in them:
when I planted rose bushes, I always harvested roses.

…True, my youth will be followed by winter:
but you never told me May would last eternal!

I encountered of course some long nights of sorrows;
but you never promised me only good nights;
and on the other hand, I had some sacredly serene…

I loved, was loved, and the sun caressed my face.
Life, you owe me nothing! Life, we are at peace!

Last Fridays Poetry in Chicago

I’ll be reading at Last Fridays Poetry, August 29, 8 p.m., at Esquina Event Space, 4602 N. Western Ave., Chicago (corner of Western and Wilson Avenues). This is a small, very supportive event, and you’re welcome to come and enjoy or to read, even if you’ve never read in public before. We’ll be glad to see you.

I’ll be reading a work of my own, Marks of Time, and a poem by Amado Nervo, “En paz,” in Spanish and two different translations I made of it. This is my husband’s favorite poem in Spanish.

Expect another five to ten readers. Again, you could be one of them. There are no restrictions on what you can read, but please keep it brief.

A friend of mine, Mike, created this event as a friendly, creative, comfortable space. I have come to believe that not everyone gets to experience creative spaces as a regular part of their life.

What convinced me of that are the reactions I’ve seen at C2E2, the Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo. It’s a huge event attended by tens of thousands of people where every kind of creativity is welcome, from costumes to visual art to writing to film-making and more. On the city bus going there, you can feel the joy among attendees. This is where they will finally find their people.

The world needs more exceptional spaces like that, large and small. For me, time spent with artists, writers, costumers, actors and other creators and seeing what they do always energizes me. That’s why I value Last Fridays. It’s like an oasis.

Calvary, bases, and other anachronisms

Recently I was reading a fantasy novel set in a parallel universe, and one character commiserated with another, saying, “You’ve suffered a calvary” — that is, she’d suffered a great ordeal. The word comes from the hill named Calvary where Christ was crucified, but the Messiah hadn’t come to that parallel universe, so no one could suffer a “calvary.” Nothing important had happened on Calvary Hill.

The word “peanut” came into use in English in 1802. The plant is native to South America. If you’re a writer, you need to know this.

In another book, set in medieval Europe, a friend remarked that someone “had his bases covered” — that is, he was prepared. This is a baseball expression, and baseball originated in the United States in the mid-1800s, so people weren’t covering their bases centuries earlier on a distant continent.

Yet another book, also set in medieval Europe, spoke of plans being “dynamited” by a setback. Dynamite was invented in 1867 by Alfred Nobel (who is also famous for prizes).

Speaking of medieval expressions, we all believe kings back then could shout: “Off with his head!” Actually, they probably didn’t, not even Richard III (1452-1483), because that exclamation comes from the play Richard III written by Shakespeare in 1592, and it was made popular in Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll in 1865.

Speaking of the Bard, the expression “lie low” also comes from one of his plays, as did “green-eyed monster” and “break the ice.” However, Lewis Carroll didn’t invent the “Cheshire cat” or “March hare”: these expressions originated a century or more before his book.

I pay attention to this because as a writer and translator, when I’m working with historical or fantastical material, I need to bear in mind that all words and expressions originate at a specific point in time and space, and they need to be congruent with the origin and setting of the work.

For help, check the Historical Thesaurus of English. It contains almost 800,000 words from Old English to the present day, primarily based on the Oxford English Dictionary.

There, I learned that “home run” only dates back to 1953. Additional research told me that home runs became more common around that year, so apparently athletes and sports writers needed to give a four-bagger an evocative name.

The lesson, for me, is to be sensitive, remain alert, do research — and expect surprises. The past is another country. They spoke differently there.

My short story, “To Defeat Water,” at The Lorelei Signal

The Lorelei Signal Magazine has published my short story, “To Defeat Water.” If you curse Poseidon, he might curse you back, time and time again. And life after life, you can fight back.

You can read it here.

My votes for the Hugo Award Best Novella

This year’s Hugo Awards will be presented at the Seattle Worldcon on Saturday evening, August 16. The novella category includes works from 17,500 to 40,000 words, and half of the nominees were also up for this year’s Nebula Awards.

Here are my votes, based on my opinion of the strength of the storytelling, but as always you may have a very different opinion. All the stories are worth reading, and although I think Tordotcom has good taste, I wish more publishers were offering works at this length.

6. Navigational Entanglements by Aliette de Bodard (Tordotcom) — Some space assassin-navigators are assigned to hunt down a space monster, then there’s a murder and a lot of quarreling among the four survivors. This would make a fun movie.

5. The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed (Tordotcom) — A woman ventures into a dangerous forest to save two children from a monster. A grim story told with urgency.

4. What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher (Nightfire) — A cottage is empty, everyone is dead, and no one will talk about it. Then things get creepy.

