Jamie Todd Rubin's Blog, page 362
January 13, 2011
Points of view
My first story for 2011, "Rescue" is the second story to take place in this universe in which I am writing. (I haven't sold the first story yet, but I am hopeful.) The story is only loosely connected to the first, in very much the way Heinlein's "Future History" stories were loosely connected (and written out of order). After writing a number of short pieces, I am deliberately attempting to write "Rescue" as a novelette because I think that is the appropriate form and length for the story I have to tell. There are two issues I am struggling with as I go through my process both of which related to point of view.
First, as I did in the first story, I have the idea of telling these stories from the point of view of secondary characters as opposed to the major players. That sounds backwards. But you see, there are big events happening in these stories, and it seemed like an interesting idea to tell them from the point of view of characters who are on the periphery of these events, watching them happen. As an analogy, think of a story of an airplane crash as told from the point of view of an air traffic controller as opposed to the people actually on board the aircraft. I think this worked well in my first story in this universe, in part because that first story also worked out to be a murder mystery that was peripheral to the events taking place. In this story, the scope is larger, but ultimately, what we are dealing with is a rescue mission (as my working title suggests). And rather than tell the story from the point of view of the rescuers, I am telling it from the point of view of one of the characters in need of rescue, and from one of the people supporting the rescue mission. I think this adds an interesting level of tension (to say nothing of perspective) to the story, but only time will tell if it actually works.
This leads to my second issue: how well do multiple viewpoints work in short fiction. Certainly at the novel length, there are plenty of stories told from multiple points of view (and Stephen King is a master of this). In short fiction, I am hard pressed to think of stories with more than two view point characters. For "Rescue" to work I needed at least two view point characters, but the real question was whether a third was necessary (the third being one of the rescuers). I'm now leaning toward just two. But it does raise the question as to whether there is a reasonable limit to point of view in short fiction, outside of someone experimenting–which I am not doing here. I am simply trying to tell a good story in the most interesting and exciting way I can imagine.
Two character viewpoints allows me to get pretty deep into the heads of those characters, where a third would start to strip away at this depth, I think. I'm certain there are writers out there, far more talented than I, that could (and have) pulled this off, but it is a struggle for me. With short fiction, I am used to a single point of view. Nevertheless, I have convinced myself that two points of view will work well for this story and that three would not. I am more interested in making the minor characters around which these events are unfolding the major characters of the story and putting the "heroes" into the background. Of course, this means that for the story, the minor characters become the major view point characters, even though their role in the arc that ties all the stories and background together is minuscule .I have no idea if it will work, but I think it worked well in the first story and I think it can work even better in "Rescue".
Mystery of the Missing Lamb
After my talk on science fiction, the group split up into two camps to go out. I went with the camp bent on getting some food, since I was starving. We went to Lebanese Taverna. Usually, the food and service there was great, but this time, it was an interesting experience, to say the least.
Granted, we got there 10 minutes before the kitchen closed, so we had to rush to order.
I ordered a Mythos and lamb chops. I remembered the lamb chops from the last time I'd been there (a different location, but same chain) and we all sat around chatting while we waited for the food to come.
When the food was finally delivered, I wasn't paying much attention, engrossed in the conversation as I was, and so I dug right into my lamb chops–only to find that they tasted exactly like well-done steak. That's when I noticed that they also looked like well-done steak, and not at all like lamb chops. The fact that it was steak and not lamb didn't bother me so much, as I was hungry and perfectly willing to eat steak, but I figured I'd at least mention it to our waiter.
"I ordered lamb, but what you brought was steak," I said.
He gave me a curious look and said it was lamb.
"No," I said, "definitely steak."
He went off to get the manager who came by and asked what was wrong. I explained about the steak.
"We cook our lamb differently," she said, "and we cut it differently, too. We use different seasonings because some people don't like the taste of lamb."
I said, "Well that works out well for them, I suppose, since this tastes like steak."
At that point several people in the group snickered.
There was no offer to recook them (of course not, since the kitchen was now closed), and like I said, it didn't really matter since I like steak, too, and I was hungry, but an admission of a mistake on their part would have been nice. I can assure you that people who don't like lamb would have had no problem with what they served me since they'd prepared it in such a way as to remove all lamb and replace it quietly with steak. People who don't like steak would have been out of luck.
