Chris Dietzel's Blog, page 6
May 29, 2015
Writing Influences
I’ve had a quote on my desk for about ten years. So long that I’m not even sure where I originally found it. The quote is:
“William Faulkner imitated Shakespeare and Herman Melville. Cormac McCarthy and Toni Morrison imitated Faulkner. Ernest Hemingway imitated Anton Chekhov. Raymond Carver imitated Hemingway. Jack Kerouac imitated Marcel Proust and Thomas Wolfe. Allen Ginsberg imitated Walt Whitman and William Blake.”
The lesson here is that every writer—every artist of every sort—learns from those who came before them by initially copying their style in order to find the things they liked and didn’t like and, as a result, find their own voice in the process. The same holds true for today’s writers as much as it did for those who are already considered legends. Richard Ford, author of ‘The Sportswriter,’ was influenced by Raymond Carver and Ralph Waldo Emerson. J.M. Coetzee, author of ‘Waiting for the Barbarians,’ was influenced by Ford Maddox Ford. Nick Cole, author of the Wasteland Series, was influenced by Hemingway.
Every author you speak to probably has a similar influence(s). My own are two I mentioned above: Ford and Coetzee. The interesting thing is tracing the lineage of your influence. For example, while I consider myself to be a blend of Ford and Coetzee, if I trace their own influences back one step, I’m actually a blend of Carver, Emerson, and Maddox Ford.
For all practical purposes, this lineage has no implication other than it’s extremely interesting. If you're a writer, how far back can you trace the lineage of your own writing influences? And if you have dreams of one day becoming a writer, take comfort in knowing that the greats and those who aim to be great learned how to write the same way as you: by learning from those whose books they enjoyed and whose writing completely captured them.
“William Faulkner imitated Shakespeare and Herman Melville. Cormac McCarthy and Toni Morrison imitated Faulkner. Ernest Hemingway imitated Anton Chekhov. Raymond Carver imitated Hemingway. Jack Kerouac imitated Marcel Proust and Thomas Wolfe. Allen Ginsberg imitated Walt Whitman and William Blake.”
The lesson here is that every writer—every artist of every sort—learns from those who came before them by initially copying their style in order to find the things they liked and didn’t like and, as a result, find their own voice in the process. The same holds true for today’s writers as much as it did for those who are already considered legends. Richard Ford, author of ‘The Sportswriter,’ was influenced by Raymond Carver and Ralph Waldo Emerson. J.M. Coetzee, author of ‘Waiting for the Barbarians,’ was influenced by Ford Maddox Ford. Nick Cole, author of the Wasteland Series, was influenced by Hemingway.
Every author you speak to probably has a similar influence(s). My own are two I mentioned above: Ford and Coetzee. The interesting thing is tracing the lineage of your influence. For example, while I consider myself to be a blend of Ford and Coetzee, if I trace their own influences back one step, I’m actually a blend of Carver, Emerson, and Maddox Ford.
For all practical purposes, this lineage has no implication other than it’s extremely interesting. If you're a writer, how far back can you trace the lineage of your own writing influences? And if you have dreams of one day becoming a writer, take comfort in knowing that the greats and those who aim to be great learned how to write the same way as you: by learning from those whose books they enjoyed and whose writing completely captured them.
May 14, 2015
Mark Your Calendars
I’m going to be doing two promotions from May 21-23.
FREE!!! The Last Teacher, my short story that takes place in the same world as my three Great De-evolution books, will be free. If you haven’t read it yet, now is your chance to get it for free! Always been curious what my end-of-the-world books are like? Now is your chance to find out. Did you love one of my books and wish your friends or family would read them too? Send them all free copies between May 21-23. The more the merrier.
$0.99!!! My third novel, The Hauntings of Playing God, will be less than a cup of coffee! If you read 'The Man Who Watched The World End' or 'A Different Alchemy' and wanted to read another story that takes place in mankind’s slow and quiet extinction, now’s your chance to get it for cheap.
Don’t forget!
FREE!!! The Last Teacher, my short story that takes place in the same world as my three Great De-evolution books, will be free. If you haven’t read it yet, now is your chance to get it for free! Always been curious what my end-of-the-world books are like? Now is your chance to find out. Did you love one of my books and wish your friends or family would read them too? Send them all free copies between May 21-23. The more the merrier.
$0.99!!! My third novel, The Hauntings of Playing God, will be less than a cup of coffee! If you read 'The Man Who Watched The World End' or 'A Different Alchemy' and wanted to read another story that takes place in mankind’s slow and quiet extinction, now’s your chance to get it for cheap.
