Three years ago, just after my wife discovered she was pregnant with our first child, she informed me we were taking a vacation since, in her words, it would be the last time we could go together "for years". Flash forward to Christmas, when I am informed that before Child 2.0 arrived we were having a "romantic getaway" for similar reasons. Hence the trip to the Oregon Coast.
I could talk about the fabulous place we stayed or the sights we saw, but overall tonight I keep going back to the ideas that flowed from being there. Time and again I would find myself transfixed by something I witnessed and out of it find myself inspired by unrelated ideas. For instance, at the Seal Lion Caves I found myself thinking of a Pirate Story, an invasion tale, and several others all while teasing my wife about the odds of witnessing an killer whale attack; which of course, would have been the best story of all. Watching the Light house beams cut through the fog I found myself considering the stars, and how would an interstellar society would attract attention to dangers or even to themselves.
I guess the short form of the experience is a dream engine the likes of which I haven't seen in a long time. I tend to grind down in the details of work and lose my sense of wonder. I'd like to thank the state of Oregon for shipping it back for me.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
On the TSA (Oregon Trip Part 1)
Since the inception of the TSA; on those rare occasions I have flown I have got to know a few of their officers a little more intimately than I would prefer. Whether it was me telling an agent early on "That's as far as I go on a first date" when he asked me to roll my waist ban down further after having me open it during a pat down or the scanner followed by the crotch grope of this past weekend; I just can't seem to go through the line without receiving a little extra "security".
Now understand I have no problem with most of these agents. They are doing their jobs to the best of their ability, and there are going to be people in every group who are truly unsuitable to their jobs. This isn't a bitch about either of those. My problem, like many of you, is more fundamental: I dislike the politics of fear that the TSA represents. The announcements, the posters, the "threat level" for the most part aren't designed to make us feel safe as we fly, but instead remind us how scary the world is. I know many people have said it more eloquently than I and for that reason, I have traditionally never said anything about this. Until now:
Until my (wonderful) trip to the Oregon Coast (which I will be talking about later on tonight), I hadn't flown for several years, so this might not be new. As I was leaving the airport upon our return to Boise, I saw a TSA poster that I really wish I had taken a photo of since I haven't been able to find it anywhere since. It had on the left side a black and white photo of a little girl obviously right out of the 1950s with her hand over her heart, apparently saying the Pledge of Allegiance. On the right, in color, we had two pictures: the top a mother and child, beneath it siblings, all wrapped up in the American Flag. Beneath these photos was the caption: "Do you remember what it was like to feel safe".
It made my blood boil. It was a well designed propaganda piece playing off the emotional reactions of the people walking through the terminal. A look at the images and their placement made it clear that the poster was designed to invoke a feeling of unease or fear as travelers approach the security check points.
Fear is the great thoughtless motivator. It pulls even the most rational person in directions they wouldn't normally go in an attempt to feel "safe". Unfortunately, in this case "safe" is an illusion.
Part of me wonders if we didn't lose something fundamental when we allowed ourselves to traffic in fear almost a decade ago.
If you are interested in learning more about politics and specifically propaganda take a look at William Lutz's The New Doublespeak
Now understand I have no problem with most of these agents. They are doing their jobs to the best of their ability, and there are going to be people in every group who are truly unsuitable to their jobs. This isn't a bitch about either of those. My problem, like many of you, is more fundamental: I dislike the politics of fear that the TSA represents. The announcements, the posters, the "threat level" for the most part aren't designed to make us feel safe as we fly, but instead remind us how scary the world is. I know many people have said it more eloquently than I and for that reason, I have traditionally never said anything about this. Until now:
Until my (wonderful) trip to the Oregon Coast (which I will be talking about later on tonight), I hadn't flown for several years, so this might not be new. As I was leaving the airport upon our return to Boise, I saw a TSA poster that I really wish I had taken a photo of since I haven't been able to find it anywhere since. It had on the left side a black and white photo of a little girl obviously right out of the 1950s with her hand over her heart, apparently saying the Pledge of Allegiance. On the right, in color, we had two pictures: the top a mother and child, beneath it siblings, all wrapped up in the American Flag. Beneath these photos was the caption: "Do you remember what it was like to feel safe".