As we were finishing up, the waiter came by again and asked if we needed anything else, and I'm rather ashamed to say that I muttered under my breath, "Yeah, lamb." But really, it wasn't the waiter's fault.
My first talk on science fiction
I have my first talk on science fiction last night to the Arlington Writers Group, of which I am a member. The group has all kinds of writers and occasionally do genre workshops to introduce members to different genres. Last night I talked about science fiction.
I'd prepared a PowerPoint slide deck, mostly devoid of bullet points but instead containing magazine and book covers and a few other images and charts that I put together. I organized the talk around roughly 4 topics:
What is science fiction
History of science fiction
So you want to be a science fiction writer
My favorites of the genre
I spoke for about 75 minutes and it was followed by a discussion with questions and answers, many of which were very good and some of which I don't think I was able to adequately answer. But based on the feedback I got from folks who attended, I think I did a pretty good job. I imagine there are more of these types of things in my future so this gave me a good start.
My focus was on the kind of science fiction that I most enjoy and in the discussion afterward, there was some talk of the authors and works that I left out. Many of these, as it turns out, are works that are often deemed "literary" by the outside world: Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow; Margaret Atwood's A Handmaid's Tale; Daniel Keyes' Flowers for Algernon; Kurt Vonnegut, etc. The question arose as to whether or not purist in science fiction deliberately sequester themselves within the genre, something I wholeheartedly agree with. The reason I left these out was in part that they generally don't make up the kind of science fiction that I enjoy reading.
There were questions on the role of women in science fiction, something that I felt ill-equipped to speak on, not being a woman, but I did my best. Early in my talk, for instance, I pointed out C. L. Moore and Judith Merill as two women who were an important part of the Golden Age. I also discussed some of the more recent issues with women and science fiction–for instance their representation in annual awards. I think several people found this interesting, but I felt slightly out of my elements because I simply don't know enough about the issue.
It was a lot of fun and an easy talk to give since I already had most of the facts in my head. The hardest part, in fact, was putting together the presentation in a way that would allow me to talk more or less off-the-cuff, but to have my visual aids available when I wanted them, and I think that worked out well in the end.
More Astounding's arrived in yesterday's mail
Here's what was waiting for me when I got home from work yesterday:
That stack contains the Nov/Dec '39 Astounding's which include E. E. "Doc" Smith's "Gray Lensman"; the Feb/Mar '40 Astounding's which include Heinlein's "If This Goes On…" and the first part of Hubbard's "Final Blackout"; and the May, July, August, November and December 1940 issues of Astounding.
The July, August, October '39 issues are enroute, as is the January 1940 Astounding and 8 others scattered through the 1940s.
The next issue I need for continuity is the April 1940 issue. But I have some time to look for it at this point. Boy, I can barely sit still. I'll be on pins and needles until the July '39 issue arrives.
January 11, 2011
A touching moment with the Little Man
Kelly went into the Little Man's room to check on him and turn off a space heater that takes the chill out of the room at night. She accidentally woke him up and he was not a happy camper. I got him some milk and sat in the rocking chair with him so that Kelly could go back to bed. I sang to him, Bing Crosby tunes, as usual, and after about 15 minutes of this his eyes were looking heavy. I paused and rocked him for a moment. My eyes had adjusted to the dark and I saw him open his eyes for a second and look at me.
"Do you want me to sing to you some more?" I asked him.
And with a look of complete calm on his little face, he whispered," Yeah."
I started to sing again and he closed his eyes. But wow, what a cool moment.
September 1939 Astounding arrives in the mail
Yesterday, I received the first shipment of Astounding from an online order I'd placed. When I got home I found the September 1939 issue waiting for me. It is a thing of beauty.
This will end up as the third issue I read in my vacation in the Golden Age. I've got shipment confirmations for about a dozen other early issues, but I thought I'd post this one because it is in remarkably good shape for a 71 year old pulp magazine. The issue contains the second part of a Hubbard serial (under his Engelhardt pseudonym) but is probably more famous for Ted Sturgeon's first genre fiction, "Ether Breather".