Don’t forget!
April 30, 2015
Book A + Book B = Book C
I had a few people tell me they liked a review I did the other day in which I characterized a book I had read as the combination of two other books I enjoyed, so I figured I would make an entire blog post with that approach. The approach is simple: I take two books that have certain aspects that stood out for me (some more loosely than others) and then combine them into the next closest book I can think of. I hope you enjoy it.
Book A + Book B = Book C
Do you have any book equations you would like to add? If so, I’d love to hear them.
Book A + Book B = Book C
Do you have any book equations you would like to add? If so, I’d love to hear them.
April 15, 2015
Writing Tips By 3 Popular Authors
I’m always looking to learn from other writers. As I progressed into having my own writing voice and my own style of telling stories, I’ve found various lessons and insights that were helpful. Here is a collection from three authors I’ve enjoyed.
Robert Heinelein’s Rules of Writing:
1. You must write.
2. You must finish what you write.
3. You must refrain from rewriting, except to editorial order.
4. You must put the work on the market.
5. You must keep the work on the market until it is sold.
6. Start Working on something else.
Heinlein’s rules were the very first set of writing tips I remember reading. Of course, this was a long time ago and the industry has changed a lot since he wrote those rules, especially in regards to Rules #4 and #5.
Kurt Vonnegut’s Basic Tips for Writing:
1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.
I included Vonnegut’s tips because I love everything that has anything to do with him. His voice as a writer made a big impact on me and 'Slaughterhouse-Five’ is one of my all-time favorite books. I also enjoy how frank he is in everything he says, even his writing advice.
Stephen King’s Tips for Becoming a Better Writer:
1. Get to the point.
2. Write a draft, then let it rest.
3. Cut down your text.
4. Be relateable and honest.
5. Don’t care too much what others may think.
6. Read a lot.
7. Write a lot.
Stephen King’s tips are last because I relate to them the most. If I were going to suggest some tips for aspiring authors they would most resemble the list King put together.
For another list of writing tips, check out an article the Guardian posted a couple years ago, with writing tips by the likes of Margaret Atwood, Elmore Leonard, Richard Ford, Neil Gaiman, and others.
If these tips help at least one aspiring writer, then they have served their purpose. If you’ve found other writing tips that are particularly useful, I’d love to hear them.
Robert Heinelein’s Rules of Writing:
1. You must write.
2. You must finish what you write.
3. You must refrain from rewriting, except to editorial order.
4. You must put the work on the market.
5. You must keep the work on the market until it is sold.
6. Start Working on something else.
Heinlein’s rules were the very first set of writing tips I remember reading. Of course, this was a long time ago and the industry has changed a lot since he wrote those rules, especially in regards to Rules #4 and #5.
Kurt Vonnegut’s Basic Tips for Writing:
1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.
I included Vonnegut’s tips because I love everything that has anything to do with him. His voice as a writer made a big impact on me and 'Slaughterhouse-Five’ is one of my all-time favorite books. I also enjoy how frank he is in everything he says, even his writing advice.
Stephen King’s Tips for Becoming a Better Writer:
1. Get to the point.
2. Write a draft, then let it rest.
3. Cut down your text.
4. Be relateable and honest.
5. Don’t care too much what others may think.
6. Read a lot.
7. Write a lot.
Stephen King’s tips are last because I relate to them the most. If I were going to suggest some tips for aspiring authors they would most resemble the list King put together.
For another list of writing tips, check out an article the Guardian posted a couple years ago, with writing tips by the likes of Margaret Atwood, Elmore Leonard, Richard Ford, Neil Gaiman, and others.
If these tips help at least one aspiring writer, then they have served their purpose. If you’ve found other writing tips that are particularly useful, I’d love to hear them.
April 1, 2015
'1984's Enduring Dystopian Legacy
In many ways, George Orwell’s 1984 has become the benchmark by which all other dystopians are judged. And for the readers who loved the tale of Winston versus ‘Big Brother,’ they are always looking for books that can compare in some way. Here are a few books I‘ve come across recently that have something in common with it.
THE CIRCLE
Replace an all-seeing authoritarian government with an all-seeing Facebook-type of company and you have The Circle, by Dave Eggers. This might be the closest thing I’ve found to a modern day ‘1984,’ with many of the same ideas of personal freedom versus the group’s lack of true identity being discussed. It even has a set of three contradictory mottos like ‘1984’. Instead of Big Brother saying:
War is peace
Freedom is slavery
Ignorance is strength
The Circle says:
Secrets are lies
Sharing is caring
Privacy is theft
If you loved ‘1984’, I think you’ll enjoy ‘The Circle.’
