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Do it again
01/02/2007 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
It occurred to Uncle Goeff recently that there was another thing that sets us, that is people interested in SF, fantasy and horror, apart from people who aren't. Namely, it is our capacity to re-read books and even more endless replays of our favourite SF films and TV series which demonstrates a seemingly lack in the boredom threshold when doing so. Hello everyone
It occurred to me recently that there was another thing that sets us, that is people interested in SF, fantasy and horror, apart from people who aren't. Namely, it is our capacity to re-read books and even more endless replays of our favourite SF films and TV series which demonstrates a seemingly lack in the boredom threshold when doing so. I'm not excusing myself here as this editorial should reveal. Excuse me if I focus on the films and TV series aspect but these tend to out-number the times we re-read books. The real question is why we do it so much?
Is it because of familiarity or like a favourite wine, improves with repeat viewing let alone seeing how our memory stays or improves no matter how much older we get? You don't find that with other genres. I mean, romance and adventure readers are quite happy to plough through a lot of books with the same plot but not go back. They might watch a film on TV but not necessarily want to watch it repetitively. The only fanaticism that way is probably reserved for the classics but even their readers will probably say they aren't shallow reads or viewing. With the other film genres, if it's on the box then its watched, only the real fanatics go out and buy them. They might also buy if they know it's edited for TV or don't want the adverts but that can be true of anything. Although saying that can also be a reason to buy when we can all be swept along by advertising hype. Maybe its our own fanaticism that is purely the spark but it doesn't explain the desire to go over old ground with quite the intensity we all seem to share. Are we that obsessive or are we getting more out of the material than the more casual viewer?
It's an interesting quandary and I suspect reasons will still vary from person to person. So rather than say a particular pattern fits us all, more likely some of the things below are more likely to fit depending on the time of life and what motivates us.
Nostalgia. Even the word says a fondness for things past. We want to be reminded of the good times in our life and in our youth this was more interesting than what was going on around us in the real world. The atypical image of the past being better than the present is always likely to occur. After all, we remember the best of times easier than the worst of times. More paradoxically with SF when the past is looking at a possible future that is no longer viable with what is there today it must hit the old nostalgia strings. Mind you, I think we're less amoured by the shiny clean future and silver suits of the past. To look back to something that was safer can often seem like a cushion against things that are radically different today. It could also be perceived as a safe ride. We know what is happened and share some affinity that there is something stable in our lives. We might well be looking for the kick we had when we first read the book or watched the film or TV series. The fact that we can get it again, providing we are sensible about giving a reasonable gap between reading or viewing must tell us something about ourselves. For me this is more like finding something that I didn't see there the first time or something that needs further investigating. It could also be seen as needing my fix and a long overdue viewing.
Is it as good as we remember? A lot of that can be attributed to age not to mention availability. Considering until the late 70s, that no series or film was under as close a scrutiny as it is has now there has to be a balance to what we perceive and we need to re-affirm our memories and pleasure kick. Getting a different perspective or observation from other sources is often a good reason to look again. I mean, how many of you folk, myself included, watched the 1977 'Star Wars' film time after time and still couldn't spot the stormtrooper hitting his head on the overhang? It wasn't until a blooper reel on TV a couple years ago that I knew where to look and then I shrugged my shoulders as if I cared once I knew. It probably told more about me that I just liked watching the film rather than looking for mistakes.
Although I'm including this here, I'm still not sure what the interest is in taking a book, film or TV series apart looking for mistakes and errors. No one's perfect and they certainly weren't put together with this in mind. I mean, is there anyone out there this side of Mary Poppins who is perfect in every way? If anything, I think this takes repetition a little too far. It tends to suggest an idle mind looking for something to do while the plot unfolds rather than remembering the pleasure of watching the story.
