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 The FSFS Newsletter is written by FSFS members covering everything Fantasy and Sci-Fi |
The "Fantasy and Science Fiction Society" welcomes you to  Welcome to the March 2017 edition of the Newsletter. Written by members of the "Fantasy and Science Fiction Society" for all of Writing.Com. Contents 1. Introduction 2. Expanding Horizons 3. Characters and Personality 4. The Frequently Asked Question 5. Book Review: The Martian Chronicles 6. Advertisements 7. Win  It's getting to that time of the year again when members from around WdC put on their formal suits and resses and head to the most prestigious event on the Unofficial WdC Calendar. That's right: It's time for the Quills. The FSFS is up for Best Group and Three Prompts has been nominated for Best Contest. It is all very exciting!  As writers we often tend to get stuck in a niche. We find one genre of writing that we are comfortable with and we tend to write only in that genre. The key to being a successful writer is being able to write in any given genre. If you can write in any genre it gives you a diverse portfolio. My portfolio has my award winners listed separately, then it has a listing of my other writing endeavors. I hold contests and write a blog every day so my "Activities and Contests" folder holds them. One may not consider a contest writing but the owner of the contest must know WritingML to post the contest properly. Then one must clearly define the rules, etc. My portfolio also includes Christian writings, short stories, science fiction, westerns, and of course poetry. The poetry runs the gambit from French triolet and Roundeau to English sonnets, Japanese haiku, and many other Asian forms. The fact of the matter is that I was afraid to even try many of these forms initially. The only things I wrote were old fashion rhyme and science fiction short stories. Then I began to push myself to try other genres and found that I wrote them as well as the science fiction and old fashioned rhyme. The first thing I did was begin entering contests. One month I entered every contest WDC had to offer. I won several of them and my trophy room went from one awardicon to seven. I also won first, second, and third place in many contests that did not award awardicons. These show up in my award winners folder with ribbons in the illustration that I found as public domain online and placed on them to identify them. Many of my merit badges have come from contests as well. None of this would have been possible had I not taken a risk and started writing in genres I had never written in before. A huge surprise for me came when I decided to broaden my horizons and write in the horror genre. I never would have believed I could ever be successful at writing horror but I wanted to give it a go. My first two horror stories were both featured in newsletters and one won a ribbon for first place and was nominated for a 2016 Quill Award! I learned to never discount myself as a writer. Today I am attempting to take my writing to a whole new level and start writing for a living. As a veteran of the US Army I qualify for healthcare through a government agency known as the US Department of Veterans Affairs. One of the programs the VA offers is a program that helps veterans who are disabled find and maintain employment. My worker through that program assessed me and decided to find me a job doing what I do best : writing. She ran onto a couple of leads with local television stations where I would work writing and editing reports, ads, and other such stuff. She is also checking with a local classified ads magazine to see if she can secure me a position crunching words in classifieds down to the classifieds one often sees in newspapers. None of this would have been possible had I not decided to step outside of my comfort zone as a writer. I want to encourage any who are reading this to push yourself when it comes to your writing. There truly is no limit to where your writing can take you. "Expanding Horizons" by Chris Breva   Without characters, you don't have a plot and without a plot, you don't have a story. A plot is, in essence, the conflict between a protagonist and an antagonist. The struggle can be internal, i.e. the antagonist is a personality flaw which is in some way preventing the protagonist from attaining their important life-goal, or desire. Most often the antagonist is a separate person, entity or thing like a dragon or shark, or an oppressive regime, or the weather, perhaps, but an antagonist there needs to be or your story will not be a story in the truest sense. Stories are important to us. They are how we make sense of the world – how we make sense of ourselves. For this reason, we like our stories populated with characters we can relate to. We want fictional mythological narratives which reflect our lives. We want these because we create narratives about ourselves; about who we are and about how we conduct ourselves in the world. These narratives result from our personalities. We know we are unfathomably complicated - there are more patterns of