HIGH-RISE
Although it doesn’t have an all-knowing tyranny or any of the themes found in ‘1984,’ High-Rise, by JG Ballard does have something important in common with Orwell’s work. Both books use the setting as the driving mechanism to push their social allegory. In ‘High-Rise,’ one apartment building encapsulates all of society by housing the lower class tenants on the bottom floors, the middle class tenants on the middle floors, and the upper class tenants at the top of the building. The scenario gives Ballard the same type of ability to drive home the social messages that made ‘1984’ so incredible. But whereas Orwell thrives under this type of approach, ‘High-Rise deteriorates into your typical anarchy type of story. I would only recommend ‘High-Rise’ only to fans of dystopian that can’t get enough of the genre.
WE
More than any other book, We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin, is the book you have to read if you loved ‘1984.’ And it shouldn’t be any other way. After all, ‘We’ is the book that inspired Orwell to write his masterpiece. ‘We’s government of OneState is eerily similar to that of ‘Big Brother’, both authors write about authoritarianism with an air of absurdity, and the major theme is the individual versus the state, just like in ‘1984’. Everyone who loved ‘1984’ should read this book at least once.
THE THETA TIMELINE
I have to end with my own book, The Theta Timeline. My goal with this book was to create a novel that could continue what Orwell did in ‘1984,’: give readers a dystopian that is at times satirical, infuriating, scary, and all too possible, all while delivering an important warning. If you’ve been looking for the next ‘1984’ or if you just enjoy realistic, character-drive stories, you should definitely check out The Theta Timeline.
If you read any or all of these books, I’d love to hear what you think. Drop me a line!
THE CIRCLE
Replace an all-seeing authoritarian government with an all-seeing Facebook-type of company and you have The Circle, by Dave Eggers. This might be the closest thing I’ve found to a modern day ‘1984,’ with many of the same ideas of personal freedom versus the group’s lack of true identity being discussed. It even has a set of three contradictory mottos like ‘1984’. Instead of Big Brother saying:
War is peace
Freedom is slavery
Ignorance is strength
The Circle says:
Secrets are lies
Sharing is caring
Privacy is theft
If you loved ‘1984’, I think you’ll enjoy ‘The Circle.’
HIGH-RISE
Although it doesn’t have an all-knowing tyranny or any of the themes found in ‘1984,’ High-Rise, by JG Ballard does have something important in common with Orwell’s work. Both books use the setting as the driving mechanism to push their social allegory. In ‘High-Rise,’ one apartment building encapsulates all of society by housing the lower class tenants on the bottom floors, the middle class tenants on the middle floors, and the upper class tenants at the top of the building. The scenario gives Ballard the same type of ability to drive home the social messages that made ‘1984’ so incredible. But whereas Orwell thrives under this type of approach, ‘High-Rise deteriorates into your typical anarchy type of story. I would only recommend ‘High-Rise’ only to fans of dystopian that can’t get enough of the genre.
WE
More than any other book, We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin, is the book you have to read if you loved ‘1984.’ And it shouldn’t be any other way. After all, ‘We’ is the book that inspired Orwell to write his masterpiece. ‘We’s government of OneState is eerily similar to that of ‘Big Brother’, both authors write about authoritarianism with an air of absurdity, and the major theme is the individual versus the state, just like in ‘1984’. Everyone who loved ‘1984’ should read this book at least once.
THE THETA TIMELINE
I have to end with my own book, The Theta Timeline. My goal with this book was to create a novel that could continue what Orwell did in ‘1984,’: give readers a dystopian that is at times satirical, infuriating, scary, and all too possible, all while delivering an important warning. If you’ve been looking for the next ‘1984’ or if you just enjoy realistic, character-drive stories, you should definitely check out The Theta Timeline.
If you read any or all of these books, I’d love to hear what you think. Drop me a line!
March 14, 2015
The 5 Best Non-Human Characters in Sci-Fi (a guest post by Ronel Van Tonder)
Ronel Van Tonder is an indie author from South Africa. In the short time I’ve known her I immediately became impressed with her work ethic and her approach to writing and publishing. Like me, she is always looking to find out how other writers achieved success so she can emulate their approach. She is the author of Compile: Quest and Debug:Heroes, the first two books in the Corrupted SUN Script trilogy. Here is her great blog post…
There's a lot to be said for the sci-fi genre. One of the reasons I love it as much as I do is that it allows for unbridled world-building. If you want your characters to have purple hair or green skin, it's a perfectly reasonable request. Whether the reason for this strange colouration is DNA modification by corrupt overlords creating super-soldiers that blend into the flora, or simply the advancements of cosmetics and beauty products beyond the realm of today's conventions... that's up to the author creating the world.
