Writtenwyrdd

My brain fears no one...but it should

A recent CNN online article describes research regarding the experience of fear in humans.  Apparently, the amygdala in the brain is at least partially responsible for the proper experience of fear, based on study of a woman whose amygdala has been destroyed by disease.

The interesting thing about this study is how this woman's lifeis affected.  The total lack of ability to know or experience any form of fear has caused her to blithely take risks that could have killed her, because she doesn't have that slight fear or wariness that causes her to check and reassess situations that may be life threatening.  She will approach people who she should know to avoid because she has no fear that they may cause her harm.  Or she will do things that might otherwise kill her, such as picking up a snake without worrying if it could poison her.

The upshot is that lack of fear can be extremely dangerous and shorten one's life.  But the ability to adjust the fear experience to treat post-traumatic stress disorder or to heal phobias is a good thing.

For the purposes of speculative fiction and plotting stories, however, the concept of this control of fear can be a great basis for a plot. 

Ideas.

• Create or eliminate targeted fear responses.  Say you have a character who is a government agent.  She or he cannot feel fear of death--it has been eliminated.  But they can feel everything else, including a heightened fear of disappointing their superiors or of failing their cause.  Wouldn't that be a great modification to terrorists who want their suicide bombers to unfailingly deliver the packages?  Or wouldn't it be a great thing for dictators or despotic governments, to ahve their soldiers charge into battle like rabid lemmings regardless of the circumstances?  Scary.
• Behavior control as the new thought control.  You could innoculate a society against touching substances, following trends, eating certain foods, believing certain beliefs, etc.  that the government/religious group, political group, cult wants them to avoid.  Selective application of fear or removal of it can channel the population into generally predictable models. 
• The crazy/evil manipulator behind the scenes.  Here's a really freaky-weird concept--you have some crazy person using such a technique to create great works of "art" on the planet using an entire country or ethnic population or geographic population as his medium. 
• The ever-popular power play.  Aliens/fairies/political or religious groups could use such a technique for control and conquest.  Say an alien race wants to have the populations avoid certain areas of the landscape so that there are human-free zones.  An ecological safe zone for wildlife could be created, or humans could be confined by fear to certain reservations. 
• Fluid dynamics in populations: Herd the masses and mass behavior.  And the fear could even be of something that doesn't exist.  If it's of something that doesn't exist (e.g. it's a superstition) it would be omnipresent and dreadful.  A fear of things that go bump int he night would keep people inside during the dark, have them avoid dark closets or such. 
• Social Engineering, e.g. Update on Brave New World.  Combine targeted loss of fear with targeted fears to create whole new societies. 
• Medical fixes.  We could cure obsessive behaviors like hoarding, or alcoholism and drug abuse. 
• A takeover. Humans could be tweaked so that they cannot fear the alien invaders or the leaders of a particular religion or political party.  Is that not akin to a religious experience, if you tweak the concept a little bit? 
• Create the perfect soldier, intergalactic colonist, etc..  Genetic engineering combined with fear adjustments would provide a group of colonists or soldiers with the right tools for the job...especially if it were reversible. 
Self-applied "mental modes."  Programmed fear settings that put her into the proper response mode for a particular show.  Be it acting, dancing, sex workers, soldiers, cops, firemen, criminals, cage fighters, or the average Joe or Jane mundane individual seeking to be 'in the mood' for a romantic evenign with her lover...initiating a "mental mode" that would give them the edge to compete/perform in their field would make them highly functional. 

Designer people with set or, worse, endlessly programmable behavior "channels"?  Scary stuff.

 

Plot in the Bible

Susannah Rickards at Strictly Writing has a great article about finding plot in a place I bet few of us have considered:  In the Bible.  Basically, she noticed that the Christmas story is an excellent example of plot.  You can check out her article here.  It's worth reading, as she has some excellent points about how the plot of the story works and why.

It struck me while reading that article that most religious and mythological tales were originally told, not written.  And as they were part of an oral tradition, they had to function as tales that would keep a reader's attention and stick in their brains.  They had to entertain, not just function as cautionary tales.  So it makes sense that many of the ancient texts have definable plots that exemplify what we consider good plotting techniques today.

