Dreaming in Blocks

This is a bit of a break from my other topics - I had a crazy cool dream last night.

I really like Minecraft and that must have had something to do with the fact that my dream was set in Minecraft. But this wasn't just any Minecraft, this was...amazing would be the best way to describe it. First of all I tend to have very vivid dreams, right down to emotions, smells, sights, and physical sensations.

I dreamed that I was part of a small group of people (maybe 3-4) who were somehow transported into a MC (Minecraft) world to have an adventure and have fun. But this version of MC was incredible. It actually looked quite a bit like oblivion in terms of detail, however it still had all the quirky geological/botanical formations and layouts as a really cool MC generated world. There was stone, dirt sand, trees, clouds, etc. And the people textures were something else! It was all so lifelike and my companions and I were amazed at how different everything was, and yet how similar also. The people in this version of MC looked so real, their faces looked normal and shifted with facial expressions, their clothes moved in the wind.

All of this was taken in at once. The lady who invited us there was dressed in drab greens and browns and she was the creator of this version of MC or at least the world around us. I remember asking her, "How can this be? How can everything look so...lifelike here?"

To which she said, "Look closer" As I did so, I noticed that everything was actually made of teeny tiny MC blocks which moved while staying attached.

The last thing I remember asking before I woke up was, "Wait a second, if everything is made of MC blocks, then how tall are we?"

Haha, I know anticlimactic, but very funny. I like to remember particularly vivid dreams I have and I enjoy writing them down because sometimes I think they're too cool not to share. So I'll probably be adding any other interesting dreams I have up here.I hope anyone who reads this finds it fun to read and think about!

A little on writing

Lately I've been digging into my short fiction writing and I find that, while the ideas I have seem solid enough to be short stories, I often start to blow them up. To counter this tendency of mine at a particular point in my story I re-anchor myself with a few questions: What is the overall focus of my piece? Why is this event occurring now? And is this vital for the reader to understand the decisions and actions in the story?

These questions help me to trim excess world-building and give me the ability to change certain scenes (or even whole stories) to better relate my main theme of a given piece. From this I seem to use my main theme as a structure for my story, the main point I try to get across, and use world building as flavor to add to the main point. I find I tend to see characters as part of my main theme, but the details around them are what give them depth and more story than I could write in a hundred pages.

These questions also help me to come up with ideas for my stories. To go back to my difficulty with over expanding on my ideas I guess part of the issue is how I view short fiction and full novels as stories. I like to think that all short stories an be manifested/expanded into novels and that all novels can (with a lot of work and a large amount of interpretation) can be cut down to short pieces. So I tend to feel conflicted when writing short stories in particular because I know I could easily write books about the characters and events that my 'short' stories are about. Every so often I'll find that my short stories have info-dump sections with very little happening and I feel that in part this is unacceptable because I don't have to give the reader everything, only enough to create the story I am writing. Thus the questions I put across in the beginning here to help me cut the excess world building or at least reinstate it with meaningful details.

A Novel Problem

Last night I was at the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Workshop at UC berkeley (acronym for this workshop > Cal SFFWW) and let me tell you, it was fun!

We were working over a member's piece, which happened to be the start of a book he's been editing for a while. As we worked through it we spent a great deal of time on the very beginning of the first chapter (the portion he brought to the workshop). What was interesting, and Brian (the person brining the piece) noted this, was that there were many interpretations, views, and opinions about how the introduction was carried out.

Aside from the content of the piece I was struck by the sheer complexity of actually putting together a novel from beginning to end. There is a constant struggle between the writer and the reader's interpretations and both must be taken into account through the entire piece. And even when the author has written the piece, there is no guarantee that the reader's will agree. A thread must be started at the very first page, carried through the first chapter, and then kept in tact through the entire book, which must be a daunting task. I feel compelled to write books, but as of yet I haven't begun one (writing beyond research and notes).

Characters must be fine tuned, descriptions and dialogue must fit with the given scene, etc. there are so many factors that need to be taken into account I see the whole process as a person trying to swim to land in a hurricane.

This may seem like a jump but an immediate question comes to my mind > what is a novel? I'm auditing an English Novel course at Cal and this was one (and is ongoing) question we raised early. The general impression I have now is that a novel can be defined by what it is not, and the only way a novel can be identified by what it is, is by general consensus. I feel that the act of writing anything, or reading/critiquing anything is one of the most truly democratic/participatory actions a person can be a part of. When we were workshoping last night we all were a part of that process and in so doing were discussing the nature of the work we had just read. The writer is tied very closely to the readers and the readers have a close tie with the writer. I remember watching recently, a commentary by Seananners (if you haven't watched him on youtube, then I suggest you do so, even if you don't like videogames) where he discussed how 'success' in youtube was to be measured. He essentially implied that it was not just one thing (like # of views, ratings, or comments) but many different factors. The same can be said for any creative work. The success of a novel in particular seems to be tied to how people support it and feel about it. Thus a huge burden is placed upon the writer to offer up his work for people in general to judge.

