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Sunday, July 31, 2011

And the winner is...

Our thirteenth challenge is a return to the Thunderdome, as the combatants smuggle in a few unconventional weapons...

If any either of you are able to take a second look at your own work, and see ways in which to improve a concept so that it can be more successfully developed, the effort will be worthwhile.

Those of you who vote are allowed to assign a range of “0” to “3” points, per entry. Since challengers may not vote for their own stories, a bonus of 2 points is given to a participant's highest-ranked work, if that participant also takes the time to vote on the other entries.

Official judges receive a 30 point allocation, to assign as they see fit. The only restriction is that at most, only half of those points may be given to any single entry, and there is no requirement for a judge to use the entire 30 point allocation.

Triton is about to put on the “Editor Hat.” It's sort of like the “Sorting Hat” they use at Hogwarts (“You aren't shooting the sharpest marbles in the sack, are you, Ron?”), but a little less sarcastic.

Triton: Two intrepid souls were brave enough to submit stories for this Challenge – Ryan J and Tyler Tork. If you're new here, Tyler, welcome! If not, then welcome back! Remember, guys: I'm just trying to be honest here, so please don't take my criticism personally.

Now, on to the reviews:



An Elegant Weapon, from a More Civilized Age

“No Business on the Night” by Tyler Tork

Triton: Since this is an excerpt from a novel, there's obviously a lot going on that goes unexplained. That doesn't really matter, though, as far as this particular challenge is concerned. The point of this week's exercise was to come up with a creative and cool hand weapon, so that's my primary focus. The gun seems to me like a derringer, but with East Asian(?) embellishments. Very stylish. I like it. Operationally, though, it's still just a conventional firearm, so, for the purpose of the challenge, it's not what I would call terribly creative or original. I think some really exotic hand-made ammunition would have made a positive difference.

Ryan J: 2.5 / xdpaul: 2
Triton: 5
Total: 9.5



“Nanites” by Ryan J

Triton: Remember the show Jake 2.0? This story reminds me of that, except the nanites are destructive instead of enhancive. And the gun has some range to it instead of being just a fancied-up syringe. I'm pretty sure I've seen similar devices elsewhere, too, but I can't put my finger on exactly where. Pretty neat SF gadgetry, but, since it seems so familiar, it doesn't really blow me away. I'm also not sure that blowing across a “tiny barrel” would produce an audible whistle, especially if we're talking about something the size of a hypodermic needle. One thing I do like, however, is the status screen – this indicates that the gun isn't just a dumb projector, but is involved with the computing and programming part of managing the nanites.

Ryan J: voted! / xdpaul: 1
Triton: 6
Participation bonus: 2
Total: 9


Wrap-up...

Bearing in mind that this mid-summer challenge (lucky number thirteen!) caught us with fewer participants on both ends of the equation, we still wound up with a very close result:

2nd Place: 9.0 points — “Nanites” by Ryan J

1st Place: 9.5 points — “No Business on the Night” by Tyler Tork

Congratulations, Tyler Tork! As winner, you are hereby invited to propose next week's challenge, scheduled to be announced the morning of Friday, 5 August 2011.


Afterword...

So what was the lesson of this challenge?

Triton: I would like to heartily thank both participants for their stories. Neither weapon was bad, but, at the same time, neither one really knocked my socks off. Tyler's gun definitely has some sex appeal, but Ryan's has a wider range of function, so it was kind of a wash. One guy went for creativity of form, the other for creativity of function. I think the solution is to attempt to be creative in both realms – perhaps design a nanite gun made of black steel with gold vines and birds on it. Or something like that.

In the end, as far as scoring the challenge is concerned, it was the nanite gun's status screen that tipped the scale for me, because that elevated the device to something more than just a tube with springs and a trigger. So congratulations to Ryan J. Having said that, I definitely hope to see more submissions from Tyler in future challenges.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Open Mic Saturday

Good morning all, and welcome to Open Mic Saturday. This is the place to share your news and perhaps do a little bragging. If you're writing a novel: how much progress did you make this week? If you're writing short stories: did you finish anything or submit anything this week? If you've sold or published anything recently, when is it coming out and where can we find it? In short, as a writer, what kind of progress did you make this week?

Or what else is on your mind, that you feel like sharing with the group here?

Friday, July 29, 2011

The Friday Challenge — 7/29/2011

This week in The Friday Challenge:

STUPEFYING STORIES gets mo' bunches of stuff 'n updates. • Join the discussion...

Allan Davis admits that he must sometimes be nagged into productivity. Thank goodness for “supportive” wives! • Join the discussion...

Daniel Eness puts the ol' flash lamp down long enough to geek out. • Join the discussion...

miko wins the (lesser) Make the familiar strange, and the strange familiar challenge, and judging of The Thing without a Name (Greater Challenge) is temporarily deferred, as the STUPEFYING STORIES deadline looms ever nearer. • Join the discussion...

All this and more, as All or Nothing Day stymies all who hedge their bets, and the inmates discuss the view from their respective places in the asylum.


An Elegant Weapon, from a More Civilized Age

As of the deadline for our current challenge, we have received the following entries (listed in their order of appearance within Files > Friday Challenge for 7-29-11):

  • “No Business on the Night” by Tyler Tork

  • “Nanites” by Ryan J

** UPDATE: We now have access to Tyler Tork's entry! **

An enthusiastic “Huzzah” to all who have entered! The judges are now considering your submissions. A winner will be declared by the evening of Sunday, 31 July 2011.


You Should Have Seen

And now it is time for this week's Friday Challenge, courtesy of miko:

Ryan J recently asked us to look at the familiar with new eyes. This week I propose we exercise our powers of observation by simply noticing the people in view around us. We need people in our stories, so for writers there might be gold in them thar hills.

It's summer. We're all outside. Things are happening. We see people. People are strange. Even when they're not actually strange, their being strangers to us means we're not privy to what they're really doing (or why) when we observe them from afar. What could they be intending? Is something going on?

This mystery might make observing such people more interesting than actually knowing them. I saw a woman crying amongst general revelry. I saw a man disregarding a woman whom he was very solicitous of a half hour later. I saw a girl absently playing with her hair while being chatted up by a boy trying too hard to be cool.

Anyway, the exercise for this week does not begin with your imagination but with your observation. As you are out and about, look around at what people are doing, at how they are behaving, at what's going on out there. Find something that seems curious or telling in what you see. Then write what you saw with the idea that the observation will be the story, that what we don't know from afar is as much the story as what is seen. Describe the nuances, the small yet revealing things most people wouldn't notice, specifically showing readers what struck you as intriguing (figuratively or literally), so that we may see with your eyes.

You might relate only what you saw and leave it to readers' imaginations to discover a story from the details you provide, or you might tell the scene from your own POV and include the impression it made on you. The key, however, is to construct the core from your observation of real people doing real things.

There's no need to be epic, so a budget of 500 words should be more than enough.

(WARNING: When deploying your amazing powers of observation in public, my advice is to be careful near playgrounds and girlfriends.)


Anyone can enter, except for miko. You may enter as many times as you wish, but each entry must be independent of the others. Your entry must be no longer than 500 words, and you are not allowed to build on anyone else's setup.

Everyone is asked to vote, and to say a few words about what they liked, and why. Or to say a few words about what they disliked, as the case may be; by submitting an entry, you implicitly agree to accept criticism, because there will probably be some handed out, and no one is immune. When voting, please rank a work as either “0” (not so good), “1” (not as bad), “2” (could have been better) or “3” (pretty good stuff!). If you give either a “0” or “3” vote, feel free to argue in support of your reasoning.

Don't like the negativity? Feel free to think of the levels as “0” (Not bad for a first attempt), “1” (Right on!), “2” (Holy cow, I wanna buy this now...) or “3” (Sweet mother of God, how did you write something this awesome?!!). The point is to clearly differentiate, and rank according to your own preference.

For the purposes of this challenge miko will be serving as Ye Olde High Marker, Voluntarily Walking th' Plank.

