See the full gallery on Posterous

Posted via email from samstrong's posterous

The ritual is the problem. Does the person know if it will work?

If they do then magic really needs to be a known factor in the world. I think it's unlikely that a group of mages/wizards/cabalists/whatever could operate all throughout the ages, without the public getting the slightest hint as to their existence. Mostly though, I just don't like that idea. Not just because a lot of writers take that route, but because I have no interest in my heroes being part of a group that denies mankind that kind of knowledge and power.

If not then why have none of the other rituals, that people perform every single day, worked? What makes this one special? It's highly unlikely that, assuming magic exists, no one has ever carried out a ritual that works, especially considering the ridiculously world-changing stuff people have a tendency to pray for.

Why do authors restrict how many people know about magic? Because it allows them to limit their world. A world with magic as a known quantity is not our world and as such would require far more detailed construction. The logic of their world is, mostly, that of the real world, so right off the bat they've removed a large chunk of complexity from their novel (and likely added a chunk of people to their potential readership).

So I find myself left with two choices:

I can attempt to create a world where magic works and exists in the public eye. This could be fun, but is most likely to result in an inconsistent mess.

Or I can back the hell off and have my ritual, somehow, be the first ritual to succeed and have significant consequences. This would feel like cheating.

Thoughts?

So on April 18th 2010 I proposed to my then girlfriend. She said yes and on September 17th 2011 we were married! The day was amazing and perfect (ignoring football traffic).

Here are some links to photos of the day:

• Official Photos
• Sean's Photos

...that my own reading doesn't contain a good balance between male and female authors. A quick look through my book shelves and library loan history has revealed the following list of recent reads:

• Feed - Mira Grant
• Feast of Souls - Celia Friedman
• A Matter of Blood - Sarah Pinborough
• A Madness of Angels - Kate Griffin
• Lex Trent vs. the Gods - Alex Bell
• Myth Understandings - Various (but all women)
• Slights - Kaaron Warren
• Boneshaker - Cherie Priest
• The Poison Throne - Celine Kiernan
• Temeraire - Naomi Novil
• The Evil Seed - Joanne Harris
• The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
• The Thief - Megan Whalen Turner

Six of these I think are brilliant books (not the obvious ones). Deadline, the sequel to Feed, is on my read-as-soon-as-is-humanly-possible list. I'm also very keen to get my hands on a copy of Elspeth Cooper's The Songs of the Earth, which I think is going to be very much my kind of thing. That said, this isn't a very long list and some of these reads are drifting further and further into the past. Also, a quick look through my Amazon wishlist reveals 25 books by women out of a total of 147.

The idea that someone could go out of their way to avoid books based on an author's gender is, frankly, preposterous. To ignore 50% of all books simply because of pre-conceived notions of gender is beyond ridiculous. And yet I seem to be doing it subconsciously.

The thing is though, when I pick a book, I don't even think about the author. I pick a book based on the blurb, the cover (and sometimes reviews). If it sounds good then I read it. I find books through Amazon (products you may like!), browsing in Waterstones, book review blogs and recommendations from friends and family. So is this stream of information at fault? Do men get more marketing money than women?

And what to do about my own reading? I'm not sure there's anything I can do. I read for pleasure and I don't think I should change my habits just because of a perceived imbalance. Is it enough that I'm aware of the balance (or lack thereof)?

So, on to Project #2!

• Title: Surface Tension
• Form Factor: Short(ish) Story (~9k)
• Genre: Modern Folklore(ish) Horror
• Logline: A man struggles to save his relationship, all the while haunted by the water spirit he met as a child.

This one is an older project that is probably on its fourth or fifth draft. I was initially inspired to write it while wandering the woods around Killarney a few years back. It's a story I really enjoyed writing and it deserves to be finished.

Onward!

• Title: The Krask's Garden
• Form Factor: Short Story
• Genre: Science Fantasy
• Logline: A man-made construct slaughters every last human, but then realises its mistake.

The story is now on its second draft. I've got a load of workshop notes to be going on with. Until such time as the third draft is complete and proof-read, I won't be working on any other writing project.

Don't let me fail!

I needn't have worried. Everyone was lovely and welcoming and fun. Despite the ridiculous hotel (dismissive, confused staff and horrendous prices for pretty much everything), I had an brilliant time, made a bunch of new friends and even attended some panels!

So, onward to what I've learned!

• You need a food plan. Hotel food is crazy expensive and the NEC area is effectively an industrial wasteland, especially on a bank holiday weekend.
• Monorails are still awesome. We discovered that we could use one to reach our hotel.
• Do not go to an Etap hotel and expect a bed that will result in you feeling anything less than thoroughly abused. Mind you, the shower was great. POWER!
• Walking through the NEC at night is way creepy. Industrial estates aren't the nicest of places in daylight, but at least there are noises then.
• I no longer care to argue about genre vs. literary. I'm now going to argue in favour of labelling the aforementioned argument being pointless. They're all books. Move on.
• Fans can be beyond common sense. Nerd arguments are funny, but also annoying and frustrating. Reasonable debate seems rather rare among fandom.
• 'Tropes' is actually pronounced 'tropés' (not really). One panellist kept saying it that way and I seriously began to question my command of language.
• The dealer room is a dangerous, DANGEROUS place.
• Talking like a pirate for an extended period of time really hurts your throat.
• If you can't find the lever, always push the plug.
• Filking isn't actually rude.
• I haven't entirely thought my female character's personalities through (the women-in-fantasy panel was very interesting!).
• There's a gap in the pet market for frunkies.
• If there's one thing that can drag you back to sugary coffee it's a 3am bedtime. Yes. I know. I'm aged.
• I need to finish projects. Seriously. As in, "you lot seriously need to harass me until I finish one story before I'm allowed to start a new one".

By the end of the con I was massively craving the vegetables. Junk food will get you so far... Quite far. Some might even say fairly far. But ultimately what it will get you is ill. The sweet potato and pea soup we made when we got home was possibly the best soup I've ever tasted (relatively). Roll on next year!

Thanks to Emma, Saxon, Tom, Amanda, Andrew, Cathy, David, Sue, Kathy and Vick for keeping us company. Awesome, lovely people!

So when I was asked what books I've actually enjoyed in the last few years, I could only name a couple off the top of my head. After a quick trawl through WeRead and my book shelves, I came up with the following list (in no particular order) that I consider to be quite awesome and think everyone should read.

I’m writing about people who are right there at that membrane, people with resources that allow them to do more than simply stand there and feel the rush of the future, people who are equipped to reach beyond the membrane, to swing their hammers and their picks and hew the future.

Blindly.

A few days later Tom Piccirilli posted another blinder. Again, a quote.

I want to read about men pushed to the edge, corrupted by the world, destroyed by their own vices, who face down the worst part of themselves every hour. Sometimes they win against their own baseness and frustrations. Sometimes they are consumed. Hope springs eternal. So does terror.

They got me thinking. The stories I tend to enjoy least are those where nothing seems to be at stake, those where it's a foregone conclusion that the heroes will win. Even those tales where they "win at any cost" (insert manly sounds here) still have a happy ending, on account of all those "goals" being "achieved". The future isn't there for the taking. Nothing is set in stone. Just look at the news on any given day of the week.

What Charlie and Tom are talking about? I want to read those stories too...

(I just ordered Sleepless)

...and perhaps, if I can channel well enough, write.

And to end on a twee note, there's a reason why Empire Strikes Back is everyone's favourite Star Wars movie.