Science fiction cliches to avoid

Via the always amazing SF Signal comes a link to 10 science fiction cliches to avoid. The only problem with the list is that it mainly focuses on science fiction cliches from TV and film. For a specific list of literary SF cliches to avoid, check out John VanSickle's amazing compendium. I love how he breaks the cliches down by a large number of categories, such as "items which flatly contradict the known laws of nature" and "items which were mildly interesting the first time around, but simply provoke a response along the lines of been there, done that on the re-runs."

Tobias Buckell tunes into Sly Mongoose

Tobias Buckell has created an online trailer for Sly Mongoose, the sequel to his novel Ragamuffin. The problem is that he's "having trouble finding a royalty free type of music" for the trailer. To fix this, Buckell is offering a $50 Amazon gift card to anyone who can find said music. Promotions like this are why Buckell is one of the most "web savvy" SF/F authors out there. He's also a great author and a hoot to interview.

When online magazines go bad

I keep track of a wide variety of online publications because I both enjoy reading short fiction and need to know what magazines are publishing for my work with the Million Writers Award. One magazine I enjoyed several years ago--and which also published two of my own stories--was Fiction Warehouse. Like many online publications, Fiction Warehouse petered out and eventually stopped publishing new issues. Now, though, it appears Fiction Warehouse has done more than just cease publication--their site has gone bad.

Google's search engine has a relatively new function which notifies searchers if a site may try to install malicious software on your computer. According to Google's search results for Fiction Warehouse, this is what their website now does. And if you feel lucky enough to still click on that link, you are routed to a final message screaming in bold font: "Warning--visiting this web site may harm your computer!"

I commend Google for this new feature (assuming they are accurate in their assessment of these sites). But this also made me wonder what other online magazines and publications were now "bad" per Google's warning. I'm pleased that my magazine storySouth receives an all clear, as did all the major online magazines I frequent every month. But if anyone else notices other online magazines which have gone bad, please let me know.

A few items of note

A few of the things I've read or thought about today:

  • SF Signal has a great discussion with a number of SF/F authors on how the internet impacts book sales. Among the authors voicing an opinion are Matthew Jarpe, Tobias Buckell, Andrew Wheeler, Lou Anders, and David Louis Edelman.

  • The February 2008 issue of Asimov's arrived the other day and featured the final section of Allen M. Steele's Galaxy Blues serial. Titled "The Great Beyond," the conclusion is space opera on a grand scale set in Steele's increasingly fascinating Coyote universe. The rest of the issue also looks good and I'll post some thoughts as soon as I finish reading it.

  • Finally, Lee Goldberg linked to yesterday's post about the coming wreck in fan literature. While I appreciate the link, it's not accurate to count me among the "fanficcers." (Is that even a word?) While I'm sympathetic to fan writers, my personal feeling is that when one writes in another writer's or corporation's universe, you have to accept their ground rules going in. I'm also personally not a fan of fan literature. While the push may be on to call such writings transformative, I prefer the old term derivative. And in my experience, derivative works almost never equal the power or artistry of the works they are derived from.

FanFic train wreck a coming

John Scalzi has an excellent look at the new Organization for Transformative Works, which believes that fan fiction is transformative and legitimate. Like Scalzi, I'm sympathetic to the writers and lovers of fan fiction. I also agree with him that this is a looming train wreck. As he says,

If and when a fan, told by, say, NBC Universal to take down her Battlestar Galactica fanfic, decides to make the legal argument that her work is transformative and fair use, thus obliging the corporation to show up in court to make a counter argument (i.e., to throw more resources at the problem than a simple Cease and Desist) and the fan shows up in court with the assistance of an umbrella group dedicated to the proposition that all fan work is legal and transformative, I suspect the era of benign neglect or tolerance of fan activity will be at a sudden and pronounced end. Because now the fans are saying, why, yes, this really does belong to us, and corporations who have invested millions in and can reap billions from their projects will quite naturally see this as a threat. From there it’s all DMCA notices and entire fan sites going down.

This already happened with the late Marion Zimmer Bradley and her support of fan fiction based on her Darkover novels and stories. As her Wikipedia article states, "For a time, Bradley actively encouraged fan fiction within the Darkover universe, but this came to an end following a dispute with a fan over an unpublished Darkover novel of Bradley's that had similarities to some of the fan's stories. As a result, the novel remained unpublished, and Bradley demanded the cessation of all Darkover fan fiction."

If that's what happened to an individual author and her support of derived fan fiction, imagine what a big media corporation will do the first time it encounters a similar situation. Not a pretty picture.