connections between neurons in our brains than there are sub-atomic particles in the whole universe1 - so we should recognise that to judge a person by their appearance is far too simplistic because often their appearance is simply the result of who their parents and ancestors were. A person's appearance is an insufficient indication as to their character or personality. And we are not our parents. We are not our ancestors. We are ourselves. We are not bound by other people's pasts. We all have our own agency – the choice to act or not to act. People are messy, often self-contradictory. How often have you heard someone say a sentence beginning with an independent clause, a comma, and then the word "but" ...? - I'm not criticising, but... We believe ourselves to be more moral than others because we know the circumstances that motivate our own behaviour. For others, we’re forced to make assumptions based on observations and a good deal of the time, we don't know their whole story. We don't have all the facts. People lie. They lie to themselves and to others. Sometimes lying is the ethical thing to do. But often it is not. People will say anything to cover up wrong-doing or to present a false narrative because they have an agenda. They lie by omission, tell half-truths, take things out of context, or minimise a bad action. People project. Often they don't want to recognise something bad within themselves and instead, they attribute that failing to others. For example, they may accuse another person of being a meddling busy-body when that is what they are guilty of being themselves. This is why we should take more notice of people's actions rather than what they say. People can say anything. Actions are what count. When you write a story, you want to create compelling characters, characters who act. You want characters who appear internally consistent and yet are capable of surprise. They need to have a driving need, a truly important life-changing desire, ambition or goal – for love, for security, for advancement or power; they need a secret, a vulnerability - an inclination or trait like a psychological disposition to dishonesty, violence, sexual excess, or the abuse of alcohol or drugs, or an incident from the past that, if revealed, would change forever the character’s standing in their world. The characters need a complication - shy and rude, cruel but funny, bigoted but protective. All these things derive from the character's personality. So what constitutes personality? Modern psychology defines personality as being a mix of these five traits2: Openness Extroversion Agreeableness Conscientiousness Neuroticism. Everyone has these traits to a greater or lesser extent. For example, if you have a personality with a high openness trait you are going to be more inventive and curious and you will be less consistent and less cautious than someone with a low openness trait. Openness to experience: (inventive/curious vs. consistent/cautious). Appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual ideas, curiosity, and variety of experience. Openness reflects the degree of intellectual curiosity, creativity and a preference for novelty and variety a person has. It is also described as the extent to which a person is imaginative or independent, and depicts a personal preference for a variety of activities over a strict routine. High openness can be perceived as unpredictability or lack of focus. Moreover, individuals with high openness are said to pursue self-actualization specifically by seeking out intense, euphoric experiences, such as skydiving, living abroad, gambling, et cetera. Conversely, those with low openness seek to gain fulfilment through perseverance and are characterised as pragmatic and data-driven—sometimes even perceived to be dogmatic and closed-minded. Some disagreement remains about how to interpret and conte xtualise the openness factor. For example, your character if they are high in openness: Has excellent ideas. Is quick to understand things. Uses difficult words. Is full of ideas. Or low in openness: Is not interested in abstractions. Doesn't have a good imagination. Has difficulty understanding abstract ideas. Conscientiousness: (efficient/organized vs. easy-going/careless). A tendency to be organized and dependable, show self-discipline, act dutifully, aim for achievement, and prefer planned rather than spontaneous behavior. High conscientiousness is often perceived as stubbornness and obsession. Low conscientiousness is associated with flexibility and spontaneity, but can also appear as sloppiness and lack of reliability. High in conscientiousness: Is always prepared. Pays attention to details. Gets chores done right away. Likes order. Follows a schedule. Is exacting in their work. Low in conscientiousness: Leaves their belongings around. Make a mess of things. Often forgets to put things back in their proper place. Shirks their duties. Extraversion: (outgoing/energetic vs. solitary/reserved). Energy, positive emotions, surgency, assertiveness, sociability and the tendency to seek stimulation in the company of others, and