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Investing futures in Science Fiction
01/10/2005 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
It seems every other of my editorials is being dominated by some world crisis or another these days, says Uncle Geoff. Be it war, natural or unnatural catastrophe or something in between, it doesn't feel right to just glibly go on about some unrelated subject as if nothing has happened. SF might be seen as escapism by outsiders but on many of its levels, it's an examination of our current reality which seems to be on the brink of falling apart bit by bit as I write which oddly enough doesn't quite reflect in our fiction. Hello everyone
It seems every other of my editorials is being dominated by some world crisis or another these days. Be it war, natural or unnatural catastrophe or something in between, it doesn't feel right to just glibly go on about some unrelated subject as if nothing has happened. SF might be seen as escapism by outsiders but on many of its levels, it's an examination of our current reality which seems to be on the brink of falling apart bit by bit as I write which oddly enough doesn't quite reflect in our fiction. We're here for the ride with no deux ex machina or sudden miracle inventions to put right things that have been allowed to break down in nature by human neglect over the past half-century other than allowing the world time to restore itself. The easiest way to do that is just cut back on doing what we've been doing that causes these things to happen. At the end of the day, we are all each other's keepers and need to share the responsibility irrespective of wealth and standing.
Normality across the world is definitely not in the eye of the beholder and in our living Science Fiction reality of today, these problems aren't the sort of thing that have appeared in our fiction as typical forecasts. They might be hinted at but SF tends to deal with one major crisis at a time rather than the amalgamated mix we seem to find ourselves in today. On paper, its very easy to write off planets and population but in reality, the cost is much more when we know sentient life is involved.
The question to ask is how far should this go in what is perceived to be an escapist literature or can it be used to raise SF to new heights and warnings of the way things are to come? After all, throughout its history, SF has had an indelible warning of things that could happen even if it hasn't been that close to the mark in all things. George Orwell might have predicted cameras watching your every move but not necessarily correct in thinking it would lead to an oppressive society...yet! There has to be a balancing act to show why certain actions are done with good intention and even good results once the mire of mis-use is sorted. To do otherwise tends to show nothing ever comes out of advancement which hardly reflects our reality.
Science Fiction that deals with catastrophes tend to divide into how we cope with the situation after the fact far more than living with it as it happens. Hardly surprising as few if any had experience of these things first hand. One can imagine and often very well but first-hand experience is much rarer until recent years. Putting things back together after a disaster or war is always up to discussion because, being an armchair general, you can do what you think what appropriate to ensure some of mankind's survival even if it invariably ends up being a set pattern of back-to-basics agriculture. To show everything leading up to the final problem would invariably take on book proportions of 'War And Peace' and, often as not, isn't deemed the most important element of the story if you want a happy ending. Writers are more interested in how we survive as opposed to did we survive for the better? They could easily claim the latter for another book if they chose to write it. Science Fiction really needs to look at solutions and consequences in a different light.
If anything, disaster movies have tended to be better coming from general fiction because it gives something easier to relate to. Being stuck in a burning tower block or even in a submarine is something that is easier to relate to than even an eye-burning meteor shower and the victims of stinging walking plants (no offence to John Wyndham fans here, its just an example most of you should recognise and was selected not for its out wayoutness but for comparable quality of writing) which uses elements we have yet to encounter. That's not to say that SF hasn't demonstrated more terrestrial catastrophes in fiction and film. Oddly enough, the resolutions tend to be rather more conventional rather than depend on a, shall we say, a more SF-type solution or a warning to pay heed before things get so bad.
A demonstration that, as commented above, that high-tech isn't always the answer and catastrophe SF tends to illustrate negative-tech. Then again, SF hasn't always shown the future to be rosy neither. The future, especially utopias when seen through the eyes of a renaissance man, are not seen to be so rosy because they lack challenge. Often as not, it's a reflection on Man at odds with his world if he is to have the desire to move on and combat its challenges. At his very core, Man is still very much a primeval animal taking on all in his path. If he ever out-grows that then we'll be seeing a future of couch potatoes except vegetables have a much more interesting life! Man can also loose if he hasn't got everything covered adequately.
We now have an unusual situation in that people and writers in particular have been in the front line of such experiences. What I hope will come out of all of this is that any genre author, let alone our own, who is going to tackle catastrophe storylines in future will have a better grasp on the template of what really goes on from the ground-level to political machinations to improve the realistic tone of what has gone on. Whether it will provide a more SF-type solution will depend on the writer. With SF, it is possible to hide things in metaphor or exaggerate into a greater disaster to put everyone's head on the chopping block to make a point.
