Setting is Crucial to Your Story
One of the most important things to consider when writing anything is the setting. Is the setting realistic? Too obvious? Too vague? Is it present, past or future? Is it in a little time pocket all of it’s own? Most importantly, why?
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Fictional worlds to escape to
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about being able to (literally) escape into a fantasy world – that is a book or other fandom universe – and it occurred to me that the books I love (or other fandoms) don’t necessarily provide a good safe world to live in.
For instance, as much as I love Tolkien’s world in LOTR or even The Hobbit, I doubt if I’d like to live there. Unless there was some era that was very peaceful and prosperous (and so didn’t provide material for a very good story, but a better living environment).
The same goes for many of my favorite fictional worlds.
Take Gregory Frost’s Shadowbridge – an incredibly fascinating ‘universe’ but not one where I’d feel safe, unfortunately.
It’s the same with Tad Williams’ The War of the Flowers. Such a fascinating world, but not a very pleasant one for humans. (In case you haven’t read it, it’s about a variety of Faerie.
Also, the Sabriel/Abhorsen series by Garth Nix about the Old Kingdom. On the ‘civilised’ side of the Wall, I’d probably be able to live quite well, but it seems to be set at the beginning of the 20th century so that’s probably not very equal, unfortunatey.
However, I was thinking that Dinotopia would be just right to escape to. It’s a really interesting and beautiful world, yet it’s also more or less safe and pleasant to live in. I’d love to take everything and just go there and never come back.
Ursula K LeGuin’s Earthsea would probably work too, but I’m not too happy about the lack of equality for women on most islands.
I realize that I’ve just mentioned books so far, so I’ll just throw in Star Trek (TNG, Voyager etc). That world would probably be great to live in, if I didn’t end up in any of the war zones. After all, they have replicators, medical tricorders and a more or less completely equal society, not only between the sexes, but also in other ways. There’s no poverty, no currency even (in the Federation anyway).
Some of Diana Wynne Jones’ books will probably do as well, for instance her Chrestomanci series. As long as I didn’t get involved in any magical crisis. Unfortunately, I probably don’t have any talent at all for magic and if I did, it would probably be weak and/or sort of backwards.
I can’t say that I feel as strongly about Maria Lang/Dagmar Lange’s mystery classics, but close enough. To me it’s a very harmless, safe, yet fun world. It ‘looks’ colorful in my mind’s eye. The only drawback would be the lack of equality between the sexes. Of course, Puck doesn’t have to deal with that. Her two guys treat her really well so she probably doesn’t even know other women face discrimination.
To sum this up: I think it’s a tie between Dinotopia and Star Trek. Either would work great if I could only find a way to sneak in and never come back.
No one notices your brand new sweater…
I haven’t really heard this song completely, but it’s been on a couple of tv shows over the past five years or so, that I’ve been forced to passively watch/listen to, so I’m a bit familiar with it. It’s actually a really sad song which tells you the harsh, realistic truth about life – how no one will grieve when you die, no one wants to know what you’re doing and no one wants to know where you bought your brand new sweater. Which is kind of the way life is, isn’t it? If it isn’t a whole lot worse than that. I think so anyway…
However, a great antidote to life’s depressing aspects is – writing!
So I’d add a line to the song – ‘No one notices your brand new sweater – but that’s ok, if you write something good, cool or fun.’
If you don’t write, let’s say the same except ‘but that’s ok because you can always read a good book.’
Irrelevant flights of fancy
I just read an article in which the author says: Don’t Kill Hitler!
He lists a number of valid reasons. They started me thinking about the same thing.
My list would be shorter. It can be summed up like this: You can’t change the timeline.
The way I understand it, it’s like this: even if we could travel back in time (and I believe Einstein once said that it’s impossible), we couldn’t change our own timeline. We could leave it and travel to another one (that is, naturally, if it were possible) and end up being stuck in that timeline/event horizon, but even if you could return to your own timeline, that wouldn’t have changed. You will have created a new ‘dimension’ where Hitler died (when? as a child? early in his career?), but that’s all.
