Peadar Ó Guilín's Blog, page 18
July 13, 2013
Reading, Writing, Watching
My last post here was called "Writing in the Dead Zone", and how prophetic that turned out to be! Four months later, here I am, even more tanned and handsome than before; even more brilliant and full of shiny promise...
So, what have I been up to? Writing, mostly. Editing my various WIPs for the tough times that lie before them out in the world. By the end of this year, I think I'll have a better idea of whether my destiny is to be a writer who supplements his income working on databases, or a system admin who dreams of being a butterfly writer.
But no matter how hard I scribbled over the last four months, I never once slacked off on the entertainment...
READING
I just finished Iain Pears' An Instance of the Fingerpost the other day and it's one of the best books I've ever been lucky enough to devour. A dense historical mystery that's right up there with The Name of the Rose. Four narrators, each recount a particular set of events that occurred in England in 1663 from their own perspective: one a liar; one insane; one obsessed and one besotted... but which is which?
The first story -- that of "a Venetian Gentleman" Marco da Cola is only mildly entertaining when you're reading it, but in the light of the stories that follow, it becomes more and more fascinating. The final tale packed quite an emotional punch for me too. A brilliant, brilliant book.
WATCHING
I've seen three fabulous programs over the last few weeks. They are...
The Fall -- the story of a serial killer in Belfast, hunted by a police inspector played by Gillian Anderson. If serial killer stories turn you off because they're utter crap, this one will change your mind. Beautifully acted and shot. Full of gripping and piteous scenes and always, always contrasting the lives of the two main characters.
I love, in particular, how the seemingly mild killer is threatened more than once by ex-terrorists and how they always leave these encounters confused and vaguely disturbed, as if part of them recognises a monster greater than they are. Fabulous writing here.
The Returned (Les Revenants) -- an extremely creepy French series about a small town where a number of dead people come back to life. They're not zombies; they're not ghosts. They seem to be fully alive except for a few quirks: they're always ravenously hungry; they don't sleep; they don't remember dying or realise that any time has passed since. The story follows each of these people and explores the disturbing consequences of their return.
The Americans -- In the 1980s, a pair of Russian sleeper agents pose as an average American couple. They pretend to be married, and in their utter dedication to the cause, they go so far as to have two children for the sake of their cover. Family life is tough for two people who weren't in love to begin with and, in the midst of secret missions and assassinations and all-out war with the FBI, cracks begin to appear in their relationship.
It could have been so corny, but it's beautifully done and great television.
TONIGHT
And tonight? Tonight, I'll be watching The Cabin in the Woods for the first time. Yes, I'm late to this particular party. I accept your scorn and revel in it...
OH
Oh! And I was out cycling. Here's a photo I took of a derelict house.
So, what have I been up to? Writing, mostly. Editing my various WIPs for the tough times that lie before them out in the world. By the end of this year, I think I'll have a better idea of whether my destiny is to be a writer who supplements his income working on databases, or a system admin who dreams of being a butterfly writer.
But no matter how hard I scribbled over the last four months, I never once slacked off on the entertainment...
READING
I just finished Iain Pears' An Instance of the Fingerpost the other day and it's one of the best books I've ever been lucky enough to devour. A dense historical mystery that's right up there with The Name of the Rose. Four narrators, each recount a particular set of events that occurred in England in 1663 from their own perspective: one a liar; one insane; one obsessed and one besotted... but which is which?
The first story -- that of "a Venetian Gentleman" Marco da Cola is only mildly entertaining when you're reading it, but in the light of the stories that follow, it becomes more and more fascinating. The final tale packed quite an emotional punch for me too. A brilliant, brilliant book.
WATCHING
I've seen three fabulous programs over the last few weeks. They are...
The Fall -- the story of a serial killer in Belfast, hunted by a police inspector played by Gillian Anderson. If serial killer stories turn you off because they're utter crap, this one will change your mind. Beautifully acted and shot. Full of gripping and piteous scenes and always, always contrasting the lives of the two main characters.
I love, in particular, how the seemingly mild killer is threatened more than once by ex-terrorists and how they always leave these encounters confused and vaguely disturbed, as if part of them recognises a monster greater than they are. Fabulous writing here.
The Returned (Les Revenants) -- an extremely creepy French series about a small town where a number of dead people come back to life. They're not zombies; they're not ghosts. They seem to be fully alive except for a few quirks: they're always ravenously hungry; they don't sleep; they don't remember dying or realise that any time has passed since. The story follows each of these people and explores the disturbing consequences of their return.
The Americans -- In the 1980s, a pair of Russian sleeper agents pose as an average American couple. They pretend to be married, and in their utter dedication to the cause, they go so far as to have two children for the sake of their cover. Family life is tough for two people who weren't in love to begin with and, in the midst of secret missions and assassinations and all-out war with the FBI, cracks begin to appear in their relationship.
