Future Tense, Past Relaxed.

I've had such a good time over the holidays that I'm quite chilled and almost ready to return to work, but I've also been very busy and away from home (and computers) a bit. I think I even missed a blog entry last week.

And I haven't yet mentioned Continuum 6.

Usually held in August, it's been pulled forward to late February so as to not compete with Aussiecon 4. Last year I was at Continuum 5, and had an absolute ball. So much so that I immediately signed up for this one. And then convinced a friend to sign up as well.

This year's theme is Future Tense, with guests of honour Mark Pesce (futurist writer, virtual reality pioneer) and Kim Westwood (author).  Should be a great time, although I have no real idea how people are going to dress up for the ball.  Last year the theme was steampunk, which worked very well. This year - robots? Nutrient tanks?  Whatever it is, it'll be fun. And it'll be great to catch up with some fellow writers again.

Speaking of which - I've had another nibble on one of my stories.  Can't really say much more (no, it's not sold) except I received very positive comments on it. I was getting a little despondent, but it was the momentum I needed to get writing this week and to re-edit a piece I'd written and send it off to an American market. Had to switch some of those pesky little Australianisms. Funnily enough, it's still very obviously an Australian story, it's just that Mum is now Mom, and a few other changes to words like that.

So, will we see you at Continuum 6?  Hope so.

Paradise, Oh Paradise.

So there I was, walking down the main street in Rye when I saw a sign outside a venue listing all the live music that was playing there over the next few nights.

I was thrilled when I saw Mick Pealing Duo for the following night.

Back in the late 70s, my friend and I used to spend a lot of time together listening to music. In particular we played lots of Fleetwood Mac, The Police, Blondie and Stars. One of my favourites was the latter's Paradise album. A brilliant mix of country, rock and blues, the album still holds up and doesn't sound dated - no mean feat after 33 years. In fact it was only last week that I played it at home.

So to see Mick Pealing in a small venue while on holiday was thrilling. I asked a friend to join me - not that he needed his arm twisted - and I must say I was blown away by Mick. He sounded wonderful, and I thought voice was as pure as it was on that first album. Playing mostly covers, with Steve Wade (spent some time in LRB, I believe) on guitar, they held the small but enthusiastic audience in the palm of their hands. I was emotionally moved when they played Look After Yourself and Back Again. 

And they were very approachable.  I was able to chat to both Steve and Mick (Sorry guys if I was annoying, but you said all the right things) and even request a song. And for me, that request turned out to be a highlight.  In fact my friend agreed The Last of the Riverboats never sounded better.

And to the young fellas there that left after a few songs because they didn't play Khe Sanh just because you kept calling it out, next time check out the heritage of these guys, stick around and learn something, and enjoy the music they did play.

We're Still Waiting...

Surprise, surprise.

Give Harrison Ford an award for stating the bleeding obvious.

I read an article today where Harrison stated that he still loved acting, but the reason he hasn't done much movie-wise in the past decade is because Hollywood is "bereft" of ideas.

(A great word, bereft.  I first learned it in high school when I wrote a short story - the only one my teacher ever liked - and I tried using literary reference and a simile in the opening paragraph. I described stems of wheat as ranks of soldiers stripped of their stripes, and my teacher crossed out stripped and wrote "bereft".)

Anyway, I don't know whether this is something new Mr. Ford has stumbled upon, or whether he's just finally worked up the nerve to announce it, but my friends and I have been saying this for a very long time. The movies I've enjoyed the most over the past few years have been the lower budget, almost indie movies. The Hollywood blockbuster with the predictable "awwwww" ending, or the really unfunny comedy, or the unfunny because it's crass comedy, or the Sci-Fi that relies on special effects and CGI, or the action film that counts deaths or explosions as a number per minute, or the screen adaptation of cartoon/childhood favourite sitcom/old franchise remake, or anything with Will Ferrell/Nick Cage/Steve Carrell/Nicole Kidman just don't do it for me. (Nick just can't act, Nic just can't emote anymore - and Steve and Will are definitely unfunny!)

Speaking of which, I went to see Avatar. Talk about a hyped over-rated film. It's OK - just OK.  I enjoyed it for what it was, but it was very lightweight, Sure, I saw it in 3D, and was blown away by the beauty of the images and it's 3Dness, but if I'd seen it in 2D I'd have been real disappointed. The Lion King meets Dances with Wolves. Sigourney Weaver's character starts as a hard-ass caricature (demanding cigarettes etc) that softens real quick without any real reason, the military guy is like every comic book soldier you've ever seen, the science guys are every nerd's nightmare, and the company man is the bean-counter from every film made.

The next day I went to see Up in the Air.  And it was a much better film.  And just when I thought it was heading for the predictable Hollywood ending, it didn't.  Thanks.

So I'm still waiting for some decent Sci-Fi. My friend agreed with me, but said he'll continue to support these films because hopefully it'll lead to an increase in Sci-Fi films.

Or are we sending the wrong message and telling them these thin SF films are acceptable. For my money, Moon is the best SF film I've seen in the past few years.

Rainy Day, Dream Away.

I have extremely vivid dreams.  Extremely vivid.

The bonus for me is I often remember them in great detail.  Colours, events and large chunks of dialogue. My wife is usually amazed at how much detail there is, and how much I can remember.

And, might I add, my dreams are often extremely twisted. Very, very weird indeed.

I love those dreams. I look forward to my dreams.  I wish I could remember them all.
 