3. The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain by Sofia Samatar (Tordotcom) — The chain is about an ex-slave, the practice is about the chance to become something better, and the horizon the chance to get it. A lot of social justice, told with the distance of spaceships.

2. The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler (Tordotcom) — Elephants and newly-revived mammoths face extinction from ivory poachers, but they have protectors. The story explores its ideas back and forth in time to dramatize a contest between greed and survival.

1. The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo (Tordotcom) — Cleric Chih accompanies a bride to an arranged marriage. But something seems wrong — not to Cleric Chih but to the reader. It turns out the reader is right. Stories can deceive.

My votes for the Hugo Best Novelette Award

This year’s Hugo Awards will be presented at the Seattle Worldcon on Saturday evening, August 16.

Like other categories, novelettes have some overlap with this year’s Nebula Awards. Here are my ranked votes, and I based them on how original I thought the stories are. You may very reasonably have different criteria and choices. In fact, these two  reviewers made very different rankings.

6. “Signs of Life” by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 59) — Two sisters reconcile after a long estrangement, each with her own secrets. A slow, personal story that takes a surprising turn toward the end, but for me, the emotions are too muted.

5. “Loneliness Universe” by Eugenia Triantafyllou (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 58) — Friends try to meet, but they can’t find each other even though they’re in the same place. Then things get more eerie (no spoilers). Not quite horror but very unsettling.

4. “Lake of Souls” by Ann Leckie in Lake of Souls (Orbit) — A denizen of a distant planet suffers a crisis of identity and a planetary explorer struggles to survive. They meet, and this changes some things. Not a new idea, and in my opinion not developed in a new direction.

3. “The Four Sisters Overlooking the Sea” by Naomi Kritzer (Asimov’s, September/October 2024) — Every now and then, Asimov’s publishes a story that isn’t exactly science fiction. A woman takes a hard look at her life and must set it right, but I saw the ending from a long way off.

2. “By Salt, By Sea, By Light of Stars” by Premee Mohamed (Strange Horizons, Fund Drive 2024) — A wizard gets an apprentice, but there’s a problem — a monster-sized dragon problem. Well told with a little humor.

1. “The Brotherhood of Montague St. Video” by Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld, May 2024) — The accidental discovery of a book printed on paper triggers an existential crisis in an electronic world with constant volatility. The understated storytelling style effectively delivers growing horror.

My votes for the Hugo Short Story Award

This year’s Hugo Awards will be presented at the Seattle Worldcon on Saturday evening, August 16. The short story category, as usual, has some overlap with this year’s Nebula Awards, and if you read no other short fiction, I recommend reading the nominated stories. You’ll come away with an excellent panorama of where the field is today.

Here are my votes, and I based them on the storytelling risks and successes. You may very reasonably have different criteria and choices.

6. “Marginalia” by Mary Robinette Kowal (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 56) — The story is based on drawings of knights fighting snails in medieval manuscript margins, which is a charming inspiration: What if knights really fought snails? A struggling family joins with their lord in a fight to the death. The story wraps up too neatly for me, so it comes in sixth, but other Hugo voters loved it.

5. “Five Views of the Planet Tartarus” by Rachael K. Jones (Lightspeed Magazine, January 2024: Issue 164) — This is flash fiction about the horrors faced by those found guilty of treason, with an ennobling, subversive twist. I especially like that very short fiction has found its way onto the ballot.

4. “Stitched to Skin Like Family Is” by Nghi Vo (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 57) — The magic contained in clothing leads a sister to her brother, then gives her power. Carefully and competently told, and Nghi Vo’s love of old (vintage?) clothes and their histories shines through.

3. “Three Faces of a Beheading” by Arkady Martine (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 58) — A convoluted story about complicity in a genocide told through multiple points of view in a multi-player RPG and mass storytelling. I admire the experimental style, even if it was confusing.

2. “We Will Teach You How to Read | We Will Teach You How to Read” by Caroline M. Yoachim (Lightspeed Magazine, May 2024: Issue 168) — A message is sent apparently to humans from a very different, brief-lived species: a simple message that holds entire lives. This is another experimental format, and it left me with a lot to think about.

1. “Why Don’t We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole” by Isabel J. Kim (Clarkesworld, February 2024) — I nominated this for the strength of the storytelling voice, and after reading all the finalists I still like it best: “… tell me there is a better solution than putting one single kid in the hole, and letting that one single kid have a miserable life, in return for the good lives of all of our children?” The story has already won the Nebula, Locus, and BSFA awards, and I think it’s a strong contender for the Hugo. It’s an update on the classic Ursula K. Le Guin story, which also won awards when it was published in 1974. A half-century later, even though our exact circumstances have changed, we still have to make tough moral choices.