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Reality. Reality.
01/01/2007 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
Playing with realities is a common theme in Science Fiction, says Uncle Geoff. Invariably, reality is manipulated for the mechanics of any story than in any other genre although there isn't really much in the way of first hand experience in this you would think. It's just taken as a given in SF that a reality can be tweaked and rules are changed as a means to differentiate from current reality, especially as so much is set in the future. Hello everyone
Playing with realities is a common theme in Science Fiction. Invariably, reality is manipulated for the mechanics of any story than in any other genre although there isn't really much in the way of first hand experience in this you would think. It's just taken as a given in SF that a reality can be tweaked and rules are changed as a means to differentiate from current reality, especially as so much is set in the future. But it doesn't really have anything to do with real life, does it? Well, that's what I first thought pondering what to write this month.
Two things made me change my mind. The first is how our individual sensory apparatus shapes what we see and hear around us, let alone how it is interpreted by individual experience. The second is we only have second-hand knowledge of comparison of the world about us, often through the interpretation of others and through the media. We might know how to relate to hardship and disaster but in other ways, unless its up close and personal, it might as well be in another world. Ergo, from being something which we don't have any experience of, different realities are a part of everyday life on planet Earth that we actually are seeing all the time. As its so commonplace that we take it for granted and don't really notice it. Something outside of what we are used to can stir our emotions or not depending on the individual mindset. Most of the time, though, we live in our own little worlds, interacting to get what we need personally to get by or close family and friends, being generous to other causes if we can afford to. Manipulation of others comes into the deal but lets not be over-complicated today.
In many respects, Science Fiction could well be seen as a reaction to the realities around us and we want something markedly different to chew over or to escape to. In some respects, it enables us to accept change better than many people and no doubt also explains why some of us dig their heels in when things change too quickly. I mean, there are fewer technophobes in the SF community cos so many of you are here reading this column. You might not want to know how to programme them but you're not intimidated by them neither.
On reflection, you should be able to confirm my own observations and test for yourself whether I'm right or not. The one person whom you are most familiar with, irrespective of spouse or boy/girl-friend, is yourself. Mostly because its been there the longest in your life. It is your measuring stick of other people and things - your own personal template to how you measure people and things you love or hate. It only becomes a surprise or re-evaluation when you discover other people or situations aren't like yourself and worse, they aren't relating to the world in a similar way to yourself that your perception on reality can change. Is it any wonder that the herd instinct kicks in when we find people of a similar disposition we can relate to? Safety in numbers.
It can't be ever more apparent when you discover many people don't have your level of imagination or even an interest in Science Fiction. Always kinda scary to find you're in the minority, isn't it? If anything, the reverse tends to be emphasised and we tend to be seen as the outsiders to those with the most common interests. This problem might have eroded a little in the age of the SF film blockbuster but the intensity of interest still sets us apart. We might understand the intensity of a fan reaction but others with it in other subjects fail to recognise any common ground that spurs a subject for attention. It needs the ability to encompass a taste and see it as others see it. Mind you, we can all be accused of being blinkered in that respect at one time or other.
This should then make another thing apparent because outside of our internal reality, the second stage reality is pretty much tribal as to which group we belong to. Indeed, depending on the day of the week, we can all belong to different tribal groups depending on what we are doing. It takes more steps and different peer groups before it reaches national let alone global level. In fact, I would go as far to say that because there is so many differences across the people around the globe, except for in the most basic ways, it would be impossible to fully relate to them any more than they can to us. We are all trapped in our mini-realities where co-existence can be accepted only so far.
These observations are all well and good but as we're supposed to be in the applied world of Science Fiction, does such knowledge serve us at all in the real world? Does it only apply to alien species or do they have a much firmer gestalt of togetherness than ourselves? Can we apply this to make a better connection of them and us to the reader? Does it make people with psionic abilities closer or just more aware of the problem? Should it have a firmer grip on the hero or heroine of the piece in sorting out a problem but not questioning whether striving towards a previous reality is good or bad? These are all facets of this way of thinking. If it works in fiction then think how far it goes in real life? Then wonder why you aren't applying it more in understanding other people or are we all victims of our own limitations?
Two of the things that motivates humans are selfishness and sacrifice. Both are actually diagonally apart from each other but have an effect on how it shapes our individual reality. Selfishness is more akin to self-interest. The need to preserve your own reality. Self-sacrifice is the need to preserve the lives of others at the cost of your own reality. There are uneven measures of both in all of us. How strongly each side of the line reacts depends entirely on the situation. Invariably, self-sacrifice is more an instinctual thing or spur-of-the-moment decision which we might not even commit if we think about it. This is quite unlike any act of selfishness purely because there has been much more thought of what you want to get out of life. It makes it easier to distinguish between the two although impossible to guess for individual reality until it's seen in action.
However, they do motivate how you perceive the reality around you. Awareness of the plight of others will cause you to do something, even if it's only to put money in a charity box as the least you can do. Selfishness can derive from selecting a favourite food to darn right hostility ensuring you get a job instead of someone else. The step outside of your personal reality isn't always arbitrary and a lot of the time you aren't even aware of it - it just is. If anything, keeping it wrapped up to some extent also preserves the mind from over-doing it.