Asimov's readers' award selections

I have now made my selections for the 2007 Asimov's Readers' Award. They are:

  • Best Novella: "Recovering Apollo 8" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (February 2007). Because Rusch's novella was far and away the best of the year, I declined to select a runner-up.
  • Best Novelete: "Breeze from the Stars" by Mary Rosenblum (March 2007). Runner-up: "News from the Front" by Harry Turtledove (June 2007). I was tempted to name "Nightfall" by Isaac Asimov as a third runner-up, but decided to pass because the story has received plenty of honors in the last six decades.
  • Best Short Story: "Tideline" by Elizabeth Bear (June 2007). Runner-up: "A Small Room in Koboldtown" by Michael Swanwick (April/May 2007). Third Runner-up: "Dead Horse Point" by Daryl Gregory (Aug. 2007).
  • Best Cover Artist: Tor Lundvall.

Chad Dull: ignorant film reviewer of the week

I usually highlight a story of the week under the theory that good writing needs all the attention it can get in our increasingly less literate culture. However, bad writing also thrives these days and sometimes it also needs to be recognized. Today's example comes from a film review by Chad Dull in the Dec. 13, 2007 edition of The Other Paper. Chad's review of Will Smith's new film I Am Legend opens with these lines:

"I Am Legend's pompous and confusing title tells us a lot about what's wrong with the film itself. It's another crack at the novel The Omega Man, last brought to screen, rather laughably, in a 1971 Charlton Heston vehicle."

When a film review starts off with so many errors, it's hard to do anything but laugh at the reviewer's subsequent opinion. First, the I Am Legend film is based on a 1954 science fiction novel of the same title by Richard Matheson. Second, The Omega Man was based on Matheson's novel, one of numerous adaptations over the decades, so it's wrong to say the current film is based on the 1971 film. Third, The Omega Man was a film, not a novel. The briefest of searches on Google or Wikipedia would have enabled Chad to discover these facts for himself.

Unfortunately, Chad's review is not online so I can't share the wonderful irony as Chad dissects this "pompous" film in an equally pompous manner. Instead, I'll share this bit of advice for any writers like Chad who feel the need to be literate on a subject they nothing about: first do a bit of research.

Blogs of the fallen

As more people post their lives online through mediums like blogs and MySpace, what will happen to all their words when they pass away? I started pondering this question after visiting the blog of Julia Campbell, a Peace Corps Volunteer murdered earlier this year in the Philippines. As a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who survived a possibly fatal accident while serving overseas, I've always honored those Volunteers who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to others. The Fallen Peace Corps Volunteers Memorial Project was created by the family of PCV Jeremiah Mack, who died in Niger in 1997. The Project is a touching and appropriate way to honor these Volunteers; the project is also raising funds for a permanent memorial in Washington, D.C.

Julia Campbell's blog remains online, her most recent entry written a few days before her death. There are hundreds of comments for that last entry as people create their own memorial honoring Julia. I wonder, though, what will eventually happen to blogs like this? Are they like the ribbons people tie around trees in honor of the missing and dead--markers which eventually disappear with the passing of time? Or will someone (or more likely, some archiving program) eventually save all these blogs, preserving a record for those who one day want to look back and learn about who we were?

Are online reviews worth a damn?

As someone who has written a number of online book reviews, I loved SF Signal's new interview/discussion "How Have Online Book Reviews Affected the Publishing World?" Among the editors and writers commenting are James Patrick Kelley, John Joseph Adams, Paul Raven, Niall Harrison, Ken of the blog Neth Space, and many more. Perhaps the best comment comes from David G. Hartwell, who says "Online reviewing at this point is a hopeful mess, rather than a hopeless one. A majority of it still has the validity of a late night bar conversation, or an offhanded phone call, blurting out undefended opinions, to which everyone is entitled. The hopeful sign is that a small portion of it is written to publishable print standards, and an even smaller portion is actually edited."

I agree with Hartwell that online reviews are only useful when they are written to print standards and actually provide context and insight into why a book either soared or sunk. A number of online venues publish reviews of this caliber; the trick, though, is that these places all have editors both screening and improving the reviews they publish. A perfect example of this is The Fix, which is an online short fiction review site run with the same due diligence as a print magazine.

Bad writers banned from submitting to Clarkesworld

Nick Mamatas, editor of Clarkesworld Magazine, has officially banned all bad writers from submitting to his magazine. The reason: an anonymous writer complained that Nick should "have a clue" before offering feedback on Mr. Anonymous' incredibly bad submission. Since Nick doesn't know who this writer is, he figures he'll just ban all bad writers from submitting to him. My experience with working the slush pile is similar to Nick's. Writers who overreact to editorial feedback tend to the very writers whose stories suck.