It could have been so corny, but it's beautifully done and great television.
TONIGHT
And tonight? Tonight, I'll be watching The Cabin in the Woods for the first time. Yes, I'm late to this particular party. I accept your scorn and revel in it...
OH
Oh! And I was out cycling. Here's a photo I took of a derelict house.
April 8, 2013
Writing in the Dead Zone
Working through the third draft of The Volunteer yesterday, I came across a Dead Zone.
This is exactly what it sounds like: ten pages of I-don't-really-care. I looked over the ingredients of the offending chapter. "You're the same as all the others..." I muttered. "Character development? Check! Action? Check! World-building? Yup."
Read up on your writing manuals and the usual cure for a Dead Zone is to cut out excess verbiage and "supercharge" your language with "direct, punchy, active sentences". But I have to tell you, there's a lot more than one way to murder a good story and back in the days when I paid attention to the writing manuals and shot passive verbs on sight, I ended up with even more soulless pages than I do now.
I can't speak for anybody else, but the majority of my DZs are all down to a lack of texture. Too much action with too little variety is a sin I commit regularly, but too much of anything else will have the same fatal effect. Thus, my fix for today's problem consisted of slowing things down with a bit of introspection; throwing in a few lines of the description I often forget about and adding in bright little daubs of emotion.
Finally, I ate some chocolate with an unreasonably high cocoa content. Everything seemed so much better after that...
This is exactly what it sounds like: ten pages of I-don't-really-care. I looked over the ingredients of the offending chapter. "You're the same as all the others..." I muttered. "Character development? Check! Action? Check! World-building? Yup."
Read up on your writing manuals and the usual cure for a Dead Zone is to cut out excess verbiage and "supercharge" your language with "direct, punchy, active sentences". But I have to tell you, there's a lot more than one way to murder a good story and back in the days when I paid attention to the writing manuals and shot passive verbs on sight, I ended up with even more soulless pages than I do now.
I can't speak for anybody else, but the majority of my DZs are all down to a lack of texture. Too much action with too little variety is a sin I commit regularly, but too much of anything else will have the same fatal effect. Thus, my fix for today's problem consisted of slowing things down with a bit of introspection; throwing in a few lines of the description I often forget about and adding in bright little daubs of emotion.
Finally, I ate some chocolate with an unreasonably high cocoa content. Everything seemed so much better after that...
April 4, 2013
Sick and Ill and Reading
I've been sick the last few days. It's not the 'flu or a cold, but some devil's mix-up of the two. It's affecting my concentration and energy, but I've managed to finish an amazing book: The Thousand Autumns of Jakob de Zoet. It's the story of a Dutch clerk representing his country in the Japan of the early nineteenth century. It's beautiful and intense and full of wonderful characters acting out a great plot. There's even a bit of a fantasy sub-plot.
If you enjoy a slow flowering into brilliance, you really need to read this.
And up next...
YA writer Frances Hardinge has been recommended to me again and again lately. Time to plug a gap in my education with A Face Like Glass. Hope I like it!
If you enjoy a slow flowering into brilliance, you really need to read this.
And up next...
YA writer Frances Hardinge has been recommended to me again and again lately. Time to plug a gap in my education with A Face Like Glass. Hope I like it!
March 27, 2013
The Deserter: Now with a Korean Cover
This has come around surprisingly quickly... Only a few months ago we saw the cover for the first one...
[image error]
Meanwhile, I'm working hard on draft 3 of the other yoke...
[image error]
Meanwhile, I'm working hard on draft 3 of the other yoke...
March 21, 2013
My EasterCon Programme -- Will You Be There?
Hurray and with much excellence... Here then, is where I will be found during the joyous festival that is EasterCon. Who's going?
Day
Time
Room
Item
Role
Friday
7pm
Conservatory
"Genre Get-Together: Fantasy"
Participant"
Confirmed
Meet authors and get books signed!
Sunday
2pm
Boardroom
"Forgotten TV SF of 2015"
Panellist"
Confirmed
Television is pumping out genre shows faster than ever, and many are gone in one season or less. Dev Agarwal, Emma England, Roz Kaveney, Ian McKenna and Peadar O’Guilín discuss recent shows and try to work out which ones will make it to syndication and which ones will, sadly, be forgotten by 2015. They may even try to divine the minds of TV executives.
Sunday
3:30pm
Boardroom
"The British Character"
Panellist"
Confirmed
Stiff upper lip, everybody! Our panel take a reserved and stoical look at the British Character and how it shaped our science fiction and fantasy. No humour tolerated. With Peter Harrow, Fran Dowd, Mark Meenan, Peadar O’Guilin and David Wake.
