Explaining away tech in science fiction
Sometimes when we’re writing sf we have to stop and think—why are my characters using tablety projector things instead of having images imprinted digitally in their vision—or something like that.
Technology cropping up that would seem conspicuously absent in a futuristic universe is a common issue for science fiction writers—especially in a world where technological advances come quicker than the average novelist can crank out a fresh pile of steaming genius.
There are a lot of ways to address this issue: 1)you can give that technology to you characters and deal with the consequences
2)you can not give it to them and ignore the issue
3) you can explain why that technology never worked, OR
4)you can explain why that tech exists but nobody uses it.
The choice the author makes should depend on the story—what feels natural and what befits the plot. Every new piece of tech an author introduces will undoubtedly change the story—just think of how many old movies would fall apart if you gave all the characters cellphones (or if you don’t feel like thinking google it).
If you find that you cannot include the tech without destroying a beautiful and dramatic tale, I’m all for explaining it away (3or4). In some cases the explanations are more interesting than the tech itself—one of the better examples being D.F.W.’s explanation for the non-use of video phones in Infinite Jest.
There’s an added perk of picking option 4 (addressing the tech and then explaining why nobody uses it anymore), namely the author can still use that tech later in the story. Or, perhaps you could have one kookie character that still has rental implants and thinks they’re great despite the weird looks he gets when he interfaces with screens that only he can in the grocery store (much like people talking loudly into their Bluetooth earbuds).
Of course if you pick option 3 that sets up the possible discovery of the functional technology later in the story as either a legit bit of foreshadowing or to throw off your reader just a little bit (which all readers enjoy).
That’s where I’m at. Give me a couple years and you can read all about why people don’t wear digital contacts in Tinkertown. Until then feel free to share your favorite explained away bits of tech.
-d
A Film About Billy: For Us By Us Juvenile Fiction
We’re doing layout work for A Film About Billy right now, and it’s taking me back a bit.
I’ve hardly put this project down my entire adult life. I started the story when I was a teenager, and on the 6th of next month I’ll be 25. It’s hard not to feel crazy when I think about it—about how I…
Source: afilmaboutbilly
Wrote A Pop City article about Cyberpunk's move
It’s a short article about the move. It is nice to keep putting out little things.
Put down a plywood floor, and doodled on it with stain. Now it’s covered with all my furniture and a coat of polyurethane.
Ian Page
Here is an article I did for CBS local about Ian Page.
Ed Piskor interview
Here’s an interview I did with the local comic artist Ed Piskor for cbs local.
Working on a 2 color silkscreen poster for my friend’s new graphic novel.
Pre order now at
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/853461286/dont-come-back
Crispen Glover in Pittsburgh
It is quite nice to realize the arts underground may be larger than you think.
Mr. Glover’s slide show presentation at the Warhol Museum last night felt like something that might appear side by side with the weird Pittsburgh variety show scene that seems to be bubbling up these days: Darker Scratcher, anything Tree or Carlee or Jen Cooney do, and based on my experience with Mr. Todd Faltin and Gunner (on the Mr. God’s Galloping Mountain variety tour and beyond) the folks involved with the upcoming Forbidden Zone show would fall in that category as well—the category of performing artists that dabble in absurdity and take what they do seriously (or do they?).
That being said, Mr. Glover has been at this a lot longer than the people I know, and it shows. While “down to earth” might not be the most common descriptor for an absurdest (is he an absurdist? (at least he seems to dabble in absurdity)) he seems incredibly grounded. Like the rest of us, he works the best jobs he can get (the ones that pay well enough and don’t make us quite pull the trigger) in order to fund what he decided he cares about.
Last night, along with the slide show presentation, Glover screened It is Fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE. Which might be described as a kind of awkward horror porn. The lead actor and author of the piece, Steven C. Stewart, suffered from a relevantly severe case of cerebral palsy. Because of this fact the creation of the film, the story of the actors, and the background of the writer are as much a part of the viewing experience as the fictional characters and the plot. Which is why the Q&A session with Mr. Glover was so valuable.
At least partially because Mr. Glover does considers the Q&A session is an integral part of the film experience he only airs the film when he is present, and does not distribute it in any other fashion. This gives the film a more theatrical air, I think. As in: it is like a touring group of actors. Although they have only one real life representative and the lead has unfortunately passed away, the manner of its distribution makes the film feel more personal and gives its appearance in your home town a dramatic presence.
This is another concept I’m hearing more and more people experiment with as projection and film editing technology becomes increasingly cheap. Touring plays or puppet shows (or some combination) that integrate projected portions of the narrative. Actors may be on screen in the distance and live in the foreground.
This isn’t a new idea. Winsor McCay would perform with his animated film Gertie the Dinosaur in 1906. But it is a good idea and, as Mr. Glover proved yesterday, a form that is far from exhausted.
Keep thinking about it.
-d
- patched roof
- reformatted novel per agent’s request
- corresponded concerning business plans for the Cyberpunk Apocalypse writers’ coop
- penciled new Bears in Space comic with Nate McDonough
- updated tumblr
-and it’s only 9pm
I did some work on this video, though it was mostly Nate, but I’ve allso been shipping out the subscriptions and reviewing zines for potential zotm club status.
Here’s a video showing some of the zines subscribers have received. Spread the word: $3.33 per month (shipping included) for an array of strange and exciting material from friends of the Cyberpunk Apocalypse.
Source: thecyberpunkapocalypse
Daniel Patrick McCloskey is a writer, illustrator, and the founder of the cyberpunk apocalypse writers' project. This is a jumble of things from his desk:
