The last post

I've decided that today's post is going to be the last on this FEM-SF blog.  I've been posting here for around two years, and when I set up this blog I intended to keep it solely for posts about SF.  But over the years there's been a fair bit of bleed of subjects between this blog and my wendymetcalfe.blogspot.com blog, and I've decided that the time has come to post everything on that blog in future.

Several things have led up to this decision.  First, I want to free up the time I've spent in writing FEM-SF posts for writing new short stories. I still don't have enough good stories to send out on circulation, and I need to up the hit Rate.  And some of the stories that have been edited to within an inch of their lives and repeatedly submitted are running out of new markets to try.

So I must write some new stories.  I have no shortage of ideas for these.  I have a lever-arch file full of them, and two plastic wallets full of scribbled notes on pieces of paper.  I have no shortage of material, but I need to set aside time to write them.  I've set a goal of getting at least one short story accepted by a paying SF magazine this year.  So I have to up the story numbers being submitted.  I know full well that this is a numbers game.

Secondly, I want more time to experiment with short stories, try different writing styles, try to push the boundaries of my craft some more.  And thirdly, I have a file of already-written stories that just don't make the grade.  I have three in front of me now that bear the legend 'more setting' on the top.  This is one of my failings, an impatience with large chunks of description, but I am now training myself to enrich my settings by putting enough detail in.

This doesn't mean I'll stop commenting on SF subjects on the wendymetcalfe blog. If the Hugos turn out to be a disaster again this year, I'll no doubt rant about that again.  But I have my fingers crossed, hoping that won't happen.

The more I've written on both blogs, the more I've realised that the things that concern me - issues like the under-representation of women authors - are common to all parts of the publishing world.  Far from being a strange and rarefied genre, SF is afflicted by the same kinds of prejudices, politics, and issues as any other genre. The case for a dedicated SF blog isn't made.  So I'll say goodbye from this blog, and hope to see you over on http://wendymetcalfe.blogspot.com in future.

A change of location - good for filling the well

This week I've been out and about to some places I haven't visited for a while.  It's finally spring in England, and the last week has been a sunny and warm one.  The rise in temperature is welcome after a colder than average April.

I benefited from my change of scene by getting a flurry of new ideas.  Going to new places is good for "filling the well" as creativity teacher Julia Cameron calls it.  As I'm out and about I can observe things I want to change in the world, or things which I think need to change.  These provide the driving force for new stories.

And one of the things I notice a lot is aimless people, people without a purpose, or even a plan for the current day.  There are the retired men who buy the cheapest coffee in the cafe then hog the best window seat for three hours, staring out into pace.  But what if one of these aimless-looking men had knowledge that could save the world?  What if they were an adept at an ancient wisdom that was desperately needed to avoid global disaster?  Will our planet go to its doom because Western cultures generally don't respect and honour their senior citizens?

A change of scene has taken me to walking by the shore.  I see the many moods of the sea while walking beside it.  When it's out in the distance it leaves acres of mud flats.  What if someone buried a canister in the mud with top-secret data in it? 

What if this was a sea on another world, and the buried object contained the key to an ancient weapon?  And what if a bitter and twisted antagonist had heard about that burial, and was determined to find the key?  But maybe the ocean itself is the key's guardian?  Maybe it has some awareness that it uses to protect the key.  Or maybe the key itself has some awareness.  Perhaps the ocean and the key can communicate.  Perhaps the ocean knows that it will be harmed if the key is found and used to set off the weapon.  So many ideas from a change of scene and the application of the SF writer's magic question "what if".

A change of scene is a great way to "fill the well" of creative ideas.  Walking with our senses open, and alert to answers to the "what if?" question, we revitalise our ideas and or writing.  Anyone for octopus emperors?