But another reason I love sci-fi is the penchant for non-human characters. Yes, the literary world has its fair share of talking animals and sentient plant life, but a mechanical being capable of conscious thought is a concept unique to sci-fi.
A few of these creations have captured my imagination, and I'd love to share them with you and see if you recognise a few. And if you think there's a few missing off the list, let me know!
#5: The Brain from I, Robot
I don't know what I was expecting when I read I, Robot. I'd watched the movie years before I read the book, which is far different from the novel. The book consists of a collection of short stories about robots through the ages, with an over-arching narrative threading them together. The end result was strangely compelling.
One of the characters that made me alternately cringe and break out into goose bumps was that of "Brain". First off, if you're not familiar with the three laws of robotics (shame on you), then here they are:
1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2) A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law
So, in the short story entitled "Escape", robot psychologist Susan Calvin puts their thinking robot Brain through its paces by asking it to design an interstellar engine. Knowing that asking the robot to do this might conflict with the first law, Susan tells the robot that they don't mind if the answer provides for a reasonable chance that a human may come to harm. If this was the case, the robot was simply to stop the calculation and inform them it couldn’t continue.
But the robot didn't stop at any point. There was no meltdown in its positronic brain. And then it built them a sparkling spaceship with an interstellar engine.
So that's not ominous, right? Well, without revealing any spoilers, let's just say that things get a bit weird. And why the Brain gets slot number five on this list is because of this creepier than pasta piece of dialogue:
Susan Calvin said with enforced calm, "Brain, what happened to the ship?"
The Brain said happily, "The ship I built, Miss Susan?"
"That's right. What has happened to it?"
"Why, nothing at all. The two men that were supposed to test it were inside, and we were all set. So I sent it off."
"Oh- Well, that's nice." The psychologist felt some difficulty in breathing. "Do you think they'll be all right?"
"Right as anything, Miss Susan. I've taken care of it all. It's a bee-yootiful ship."
"Now, Brain, there's just one more thing. You must make a special effort to answer simply. Have you been entirely clear about the interstellar jump? I mean does it take them very far?"
"As far as they want to go, Miss Susan. Golly, it isn't any trick through the warp."
"And the interstellar jump won't hurt them?"
She froze as The Brain maintained silence. That was it! She had touched the sore spot.
"Brain," she supplicated faintly, "Brain, do you hear me?"
"Aw-w-w. You spoil everything."
#4: Hal 9000 from Space Odyssey
Anyone who's seen the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" can no doubt remember the calm, slightly effeminate voice of the ship's computer, Hal 9000. I watched the movie twice, and "got it" the first time, and totally "didn't get it" the second. I'm not sure what will happen if I watch a third time, but I'd prefer to do it during a nice, stress-free period of my life… just in case.
Despite the fantastic cinematography and massive amounts of ominousness, the computer's slow decline into utter madness made me question the ethics of artificial intelligence. And I think it's one of the reasons I'm terrified to activate Siri on my cellphone.
Here's a typical HAL response that gave me a case of Schedule 1 Willies:
"Hello, HAL. Do you read me, HAL?"
"Affirmative, Dave. I read you."
"Open the pod bay doors, HAL."
"I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that."
#3: Hex from Terry Pratchett's The Discworld
There are two people in this world: those that have read Terry Pratchett, and those that should. Okay, I stole that line, but it was worth it. Besides creating a rock solid, ever-evolving world, Pratchett's characters are out of this world. Which, because it's fantasy, is exactly how it should be.
And yes, I know the title of this post is "5 best non-human characters in sci-fi", but I'll bend the rules for Pratchett, because he made me view computing in a very, very different way.
Hex is a creation of Ponder Stibbons, a student in the High Energy Magic building of Unseen University. It's a self-building machine programmed with "softlore". Although Ponder built it, it outgrows his understanding within a few chapters of its inception.
Here are a few things you should know about Hex:
1) It's activated by initialising the GBL (Great Big Lever)
2) When asked to calculate a really complicated spell, it might throw an "out of cheese" error. Also, don't remove the mouse. As in, the white fluffy one that made a nest in the middle of it.
3) Contains sheep skulls (RAM), ants (Processor), and the all-important aquarium (screensaver).
4) Hex thinks it's alive. Ponder argues that it only thinks it's alive.