You could take Susannah's breakdown of The Greatest Story Ever Told and create an entirely different one that no one would recognize as christian...Oh.  Wait.  C.S. Lewis did that, and nobody was fooled!  Well, it would be a challenge to try and create a story around that plot breakdown, anyhow.

Understanding Entropy

Energy spontaneously tends to flow only from being concentrated in one place to becoming diffused or dispersed and spread out - Second Law of Thermodynamics

While researching for a story, I came across a nice description of Entropy, also known as the Second Law of Thermodynamics.  The thing that is interesting is a fine distinction, and it's relevant for writers.  Subtle, but worth pondering.

From : The Second Law of Thermodynamics!

   A swimmer doesn't come shooting up out of the water to the diving board, rocks in a valley don't suddenly roll up a mountain, outside air doesn't rush into a flat tire, batteries don't get charged by sitting around. Those events all would have energy spontaneously become more concentrated, the opposite of energy spreading out. We sense that videos or movies are shown in the right direction of showing time going forward only if the events in them agree with our lifetime experience about the direction of energy flow: concentrated to dispersed and spread out. The second law points the direction of how we feel time goes.

Q: So that's why people call the second law "time's arrow"?
A: You got it. Now let's clear up those tricky words, "spontaneously" and "tends" in the statement of the second law, "Energy spontaneously tends to flow only from being concentrated in one place to becoming diffused and spread out."

Q: Why bother? "Spontaneously" means fast, quick, ad lib .......
A: Hold it! That may apply to people, but we're talking about how things and chemicals behave. In the second law "spontaneously" means only that any energy which is available in the object or substance for diffusing will spread out from it -- if given a chance. It doesn't have anything to do with how fast or slow that occurs after the dispersal of energy starts, or even when it might start. That's why "tends" is so important to understand as part of the second law.

    The energy available in a hot frying pan or in a loud BOOM from a drum immediately and rapidly begins to spread out to their environments. Nothing hinders that from happening. Lots of ordinary and also unhappy events are like that. But there are an enormous number of "energy diffusing" second-law happenings that are hindered so they don't occur right away. Here's a simple illustration: If I hold a half-pound rock in my fingers so it is ready to fall, it has potential energy concentrated in it because it is up above the ground. If the second law is so great and powerful, why doesn't the energy that has been concentrated in the rock spread out? Obviously, it can't do that because my fingers are "bonding" to it, keeping it from falling. The second law isn't violated. That rock tends to fall and diffuse its energy to the air and to the ground as it hits -- and it will do so spontaneously by itself, without any help -- the second I open my fingers and "unbond" the rock.

Q: Is that really so important?
A: Yes, it is. Many philosophers and novelists learned about the second law only from physicists.
    Unfortunately, physics emphasizes what happens in a closed or isolated system of tiny particles rather than in our real open-flow world of trees, shiny steel, sunshine, rocks and people, the world of sun energy and things made out of chemicals. Thus, many readers of popular philosophy articles and recent novels have been misled and frightened by talk about the second law as a fast-approaching doomsday. The writers pass too quickly over the fact that it is a tendency rather than a prediction of what will happen right away.

    In many real-world chemicals and things the second law can be obstructed or hindered for millions of years. Certainly, the mountains of the world haven't all slid down to sea level in the last several hundred centuries! Similar to my fingers holding the small rock (but millions of times more tightly), even overhanging stone in cliffs or mountains is bonded, chemically bonded, to adjacent atoms in the stone and so the stone can't obey the second law tendency for it to fall to a lower level. Here, as in countless other examples, the second law is blocked by the strength of chemical bonds. It takes a huge number of repetitions of outside energy input like freezing and thawing and earthquakes and windy rainstorms to break the bonds along even a weak bond-line, make a crack, and free particles or pebbles or rocks so they can follow the second law by falling to a lower level. (But even then, they may just fall into a mile-high valley and be kept from dropping any closer to sea level; so here in a different way the second law is further hindered.)

    Blockage of the second law is absolutely necessary for us to be alive and happy. Not one of the complex chemical substances in our body and few in the things we enjoy would exist for a microsecond if the second law wasn't obstructed. Its tendency is never eliminated but, fortunately for us, there are a huge number of compounds in which it is blocked for our lifetimes and even far longer.