Sunday
8pm
Main
"Sex in Young Adult Literature"
Panellist"
Confirmed
In the west, we now live in a highly sexualised culture and teenagers are surrounded with images, ideas and expectations about sex. YA SFF presents challenging ideas about race, society and culture yet often offers a rose-tinted version of life-long love and relationships. Is honesty about sex the last frontier in YA? What do readers what and what difficulties and barriers do writers face in writing truthfully about sex for teenage readers? Anne Wilson moderates Janet Edwards, Rhodri James, Rochita Loenen-Ruiz and Peader O’Guilin.
Day
Time
Room
Item
Role
Friday
7pm
Conservatory
"Genre Get-Together: Fantasy"
Participant"
Confirmed
Meet authors and get books signed!
Sunday
2pm
Boardroom
"Forgotten TV SF of 2015"
Panellist"
Confirmed
Television is pumping out genre shows faster than ever, and many are gone in one season or less. Dev Agarwal, Emma England, Roz Kaveney, Ian McKenna and Peadar O’Guilín discuss recent shows and try to work out which ones will make it to syndication and which ones will, sadly, be forgotten by 2015. They may even try to divine the minds of TV executives.
Sunday
3:30pm
Boardroom
"The British Character"
Panellist"
Confirmed
Stiff upper lip, everybody! Our panel take a reserved and stoical look at the British Character and how it shaped our science fiction and fantasy. No humour tolerated. With Peter Harrow, Fran Dowd, Mark Meenan, Peadar O’Guilin and David Wake.
Sunday
8pm
Main
"Sex in Young Adult Literature"
Panellist"
Confirmed
In the west, we now live in a highly sexualised culture and teenagers are surrounded with images, ideas and expectations about sex. YA SFF presents challenging ideas about race, society and culture yet often offers a rose-tinted version of life-long love and relationships. Is honesty about sex the last frontier in YA? What do readers what and what difficulties and barriers do writers face in writing truthfully about sex for teenage readers? Anne Wilson moderates Janet Edwards, Rhodri James, Rochita Loenen-Ruiz and Peader O’Guilin.
March 4, 2013
WorldCon 2014 (in London!) will be Amazing
Holy Moly! I just spent a weekend in London along with fifty Con Warriors. Did I see the Queen? Nope, she was in hospital and refusing all visitors, even me.
However, we did get a tour of the Excel Exhibition Centre and it's about the best location for a convention I've ever seen: cavernous halls large enough to bury Smaug; multi-functional, infinitely modifiable, poly-configurated panel rooms; toilets... all in easy walking distance of each other and spliced to the heart of London via a vast nervous system of light rail, buses, and, believe it or not, cable cars. It all sounds SF, because it is. But there was plenty of fantasy in the air too as we flung ideas at each other for an event that future generations will speak of only in awed whispers.
What is my part in all of this?
Many of you already know that I'll be planning the YA track of panels and other events. You know this because I've begged you in the past for ideas that I can pass off as my own. What you may not have heard is that the wise old raven of the BwB,
the_corbie
has been assisting me to the extent that he has already gone out and got the consent of a star panelist.
If anybody else out there thinks they would like to volunteer for WorldCon, please let me know!
Anyway, we're just getting started here, but so far, the venue is perfect and the volunteers I met at the weekend were dedicated, talented, intelligent and, above all, ambitious. This was not a group of limited imaginations. Their dreams are spectacular and I'm terrified I won't be able to keep up with them, but excited and inspired too.
It's going to be brilliant. Sign up. Be there. Wallow in the happiness.
However, we did get a tour of the Excel Exhibition Centre and it's about the best location for a convention I've ever seen: cavernous halls large enough to bury Smaug; multi-functional, infinitely modifiable, poly-configurated panel rooms; toilets... all in easy walking distance of each other and spliced to the heart of London via a vast nervous system of light rail, buses, and, believe it or not, cable cars. It all sounds SF, because it is. But there was plenty of fantasy in the air too as we flung ideas at each other for an event that future generations will speak of only in awed whispers.
What is my part in all of this?
Many of you already know that I'll be planning the YA track of panels and other events. You know this because I've begged you in the past for ideas that I can pass off as my own. What you may not have heard is that the wise old raven of the BwB,
the_corbie
has been assisting me to the extent that he has already gone out and got the consent of a star panelist.If anybody else out there thinks they would like to volunteer for WorldCon, please let me know!
Anyway, we're just getting started here, but so far, the venue is perfect and the volunteers I met at the weekend were dedicated, talented, intelligent and, above all, ambitious. This was not a group of limited imaginations. Their dreams are spectacular and I'm terrified I won't be able to keep up with them, but excited and inspired too.
It's going to be brilliant. Sign up. Be there. Wallow in the happiness.
February 11, 2013
Not a Review of Storm of Steel -- Just an Obversation
I've been reading a stunning first-hand account of WWI written by Ernst Jünger -- Storm of Steel nd I just wanted to say one thing...