As of now, we are playing by the loosely enforced and slightly modified rules of The Friday Challenge. All entries are due by 6 AM Eastern time on the morning of Friday, 5 August 2011. A winner will be declared by the evening of Sunday, 7 August 2011.

Oh, there is one more thing... but it is the most important! Have fun. Always have fun.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Deadline Reminder(s)

The deadline for initial submissions to Stupefying Stories is Sunday, 31 July. Unless you are one of our very few "special" cases (and you know who you are) who has made other arrangements, the first draft of your submission must be in our inbox first thing Monday morning, August 1, in order to be considered for inclusion in the October issue of Stupefying Stories.

Note that your story does not need to be perfect. We expect that at least a few of the stories we accept for publication will need some editorial rework before being really ready to publish. But your story must be done. (Guy!)

For more information, see the links in the top of the left column.



Meanwhile, the deadline for the current Friday Challenge — An Elegant Weapon, from a More Civilized Age — is 6 AM Eastern time on the morning of Friday, 29 July 2011... less than twenty-four hours away.

Entries may be added to The Friday Challenge Yahoo Group (see the appropriate directory within the "Files" section), hosted on your personal blog(s) and linked within the comments for the challenge, or copied directly into the comments section as a post.

In previous challenges, we have accommodated late entries. This time, we have no such luxury; if you post an entry much later than 6 AM Eastern time, there is a chance the judges will not be able to properly consider your work. Should you anticipate a need to snowdog, please mentally back the deadline up as much as necessary. If the deadline hits and you are very, very close, please publicly announce your intention to enter.

A winner will be declared by the evening of Sunday, 31 July 2011.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Ultimate Geek Fu

I thought I'd turn down the ol' flash lamp for a minute and jump in with the most ultimate Ultimate Geek Fu in the history of the column. And by "ultimate" I mean "absurdly absurd."

Here's the root: my limbic system pulsed the other day and told me, in a blind stroke of brilliance, that there are three and a half movies that share an obscure but distinct...fellowship with the Star Wars movies (the real ones from '77-'83, naturally.)

Thing is, I bet this list, if it exists for anyone else, is wildly different. So, here's my list of the 3-and-a-half Best Star Wars Movies, Not Involving George Lucas:

1 - Blade Runner - I thought about putting in the more obvious Raiders of the Lost Ark here (a diverse team against impossible odds in a high-octane pulp adventure, relying on the supernatural to save their home planet and defend liberty) but both movies feature Harrison Ford, and Blade Runner, for all its bleak nihilism, has a science fiction setting that put me back on my heels when I first saw it.


Why it counts as Star Wars:

a) The visceral feeling of transportation to an impossible, unknowable, yet familiar and decidedly worn (but not worn-out) world. Just as I would have quickly died in the cantina at Mos Eisley, yet still desperately wanted to order a glass of liquid blue chalk, I still wanted to live in Blade Runner's L.A., as bad and rough and run down and dangerously dazzling as it had become.

b) The problem of violence and artificial intelligence. As a result of the disastrous, costly and mysterious clone wars, droids in Star Wars have been enslaved and neutralized for any and all combat purposes. The replicants of Blade Runner always (until the "prequels") represented, for me, the grit and teeth of the clone wars: droids who could think and kill, and did both. And they looked like us... which explains why R2-D2 looked like a fire hydrant, yipped like a chihuaua and readily accepted restrictor bolts.

c) Unreal creatures. Like the recent Friday Challenge, Star Wars made the unfamiliar familiar. Greedo, Chewbacca, Jawas, Sand People - even at five years old, after seeing the movie once, I, and every kid I knew, could rattle off these names without thinking. They were as familiar as family pets. Conversely, Blade Runner made the familiar: owls, snakes, eyeballs, the 1940s, AT&T, Atari, eerily unfamiliar.


d) Blade Runner's future-noir vibe actually has a lot in common with Star Wars' serial vibe. Both are alternate future histories. If Blade Runner had ever shown a theater marquee, Star Wars, Episode IV could have nestled upon it - a flight of '40s fancy during the grim reality of a society in tumult. Both movies are, strangely, from the same era of the alternate future past.

2 - Buckaroo Banzai - This one is a Lucas-free Star Wars for me, again for the "what the heck is going on?...but I get it!" experience and also for its sense of fun. There are two movies whose closing credits pop inside my heart - every time I see them - like a firework on Independence Day: the Star Wars awards when the winners face the camera and the score ignites, and that weird Casio tune with the random gang members appearing as the credits roll on Banzai.

3 - Lost Skeleton of Cadavra - Fifteen seconds into the movie, and I said to myself "this is weird and it is perfect." Another band of gung-ho actors struggling to manage nonsensical dialog in a bizarre but accessible setting. Okay, so the evil alien medical supply prop isn't exactly the Death Star, but I can't name another movie I've seen as an adult that so soundly resurrected something that had come naturally as a child: a sense of fun. Besides, I'm pretty sure Han Solo's "Kessel Run" quote could have been slipped into Cadavra's script unnoticed.

Surprising people into having fun is harder work than ever. It is something Star Wars made look easy, and the Lost Skeleton did with a doggedness that is practically a lost art.

1/2 - Flash Gordon - This one's nowhere near the other three on my "Lucas-O-Meter." It is camp (i.e. intrinsically unserious), it has a huge number of production problems that aren't fun at all and the tone was uneven. But as a kid, all I knew is that Flash Gordon comics, while slightly "old fashioned" were rippers, and this movie gave me a very rough mash-up of Flash Gordon with two or three of the better Archie Goodwin/Carmine Infantino Star Wars comics set before the release of 1980's Empire Strikes Back.

Even though it was released a full six months after Empire, I was still processing the cliffhanger down-note of the second episode of the trilogy. Flash Gordon gave me a welcome, if cheap, return to the "good guys win - always" clarity of the first Star Wars, right down to the "mystery" of the improbable defeat and seclusion(?) of the lone surviving bad guy.

So, what are your 3 1/2 movies (whether for Star Wars or for another major iconic film that inspired you)?

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

World Enough, And Time


"When is the last time you wrote a short story, babe...?"

You know, I had to think about it.  And after a couple of blinks, I was *really* thinking about it.

I've entered one Friday Challenge since April.  I've written a couple of these columns, but those aren't stories.

I could reasonably throw out excuses of "work" and "money" and "don't have time"...but this column is not about making excuses, it's about finding the time, and my track record of finding that time for the last several months has been...dismal.

Around our house, Friday is game or movie night.  We pull out two family-friendly movies (and one less so, for after the munchkins are safely packed away in dreamland), pile on a bunch of chips and dips and call it "dinner," and basically kick back for quality time with the kids.  We've worked our way through Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings this way.  Some nights, we skip the movies, and dig out a game instead (the five year old is freaking dangerous at Risk, believe me).

Last Friday, just before I left work, She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed asked me that question, "when did you write your last short story?"  And when I didn't have a solid answer for her, she said "When the movie starts tonight, you are to grab my laptop.  You are to ignore the movie, and you're not getting up from the couch until you've written me a short story."

The result is "Offline Backup," 1580 words of dialog and flashback and a nice, creepy, finish, which will get tossed onto the Slushpile tonight.

Yes, I've thought about double-duty Fridays in the past...movie time and writing time simultaneously, that should work...but I was doing it on a desktop, in a whole 'nother room, because my own laptop died a long time ago.  It's really hard to have "quality time" with the kids when you're not sharing the couch with them.

This shows just how tunnel-visioned I can get when it takes being *ordered* to write before I actually start cranking out spooky short stories again.  And it also shows just how important spousal support is.

Thank you, babe.  Hope you liked the story.

-=ad=-

Allan Davis is a writer/photographer/programmer who loses so many games to his kids he's decided to never teach them how to play poker or blackjack...

And the [lesser challenge] winner is...

Entries for the Greater Challenge are still being evaluated! You've all waited long enough for this regularly scheduled announcement, though... so without further ado, here are the results of our current lesser challenge:

Our twelfth challenge leads into strangely familiar territory...

If any of you are able to take a second look at your own work, and see ways in which to improve a concept so that it can be more successfully developed, the effort will be worthwhile.