Q: About time we got to something human. Are we through with rocks?
A: Yes, but don't forget what they have illustrated.

    I think it is helpful to see some of the ways the second law works in the ordinary dusty world of actual objects before looking at its relation to pure substances, the chemicals that make up those objects. Chem profs approach the second law the other way around, starting with atoms and molecules first. And that's certainly OK. Professors rightfully avoid much talk about the behavior of big visible things at all. In the limited time of a chemistry course they can only develop the nature of atoms and molecules and of chemical substances. Objects made from chemicals like a gear or a bridge or a wooden house or a book or a bone just have to be assumed to behave like their constituent substances. What they do because they are big things composed of tiny molecules just has to be left for other courses or our future experience.

Go on and read the whole article.  Fascinating stuff.  The main point I'm making, though, is that when we write science fiction, entropy will play a part in the science.  And it's useful to consider the effect of the Second Law of Thermodynamics on larger events and objects...even human culture! 

 

 

Pick a card, any card...

Have you ever had a cliche or phrase come up in conversation and it occurs to you that if that were literally the case, the world would be vastly different?

Think of it as a world building exercise, but work with me here.  Picture a cliche that you hear a lot, a bad example being "happy as a clam (at high tide)."  Most of you likely didn't know the end of that reference, but that's it.  So, having a dumb cliched phrase to work with, try to decide what that means in terms of life in the universe as we know it.  Then consider if it were literally true.  What if clams literally were happy at high tide, and that was important?  Why would it be important? And if it were literally true, how could it affect your fictional world if they were UNhappy all of a sudden?  Are clams the keepers of sanity, or a strewn barrier to keep Poseidon from wreaking havoc across the land?  What if our overfishing or the recent oil slicks along the coast have left a breach in the barriers, and unhappy clams (e.g. dead or dying) allow evil from the bottom of the sea to enter into the country?  What if, similar to McCaffery's Pern, the ancients seeded the world with clams that are genetically designed to keep the evil sea monster at bay (an indicator of it being red tides, for example.)

See, you can get a lot of ideas just from a "dumb" cliche.

What brought this post idea up was that, yesterday morning, my coworker mentioned a comic in the paper where the people commented they could now afford to die because all their debts were paid.  he used the term "cashing in your chips," and I thought, Hmmm, what if you had to be able to afford to die in order to actually cash in your chips?  How different would the world be then?  Imagine a world where you can't die, but perhaps you want to most desperately.  I can think of a number of permutations to that.

Perhaps the twist is that the world your character experiences is actually Hell and she wants out, to be born in "heaven" which is the "real" world.  Perhaps it's believed you have 20 virgins to wait on you after you go, but the worthiness is determined by your monetary value when you elect to die (meaning that it's also bad to die on accident, because you would then go to your reward in a less advantageous position than you intended.)  Perhaps the crux of your story involves how a crime like murder is changed when the persons are being slaughtered to prevent them from attaining a certain level, perhaps to change the politics of the afterlife, sway it toward one god, political party or race?  It would be a weird type of jihad or crusade then, wouldn't it?

The point of this ramble being that, if you just consider the possibilities, you can come up with new worlds that suggest new story angles from just about any inspiration at all.

Happy writing!

Future tech in the now

There's an amazing array of equipment out there about which most of us are unaware; and a lot of it can make for cool plot bunnies in near world stories, at least.

I have been hearing a lot in the news about means of identification and scanning options, to include airport body scans, iris scans, fingerprint scans, facial recognition and other things.

Like cellular phones, it is important to keep in mind for near world stories what the tech in use now is and how it may change in use and function.  This is both to keep the story feeling current longer and to keep your readers interested in how you use the technology.  It wasn't so long ago that we never had cellular phones in stories, and now we have cell phones used all the time. 

Tech can change writing conventions, too.  It used to be that a 'rule' was never to have a phone conversation in your stories, but now we pretty much have to use them or the plots will have big, gaping holes.  So you either have to explain these days why the persons do NOT have cell phones, or you have to actually use them in the story.