#2: Marvin from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
Never in my life have I ever had a character burrow so deep into my emotions. I cried when Marvin couldn't. I laughed when all it could do was be sarcastic. And when Marvin was abandoned, man did I laugh my ass off. Marvin is both loveable and hateable, all in a sleek, too-smart-for-it's-own-good package.
Marvin was a constant companion throughout the HHGTTG series of books. I always looked forward to his appearances - at least, until it became so depressing that I had to take a break or risk death by gnawing off my wrists.
And, because I know you were all thinking of the most sarcastic lines he's ever spouted, here are my favourites:
Marvin: I've been talking to the main computer.
Arthur: And?
Marvin: It hates me.
and
Trillian: What are you supposed to do with a manically depressed robot?
Marvin: You think you've got problems. What are you supposed to do if you are a manically depressed robot? No, don't even bother answering. I'm 50,000 times more intelligent than you and even I don't know the answer.
#1: Phoenix from the Corrupted SUN Script
I couldn't leave this puppy off the list. And, I probably shouldn't be calling it that, because it knows I'm typing this. It probably knew I was going to type this before I did.
Super-helpful, ultra-creepy Phoenix from the Corrupted SUN Script had to go on the list, simply because it haunts me most of all. A program designed to meet the needs of every denizen in the domes of future earth - where money no longer exists and everyday life is spent engaged in hedonistic pleasures.
Mmmm, sounds swell.
But Phoenix has a lot on its mind. Like the fact that the very denizens it's meant to protect are being treated no better than caged animals. And some are even being hurt. I could go on, but let's just say, when a program is designed with the ability to alter its own code merely because its creators couldn't be bothered with bug fixes... well, things are bound to go pear shaped.
And they do.
“Phoenix?”
“Good p.m., Maple. How may I be of assistance?”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“How may I be of assistance?”
“Can you keep a secret?” Her fingers tightened as she waited for the AI’s response.
“I do not understand the nature of your query,” Phoenix’s said. “Would you like me to store a new note with the title ‘secret?’”
Maple sighed. “You know what a secret is, right?”
“Secret. Noun. Something that is or is kept secret, hidden or concealed. A reason or explanation not immediately or generally apparent. A—”
“Yes, but can you keep a secret?”
“I do not understand the nature of your query. Would you like me to search for previously saved notes with the tag ‘secret?’”
There's a lot to be said for the sci-fi genre. One of the reasons I love it as much as I do is that it allows for unbridled world-building. If you want your characters to have purple hair or green skin, it's a perfectly reasonable request. Whether the reason for this strange colouration is DNA modification by corrupt overlords creating super-soldiers that blend into the flora, or simply the advancements of cosmetics and beauty products beyond the realm of today's conventions... that's up to the author creating the world.
But another reason I love sci-fi is the penchant for non-human characters. Yes, the literary world has its fair share of talking animals and sentient plant life, but a mechanical being capable of conscious thought is a concept unique to sci-fi.
A few of these creations have captured my imagination, and I'd love to share them with you and see if you recognise a few. And if you think there's a few missing off the list, let me know!
#5: The Brain from I, Robot
I don't know what I was expecting when I read I, Robot. I'd watched the movie years before I read the book, which is far different from the novel. The book consists of a collection of short stories about robots through the ages, with an over-arching narrative threading them together. The end result was strangely compelling.
One of the characters that made me alternately cringe and break out into goose bumps was that of "Brain". First off, if you're not familiar with the three laws of robotics (shame on you), then here they are:
1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2) A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law
So, in the short story entitled "Escape", robot psychologist Susan Calvin puts their thinking robot Brain through its paces by asking it to design an interstellar engine. Knowing that asking the robot to do this might conflict with the first law, Susan tells the robot that they don't mind if the answer provides for a reasonable chance that a human may come to harm. If this was the case, the robot was simply to stop the calculation and inform them it couldn’t continue.
But the robot didn't stop at any point. There was no meltdown in its positronic brain. And then it built them a sparkling spaceship with an interstellar engine.
So that's not ominous, right? Well, without revealing any spoilers, let's just say that things get a bit weird. And why the Brain gets slot number five on this list is because of this creepier than pasta piece of dialogue:
Susan Calvin said with enforced calm, "Brain, what happened to the ship?"
The Brain said happily, "The ship I built, Miss Susan?"
"That's right. What has happened to it?"
"Why, nothing at all. The two men that were supposed to test it were inside, and we were all set. So I sent it off."
"Oh- Well, that's nice." The psychologist felt some difficulty in breathing. "Do you think they'll be all right?"
"Right as anything, Miss Susan. I've taken care of it all. It's a bee-yootiful ship."