I feel that this is of particular relevance to SFF (science fiction and Fantasy) writers. Because their worlds explicitly deal with the imaginary there is a intense need to relate the work with reality, and by extension humanity. This can be incredibly difficult, but must be addressed.

Look's like I didn't get around to making a specific point so, the title probably should have read 'Novel Problems.' The process is incredibly complicated, but I look forward to the time when I feel ready to make the plunge.

An Important Question

Hello and welcome again to the Blog of Holding.

I was thinking yesterday about possible topics of posts when I stumbled across an obvious and glaring question that is highly important. Why am I fascinated with Science Fiction and Fantasy? What is it about these two categories of 'things' that draws me in enough to even consider guiding my blog in that direction? Why not something else more grounded and seemingly relevant?

The answer is this. In terms of literature (and by extension the rest of the media outlets of the genres), I view science fiction and fantasy to be useful in how they reveal humanity, whether on a large or small scale. I have always seen fantasy and science fiction as useful primarily as a way of revealing human character. I know that's grandiose and you might say 'But Adam, that's what other genre's do also!' and you'd be right to say so. Other genre's also seek to reveal to us our own humanity but I see these two in particular (for the sake of typing I will use SFF) I believe they do so in a unique way. SFF is not contained in the real world like almost every other genre, limited only by the author's (wether a written author, game developer etc) imagination. SFF allows us to examine ourselves in stylized and idealistic situations, but it also allows us to ask grand questions of humanity in general. What is human nature? Is it explorative, benevolent, warlike? While these kinds of questions are brought up in the other genres I believe in SFF they are given room to expand and examined from angels that regular fiction (and non-fiction) cannot address. SFF stories then (like most forms of fiction to varying degrees) are outlines of particular aspects of humanity. Obviously no work of fiction or non-fiction could ever encompass just how complex humanity and humans actually are, but SFF seeks to do so in a way different from others. It posits new rules and dramatic situations and then attempts to portray what the author's view as human (or not human as the case may be).

SFF has long been considered (and still is largely) to be a trivial genre of writing. A Genre only suited to entertainment and frivolity, but it is so much more. I can't think of a better example than Arthur C. Clark's detailing of artificial satellites. SFF pushes us to consider beyond ourselves and how we conceive reality whether through magic or science. These two genre's are able to get us to analyze the new and humanity's relation to  it (as well as many other things). So, SFF is much more to me than magic or space fighters. It is a way of considering humanity and what it means to be human in a kaleidescope of ways and in ways that regular mainstream literature cannot.

To top it all off, as Rick Robinson says on his blog "Rocketpunk Manifesto" SFF is 'powered by cool.' Well actually he mainly uses it in relation to space travel, but it applies to a lot of things SFF brings up. It's fun to read about these purely imaginary worlds and situations, work out the rules they operate under, and to follow these grandiose adventures one page at a time.

Hmm...Basically this is why I choose to devout so much time to these two genre's. Of course there are many other reasons, but these are most important to me. I am not completely satisfied with how my statement turned out, but I guess that is how belief's always are. Raw at first and then tempered by time. Any discussion held on this topic would be appreciated! Expect me to return to this topic in later posts with more nuanced answers or additions.

Thanks for reading 'Blog of Holding' !!!

First Post

Hello and welcome everyone to "Blog of Holding." This I suppose is my first debut in the blogosphere and like others I'm sure, I'm a bit confused as to where to take this blog. Actually that isn't quite true. I do know where this blog Will Not Go; It will not become a diary of my daily activities and feelings no matter how mundane (That juicy information I save for my friends, family, and loved ones). This blog will not be the site of an ongoing political, religious, or other type of rant. While some of these topics will come up they will only do so if I actually have something I feel worth saying. The same goes for my daily activities; if there is something that I feel warrants attention I will mention it.

Now I think anyone who is reading this will actually like to know what my vague ideas are for this blog. Well, as you might have gathered from the play on words for the title, I am interested in Science Fiction and Fantasy (Movies, music, literature, gaming, etc.). I do know that my content will lean in those directions. You can expect anything from movie and game reviews, to tips or information I pick up in my writing. One definite plan I do have however involves a game I have been wanting to get hold of: Minecraft. For those of you who know what that game is, nothing need be said. But for those who have heard of this game for the first time I advise you to check out the game's official website http://www.minecraft.net/ Now I know the graphics might put some off...but watch the video and then decide.Such content I intend to write on Minecraft will be handled on another blog.

That being said I also am an aspiring writer. I have mostly been laying the foundations for short stories and (in the future) actual books, but I have written (not published) a few pieces already. As for what I 'do' the answer is finishing school. I am a graduating Senior at UC Berkeley in the field of History. On campus I am part of the Science-Fiction and Fantasy Writer's Workshop which is where I feel most at home in terms of work and interests.

I guess that about wraps it up. I hope to gain readers and I also hope not to let those readers down by writing drivel. Again, welcome to the "Blog of Holding" And I look forward to posting here and talking with anyone who wishes!