SF

[lauralh]

I really don't get people who don't like science fiction. That is, I don't get them till I read something like, oh, The Mote In God's Eye. Not it's a bad novel, but it's poorly written. The authors think that the cool ideas presented are sufficient, without giving any thought to the presentation. And the only really cool idea is the alien civilization - the humans and their society are boring, predictable, and two-dimensional. Bland and inoffensive, I guess. Which actually puts it a cut above most SF novels.

I actually read an article about SF that had the audacity to claim that "not being literary" was a good thing, because "literary" meant characters were more important than plot, and in SF it was the opposite. I can't tell you how mad that made me before I decided that she was just full of shit. Every book I've ever read that I enjoyed - SF, Fantasy or just plain old roman - had strong characterization. Why is SF so full of hacks?

Comments

[greywanderer.livejournal.com]

that's a good question. it's also why, while I love SF+F, I read very little of it. it seems hard to find good stuff. though scifi when it's good, is great. seems to be an all or nothing type thing.

it's taking me forever to get into this neal stephenson book I'm reading. maybe it's because I'm more focused on my writing than reading right now. Oh, get this. my housemate, S, has a copy of Orson Scott Card's Characters & Viewpoints. I snagged it from her and will devour it shortly. She also had a very old edition of The Elements of Style. From 1968.

You're not reading Cryptonomicon, are you?

[wanton-bliss.livejournal.com]

Because I think that book was a lot of hype with a side of fucking unnecessary verbosity. Snow Crash is, however, excellent. And I think the Diamond Age is actually Stephenson's best; it's just slow to ramp up.

Re: You're not reading Cryptonomicon, are you?

[greywanderer.livejournal.com]

I'm reading Snow Crash. It was recommended to me by many people last year so my roommate's mom bought it for me on my birthday. That was a month and a half ago and I'm not even on page 30 yet. But like I said, I think it's because I'm writing so much that I don't have time to read. Well that's not accurate, I have nothing but time. My reading/writing energies are focused elsewhere is what I'm saying. :-) But what I have read of SC so far is pretty funny and interesting. He seems a bit to clever for his own good though. I'd rather he just get into the story than continue with his witty version of a future america.

[katyakoshka.livejournal.com]

That stupid twat just can't get plots deeper than a nearly dried-up rain puddle, because she's probably as two-dimensional as the characters created by the writers she lauds. And in addition to having strong characters, being well-written is a good thing, too; there's an interesting article on Salon.com about some of this... it's an interview with author Dan Simmons.

And it isn't just SF that's full of hacks. They're everywhere. However, stupid people like stupid writing, and there's a lot more stupid people, and stupid people with money than smart people (with or without money), so it's more profitable to publish mediocrity that sells than excellence that gathers dust as it knits the middle- and lowbrow.

I think I just made myself sick. But that's what I get for working in publishing.

gah

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

The Diamond Age, while possibly Stephenson's best, is not badly written, but it's missing a third act or something.

Re: gah

[katyakoshka.livejournal.com]

Or, at least, most of the scenes from the third act. It's two full acts, and then two scenes. You're done. It's my favorite Stephenson novel, but it ends too abruptly.

[greywanderer.livejournal.com]

you work in publishing? what do you do? that's one field I've been looking at, except I don't know how to get an entry level job.

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

Twas indeed an interesting article. thanks for pointing me to it.

[katyakoshka.livejournal.com]

I work for a small publishing/distributing company (foreign language, children's/educational, audiobooks, misc.) in the San Diego area.

I am an editorial assistant. I get paid beans, but it's close to home and it has decent benefits.

Personally, I got the job through nepotism. My mother is the editor-producer here. I'm her assistant, though I started out in marketing, and even did a holiday season and a summer in accounting.

Your best bet, from what I've read elsewhere, is to go for marketing and public relations positions, and apply from within when the editorial position open up. I think most large publishers tend to hire internally for the editorial department.

It's like getting sistered into an entertainment union for actors. Get into AFTRA, and both SAG and Equity will let you in. Get x hours of extra time in, you get into SEG, which is a gateway to AFTRA and SAG.

Anyhow, that's really apples and pears. Look for jobs in non-editorial depts. at publishers, hope you get hired, and keep working from there.

out of curiousity

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

I checked "publishers" on Yahoo's Yellow Pages, and came up with these ladies (http://www.saf.org/wg-subscription.html)...

[buckylea.livejournal.com]

okay here ya go laural: i don't like SF. raaaaah.
okay fine, i will admit that to me sf= HGTTG, which i dislike because of my evil 5th grade teacher.
so here's a challenge for you, suggest me a good sf book for a beginner. heh. one that will make me want to read more.

[greywanderer.livejournal.com]

very interesting article. simmons said a lot of things that I've thought. but he does overthink things a bit too much. he completely ignored the reader's emotional interaction with the novel, instead focusing on the intellectual interaction. so while I agree with what he said about irving, updike, etc., I think a novel can fail by Simmon's definition but still be a great success. I rather wonder what he'd say of tolkien.

[greywanderer.livejournal.com]

HGTTG was overrated I thought. same with some other classics like Stranger in a Strange Land. read Dune. it's not really hard core scifi, but it's the best in my not so humble opinion.

I agree entirely...

[wanton-bliss.livejournal.com]

... It's always felt to me like the story ended because Stephenson ran out of pages. But somehow both the writing and the world he has created keep me coming back.

Re: gah

[hotcrab.livejournal.com]

every stephenson novel ends too abruptly
its like he keeps writing until he gets tired, and then he decides
well, best i should end it within the next 20 pages

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

HHGTtG isn't the best of that series, actually. I mean it's funny or whatever but it doesn't touch on anything. If you had liked that, you could read Life, the Universe, and Everything. But since you didn't, I'd recommend Ender's Game by Card.

another great author is Connie Willis: If you want depressing, read The Doomsday Book; if you want funny, read To Say Nothing of the Dog, both about time travel.

My favorite "older" SF book is Asimov's The Caves of Steel, a murder mystery set a few hundred years in the future.

[buckylea.livejournal.com]

sandshoe!

[bewing.livejournal.com]

For readable SciFi, I'd recommend Shards of Honor, by Lois McMaster Bujold; Startide Rising by David Brin; Saturnalia by Grant Callin; Witches of Karres (or any of the Telzey Amberdon, or Trigger Argee, or short story compilations) by James Schmitz -- but his stuff is usually pretty short on the "Sci" part; perhaps Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper; The Peace War by Vernor Vinge has many good points; the Honor Harrington series by David Weber has a few good points -- and I understand his other series does too; and then you could go really wild and read the Lensman series by E.E. "Doc" Smith (pure SciFi space opera). Most of the individual books I mentioned have sequels.