Why Science Fiction

I'm taking June off to go to Virginia and Disneyworld with the family before Rob deploys, so I'm rerunning some of writing posts I wrote for other blogs.

Rob and I have a confession to make:  Neither of us likes literary fiction much.  Oh, we can appreciate the classics like Dickens and Twain, and I was impressed by the beauty of the language in the Secret Lives of Bees, but when it comes to angst and personal reflection, we'd like to have that mixed in with some aliens or a rip-roaring space battle.

Too often, however, science fiction gets a bum rap.  People see only the aliens or the fantastic battles in space, or they classify science fiction with "Godless" fiction, and doubt it has any redeeming value beyond entertainment. 

The truth is, science fiction is often used to examine the big issues in an entertaining and "safe" environment.  Star Trek, of course, is well known for this, but it's not unique.  Aldous Huxley's 1984 is a classic example--an examination of a future world where comfort and security have taken supreme precedence over individuality.  This book, written in 1931, still informs our political decisions, as we balance our own needs for security against letting our government become a "Big Brother."

Another great example, made into a movie not so long ago, was Isaac Asimov's I, Robot.  The crux of the story (and of many of Asimov's other robot stories) were the Three Laws of Robotics:

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

At the heart of the stories lie the questions:  Can you legislate morality?  Is Right more than a set of rules to follow?

Science fiction tackles other big issues, too--prejudice (against aliens rather than a particular race--check out the TV show Alien Nation); conflict of cultures and the origin of ethics (Patchwork Girl by Larry Niven); Little Brother by Cory Doctorow looks at the opposite side of 1984--people banding together in reaction to the "Big Brother" state.  Naturally, it also looks at the impact technology has on our lives--a good one for that is Rainbow's End by Vernor Vinge, where Alzheimer's patients are cured and must reintegrate into a radically different society from the one they remember.

It is true that religion does not often play a large role in science fiction, but often, the spirituality lies behind the scenes.  However, religion in speculative fiction, even science fiction, is becoming more prevalent.  When Rob and I wrote our first anthology of Christian SF, Leaps of Faith (www.leapsoffaithsf.com), we were in a small pool of writers.  Now, the presence is growing, not only with publishers (like Splashdown and Marcher Lord) that are focusing on religious speculative fiction, but also with secular publishers willing to take a shot at well written books of any kind.  We're proud to be part of it with our Catholic science fiction anthologies, Infinite Space, Infinite God and Infinite Space, Infinite God II (www.isigsf.com).  These last two anthologies look specifically at our faith in the future and how science and faith interact, inspire and guide humankind. (And the stories feature fantastic conflicts in time and space!) So for those looking for a more specific religious interaction, take heart!  It's out there.

Science fiction is a lot of fun. It's exciting and escapist and fully fantastic.  However, it's also a great way to examine the big issues of our time in an environment that is removed from our day and age.

You Should Be Writing

I'm taking June off to go to Virginia and Disneyworld with the family before Rob deploys, so today, I present you with a song parody for writers!

To You Should be Dancing, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSbRDnYctL8

 

My novel moves at midnight

Goes right until the dawn

My hero takes me higher

My villain keeps me warm

What you doin’ on your plot?  Ahhh

What you doin’ on your plot?  Ahhh

You should be writing, yeah

Writing, yeah

It’s juicy when there’s trouble

I give it to them good

That creative power

Goes right down to my blood

What you doin’ on your plot?  Ahhh

What you doin’ on your plot?  Ahhh

You should be writing, yeah

Writing, yeah

What you doin’ on your plot?  Ahhh

What you doin’ on your plot?  Ahhh

You should be writing, yeah

Writing, yeah

(Keyboard instrumental here—clacka clacka clack)

My novel moves at midnight

Goes right until the dawn

My hero takes me higher

My villain keeps me warm

What you doin’ on your plot?  Ahhh

What you doin’ on your plot?  Ahhh

You should be writing, yeah

Writing, yeah

(Repeat—since lyrics don’t have to keep progressing like narrative)

(Keyboard instrumental here—clacka clacka clack)

 What you doin’ on your plot?  Ahhh.  (Repeat 11 times…or better yet, get off YouTube and write!)

