Discoveries

        Have you ever tried to world-build and found yourself caught up in the mechanics of an idea? I had heard of this phenomenon but largely did my best to ignore it for I perceived it too likely to keep me from getting my "job" done--namely, the first draft of my story. However, I allowed myself an unusual amount of freedom yesterday and built an imaginary university. A university in which I cannot decide whether I would enjoy being a teacher or a student more. My dream university.
        The realist in me kept saying, "Stop! You're wasting time! No one will need to know all this stuff when they read your story. You're just trying to delay 'actual' writing." The dreamer, and the ultimate winner of the argument, shot back, "If I am the writer and I want to spend time on the university design, then I am certainly allowed to do so! What is a university without organization, without a mission statement, without career paths, without design?"
        I realized two things during my "work". I learned that I enjoy thinking about education, especially in terms of structural organization and curriculum design. Perhaps it is one of the odd products of homeschooling that I am still so mentally engaged in the structure and method of curriculum design. In homeschooling, I had the opportunity to look through catalogs and think about what curriculum series I would like to use. I attended one or two homeschool conferences and wandered through the curriculum fair. It was so much fun! I especially enjoyed the language curriculums. *ahem* Back to the topic.
        To summarize, when you are writing your story, I think it is wise to give yourself permission to explore your own interests; your own fascination may astound you. Whether in learning or reading, I have more often been interested in the tone and enthusiasm of the speaker than the subject matter itself. Interest appears to be a powerful thing.
    What are your thoughts on world-building? Is it fun? Boring? Irritating? Did you learn anything about yourself from your efforts?

More to come...

  Hi all,
So, looking back at my blog, I realized that it has now been over a year since my last post. There are a few reasons for this, however, aside from the tried-and-true "I've been busy" there is another reason: I haven't really had a clue what to write about next! I could write more about chemistry, but I would like this blog to have more discussion on writing in general and not just about scientific fiction. I have a few ideas coming up but I thought I would also ask, what would you like me to talk about? Please post soon. I will try to have a new and thought-provoking post up by the end of this month.
      Thanks,
           Aranel

Concerning Mad Scientists and Lasers--A Thought

Growing up, one of my favorite cartoons was Jonny Quest. It had action, adventure, suspense and science—is there anything cooler? Dr. Quest always made science seem so amazing and mysterious. Dodging death, working on new inventions, and researching life processes main events of each episode. For example, in the first episode ever aired, The Mystery of the Lizard Men, he saved the ship from destruction by utilizing a mirror to deflect the laser (new technology at the time). While knowledge that mirrors deflect lasers is now common, the story is still fascinating. Even now, we could learn much from this episode if we wanted. For example, how many people remember that the word “laser” is actually an acronym like scuba? It actually stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. I could go on about this, but don’t wish to scare you.*

 Yes, I just connected a cartoon to physics. I know what you’re thinking. “Yeah, but that’s Jonny Quest! It’s SUPPOSED to have science in it.” Well, yes, Jonny Quest was promoted as a cartoon with sci-fi elements, but there are others. Even Looney Toons had mad scientists. The point is that all, or at least most, of us have some childhood memory of exciting scientific discoveries or manipulations whether they are through cartoons or Bill Nye. Blow on that spark of interest. Allow yourself to be captivated by the adrenaline rush of a new discovery. Research interesting ideas. Brush up on your history. Embrace the challenge of integrating creativity and science. 

 Recently, culture and entertainment have become increasingly technologically and scientifically saturated. CSI, Bones, and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog are all evidences of this. Therefore, you as a writer can no longer afford to hide behind the “I’m an artist, not a scientist” mask and must embrace the glories and shortcomings of science in your work or be left behind

 Some of the fantasy writers will say, “My world is in the medieval period. I don’t need science.” I wholeheartedly disagree. One of my favorite writers, Patricia C. Wrede wrote a series of books on a magical world, and introduced a quirky character by the name of Telemain who was a magician. What made him special was that he was essentially a magical scientist. He was constantly analyzing the mechanisms of spells and energy flow. The character enriched the story and made it different from all the other fantasy books I’ve read. In short, being a fantasy writer is not an excuse. It just means you have to be more creative. Every age has its own technology, but the overall science will still be similar if not the same. 

*Now, of course some of you smart alecks will point out that it is actually LABSEOR, but I would remind you that it is common practice to leave out prepositions and articles when creating acronyms or abbreviations. Therefore, correcting people who use USA instead of US of A is not clever. It’s about as ingenious as calling a state MinneSNOWta.