I'm not a historian, though I am aware that post-apocalyptic themes have been popular for more time than I have been alive. I've always been inspired by the capacity of most humans to survive the worst that life can throw at us. Even when we are responsible for the source of own undoing, we somehow manage to muddle through. Call it guts, bravery, courage, or just the willpower to live one more day, I can't stop thinking about that amazing capability.
I can't give you any sources but I do remember reading somewhere during the 1990's that all of the "good" post-apocalyptic themes had already been written about and beaten to death. I didn't believe that then and I don't believe it now. As technology changes, we will always be presented with new ways to bring about our own end. Civilization can fall apart for many different reasons in many different ways. Curruption is timeless, we can always rot from within and fall apart that way.
Having said all that, I want to come back around to my favorite point. As a storyteller, I will never run out of plots and twists to describe how our future could end. The real challenge for me is to see how men, women, and children could overcome such lurid horrors to somehow create a better future. Life in general has taught me that there is always some lesson to be learned from everything we do, even if that lesson comes at the expense of civilization.
Justin Oldham, author and commentator. Observations and opinions about anything and everything.
Showing posts with label Science Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Science Fiction. Show all posts
53rd Anniversary of Star Trek
I just wanted to take a quick moment to briefly acknowledge the occasion of this historic observance. 53 years ago today, the original Star Trek television series was broadcast to American audiences who saw it on small cathode ray picture tubes. Many of them saw it in black-and-white, because they did not yet have a color television set.
I was too young to know this existed in 1967--when it first aired. I saw it in re-runs later, when my parents made a habit of watching it. There has never been a decade in my living memory when I was without this Science Fiction TV show. No matter where I have lived, I've always been able to find it on the TV schedule at least one day a week. I owe some of what I am today to the performances of those actors, and the imagination of the show's creator.
I was too young to know this existed in 1967--when it first aired. I saw it in re-runs later, when my parents made a habit of watching it. There has never been a decade in my living memory when I was without this Science Fiction TV show. No matter where I have lived, I've always been able to find it on the TV schedule at least one day a week. I owe some of what I am today to the performances of those actors, and the imagination of the show's creator.
50th Anniversary Apollo 11 Lunar Landing
I have been waiting for my entire adult life for the moment when I would write something like this. 50 years ago today, astronauts Neil Armstrong and "Buzz" Aldrin landed the Apollo 11 mission on surface of the moon. Astronaut Michael Collins remained aboard the command module "Columbia," in orbit around the moon--while Armstrong and Aldrin made history. I have no memory of Apollo's launch, the landing is etched in my memory because my parents made such a very big deal about it.
My version of that memory is affected by time, it's a little fuzzy now. In those days, my eyesight was very bad. I had to stand right next to our black-and-white television set to see events as they happen. It was late at night, nearly midnight where we lived. Both of my parents were there, my father sat on the floor near me. In my mind's eye, I can still him in the glow of that picture tube. None of us knew what we were looking at. My father said something at the time, he wanted me to understand that this endeavor was not "a done deal" until they landed.
As I write this in July of 2019, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins are still with us. Niel Armstrong passed away in 2012. Everything I am known for today originated during that one moment in 1969, when I saw this historic event unfold. Tales from the Kodiak Starport is my homage to these men and their lifetime of achievements. There's a lot more I could say, things I want to say, none of it would survive the sands of time. In my own way, I observe the moon landing every year, with family and frieds as they are available. Sometimes, when the media is less interested, I'll go outside and look up the night sky. I've never been able to see the stars. Even so, it is a small comfort to me that humans went there. We could do it again, if we wanted to.
My version of that memory is affected by time, it's a little fuzzy now. In those days, my eyesight was very bad. I had to stand right next to our black-and-white television set to see events as they happen. It was late at night, nearly midnight where we lived. Both of my parents were there, my father sat on the floor near me. In my mind's eye, I can still him in the glow of that picture tube. None of us knew what we were looking at. My father said something at the time, he wanted me to understand that this endeavor was not "a done deal" until they landed.
As I write this in July of 2019, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins are still with us. Niel Armstrong passed away in 2012. Everything I am known for today originated during that one moment in 1969, when I saw this historic event unfold. Tales from the Kodiak Starport is my homage to these men and their lifetime of achievements. There's a lot more I could say, things I want to say, none of it would survive the sands of time. In my own way, I observe the moon landing every year, with family and frieds as they are available. Sometimes, when the media is less interested, I'll go outside and look up the night sky. I've never been able to see the stars. Even so, it is a small comfort to me that humans went there. We could do it again, if we wanted to.
49th Anniversary Apollo Moon Landing
49 years ago today, Apollo 11 landed on the moon. Astronaut Neil Armstrong exited the landing module and walked on the lunar surface. "Buzz" Aldrin--who is still alive today--followed him. Millions of us watched this happened in black-and-white on July 20th, 1969. It was a unique moment in human history, I don't mind saying that it left an impression on me.
It's been said that the more things change, the more they remain the same. Neil Armstrong is quoted as saying, "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind..." when he first set foot on the moon. I don't think I have ever seen anything more inspiring, it's a simple truth that makes our present-day situation seem like a step backward. All I want to say to inquisitive future historians who read this is: we forgot the lessons of our past. That's why we are repeating what looks and sounds like a chapter from the Cold War.
There's a lot going on that we here-and-now can't easily evaluate/process in the heat of this moment. It's a form of information overload, 21st Century social media and the internet as a whole overwhelm us in ways that no society has experienced before. As much as these resources encourage us to learn, they also cater to our prurient interests. It's hard to look away when so many things actively tempt us to think the worst. To be our better selves, we need to understand what's already happned and why some of it was never a good idea.
2019 marks the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11's lunar landing. Then as now, Russia is our adversary and today's elected leaders openly flirt with authoritarianism because they want to appear "strong." The old guard dies hard, we are witnessing the death of prejudices that have no place in a world where we can plan to visit Mars or go beyond our solar system. Intelligent minds and capable hands come in all shapes and sizes. Race, color, gender, and/or religion do not permit or prevent genius. For better or worse, we are what we choose to be.
It's been said that the more things change, the more they remain the same. Neil Armstrong is quoted as saying, "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind..." when he first set foot on the moon. I don't think I have ever seen anything more inspiring, it's a simple truth that makes our present-day situation seem like a step backward. All I want to say to inquisitive future historians who read this is: we forgot the lessons of our past. That's why we are repeating what looks and sounds like a chapter from the Cold War.
There's a lot going on that we here-and-now can't easily evaluate/process in the heat of this moment. It's a form of information overload, 21st Century social media and the internet as a whole overwhelm us in ways that no society has experienced before. As much as these resources encourage us to learn, they also cater to our prurient interests. It's hard to look away when so many things actively tempt us to think the worst. To be our better selves, we need to understand what's already happned and why some of it was never a good idea.
2019 marks the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11's lunar landing. Then as now, Russia is our adversary and today's elected leaders openly flirt with authoritarianism because they want to appear "strong." The old guard dies hard, we are witnessing the death of prejudices that have no place in a world where we can plan to visit Mars or go beyond our solar system. Intelligent minds and capable hands come in all shapes and sizes. Race, color, gender, and/or religion do not permit or prevent genius. For better or worse, we are what we choose to be.
Epic Heroes/Heroines
What makes any hero or heroine "epic?"
Many of our favorite fictional characters are larger-than-life. They are lucky in ways we'd never be, and they always seem to suffer through a lot more than any of us here in the real world ever could. Unlike the reluctant hero/heroine who has fears and doubts to overcome, those epic personalities don't suffer from such misgivings--they know their business.
It's not unusual for the epic hero to have been through a lot before your story begins. That's why they know how to do some of those really cool things. Having the skill to kill your way through dozens of henchmen before you can ruin the villain's day means that somehow, somewhere, your hero/heroine got enough experience (possibly the hard way) to do it. They know how to overcome long odds, even if that means breaking a few heads.
Skill and savoir-faire are only part of that winning recipe. It takes more than a sexy smile to defeat the forces of darkness. Your average Bad Guy knows what they want, that's why they're doing it. Being up to no good is more than planning a crime or directing your underlings to make it work. Villains must be prepared to lie, cheat, steal, or kill when there is no other way. It's a well-known fact that those pesky do-gooders don't go quietly. They need to be--well--incentivized to see things your way or die while fleeing in terror.