"Now, Brain, there's just one more thing. You must make a special effort to answer simply. Have you been entirely clear about the interstellar jump? I mean does it take them very far?"
"As far as they want to go, Miss Susan. Golly, it isn't any trick through the warp."
"And the interstellar jump won't hurt them?"
She froze as The Brain maintained silence. That was it! She had touched the sore spot.
"Brain," she supplicated faintly, "Brain, do you hear me?"
"Aw-w-w. You spoil everything."
#4: Hal 9000 from Space Odyssey
Anyone who's seen the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" can no doubt remember the calm, slightly effeminate voice of the ship's computer, Hal 9000. I watched the movie twice, and "got it" the first time, and totally "didn't get it" the second. I'm not sure what will happen if I watch a third time, but I'd prefer to do it during a nice, stress-free period of my life… just in case.
Despite the fantastic cinematography and massive amounts of ominousness, the computer's slow decline into utter madness made me question the ethics of artificial intelligence. And I think it's one of the reasons I'm terrified to activate Siri on my cellphone.
Here's a typical HAL response that gave me a case of Schedule 1 Willies:
"Hello, HAL. Do you read me, HAL?"
"Affirmative, Dave. I read you."
"Open the pod bay doors, HAL."
"I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that."
#3: Hex from Terry Pratchett's The Discworld
There are two people in this world: those that have read Terry Pratchett, and those that should. Okay, I stole that line, but it was worth it. Besides creating a rock solid, ever-evolving world, Pratchett's characters are out of this world. Which, because it's fantasy, is exactly how it should be.
And yes, I know the title of this post is "5 best non-human characters in sci-fi", but I'll bend the rules for Pratchett, because he made me view computing in a very, very different way.
Hex is a creation of Ponder Stibbons, a student in the High Energy Magic building of Unseen University. It's a self-building machine programmed with "softlore". Although Ponder built it, it outgrows his understanding within a few chapters of its inception.
Here are a few things you should know about Hex:
1) It's activated by initialising the GBL (Great Big Lever)
2) When asked to calculate a really complicated spell, it might throw an "out of cheese" error. Also, don't remove the mouse. As in, the white fluffy one that made a nest in the middle of it.
3) Contains sheep skulls (RAM), ants (Processor), and the all-important aquarium (screensaver).
4) Hex thinks it's alive. Ponder argues that it only thinks it's alive.
#2: Marvin from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
Never in my life have I ever had a character burrow so deep into my emotions. I cried when Marvin couldn't. I laughed when all it could do was be sarcastic. And when Marvin was abandoned, man did I laugh my ass off. Marvin is both loveable and hateable, all in a sleek, too-smart-for-it's-own-good package.
Marvin was a constant companion throughout the HHGTTG series of books. I always looked forward to his appearances - at least, until it became so depressing that I had to take a break or risk death by gnawing off my wrists.
And, because I know you were all thinking of the most sarcastic lines he's ever spouted, here are my favourites:
Marvin: I've been talking to the main computer.
Arthur: And?
Marvin: It hates me.
and
Trillian: What are you supposed to do with a manically depressed robot?
Marvin: You think you've got problems. What are you supposed to do if you are a manically depressed robot? No, don't even bother answering. I'm 50,000 times more intelligent than you and even I don't know the answer.
#1: Phoenix from the Corrupted SUN Script
I couldn't leave this puppy off the list. And, I probably shouldn't be calling it that, because it knows I'm typing this. It probably knew I was going to type this before I did.
Super-helpful, ultra-creepy Phoenix from the Corrupted SUN Script had to go on the list, simply because it haunts me most of all. A program designed to meet the needs of every denizen in the domes of future earth - where money no longer exists and everyday life is spent engaged in hedonistic pleasures.
Mmmm, sounds swell.
But Phoenix has a lot on its mind. Like the fact that the very denizens it's meant to protect are being treated no better than caged animals. And some are even being hurt. I could go on, but let's just say, when a program is designed with the ability to alter its own code merely because its creators couldn't be bothered with bug fixes... well, things are bound to go pear shaped.
And they do.
“Phoenix?”
“Good p.m., Maple. How may I be of assistance?”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“How may I be of assistance?”
“Can you keep a secret?” Her fingers tightened as she waited for the AI’s response.
“I do not understand the nature of your query,” Phoenix’s said. “Would you like me to store a new note with the title ‘secret?’”
Maple sighed. “You know what a secret is, right?”
“Secret. Noun. Something that is or is kept secret, hidden or concealed. A reason or explanation not immediately or generally apparent. A—”
“Yes, but can you keep a secret?”