talkativeness. High extraversion is often perceived as attention-seeking, and domineering. Low extraversion causes a reserved, reflective personality, which can be perceived as aloof or self-absorbed. High in Extroversion: Is the life of the party. Doesn't mind being the centre of attention. Feels comfortable around people. Starts conversations. Talks to a lot of different people at parties. Low in Extroversion: Doesn't talk a lot. Thinks a lot before speaking or acting. Doesn't like to draw attention to themselves. Is quiet around strangers. Has no intention of talking in large crowds. Agreeableness: (friendly/compassionate vs. analytical/detached). A tendency to be compassionate and cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic towards others. It is also a measure of one's trusting and helpful nature, and whether a person is generally well-tempered or not. High agreeableness is often seen as naive or submissive. Low agreeableness personalities are often competitive or challenging people, which can be seen as argumentative or untrustworthy. High in agreeableness: Is interested in people. Sympathizes with others' feelings. Has a soft heart. Takes time out for others. Feels others' emotions. Makes people feel at ease. Low in agreeableness: Prefers to work with things rather than with people. Is not really interested in others. Insults people. Isn't interested in other people's problems. Feels little concern for others. Neuroticism: (sensitive/nervous vs. secure/confident). The tendency to experience unpleasant emotions easily, such as anger, anxiety, depression, and vulnerability. Neuroticism also refers to the degree of emotional stability and impulse control and is sometimes referred to by its low pole, "emotional stability". A high need for stability manifests as a stable and calm personality but can be seen as uninspiring and unconcerned. A low need for stability causes a reactive and excitable personality, often very dynamic individuals, but they can be perceived as unstable or insecure. High in neuroticism: Gets irritated easily. Gets stressed out easily. Gets upset easily. Has frequent mood swings. Is much more anxious than most people. Low in neuroticism: Is relaxed most of the time. Seldom feels blue. People who don't exhibit a clear tendency towards specific characteristics chosen from the above-mentioned related pairs in all five dimensions are considered adaptable, moderate and reasonable personalities, but can be perceived as unprincipled, inscrutable and calculating. In a story – particularly a novel, a character needs to go on an internal journey, to go through a transformation, be a different person at the end of the story from the one they were at the beginning. Perhaps they start off shy and learn to be assertive, or they start the story being easily irritated and learn patience. Characters need to make mistakes as a result of character flaws and learn from them. This is your character's arc. While it is possible to write an exciting story where the main character differs little from start to finish, they will still need to have that stability of character challenged, or your story will be a less than satisfying read.  If you are interested in trying out the 'Big Five' O.C.E.A.N. personality test for yourself or for your story characters - https://ocean.cambridgeanalytica.org/ If you are interested in learning more about personality, these lectures by Dr Jordan Peterson3 are worth watching – List of Lectures ▶︎ "Characters and Personality" by A E Willcox   Lately I’m getting asked the "Frequently Asked Question" from people wondering about self-publish their first book. I’m going to share, sigh, common misperceptions and the importance of understanding what self-published authors need to consider before committing themselves to the course of a fast flowing river, where bringing a paddle and consulting a map really come in handy. Choosing the course of the river without the waterfall is what I’m aiming to help with here. I’m a member of SWFA (Science Fiction Writers of America) and have self-published eleven novels and one book of historical/nonfiction. These does not make me an expert, but I don’t lose money writing, either. But my choices are based on the knowledge of experience and research. Before self-publishing I had published my first book with a small press. The Frequently Asked Question: “I’ve this 800 page novel I’d like to self-publish. I’m looking for advice.” Me: Okay, I’ll assume you’ve written about two hundred thousand words. For self-publishing purposes that will be way too large a volume for hand selling at an affordable price (in paperback). You will likely be much better off dividing up the book. Your book will have a spine at least an inch and quarter thick—after your making some interesting font and font size choices and single spacing, of course (otherwise, it will be more like a brick). That size is a big consideration for an Indie book seller (since the book will take up a lot more space on their shelves), besides brick and mortar stores are unlikely to stock self-published works since they typically