Sometimes, the fate of the human race is not at stake. Saving the world is fine and well for those who do it--but--let's be real for a second: the world doesn't always need to be saved. Sometimes, it's just a matter of morality and/or ethics that confound your heroes and heroines. Who lives and who dies? Asnwer that and you've got the basis for a conflict worthy of any protagonist.
There is one ticklish point to consider. The epic hero who is capable of great things must also be strong enough to live with what they did. Yes, the Bad Guy is defeated--at what cost? How many innocent lives were lost to achieve that goal? Was "truth" one of those casualties? Maybe, it's better if the general public doesn't know about...that. The thing you had to do. As terrible as it was, they don't really need to know...do they?
That's why epic heroes and heroines are so hard to write, even when you know how the story ends.
Many of our favorite fictional characters are larger-than-life. They are lucky in ways we'd never be, and they always seem to suffer through a lot more than any of us here in the real world ever could. Unlike the reluctant hero/heroine who has fears and doubts to overcome, those epic personalities don't suffer from such misgivings--they know their business.
It's not unusual for the epic hero to have been through a lot before your story begins. That's why they know how to do some of those really cool things. Having the skill to kill your way through dozens of henchmen before you can ruin the villain's day means that somehow, somewhere, your hero/heroine got enough experience (possibly the hard way) to do it. They know how to overcome long odds, even if that means breaking a few heads.
Skill and savoir-faire are only part of that winning recipe. It takes more than a sexy smile to defeat the forces of darkness. Your average Bad Guy knows what they want, that's why they're doing it. Being up to no good is more than planning a crime or directing your underlings to make it work. Villains must be prepared to lie, cheat, steal, or kill when there is no other way. It's a well-known fact that those pesky do-gooders don't go quietly. They need to be--well--incentivized to see things your way or die while fleeing in terror.
Sometimes, the fate of the human race is not at stake. Saving the world is fine and well for those who do it--but--let's be real for a second: the world doesn't always need to be saved. Sometimes, it's just a matter of morality and/or ethics that confound your heroes and heroines. Who lives and who dies? Asnwer that and you've got the basis for a conflict worthy of any protagonist.
There is one ticklish point to consider. The epic hero who is capable of great things must also be strong enough to live with what they did. Yes, the Bad Guy is defeated--at what cost? How many innocent lives were lost to achieve that goal? Was "truth" one of those casualties? Maybe, it's better if the general public doesn't know about...that. The thing you had to do. As terrible as it was, they don't really need to know...do they?
That's why epic heroes and heroines are so hard to write, even when you know how the story ends.
Reluctant Heroes/Heroines
What makes a hero/heroine go through all that misery to save the day?
The simple fact is that most of us are...not heroic. We'd like to think we could be brave, if it was really-seriously necessary. Reluctant heroes have all the same fears, worries, doubts, and misgivings we do in the real world. Problem is, they can't bring themselves to just let it go. Every now and then, the Bad Buys must be stopped, even if that means pain and suffering for the unfortunate soul who has to do the stopping.
The terrible truth is that Bad Guys don't exist--unless--they sometimes win. That means beginning a story with villains who are already established. They've already done in somebody, or many of them to get where they are now. The most credible opponents for any Good Guy will be capable of harm, or some form of unfair activity that gives them an advantage over others. Even if they are not very
sympathetic, your average evil-doer is proactive: they really would kill for what they want.
It's hard for most of us to think about what is really worth dying for, but we might consider options that are less final or injurious--if we thought doing so would matter. That's why some people are willing to call the police when they see a crime and others are not. Sometimes, stopping the villain
really is a matter for the authorities, if they know about it. Being the man or woman who twigs to the problem is not always easy, because Bad Guys are known for their desire to get even.
any fictional character who fights their way through hoards of henchmen before going toe-to-toe with the real threat is often an Epic Hero. Those heroes and heroines literally do have all the luck, that's why they could get through so many challenges before having it out with their nemesis. That fine and well for them, but--what about the person who is not so keen on all that violence?