Also, if you want to believe the Doctor, certain things are fixed points in time and can’t be changed without dire consequences. Others – you can just keep your fingers crossed that your little ‘change’ is ‘unimportant’ enough to pass ‘the laws of time’ or whatever. Fortunately, I think my little life is insignificant enough to fall under the latter heading. So, if the Doctor existed and was right, maybe I could change a few things. If he would be willing to bring me in the Tardis and stand aside to let me change time. That is if I understand ‘the timey-wimey stuff’ correctly.
Earthsea – a rival to Tolkien
In A Wizard of Earthsea, published in 1968, Usula K Le Guin created one of literature’s most fully formed fantasy worlds.
Read more here.
More whining
Today I was supposed to go to the new maternity care center (that is in the new town). Though I’m very healthy this time around compared to the last time, I have had quite a run of bad luck when it comes to my appointments at clinics, hospitals and maternity care centers. First of all, it always takes about three weeks to get an appointment. Secondly, the hospital with the specialist maternity care can’t let me sign up as a patient (though apparently they can see me anyway). The last time I was supposed to be going to the ordinary clinic for a checkup of my blood pressure they just canceled on me. I told them they wouldn’t need to bother getting me a new appointment, since I was moving. Except now I’m thinking I might have been too hasty. We can’t get our stuff moved yet (for instance, the moving companies have recently been revealed to be corrupt and potentially dangerous – threatening customers, demanding more money than agreed on). So here I am. Still.
Today, the bus and train company just canceled the train, cheerfully announcing that I was welcome to take the next train (about an hour and a half after my appointment at the maternity care center). So I called them and the rude woman just said, yes, we canceled the train. There was an unspoken ‘so?’ hanging in the air too. No replacement bus, no financial reimbursment (fortunately, I think I managed to rebook the appointment online, but since I haven’t had confirmation I don’t know for sure). Also, I was going to use my bus/train card that I just fill up with money. That is, I hadn’t booked a specific ticket. I can use the money on the card anytime I want.
It makes me so furious. Clearly, their business goal isn’t to transport people, it’s just to make money. Funny though, other businesses need to provide some sort of customer satisfaction, but apparently not this company. Grr.
I don’t know when I’ll be able to get to the new maternity center now. It’s probably going to be at least two-three weeks until I get my next appointment. In the meantime I’m not signed in anywhere as a patient. Also, I will need to get a referral to another hospital, because of my previous health problems. So first an appointment at the maternity care center, then another at the hospital, hopefullly. Fortunately, a doctor at the hospital is taking responsibility for my health, but the appointments are too few and far between. At this time I should probably go every week but I’m getting checkups every other week, or every three weeks instead. Fortunately, so far I’m feeling fine and according to the doctor, I really seem to be.
Dark Matter (sf tv series)
I have been watching several new series lately, that is series that are new to me. The other night, I started watching a series called Dark Matter. This one really is quite new (released in 2015). It’s actually one of the best I’ve seen so far. I’m not exactly sure what it is about it that appeals to me, but I suppose it’s just a good series – good plot, good setting, good characters. In fact, there’s at least one really cute guy, and two more that are quite hot as well. If you watched the sf series First Wave, you may recognize they guy who played ‘Joshua’. He’s the only actor I have recognized. The rest are completely new to me. A big plus in my eyes is that the women are not slutty. They seem credible as crew members on a spaceship.
A number of people wake up from stasis with no memories of who they are or what their mission is, but they each have specific sets of skills. All they know is that they are aboard a spaceship and the spaceship has been damaged so fixing it is a bit urgent. Since that’s the beginning of the first episode, I don’t think it’s too much of a spoiler if I mention that the ship is stabilized and they can continue on their way.
Since the people don’t remember their names, they decide to call themselves One, Two, Three etc, according to the order in which they woke up. Apart from the six crew members there’s also an Android who rather unimaginatively gets called the Android.
Quite early on the ship is attacked and after a while, there are other problems for the crew to deal with.
Later they get a hint of who they supposedly are, but the facts don’t seem to match their personality types.
I think that’s all I’m going to mention about the plot. It may not sound all that exciting, but I have really liked everything so far.
When Are You Ready to Publish?
Some guidelines:
Read more here.