Rants on Science Fiction Storytelling

I don’t know how many of you out there enjoy science fiction? You aren’t going to like this, but one thing has been really irritating me lately. One of the challenges to writing a novel is the ongoing battle of making the story original. Then there are the cheaters! Yeah, you know who you are. I’m talking about the writers who resort to magic to solve whatever problem falls on their hero, and I don’t just mean supernatural magic.

Consider it for a moment; Data is lost on Planet X and much to his dissatisfaction the nearby sun explodes as a supernova. Before everything is vaporized, the Enterprise crew locates him and beams him out. Given, the transporter is an original idea, but the writer also cheated by never really solving the problem.



I’m not finished yet. Supernatural fantasy writers, you are also guilty. Now I know that fantasy leaves you with many more options, but it also encourages plenty more laziness. Remember Harry Potter? Have you ever seen him or his friends really solve a problem? The best that I recall usually involves some vaguely defined spell/mixture from Hermione.



The best storytelling will always involve genuine problem solving, not just pressing a display or mixing some gross liquids. The before mentioned stories are just the tip of the iceberg, but the most famous.

The Demeaning Defeat of Al Qaeda

America is winning the war on terrorism! Why the hell is that true? This isn’t another phony press release of the Bush Administration! Ever since the towers fell on 9/11, people have been struggling to find someone to blame. The conventional wisdom is that Al Qaeda accomplished the task with two-hijacked Boeing 767’s, but not everyone is convinced that the towers could have fallen without extra help. Maybe a few steel eating thermite explosives hidden in the towers from the government? I’m not here to debate some of these half-baked pipe dream theories, but the efforts of the heroes who write these are the paths to victory. Al Qaeda needs people to believe that they have the skills to pull off a stunt like 9/11. If they don’t and blame it on the government instead, than Al Qaeda is no longer a legitimate terrorist organization. It is a brilliant plan on part of the government, good work Cheney.


9/11 Conspiracy Theories 'Ridiculous,' Al Qaeda Says




One more thing, what is the big deal with President Carter talking with Hamas? They are a terrorist organization, or so that is the official line. As I see it, we have two choices. Either Hamas can continue to bomb Israel into the next century, or Carter can talk them out of it. Give Carter a break; he needs some support to broker a deal!

Dating In The 21st Century

You are not going to like this. You are really not going to like this. It turns out that romance these days isn’t what Hollywood would have you believe. Many people are unhappy these days, locked into unfulfilling or perhaps even abusive relationships. I don’t know why people do this. Maybe they simply have no self-respect for themselves? Maybe they would rather have some sort of relationship with someone than none at all? I don’t claim to know why people do the things that they do. In full disclosure, I have never been engaged or married, but I will leave it at that. These days good dating advice is hard to come by, but I have stumbled across a very credible source, a squirrel.