Do you ever have or do a reality check? Not quite the same thing as an identity crisis where you’re not sure about your place in the universe. If anything, a reality check is the antithesis of that because you’re questioning what constitutes and makes your world as it is and your part in it rather than what makes you tick. In other words, is the world really as you see it?

Hello everyone

Do you ever have or do a reality check?

Not quite the same thing as an identity crisis where you’re not sure about your place in the universe. If anything, a reality check is the antithesis of that because you’re questioning what constitutes and makes your world as it is and your part in it rather than what makes you tick. In other words, is the world really as you see it? More importantly, have you been assessing it badly or wrong up until that point? Do you or are you spotting the glue rising up around the wallpaper edges? It makes the belief that aliens are walking amongst us pale in comparison or is that just a metaphor for what I’m about to describe?

I mean, do you evaluate current reality as being in your image as you’ve been taught, do you think it’s either a little more cunning than that or maybe too cunning and that you hadn’t spotted it until you evaluated it further. If the latter, then you’re having a reality check. Nothing to do with thinking reality is some sort of Matrix thing where you have to take a red or blue pill to get out. You’re stuck in here for the life-time and this is more akin to understanding your reality and the people that inhabit the world. It’s probably akin to conspiracy practice where no one is exactly telling the truth about anything so you wonder what’s real and isn’t and then getting on with the life you lead. Whether this mean instigate an identity crisis or a re-evaluation of your life, I’ll leave you to decide...for now.

For the record, I’m real. See. You can touch these words on your monitor with your finger and I won’t go away. Writers never lie. Then again, that’s not true. If we write fiction, we’re telling lies all the time but there’s often a bit of moral truth hidden in there sometimes as well. There’s also a lot of truth sometimes as well but that’s only seen from a particular perspective and often a metaphor to get past particular people’s sensibilities. As this isn’t fiction, expect me to be honest. Would I lie to you? Then again, how would you tell the difference? There is so often a knife-edge between truth, half-truths, white lies and damn lies. A full spectrum of honesty to lies in fact.

Everyone seems to be in on it, including yourself when you do look at yourself whether a partaker or accepting it being done by others, so you wonder if that’s all there is to the world? In some respects, it can also destroy your trust in people and things when you discover so much of it is going on. Well, unless you take it into account whenever you make a decision, which is something you’re making all the time. I’m pretty sure most of you reading this editorial today actually take such things into account in your evaluations and decision-making, even if you let some things ride providing they don’t upset you personally.

I felt this way after reading and reviewing the book ‘Hippo Eats Dwarf’ by Alex Boese this month. You can check what I wrote about the book when you read the reviews or come back after.

I can wait.
I’m not going away.
I’m still here.
I’m always here.
Would I lie to you?

For those who are advanced, you could always have both windows up at the same time. For those of you who would just rather read on, a quick recap. The book describes the various hoaxes that are going on out there in the real world. Not just played by individuals but often by whole institutions. If you thought such things were just limited to fraudsters, practical jokers and advertising then this book is definitely an eye-opener to how much is done and how much we take for granted or let ride. Those listed in the book are only those revealed. There must be ones he missed or new ones edging under your consciousness waiting to spring out and say, ‘Boo!!!’ The world seems to be enveloped in lies. Is it any wonder some people think the world conspires against them? This can make you paranoid unless you look at things in an odd sort of way.

I suspect much of the time that we treat hoaxes and lies as part of our way of life. We tell the little odd white lie and probably expect others to do the same to us where the truth would hurt more than not really knowing. There’s an acceptance that other people might be doing such things for the right reasons and it only gets out of hand when we discover it wasn’t which is probably when it hurts the most. Whether it infringes on friendship or not depends entirely on what it’s about or whether there was a justified reason, providing you’re prepared to listen to it. Hopefully, most of it is to avoid hurt feelings or to untangle something without making things worse than it could be. Ultimately, you end up constantly evaluating what you’re told against what you know or believe. I expect a few hope they’re never put in such a situation to do the same themselves but with constant contact with people I find that unlikely. Then again, I qualify as a natural cynic. As a multi-functional, I look at things from every level.

I also tend to think evaluating things based on what you just believe rather than the facts to aid a decision to be a tad on the dangerous side. It’s too easy to get some viewpoint in your head, consciously or unconsciously, purely at face value and get fixated at it without evaluating its worth or be prepared to argue for or against something. You’ll notice that when I write articles I tend to balance the good and bad points before you before making a choice so you can see where my logic is coming from. If the belief suddenly turns out to be a hoax or lie, your whole world is going to drop away from you with nothing to cushion the fall. That, too, would be a reality check. You’re re-evaluating what you believe against the evidence.

If anything, a hoax is just a black lie on a larger scale without the April Fool being announced afterwards. To reveal something is a hoax is more akin to brinkmanship and large egos wanting to prove they could put a lie past you. So it makes more sense to always evaluate what you read or told and differentiate between fact and fiction as well as who tells you what in this reality.

All of this shows there’s a strong connection to fiction. Oddly, though, outside of criminals, grifters and their con games, the characters in stories, regardless of genre or side, tend to be pretty virtuous. Whether this is the fault of the writers for not wanting to complicate things too much is something that should raise a few debates. Maybe we like to see our characters, good, bad and supporting, as being better than ourselves or there’s a genuine lacking in comparing to how our reality works by simplifying. Maybe it would make the characters too grey and less well-defined as to their roles in the story.

