B. Morris Allen's Blog, page 17

Songspiration – Drive Like Lightning…Crash Like Thunder

Song Artist Story Drive Like Lightning, Crash Like Thunder Brian Setzer Orchestra Drive Like Lightning…
…Crash Like Thunder

I loved this title, and at first I thought of a solar system race, but that felt too much like Roger Zelazny’s Alien Speedway, so eventually it evolved into a story about alien conflict and tragic misunderstandings. But in a nod to Zelazny, I borrowed the style of one of his stories for the introduction.

More F@*%ing Titles

Remember the good old days? When you’d go to a film, and the titles consisted of “Title” and “John Wayne”, and then they’d get right down to the action?

“Wait!” you cry, “That was never true.” Butt out – this is my nostalgia. The point is that films these days have gotten ridiculous. Not only do the titles take up half the film – with another 45% reserved for the credits – they’re ridiculous.

It used to be – in my imagined good old days – that a film was directed by one guy (it was always a g...

Songspiration – Blind

Song Artist Story Blind Deep Purple Blind

This is the first real story I ever wrote. It’s a very literal interpretation of the song, though of course I invented my own science fiction-y interpretation of the backstory – a man trapped in his own mind, who manages to trap his therapist as well.

The Sober Cyclist

Portland is a trendy place these days. We’re so far ahead of the curve that we’re starting to circle back. The other day, I considered treating out of town guests by picking up vegan doughnuts at Voodoo Doughnuts – except it’s still so very trendy that the line was an hour long. For the record, Petunia’s Pies and Pastries is all vegan, with a lot less waiting, and a lot more choice.

One of the trends Portland is known for is beer – microbrews, craft brews, artisanal brews, you name a brew, we...

Bonfires and Illuminations

Foreigners look at our parade of clowns presidential race and claim they can’t figure us out. Let me make it easy – Americans like to blow things up. Just yesterday, we had Independence Day – when we celebrate our freedom from tyranny by scaring the shit out of animals across the country. I’m pretty sure that when John Adams said we should celebrate with “pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other”, he was r...

Writing markets should disclose payment schedules up front

Years ago, SF author James D. MacDonald coined Yog’s Law – Money flows toward the writer. It’s a handy mantra to warn off those who consider paying reading fees or other out-of-pocket expenses thinking it will help get their work noticed. What the rule doesn’t address is exactly when the money will flow. I’m proposing a an implementing rule (because it already has corollaries) for that law.

Yog’s Rule – Money flows toward the author, as soon as possible.

For short fiction authors, who write...

Fan Fiction

I’ve never been a big fan of fan fiction. Even authorized or semi-authorized extensions don’t generally work as well as the original author’s work. I pick up the occasional tribute anthology, but generally I steer clear. Even, for example, Todd McCaffrey’s contributions to the Pern universe haven’t tempted me – they’re clearly written with Anne McCaffrey’s blessing and with unique access to the spirit and origin of Pern, but they’re still not hers. It’s with some surprise, then, that I realiz...

Old white guys

I was lucky enough to be in the (standing-room only, and eventually closed-to-entry) crowd at Powell’s bookstore last night, to hear Ursula K. Le Guin talk about writing. She had a lot of good things to say, and, I was surprised to find, was a lot more cheery in person than her excellent but often somber novels. She had useful comments about listening to the ‘voice’ of your writing – literally listening to how it sounds aurally.

What seems to have drawn the most Twitter attention, however, wa...

Sasquan 2015

I’ll be there! Sasquan/WorldCon, Spokane, 19-23 August 2015.

Are you going? Let me know.

Ambient fiction

I’m a fan of ambient fiction. Interesting as that might be, that doesn’t refer to stories about walking around. I’m talking about fiction with ambience – ambiance if you prefer – fiction with a distinctmood, tone, or atmosphere in one guise or another. Fiction that relies more on feeling than action, more on sense than sensibility.

Patricia McKillip is the reigning queen of ambient fiction. Her stories are solid, the characters interesting, but it’s the reliable atmosphere of her stories that...