Those of you who vote are allowed to assign a range of “0” to “3” points, per entry. Since challengers may not vote for their own stories, a bonus of 2 points is given to a participant's highest-ranked work, if that participant also takes the time to vote on the other entries.

Official judges receive a 30 point allocation, to assign as they see fit. The only restriction is that at most, only half of those points may be given to any single entry, and there is no requirement for a judge to use the entire 30 point allocation.

Ryan J is about to put on the “Editor Hat.” It's sort of like the “Sorting Hat” they use at Hogwarts (“I've never looked at you quite this way before, Harry...”), but a little less sarcastic.

Ryan J: I have to admit, I find playing the role of high territory marker is a little bit harrowing, because I feel like I'm just starting out on my writer's journey, so on what basis can I give authoritative judgment of the work others have done? The informality we approach this with really helps me there. But the fact is, all the submissions are, and have been, great, so a lot of the time all I have to go on is which ones moved me or caught my imagination. Scoring is more a process of figuring out why I felt that way.

It was fun to see the spread of takes on the challenge, or of the pieces inspired by the challenge. For me the purpose of the challenge is to keep myself writing even when otherwise too busy- meeting the precise goals of the challenge is secondary, as long as the attempt to meet the challenge inspired something. (So I'm glad you submitted something, even if it seemed loosely related to the challenge, xdpaul.)



Make the familiar strange, and the strange familiar

“Close Encounter” by Triton

Ryan J: This reminds me of some of my favorite old school sci fi short stories, where the last line redefines all that went before. This is excellent company to be in, and could only be a criticism if you don't do anything new with it, but I think you did. It was a lot of fun, and plays on the familiarity of the setting, not revealing the alienness of it until the very end.

Also, I occasional share the final sentiment. It's mighty weird for mammals to be sapient. Honestly, in a world so full of possibilities, any individual occurrence is so rare and unlikely that it's almost unbearably strange. The things that do happen are the errant drops from the ocean of what could have happened.


miko: 3 / Triton: voted! / xdpaul: 2
Ryan J: 10
Participation bonus: 2
Total: 17



“Rip van Miko” by miko

Ryan J: Not only did this one hit the challenge dead on, but the writing was very beautiful- I found myself almost wishing that the character would go to sleep again, just to hear how he describes the mysterious world he wakes to even later, which would be full of things as mysterious to me as this object was to him. The boy's object, which I take to be an iPhone or the like, when seen by an outside observer, becomes the focus of dark power and potency.

This was an amazing piece, and I loved it.


miko: voted! / Triton: 3 / xdpaul: 3
Ryan J: 12
Participation bonus: 2
Total: 20



“Smart Attack” by xdpaul

Ryan J: This one was fun on a number of different levels- it's pretty familiar to see somebody incredibly smart do something really dumb, for instance. And for me, it did meet the challenge. It painted a world that felt like a sci fi world of high tech espionage, almost cyberpunkish, but certainly flavored by the future. A fascinating, unfamiliar world. And ends with an element of the familiar world of today. That's one thing about sci fi- every day new technologies or uses of it become so commonplace, the sci fi that did not anticipate it becomes dated. Any near future setting that does not deal with the explosion of social media, like Twitter, and the way its shaped our society, will no longer feel as much like a possible or genuine future.

miko: 2 / Triton: 3 / xdpaul: voted!
Ryan J: 8
Participation bonus: 2
Total: 15


Wrap-up...

Based on the numbers, we have a very respectable spread:

3rd Place: 15 points — “Smart Attack” by xdpaul

2nd Place: 17 points — “Close Encounter” by Triton

1st Place: 20 points — “Rip van Miko” by miko

Congratulations, miko! As winner, you are hereby invited to propose next week's challenge, scheduled to be announced the morning of Friday, 29 July 2011.


Afterword...

So what was the lesson of this challenge?

Ryan J: I was really happy with all the submissions here. There is nothing in the world that does not become strange when looked at from a different angle. I think that learning to make strangeness seem familiar, and familiar things seem strange, is a vital skill to somebody writing speculative fiction. Or any kind of fiction- speculative is just my favorite. When you see through alien eyes, the world needs to seem ordinary, because they do not see their world as strange. When outsiders see something new to them, it does not matter how ordinary it is to us- for them it is strange and mysterious. And the world is full of mysteries, under every leaf, in every person, and throughout the rarefied void. We become better writers when we learn to see them, and not let their veneer of ordinariness conceal the wonders beneath, nor their strangeness blind us.

Stupefying Stories Update #3.75

The update to the updated update has been updated.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

And the winner is...

... going to be announced either tomorrow, or Tuesday! As I said earlier:

* In both instances, "the evening of Sunday, 24 July 2011" may, if necessary, be shifted to accommodate the vagaries of hotel Wi-Fi.

Although I once again have a connection, scheduling two challenges to end on the same weekend as a family reunion was admittedly not the best of plans.

Stupefying Stories Update #3 or so

Update: Wednesday, 8/3/11
Thank you for your interest. We are now CLOSED to submissions for the October (Halloween) edition of STUPEFYING STORIES. The snowdogs were very, very, busy and blessed us with a large pile of manuscripts at the last possible moment, so we will be spending this week digging through them and figuring out what to keep and what to throw back. If you don't hear from us right away, that's a promising sign.

The Halloween edition may be closed, but the publication calendar rolls on. Beginning sometime in mid-September (exact date TBD), we will start reading submissions for STUPEFYING STORIES #3, scheduled for January 2012 and provisionally titled, The Future: What the Hell Happened?

More details will be posted as they become available.



Initial Post: Sunday, 7/24/11
Just a quick reminder that we are still accepting submissions for Stupefying Stories 2, tentatively subtitled, "Stories to Scare Your Socks Off." To date we've received a goodly number of stories, of widely varying quality, which was not unexpected, but...

A question, if I may. To be honest, what I've really been surprised by is how good so many of the submissions are. I know it's been a while since I've been on the front lines of the fiction magazine submission fight, but is it really that bad out there for writers, now? That even a really marginal market like Stupefying Stories looks like it's worth a try?

Anyway, keep those stories coming, folks. We are reading 'em (almost) as fast as they come in and will start making decisions and sending feedback in the next few days.

Oh, and a note from the Department of One More Thing: we've received a lot of queries on this subject, so my resistance has finally collapsed. Okay, we will consider poetry submissions. (Oh, I'm going to regret this.)

Cheers,
~brb



An Update to the Update: Monday, 7/25/11
In response to further email: yes, we're willing to consider reprint rights. However, we will give first preference to previously unpublished stories, and secondary preference to stories previously unpublished in North America. If your story has been anthologized six times already, it's probably time to step aside and let someone else take a turn in the limelight.

No, I don't care about your background. In fact, if you know anything at all about me, you'd know that sending in a story accompanied by a four-page cover letter listing your degrees and academic credentials is probably the least effective way to impress me. I care about one thing only: this story, which you are letting me read today.

So no, unless there is something in your background that gives you special insight into the subject matter of this particular story — e.g., "Having worked my way through college as an Ama pearl diver, I'm very familiar with free-diving in the waters off Okinawa" — I really do not care how old you are, where you went to school, what gender you are, who you do or don't choose to have sex with, what you eat or what you wear, or what your personal, political, religious, or socioeconomic beliefs are. I care only about whether or not your story is a good read.

And no, my reaction to this story today does not in any way prejudice my reaction to the next story you might send me tomorrow. Which also answers another common question: if you have more than one story that you'd like to submit, do not feel that you need to wait for our response to your first submission before sending us additional submissions.

Then again, burying us under a mountain of manuscripts is certain to draw considerable attention of the negative variety. So try to stick to putting only your two or three best feet forward, okay?

Finally, what are our criteria for deciding what's a good story?