I must admit that I skimmed through the magazine lustily last night. Even the ads are worth talking about. But you'll have to wait until I receive the July 1939 issue, which is the one I'll be starting with. In the meantime, enjoy the Rogers cover on this one. (And click the image for a larger version.)
January 10, 2011
A tinfoil tiara for the birthday princess
Science Fiction Age: Volume 2, Issue 4 (May 1994)
(This is a continuation of my re-read of Science Fiction Age. Here is the index of issues I've already covered.)
This issue begins with Scott Edelman's allowing the "readers to write the editorial." In his piece, he sums up the top 10 stories as voted on by the readers. I listed the tabulation in my writeup for September 1993, but in the additional issues that appeared since, I would make one change to my original listing: In the #1 spot I would put William Shunn's "Two Paths in the Forest Toulemonde". Everything else would shift down by one. I think Bill's story is one of the finest pieces of fiction to appear in the run of the magazine.
On books, Michael Bishop reviews the second volume of Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars triology, Green Mars, and it was fun to read Bishop's thoughts on the novel, some 17 years later. But the fun really takes off with the science column, where Arlan Andrews, Sr., Marianne Dyson, and Geoffrey A. Landis discuss "space travel the way God (and Robert Heinlein) intended it to be". It is a fascinating discussion, as the science columns always manage to be in the magazine. Science and technology change rapidly and in space explorations, disasters can set us back years or decades, and monumental tasks like going to the moon or building a space station can seem daunting. Still, I was always taught to avoid absolutes. I mention this because of something Arlan Andrews says in the interview. While discussing space development, he says:
While we're talking space development, my prediction is also that there will be no space station, not as presently planned. The plans call for 20 plus successful shuttle launches, plus a lot of Russian launches. That is not going to happen.
There is no shame in predictions like this. In a way, it is a safe prediction because if it comes true, Andrews predicted it, and if it doesn't, it means our space program was more successful than he imagined it could be.
This issue contained six pieces of fiction. If there was a theme to tie the stories together in this issue, I think it is one of class or caste, or a person's place in society, relative to others.
"Where Two Souls Dwell" by Al Sarrantonio
This is the story of a researcher trying to get access to a space station for his research. It is up to his old man to pull some strings for him to finally get him onboard and so this is the first example of the class theme in this issue. The story really gets interesting with the introduction of the mysterious Rayla and her dog and it eventually evolves into a love story. It was a fun story to read.
"Down on the 01 Level" by Gene O'Neill
Gene O'Neill makes the caste theme explicit with his "Down on the 01 Level". In this world, classes are literally separated by levels within the overall city. "Bobbing" is cruising outside your own level and it's what our narrator, Sandoval, and Oberon decide to do, mostly for the thrill of it. They live up in the high levels and decide to go bobbing down the lowest level. There is a good overall story arc here and a nice little twist at the end of the story. In reading this piece, I was reminded of Robert Silverberg's The World Inside, with it's towers and complicated sexual unions. (In O'Neill's piece, people formed "quad-bonds" and I never understood this idea, even in Silverberg's books), but it still made for an interesting story.
"The Biomantic's Last Husband" by Ray Aldridge
Aldridge's story approaches the class/caste theme from the point of view of master and slave–where the slave is a former freer of slaves, and emancipator. What I liked most about this story was the world that Aldridge envisioned, the living, breathing biomantic as a kind of world-person, an ecosystem of sorts. This is a story of deception and rebellion and one of a growing fondness and appreciation of the true nature of things.
"The Ballad of Sally NutriSweet(TM)" by Paul Di Filippo
I believe this is Paul's third story in Science Fiction Age and in my opinion, it usurped Daniel Hood's "Wealth of Kingdoms" as the funniest story–so far–to appear in Science Fiction Age. I felt like I was laughing at almost every sentence. First there is the deliberate (and for the story, appropriate) overuse of trademarks. Second, is the style in which the story is written, almost like a pulp hero story or a superscience story from a 1926 issue of Amazing. This story was hilarious from story to finish. I was tempted to count just how many name brands Paul managed to mention in the story–but I resisted.