Thus it follows that things like identification technology is going to be important in near world stories.  I heard the other day that there is a hand held device that can read your iris from as far away as 30 feet-- and that is frightening.  But it's a useful tidbit for writing. 

So anyhow, be sure you consider and extrapolate upon the current technologies we have and how you can use them in your stories.  Because (as I said in the last article on the blahg) if you don't do it well, your story will feel really dated or stupid in the near future. And longevity in your story is always preferable.

Idea: real world tech and its implications

Speculative fiction that is set in near-world time or setting is going to have a dated feel very quickly if the tech is not predictive enough or if your guesses as to future tech trends are off. 

But urban fantasy and near world science fiction or science fantasy need not feel too outdated if we are smart in our strategies for worldbuilding with current and speculative technology.  It's not just guesswork.

Here are my thoughts as to how you can make your best attempt at avoiding that dated feeling a few years after your story is out.

First, you can avoid the problem by a complete end run: avoid a serious sharing of the world and the tech.  This is most appropriate for romance category novels or short stories, as these focus on different elements than a proper spec fic novel.  In romance, it's all about the love, the sex, the interactions of the characters and the inevitable misunderstandings.  In a short story, you must settle for giving the world a feel that suits the situation and setting, but you don't have the space in which to engage in real details...so you can gloss over the tech to a large degree.

However, if you are going to make me love your story, you are going to build a world in which I want to set up camp and return to again and again.  And that takes details, baby!  and, like Jules Verne or H.G. Welles--or more recently William Gibson's 1980s cyberpunk--you want your novels to stand the test of time...or at least a few decades.  So, my thoughts on how to do that follow: 

Determine cultural trends or outlooks that influence how technology is used.  In Dune, for example, Frank Herbert proposes a loathing of thinking machines, so anything that isn't run by the human mind is verboten.  If the world in which you are writing has an abhorrence, a fetish, a focus that is a strong undercurrent, give some thought to how that will or can affect the way people behave, the items that they use, or other matters such as how the government uses the technology.  Perhaps your government in the story is using invasive technology to determine your role in life (DNA testing in Gattica); or perhaps the military has started using cloning technology to create soldiers for battle.  (It might be expedient to build the army in the solar system where they are being used, for example, rather than expend the resources to recruit and train and then ship bodies where they are needed.)

Layering: Be aware of other options for your technology.  You should consider at least a couple of other applications besides the one you originally develop, or where they will have an effect due to their lack. If you integrate a technology into the world, you need to give some thought to how it can be used in other areas.  Why?  So you round out your world just like a character.  And if the tech is top secret, then you can show how there is another option to that secret tech in civilian use, for example.  If the military docs have special regeneration chambers, but the civilians do not have access or knowledge of it...what DO they have access to?  There should be some tech that is approaching that level, a few generations behind, perhaps, but approaching regeneration.  It might be something like a liquid skin patch infused with nanotech that speeds clotting or tissue regeneration, but cannot replace limbs or fix major damage.  (Your guess is as good as mine.)  but there ought to be a level of tech that is in the ballpark with the other technology in use in the same society.

The basic areas that we generally see technology from one field used in another are

• military
• medical
• cultural
• individual use (personal entertainment, time/labor saving, silly gadgetry, toys)
• religious
• social control
• media/entertainment (public)
• commercial applications

Of course, if you choose to have a gap in tech, for example one based upon the strata of society, that is also a legitimate choice, and you will have to extrapolate from there who has what and why this is so.  Which leads me to my next point: extrapolation.

Extrapolation.  Consider social and personal implications of the technology at hand.  If you suddenly had a world were every second counted, literally, you would be extrapolating from our current society and it's passion for being in touch and minute by minute accountability of what we are doing.  Now we see Facebook and other things that show real time where you are and what you are doing; and in a future society, you could have something as weird as people who share (instead of web cams) their visual perspective of their daily activity.  Virtual reality of people riding along with someone doing something.  That idea has great merit, and could work in military, police, social, sports or what have you for applications.  (I'm going to use that one some time; it's too cool.)  But if someone can make money from it, you know that there will be an application used to make money.

So, extrapolating further, where could that particular idea bear fruit in your spec fic world?