[Reaction shot: arched eyebrow, baffled expression]

In the immortal words of Dr. Peter Venkman, "I'm fuzzy on this whole good/bad thing." If we knew exactly what always makes a good story, we could write up a design spec and job out writing them to sweatshops in Malaysia. No, what I want you to do is to show me a story that impresses me. Give me a story I can respect. I am perfectly capable of admiring — and publishing — a story that I don't actually enjoy reading, particularly if it's one that dazzles the daylights out of one of my associate editors. (No, we do not all share one common and uniform sense of taste. That's why I keep them around; to hear other opinions.) So trying to guess what I might like, based on whichever of my stories or novels you may have read, is a mistake.

I already know how I write. What I want you to do is show me how good your story can be.

Any more questions?



Another Update to the Update: Tuesday, 7/26/11
As I read through the submissions, though, I am beginning to wonder one thing. Where's the science fiction horror? There's more to scary stories than vampires, werewolves, zombies, and serial killers, folks.

Where are the terrifying tech stories? Ray Bradbury's "The Veldt" was a masterpiece of the idiom. Where are its updated heirs? Where are the changeling stories? Speaking as a parent, there is nothing more terrifying than thinking there's something wrong with your kid. Where's the next Jerome Bixby's "It's a Good Life?"

In a sense, Mary Shelley was the great-grandmother of us all, and probably one-third of the accumulated body of literature in the field could be classed as Variations on the Theme of Frankenstein. With all the life-transforming technologies that are hitting the doctor's offices and the farmer's fields these days, where did those stories go? And where are the horrific alien encounter stories? Never mind H. G. Well's The War of the Worlds (variations on which account for another third of the accumulated volume of the body of literature in the field); where's the successor to Damon Knight's, "To Serve Man?"

Must I assign Richard Matheson's short story collection, I Am Legend, as required reading before we do this again next year?

Good story ideas are all around us, folks. Just this morning, in the newspaper, I read the obit for Robert Ettinger, the guy who invented the still-unperfected idea of cryogenic suspension. The obit adds:
Ettinger's frozen body is being stored in a vat of liquid nitrogen at a nondescript building outside Detroit, home to more than 100 fellow immortalists — including his mother and two wives — who are awaiting revival.
If that isn't a slow-pitch softball of a setup for a horror story, I don't know what is.

Finally, a personal note: I come from the land of Ed Gein and Jeffrey Dahmer, and my retired cop brother-in-law is still thanking God he wasn't on the first team that went into Dahmer's apartment. So, stories about sexually abused children who grow up to become psycho serial killers really have to work uphill to get my attention.

But hey, there's an idea. KTown? Is Ed Gein: The Musical out on DVD yet? Think we can get the producer to buy a full-page ad?

Later,
~brb

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Open Mic Saturday

Good morning all, and welcome to Open Mic Saturday. This is the place to share your news and perhaps do a little bragging. If you're writing a novel: how much progress did you make this week? If you're writing short stories: did you finish anything or submit anything this week? If you've sold or published anything recently, when is it coming out and where can we find it? In short, as a writer, what kind of progress did you make this week?

Or what else is on your mind, that you feel like sharing with the group here?

Friday, July 22, 2011

The Friday Challenge — 7/22/2011

This week in The Friday Challenge:

Triton sticks Mothra in a kettle. • Join the discussion...

Borders consigns itself to posterity. • Join the discussion...

Guy Stewart falls skates in line, with a nostalgic work-for-hire. • Join the discussion...

Allan Davis attempts to go cold turkey. • Join the discussion...

Triton irradiates, splices and dices his way to a win, in the Mutants 'R' Us challenge. • Join the discussion...

All this and more, as space aficionados celebrate the forty-second anniversary of Moon Day, and the inmates discuss the view from their respective places in the asylum.


Make the familiar strange, and the strange familiar

As of the deadline for our current challenge, we have received the following entries (listed in their order of appearance within Files > Friday Challenge for 7-22-11):

  • “Close Encounter” by Triton

  • “Rip van Miko” by miko

  • “Smart Attack” by xdpaul

An enthusiastic “Huzzah” to all who have entered! The judges are now considering your submissions. A winner will be declared by the evening of Sunday, 24 July 2011. *


The Thing without a Name

As a reminder, in our current Greater Challenge the judges are considering the following entries (listed in their order of appearance within Files > Greater Challenge 2011 07 08):

  • “The Eagle of Prometheus” by xdpaul

  • “The Taste of Flesh” by Carmine Vrill

  • “Material Girl” by xdpaul

  • “Return to Earth” by Ryan J

  • “SBP 003 Origins Study Record” by Carmine Vrill

A winner will be declared by the evening of Sunday, 24 July 2011. *

* In both instances, "the evening of Sunday, 24 July 2011" may, if necessary, be shifted to accommodate the vagaries of hotel Wi-Fi.


An Elegant Weapon, from a More Civilized Age

And now it is time for this week's Friday Challenge, courtesy of Triton:

One of the coolest things about science fiction and fantasy are the weapons. Whether it's the lightsaber from Star Wars, or Excalibur from the Arthurian legends, or Wonder Woman's lasso, or Vera from Firefly, a memorable weapon can help propel a story or a character to immortality.

So create me an original weapon and write a story that includes it. Any genre: science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance, whatever.

But wait! This is the Friday Challenge, not the Friday Cakewalk. I have some restrictions:

The weapon must be wielded by hand. No fighting suits, or nuclear missiles, or telepathic mind control, or Death Stars, or venom-injecting fangs, or anything else that can't be held in one or two hands.

The weapon cannot be an article of clothing or otherwise “worn” unless it is removed before being wielded by hand. The Tarnhelm, for example, would not be acceptable. Oddjob's hat, however, would be acceptable, because he throws it like a frisbee. See the difference? Similarly, there should be no magic rings, gloves, or gauntlets unless they are removed before being wielded. Sauron's Ring of Power is out, but a ring that doubles as a hand grenade would work. (A “holey” hand grenade. Ha! And the number of the counting shall be three...)

I'm setting a maximum of 2000 words. There is no minimum word count. You can just describe your weapon in a few sentences if you'd like instead of writing an actual story. I would strongly encourage a story, though, because that is the best way to show us what your weapon can do.

So get to it! Take up hammer and tongs and, like Siegfried, forge yourself a weapon for the ages. Notung! Notung! Neidliches Schwert!


Anyone can enter, except for Triton. You may enter as many times as you wish, but each entry must be independent of the others. Your entry must be no longer than 2000 words, and you are not allowed to build on anyone else's setup.

Everyone is asked to vote, and to say a few words about what they liked, and why. Or to say a few words about what they disliked, as the case may be; by submitting an entry, you implicitly agree to accept criticism, because there will probably be some handed out, and no one is immune. When voting, please rank a work as either “0” (not so good), “1” (not as bad), “2” (could have been better) or “3” (pretty good stuff!). If you give either a “0” or “3” vote, feel free to argue in support of your reasoning.

Don't like the negativity? Feel free to think of the levels as “0” (Not bad for a first attempt), “1” (Right on!), “2” (Holy cow, I wanna buy this now...) or “3” (Sweet mother of God, how did you write something this awesome?!!). The point is to clearly differentiate, and rank according to your own preference.

For the purposes of this challenge Triton will be serving as Ye Olde High Marker, Voluntarily Walking th' Plank.

As of now, we are playing by the loosely enforced and slightly modified rules of The Friday Challenge. All entries are due by 6 AM Eastern time on the morning of Friday, 29 July 2011. A winner will be declared by the evening of Sunday, 31 July 2011.

Oh, there is one more thing... but it is the most important! Have fun. Always have fun.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Deadline Reminder

The deadline for the current Friday Challenge — Make the familiar strange, and the strange familiar — is 6 AM Eastern time on the morning of Friday, 22 July 2011... less than twenty-four hours away.

Entries may be added to The Friday Challenge Yahoo Group (see the appropriate directory within the "Files" section), hosted on your personal blog(s) and linked within the comments for the challenge, or copied directly into the comments section as a post.

In previous challenges, we have accommodated late entries. This time, we have no such luxury; if you post an entry much later than 6 AM Eastern time, there is a chance the judges will not be able to properly consider your work. Should you anticipate a need to snowdog, please mentally back the deadline up as much as necessary. If the deadline hits and you are very, very close, please publicly announce your intention to enter.