This guy drank and he smoked. He ate appalling quantities of fatty foods. He served as a soldier during the entire length of two world wars... on the losing side. He loved single combat with brave enemies. He was at the battle of the Somme, for Heaven's sake!
He lived to be 102.
Sigh.
This guy drank and he smoked. He ate appalling quantities of fatty foods. He served as a soldier during the entire length of two world wars... on the losing side. He loved single combat with brave enemies. He was at the battle of the Somme, for Heaven's sake!
He lived to be 102.
Sigh.
January 14, 2013
Fairy Gold Makes the List; The Coldest War
READ
Well, hurray for me, anyway.
That most venerable organ of short-story reviews, Tangent Online, has put together a list of their favorite stories of 2012. My own Fairy Gold made it right into the top bracket. Yes, I am pleased. No, I am not displeased.
You can buy a copy of the magazine that published Fairy Gold here.
READING
One of my own top reads of last year, was Ian Tregellis' Bitter Seeds, an alternate history of the Second World War that lives up to its title and subverts early expectations. I've just completed the sequel, The Coldest War, which was almost as enjoyable as the first book and which has a perfect ending.
It ties the story up in a neat little bow so that no further sequels are necessary, but, at the same time, it sets itself up in such a way that the expected sequel will be very welcome when it comes in April. All hail!
Well, hurray for me, anyway.
That most venerable organ of short-story reviews, Tangent Online, has put together a list of their favorite stories of 2012. My own Fairy Gold made it right into the top bracket. Yes, I am pleased. No, I am not displeased.
You can buy a copy of the magazine that published Fairy Gold here.
READING
One of my own top reads of last year, was Ian Tregellis' Bitter Seeds, an alternate history of the Second World War that lives up to its title and subverts early expectations. I've just completed the sequel, The Coldest War, which was almost as enjoyable as the first book and which has a perfect ending.
It ties the story up in a neat little bow so that no further sequels are necessary, but, at the same time, it sets itself up in such a way that the expected sequel will be very welcome when it comes in April. All hail!
January 8, 2013
Inciting Emotions and Other Simple Tasks
Recently, a journalist from somewhere out there in Deepest Internet published what he thought must be a devastating critique of cartoonist Matthew Inman from theoatmeal.com. You can the read brilliant response in full here, but I want to take out just one little part for myself. While attempting to belittle Mr. Inman's talent, the attacker lays out the "formula" used by the cartoonist in six easy pieces:
-Find a common gripe.
-Pick things everybody can relate to
-Create easily digestible content
-Create an infographic
-Talk about memes and current events
-Incite an emotion
The first five of these have been the standard fare of humorists since since Ugg first started painting funny animals on the wall of her lovely cave home. But the last part? Inciting an emotion? Like it's some sort of, you know, formula thingy; like you can just wake up in the morning and decide that you can manipulate the minds of your readers?
I only wish.
If I can cause my readers to feel real emotion even once in the course of a novel, I'll feel I've done my job right. Seriously, if it's so easy, can somebody out there show me how, because I would then do it all the time. I'd become the most brilliant writer in the world.
And speaking of brilliance...
GONE GIRL -- Spoiler Free
How refreshing to love a book that the rest of the world loves too. Normally, when I see a novel advertised on hoardings, I know it's not for me. This time I was very wrong. Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl starts off as the mystery it's billed to be. A woman disappears in a small town by the Mississippi. Everybody knows that in cases of this sort it's always the husband who committed the crime. So... is it?
It's quite enjoyable finding out, which we do half-way through the book. After that, things get really interesting.
And did I mention the amazing powers of observation the author has? Her caustic, nasty wit? Check it out.
-Find a common gripe.
-Pick things everybody can relate to
-Create easily digestible content
-Create an infographic
-Talk about memes and current events
-Incite an emotion
The first five of these have been the standard fare of humorists since since Ugg first started painting funny animals on the wall of her lovely cave home. But the last part? Inciting an emotion? Like it's some sort of, you know, formula thingy; like you can just wake up in the morning and decide that you can manipulate the minds of your readers?
I only wish.
If I can cause my readers to feel real emotion even once in the course of a novel, I'll feel I've done my job right. Seriously, if it's so easy, can somebody out there show me how, because I would then do it all the time. I'd become the most brilliant writer in the world.
And speaking of brilliance...
GONE GIRL -- Spoiler Free
How refreshing to love a book that the rest of the world loves too. Normally, when I see a novel advertised on hoardings, I know it's not for me. This time I was very wrong. Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl starts off as the mystery it's billed to be. A woman disappears in a small town by the Mississippi. Everybody knows that in cases of this sort it's always the husband who committed the crime. So... is it?
It's quite enjoyable finding out, which we do half-way through the book. After that, things get really interesting.
And did I mention the amazing powers of observation the author has? Her caustic, nasty wit? Check it out.
