Meme: 11 things I will strive my best never to put in a fantasy novel
Note: So sorry for the lack of responses... time has not been my friend. Will get back to everyone as soon as I can!
I found this meme while trolling around Livejournal. Limyaael is the Net handle of an expert fantasy book reviewer and writer extraordinaire, and she made a rather interesting list herself, which is here.
After Limyaael made the list, someone suggested that she make a story out of it just for fun, which she did, and it turned out to be absolutely brilliant. I just have to link it here: The Gates of the Moon
I thought about my own answers, and did this meme myself. I don't have it in me to write a story with these elements yet, but it would certainly be great if other people made a story out of their lists too, just for the laughs.
It would also be a great way to find out if there's a pattern to the things Filipinos have grown tired of in the spec fic that they read.
...However, truth be told i'm not conscious about the things i want to write, so i definitely see myself betraying this list from time to time.
Eleven things I will strive my best never to put in a fantasy novel unless I am trying to undermine them, and in fact could do without entirely from now on, thanks.
- Side characters who'll have enormous significance in the first part of the story (i.e. recruiting the protagonist, getting the protagonist pregnant, etc) then not having a suitable resolution made out for them. For the rest of the story they're just... hanging around.
- Magic schools that suspiciously resemble Hogwarts.
- GLBTQ characters suffering a needlessly gruesome death. Because seriously, Orson Scott Card.
- Extraordinarily powerful yet weak-willed and whiny protagonists who cycle between being bitchslapped, adored, and rescued.
- (in science fiction) Serums that instantaneously change the members of ONE species into ANOTHER species, with an entirely different biological makeup and mode of social consciousness. And the best part is, the effect is reversible! *coughretroviruscough*
- Reluctant child/teen heroes. Especially those who angst liberally about having to save the world while so young.
- Instant fixes to worlds/cities that have experienced massive destruction. Wave your hand and it's aaaall back to normal!
- Plain and simple lack of cultural and ideological diversity.
- Characters gifted with such "otherworldly beauty" that everyone, including the protagonist/s, ends up having a crush on them. Then they have a doomed relationship with one of the side characters and die.
- Unlimited but destructible power sources. Such as a big rock that is supposed to be the source of all evil in the universe.
- "...and then she woke up."
Dungeons, Dragons, Kapres and Tikbalangs: Local Folklore as Launchpad for Speculative Fiction
Recently, I had a brief conversation with an online friend in Russia about spec fic. The conversation was sparked by her mentioning that in Russia, fiction that involves vampires, werewolves and other creatures from foreign mythology, is still considered somewhat inferior to realist fiction - one of the reasons being, readers are expected to have trouble relating to supernatural characters.
This revived my interest in Russian speculative fiction, as I've never really thought that Russia's literary evolution could run parallel to ours in some aspects. Since I was little I've encountered Russian fantasy and science fiction translated into English in various SFF anthologies; obviously Russia entered the global literary market much earlier than we did, started with the SFF awards earlier, and has had a much more competitive publishing industry.
(Speaking of awards, I also learned from Dean Alfar today that the future fiction category of the Palanca awards will be gone next year! Naku next year pa naman ako unang sasali, paano na ako hihirit? Heheh. But that's a whole new rant for another day.) (more…)
Update on Tropics of Love, Feedback on Unmasked Winners, and Some Blog Resolutions
For those interested in participating in Quatre Gats Press' Tropics of Love anthology - yes, LBGTQ fiction is welcome :)Set your imaginations loose!
***
Congratulations to the winners of the 1st Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards!
Some interesting reviews have been made about the winners, among which are Dean Alfar's, Banzai Cat's [ 1 ] [ 2 ] and Charles Tan's. Not having read all the winning entries myself, I'm loath to give out my personal opinion. But I believe everyone should be free to impart his/her opinions, and civilized discussion should always be welcome.
***
Have added a bunch of links to the sidebar, specifically to the Philippines-based SFF Fandom Groups section. All links should be active. Do check them out! And if anyone has any new links, please give me a holler.
Have also decided to post at least one essay a week on this blog. Starting tomorrow, which is a Friday by my timezone. No really, I promise!
Also, should really be updating the design of this blog soon...
More comics nominated for the People’s Choice Awards
1. "In Likeness Of"
2. "The Guilty"
3. "Why I Wake Up Late"
4. "Blind Beauty"
5. "The Moondancer"
6. "The Prophet"
Click HERE for the full list.
Fully Booked’s Picks for People’s Choice Awards
Remember the First Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards? The sponsor, Fully Booked, has unveiled its shortlist for the winners.
Download the stories HERE.
Read, enjoy, and cast your vote on the day of awarding, July 15, 2006. For details on the event, see this page in Fully Booked Online.
The 2nd Akira’s Nightmare Animation Scriptwriting Laboratory
posted by larry e. christian on the phil sf and f writers guild:
The 2nd Akira's Nightmare Animation Scriptwriting Laboratory The goal of this laboratory is to develop animators who can create their own materials. This workshop also seeks to develop animation "toon" writers/story editors (primetime or non primetime). (more…)