Phil Giunta's Blog, page 45

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, James Curnow ponders the detrimental effect of sequels on the original material. Paula Meiner covers the pros and cons of beta readers while Sophie Hannah questions the concept behind the Staunch prize for thrillers that avoid violence against women.

James Scott Bell, Tracy Hahn-Burkett, and Steven James weigh in on the related topics of burnout, frustration, and stressing yourself out over meeting your writing goals. Bottom line: Challenge yourself without killing yourself.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

12 Books That Destroyed and Rebuilt My Mind by Jordan Bates

Why Good Sequels are Bad Sequels: Blade Runner 2049 and the Building of Worlds by James Curnow

A Short History of South Asian Speculative Fiction: Part I by Mimi Mondal

The Pros and Cons of Beta Readers by Paula Munier

Avoiding Burnout with Strategic Breaks by James Scott Bell

What to Do When Your Creativity Hits the Wall by Tracy Hahn-Burkett

From 2000 to 300—Why You’re Writing Too Much by Steven James

Prize Launched for Thrillers That Avoid Sexual Violence Against Women by Alison Flood

A Prize for Thrillers With No Violence Against Women? That’s Not Progressive by Sophie Hannah

Do Your Characters Talk Too Much? When to Use Indirect Dialogue by Anne R. Allen

 

Book Review: Nightfall and Other Stories by Isaac Asimov

Twenty stories comprise this collection of what Asimov himself considered his finest work up to 1969.  These tales had been originally published in such periodicals as Astounding Science Fiction, Galaxy Science Fiction, Playboy, Star Science Fiction Stories, Scientific American, and more.

My favorites include:

An advanced civilization panics when five of their suns have set and the sixth is about to be eclipsed, casting their part of the world into “Nightfall” for the first time in generations. Arguably one of Asimov’s best stories of all time.

To the chagrin of her police officer husband Drake, biologist Rose Smollett volunteers to play “Hostess” to an alien scientist from Hawkins’ Planet. It isn’t long before Drake discovers that the alien has ulterior motives, one that could ignite an interstellar war.

When a physicist named Ralson threatens to commit suicide, he is placed under psychiatric care by the Atomic Energy Commission with the caveat that any therapy must be quick. Ralson has the uncanny ability to rapidly solve almost any scientific problem and the A.E.C. thinks that he can create a force field to repel atomic energy. Of course, they want it done yesterday in “Breeds There a Man…?”

A merchant ship from Earth is captured by an alien enemy known as the Kloro. While the humans aboard are antagonistic toward one another, one man named Mullen rises above by volunteering for a dangerous mission. If he is successful, the other passengers will be able to retake the ship. Mullen must suit up and walk the exterior hull of the craft in magnetic boots, but to get there, he’ll have to be ejected from the corpse chute, otherwise known as the “C-Chute.”

Jeff Stock and Dick Altmayer have been friends for decades, during which Jeff has risen through the military ranks and Dick, a conscientious objector, has been arrested multiple times for draft dodging, terrorism, and treason. Yet, in the end, it’s possible that both men are heroes “In A Good Cause—”.

After discussing what might have happened if they’d each made different choices in life, a married couple named Norman and Livvy encounter a eccentric old man on a train who presents them with a mirror that allows then to ask “What If—” and see the results play out. Will Norman and Livvy’s love survive this test?

A con-man named Gellhorn visits a mechanic named Jake who restores old automatic cars and allows them to roam free on his farm. Gellhorn tries to make an offer that Jake cannot refuse—take parts from Jake’s restores and use them to refurbish old vehicles to sell at new car prices. After Jake turns him away, Gellhorn returns with muscle, but they are no match for “Sally“, Matthew, and the rest of the cars with minds of their own…

“It’s Such a Beautiful Day” when young Richard decides to walk to school after the teleportation “Door” in his home malfunctions. The problem is that in this perfect utopia, no one ever walks outside when you can simply use the Door system to teleport anywhere in the world. When Richard begins to form a habit of strolling outdoors at every opportunity, a psychiatrist is called in, but in the end, who ends up being the true counselor?

An elderly sociologist travels to the human asteroid colony of Elsevere to study their caste society. Upon arrival, he suspects something is wrong and is proven correct upon learning that the head of sanitation, who lives well and is highly compensated, is nevertheless treated like a second class citizen. No one else on Elsevere will even speak to Ragusnik or his family. As a result, Ragusnik has stopped work and in the end, it’s up to Lamorak to be the “Strikebreaker.”

