Saturday, May 30, 2009

Back to writing

I decided to start writing again today. I feel like I should do something creative and I have the time if I cut out some of my mindless tv watching. There's nothing on in the summer anyway. I'm going to ease back into it by writing for 30 minutes at least 5 times a week. It doesn't even have to be writing an actual story. I'm allowed to just work on notes for a story. I started today and the time passed quickly.

I have some ideas for a sci-fi/fantasy novel and I've always toyed with the idea of writing one since I know the genre very well. I figure even if I just write for 30 minutes a day I could write quite a lot--even a draft of a novel--if I do it for long enough. Not necessarily a good novel, but it's worth trying at least once. I personally think that if I can figure out the ideas I have in more detail and develop more of a plot, it could be really great. I'm just not sure if I can write it the way it deserves.

My lofty goal is to do for literary sci-fi/fantasy what the remake of Battlestar Galactica did for television sci-fi. I want it to be drama (or literary in this case) first and genre second. There's nothing wrong with sci-fi/fantasy elements if they are integral to the story and setting, but they shouldn't be used as gimmicks.

Also, it's not going to be straight sci-fi or straight fantasy. It will probably end up more on the fantasy end, but it will have some sci-fi elements. For example, if people or animals have strange abilities (ex. magic or telepathy), there will be a relatively plausible scientific explanation for them. I'm thinking the vibe of All the Weyrs of Pern by Anne McCaffrey, which I recently reread. The world of Pern appears originally to be pure fantasy (a low-technology world with telepathic dragons), but at this point in the series the reader and the characters discover the origins of the inhabitants' ancestors and the scientific background of many things on their world, including the dragons.

In any case, I'm declaring this on my blog so that I'll have to stick with it. One day at a time!

No comments:

Post a Comment