Building a Reality

Its late at night. I aught to be in bed or watching a fluffy girly film. Certainly not sitting in front of my computer contemplating the history of religion or the demise of civilization as we know it. My head is spinning. I have so much going on around it – I doubt I could sleep or follow a simplistic cartoon, much less a movie of any length. I think Gladiators is about my limit at the moment and I an questioning the colours used in the sets…,…..

Jodi and I have just been to our first writers workshop. I know my head is just blown away with information and possibilities. Sonny Whitelaw hammered information, questions, scenarios and examples from 10 am through till nearly 4 without drawing breath. I have a workbook with at least 6 weeks research and exercises in it, in order for me to ready myself for my NANO book. It was completely not what I was expecting – but totally what was required. I think the most poignant thing I took away was that for your reader to be involved, your fantasy sci fi world had to be real. Everything from the characters, to the way the post is delivered, to the seasons, the religions and politics to what is fashionable needs to be detailed – if not in the manuscript – but somewhere – to draw upon like an almanac. Although you may think this is elementary, once you start to list these things, the background research and writing is enormous.

Sonny was as profound as your knowledge allowed her to be. An incredible resource and one I feel so blessed to have been in such an intimate workshop with. I have popped her website below – Aussie ( Brisbane) lass who writes the books and scripts for Stargate, Atlantis and Roswell. Like - far out. Not in the bit pretentious, very down to earth and brutally honest.

http://www.sonnywhitelaw.com

Late in the day she gave many insights into the failings of fantasy and sci fi writers. One of the major ones was their tip toeing around the issues – of contentious issues or commenting on what was happening or about to happen in the world. Our classic writers – Wells, Huxley, Dick, Heinlan, Bradbury – all pulled no punches and much of their writing is as relevant to todays society as it was then. This has excited both Jodi and I – as our books are to explore themes and questions which in today’s society would be impossible to live or experience…

I am quite nervous about her contact with me in the next two days. As part of the workshop we were able to leave up to 10 pages of our manuscripts with her for her critique. I was very challenged with this – as I only have 2 short stories – neither really meant to be expanded into a book As we only booked the workshop on Friday afternoon and had to submit the pages by Friday afternoon, I had no chance to edit them in any way. They were first drafts in any case… but here it is again – my ego is way bigger than my bank balance..

I think , like many writers and perhaps sci fi fantasy ones in particular, she has a healthy dose of paranoia. ( I maintain that its not paranoia if you are sure people hate you…)Perhaps her back ground in global climate change and oceanology helps.. Her postulations on the price of petrol, the global warming issues on a microscopic level and the demise of our culture due to its disenchantment with religion and the breaking down of civilization was enough to send the hobbies up my back. Along with many people I have hear, she has just sold up and is moving to a remote part of the country in order to self sustain and escpae the crumbling blocks of our society.

As I reasoned with Jodi. These things don’t happen overnight ( unless we have a ‘Day after Tomorrow” scenario) but rather bit by bit. Similar to Nazi Germany and the treatment of Jews ( and countless other scenarios during our violent past). By the time things go way out of hand, it was too late. Decent, good Germans were unable to speak out, because they didn’t speak out right at the start – there seemed no reason to object back then. Everything was rationalized and seemed so reasonable and normalized. Hindsight is a wonderful thing – for the survivors to point and blame. Perhaps our petrol will go to $2.50 within the next few months, Perhaps by Christmas it will be $10. Its not like the writing on the wall hasn’t been there. People will simply have to choose between owning a car and owning a house. Perhaps this opens up the market for mobile homes even more? Our Great Barrier Reef is destined to start breaking up due to the acidity levels rising within the next 2 years, the Gulf Stream due to stop and a mini ice age descend upon much of Europe and the US. The list went on and the true horror of what we as humans have done to our precious earth makes my head reel. It hasn’t happened overnight – we have been doing it every day, since we drew breath and crawled out of the slime.

And all of this so very relevant to our creations, our books. The things we describe did not simply start because we wrote it so. We have a responsibility to ensure its birth and life on the page has a full grasp on reality.