Reluctant heroes often look for solutions to their problems in a different way. Could it be enough to merely spy on the Bad Guys? Take a few notes, maybe some pictures and...you get the idea. Sometimes, just getting away after being captured to call the cops is enough. Especially after you've been chased and shot at for several city blocks. Catching your breath long enough to dial 9-1-1 would be an achievement. Assuming that anyone would let your borrow a phone...
Those less-than-skilled fictional fighters who save the day has their own motivations that go beyond whatever it takes to solve the problem. Police officers are known for their sense of justice, that belief could matter in dire circumstances--even if they have no gun. Why? Because they thought somebody had to do something...even if was them. What's to prevent the average office worker from making the same choice under equally bad conditions? Yeah, well. If you could just get away long enough to find a...
That's why books and movies about reluctant heroes are so popular. We'd like to think we could be them, or like them when the chips are down.
The simple fact is that most of us are...not heroic. We'd like to think we could be brave, if it was really-seriously necessary. Reluctant heroes have all the same fears, worries, doubts, and misgivings we do in the real world. Problem is, they can't bring themselves to just let it go. Every now and then, the Bad Buys must be stopped, even if that means pain and suffering for the unfortunate soul who has to do the stopping.
The terrible truth is that Bad Guys don't exist--unless--they sometimes win. That means beginning a story with villains who are already established. They've already done in somebody, or many of them to get where they are now. The most credible opponents for any Good Guy will be capable of harm, or some form of unfair activity that gives them an advantage over others. Even if they are not very
sympathetic, your average evil-doer is proactive: they really would kill for what they want.
It's hard for most of us to think about what is really worth dying for, but we might consider options that are less final or injurious--if we thought doing so would matter. That's why some people are willing to call the police when they see a crime and others are not. Sometimes, stopping the villain
really is a matter for the authorities, if they know about it. Being the man or woman who twigs to the problem is not always easy, because Bad Guys are known for their desire to get even.
any fictional character who fights their way through hoards of henchmen before going toe-to-toe with the real threat is often an Epic Hero. Those heroes and heroines literally do have all the luck, that's why they could get through so many challenges before having it out with their nemesis. That fine and well for them, but--what about the person who is not so keen on all that violence?
Reluctant heroes often look for solutions to their problems in a different way. Could it be enough to merely spy on the Bad Guys? Take a few notes, maybe some pictures and...you get the idea. Sometimes, just getting away after being captured to call the cops is enough. Especially after you've been chased and shot at for several city blocks. Catching your breath long enough to dial 9-1-1 would be an achievement. Assuming that anyone would let your borrow a phone...
Those less-than-skilled fictional fighters who save the day has their own motivations that go beyond whatever it takes to solve the problem. Police officers are known for their sense of justice, that belief could matter in dire circumstances--even if they have no gun. Why? Because they thought somebody had to do something...even if was them. What's to prevent the average office worker from making the same choice under equally bad conditions? Yeah, well. If you could just get away long enough to find a...
That's why books and movies about reluctant heroes are so popular. We'd like to think we could be them, or like them when the chips are down.
Writing Process: Why Does It Matter?
What is it about writing your first book that is so hard? If you did have a lot of classroom education, it may not be so difficult. What if you didn't? Yeah, well. About that, little things make a big thing. No matter who you are, books don't write themselves. Giving yourself permission to write is harder than it sounds, because you've got to be in touch with parts of yourself that are not always good, kind, decent, or nice. Good Guys and Bad Guys alike all have origins, motivations, and behaviors that are sometimes a little ticklish for many of us to portray.
It's never quite so simple when you need to write mushy stuff, to demonstrate a character's empathy. Nor is it easy to portray a villain with all the depth and credibility they deserve. That's why some parts of the novel writing process are the way they are. Even a good How-To book requires some structure and planning. It may not seem like it, but these two things have one factor in common: planning and forethought.
I've known many people who don't like to scribble out anything like an outline. They hate it, don't think they need it. Hey, come on--you know the story, right? No, you don't. Thinking about it and putting words on a page are not the same thing. Most outlines I crunch out today are bullet points, just enough to keep me on track. Why? Novels are broken down in to chapters, even a How To has chapters, sections, and sub-sections. Knowing what these are before you ever get to them does matter because that outline makes you think, and it keeps you honest.