The Fab Five Rules of Incorporating Faith into Fiction

Chelle asked me to blog about “reconciling faith and fiction.”  To me, there is no reconciling—faith is a natural part of the human experience, and as such is a valid part of fiction.  However, it is a volatile topic, so here are some tips for making your fiction-with-religion salable:

#1  Tell a good story.   If you are only writing your story because you have a message to send (or an ax to grind), then write an essay.  Good stories have characters you love—or love to hate—plots that are exciting and intriguing, and settings that bring you into the story.  Know the art of storytelling, and let the story deliver your message—not your message dictate your story.

#2  Give the reader complexity.  Readers are more sophisticated, for the most part—they do not want a simplistic Good and Evil scenario.  Nor do they want “plastic Jesus.”  Whether it’s your priest hero or the church your main character  attends, let the reader see beyond the surface—the good and the bad, and the stuff that isn’t so clear.

#3  Know the religion you’re writing about.  Don’t let ignorance lead you to misrepresent a faith, whether someone else’s or your own.  Do some research, get someone of that faith to read your book, and also examine your own motives. For example, in “Antivenin” in Infinite Space, Infinite God II (http://isigsf.com), I had a Pentacostal snake handler.  Personally, I think the idea of handling snakes to prove your faith is nuts, but the idea was fascinating.  I’m lucky enough to have a friend whose mother was a Pentacostal minister, and she read the story for me, noting that a lot of what this minister did is NOT the way the church approves—even down to the kind of snakes I’d put on the spaceship.  I did more research and discovered my errors.  In the end, it made the story stronger, however, because I was able to rewrite and add a new dimension to the character—one rejected by his church because of his excessive ways.

#4  Don’t use religion as a crutch.  There’s nothing more dissatisfying in a story than an easy answer—yet (ironically) the temptation is to use religion to solve the conflict.  The person “finds God” and suddenly their attitude changes and all their problems start to fade.  Or someone prays and the miracle happens—The End.  Life is messy.  Good fiction, while more clearly portrayed than reality, is not cut-and-dried, either.

#5  When submitting, know the publisher.  No matter how good your story is, you still have to follow their guidelines and conform to their philosophies.  A good example is Rachel’s Contrition by Michelle Buckman.  It’s a powerful story of a woman who loses a child, and her faith—Catholicism—is an integral part of her healing, and thus of the story.  Michelle has been successfully published with CBA publishers, but this book was too Catholic for their tastes.  She had the choice of removing all traces of the religion—changing the theme and character—or going to a smaller, Catholic press.  She chose the latter, and it’s been an Amazon best seller for Sophia/Chisel & Cross books.

I have a reputation for being a faith-in-fiction writer.  Religion is a big part of who I am, and it fires my imagination.  My characters often have a religious side that does not want to be hidden, and I enjoy playing with real and imagined faiths.  I’ve been very proud of the books I’ve written and edited, the latest of which is Infinite Space, Infinite God II.  Although an anthology of Catholic science fiction, it’s been read and enjoyed by people of many faiths.  I believe that’s because the contributors followed the rules I’ve listed above.

It's Submission Time

I'm taking June off to go to Virginia and Disneyworld with the family before Rob deploys, so today, I present you with a song parody for writers!

Sung to Celebration, http://youtu.be/xvX_5ym_ajI

It’s submission time
come on ! - Let's celebrate

Go, submit this time
come on ! - Then celebrate

There's a party going on right here
submission party that lasts throughout the year.
So bring your stories and your novels, too
celebrate when your submitting is through!

Come on now

celebration

let's all celebrate and have a good time

Go submit them!

Then we celebrate and have a good time.

It's time to get it together
it's up to you
watch your pleasure

(when) everyone around the world
reads you!
Yahoo!


It’s submission time
come on ! – It’s a celebration

Go, submit this time
come on ! - Then celebrate

You gotta send that story tonight
then celebrate
it's all right

Gotta believe your story is tight
let's celebrate
it's all right
baby
You gotta send that story tonight
then celebrate
it's all right

Gotta believe your story is tight ( Celebration )
let's celebrate ( Celebration )
it's all right
(keyboard solo) Yeah-hoo!