The best part is that I often get ideas for stories from my dreams. Usually just a seed or a thought that leads off in another direction, but enough to get my thought processes happening.

When I was a teenager, I had a recurring dream.  Over a period of about 5 years, I had the same dream more than half a dozen times that I can recall. And it was exactly the same each time. For years I've been fascinated by this narrative, and wondered what it meant.  I've recently discovered the right story in which to include this dream. It'll fit nicely, paralleling another arc. And no, I'm not going to share it here.

A few years ago I learned not to give out too many dream details to people. Dreams are an insight into our truest selves and I know some people who would love to analyse my dreams and infer, wrongly or rightly, my deepest darkest secrets.

I tell my wife most of my dreams, I tell my best friend some aspects of my dreams, and then I'll selectively tell other friends bits and pieces as I see fit. And anything I use in my writing gets mixed up or distorted through narratives so that no-one would be able to work out what came from where.

I may be twisted, but I'm not going to let you see that.

I Like To Be Here When I Can...

Home.  It's always great to be back in your own home, in your own bed, on your own turf.  We had a wonderful time in Europe and with the family, but home is home and it's wonderful to be here. Even with 43 degree days after the snow we had last week.  As if jetlag isn't a big enough shock on its own!

Somehow I missed Sunday's post, but it's the only one I've missed since I rebooted this blog, and I had a pretty good excuse. Twenty three hours on planes and in airports pretty much does it.

Writers of the Future have started announcing their winners for Q4. Joni hasn't called me yet, so I presume I'm not one of the chosen few. Congrats to those that have been called.  Still, I might make it to semifinal or HM status - they are still coming.  As I said before, I'm not holding my breath, as I considered this entry to be substandard.  In fact it was the first story I ever wrote, and I really only sent it in as a marker.

I've been doing a little work on my next story and I'm really pleased with how it's turning out. It has a cool premise and some interesting ideas, and this wonderful bit about ....  Ah, I can't say just in case one of the judges reads this and ends up disqualifying me.

Yeah, I've got to think confidently.  This is the story that's gonna breakthrough for me.  The judges are going to love it and I'm going to win.

Positive thinking, right?  Or maybe I'm just jetlagged and really really tired.

I sleep now.

Roma.

Rome = food, Rome = culture, Rome = style, Rome = beauty, Rome = history, Rome = fashion, Rome = sexy, Rome = food, Rome = culture, Rome = style, Rome = beauty, Rome = history, Rome = fashion, Rome = sexy, Rome = food, Rome = culture, Rome = style, Rome = beauty, Rome = history, Rome = fashion, Rome = sexy, Rome = food, Rome = culture, Rome = style, Rome = beauty, Rome = history, Rome = fashion, Rome = sexy, Rome = food, Rome = culture, Rome = style, Rome = beauty, Rome = history, Rome = fashion, Rome = sexy, Rome = food, Rome = culture, Rome = style, Rome = beauty, Rome = history, Rome = fashion, Rome = sexy, Rome = food, Rome = culture, Rome = style, Rome = beauty, Rome = history, Rome = fashion, Rome = sexy, Rome = food, Rome = culture, Rome = style, Rome = beauty, Rome = history, Rome = fashion, Rome = sexy, Rome = food, Rome = culture, Rome = style, Rome = beauty, Rome = history, Rome = fashion, Rome = sexy, Rome = food, Rome = culture, Rome = style, Rome = beauty, Rome = history, Rome = fashion, Rome = sexy, Rome = food, Rome = culture, Rome = style, Rome = beauty, Rome = history, Rome = fashion, Rome = sexy, Rome = food, Rome = culture, Rome = style, Rome = beauty, Rome = history, Rome = fashion, Rome = sexy, Rome = food, Rome = culture, Rome = style, Rome = beauty, Rome = history, Rome = fashion, Rome = sexy, Rome = food, Rome = culture, Rome = style, Rome = beauty, Rome = history, Rome = fashion, Rome = sexy, Rome = food, Rome = culture, Rome = style, Rome = beauty, Rome = history, Rome = fashion, Rome = sexy, Rome = food, Rome = culture, Rome = style, Rome = beauty, Rome = history, Rome = fashion, Rome = sexy, Rome = food, Rome = culture, Rome = style, Rome = beauty, Rome = history, Rome = fashion, Rome = sexy,

Fantastic!

Grazia

Look! Over There! A Story!

I didn’t get a new story done for this quarter’s Writers Of The Future. Too much other stuff was happening in and around my life, and then when it was almost time I suddenly realised my entire stock is out under submission.

I’ve had nibbles on one or two of them. Nothing definite yet. One is being held for consideration, I’ve had good feedback on another, the others have been out a while.

I’m currently working on a story I really like. It’ll definitely be ready early in the new year, ready for next quarter. I think it has all the elements that WOTF seem to like – now all I have to do is make sure the writing is up to scratch.

I’ve been told by many, including name writers and editors, that my writing is good, even very good. But it seems that my stories generally aren’t action enough for their publications. And being a subscriber to those magazines, I understand exactly what they mean.

So this story is a real attempt to get more action happening, and I’m learning a lot as I write it. I just worry that when we try to make something fit a particular market, it doesn’t always work. I’m taking great care to keep my writing as naturally mine as I can.

But I think the premise is original, and interesting. And as I make my way across Europe, I’m keeping my eyes and mind open and making notes.

There are definitely a million stories out there to be seized upon. I plan to grab as many as I can.