Plausibility in Speculative Fiction

Most of us aren’t scientists. We have no physics degrees. Faster than light travel, teleporters, killer artificial intelligence, traveling through time– it has to be there for the plot to exist, so what’s really the harm in fudging the actual science, right? Dammit Jim, you’re a writer (or reader) not an engineer.  Just throw some crystals or photons into the mix and you’ll be fine. There’s a reason technobabble was invented.

If only it could be that simple.

Top Ten Writing Mistakes Editors See Every Day

Saving this to my blog. I admit I have been guilty of most of these at one point or another.

Stephen Carver

In addition to writing and teaching, one of the things I do for a living is to evaluate manuscripts for their suitability for publication. I read fiction (and non-fiction) across several genres, and write comprehensive reports on the books. I try always to guide the author towards knocking his or her project into a shape that could be credibly presented to literary agents, publishers and general readers. You know how Newman and Mittelmark introduce How Not to Write a Novel by saying, ‘We are merely telling you the things that editors are too busy rejecting your novel to tell you themselves, pointing out the mistakes they recognize instantly because they see them again and again in novels they do not buy,’ well they’re right; I am one of those editors.

However good the idea behind a novel, when the author is still learning the craft of writing – like any…

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Why Do We Like Dystopias So Much

While currently in YA Dystopian novels have exploded (Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Divergent), this is not a recent development. The MG series that was really popular when I was young was Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix. When I was growing up I devoured 1984, Fahrenheit 451, and Brave New World. In fact 1984 is still in my top 5 books easily. The Giver was a classic among kids.

It’s not just books either. Media in general has plenty of dystopias to choose from. The Terminator and The Matrix are two movie classics that immediately come to mind for me. If you’re familiar with the Japanese adaptation of the novel Battle Royale (if you’re an adult who liked Hunger Games I would recommend it, both the movie or the novel), this is also a prime example. There’s also newer movies like Elysium, The Island, and Equilibrium.

Now I want to differentiate subgenres that might get confused with Dystopian, such as cyberpunk and post-apocalyptic.

Let Me Introduce Myself

I don’t have a great reason to why I am starting this blog. I’m full of silly opinions on everything: from society, the nursing field (which I am a part of), pop culture, politics, movies and other media, a hodge podge of interests and ideas. So when I got the idea to write a blog, I knew I had to specialize if I wanted my blog to find an audience.

The problem was, if that was necessary, I probably never would have started. For the most part, I’m staying away from my work life and nursing in general (that’s just a slippery slope I would rather not go down, especially because I get entirely too passionate about them and it’s linked up to my political views).

The best way I can describe what you can expect is it will be about both creating and experiencing media, be it writing, movies, or games (both video and the type where you roll different sided dice). I have theories for why some things work, some don’t, and what I enjoy to read/watch, but also on the other side: what’s fun to create or write.

The reason I made this into a blog was that I want to add my voice to the dialogue around art and media and elicit feedback. No one enjoys being told they’re wrong, but I do love differing perspectives. What works for me won’t work for others. I know that. But what makes you tick?

Maybe you will gain something, some sort of understanding. Maybe it will help you in writing and creating.  Or maybe I will be inspired by some of you.

Honestly, I’m hoping for the latter.