I have wanted to write some things as a collection of short stories. Later on, I changed my mind when it became clear enough that there was a lot more to work with than I thought there could be. I would not have "seen" that without an outline to work from. That's actually how I developed my first anthology. Let's stick to novels for now, novellas and anthologies are separate subjects.
Outlines and the chapters that spawn from them really do serve one more less-than-obvious purpose. the help you with Character Development. Academics (e.g., historians) have a built-in advantage when they cite and footnote what somebody said or did, because they are presenting that material in a structured way that helps you understand it. Fiction writers don't work with that kind of net, they have to portray what somebody is or does in a different way. Seeing all that play out in sequential chapters gives you a chance to build a map of sorts. That map explains who your characters are, what they do, and why they matter in the larger scheme of things.
There is no one right way to do all this. Outlines force you to think before you act. Chapters force you to develop your characters more consistently. Stream-of-consciousness is good for many things, making it up as you go along can be done--but--it's not recommended for that first novel. Nor is it a good idea to try it when you're not fully up to speed on a subject you intend to write about in detail. Self-published writers take a lot of flak because--sometimes--they don't pay attention to quality control, story development, or the nuts-and-bolts of characters they create.
That's why process matters.
It's never quite so simple when you need to write mushy stuff, to demonstrate a character's empathy. Nor is it easy to portray a villain with all the depth and credibility they deserve. That's why some parts of the novel writing process are the way they are. Even a good How-To book requires some structure and planning. It may not seem like it, but these two things have one factor in common: planning and forethought.
I've known many people who don't like to scribble out anything like an outline. They hate it, don't think they need it. Hey, come on--you know the story, right? No, you don't. Thinking about it and putting words on a page are not the same thing. Most outlines I crunch out today are bullet points, just enough to keep me on track. Why? Novels are broken down in to chapters, even a How To has chapters, sections, and sub-sections. Knowing what these are before you ever get to them does matter because that outline makes you think, and it keeps you honest.
I have wanted to write some things as a collection of short stories. Later on, I changed my mind when it became clear enough that there was a lot more to work with than I thought there could be. I would not have "seen" that without an outline to work from. That's actually how I developed my first anthology. Let's stick to novels for now, novellas and anthologies are separate subjects.
Outlines and the chapters that spawn from them really do serve one more less-than-obvious purpose. the help you with Character Development. Academics (e.g., historians) have a built-in advantage when they cite and footnote what somebody said or did, because they are presenting that material in a structured way that helps you understand it. Fiction writers don't work with that kind of net, they have to portray what somebody is or does in a different way. Seeing all that play out in sequential chapters gives you a chance to build a map of sorts. That map explains who your characters are, what they do, and why they matter in the larger scheme of things.
There is no one right way to do all this. Outlines force you to think before you act. Chapters force you to develop your characters more consistently. Stream-of-consciousness is good for many things, making it up as you go along can be done--but--it's not recommended for that first novel. Nor is it a good idea to try it when you're not fully up to speed on a subject you intend to write about in detail. Self-published writers take a lot of flak because--sometimes--they don't pay attention to quality control, story development, or the nuts-and-bolts of characters they create.
That's why process matters.
72nd Anniversary of Nagasaki A-Bomb
As I write this, it's nearing the end of a normal day--for me. Can't quite say that for the people of Japan, who are observing a grim milestone in their history. On this date in the morning hours of 1945, Nagasaki was the second city to be hit by an American atomic bomb.
There was very little mention of this in our mainstream media today, you'd almost think it never happened. As we struggle with so many foreign and domestic problems, the historian in me think we didn't learn from World War II, or the events that lead us to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Part of me finds it ironic that North Korea threatens us with ICBM technology that's older than I am. The world watches with prurient interest while we muddle around and do...nothing. Yes, I do recall that I did blow up the Tokyo Starport in one of my novels, but--in all fairness--that was just a story.
This is real. A resurgent Russia and rising China were never hard to predict. I should know, because I wrote about that possibility more than ten years ago (as you read this). The fiction writer in me finds more to work with these days that time allows. Who doesn't want to know how this turns out? I'm sure that many good storytellers are losing sleep, trying to keep up with it all.