From my own perspective, I don’t think I’ve ever really considered it except for dealing with Kataya Oberon and her clan and that was because they aren’t atypical characters so anything is possible. For my defence, the Fey do what they like and don’t see the necessity of telling everyone their business. It makes it tougher to write them then easier cos I can’t clue the readers in as to what they’re doing and even I have to look over the plot to see if I’ve missed their angle and have to constantly think in their mindset. As it’s so different from my own, it means a lot more thinking. As such, I can understand why authors don’t really want to go that far all the time even with aliens and fantasy beings.

Unless it’s a retrospective novel where the character is being called upon to evaluate his or her life and then it has to be demonstrated to show the reasons for any behaviour, such patterns are rarely done beyond that. To do it for all the characters would probably be a nightmare for the readers to follow let alone the writer to keep straight. As with most storytelling, things are brought down to a minimum that allows for certain behaviour patterns to be representative than for all. On a grand scale of population in regular reality, representation tends not to happen and evidence and opinion can spread like wildfire.

Maybe making characters too realistic is not something readers look for when they come to fiction. Maybe it makes things far too complicated and too close to our own reality which is often what they are escaping for something a little simpler. Maybe it’s only an effect of the continental west than other parts of the world. If that’s the case, then why do we let it carry on in our reality and not carry over the fictional depiction as the better choice for an easier life? Is the ‘rat race’ so complicated that we can’t make an argument for all of us to be reasonably honest or at least not to hoax everyone?

How’s that for some heavy thoughts for the beginning of autumn for you to ponder on?

Maybe I’m just having you on?
I hope not.
All it needs is a clear head to evaluate truth from lies and by reasoning more than emotion.
Would I lie to you?

Thank you, take care, good night and cue in some honest thought. Accept no hoaxes.
Geoff Willmetts
editor: SFCrowsnest.co.uk

Observation: The plot thickens but only if you use gravy stock.

A Zen thought:The distance between a smile and a cry is only a tear.

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.

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.

Zen for those who are scared by all the instructions below: Many of the instructions are things you should be doing automatically if you’re developing your writing skills. If you do them already then focus on the ones that you don’t get right. They are there to help you as much as me to get the best writing from you. If you think you’re 80% there then I’ll help you get the final 20%. Trust me, I’m an editor and I can get things right.


BOOK REVIEWS
Do you love books?
Do you like curling up and reading a book?
Do you have a preference for fantasy, SF or horror? We really could do with some fantasy readers!!!
Do you find it the greatest pastime you have next to being on your computer?
Are you very vocal about what you like and don't like in what you read?
Would you like to share your thoughts with others about books?
Would you like an endless supply of books to do this with?
Do you live in the UK?
Can you spare an hour every day?
Are you finding the recession is hitting your book buying habit?

If you've been nodding your head up to this point then link in below and see if you have what it takes to be a reviewer at SFCrowsnest. If you have that special knack to read and write or want to develop said skill then the only way you're going to find out is to take the plunge yourself rather than wait for others to do it first. Reading a lot of books is a requisite for any writer. Being able to say what makes them good or bad hones your own skills. Even if you're just happy with reading with a little writing on the side then this might be for you. It's got to be better than waiting for the sun to come out in this weird summer. It's also amazing how much you can read in an hour a day.

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 and give it a roadtest before giving a review so you have some idea of what you're letting yourself in for. You want the bottom line about what you're going to choose to read. That means we need people actually willing to read the book and tell others they're opinion 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. If you love fantasy, we have more than enough to keep you busy for instance.

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'm not as scary as I sound editorially and its better to do the test review and see how you fare than not attempt to see how well you did. 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 and can average two or three a month, 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 to see if you have what it takes.

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 by sending me a sample review to show me you can write. If you want an added incentive, it can also be good for your CV.

Look up the Review Guidelines by linking here: with a press of a mouse button.

SHORT STORY SLUSH PILE

We always have an interest in short stories which can be anything from one to thirty or so pages long. 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 by linking here with your mouse.

FLASH OR ONE-PAGE FICTION

We've also a teaching ground of one page stories, so check out the rules elsewhere on the website. It's far too easy to just write and write and hope something good comes out of it. What writing a one page story does is test your ability to control your word count and still tell a story in a concise way. This doesn't mean we don't accept stories of different lengths - a short story can be anything up to 30-40 pages long after all - but opens up the means for really short stories from ideas that don't need as much space.

Flash fiction stories by linking here: with your mouse.

NOVEL-LENGTH SAMPLES IN THE FIRST INSTANCE

For those keeping track, I'm actually now caught up but don't tell everyone as I'm undecided as to whether to keep looking at novel-length story samples, move over specifically to short stories - which we do anyway for the website - or get a couple of my own book projects completed. The latter, I still intend to do anyway.

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 if you're serious about becoming a writer. It makes editing a lot easier if any editor has less work pointing out poor English which you should have been sorted out in the first place and more focused on other areas of your work that deal with plot and the other serious elements of storywriting. As a writer, it is your command of the English language and its grammar that will show how serious you are about writing.

There might not be much of a wait unless I get a deluge, however those sending in ebook samples, please read the Guidelines by linking here with your mouse here or through the bottom line menu on the opening page of the SFC website.

EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT WRITING BUT AFRAID TO ASK

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? Nominally, my job is to catch minor glitches not total mishaps. 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. You look good. I make you look better but you have to start off with good.

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 and more importantly, getting your material seen by readers.

The link here will show you the Common Problems Link page and what I see mostly with your mouse. It's the smart writer who doesn't get caught out with these.

Good luck. Geoff