After Action Report: Farpoint 25

Farpoint 25 Program Book Cover by Todd Brugmans featuring caricatures of the entire Farpoint Convention Committee

Just returned home from the 25th annual Farpoint SF convention in Hunt Valley, MD and I am proud to say that I’ve been attending since day one waaaaay back in 1993 when I first met the convention’s co-founder and fellow writer, Steven H. Wilson.

We struck up a friendship that has only become stronger over the years since both of my novels and our Middle of Eternity anthology series were all published under Steve’s imprint, Firebringer Press. In fact, we have more books coming soon as we discussed during our Saturday morning panel along with fellow Firebringer writers Susanna Reilly, Michael Critzer, Diane Baron, Daniel Patrick (Renfield) Corcoran, and our layout specialist, Ethan Wilson.

In its early days, Farpoint sponsored a short story contest. My first submission was in 1995 when I entered a Star Trek story and took second place after a tie-breaker. The contest faded away through the decades until this year, when author track manager Steve Lesnik resurrected it. This time around, entries had to be 2,500 words or less and be based on a common photograph taken by Steve during his trip to Europe. No details about the origin of the photo were divulged, but I happened to recognize it.

I am ecstatic to report that, once again after a tie-breaker, I took second place for my post-WWII short story, “All That Matters is What You Believe.”

Now that the contest is over, I can dish the details. Click here to read the stories from the contest!  Not sure how long the link will remain up. There were 13 entries total. Mine is #12: “All That Matters Is What You Believe.” First place winner was #4: “Splitting Arrows” by Eric Bakutis and Third Place was #6: “Hillfolk” by Aaron Rosenberg. All three of our stories will be printed in next year’s Farpoint program book.

As for the rest of the convention, I had a great time reuniting with many friends, some of whom I only get to see twice a year at the Maryland conventions (Farpoint and Shore Leave). Many of these friends are my fellow author guests such as the aforementioned Firebringer Press writers, but also Aaron Rosenberg, Russ Colchamiro, David Mack, Heather Hutsell, Diane Baron, Howard Weinstein, Keith DeCandido, Allyn Gibson, and many more!

The celebrity guests included Matt Frewer (Max Headroom, Timeless, Orphan Black, Watchmen, Eureka, the list goes on), Nana Visitor (most known to SF fans as Kira from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Nora McLellan (Killjoys), and popular SF and Star Wars author, Timothy Zahn.

While I’ve met Ms. Visitor at many cons in the past, this was my first time meeting Matt Frewer and it was a delight. He was funny, gracious, and kind to the fans. A truly positive experience.

On Friday night, Farpoint hosted the traditional book fair for all of the published author guests. It was a great opportunity for me to catch up with many of my fellow word slingers. Below are just some of my colleague at Firebringer Press (from left to right: Steven H  Wilson is chatting with a friend while Michael Critzer and Susanna Reilly smile for the camera).

Writer pal Heather Hutsell (below) was one of a few authors who had book premieres at Farpoint 25.

I actually set up at two different tables over the weekend. During the book fair (above) and on Saturday (below) where I spent about two hours at the assigned Firebringer Press table with my wife and  long time convention pals Kathy and Kevin.

Evon, Phil, Kathy, Kevin at Farpoint 25 (Photo by Blair Learn)

Of course, what SF convention would be complete without props and costumes! I’m sorry to say that while there were many fans in wonderful costumes during the convention (as always), I didn’t have an opportunity this time to take pictures. Worse, I did not feel well enough to attend the masquerade contest on Saturday night, but with credit to the photographers, here are a few of this year’s props and cosplayers…

Willy Wonka vs. Darth Vader (Photo by Blair Learn)

Overall, my compliments to the Farpoint committee on a marvelous 25th anniversary celebration. Here’s to another 25 years!

Sketch Out the Scene, If You Know What I Mean…

There is no greater joy than the craft of writing, stepping outside your comfort zone, and experimenting with a new story. It’s one of the best ways to grow as a writer.

Working on this SF novel for the past two years (with stops and starts due to other writing projects and life’s demands) has been far more challenging than my previous two novels (both of which were paranormal mysteries).

What’s makes it challenging you ask? You probably didn’t ask, but I’ll tell you anyway—researching and staying true to science, keeping informed of advancements and theories in spacecraft propulsion, the latest exoplanet discoveries, and the changing landscape of space exploration (i.e. private companies like Space X taking over where NASA left off).