• Porn.  Instead of watching, someone can ride along with you in full sensurround.
• Sports.  Athletes franchise the rights to have people experience their play real time.  (You can bet that negotiations over that are going to be hot and heavy, and it will become a new market niche like web companies, ebooks or other things that took off in the past few years.)
• Commercial.  Test drive a car virtually.  Have a vacation virtually (already done, alas.)  Attend class reunions via a double if you can't travel personally.  I could go on and on.
• Medical.  A surgeon could learn how to perform a new procedure by riding along with the surgeon doing the work.  Students can virutally explore cadavers.

Your world is a character.  As I mentioned above, by integrating tech in layers and rounding out your world, you're making your world deeper and more meaningful.  It's far more gripping and your readers can engage with the characters more if the world has more detail and feels more realistic.  Just like a flat spear carrier type of character, a world that's filled in will engage readers more.  And I believe that readers of speculative fiction prefer detailed worlds.  It makes them happy to engage with the world just as much as the story. 

So, those are my thoughts on the matter.  Any more ideas from the bullpen?

Happy writing!

 

Sistene Chapel, virtually - and implications for worldbuilding

One of the coolest things about technology is how the internet allows you to share cultural things like music and art.  I remember the moment I first realized the potential of the internet: in 1992 or 93 when a friend showed me how you could look at the Dead Sea Scrolls online. 

Now, you can do things like see the cleaned and restored Sistene Chapel.  This is just amazing.  Thank you, Vatican Museum (Musei Vaticani) for sharing.

When you're creating your spec fic world, don't forget that your dark urban fantasy landscape can have some awesome, even joyful, sides.  Technology is not, by nature, dour; it's how you use it.

I like it when a writer shows both sides, doesn't essentially preach progress is evil.  I like it when the world is amazing and the tech is magical, even though the problems humanity faces may be the same.  Sometimes it's valuable to show the tech is neutral, just like religion should be.  Sometimes you can show it as the problem...But I think that we often see the portrayal of our technology as essentially evil like a virus that's killing its host...when the real issue is the things inside mankind that has us using this really great stuff in ways that are shortsighted and harmful.

Here's one way to look at it.  If you use the point of view that tech itself is the problem, you are painting mankind as helpless against the things it creates, like that stuff forces us to make it, use it, become dependent upon it.  But if you show the choices mankind makes to use, create or depend upon technology, and show those issues as flaws or poor choices or stubborn irrationality (or what have you) you are making a more realistic choice that has more options in terms of plot or theme.

Of course, when talking theme, a little goes a long way.  It should (mostly) all be subtext anyhow. 

If you haven't read The Silver Metal Lover  or Biting the Sun by Tanith Lee, I recommend you do so.  Ms. Lee has created two seemingly utopian societies with magic-like technology--and two protagonist who struggle to define themselves against their worlds.  You'd think that, in a world that denied you nothing and allowed you to explore any avenue, you would have a utopia...But it isn't, which is why the self-derailment of the main character's lives is so true.  Both stories pretty much exemplify my thoughts on the matter of how a writer can use gorgeous technical developments and yet show the failures, too.  These books ARE a bit theme heavy, though, which books from the 70s and 80s tended to be; but they don't quite beat you over the head. 

And, you know--perhaps my long-winded point is that future tech doesn't have to be cyberpunk depressing with cesspools of toxic waste dripping down the crumbling walls of the inner city.  It can have bunnies and butterfiles, too.  Really, though, it's better if you find a more realistic happy middle...rather like we live in here.

Which brings me back to the Sistene Chapel.  We can have really wonderful things like being able to study the art of the ages virtually, and still have cybercrime and identity theft.  There are ups and downs to tech, and we should embrace all the possibilities in our stories.  We dont' need to show them all; but a reasonably mix to make the world feel real is a good idea...don't you think?

 

Odd places for ideas

You know I am a fan of finding ideas where I see them, I am sure.  Well, I had an epiphany of sorts the other day while laying in bed trying to get rid of my migraine.  I watched a lot of shows that I thought would be educational and get me more up to speed on some military issues.  So I watched that sniper show, Border Wars, and military history ad nauseum.  (I really hate watching military history, although I love the shows about technology.)