There was very little mention of this in our mainstream media today, you'd almost think it never happened. As we struggle with so many foreign and domestic problems, the historian in me think we didn't learn from World War II, or the events that lead us to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Part of me finds it ironic that North Korea threatens us with ICBM technology that's older than I am. The world watches with prurient interest while we muddle around and do...nothing. Yes, I do recall that I did blow up the Tokyo Starport in one of my novels, but--in all fairness--that was just a story.
This is real. A resurgent Russia and rising China were never hard to predict. I should know, because I wrote about that possibility more than ten years ago (as you read this). The fiction writer in me finds more to work with these days that time allows. Who doesn't want to know how this turns out? I'm sure that many good storytellers are losing sleep, trying to keep up with it all.
5th Anniversary, Curiosity on Mars
I can't think of anything more inspiration than to see history in the making. Knowing you are there, seeing something happen that will be a big deal in books and movies for years to come is...well, it fascinates me. NASA's Curiosity rover landed on Mars during August 5-6 of 2012. I was eyeballing it like everyone else. Later on, I talked about it:
As I write this in the middle of August 5, 2017: there is no media real coverage of this anniversary. You can look at it as no big deal--or--a sign that we've gotten used to this sort of thing. In my own way, for my own reasons, this was and still is one of those events that motivates me to write.
A part of me wants to believe that someday, in our distant future, 23rd Century people will wonder what took us so long to colonize Mars, or build a permanent installation on the moon. It's going to be hard for them to see this from our point of view, world politics will be so much different that we're going to seem backward or lazy. All I can say to those future skeptics is: somebody had to do it first.
History is full of "firsts" that happen by accident, or came out of nowhere because the majority of us were not expect it (whatever it was). Because little things make a big thing, we should remember that space travel is going to be a lot of little things that have to work properly. That's why so much of what I tend to write deals with accidents and the risks associated with complex technology.
With all that in mind, I mark this date with my own minor insignificant blog post. Somewhere on this planet--right now--thousands of engineers and scientists are working hard to figure this out. They'll give us space flight and we'll still be ungrateful for it, even in the future.
As I write this in the middle of August 5, 2017: there is no media real coverage of this anniversary. You can look at it as no big deal--or--a sign that we've gotten used to this sort of thing. In my own way, for my own reasons, this was and still is one of those events that motivates me to write.
A part of me wants to believe that someday, in our distant future, 23rd Century people will wonder what took us so long to colonize Mars, or build a permanent installation on the moon. It's going to be hard for them to see this from our point of view, world politics will be so much different that we're going to seem backward or lazy. All I can say to those future skeptics is: somebody had to do it first.
History is full of "firsts" that happen by accident, or came out of nowhere because the majority of us were not expect it (whatever it was). Because little things make a big thing, we should remember that space travel is going to be a lot of little things that have to work properly. That's why so much of what I tend to write deals with accidents and the risks associated with complex technology.
With all that in mind, I mark this date with my own minor insignificant blog post. Somewhere on this planet--right now--thousands of engineers and scientists are working hard to figure this out. They'll give us space flight and we'll still be ungrateful for it, even in the future.
48th Anniversary, Apollo 11
"One small step for man, one giant leap for Mankind..."
The space race of the 1960's was like no other event in human history. As one of our better "firsts," USA competed with USSR to be the first nation in space, or on the Moon. Cosmonaut vs. Astronaut inspired an entire generation of subject matter experts to go beyond what they believed or knew to be "possible." The events of July 20th, 1969 played their own role in defining what I now believe to be possible. I saw that moon landing with my own eyes, on a black-and-white television.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (i.e., NASA) was a media sensation before anyone knew the names of those people who had "the right stuff." America's fascination with what it would mean to put a human in space--or on the moon--was so intense that it shaped what we saw on TV or reading in Science Fiction novels.
Forty-eight years later, we don't see much on television about anniversaries like this. They'll make a big deal out of it during the 50th Anniversary, but--for now--this part of our past is mostly forgotten by the mainstream media. As I write this, the lest of the Apollo astronauts died in 2016 after a long and prosperous life. He and most of his peers lived long enough to see the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. In the next few years, 21st Century viewers will watch the Chinese land on the moon. Will that start a new space race?
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