"The Bigger One" by Gregory Benford
I was confused by Benford's story at first because the blurb on the cover of the magazine referred to "California Timequake", but I didn't see how time played a role in the story that followed. (Maybe I was thinking of Kurt Vonnegut's Timequake, which of course had not yet come out when this story appeared.) The story itself is written in the form of a radio announcer talking to people "on location" of a massive 8.1 earthquake in southern California. Keep in mind this story appears in the May 1994 issue. The Northridge earthquake took place in January 1994. My parents, who lived in Northridge at the time, had to move out of their house for 9 months while the damage was repaired; I was 80 miles east at UC Riverside when the quake hit. In reading the story, I wondered when it was actually written; and knowing that stories are often bought 6-9 months before they appear, I wondered if the appearance of this story in this issue was a coincidence or not. Maybe Scott can answer that question.
"Quality Time" by John Morressy
It was a close call–Paul's story being as funny as it was–but I think Morressy's "Quality Time" was my favorite story in this issue and that is unusual because it is a fantasy story and I generally prefer science fiction to fantasy. But this is one case where I really enjoyed the story which was about a wizard who has become an acquaintance of Death, and who on occasion, has the kind of conversations with Death that one might have with a stranger at a baseball stadium. There was humor in the story, which worked very well. There was a quest (don't all fantasies have them) but this one was an interesting one, and one that made for a more poignant and meaningful ending
I'm hoping to squeeze in at least one more issue before I start on my vacation in the Golden Age of science fiction. The July 1994 issue of Science Fiction Age looks to be a lot of fun, and contains the story that I think should have won the Hugo and Nebula–but more on that next time.
SCIENCE FICTION AGE: VOLUME 2, ISSUE 4 (MAY 1994)
This issue begins with Scott Edelman's allowing the "readers to write the editorial." In his piece, he sums up the top 10 stories as voted on by the readers. I listed the tabulation in my writeup for September 1993, but in the additional issues that appeared since, I would make one change to my original listing: In the #1 spot I would put William Shunn's "Two Paths in the Forest Toulemonde". Everything else would shift down by one. I think Bill's story is one of the finest pieces of fiction to appear in the run of the magazine.
On books, Michael Bishop reviews the second volume of Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars triology, Green Mars, and it was fun to read Bishop's thoughts on the novel, some 17 years later. But the fun really takes off with the science column, where Arlan Andrews, Sr., Marianne Dyson, and Geoffrey A. Landis discuss "space travel the way God (and Robert Heinlein) intended it to be". It is a fascinating discussion, as the science columns always manage to be in the magazine. Science and technology change rapidly and in space explorations, disasters can set us back years or decades, and monumental tasks like going to the moon or building a space station can seem daunting. Still, I was always taught to avoid absolutes. I mention this because of something Arlan Andrews says in the interview. While discussing space development, he says:
While we're talking space development, my prediction is also that there will be no space station, not as presently planned. The plans call for 20 plus successful shuttle launches, plus a lot of Russian launches. That is not going to happen.
There is no shame in predictions like this. In a way, it is a safe prediction because if it comes true, Andrews predicted it, and if it doesn't, it means our space program was more successful than he imagined it could be.
This issue contained six pieces of fiction. If there was a theme to tie the stories together in this issue, I think it is one of class or caste, or a person's place in society, relative to others.
"Where Two Souls Dwell" by Al Sarrantonio
This is the story of a researcher trying to get access to a space station for his research. It is up to his old man to pull some strings for him to finally get him onboard and so this is the first example of the class theme in this issue. The story really gets interesting with the introduction of the mysterious Rayla and her dog and it eventually evolves into a love story. It was a fun story to read.
"Down on the 01 Level" by Gene O'Neill
Gene O'Neill makes the caste theme explicit with his "Down on the 01 Level". In this world, classes are literally separated by levels within the overall city. "Bobbing" is cruising outside your own level and it's what our narrator, Sandoval, and Oberon decide to do, mostly for the thrill of it. They live up in the high levels and decide to go bobbing down the lowest level. There is a good overall story arc here and a nice little twist at the end of the story. In reading this piece, I was reminded of Robert Silverberg's The World Inside, with it's towers and complicated sexual unions. (In O'Neill's piece, people formed "quad-bonds" and I never understood this idea, even in Silverberg's books), but it still made for an interesting story.