A liking for perfection. I'm sure there are some things you'll watch or read again thinking that it would be hard to better and never get tired of. Picking favourites out of these is a lot tougher but amongst mine, you can't really beat the first two 'Alien' films and the British Channel 4 series 'Ultraviolet' is beyond reproach. One might even call this the awe factor. We all have our favourites where we think this applies and call our sacred cows and woe behold anyone who disagrees. Fortunately, they aren't all the same or life would be very dull. Comparing them in such a fashion is more a contest of popularity than any real discussion of individual merits. Not all SF films are the same. If you have to do comparisons, then it would be between like and like. A time travel show is unlike a starship show so why should one be better than the other just because they are catalogued as Science Fiction? This is probably why I don't really care for Top Ten or Hundred selections as if order makes any real difference to favourites. I have a lot of favourites. I don't need to put them in any particular order. Mind you, it's a lot easier to recognise why a show, film or book can fail on but we that's not quite the same thing.
The converse is also true. We like some series purely for its imperfections. The endearment factor, often without a hint of guilt. I doubt there is anyone here of a particular age who hasn't seen any of the Irwin Allen TV series without recalling something about them even if the subject is iffy. We can all get out kicks or joie de vivre out of direct contrast and it probably balances our tastes out.
Of course, there is the neglected obsession level where some fans find their niche and go into recycle overload although it is questionable if they weren't there purely for a particular series than SF fans in general. How obsessed we are depends on a lot of factors. Counting the number of times you've seen something falls between obsessive and sad and certainly has no bearing on how much you can remember. As discussed in previous editorials, the desire to belong to a tribe affects non-conformists when they realise there are others with similar tastes. If you want something to ponder on: are the real non-conformists those of us who have an interest in all things SF than those who specialise in one part of the pie? Are we considered odder if your tastes even stray from the SF line?
A final factor is that there's nothing else worth watching at the moment. When hasn't that happened between seasons of any show? That's got to be a good a reason as any to get a fix of anything in these down times. When growing up, these lean times happened a lot. If anything, the past couple decades have become a golden period of available SF on television as much as the cinema screens and if anything we've become spoilt for choice. When this is weighed up with DVD availability, we should all be licking our lips or feeling disappointed when some shows are still languishing in the vaults when it wouldn't cost a fortune to see if there is an audience out there. The current generations don't know anything different but don't feel spoilt. Whether this particular bubble will ever burst is hard to say. Certainly production costs are higher but the longevity is much longer lasting.
As pointed out at the beginning, I've focused more on TV series than films and books even to the point of describing as 'viewing' but you'll have to forgive the lack of any other suitable adjective. If anything, I think that there is a stronger focus on them than the latter. I mean, a film or book you can fit in anywhere. To re-watch an entire season or series in one go more than once requires a certain amount of commitment. It doesn't necessarily mean you'll watch all the episodes one after the other in quick succession but there does appear a stronger desire to re-acquaint with old friends occasionally. The desire to take them out of their box and watch again then becomes untenable without doing so. Whatever, its certainly a lot more fun than looking into thin air and twiddling your thumbs. Hmm...when that happens I have this little desire to write instead but that's quite a different obsession.
Thank you, take care, good night and be safe and enjoy your obsession Geoff Willmetts editor: SFCrowsnest.co.uk
A thought to ponder re: Torchwood. As we know that the man who would be Captain Jack Harkness only borrowed the name and bearing in mind his indestructibility, could one suppose that his real name is Paul Metcalf? If you don't get that, Google the connection and roll that drum beat.
Less Serious Thought # 1: I'm very puzzled with these radio controlled clocks, mostly cos I can't use a remote to use them or see them whizz around the room.
Less Serious Thought To Ponder On # 2: The TV Incredible Hulk. Why didn't David Banner ever consider taking anger management courses?
Far be it for this editorial to get political but...it'll be interesting to see who President Bush thinks is his natural successor although I understand Homer Simpson is refusing to run for office.
Phil Jones, one of my reviewing team, sent this gem to me in January:- Apparently its been discovered that if you play a Microsoft Windows CD backwards it plays satanic messages... But what's worse is if you play it forwards, it installs Windows!
To which I replied: Better than the Mac CDs, as they come with fries.
A real Zen thought:All the humming in the world will not stop global warming.
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.
For all links, run your mouse across the last line of every entry. They are there.
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 (February 2005 - this was a relatively quiet year so watch the months fly by shortly) behind. 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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