You probably have ADHD and if you don't, it's been induced by the constant flow of small bits of information. It's like candy. It's sitting there on your desk, so you can reach out for just one more bite. Even if it's bad for you and rots your teeth and keeps you from getting anything done. (It's not a perfect metaphor.)
I never seem to get started writing. I'm always in a state of "get caught up on Twitter". Just need to check that Tumblr post, read that article on HuffPo, reply to some comments on a blog. Check email one more time. And don't get me started on Facebook! (Which is why I never get started on Facebook.)
Social media may be lowering our attention spans from minutes to seconds. There has been some criticism about the data used on that inforgraphic, but anecdotally, I know this to be true. On a busy social media day, I give every piece of information about 7 seconds, and if it fails to interest me, I'm on to the next thing.
When I finally do get caught up, I open a blank Word document to get started on the next story. I give that white page a whole 7 seconds. When nothing happens, I check Twitter.
Fact: It takes more than 7 seconds to write a story.
Usually it takes way more than 7 seconds to even put down the first line. This goes for most other writing tasks, like editing, revisions, reading, critiquing, outlining, brainstorming, and even blog-post-writing.
About the only activity that doesn't suffer is research. Online research. And only on Wikipedia pages that are shorter than 500 words.
To solve this problem, I first moved my writing area away from my "fun computer". I made a rule to check Twitter only on the fun computer or on my phone. So I started checking it on my phone.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Friday, May 25, 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Science Realism in Fiction
I came across a great article last week about the science in science fiction. It was written by Jenny Cabotage, who is both a fantasy writer and a biologist. As a scientist who "knows better", how does she handle slightly unrealistic science in the spec fic she consumes?
She sits back and enjoys the ride.
That conclusion took me a while to come to. Even as a kid, I reveled in finding technicalities in the science fiction I consumed. Remember, this was the late 80's and 90's, when our TV scifi diet consisted of Star Trek and Quantum Leap. Scientific errors were low-hanging fruit. Explosions would never be very large in oxygen-free space, we could never upload a virus into an alien ship and expect it to be compatible, and if you go back in time and even breathe, you will change the future.
Or my biggest pet peeve: Why is the evil guy always ugly??
Maybe that's why I loved reading classic SF so much. Isaac Asimov, a biochemist himself, always wrote stories that seemed at least plausible. Even those I considered far-fetched, like the famous "stars" who recorded their dreams to sell as mass media, become more possible as time wears on.
As I learned to write, I promised myself I would never make the cardinal mistake of Star Trek aliens, where each race was basically a human with advanced makeup and appliances. Aliens won't be humanoid. They'll be weird!
As I got even older, I noticed that even fictional aliens who weren't humanoid tended to be modeled after earth animals. You've got the stereotypical reptile race, the ape race, the insect race, the lion or cat race, the cute mammalian race, and the fish people. Also lame. Can't these people think of anything more interesting?
Then I learned about certain concepts of character development. The reader must sympathize with the characters. They need to feel connected. They need to relate. And it's really hard, if not impossible, to make a reader relate to a gelatinous blob with purple dots that thinks in binary and can merge with another of its species and come away as a different creature.
She sits back and enjoys the ride.
That conclusion took me a while to come to. Even as a kid, I reveled in finding technicalities in the science fiction I consumed. Remember, this was the late 80's and 90's, when our TV scifi diet consisted of Star Trek and Quantum Leap. Scientific errors were low-hanging fruit. Explosions would never be very large in oxygen-free space, we could never upload a virus into an alien ship and expect it to be compatible, and if you go back in time and even breathe, you will change the future.
Or my biggest pet peeve: Why is the evil guy always ugly??
Maybe that's why I loved reading classic SF so much. Isaac Asimov, a biochemist himself, always wrote stories that seemed at least plausible. Even those I considered far-fetched, like the famous "stars" who recorded their dreams to sell as mass media, become more possible as time wears on.
As I learned to write, I promised myself I would never make the cardinal mistake of Star Trek aliens, where each race was basically a human with advanced makeup and appliances. Aliens won't be humanoid. They'll be weird!
As I got even older, I noticed that even fictional aliens who weren't humanoid tended to be modeled after earth animals. You've got the stereotypical reptile race, the ape race, the insect race, the lion or cat race, the cute mammalian race, and the fish people. Also lame. Can't these people think of anything more interesting?
Then I learned about certain concepts of character development. The reader must sympathize with the characters. They need to feel connected. They need to relate. And it's really hard, if not impossible, to make a reader relate to a gelatinous blob with purple dots that thinks in binary and can merge with another of its species and come away as a different creature.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
What's So Wrong with Being the Healer?
Today an interesting conversation came up in my Twitter feed. It echoed a conversation I had with one of my daughters yesterday, about the role of gender and the celebration of fighting over more peaceful activities. With my daughter, we discussed girl cartoons vs boy cartoons.
Specifically, Jem, who uses science and technology to create music, vs. the Transformers, who use science and technology to cause devastating explosions. Even though my daughter is female, she thought the girl-shows were lame. Shooting things was much, much better.
The Twitter conversation was about gaming, specifically related to today's release of Diablo III.
One could easily imagine a man mocking a female gamer by making the above statement in a highpiched voice. "And then my girlfriend was all like, 'Are there healer thingies? Can I follow you around and heal all the things? PLEASE?' and I was all line, no ho, get back in the kitchen!" (Cue bass laughter.)
I didn't see the original post first. I saw the reaction:
Specifically, Jem, who uses science and technology to create music, vs. the Transformers, who use science and technology to cause devastating explosions. Even though my daughter is female, she thought the girl-shows were lame. Shooting things was much, much better.
The Twitter conversation was about gaming, specifically related to today's release of Diablo III.
I'm kind of excited about playing D3 with the Boyfriend. Are there healers? Can I follow him around and heal all the things?Oestrus is a woman. For those who might not automatically guess, this statement is potentially controversial in a gender-politics kind of way. Why? Because stereotypically, women are healers in games. Moreover, this reflects real life, in which women are healers, nurturers, and in general, sissies. (The word "sissy" was invented to describe what weak little girls women can be. Men can be unflatteringly accused of being in this state.)
— Oestrus (@OriginalOestrus) May 15, 2012
One could easily imagine a man mocking a female gamer by making the above statement in a highpiched voice. "And then my girlfriend was all like, 'Are there healer thingies? Can I follow you around and heal all the things? PLEASE?' and I was all line, no ho, get back in the kitchen!" (Cue bass laughter.)
I didn't see the original post first. I saw the reaction:
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