All of these come into play in my story. I’m on the first draft, working on what is, for now, chapter ten. The next scene I must write is an emotional goodbye between a husband and wife who, through events beyond their control, will never see each other again. The wife, a cosmologist and planetary scientist, is safely on Earth while her astronaut husband is about to die in space due to a catastrophe aboard his ship.

For this final conversation, I vacillated on which one should be the POV character. I pondered the scene for two days, until I had an epiphany this morning and identified the POV character (the husband). Over lunch, I sat down and quickly sketched out (blocked) the scene. Blocking requires minimal details, just a rough order of events and quick lines of dialogue that will all be fleshed out when you actually write the scene in your draft.

Some writers actually structure their blocking into categories (see March McCarron’s example here). For me, I already had the details of the setting, the situation, the tension, etc. I just needed to get my flowing thoughts on paper ASAP regarding the dialogue and the transition to the next scene.

After two handwritten pages of blocking, it all clicked perfectly. I jotted down several lines of dialogue that I had not thought of before—basically what their conversation will cover and the natural tension, fear, anxiety, and ultimate loss that will be imbued in their final words.

What’s more, I found a way to smoothly transition into the next scene where the husband and his pilot decide whether to die a slow death in space or go out in a blaze of glory. I don’t want to divulge details, of course, but sketching out a scene that I was not immediately certain how to approach was exceptionally helpful.

Even though I outline all of my stories before writing them, some scenes require a bit more thought and prep work than others. That’s where blocking can help provide direction, by allowing you to quickly experiment with a scene to find the best way to write it.

Here are some further resources about blocking scenes:

The Novel Writing Roadmap – Step 11: Blocking by the Novel Factory

Rough Out a Scene: Goals, DOs, DON’Ts, and the Writing by Darcy Pattison

Happy Writing!

Book Review: Fantastic Voyage by Isaac Asimov

After a scientist named Benes is successfully transported into the country from enemy territory, an assassination attempt leaves him with a dangerous and inoperable clot at the base of his brain.

The situation falls under the jurisdiction of the CMDF (Combined Miniature Defense Force) run by General Alan Carter and Colonel Donald Reid. Once Benes is stabilized far underground in CMDF headquarters, a team is formed that will be miniaturized and injected into Benes’s bloodstream to destroy the clot from inside his body using a laser.

The team consists of civilian CMO Michaels, neurosurgeon Peter Duvall and his assistant Cora Peterson, special agent Charles Grant—who smuggled Benes into the country—and Captain William Owens, designer and pilot of the experimental submarine Proteus, which will carry the crew through Benes’s circulatory system. They are given one hour to complete the mission and exit Benes’s body before the miniaturization effect begins to reverse.

As if this were not dangerous enough, there is suspicion that one among the crew might be an agent for the Other Side, sent to kill Benes. Every setback and mishap causes yet another member of the team to come under scrutiny as precious time ticks away…

Contrary to popular belief, the classic film Fantastic Voyage was not based on the novel by Isaac Asimov. It’s the other way around. Otto Klement and Jay Lewis Bixby wrote the original story, which was adapted for the screen by Harry Kleiner and David Duncan. Asimov was hired on to write the novelization of the movie and he did a decent job with the material. While character development is non-existent (with the most interesting being Grant, Duvall, Michaels, and Peterson) the pacing is perfect and the challenges that plague our heroes at almost every turn maintain solid tension through to the end.

About This Writing Stuff…

February may be the shortest month of the year, but I managed to gather the largest collection of articles in quite some time on this blog. We begin with Margaret Atwood’s touching tribute to Ursula K. Le Guin.

Written Word Media offers ten publishing predictions in 2018 that are worth heeding and Writer Beware provides a comprehensive list of Author Solutions copycats.

Randy Ingermanson (aka “The Snowflake Guy”) gives us a lesson on Scene and Sequel. Lisa Cron encourages you to determine what your protagonist wants even before you start writing. Steven Pressfield reminds us that villains are not always people while Danielle Davis recommends (and I highly agree) that short stories provide an effective respite when you need a break from your novel.

All that and a lot more. Enjoy!