It would be a shame if we were all alike but it does indicate that we need to understand other people's realities if we are to become a more tolerant society but it needs to work from everyone. We in the SF community appear to be have a liking for tasting outside of present reality so something to be considerate with and spread by example to the people we know who aren't. If we can spread how we can accept and move with the times effortlessly with others, then we are also contributing to our own well-being and that of others.
Thank you, take care, good night and be safe - 2007 is a long year.
Geoff Willmetts
editor: SFCrowsnest.co.uk
Less Serious Thought # 1: I think its time that a polar bear was invited to explain to President George Bush its point of view on global warming.
Less Serious Thought: Isn't it about time we had the film of Predator With His Kids Visits Jurrasic Park??
Something that puzzles me: Seeking enormously high primary numbers. Why? It doesn't change the universe.
A real Zen thought:With Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger unlikely to be in the next Terminator film, I wonder if anyone has given any thought to recasting with Lance Henrickson who did the original test for the first film? All right, he's no spring chicken now but nether is Arnie. Terminators are supposed to be infiltration units. Arnie could hide out in a muscle beach but who's going to suspect an old man as being a threat?
A real Zen thought:Never judge a TV series by its opening episodes. Love or hate it when you've reached the end of the season cos chances are that's what the production crew do as well.
Another real Zen thought but this time for potential writers: If you can express an opinion independently of others and aren't likely to bend to the masses then you might show potential as a writer.
BOOK REVIEWS
PS Do you love Science Fiction, horror or fantasy books? Do you read? Able to string words into sentences? Then read on...you maybe what we need... If you've survived this far in the editorial, let me reiterate something from the website newsletter and the above editorial. As you can see from the main page, we have one of the biggest SF/fantasy/horror monthly reviews columns on the Net. Our success has increased the number of books that comes in and our policy is to read everything before giving a review. You want the bottom line about what you're going to choose to read. We roadtest books so you have some idea of what you're letting yourself in for. That means we need people actually willing to read the book and tell others what they think in reviews. For that, we're always on the outlook for more reviewers. Do you think you have what it takes to review a book?
It's a skill that can be easily mastered and we need a few more. Apart from the ability to put words into sentences, you also need to know how to précis, do a little research on associated subjects and can express opinions constructively about the good and bad points about the books you read. We even let you choose from our pile of received books rather than foster something on you that you wouldn't normally read. You'll even get a little editorial help in how to write good copy and that can always lead to other things. I did say you have to love books and willing to read beyond your favourite authors, didn't I? If you like reading books in the genre, can really think and show you can write a decent review and, most importantly, live in the British Isles (sorry, expense, time and distance travelled mostly prohibits elsewhere), then use the link below and see our requirements. We can't pay you but a review for the price and regular supply of new books, this has to be a good incentive. We have one of the most popular and biggest SF review columns on the Net. Do you think you're up to writing a review? If you think you can, then you're really going to think you've landed your hands in the biscuit tin. It won't hurt to try and see if you have the right stuff. Look up the Review Guidelines:
WHAT WE LOOK FOR IN CONTRIBUTORS AND WRITING GENERALLY
PPS: For those keeping track, I'm still about 22 months (mid-January 2005) behind. Fortunately, 2005 and 2006 was lighter so should catch up by next year this time. With going through the ebook samples, I have removed some who've gotten published elsewhere. Thank you for your patience but let me know if you've sold elsewhere so I can reduce my pile or if you've changed address, especially e-mail address. I can't give you my comments unless either is up to date. Currently, doing spot-checks to see if you're still there when I reach your sample in the pile is making it easier on my time and catching up on the slush pile. This isn't much of a repeat, just to show you're not forgotten. Those sending in ebook samples, be prepared for a long wait and read the Guidelines with your mouse here: elsewhere on this website They are there to help you do some of the right things and reduce the number of times I'm repeating myself over silly grammatical errors and spelling mistakes that you shouldn't be making. It makes editing a lot easier if any editor has less work pointing out poor English which should have been sorted out in the first place and more focused on other areas of your work. As a writer, it is your command of the English language and its grammar that will show how serious you are about writing.
NOVEL-LENGTH AND OTHER WRITING
General advice for those who want to become writers of any sort: There's an old editorial adage, if you can't aim for perfection why should an editor nurse-maid you to that state? If you're a writer, then you should understand the words, sentences and grammar of the job you're supposed to be writing or are you considering it as mundane and boring as any other job to get right? Fall in love with making every sentence the best you're ever written, read up and understand the rules of grammar. Put the time in researching any subject you're using in the story. Be prepared to put a story away for a few weeks and go back to it for a self-edit. Even I do that. A lot of the time, errors will just stare you in the face when you didn't see them the first time round. Once you know where your weaknesses are, they can be sorted out and allow you to move a little higher up the ladder towards making your material look its best. Look up the Common Problems Link with your mouse here:
SHORT STORY SLUSH PILE
Please don't confuse the above link with my short story slush pile which is kinda low at the moment. We're always willing to give short story writers a chance to be seen if they can withstand my scrutiny even if we can't pay for their efforts, your material will be seen by a lot of people. If you can get a short story written well then it'll make it easier to move up to novel length. Look up the Short Stories Link with your mouse here
FLASH OR ONE-PAGE FICTION
Don't forget also, we've got a teaching ground of one page stories, so check out the rules elsewhere on the website. Flash fiction stories link: with your mouse here.
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