The Last Unicorn (Deluxe Edition)

If you're looking for the perfect moderately priced Christmas gift, I'd suggest the recently released deluxe edition of The Last Unicorn. Published by ROC, this edition includes the definitive text of Peter S. Beagle's classic novel, his Hugo and Nebula Award-winning novella sequel (coda?) "Two Hearts," introductions to both works, an interview with Beagle, and more. However, the kicker is that Barnes and Noble is carrying a specially priced version of the deluxe edition priced at only $9.95. I purchased a copy today and it is an extremely nice hardback with dust cover. For the life of me, I can't tell the difference between this version and the deluxe edition that sells for $29.95 or more at other bookstores (if you can even find a copy).

Anyone needing a bigger Peter S. Beagle fix would do well to check out his story "We Never Talk About My Brother" from issue 5 of Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show. The issue also features a very good interview with Beagle by IGMS editor Edmund R. Schubert.

SFWA: Screaming Flaming Writers Association?

In a follow-up to last week's fun and screams about the SFWA, John Scalzi reports that all the outrage has caused the organization to correct the copyright committee problem. I'm sure some people will say this shows how responsive the SFWA is to criticism, but it doesn't change my view that I'm not going to waste my time by joining. While I support all the official goals of the organization, I can't get past the fact that incidents like this haven't been the exception in recent years for the SFWA but are instead the norm. Maybe they ought to rename themselves the Screaming Flaming Writers Association? Still, I'm glad they've sorted all this out and I hope it means the organization has turned a new page in its history.

SF authors pick favorite SF films (and I add a few more)

From SF Signal comes a link to the best science fiction and other related films as picked by authors such as Robert Bloch, Arthur C. Clarke, and Frederik Pohl. The only downside is that the list is from 1994; as such, it's heavily weighted with films from the middle of the 20th century while more recent films receive few mentions.

A few post-1994 SF films I'd add to the list include Gattaca (1997), Children of Men (2006), Twelve Monkeys (1995), and most importantly, Alex Proyas's masterpiece Dark City (1998).

Review: 2008 Novel and Short Story Writer's Market

The 2008 Novel and Short Story Writer's Market (N&SSW) is now out from Writers Digest Books. While I'm of a mixed mind about the book's usefulness in actually submitting to fiction markets, I've decided to recommend it once again for both new and experienced writers.

First, the back story on my mixed recommendation. When I reviewed last year's edition, I mentioned that one problem overtaking the venerable market compilation is that online resources like Duotrope's Digest and Ralan's listing (which is specifically for speculative fiction writers) have overtaken N&SSW by offering free submission information that's more up-to-date than anything a printed book can offer. I especially like Duotrope Digest, which offers an easy-to-use online market and submission database. When I asked N&SSW editor Lauren Mosko if Writer's Digest Books was considering making all of N&SSW's listings available online, she said that "Free market resource sites like Duotrope's Digest are certainly on our radar, but we feel confident Writer's Market will remain the brand writers can trust." Lauren added that they were preparing for the upcoming redesign and relaunch of WritersMarket.com.

So it's now a year later. One very good change is that N&SSW began offering a nice blog, which contains market and other useful writing information. I highly recommend writers check out the blog on a regular basis. In addition, the updated Writersmarket.com has been launched. However, Writersmarket.com remains a subscriber based system which, in my opinion, doesn't offer enough extra information and ability above Duotrope Digest to justify the subscription cost of $29.99 for one year. In addition, purchasing N&SSW doesn't give you access to Writersmarket.com. So when you buy the book you're locked into an already out of date data set, at least with regards to market information.

However, I'm still recommending the market guide because editors Lauren Mosko and Michael Schweer have compiled an amazing collection of articles to aid both beginning or experienced writers. N&SSW once again features in-depth information on writing and submitting in genres such as literary fiction, mysteries, romance, and more; of particular interest to SF/F writers is an informative interview with author Kelly Link and John Joseph Adams' "Speculative Fiction: The Next Generation." For me, the authors interviews are the best part of N&SSW, especially since they give valuable insight into the business side of writing and help writers benefit from the mistakes and successes of others.

So if you're looking for a book which helps you write and submit a compelling story, along with giving useful advice from top authors in all fictional genres, this is a great book to own. But if you're purchasing N&SSW merely for the market listings, I suggest you give N&SSW a pass and move over to Duotrope.

Santa Claus Conquers The Martians

As Dan Schneider asks over on the Moderate Voice, what's the difference between Santa Claus Conquers The Martians and other films in the "so bad they're good" genre like Plan 9 From Outer Space,Robot Monster and The Beast From Yucca Flats? Santa Claus Conquers The Martians was made and targeted specifically for children! So grab the kiddies, pop this film into the DVD, and expose a new generation to a true classic of cinema.