At any rate, I found a show on snipers (which name escapes me) and this was on Coast Guard snipers.  (I know, right?  A doggie head tilt moment.)  The thing is, they are a relatively new thing, and they only shoot out the engines on fleeing boats, not people.  What a genius idea!  Fascinating stuff.  I have to extrapolate that for my military sf as my guy is a sniper with a twist on the sniper equipment I haven't seen done before, but which the idea of the Coasty tactics can be used with.  Heh.

And another spot for finding ideas is to search out calls for proposals by the government.  Look up what they are looking for, and you can get a few ideas for futuristic technology.  This is one example.  It's fascinating to see the types of R&D that DOD is looking to get contractors onboard for, and if you are willing to extrapolate for plot bunny ideas, you might get some good stuff.

Your bucket list?

Sandra Cormier had an interesting post the last month about her bucket list, and it has had me thinking, off and on for the past few weeks, about what use a wish list like that can be to a writer. 

I can think of a couple of things.  First, make your list items pay for themselves.  So, if you want to learn to fly a helicopter, figure out a story plot that requires some knowledge of helicopters, and take a class.  *You can write it off. 

Second, use your bucket list for inspiration.  It may not cost you anything to do or learn or experience the thing on the list, but obviously you have some attraction or enthusiasm for that item, so it has some emotional attraction for you.  Use that in your writing to either infuse your character(s) with interest for you, or to give you an excuse to research the thing you have never gotten around to doing.  (This is similar to the above, but a different focus.)

In any case, what is on your bucket list?  And, more importantly, what have you done that you have always wanted to do and dreamed of doing?  I think it's vastly more important to acknowledge good things and challenges met than most people realize.  So recognize your achievements.

My bucket list is currently short:

• Get 3 novels published before I die
• Do an RV conversion from a box van
• Travel through Eastern Europe
• Visit Italy

But what I've done that I always wanted to do?  Quite a few things, actually:

• Learn to ride a motorcycle
• Visit the UK
• Go down the Colorado River/see the London Bridge in AZ
• learn to scuba dive
• Drove across country by myself
• Take horseback riding lessons
• Join the Army
• Get a college degree
• Get a job I love with a retirement plan
• Own a house (I own two now.)
• Live in San Francisco
• Other things I cannot think of at the moment.

A few things fell off the list, though, as life experience taught me I no longer was interested.  For example, although I wouldn't mind learning to fly a helicopter, I don't have the time or interest in spending the money.  And it isn't logistically possible where I currently live.  And I don't like heights and decided against learning to parachute for that reason. 

It's interesting to contemplate what you thought you'd like to do on paper and then what you later on have changed your opinions about.

What's your Bucket List?

 *Check the IRS or your nation's rules on that first, though.  There are lots of codicils, I am sure.

If you run out of plot

Seems like everyone has an idea where they want to end up when they begin a scene, story, chapter. It may be a vague image of novel's ending, of some purpose the character wants to accomplish, or a love scene where two of your characters end up together. But you likely have an idea of some scene or event that will be happening later on in the story.

If you run out of plot, here's a great tip: Write anything you pictured happening. Even better, write that particular scene that inspires you to write toward it, such as that great love scene.

It's okay to jump about in time. You can write scenes out of order. What you write may not be a keeper; it may change when you get all caught up.  But it's something you can write to get you moving again when you just don't know what happens next.

So long as you keep on writing, it's all good for NaNo.

Interpersonal tricks that can be useful for writers

If you have a glimmer of phychological insight, you can write characters that resonate more easily.  Not to say you must have a degree or be able to define the particular label your villian has--because whether or not he is a sociopath, a schizophrenic or a narcissist with the emotional development of a three year old-- we readers want to experience a character that out gut knows is just not a good guy.  And similarly for heroes, we want them to display traits that make us believe their choices and actions are realistic for their role in the story.

Laughingwolf linked to an interesting article from Real Simple about "5 Ways to Win People Over."  It has some interesting tips on what you can do to make people like you or how to deal with conflict.  Following is a much reduced and partly paraphrased version.  Read the whole article for the full effect.

Getting someone to really listen is no small feat. Real Simple spoke to five professional influencers about how they make the magic happen.