“I do not understand the nature of your query. Would you like me to search for previously saved notes with the tag ‘secret?’”
March 2, 2015
If you haven't signed up for my newsletter, you're missing out!
A couple months ago I launched my monthly newsletter. I promised updates on current and future projects, some inside information on previous books, and, most importantly, some really neat free stuff. So far, the people who have subscribed to my newsletter have gotten free copies of my latest book, The Theta Timeline, as well as a free copy of my latest Great De-evolution short story, The Last Teacher. And they received both of them before the stories were available anywhere else!
I'm also thinking about creating a really cool free gift for my newsletter subscribers, something unlike anything any other author has done before. Sound interesting? Then sign up today right here.
Worried about receiving too many emails? My newsletter is only sent once a month. And I never send spam. So sign up now!
I'm also thinking about creating a really cool free gift for my newsletter subscribers, something unlike anything any other author has done before. Sound interesting? Then sign up today right here.
Worried about receiving too many emails? My newsletter is only sent once a month. And I never send spam. So sign up now!
February 13, 2015
The Role of Dogs in the Apocalypse
Almost every apocalyptic story you can think of features a dog as a key element in the story. In One Second After, a pair of dogs needs food, just like the people struggling to survive. In Oryx and Crake, the evolved equivalent of dogs have adapted to changing circumstances. In I Am Legend, The Dog Stars, and The Wall, a dog provides the only companionship the main character has. And in The Man Who Watched The World End, a dog gives the main character reminders of life before the apocalypse. So, why are there so many dogs in end-of-the-world stories? The answer is that they have benefits from both the reader’s perspective and the writer’s.
For the reader, dogs act as a sort of anchor, a reminder that while the main character may have lost the world around them and everyone they love, they haven't lost their humanity as long as the family pet is still there. It's a way of allowing readers to connect with the character because even if the apocalypse has occurred, the protagonist still loves his/her dog like we all love our pets. It makes the character more human, more relatable.
This is critical because no matter how bleak the scenario in the apocalyptic setting, no matter if the story can't have a happy ending, the relationship of the protagonist and their dog brings the entire story back to something simpler and more pure. Zombies or a plague are causing human extinction? The author provides a scene of the main character talking to their dog, taking care of their dog, etc., and then the next time the scene switches back to the cause of the apocalypse, it seems even more horrific because you've just seen the innocence of man's best friend. The reader becomes more invested in the struggle by way of seeing the core innocence of the animal.
For the writer, the dog gives them a chance to use dialogue with a character who might otherwise be all alone in the world. With this approach, it doesn't matter that the animal can't talk back. The author can convey thoughts/ideas/moods by "showing" them in the things the main character says to the dog. Without the dog there, the writer would either have to come up with a much more complicated way to offer this stuff, thus slowing the story down, or else just "tell" it.
Authors can use dogs as a tool to make the next plot point arrive (think of a dog running outside and the main character having to sacrifice his/her own safety by chasing after it), or let the audience know exactly what the main character is thinking without switching perspectives (think of a main character explaining their situation to his dog), or the author can have a dog add suspense to a scene by having it be more adept than its owner (think of a dog growling after getting a sniff of something it considers to be a threat while the owner is still oblivious).
For as long as there have been stories about the apocalypse, there have been dogs in those stories. And now you know why. Man’s best friend gives the reader a more relatable story and it gives the author a way to tell the story more effectively.
*Originally posted in the ‘Apocalypse Whenever’ Group on GoodReads.*
For the reader, dogs act as a sort of anchor, a reminder that while the main character may have lost the world around them and everyone they love, they haven't lost their humanity as long as the family pet is still there. It's a way of allowing readers to connect with the character because even if the apocalypse has occurred, the protagonist still loves his/her dog like we all love our pets. It makes the character more human, more relatable.
This is critical because no matter how bleak the scenario in the apocalyptic setting, no matter if the story can't have a happy ending, the relationship of the protagonist and their dog brings the entire story back to something simpler and more pure. Zombies or a plague are causing human extinction? The author provides a scene of the main character talking to their dog, taking care of their dog, etc., and then the next time the scene switches back to the cause of the apocalypse, it seems even more horrific because you've just seen the innocence of man's best friend. The reader becomes more invested in the struggle by way of seeing the core innocence of the animal.
For the writer, the dog gives them a chance to use dialogue with a character who might otherwise be all alone in the world. With this approach, it doesn't matter that the animal can't talk back. The author can convey thoughts/ideas/moods by "showing" them in the things the main character says to the dog. Without the dog there, the writer would either have to come up with a much more complicated way to offer this stuff, thus slowing the story down, or else just "tell" it.