A winner will be declared by the evening of Sunday, 24 July 2011.



A winner for our current Greater Challenge — The Thing without a Name — will ALSO be declared by the evening of Sunday, 24 July 2011.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

World Enough, and Time

The Artist's Way:  Creativity, Self-Sabotage, and Withdrawal

We are starting Week 4 of the Artist's Way program.

Let me backtrack a little.  "The Artist's Way" is a book by Julia Cameron about "getting in touch with your inner artist."  Her theory is that each of us builds walls between our personalities and our creative selves.  We place subconscious limits on our creativity when we listen to negative criticism ("Why do you bother writing that garbage?  You're never going to get published anyway.")  We sabotage ourselves by finding reasons and excuses for not writing ("I really do not have the time this week...maybe I can squeeze in a few minutes next week...").

We find ways to shut off that flow of creativity.

Julia has developed a twelve-week program for opening that spigot again.  It involves standing up to those negative thoughts and breaking down those walls--and shooting down excuses.

The biggest piece of the program is "Morning Pages."  Every morning, before doing anything else, grab a pen and pour three pages of stream-of-consciousness ramblings out onto paper.  Don't go back and read it; don't even think about what's being written.  She compares this to a brain dump, flushing out all of the mental garbage that will come between you and your creativity for the rest of the day.

Second is the Artist's Date.  This is time you set aside for you and your creativity.  Get out of the house.  Go for a long walk.  Stop and smell the flowers.  And look for something that connects you to your creativity--notice how that dead, twisted tree makes you wonder about what twisted spirits may live under it.

Each week has a different exercise designed to help you recognize your own set of self-imposed limitations and self-sabotage strategies.  

And that brings us to week 4.

Now, I'm an information junkie.  When I get to work, I hit my favorite sites, open every link that I may find interesting into a new tab, and then minimize the browser.  It's not uncommon for me to open twenty or thirty tabs when I sit down at my desk.  Later in the day, when a particular program is not responding appropriately to my tweaking, troubleshooting, and mumbled-under-the-breath obscenities, I use those tabs as a distraction--flush my brain, veg out with an article about something that interests me, get away from it all--even if it's only for three minutes, it's enough for me to catch my breath and come back to the problem with a new focus.

Week 4's challenge, unfortunately, is to stop reading for the week.  No magazines, no television, blogs, articles, essays, whatever.  Disconnect.  Cold turkey information junkie withdrawal.

Writers live for words.  You might almost say that writers are addicted to words.  Julia's view of this week's exercise is to stop being addicted to other people's words--and in the big, cavernous echo chamber that remains when you shut off those words, just maybe, you'll hear the tiny call of your own words piping up out of the darkness...

...hopefully before the withdrawal shakes kick in too badly...

-=ad=-

Allan Davis is a writer, photographer, programmer, and completely unrepentant information junkie, currently sweltering in the sun-baked middle of the US of A.

WRITING STUFF FOR BIG AND LITTLE KIDS 4: First Work-for-Hire as a Direct Referral from the FIRST WORK-FOR-HIRE

Growing up in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area exposed me to a lot of energy when it came to the arts.

The Walker Art Museum, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Sculpture Gardens, Guthrie Theater, Science Museum of Minnesota, University of Minnesota Medical Center as well as countless other arts and science related institutes and organizations. Not the least of these was Minnesota’s Public Television, KTCA which (like WGBH in Boston) produced its own shows.

One of those was NEWTON’S APPLE, a precursor to the even more popular BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY. While NA was stronger on science and didn’t lean so much on “yucks”, their aim was still to bring science both to the masses and to the classroom in a way that was both accurate and entertaining.

My stint with the Science Museum’s DIVE INTO DARKNESS curriculum led me to receive that year’s Association of Science and Technology Center’s Teacher of the Year Award (with a trip to Washington, DC to the ceremony and interviews with one of our senators and one of our representatives (I got to talk to Paul Wellstone)).

It also led to an offer to be part of a writing team at KTCA that would produce a curriculum booklet accompanying the season’s offering that year of background information and experiments that would be sent out to every middle school and high school in the Upper Midwest.

It was again a work-for-hire situation, but the prestige and AMOUNT of money was impressive and again, I threw myself into the work. As part of a team of eight educators, I was assigned two episodes, one on aircraft fire-fighting and the other on the physics of in-line roller skates. We were given video tapes of our episodes at the first meeting and then a list of deadlines that would culminate in producing a finished product that would hit classrooms in September when KTCA began airing the new episodes. We had three more meetings planned along with appropriate deadlines for submission to the guide’s editor. (PS – there was no such thing as submissions via email in 1998, at least not as far as NA was concerned. Everything was PAPER!) and we were to ruthlessly evaluate each other’s writing and make suggestions, corrections and offer alternative experiences that came to us.

Everything went well, I produced the material, was paid and got a copy of the curriculum myself NOT as a contributor’s copy, but as a “science teacher in the state of Minnesota”. This was, in some ways, an even greater reward than the cash and freebie copies. My work, which was credited in small type on the last page of the booklet, is part and parcel of a library of knowledge and media that remains to this day in the files of countless science teachers in the area.

What I learned #4: Whatever you do well, be aware of the chance to turn your knowledge and love into saleable material.

image: http://www.worldclassinitiative.org/videos/newtons/newtons_intro_400.jpg

Monday, July 18, 2011

Another One Bites The Dust

Borders Group Inc. said it would liquidate after the second-largest U.S. bookstore chain failed to receive any offers to save it.

Read the rest in the Wall Street Journal...

Flash Fiction Advisory

The Television Will Not Be Revolutionized.

Last week, Henry took a long hard look at terrible film adaptations of books.

Well, there is a bit of flash fiction that most television watchers read every day, and most of them are terrible adaptations.

For example:

A New Yorker beheads a swordsman in a parking lot, continuing a battle of immortals.

That's right, I'm talking about the "plot capsules" that accompany the viewer guide on television programs. The capsule above is the official flash "adaptation" of the film Highlander.

Not all capsules are terrible - some are better than the movie they preview.

The giant moth travels back in time to save the world from a powerful monster.

Okay, not exactly poetry, but I assure you, that synopsis is far more riveting than its object, Rebirth of Mothra 3.

So - here's a fun, fast little exercise: imagine your life's masterpiece (novel, short story, whatever.) Now imagine it as movie. Now write the "capsule" of the movie for the tv guide. You have 15 words to play with.

Flash Fic Advisory #12: Boil it down to the basics.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

And the winner is...

Our eleventh challenge splices and dices the genetic code. Hash for everyone!

If any of you are able to take a second look at your own work, and see ways in which to improve a concept so that it can be more successfully developed, the effort will be worthwhile.

Those of you who vote are allowed to assign a range of “0” to “3” points, per entry. Since challengers may not vote for their own stories, a bonus of 2 points is given to a participant's highest-ranked work, if that participant also takes the time to vote on the other entries.

Official judges receive a 30 point allocation, to assign as they see fit. The only restriction is that at most, only half of those points may be given to any single entry, and there is no requirement for a judge to use the entire 30 point allocation.

miko is about to put on the “Editor Hat.” It's sort of like the “Sorting Hat” they use at Hogwarts (“You have the wits of a Slytherin, and the endearing temperament of a Hufflepuff...”), but a little less sarcastic.


Mutants 'R' Us

“Daily Journal” by Triton

miko: I love the Victorian dispassion. I love the formality and (to our modern ears) stuffiness of the literary flourishes. I love the oblique references to the science of the treatment and the effects. I think the journal format works great for the length and tone of the piece, and serves to impart an immediacy that balances the distance of the language. There was something remarkable in each day's entry, but the reflexive suspicion of "opiates" strikes me as a masterful bit of characterization, and his new "appetites" resulting in "unspeakable" acts not only adds weight, but demonstrates xdpaul's Advisory #11 (about being restrained when shedding light). It has the feel of a classic, 19th century, monster tale, with John Bull top hats, high collars, and Davenport frock coats, like a Jekyll and Hyde, or Frankenstein, or ... Dracula! It's cool how the story moves the idea of a vampire out of the realm of folklore and plays to modern fears of mad science and human hubris. And, I think the final addendum strikes exactly the right chord, coming as it does right after discovering the nature of the "taint".