Don't give away the film's ending by actually reading the book

So the chattering Hollywood classes are all agog at Will Smith accidentally giving away the ending to the upcoming film I Am Legend. Of course, anyone who has actually read Richard Matheson's 1954 novel of the same title probably has a decent idea what the mysterious ending is (unless Hollywood has totally butchered the storyline, which would be another reason to be all agog). Why do I suspect the people worrying about keeping the film's ending secret are all people who haven't read a single book in the last ten years?

UPDATE: Of course, one also hopes the director wasn't stupid enough to give the movie a happy Hollywood ending. But I'm not betting against it.

Story of the week: "Molly and the Red Hat" by Benjamin Rosenbaum

My new story of the week is "Molly and the Red Hat" by Benjamin Rosenbaum from issue 213 of Interzone. This short tale (only 3,200 words) is in many ways a compressed, modern day Alice in Wonderland focusing on a kindergartener named Molly and her quest for a thrown away red hat. Rosenbaum's world is seemingly torn from Lewis Carroll's mind; however, where Alice had to fall down the rabbit-hole to enter her fantasy, Molly's fantasies exists in parallel to her disturbingly real world. As the story progresses, Rosenbaum's meticulous craft blurs the boundaries between reality and fantasy until it is difficult to say whether or not Molly's adventures truly happened. Is she the one imagining things? Or should we the readers question our own world's reality?

This is one of the most strikingly beautiful and lyrical stories I have read this year and showcases the power of concise yet mythical world building. I also found it ironic that less than a week after criticizing another of Rosenbaum's stories for being too short and lacking deep characterization--his "The King of the Djinn" from the new issue of Realms of Fantasy--I find myself in love with this equally short tale. In many ways the success of "Molly and the Red Hat" proves yet again how creating true-to-life characters is one of the most important aspects to successful fiction. And with Molly, Rosenbaum has definitely created the most fascinating and true-life kindergartener it's ever been my joy to read about.

More SFWA

In a follow-up to yesterday's post about the SWFA, I wanted to mention that Tobais Buckell has quit the organization over all this pettiness. As he says:

I know people online will fight. I know people will struggle over differing opinions. But still, I have this odd opinion that more gets done in forums where respect and civility prevail. Yeah, I've been mocked for expecting that civility and professionalism decorum prevail, and even tried my best to lead by example. But it made no difference. I would happily remain in SFWA, if there were some other way that news was communicated timely to members without my having to wade into the muck, but as it is, too many big decisions came about in there, decisions that if I were part of an organization, I wanted input on.

And if I weren’t a part of 3 professional organizations (2 writers ones) that had online civility and professional, I might even imagine that the mockers were correct. But I’ve seen how professionals can conduct themselves even with wildly differing opinions, and I know what it is.

Amen to everything Toby says in his post. Hearing about all this from people like him has convinced me to keep my hard-earned money and sanity well away from this organization.

Resnick: Too many Hugos?

The new issue of Baen's Universe is out and features Mike Resnick's essay "Breeding Like Rabbits—Or Hugos," in which the Baen editor wonders if there are too many Hugo Awards handed out each year. When the Hugos were started in 1953, there were only six categories: Best Novel, Best Magazine, Best Cover Artist, Best Interior Artist, Excellence in Fact Articles, and Best New Author. Then came the Hugo for Best Fanzine, which Locus eventually began winning year after year. To even things up, the "Worldcon committee came up with a brand-new category--Best Semiprozine--where Locus could win every year to its heart's content and traditional fanzines could once more win the Best Fanzine Hugo." Then a second dramatic category Hugo was created because TV shows couldn't compete against movies, and this year a new editing Hugo was created so book and magazine editors wouldn't have to compete against each other.

According to Resnick, "it's become a bit of demonstrable folk wisdom that if you lose enough Hugos, sooner or later you can put together enough disenfranchised (read: Hugo-losing) friends so that you can get a new Hugo category installed and maybe have a chance to win one." The end result: Of the fourteen Hugos now given out every year, only four go to actual written science fiction--what Resnick says is the reason for the Hugos existing in the first place.

But is written SF/F the only reason for the Hugos? No. I agree with Resnick that written SF/F is the heart of our genre, but the SF/F community exists well beyond that. The problem with Resnick's argument is that when I look over the Hugo categories, there are none that I would get rid of. However, Resnick is correct that whenever one person or entity wins the same Hugo over and over, there are calls for creating a new Hugo category. One example of a coming problem along these lines is the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer, which David Langford has won for almost 20 years in a row because of his great Ansible newsletter.

I'm sure the calls are already out there for a new fan writer Hugo so others can compete (although one wonders why writers can't simply compete by, well, out-competing Langford). I wouldn't be surprised if we soon see a "best blogger" or "best blog" Hugo split off from the fan writer award. However, a better approach might be to limit the number of consecutive wins any one author or publication can have in any given multi-year time period. Such an approach might stop the cascade effect Resnick worries about while continuing to honor those who contribute so much to SF/F.