ZERO-SUM
ONE of the great attributes of democracy is that it involves so much communication and compromise, that it results in what I think of as zero-sum government. The opposite of totalitarianism, democracies allows people time to discuss, argue and slowly adjust without chaos. Or at least that’s how democracy is supposed to work. Weaponized, popularized totalitarianism grasps directly for one extreme and typically takes it to the limit. Okay during wartime, maybe, but not for non-wartime “government as usual.”
I think the same can be said for authoring. Novels that are extremist can quickly catch the public eye and sometimes “go viral” simply because they focus tightly on an extreme. But enduring works, in my experience, tend to be zero-sum. In romance literature, for example, we sometimes call the zero-sum “HEA” (for “happily ever after”). In science fiction, it’s about imagining and rejecting an extreme future, mollifying us into thinking our current situation “isn’t that bad [or good] after all.” In thrillers, it’s about an eventual return to “life as usual” (though often not as what was “normal” before the events, meaning the ending situation may be quite different from the beginning, creating a “new normal.” This latter is often the case with LGBTQ, erotic and/or sexual works especially when incorporating or focused on violation or violence, and more so when graphic.
Add together, mix well and and you have THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor, neither a utopian nor a dystopian SciFu (Science-based Futuring) novel that provides a mirror for the reader to look into and examine his or her thoughts and ideas of both the future and contemporary world.
Taking up where TOTAL MELTDOWN (Borgo/Wildside 2009) by Raymond Gaynor and William Maltese left off, NewAmerica, a shadow of its former United States of America, provides a challenging and dangerous future place for three young firebrands to live.
Zero-sum.
Total Meltdown: A Tripler and Clarke Adventure
The Edge of Madness
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999693859
I think the same can be said for authoring. Novels that are extremist can quickly catch the public eye and sometimes “go viral” simply because they focus tightly on an extreme. But enduring works, in my experience, tend to be zero-sum. In romance literature, for example, we sometimes call the zero-sum “HEA” (for “happily ever after”). In science fiction, it’s about imagining and rejecting an extreme future, mollifying us into thinking our current situation “isn’t that bad [or good] after all.” In thrillers, it’s about an eventual return to “life as usual” (though often not as what was “normal” before the events, meaning the ending situation may be quite different from the beginning, creating a “new normal.” This latter is often the case with LGBTQ, erotic and/or sexual works especially when incorporating or focused on violation or violence, and more so when graphic.
Add together, mix well and and you have THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor, neither a utopian nor a dystopian SciFu (Science-based Futuring) novel that provides a mirror for the reader to look into and examine his or her thoughts and ideas of both the future and contemporary world.
Taking up where TOTAL MELTDOWN (Borgo/Wildside 2009) by Raymond Gaynor and William Maltese left off, NewAmerica, a shadow of its former United States of America, provides a challenging and dangerous future place for three young firebrands to live.
Zero-sum.
Total Meltdown: A Tripler and Clarke Adventure
The Edge of Madness
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999693859
No comments have been added yet.