A Tribute to Ursula K. Le Guin by Margaret Atwood

Top Ten Publishing Trends Every Author Needs to Know in 2018 by Ricci

Writing the Perfect Scene by Randy Ingermanson

X-Ray for Authors: Tips and Tricks from Kindle Direct Publishing

The Strange Copyright of Doctor Who and The Shape of Non-Plagiarism by Jonathan Bailey

How To Write Memorable and Compelling Monologues by Ken Miyamoto

Army of Clones: Author Solutions Spawns a Legion of Copycats by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware

Putting Conflict to Work in Your Stories, Part 1: Why Your Story Needs Conflict by Laura DiSilverio

Reboot Your Novel with the Short-Story Remedy by Danielle Davis

The Villain is Not Always a Person by Steven Pressfield

What Does Your Protagonist Want BEFORE the Story Starts? by Lisa Cron

Avoid Top 5 Writing Mistakes – Make Your Writing Better by AJ Humpage

My Farpoint Schedule

We are a mere ten days away from celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Farpoint SF Convention in Hunt Valley, MD. I am proud to say that I’ve been in attendance since day one and for the past eight years, the convention has brought me in as a writer guest.

It’s always a thrill to reunite with friends—some of whom I only see once or twice a year—and to meet the celebrity guests. This year, the latter includes Matt Frewer, Nana Visitor, Nora McLellan, and author Timothy Zahn.

Other writer guests include Steven H. Wilson, Heather Hutsell, Michael Jan Friedman, Aaron Rosenberg, Howard Weinstein, Peter David, Mary Fan, David Mack, Keith RA DeCandido, Dave Galanter, Robert Greenberger, Kelli Fitzpatrick, Allyn Gibson, Susanna Reilly, Michael Critzer, and many more.

My schedule for the convention is listed (and pictured below).

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9 

Farpoint Book Fair – Hunt Valley Hallway – 10PM to Midnight. Meet and mingle with all of the author guests at the con. Books will be available for sale and signing.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10

Writing From Life – Salon C – 10:00am – 11:00am

Derek Attico, Phil Giunta, Phil Margolies, Kelli Fitzpatrick

Our lives are composed of our experiences. The panel will discuss why writing from life is important and the methods they have used to turn their life experiences into relatable stories.

Firebringer Press Presents – Salon C – 11:00am – 12:00pm

Steven H. Wilson, Phil Giunta, Michael Critzer, Renfield, Diane Baron, Susanna Reilly

The team from Firebringer Press will discuss current and future publications. With Steven H. Wilson, Phil Giunta, Michael Critzer, Renfield, and Susanna Reilly.

Author Autograph Session – Hunt Valley Hallway – 2:00pm – 3:00pm

Kelli Fitzpatrick, Phil Giunta, Jennifer R. Povey


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Creating Memorable Characters – Salon C – 3:00pm – 4:00pm

Mary Fan, Timothy Zahn, Phil Giunta, David Mack

Characters can make or break a story. How do you create a protagonist interesting enough to follow throughout the length of a book? How do you craft supporting characters with traits that make them stand out from a crowd? Our panel will delve into these questions and more.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 11

Author Autograph Session – Hunt Valley Hallway, 10:00am – 11:00am

Kelli Fitzpatrick, Phil Giunta, Dr. Valerie Mikles



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Indy’s Back (In 2020)! Good Idea or Bad? – Salon A – 11:00am – 12:00pm

Howard Weinstein, Ryan Permison, Phil Giunta

Our panelists will discuss the pros and cons of Harrison Ford’s return and the future of the franchise.

Book Review: The Great Houdini by Beryl Williams and Samuel Epstein

Recounting the life and achievements of Harry Houdini is a daunting task, given his involvement in so many ventures during his remarkable career including circus performer, illusionist, spiritual “medium” (when in dire straits financially), escape artist, historian of magic, published author, show manager, filmmaker, and debunker of fake spiritual mediums later in life during his tumultuous friendship with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Through tireless effort that would have broken most men half his age—and frequently exhausted his devoted wife Bessie—Houdini had become a renown showman, philanthropist, and lecturer in demand throughout Europe and the United States right up until just days before his death on 31 October 1926.

In The Great Houdini, the husband and wife team of Beryl Williams and Samuel Epstein deftly capture all of that and more in a 268-page biography that includes a foreword by Houdini friend and student, William B. Gibson (who also created the famous pulp fiction character, The Shadow).