cannot be returned, unless on consignment. A local independent bookstore is far more willing to do that. The taking up of a lot of space will likely drop that willingness to: “Sorry, we’ll have to pass.” Oh, and there will be the consideration of your profit margin, or lack thereof. I met a first time self-published author last year, who offered their paperback back book for $30 a copy (ouch - didn't sell a copy at the convention we were at). The spine was close to three inches thick. They were making a dollar a book and had not considered offering the book on Kindle or any other epub format, which are the best ways of making money self-publishing (Kindle offers a 70% royalty, far higher than traditional publishers). Oh, and that book I mention had three parts, which would have made it perfect for selling as a trilogy and making a significant profit margin (particularly on Kindle). That approach would help build the author’s brand, and sell three books at one time to boot. At over one hundred and forty thousand words, splitting up a book is something to really consider. Publishing a single book with it being part of a trilogy or series in this world of one million plus available titles can make being noticed by potential readers tough—unless you create a bigger footprint and a niche. Now, before self-publishing, it’s important to know why you are seeking to go this publishing route at this juncture in your life. Those who publish a novel with a major publisher or self-publish an old back list of titles springboard off their brand and name recognition. That also offers readers a level of pre-vetting that makes self-published book less a chancey purchase for readers and suggests the author in question writes well. After all, someone else invested in their writing. Have you been writing for years and just want to publish? That’s not a bad reason to self-publish. But submitting stories or manuscripts and getting rejections are part of this life. If fear of dealing with rejection letters is why you want to self-publish, that's not a good reason. You can always try writing short stories to hone your skills (and build your audience). Oh, there are writing contests you can enter to earn a bit of money while doing that, too, to add to your author bio, too. Another version of the Frequently Asked Question: I’ve found a publisher willing to publish my book, but they seem a bit expensive. So, I’m interested in learning about self-publishing. Huh, you found a publisher who for a fee will publish your work? Don’t. Publishers pay authors, authors don’t pay publishers. Publishers are interested in book sales, not authors paying them more and more for phantom services (or very inexpensive ones with huge mark-ups). I had that conversation recently with someone who didn’t want to tell me he was about to sign a contract and pay fifteen thousand dollars for the publisher to print his book. I shared with him the tale of an old gentlemen who wrote a book, paid for the editing, bought lots of books and mailed them to all his family and friends. I can only guess what they thought when they received a book that was the alphabet repeated for hundreds of pages. Oh, there were no chapters, paragraphs, or punctuation, but why should there be? That vanity press billed him for hours of editing that book, realizing he would never notice. Not after submitting what he had. (True story.) My conversation with this aspiring author stopped his plans. I offered ideas as to how he could publish that non-fiction book, which I’ve no doubt will be published. It was a very niche book of a period of history, and if you know your niche you’ll learn which publishers are interested in such books. It may make sense for him to self-publish, but you are your publisher in that case, responsible for commissioning a cover (or creating one), responsible for hiring an editor, the marketing strategy, and everything else. However, if your goal is not to sell many books, and are happy to take on those tasks, there isn’t a lot of downside. It doesn’t hurt, though, if you know a bit about the publishing world and process, in order to avoid taking the river down the waterfall, if your goal is to be an author of more than one book. Asking someone who’s already successfully self-published a "Frequently Asked Question" is a smart move, too. There are also writers’ workshops (often at area sci fi or other genre conventions), even books about the process you can consult. I self-published after shopping a novel around awhile (after having stopped submitting my stories for years). Approaching 50, I started submitting again. I self-published only after two small presses published two novels of my series, which did not leap off the virtual shelves, but began to after I self-published the next two myself (another good reason to self-publish). I earn most of my royalties through Kindle sales. I’ve distributed via Draft2Digital to distribute other formats of ebooks (iStore, Nook, Scribd, Kobo, etc.)