I think two things are worth reconsidering. First, the language places us over 100 years back, yet the phrases "fruit juice and vegetable drinks mixed in the blender" and "DNA" rudely clash with this. They are too modern and technical for the language, and have to go. You might have intended a modern setting, but that is not what you've written - I think it is easily rectified by being consistent about a 19th century setting. Second, the repeated recourse of bringing suit seems incongruous to me. Given the setting implied by the language, I would suspect the treatment would be seen by others as rather illicit, and that he would therefore not wish to make his disturbing transformation a public matter. Perhaps a diary entry along these lines would suggest to readers a dimension of isolation, helplessness and foreboding. I think it would be good to show readers a cost, or penalty, that behind the stoic reportage and facts, there is indeed anguish.

Regarding the Challenge, the story deals with the customer; rather than dealing with the consequences of getting what he asked for, he must suffer human fallibility and regret ... always regret.

(high literary score; high challenge score)


Arisia: 3 / Ryan J: 2 / Triton: voted! / xdpaul: 2
miko: 13
Participation bonus: 2
Total: 22



“Genesculpting” by Ryan J

miko: The parallel with plastic surgery seems natural and appropriate. H's plight makes me wonder about tattoo artists - do they weary of putting common junk on the skin of customers, or do they accept that value judgments are subjective, and that 'beauty' is in the eye of the beholder? H elicits a complex reaction from me. It is easy to sympathize with his disappointment, for we are all disappointed by the choices made by others. It seems self-serving, however, to dismiss what others want as crass, but ennoble what one wishes others would want as art. It seems H is rather elitist in wishing people to pay him for gratuitous aesthetics that please his artistic sense rather than for "base" accommodations that please his paying customers.

Taking H as he is - which I do credit as realistic - I think the story's ending is weakened by the last two sentences. It seems to me that a final utterance from H about his "best work" would have a terrific double-meaning if it ended right there: on the one hand, obviously referring to his artistic accomplishments, but on the other hand, his children being valued as persons precisely because of the genes he has NOT altered, those that they inherited naturally from him as his progeny! How natural a sentiment, and how wonderful a turn, playing against his professional disillusionment! Less is more.

Regarding the Challenge topic, the story touches directly on the service provider, the customers, and their motivations. Interestingly, the passing references to butterfly genes and chromatophores made me instantly pine for the story you did NOT write: I imagined a singular, radiant human creature, a "living stained glass window", and what her life would be like in a society of opaque, monochromatic commoners. Would such a jewel be kept behind glass and exhibited; would she be ostracized as a freak, as an "other"; would she be smothered into isolation and eccentricity by the relentless adoration of celebrity worshippers? Ah, but idling over what might have been is a fruitless indulgence of mine.

(good literary score; good challenge score)


Arisia: 2 / Ryan J: voted! / Triton: 3 / xdpaul: 3
miko: 7
Participation bonus: 2
Total: 17



“Mud Muscle or Blood” by xdpaul

miko: I like the voice - straight-up, no nonsense. I like the "foreknowledge" because it messes with our conception of time w/o tangling itself up in time travel - that he perceives "memories" doesn't change the way he feels he must act when situations arise. Great economy and color in bringing us up to speed with the backstory, and that a sinister element is at play - really drawing us in. I also like the ultimate ambiguity that he could simply be deluded. (I confess, however, that I don't understand the title.)

Most would consider 'palimpsest' a useless SAT word, but in your hands, it becomes a beautiful application that perfectly describes the intended sense, and with the maximum economy of a single word - awesome! (It might be accidental that I knew the word, but I think it's a great example of the power of vocabulary.) I think the encounter with D needs a little...more: why should D expect to barge into someone else's home and have that person submit to treatment by a stranger? (He is surprised the protagonist knows his name, yet he expects submission - feels like there's something we don't know.) Also, if I'm reading the end right, I think there is a POV change to an unintroduced character (maybe the "kid in the library"?), but since sub-headings appear throughout, it was not at first clear to me that the narrator "I" had changed. (But, maybe I'm reading it wrong?)

Regarding the Challenge, I'm guessing the SoM are the ones employing genetic engineering, that their intent is related to the foreknowledge, and that the person created by the engineering is the "ranting" protagonist. Since we don't learn about the SoM or their intent, it seems that despite the story's richness, it feels slightly incomplete. I'd be willing to accept that the SoM are simply the generation who bequeathed potential nuclear annihilation to its progeny (even using the latter as guinea pigs in nuclear testing) but then the genetic "mutation" would be random and not really "engineering", so I'm guessing this idea is more something I would have done than is really the premise of your story.*** The intentional genetic engineering angle was not made clear, but I'm supposing it's in there. If you're not planning to expand this into a longer work, I think connecting one or two more dots would allow readers to fully appreciate the sinister forces and the ominous ending.

(high literary score; good challenge score)

***In fact, it is something I have done! Last year, I made a preliminary audio recording of a story with a very similar setting, told in the (controversial) voice of an old man character of mine.


Arisia: 3 / Ryan J: 3 / Triton: 3 / xdpaul: voted!
miko: 10
Participation bonus: 2
Total: 21


Wrap-up...

Based on the numbers, this week's champion nudged himself into the lead (evidence of a genetic enhancement, perhaps?):

3rd Place: 17 points — “Genesculpting” by Ryan J

2nd Place: 21 points — “Mud Muscle or Blood” by xdpaul

1st Place: 22 points — “Daily Journal” by Triton

Congratulations, Triton! As winner, you are hereby invited to propose next week's challenge, scheduled to be announced the morning of Friday, 22 July 2011.


Afterword...

So what was the lesson of this challenge?

miko: All the entries were compelling stories and worthy answers to the Challenge. "Chromatophore"? "Aedes albopictus"? "Cryptomnesia"? Hey, what about writing for eighth-grade-level readers? Actually, this is what I liked best about the entries: no writing down to readers, but writing up to the story! That's why Triton's entry was my favorite this week - putting aside two noted stumbles, the language carried the plot, characterization, setting, and mood. Writers tell stories, but write words; it's great fun to see vocabulary employed effectively and artfully.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Open Mic Saturday

Good morning all, and welcome to Open Mic Saturday. This is the place to share your news and perhaps do a little bragging. If you're writing a novel: how much progress did you make this week? If you're writing short stories: did you finish anything or submit anything this week? If you've sold or published anything recently, when is it coming out and where can we find it? In short, as a writer, what kind of progress did you make this week?

Or what else is on your mind, that you feel like sharing with the group here?

Friday, July 15, 2011

The Friday Challenge — 7/15/2011

This week in The Friday Challenge:

STUPEFYING STORIES gets official guidelines, a submissions address, and swings the door wide open! • Join the discussion...

Daniel Eness lights one up. • Join the discussion...

Henry Vogel spends far too much time watching really bad movies. • Join the discussion...

Ryan J soundly whips the competition, in the Everybody was Kung-Fu/Laser-Gun/Magic-Spell/Starship/Dinosaur Fighting! challenge. • Join the discussion...

All this and more, as Barbershop Music Appreciation Day is followed by Pandemonium Day (which technically starts when everyone realizes they've been listening to barbershop music), and the inmates discuss the view from their respective places in the asylum.


Mutants 'R' Us

As of the deadline for our current challenge, we have received the following entries (listed in their order of appearance within Files > Friday Challenge for 7-15-11):

  • “Daily Journal” by Triton

  • “Genesculpting” by Ryan J

  • “Mud Muscle or Blood” by xdpaul

An enthusiastic “Huzzah” to all who have entered! The judges are now considering your submissions. A winner will be declared by the evening of Sunday, 17 July 2011.


