So...we want strange new things. But things that fall into the pre-defined categories of Fantasy or Science Fiction (I'm summarizing) are neither strange, nor new.
And when an author is telling us about these strange new things, the author must take care to keep it sufficiently strange and new, satisfying both our requirement that we see this cool thing, and that we actively also do not wholly see it, so we can continue thinking it was as cool as it was before we saw it.
Neat. I like Mr. Mieville, too.
Rob Rusick and Xopher:
Thank you kindly, especially for taking the time to track down all those links. I am currently using Firefox, Adblock, the FilterSet.G and GAIM, and they are working wonderfully.
Once again, I can internet without hurting my eyes! For joy!
The thing with pre-shortened lines: I find that it's hard to predict what's going to be the right information intake for many annoymous people, so better to let them decide on their own.
Here's what irks me: by my count, I stopped watching TV about 7 years ago. Right around the same time I started going on the internet nightly for many hours.
In the years since I stopped watching the zombie-vision, I have noticed ads popping up like daisies on the sites I go to. Example: the little ad-screen at the top of the aol instant messenger. Wasn't there a few versions ago.
Is it my duty as a member of society to put up with advertising, the only alternative being living like a hermit (which I've tried and don't recommend)? If there's another way, I'd really like to see it.
TNH: Without New York, what would George Bush do for a backdrop when he's posing as an anti-terrorist?
He could try Atlanta. They seem to have terrorist-free waterfronts.
The Bush Administration--protecting the U.S. people with pretty much sheer luck, since 2000.
In biology, we got cheek cell DNA by swabbing our mouths with a qtip. Hard to believe that there wouldn't be some of that transferred to the dregs of a cup. I think it'd be safer not to have a drink at all, straw or no.
I did mean "right" in a non-legal sense, of course. Which doesn't make any sense, technically, I know. I just think people should be allowed to do something that makes them so happy, unless of course it hurts someone. But we seem to be having an interesting time trying to prove that it really does, hurt someone.
And I really don't think this is related to my age. My generation, maybe. But I really don't want to grow out of this (upthread) belief.
ok. Hiding my head in the peanut gallery again.
I'm getting a little upset at the turn the tide is taking. But I know that's silly. I don't need any justification.
I'm a fan-fic-reading PBEM*-playing writer of reverse-license** stories. (And published original stuff.) And I'm going to defend the right of other kids and folks to do exactly what I'm doing. Especially if they do it badly.
Because I have not seen much published hide nor hair of the writer of my source material since 1999...and the other stuff I got paid for.
~
* PBEM stands for play-by-email, and it's a type of fan-run role-playing-game.
** a reverse-license is what my editor said I had when she paid me to write about her characters.
Ms. Teresa: Thank you so much for making that argument before I must go to Clarion. It's a brilliant defense for the type of writing I have been doing for most of my life.
If someone made that argument into a desktop image or a screensaver, I would use it. Um. Or if it would be ok for someone make that, I'd do it myself.
Lawrence Watt-Evans: I was born in 1981, and I fully understand the difference between imitating the tone of a published author, and publishing fanfic. I don't think this had anything to do with ethics. In my humble opinion, this had to do with the gross stupidity of an 'editor' who has obviously never spoken to a legal department.
Not to worry! Ms. Jareo has already anticipated all possible objections and responded to them, with the help of her 'interviewer.'
[please understand this is my sarcastic voice. And granted, copyright infringement...but she did it first!]
Q: I also wonder how far a writer is allowed to write in a world and to use characters introduced by another author?
If it’s not a commercial project, I don’t see any problem. George Lucas’ Star Wars universe is fertile territory for so-names “infinities,” or alternate storyline material. Thousands of people write them, and they are posted on hundreds of unofficial Star Wars-themed web sites on the Internet. Lucas himself said that as long as no one is making a profit, he thought such tributes were wonderful.
Q: Does your being an editor influence the way you go to work as a writer? If so, could you say in what way?
I made a conscious decision to remove my editor’s cap as I was writing this story. After so many years of being an editor, I wanted the creative freedom of being a writer. It took a whole new type of thinking to just write and finish the manuscript and leave the editing and business decisions for later. And once I got to that point, I was able to really write.
Q: What would you say to others who dream of writing a novel based on an existing world setting?
Writing such a novel is a lot of fun, especially if you have friends who are constantly saying, “Well, what if a certain character were put in a certain situation? I wonder how it would turn out.”
In 1999, that question was put to me, because as you know, the first three episodes of Star Wars were finally in the works. In these new movies, there are additional characters that could have made the older Star Wars universe even more exciting.
That’s what happened to me, as I found the characters of young Anakin and Padmé from Episode 1 and Ryoo and Pooja from Episode 2 impossible to resist. How would they grow and change over so many years? That is a fascinating question.
I do believe that relieves every concern people might have. Oh, yes.
( if I'm being rude to our kind facillitators in any unknowing way by posting this...well, I really hope I am not, and apologize profusely if I am.)
I linked too. yay everyone!
Jennie: I think that sounds like a nifty story idea...
actually, I meant the eleventh. Too much manischewitz.
At the young adult Seder I went to tonight, we named Dubya the fifth plague.
an equinox baby! yay! much happiness of many kinds with it!
Thank god for Trader Joes.
JKRichard sounds right on the money to me, for what it's worth. Rules are only valid for the amount of effort one spends enforcing them.
And I don't know what good it would do to purge the anti-military contigent of the donkeys--house divided cannot stand, all that jazz. I think instead we need something other to rally around, which seems in pitiful low supply.
Sure, the elephants are evil, evil people. We can't take away their credit cards. ITMFA, that's all I can say.
Whales eat krill. Do vegans think they're too good to eat whale-food?
I know how it is with critters that seem to pack personality into every limited ounce. My iguana died recently and I'm in the process of making her a memorial-site. I'm very sorry Arthur's gone, and very glad he had a wonderful time while he was here.
| Year | Number of comments posted |
|---|---|
| 2006 | 23 |
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