—and publish Print on Demand (POD) through Createspace, not through Ingram Spark (which costs more and if a self-published author chooses to accept returns could, worst case, lead to all the books being returned to them – and out all the costs involved on what could be hundreds of books or more). So, if you are still interested in self-publishing and willing to become your own publisher, know your choices can still be pricey (but nowhere near the vanity press scam level, though). You will need to make your book covers stand out, and pay for editing (un-edited novels are a real turn-off to readers). The rest I’ve shared. Oh, one other thing, one book's success doesn’t assure the next one will be. A best-selling author I know once told me that only a third of the books he publishes every year are best-sellers – and he’s often surprised as to which one that is. (Most authors will never be able to become full-time ones.) So, my advice to those with such "Frequently Ask Questions"… attend area sci fi/fantasy conventions, which offer sessions about the genre market you’re interested in writing in and publishing in general, and where you can meet potential editors, publishers, other authors, and future fans. Check out area writer’s groups, too. There are some great national seminars, as well (which are great investments – and some even offer scholarships). Dare to Believe, D.H. Aire Author of Paradox Lost, Book 7 – the concluding novel of the Highmage’s Plight Series. (available February 28, 2017) "The Frequently Asked Question" by Highmage - D.H. Aire   Book Name: The Martian Chronicles Author: Ray Bradbury First Published: 1950 Ray Bradbury was an American fantasy, science fiction, and mystery fiction writer. He was known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction and horror stories gathered together in The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man. Many of Bradbury’s works have been adapted into television and films and he has left his stamp on the science fiction and fantasy genres. Bradbury was born in the mid-west, but his family moved back and forth between Waukegan, Illinios and Tucson, Arizona for most of his formative years. When Bradbury was fourteen, his family settled in Los Angeles, California and he remained in the Southern California area for much of his life. Bradbury was a reader and writer throughout his youth. He claimed that he was inspired by Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter of Mars series and wrote a fanfiction based on those tales at the age of twelve. He credits this series as the inspiration for The Martian Chronicles and notes that he likely would never have written about Mars at all if it was not for his love of the Burroughs’ series. Bradbury cited H.G. Wells and Jules Verne as his biggest science fiction influences, followed by Robert A. Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, Theodore Sturgeon, and A. E. van Vogt. As Bradbury matured, he drew more from the style and works of Alexander Pope and poet John Donne. When later asked about the lyrical nature of his prose, Bradbury replied that it came, “From reading so much poetry every day of my life. My favorite writers have been those who’ve said things well.” He also has said, “If you’re reluctant to weep, you won’t live a full and complete life.” Bradbury did not attend college. Instead, he sold newspapers once he graduated from high school and spent much of his time reading. “Libraries raised me. I don’t believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries because most students don’t have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the Depression and we had no money. I couldn’t go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years.” Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451 at the UCLA’s Powell Library where he rented a typewriter in one of their study rooms. The rental rate for completing the entire novel was around ten dollars since the rental of the manual typewriter was ten cents per half hour. He preferred to write on a typewriter instead of computers because that was what he was used to. Ray Bradbury lived at home until the age of twenty-seven when he married his sweetheart, Marguerite McClure. They had four children together. He was an active member of Los Angeles Science Fiction Society where he made his first connections in the writing community of Los Angeles. From these connections, he began to meet publishers and gained a following for his work that now spans the globe. Bradbury is credited with writing 27 novels and over 600 short stories. More than eight million copies of his works, published in over 36 languages, have been sold around the world. In his later years, Ray Bradbury became a well sought out speaker at literary events in the Southern California area. He never obtained a driver’s license and did not enjoy travel. It was well known on the speaker circuit, if you wanted Ray Bradbury to speak at your event, you should arrange to have a driver come and get him. I regret that I did not take the opportunity to meet Mr. Bradbury in person before he passed away in December of 2011. He was a favorite on the literary speaker’s circuit in Southern California and I personally know many