The Thing without a Name

As of the extended deadline for our current Greater Challenge, we have received the following entries (listed in their order of appearance within Files > Greater Challenge 2011 07 08):

  • “The Eagle of Prometheus” by xdpaul

  • “The Taste of Flesh” by Carmine Vrill

  • “Material Girl” by xdpaul

  • “Return to Earth” by Ryan J

  • “SBP 003 Origins Study Record” by Carmine Vrill

An enthusiastic “Huzzah” to all who have entered! The judges are now considering your submissions. A winner will be declared by the evening of Sunday, 24 July 2011.


Make the familiar strange, and the strange familiar

And now it is time for this week's Friday Challenge, courtesy of Ryan J:

I've always been intrigued by moments where characters from disparate backgrounds interact, whether it's a historical explorer interacting with an unfamiliar civilization, or an alien making first contact with humanity. Or the confusion of the first day of school. Two characters experience the same scene with totally different eyes, they understand and interpret different things about it. One character might see a man with a gun, the other might see a man with a Glock something-or-other (firearms are not my strong point currently).

One author who did this really well was Vernor Vinge, in Deepness in the Sky. (minor spoilers follow) This is a story of first contact, between a planet of insectoid natives and the human aliens. When the insectoids are the viewpoint characters, their world is described in familiar terms, because to them it is not strange. When the humans are on board their ship, the same applies; it is all very familiar to them (though a little more description is cleverly slipped in to help things make sense to us non-space age folks). But for me, the most interesting part was when their world views collided. Humans entered the world of the insectoids, and when they perceived the same environment the insectoids had occupied all along, to them it was strange and alien, and the contrast between the human and insectoid perceptions of the same things was profound. I recommend this book wholeheartedly.

Another example was the article Body Ritual among the Nacirema, which made familiar circumstances seem fascinatingly new and alien by taking the perspective of an outsider looking in. (An adapted version of this was circulated where I grew up in the north, focusing on the Naidanac tribe.) Familiar things can gain new interest, if you approach from a new angle.

So this is the challenge. Take something familiar and make it new. Maybe it's just new to the viewpoint character, so they are observing details that a more experienced character would ignore. Maybe it's totally alien. If you want you can do it Vinge style, and constrast observations of the same thing made by two characters; this can be a great way to show what's important to each character, by showing what they notice.

Or reverse it, make something totally alien seem as ordinary as anything, because to the viewpoint character, it is.

Let's say, over 200, under 2000 words?


Anyone can enter, except for Ryan J. You may enter as many times as you wish, but each entry must be independent of the others. Your entry must be at least 200 words, and no longer than 2000 words, and you are not allowed to build on anyone else's setup.

Everyone is asked to vote, and to say a few words about what they liked, and why. Or to say a few words about what they disliked, as the case may be; by submitting an entry, you implicitly agree to accept criticism, because there will probably be some handed out, and no one is immune. When voting, please rank a work as either “0” (not so good), “1” (not as bad), “2” (could have been better) or “3” (pretty good stuff!). If you give either a “0” or “3” vote, feel free to argue in support of your reasoning.

Don't like the negativity? Feel free to think of the levels as “0” (Not bad for a first attempt), “1” (Right on!), “2” (Holy cow, I wanna buy this now...) or “3” (Sweet mother of God, how did you write something this awesome?!!). The point is to clearly differentiate, and rank according to your own preference.

For the purposes of this challenge Ryan J will be serving as Ye Olde High Marker, Voluntarily Walking th' Plank.

As of now, we are playing by the loosely enforced and slightly modified rules of The Friday Challenge. All entries are due by 6 AM Eastern time on the morning of Friday, 22 July 2011. A winner will be declared by the evening of Sunday, 24 July 2011.

Oh, there is one more thing... but it is the most important! Have fun. Always have fun.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Deadline Reminder

The deadline for the current Friday Challenge — Mutants 'R' Us — is 6 AM Eastern time on the morning of Friday, 15 July 2011... less than twenty-four hours away.

Entries may be added to The Friday Challenge Yahoo Group (see the appropriate directory within the "Files" section), hosted on your personal blog(s) and linked within the comments for the challenge, or copied directly into the comments section as a post.

In previous challenges, we have accommodated late entries. This time, we have no such luxury; if you post an entry much later than 6 AM Eastern time, there is a chance the judges will not be able to properly consider your work. Should you anticipate a need to snowdog, please mentally back the deadline up as much as necessary. If the deadline hits and you are very, very close, please publicly announce your intention to enter.

A winner will be declared by the evening of Sunday, 17 July 2011.



The deadline for our current Greater Challenge — The Thing without a Name — is ALSO 6 AM Eastern time on the morning of Friday, 15 July 2011... because yes, we granted a one week extension. A winner will be declared by the evening of Sunday, 24 July 2011. (You had approximately four five weeks in which to write, and now you're down to less than twenty-four hours! After that, we'll take two one weeks in which to judge. Use your time well.)

Greater Challenges are intended to produce complete, salable works. It is strongly recommended that entries be added to The Friday Challenge Yahoo Group (see the appropriate directory within the "Files" section) in order to preserve first publication rights.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Ultimate Geek Fu

A little over a year ago, I began a Geek Fu column with the words "The movie was good but the book was better." I then went on to list five movies I felt were actually better than the books they were based on. Yes, I was quite the heretic that day. Now it is time to atone for my sins.

"Good God, did the idiots who made that movie even read the book?"

I'm sure many of us have said something similar after watching a wretched movie based on a book we enjoyed. In fact, it happens so often I'm going to focus solely on movies supposedly based on science fiction books to keep the list manageable. On top of that, I'm going only from memory to further pare the list down to a mere few.

Let's start with the single worst movie based on a book I can think of. In late 1977 -- yes, the year of Star Wars -- a few of my college buddies and I piled into a car and drove the 40 miles from Clemson University to the first multi-screen theater in Greenville, SC. As a bunch of science fiction fans, how could we not make that drive to see a movie based on one of Roger Zelazny's novels. Almost an hour later, we bought tickets and settled in to watch Damnation Alley. On the plus side, the movie did not include any of the '60s slang that never even lasted into the '70s. On the minus side, there was everything else.

The movie was set after a nuclear war and it featured specially designed vehicles to travel the nuclear wasteland. Nothing else from the book was present in the movie. Instead of a desperate cross-country race to take the cure for a plague from the west coast to the east coast, we had man-eating cockroaches. Instead of an ex-Hell's Angels anti-hero as the main character, we had a military operation set on rescuing whoever they could while going where ever it was they were going (Albany, NY, I think, though I don't remember why). The movie was one of the first I'd seen which caused me to ask, "Why did they bother to license the book if they were going to ignore it entirely?" The only positive thing I can say about the movie is that it was a bit of a bonding issue for those of us who saw it; shared misery and all that.

Seven years later, one of the same friends who went to Damnation Alley with me joined me in my next choice for a truly bad movie based on a book. By this time we were both married and his wife chose to come with us. My wife stayed home. My friend is now divorced while I'm still married. Take that for what you will. So, what was the movie this time? It was Dune, a movie I was quite excited about until I actually watched it. How bad was Dune? How about so bad that I barely remember anything about the movie other than my total disappointment in the final result. I have not even been able to convince myself to give the movie another look on video tape or DVD. I'm sure there are movie theaters in Hell using extended cuts of the movie as punishment for particularly evil sinners.

Skip forward 13 years. Another night, another friend and his wife (miraculously still married, despite the movie debacle I'm about to describe). Our first clue about the movie should have been that the three of us were the only ones in the theater. I had even worked hard to moderate my expectations, expecting to watch a movie which featured some characters whose names matched a book I'd read and with some bits of plot somewhat similar to that same book. I got what I was expecting, yet Starship Troopers still failed to meet my incredibly meager expectations.

There was no powered armor and mobile infantry. Instead, we had big guns and lot of bullets. There was no feeling that the "bugs" had any serious intelligence or any real indication of technology at all. Then they tossed in a psychic Doogie Howser and the whole thing just went to Hell in a hand basket.