It’s submission time
come on ! - celebrate

Go, submit this time
come on ! – You deserve a celebration

Come on and celebrate - tonight
'cause everything's gonna be all right.
Let's celebrate
Go submit this time
come on

Building the World of Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator

I'm taking June off to go to Virginia and Disneyworld with the family before Rob deploys, so I'm rerunning some of writing posts I wrote for other blogs.

 

In the Beginning, there were…

ZOMBIES!

Well, no, that's not quite how it worked.  True, I knew I had to make a world with zombies for Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator, but  before I could bring in zombies, I needed a world to bring them into.  When I worldbuild, I try to look at all angles, from the geography to the vegetation, the habits and cultures of its inhabitants, and how it all fits into the story.

Fortunately, Neeta Lyffe was unique to me in that it takes place in our world--Los Angeles--just a couple of decades in the future.  So Hollywood (or Hollyweird, as some of my friends called it) happenings, American culture and politics, and international events and history became my template.

Now, enter the zombies.

That, of course, was where the fun began:  how would the emergence of zombies affect the world?  Being optimistic about the future in general, I didn't want an apocalypse.  I think we're too smart a race for that kind of runaway contagion.  We'd get smart on zombie combat and prevention, fast.  However, being somewhat cynical about human nature when taken en masse, there was a lot of fun to be had in twisting our practices and beliefs in reaction to the rising undead.  So I plucked some things from my own experience, and applied them to zombies.

Voter fraud:  Now they really can have the dead vote!

Government regulation:  The federal government does a great thing by mandating that all dead must have their spine severed before burial, which has cut down the emerging zombie population greatly.  However, LA refuses to put money into tearing down a known zombie hot-spot because it's too much trouble and the zombies aren't doing anything at the moment, anyway.

Conspiracy theorists:  One expert blames the H1N1 vaccine for causing the pandemic, and the government and pharmaceutical companies are covering it up.  (You can read about it in his book.)

Radical Environmentalism:  Global warming causes zombie-ism!

Blatant commercialism:  "Ms. Lyffe, we want you to be the spokeswoman for our newest line of health drinks--Longevitize."  (The photo the lawyer shows her is of her standing knee-deep in zombies and holding a can in her hand. Caption: After the re-kill, Longevitize.)

International wars:  Iran invades Afghanistan, and the dead afghan freedom fighters come back to attack them.

And of course, the main idea of the story, Reality TV:  Neeta Lyffe trains up apprentice exterminators in Zombie Death Extreme.  The contestants have a shot at winning a million dollars--if they survive.

The process itself is pretty intuitive to me.  It's just a matter of asking "What if?" and coming to what I think might be a logical (or sometimes, just comical) conclusion.  When intuition fails, you can look at similar examples in our history, or draw parallels from mythology or even other stories (but don't just copy--make it your world's.)  These ideas work the same whether dealing with a nearly real world, like in Neeta Lyffe, or a completely imaginary one.

Worldbuilding is a lot of fun, and sometimes, it doesn't take a lot to create a new and believable world.  Sometimes, all you need to do is toss in a zombie.

99 Reddened Lines

I'm taking June off to go to Virginia and Disneyworld with the family before Rob deploys, so today, I present you with a song parody for writers!


To 99 Red Balloons, http://youtu.be/FG-3LeJvfzU

Sitting at my writers desk
I send my story; it was my best
Said a prayer one last time
Then I get a glass of wine…

When I get back, email soft ware
Flashes the message, something’s got here.
Grab your pen and stand by
99 Reddened Lines go by

Pen solo—scratch scratch
Keyboard and mouse join in

99 reddened lines
Tearing up my manuscript
Panic bells--it’s red alert
This editing is gonna hurt
The printer now has sprung to life
Kiss the color cartridge bye
Trying so hard not to cry
As 99 reddened lines go by

Printer solo, punctuated by gasps and “noooo!” “What?”

99 of purple prose
99 gripes, “What are those?”
To worry over metaphors
To scratch out adverbs by the score

This is what I waited for?
Take this out? Oh, that means war!
Does the editor think she’s so sly?
As 99 reddened lines go by.