It made my blood boil. It was a well designed propaganda piece playing off the emotional reactions of the people walking through the terminal. A look at the images and their placement made it clear that the poster was designed to invoke a feeling of unease or fear as travelers approach the security check points.
Fear is the great thoughtless motivator. It pulls even the most rational person in directions they wouldn't normally go in an attempt to feel "safe". Unfortunately, in this case "safe" is an illusion.
Part of me wonders if we didn't lose something fundamental when we allowed ourselves to traffic in fear almost a decade ago.
If you are interested in learning more about politics and specifically propaganda take a look at William Lutz's The New Doublespeak
Saturday, February 12, 2011
The Quandary
Caught in a quandary right now; I’m enjoying what little writing I’m getting done right now, but I’m carefully staying away from many of the topics I once wrote about. In no great part this is because my new job. It is an amazing job and huge time eater and … problematically for the way I work, 99% of it is confidential killing many subjects I would love to write about. I don’t want to put myself in a situation where while talking hypothetically I say something that could be tracked back to something that happened on the job.
Good plan overall considering in many ways I want to keep my writing away from education as much as I can. I want this place to both be my relaxation and my research log. I need to stay focused for that to happen.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Heroes in their own story
Have you had ever had a conversation with someone who most obviously on drugs or been around a human being who was so desperate to be RIGHT that they were willing to go to almost any length in an argument to make everyone metaphorically bleed?
I have.
Almost Daily.
On the other hand. I have seen the heights of people reaching out to help others. Often times from the same people.
I'm not offering any earth shattering insight when I say at the best of times people are complex creatures, but it is something that all too many writers and directors forget when developing a story.
It is too simple to just to throw a flat character out and allow your reader to see that the so called character is nothing more than a place holder in your story. Villain, Hero, Red shirt, Love Interest; nothing more than an interchangeable piece in what ever puzzle you are putting together.
Humans are so much more than that. Even the worst of us are more complex than simply the word EVIL. Most importantly in my mind: at the end of the day everyone wants to the be the Hero in their story.
I guess the moral to my story is: one key ingredient to a great story is to create characters as complex as the people I meet daily. I pray that is a recipe for success.
I have.
Almost Daily.
On the other hand. I have seen the heights of people reaching out to help others. Often times from the same people.
I'm not offering any earth shattering insight when I say at the best of times people are complex creatures, but it is something that all too many writers and directors forget when developing a story.
It is too simple to just to throw a flat character out and allow your reader to see that the so called character is nothing more than a place holder in your story. Villain, Hero, Red shirt, Love Interest; nothing more than an interchangeable piece in what ever puzzle you are putting together.
Humans are so much more than that. Even the worst of us are more complex than simply the word EVIL. Most importantly in my mind: at the end of the day everyone wants to the be the Hero in their story.
I guess the moral to my story is: one key ingredient to a great story is to create characters as complex as the people I meet daily. I pray that is a recipe for success.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Dismantling the Future. Congress, NASA and our (out of ) Space program
So while reading the news tonight I came across an article on the fact that NASA doesn't feel that 8 billion is enough money to build a rocket with the parameters set down by Congress.
Now I'm not sure which part of the this equation disturbs me more: Congress setting technical parameters ( and saying build it is the LAW) or that NASA doesn't feel it can meet them. Either way it comes down to the same thing: the United States will not have a manned space vehicle after the Shuttle is retired later this year.
Honestly, this makes me want to cry.
I had a vision of what "space exploration" should be. It included engineers developing the technology to drive our astronauts to the red planet and (far) beyond. It had a brave, almost swashbuckling quality to it. People reaching out and grabbing the FUTURE. Making new and unintended discoveries settling colonies, growing beyond the fragile boundaries of our planet.
I know it sounds like pure romantic tripe, but there it is.
Right now though, my future is stillborn. It lies dead in the face of bureaucratic cuts and men who lack the vision to dream.
It makes me sick to consider that soon the United States will have cut itself out of space and ceded the future.
Now I'm not sure which part of the this equation disturbs me more: Congress setting technical parameters ( and saying build it is the LAW) or that NASA doesn't feel it can meet them. Either way it comes down to the same thing: the United States will not have a manned space vehicle after the Shuttle is retired later this year.