This is the point when I'm sure everyone expects me to mention Battlefield Earth. I heard too many poor reviews to bother going to the theater to watch movie. Eventually, I did break down and rent it. After hearing it touted as the worst movie of all time, the movie didn't have any expectations to live up to. I'll only say the movie was not as bad as I had been led to expect. Note I'm not saying it was good, but it was obvious the people behind the movie had read the book. Just saying.

I was about to mention the 2005 release of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a movie that surgically removed virtually everything funny found in the book and the BBC series and transplanted lots of crap. But then I remembered that Hitchhiker's Guide was a radio program first, a BBC series second, and only then a series of books. It's a really horrible movie but not one based on a book. So it's not eligible for this column.

What did I miss? Or did I trash a particular favorite of yours? What are your selections?

Let the arguments begin!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Flash Fiction Advisory

SceneQuest DSV*

Good shots can come down to lighting.

Rockne S. O’Bannon, the son of a Hollywood gaffer, certainly understands the importance of economy in illumination.

He's also creator of Alien Nation, Farscape and, yes, SeaQuest DSV, and the author of this little story:


"It’s behind you! Hurry before it"



Yes, it is a trick that Lovecraft employed with wild abandon, as countless others have before and hence.

But it's a good trick. Shine that little lamp at the right time, in the proper direction, and it can show a lot more than a bunch of extra words can.



Flash Fic Advisory #11: Know what to keep in the dark: illuminate through interruption.



*DSV is an acronym for Deep Submergence Vehicle, which is what I think good flash exercises are like: intensive explorations of dark and drowning places. A lot of times you hit mud. It is the rare shimmering yttrium deposit that makes the spotlighting worth it.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

And the winner is...

Our tenth challenge finds us wielding clubs and swinging wildly at one another. (Arvid says: "Fun!")

If any of you are able to take a second look at your own work, and see ways in which to improve a concept so that it can be more successfully developed, the effort will be worthwhile.

Those of you who vote are allowed to assign a range of “0” to “3” points, per entry. Since challengers may not vote for their own stories, a bonus of 2 points is given to a participant's highest-ranked work, if that participant also takes the time to vote on the other entries.

Official judges receive a 30 point allocation, to assign as they see fit. The only restriction is that at most, only half of those points may be given to any single entry, and there is no requirement for a judge to use the entire 30 point allocation.

Arvid Macenion is about to put on the “Editor Hat.” It's sort of like the “Sorting Hat” they use at Hogwarts (“Are you trying to start something, Potter?”), but a little less sarcastic.


Everybody was Kung-Fu/Laser-Gun/Magic-Spell/Starship/Dinosaur Fighting!

“Fight” by Ryan J

Arvid Macenion: This fight I thoroughly enjoyed. I can visualize the movements, the dodges, the otherworldly filaments of the Great Ones whipping out and even glimpse the expressions on Master Sender’s face. I’m not sure what music the choreographer would go with, but whatever it would be would be epic. The play of the magic in the battle, the sudden and abrupt ending, all of it worked for me. Very well written.

Another element I greatly enjoyed is the characterization of Magic in the story; it really gave the story that atmosphere of forbidden and dark magics. I was worried about Aristides, clearly he thought what he was doing was right but the powers he dealt with were great and terrible beyond most people’s comprehension. A very good showing of what is essentially a Warlock Ascension.

He is no true villain, wanting power for power’s sake, but the levels to which he is willing to stoop to save the world from this doom only he and the Great Ones can see shows him as no gleaming hero either. The almost offhanded “I’m sorry” sadness he felt after killing his former mentor felt real, the last gasp of a grief not truly felt. The human mind has more than Sight and the Vision. With Aristides focused on the Vision, he judged his actions only in reference to the greater threat, while Hadge saw the individual actions as whole and judged from the actions alone. This leads me to the Gray question: Is it your intentions or your actions that define you? Who is to know?


miko: 3 / Ryan J: voted! / xdpaul: 3
Arvid Macenion: 9
Participation bonus: 2
Total: 17



“I've got your backup... Right Here!” by radaliendad

Arvid Macenion: This Fight was far too short. I would have very much liked to hear more of the fight under the surface of the Facially Tattooed Mosh Pond but the fight on stage was fairly solid. I could see the initial fight with the Music Ghoul clearly, even how he danced a little as he fell back into the pit.

The singer really prefers the direct Jab, which is probably why the Athletic Woman in Red Pajamas was able to so easily dodge. It was the misguided leap she didn’t see coming. I honestly hadn’t thought of that spin of the Backup Singer.

Supposedly one of the original purposes of bridesmaids dressing similar to the Bride was to confuse an assassin or to act as bodyguards. I hadn’t really thought of that being applied to Backup Singers at a Hard Rock Concert. Food for thought.


miko: 1 / Ryan J: 1 / xdpaul: 2
Arvid Macenion: 6
Total: 10



“Only the Arquebus, by H. Beam Piper” by xdpaul

Arvid Macenion: I’m very glad that I took the time to read the title and check out the Wikipedia page before actually reading. Otherwise it would have had to be done afterward which would have taken away from the initial reading. Paratime and the Terro-Human history were highlighted in enough detail for the reader to get the idea early on but were too central a theme for that mention to feel like enough. The fight scene lasted nearly the entire story in small clips. The jocular nature and feel of this fight I liked, the “alien” dismissive and annoyed with H. Beam Piper trying to discover the right method of wining. The fighting was dynamic and engaging but woven too much through the story that, especially in its later pieces, held too many mentions requiring knowledge of Piper’s Works.

miko: 2 / Ryan J: 3 / xdpaul: voted!
Arvid Macenion: 7
Participation bonus: 2
Total: 14



“Summer on the Steppe” by Triton

Arvid Macenion: This Fight was powerful, visceral and close in. I could follow every movement and hear every retort, screeching tire, and squelch of cold mud. The warning at the top was born out in full and I was right with the protagonist all the way through the battle and his attack of grief on his knees in the bloody mud at the end. In my challenge I mentioned fight scenes being put to music. The only music this battle would require would be the heavy beating of the heart, the painful breath and the sucking of mud. The setting of the story worked as well, the integration of a car chase and subsequent crash in the fight added to the Bruising feel of the action and led right up to the final fight scene. If you could give me a bit more reasoning why the cars stuck together, perhaps because one car was missing the side mirror and the the other car’s side mirror punched into the hole, lock-and-key style, that wouldn’t have been as incongruous. Unlike some others I thought the Dadgummit behind the Draganov wasn’t so strange, although perhaps some harder expletive might had been better, or some quick reasoning why he is so used to censoring himself (perhaps his partner looking at him in the car before Gregor caught up and saying “Dadgummit? and Jimbo explaining) I guess its just the particular brand of Texan hard violence.

miko: 1 / Ryan J: 2 / xdpaul: 1
Arvid Macenion: 9
Total: 13


Wrap-up...

Based on the numbers, we have a clear winner... but also a close spread between the other challengers:

4th Place: 10 points — “I've got your backup... Right Here!” by radaliendad

3rd Place: 13 points — “Summer on the Steppe” by Triton

2nd Place: 14 points — “Only the Arquebus, by H. Beam Piper” by xdpaul

1st Place: 17 points — “Fight” by Ryan J

Congratulations, Ryan J! As winner, you are hereby invited to propose next week's challenge, scheduled to be announced the morning of Friday, 15 July 2011. (As a multi-crown winner — and bearing in mind that sick family members should come first — you also have the option of passing the “Editor Hat” to the challenger of your choice.)


Afterword...

So what was the lesson of this challenge?

Arvid Macenion: Writing a fight scene that flows while still maintaining the pace of the story is not the simplest of tasks but the Four entries I got this week just go to show how diverse the Friday Challenge Participants are. Even more, we have a widely diverse number of Genres presented: Fantasy(Fight), Science Fiction(Arquebus), Hard Action Fiction(Steppe) and Hard Rock Fiction(Backup). Please excuse my inability to properly name Genres. All the entries this week had that feel, that Fight Scene Tug, and writing this stuff in the corner of a Burger King with free Wi-Fi, I know I’m getting looks due to the giant hard grin on my face.
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