"The Biomantic's Last Husband" by Ray Aldridge
Aldridge's story approaches the class/caste theme from the point of view of master and slave–where the slave is a former freer of slaves, and emancipator. What I liked most about this story was the world that Aldridge envisioned, the living, breathing biomantic as a kind of world-person, an ecosystem of sorts. This is a story of deception and rebellion and one of a growing fondness and appreciation of the true nature of things.
"The Ballad of Sally NutriSweet(TM)" by Paul Di Filippo
I believe this is Paul's third story in Science Fiction Age and in my opinion, it usurped Daniel Hood's "Wealth of Kingdoms" as the funniest story–so far–to appear in Science Fiction Age. I felt like I was laughing at almost every sentence. First there is the deliberate (and for the story, appropriate) overuse of trademarks. Second, is the style in which the story is written, almost like a pulp hero story or a superscience story from a 1926 issue of Amazing. This story was hilarious from story to finish. I was tempted to count just how many name brands Paul managed to mention in the story–but I resisted.
"The Bigger One" by Gregory Benford
I was confused by Benford's story at first because the blurb on the cover of the magazine referred to "California Timequake", but I didn't see how time played a role in the story that followed. (Maybe I was thinking of Kurt Vonnegut's Timequake, which of course had not yet come out when this story appeared.) The story itself is written in the form of a radio announcer talking to people "on location" of a massive 8.1 earthquake in southern California. Keep in mind this story appears in the May 1994 issue. The Northridge earthquake took place in January 1994. My parents, who lived in Northridge at the time, had to move out of their house for 9 months while the damage was repaired; I was 80 miles east at UC Riverside when the quake hit. In reading the story, I wondered when it was actually written; and knowing that stories are often bought 6-9 months before they appear, I wondered if the appearance of this story in this issue was a coincidence or not. Maybe Scott can answer that question.
"Quality Time" by John Morressy
It was a close call–Paul's story being as funny as it was–but I think Morressy's "Quality Time" was my favorite story in this issue and that is unusual because it is a fantasy story and I generally prefer science fiction to fantasy. But this is one case where I really enjoyed the story which was about a wizard who has become an acquaintance of Death, and who on occasion, has the kind of conversations with Death that one might have with a stranger at a baseball stadium. There was humor in the story, which worked very well. There was a quest (don't all fantasies have them) but this one was an interesting one, and one that made for a more poignant and meaningful ending
I'm hoping to squeeze in at least one more issue before I start on my vacation in the Golden Age of science fiction. The July 1994 issue of Science Fiction Age looks to be a lot of fun, and contains the story that I think should have won the Hugo and Nebula–but more on that next time.
Notes on the schedule for my Vacation in the Golden Age of SF
The first 9 issues of Golden Age Astounding are being shipping or are about to be shipped to me. I imagine they will arrive sometime next week. Assuming that to be the case, here are my plans for the scheduling of this little project:
Attempt to read 1 issue/week
Expect the blog post about the issue to appear on the Monday morning after I finish it. So if I start the July 1939 issue on Monday, January 23, you can expect my post on that issue to appear on Monday, January 31.
Why only 1 issue/week?
In addition to this "vacation", I also write science fiction (which pays for the collection of these old Astounding's) , have a full time day job, as well as various family responsibilities. I will try to stick to my proposed schedules but any of these other items could get in the way.
I don't want to rush through the issues, but rather savor them. Remember, this is a vacation through the Golden Age.
Once I get started, if I find the pace too fast or too slow, I will adjust accordingly.
One additional caveat to the proposed schedule:
At times, it may be hard to get my hands on a particular issue. I think I've given myself enough lead time, but in the case that I can't get the issue I want, I'll hold off posting until I do get the issue. That could introduce some further delays
Once I know for certain when the first batch of magazines will arrive, I'll post a more current schedule, listing my planned post dates for the first half dozen issues or so. As it stands, an issue a week will get me to December 1950 in just about 2 years. If anyone has suggestions on a better schedule for this, I'm all ears.
And as a reminder, those curious about which issues I have already obtained, and which are still needed: the list can be found here.