writers that consider him to be an inspiration. “Science is no more than an investigation of a miracle we can never explain, and art is an interpretation of that miracle.” – Ray Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles The Martian Chronicles is a collection of short stories based on the colonization of the planet Mars by people fleeing from an atomic devastated Earth. There is conflict between the aboriginal Martians and the colonists as they adjust to life on the new world. The stories are tied together by short vignettes, creating a loose novel in three parts. The first third of the book tells of the first attempts by humans to land and explore on Mars. The native Martians endeavor to prevent them from returning. In the fourth story _And the Moon be Still as Bright, it is discovered that the Martians have been decimated by a plague brought by the humans, much the way that the American natives were brought down by European disease by the conquistadors. This sets the stage for the second part of the book when the humans colonize the deserted planet and set about making it into a second Earth. The final part of the book occurs after a global nuclear war on Earth cuts off contact between the two worlds. The few surviving humans that remain on Mars become the new Martians and the circle of life continues. ### My first exposure to The Martian Chronicles was during the 1980s when the mini-series starring Rock Hudson came out in 1980. Hudson played one of the colonists from the fourth Martian expedition who later returned with his family to colonize Mars. I have never forgotten the scene when Hudson playing Col. John Wilder takes his children to a Martian canal and points at their reflection in the water. “There are the Martians.” He tells them. One day there will be humans to do this and not all that far in the future. I have always loved the ERB series, John Carter of Mars, and between the two, a love for stories about the red planet has grown in me. After The Martian Chronicles mini-series, I made a point to seek out the original book. While I enjoyed the written stories, I think that in this case, I prefer the mini-series, although Ray Bradbury himself thought it boring! You can still see all three episodes today on YouTube. ONE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO1wE2HqZlI TWO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1peDxD_YqDc THREE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYHj2HEjHFk The science behind the stories is sorely outdated. Back when Bradbury wrote the stories, it was believed that Mars had more atmosphere and it would be more hospitable to human life. Today, we know that living on Mars will be much more difficult than simply getting there and setting up homes. We will need to combat a rampant CO2 atmosphere, low gravity and live without the protection of a magnetic planetary field. Still, this is a classic science fiction tale and several of the stories in the collection are well worth reading. My personal favorites are: “Rocket Summer”, “Ylla”, “-And The Moon Be Still As Bright”, “The Off Season”, and “The Million-Year Picnic.”
The February round of Three Prompts is currently in the judging stage. Please contact Tobber   if you are interested in being a judge. The next round will commence 1 April 2016.
A cNote shop with a fantastical theme. Profits go to the FSFS!
An FSFS-only forum to discuss writing mechanics.
The FSFS Review Board is open! All WdC members can view the list on the group homepage, "Fantasy and Science Fiction Society" . FSFS Members can view the list from the homepage, Review Board page and the Hub. To post on the board you need to review at least one other item on the list. FSFS Anthology - Thank you to those who have submitted pieces for the anthology. I will contact you soon to discuss the next step. There will be a second deadline for those who were unable to submit pieces by the last deadline.
If you are not already a member and are interested in fantasy and science fiction writing, please read through the group homepage and apply using the application form. The only pre-requisite is that you have a fantasy or science fiction item in your portfolio. If you want to advertise in the FSFS Newsletter please contact me, Matt Bird MSci (Hons) AMRSC  .Win I am pleased to announce that Jewell has won an FSFS merit badge for her comment in last month's Newsletter.This month I'm going to set you a writing challenge. Create a character using the personality types described in A E Willcox's article. Describe this character to me in 200 words or less. The best entry will win an FSFS merit badge. If there are 5 or more entries, I will also award another MB to a random entry. Thank you to all the members who submitted articles to the Newsletter. If you submitted an article that wasn't included, don't be offended. I can only fit so much in the Newsletter. Please submit it again when I send the call out for articles. Please comment on this Newsletter if you enjoyed it, or if you have any suggestions for future editions. |
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