Keyboard solo, with a feeling of acceptance flowing through

99 times to get high
On creative juices ever flowing
I can write as good as King
I can make this better yet!
The editor’s identified
Clarified and classified
Scrambling to make it fly
As 99 reddened lines go by!

Fast keyboard solo--clackaclacka
99 dreams I have had
And every one with reddened lines
It’s all over, the books sitting pretty
And take time to pet my kitty
If I could find a souvenir
Just to prove my prose is clear
And here is a red-lined page
I think of you
And let it go.

Introducing Stan Rakness by Karina Fabian

I'm taking June off to go to Virginia and Disneyworld with the family before Rob deploys, so I'm rerunning some of writing posts I wrote for other blogs.

The great thing about my DragonEye, PI universe it that it’s BIG and diverse and open to new characters.  What started out with a dragon, a princess and her elf consort is now populated with nuns and police captains, heralds and restaurateurs…

…and even secret agents.

Live and Let Fly is a super spy spoof.  No spy spoof is complete without a 007 take-off, so Rakness, Stan Rakness was born.

I started out with extensive research—watching 007 movies and Austin Powers, reading Ian Fleming novels, and keeping track of the clichés.  Torturous!  

A lot of people build their characters extensively before writing—character sheets, deep thought on their motivation and background.  I, however, tend to write seat-of-the-pants and let them tell me all of this.  Thus, I created a secret interdimensional cooperative (The Bureau of Interdimensional Law Enforcement) and populated it with agents from the military and civilian forces…and CIA agent Stan Rakness.

First thing, he let me know that he does not take himself too seriously.  For all the danger and stress, he loves his job and thinks it’s the biggest high in the world.  When he and Vern meet at a high-security meeting to discuss what could be an interdimensional crisis, he and Vern tease each other over who gets the donuts.  He loves taking on the ladies in his alter-egos—sometimes as a chauvinistic jerk, sometimes as the fawning fanboy.

Stan is from Idaho, which (though not mentioned) became pretty important when Vern & Company got in trouble there and needed a place to rest and recover.  His father was a flim-flam man, and when he was a kid, Stan took part in many of his schemes, which is where he learned to love “the game” as well as to take on different personalities.  However, his mother divorced his father when she discovered what they were doing, and he realized they’d been doing wrong as well as breaking the law.  Still, that “bug” never left him, which is why he loves his job.

Stan has some serious moments, and some Bond-style foibles, like a fear of flying.  They make for some fun scenes in the book.  He hopes you’ll check him out—er, check IT out—in Live and Let Fly.

She's a Maniac (on the Keyboard)

I'm taking June off to go to Virginia and Disneyworld with the family before Rob deploys, so today, I present you with a song parody for writers!

To Flashdance--She's a Maniac.

Just a small town girl on a Saturday night
Plotting out the fight of her life
In the real-time world no one sees her at all
They all say she’s crazy

Locking phrases to the beat of her heart
Changing adverbs into verb
She has written into the danger zone
Where the plotter becomes the plot

It can cut you like a knife
If the gift becomes the fire
All the while you’re crafting
What will and will not be

She’s a maniac, maniac on the keyboard
And she’s typing like she’s never typed before
She’s a maniac, maniac on the keyboard
And she’s typing like she’s never typed before

On the prose-filled line of sanity
It’s a place most never see
It’s a hard-won place of mystery
You can read it but can’t hold it

We write our all our lives for that moment in time
It can come or pass us by
It’s the reader’s choice but there’s always a chance
If the hunger stays alive

There’s a cold creative heat
Struggling, stretching phrases sweet
Never stopping
With her fingers on the keys

She’s a maniac, maniac at the bookstore
And she’s typing like she’s never typed before
She’s a maniac, maniac in Kindle’s store
And she’s typing like she’s never typed before

Keyboard solo-clacka clacka

It can cut you like a knife
If the gift becomes the fire
All the while you’re crafting
What will and will not be

She’s a maniac, maniac on the keyboard
And she’s typing like she’s never typed before
She’s a maniac, maniac on the keyboard
And she’s typing like she’s never typed before