Solutions are still armchair general manifestations though. How borderline to appear sympathetic to the ecology crowd or to proper practical solutions is open to the writer involved. The ways and answers to solutions doesn't come out like packet soup. Solutions have to evolve to new information and circumstances. A lot of the time, Science Fiction hasn't been there to show solutions but draw attention to the neglect by inaction. If we compare this to our current reality, then inaction is resulting in our problems of today.
There is more a need to act as one voice to our leaders to address these issues and do what they are elected to do: pull together the right people and make the right decisions to ensure there is a world for future generations to develop. To be optimistic we need to show that there might well be some light at the end of the tunnel rather than an extinction train ready to wipe us out. If Science Fiction can show the consequences of certain types of in-action or action as not being wholly viable, it gives everyone a chance to think twice.
As commented above, to many, especially those who aren't genre specific, Science Fiction is seen as the genre of escapism. Oddly enough, the proportion of stories to metaphoric comparability to our reality is oddly out of sync with this belief these days. Whether this is a fault of the publishers or only what writers turf out knowing they'll get a sell I'll leave you to debate. SF should be diverse enough for readers to take what they can from each story. The problem tends to be that when it becomes a marketing exercise then there are problems. Amazingly, the effect of successful Science Fiction films hasn't quite swung too much effect on the book world. Probably because their turnover is far more rapid than the deemed two year turnover in writing a book and cinema-goers seem them firstly as escapism.
Saying that, if SF is out for a resurgence then it would only be right to see something reflecting the changes in our current times if for no other reason than it has to lead the way. There's also a secondary problem is what new surprises can SF hold? We are living the living of a Science Fiction reality after all. We have high-tech computers, a developing cloning programme, potential genetically structured medicines and if funding is provided, a manned means to the nearby local planets in a decade or two with terrestrial side-benefits for the rest of us. The side-benefits from the original Apollo space programme gave us the jumps in computer technology and a multitude of things that we've all taken for granted today. A trip to Mars would up our crop developments amongst other things, which as stated in earlier editorials could well benefit the third world.
We also still have, unfortunately, our natural disasters and war and terrorism out-breaks. The only things we're missing in our current SF reality are visiting aliens and time travel. The latter is still proving to be impossible unless you own a TARDIS. Proven cases of real alien space travellers will ultimately change our world forever because we would have to question every value we've ever had. We just have to get on with what we've got and try to save the world before it destroys us from our own neglect. In SF, would yet more stories about the fall of the world to neglect or disaster be the kind of stories people will want to buy and read or will the sales of real-life survival manuals soar instead?
Global warming is by and large responsible for intensifying the effects on our weather and we've all seen the havoc that's causing. All the relief effort in the world isn't going to stop weather catastrophes from happening. There are no miracle cures other than a reduction in CO2 emissions until some better answer is discovered. Recent reports suggests it isn't just car emissions we have to stop but even that or aircraft. The clear message is that this isn't going to go away in a couple years. Science Fiction, even behind its level of escapism, needs to remind readers that even solutions to problems comes at a price we need to all afford. Without it, nature will turn on us and wait for the next species to turn sentient.
On that scary thought, thank you and good night
Geoff Willmetts
editor: SFCrowsnest.co.uk
(Less Serious) Thought For The Month: With Doctor Who's next season's villains likely to see the return of the Cybermen, I hope some thought is going to be given as to what happened to the female of their species. I mean, they can't all have been male and transforming themselves into cyborgs wasn't done because their species was dying off. So where are the Cyberwomen and do they look good in silver?
Something Zen for neo-writers to ponder on: History does not repeat itself. People and circumstances are never the same. So why should you use out reality's historical events and expect the same outcome. Is that lazy thinking or what?
PS 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 actually reading the product and telling others what you think. For that, we're always on the outlook for more reviewers. Apart from the ability to put words into sentences, you also need to know how to précis, either know or do a little research on associated subjects and can express opinions constructively expressing good and bad points about the books you 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, 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 of a book has to be a good incentive. We have one of the most popular 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. Review Guidelines:
PPS: For those keeping track, I'm still about 20 months (starting September 2003 this week) 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 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.
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 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. Be prepared to put a story away for a few weeks and go back to it for a self-edit. 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 and allow you to move a little higher up the ladder towards making your material look its best. Common Problems Link:
Please don't confuse this 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. Short Stories Link:
Don't forget also, we've got a teaching ground of one page stories, so check out the rules elsewhere on the website. Click here
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