Make no mistake, this is not a romanticized chronicling that elevates Houdini to unblemished sainthood. Williams and Epstein offer honest accounts of the performer’s bravado, arrogance, ill-temper, and occasional failures (as a show manager and film star) as much as his brilliance and industriousness in crafting each stage performance and besting every handcuff and escape challenge from law enforcement and container manufacturers alike. Nothing could keep Houdini restrained—physically or mentally—and nothing could hold him captive.

It was, in fact, Houdini who captivated the world.

About This Writing Stuff…

This week, we stop by the Kill Zone where James Scott Bell warns against starting your story with a dream while John Gilstrap and Jordan Dane talk internal monologue. Over at Mythcreants, Oren Ashkenazi advises against writing prequels, but if you must, he offers a few tips.

From Writer Unboxed, Julie Carrick Dalton provides timely advice on dual timeline stories. Think you can become a writer on “talent” alone? Anne R. Allen would like to give you a rude awakening. Anne also has some strong opinions on how to begin your story in order to optimize Amazon’s “Look Inside” feature.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

What’s the Deal on Dreams in Fiction? by James Scott Bell

Internal Monologue by John Gilstrap

5 Key Ways to Balance Internal Monologue with Pitfalls to Avoid by Jordan Dane

Chronicling a Non-Chronological Story: Writing a Dual Timeline Novel by Julie Carrick Dalton

Five Tips for Telling Prequel Stories by Oren Ashkenazi

8 Qualities that are More Important than Talent for Writing Success and The One Thing That Will Kill Book Sales Dead and 10 Ways to Avoid It by Anne R. Allen

How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson

How to Spark Your Story with an Inciting Incident by Pamela Hodges

Veteran SF and Media Tie-In Writer, Michael Jan Friedman, Would Like to Take You Into Empty Space

Book Review: Empress Irukandji – The Case of Charlotte Sloane by Heather E. Hutsell

In 1889 London, Doctor Charlotte Sloan and her closest companion, Professor Matthew Sterling, find themselves embroiled in an adventure of international intrigue as a result of Charlotte’s dark past—one which she can scarcely recall.

While on the run from assassins, it becomes immediately clear that Matthew knows precisely what’s happening, yet refuses to reveal all of the facts to Charlotte despite their blossoming romance. However, Charlotte begins to learn her true identity and royal Russian heritage.

While alone aboard a train, Charlotte finds a letter, apparently written by her and addressed to a Lord Snodgrass, wherein her prowess as an assassin and vigilante are made clear.

If only she could remember…

After she and Matthew become separated during their escape, Charlotte is found by Captain Aya Hauke who recognizes her instantly and rushes her aboard his ship. Based on what little information she gleaned from Matthew about her origins, she orders the captain to take her to Siam (an archaic exonym for Thailand).

However, before reaching Siam, they stop in Turkey where Hauke hands Charlotte over to the corpulent and haughty Lord Wendell Snodgrass himself. It becomes quickly apparent that Charlotte and Wendell have a shared history… one that has left the two of them bitter enemies.

If only she could remember…

Now that she is a prisoner of the vindictive Lord, Charlotte realizes her days are numbered. It is only the presence of the visiting Queen Victoria that has prevented Snodgrass from murdering Charlotte outright, but this provides only a temporary stay of execution. Will Charlotte  escape before Snodgrass finally kills her and, more importantly, will she ever see Matthew again?

Empress Irukandji-The Case of Charlotte Sloane offers an engaging romp through steampunk Europe with a fascinating cast of characters and circumstances. Some readers might feel that the burgeoning romance between Charlotte and Matthew slows the pacing in the first 80 pages while they flee from unseen killers. Repeated attempts at tender moments are disrupted by a word or event that causes Charlotte to question her trust in Matthew and it’s clear that while he adores her, he maintains an emotional distance much to Charlotte’s dismay and confusion. Of course, the truth is slowly unraveled during the twists and turns of the story.

It should be noted that crafting a “romance on the run” narrative is challenging, and as someone who does not read romance novels, I don’t know if that is a staple of the genre. Nevertheless, Hutsell did a fine job with it while also dropping clues about Charlotte’s past. I’m accustomed to books and films where romance takes second seat to the adventure (think Indiana Jones or Han and Leia in Star Wars).

I was equally as impressed with Hutsell’s skillful use of milieu and setting. From Charlotte’s modest home in London to the voyage aboard Hauke’s ship to Snodgrass’s ostentatious palace in Istanbul and the journey by dirigible to Siam, all were completely immersive environments.