Authors can use dogs as a tool to make the next plot point arrive (think of a dog running outside and the main character having to sacrifice his/her own safety by chasing after it), or let the audience know exactly what the main character is thinking without switching perspectives (think of a main character explaining their situation to his dog), or the author can have a dog add suspense to a scene by having it be more adept than its owner (think of a dog growling after getting a sniff of something it considers to be a threat while the owner is still oblivious).
For as long as there have been stories about the apocalypse, there have been dogs in those stories. And now you know why. Man’s best friend gives the reader a more relatable story and it gives the author a way to tell the story more effectively.
*Originally posted in the ‘Apocalypse Whenever’ Group on GoodReads.*
January 25, 2015
Magic and Mayhem... without the magic and mayhem?
Before I ever wrote my three books about the end of the world (The Man Who Watched The World End, A Different Alchemy, and The Hauntings of Playing God), I knew they had to take place in a world full of imagination and possibility—the type of stories I enjoy reading myself—but I also wanted them to be realistic, something I could envision actually happening. I wanted to write about the end of the world, but I didn’t want to create your typical apocalyptic books, which always seem to be filled with marauding gangs, children with special powers, and so on. Instead, I wanted to focus on simple things such as looking back on life and regretting how time was spent, about the importance of family, and about the everyday things we take for granted. In short, I wanted to write about the magic and mayhem of the apocalypse, only without any magic or mayhem!
To do this, I focused not on the fantastic and supernatural elements of mankind’s impending extinction, but of the human elements—people growing older each year, the human population slowly fading away. Instead of zombies terrorizing everyone or battles for the few remaining resources, my Great De-evolution stories have people reminiscing about the final movies they watched, the final vacations they took.
In my books, there is no hope for a better tomorrow, but there is still the marvel of realizing which few things in life are truly important. And although there are no warlords or flesh-eating zombies, there is still the quite human havoc of rats and spiders taking over basements, of water dripping through ceilings, of people feeling overwhelmed with day-to-day life.
When you read The Man Who Watched The World End, A Different Alchemy, or The Hauntings of Playing God, you won’t be given gift-wrapped happy endings in which the teenage hero has rallied against some grand villain. You won’t have the immediate satisfaction of an invasion being prevented. After all, my books are science fiction without the magic. They are the apocalypse without the mayhem. But in place of a feel-good story or a climactic battle, my hope is that you’ll find stories about real people and real concerns, and because of that, the stories will remain with you long after you’ve read them.
Originally published at the Magic&Mayhem blog site.
To do this, I focused not on the fantastic and supernatural elements of mankind’s impending extinction, but of the human elements—people growing older each year, the human population slowly fading away. Instead of zombies terrorizing everyone or battles for the few remaining resources, my Great De-evolution stories have people reminiscing about the final movies they watched, the final vacations they took.
In my books, there is no hope for a better tomorrow, but there is still the marvel of realizing which few things in life are truly important. And although there are no warlords or flesh-eating zombies, there is still the quite human havoc of rats and spiders taking over basements, of water dripping through ceilings, of people feeling overwhelmed with day-to-day life.
When you read The Man Who Watched The World End, A Different Alchemy, or The Hauntings of Playing God, you won’t be given gift-wrapped happy endings in which the teenage hero has rallied against some grand villain. You won’t have the immediate satisfaction of an invasion being prevented. After all, my books are science fiction without the magic. They are the apocalypse without the mayhem. But in place of a feel-good story or a climactic battle, my hope is that you’ll find stories about real people and real concerns, and because of that, the stories will remain with you long after you’ve read them.
Originally published at the Magic&Mayhem blog site.
January 12, 2015
Creating my first book trailer!
I’m very excited to share my first book trailer with everyone. Having never done one before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. After a brief but frustrating learning curve, I quickly got the hang of the program used to make videos. I couldn’t be happier with the result.
This is one of those times where I had a vision in my head of what I wanted to achieve with the book trailer, and with the exception of a few small details that were beyond the software’s ability, the video turned out exactly as I had planned. So, without further ado, here is the trailer for my latest dystopian release, ‘The Theta Timeline.’
I hope you enjoy it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd7xe...
This is one of those times where I had a vision in my head of what I wanted to achieve with the book trailer, and with the exception of a few small details that were beyond the software’s ability, the video turned out exactly as I had planned. So, without further ado, here is the trailer for my latest dystopian release, ‘The Theta Timeline.’
I hope you enjoy it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd7xe...
