B. Morris Allen's Blog, page 16

Choose any two

In July, I started in on the Ray Bradbury story-a-week effort. More recently, I found that real life is throwing up substantial obstacles.

Initially the effort went well; it was a good motivational tool for writing. I wrote a story a week fairly easily, and got up to a few weeks a head at times.

Unfortunately, real life, in the form of work and personal travel, brought that to a crashing halt. I found that of work, writing, and editing the magazine, I can cover two out of three with some succ...

Unconventional

Just over a year ago, I’d never been to a science fiction convention. Mostly, it was a question of access; I didn’t live in places where SFF conventions happened. I also didn’t really know what went on at them.

Last year, back in the US, I decided to change that. Starting with Sasquan/Worldcon in Spokane, I’ve now been to four conventions – global, regional, and state. What I’ve learned from them is that I’m not really the convention type.

I enjoy the idea of conventions – the fact that SFF f...

Don’t vote? Don’t gripe.

Some decades ago, on a back road in coastal Oregon, there was a sign on a fence saying “Don’t vote? Don’t gripe.” I think that’s a fair position. If you can’t be troubled to take part in governing your own country, you don’t get to complain about the results.

On the other hand, if you did vote (and I hope you did), here’s your fully official license to gripe. Make the most of it.

Songspiration – Lonesome, Restless Feeling

Song Artist Story Ordinary Man Gordon Lightfoot Lonesome, Restless Feeling

You know about Gordon Lightfoot. I’ve been listening to his music almost since I was born. The other day, I was listening in the car, and heard a line I’ve heard a hundred times, about “a ghost in every room”. I don’t much like ghost stories, but this time the line inspired me. My version of a ghost story has science fiction elements, of course.

Songspiration – Seven Shells

Song Artist Story Seven Shells Fred Eaglesmith Seven Shells

Fred Eaglesmith is a Canadian singer-songwriter who writes great music (and who is one of the several artists my wife lumps together as “the depressing guy”). This song has the great line “I got seven shells in my six gun”. Eaglesmith’s version is about a man inspired by love. Mine is about a bullied child.

Songspiration – Dragons I Have Slain

Song Artist Story Pictured Within Jon Lord Dragons I Have Slain

Jon Lord was the keyboard element of Deep Purple, but also an accomplished solo artist. His output was irregular and uneven, but his album Pictured Within is excellent. Early one morning, after dropping my spouse off at the airport, I was listening to this song in the car driving home. I love the song, but when it came to the line “There are dragons I have slain”, I realized that it conflicted with my vegan philosophy. I...

Songspiration – Waiting for the Winter

Song Artist Story Waiting for the Winter Planet P Project Waiting for the Winter

This song by Tony Carey starts with the terrific line: “He knows that winter is coming, and he knows he won’t survive.” I loved the fatalist but determined feel of it. Carey’s version is about Jews in World War II. Mine is about a small group of survivalists facing a nuclear winter.

Planet P was the name under which Carey took on science fiction and political themes. This song was part of a several album...

The Definitive Gordon Lightfoot

The first thing to know is that Gordon Lightfoot is still alive, still making music.

The second is that I grew up listening to Gordon Lightfoot records, among many other things. Sundown was on a tape with Neil Diamond’s Stones on the flip side. Another tape had and Don Quixote and Summer Side of Life. Somewhere, we had Cold on the Shoulder. I listened to them all the time. Just so you know where I’m coming from.

Last, by ‘definitive’, I mean, the albums I own – which is a lot, but it’s not ab...

Songspiration – Autumn Mist

Song Artist Story Puff, the Magic Dragon Peter, Paul, and Mary Autumn Mist

I loved this song growing up, and still do. I’d like to do an entire anthology of stories based on it, but so far haven’t been able to secure the rights. Still hoping. I wrote this store as a feasibility test of the idea. It tells what happened to Puff after the song ended.

Flocks of a Feather

Humans like to be different. More accurately, we like to pretend to be different. We like to pretend that our herd is better than the other herd, that it’s an elite herd. But not too elite, because that would be lonely, and we’re not very good at lonely.

I was at Westercon recently – a convivial gathering of people sharing a non-mainstream interest in science fictiony stuff. People with full body armor talking with those in business casual while they watch the mermaids in the pool outside. Al...