Honestly, this makes me want to cry.
I had a vision of what "space exploration" should be. It included engineers developing the technology to drive our astronauts to the red planet and (far) beyond. It had a brave, almost swashbuckling quality to it. People reaching out and grabbing the FUTURE. Making new and unintended discoveries settling colonies, growing beyond the fragile boundaries of our planet.
I know it sounds like pure romantic tripe, but there it is.
Right now though, my future is stillborn. It lies dead in the face of bureaucratic cuts and men who lack the vision to dream.
It makes me sick to consider that soon the United States will have cut itself out of space and ceded the future.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Gaming... followed by Markus King.. a backstory.
I have an on again, off again like affair with table top role playing games. Time plays a factor of course, as work and family eat up the majority of my time so I won't waste time with bad gaming or spend time dealing with any other sort of frustration. Right now the only system I"m really interested in playing is Green Ronin's Mutant's and Masterminds not necessarily because of its four colored superhero nature, but because of its flexibility. Right now I'm prepping to run a a modern mystery game that may owe a little of its tone to Oeming and Bendis' Powers series.
I won't get into the meat of what the King's 7 series will be about, that may come later as I don't want to have some of the details floating anywhere but in my notes, but for now I thought I'd share what John and I call an "Interlude" the pieces the written pieces we each do outside of game time to share with one another and other players. today's piece is a brief introduction to Markus King:
I won't get into the meat of what the King's 7 series will be about, that may come later as I don't want to have some of the details floating anywhere but in my notes, but for now I thought I'd share what John and I call an "Interlude" the pieces the written pieces we each do outside of game time to share with one another and other players. today's piece is a brief introduction to Markus King:
Hubris (an interlude)
I spent my youth expecting to elite. I spent my middle age trying to be great in order to make up for the sins that were blamed on me and those I recruited.
I failed on both accounts.
The fame I wanted, the good I felt I was destined to do destroyed by the stupidity of lesser men whom I had foolishly believed to be heroes.
I’ve spent the last 30 years taking the only sane course of action. I’ve worked hard to be forgotten, to be nothing more than a footnote in a history book. Letting my anonymous donations do what little good they can content with what measure of peace I can would surrounded by the fruits of my hubris.
Until Now.
Give me the news Mathew. His face tells the story before he even speaks. It is worse than the initial reports.
“Mr. King, I visited the scene myself under police escort of Detective Lt. Chang. It’s the old team Logo. This time the “revamped” 70s version tagged on the walls around the victims in blood and branded on their chests.
“Mr. King, I visited the scene myself under police escort of Detective Lt. Chang. It’s the old team Logo. This time the “revamped” 70s version tagged on the walls around the victims in blood and branded on their chests.
Mathew tossed the pictures on the old man’s desk. They sit untouched.
Markus King stared out the window. “ and the other?”
“Markus, there are plasma burns and evidence of low level super speed throughout the alley”
Markus King stood suddenly, his exoskeleton whining almost inaudibly. “Still no arrests. No clues. Someone is calling me out but why now?”
Matthew shrugged “I don’t know , sir. But if you believe that this is an attempt to “flush you out” then we can’t play to their tactical advantage.’
“You are correct of course. But it does need dealt with. Someone I can trust even after this time. Someone who carries some of the same wounds I do. “ He laughed ironically “Someone who hates me for the hubris that drove me into this position. “ Find me Lo Fat, the Jade Monkey. “
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Chapter problems... and story dissections
I'm six chapters into my all time (so far) favorite project The Hunt and I'm currently struggling. I can't seem to capture the tone I picture in my head. A big part of it is that I'm not spending enough time living with my characters. Not even an hour a day between work commitments and the time I spend with my family. As for the rest of it I"m not sure. Davis is vibrant and alive in my mind. Most of the other characters feel right, but I will admit to a nagging problem with one of the subplots (to the point of me scrapping it after drafting it in initally) and I really fear I am both under and over planning parts of the novella and not letting it flow. Either way I am in need of a serious rethinking as I really dig in to the meat of the story I want to tell. Anyone want to pull the vision in my head out for me and dissect it into what it should be?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)