1. Puncture Your Own Ego  Getting defensive gets you nowhere with people. Instead, be willing to show humility and, above all, humor. 

2. Don’t Be Needy
People can smell any sense of urgency, and they’re easily turned off. An audience wants to feel like it’s in good, stable hands...So the next time you want something from someone (no matter how much), try acting cool and blasé.  (As a former personnel recruiter, I can tell you that if someone seemed desperate, I didn't like to hire them.  It was really off-putting to me, and it was very difficult to get beyond the desperation as I didn't get a sense of confidence or ability when the interviewee was so anxious and/or desperate for a job.  You can have characters mistaking this sort of mindset for guilt or something else that's a misunderstanding, or you can have them be shallow enough to think that someone who is desperate is not to be trusted or is weak, etc.  Also, the reverse, which would make them look understanding and like a benefactor.  A villian might see this type of person as an opportunity to exploit.)

3. Tell Someone (Nicely) What She Has to Lose
Although most folks say they want to hear what they can gain by taking your advice, they’re actually more influenced by what they have to lose by not heeding it...That’s why the phrase “Don’t miss it!” is more effective in ads than “Take this opportunity.” (Use of this one will give an heightened sense of urgency to any appeal you use in your dialog.  It's more a mechanical trick than for characterization.)

4. Throw a Curveball in Conversation
This is my go-to technique when I’m faced with a person who isn’t receptive to what I’m saying... Going on a tangent—as long as it’s one you know the other person will be interested in—really works.  (Your characters can be distracted by a bit of verbal legerdemaine if you use this trick.  Or you can have your character be smart by diffusing a difficult situation via use of the conversational curveball.)

5. Reiterate the Other Person’s Argument
If you’re trying to explain to your kid that he can’t stay up late, begin by stating his opinion—“Look, I know that you want to read the last 492 pages of Harry Potter”—before adding your two cents. Even if he’s reluctant to concede the point, he’ll appreciate the fact that you listened to him in the first place.  (I learned this as "verbal judo" where you give unpleasant directions or information to people in a manner that makes you seem more sympathetic, and thus it's far more palatable.  A valuable law enforcement tool.  And for characters, a character that's a good manipulator can use this technique well.  You do not even have to spell out why it works...which might make it particular interesting if you use it with a reliable narrator who turns out to be the villian.  That unreliable narrator can use the technique against the readers!  But if you do it badly, they will not like you much for the "trick.")

Stupid People Tricks Translate to Plot Bunnies.

Reposted from March 31, 2008

"I flew 29 hours from Boston to Bangkok without getting a wink of sleep.  Upon arriving at my hotel, I climbed into the shower and washed my hair....I decided to multitask and began shaving my legs while waiting for my conditioner to take effect.  However...I forgot to set the razor down before rinsing my hair.  Only after I had taken several swipes at my scalp did I realize in horror what I was doing."  Budget Traveler magazine, p.88, April 2008

The idea.  We have all done insanely dumb things at one point or another.  I usually classify this as "Everybody does something stupid occasionally, no matter how smart they generally are.  And today is (fill in the blank: your, my, our) day."

But when I read the quoted ditty this morning and coffee tried to shoot out my nose, I had to share it.  Because such stupid actions can be marvelous plot bunnies. 

The Pros.  Should you need to add a touch of humor along with a plot complication, stupid human tricks might be the way to go.  News of the weird or the True Stories section of magazines like Budget Traveler or web sites on various topics (parenting comes to mind; see Because I Said So in the sidebar) can provide marvelous jumping off points. 

The Cons.  The inherent silliness of such stupid human trick plot twists could be big mistakes in one's writing.  The danger, I think, would be that they sound too stupid/simplistic/contrived/cop-out/easy to work in a book.  One must be judicious.  You could use it in a comedy to effect, perhaps, but serious works having ridiculous stuff like that could belly flop.   

The moral.  Truth is definitely stranger than fiction.  Read the Darwin Awards page if you doubt me!

The idea.  We have all done insanely dumb things at one point or another.  I usually classify this as "Everybody does something stupid occasionally, no matter how smart they generally are.  And today is (fill in the blank: your, my, our) day."

But when I read the quoted ditty this morning and coffee tried to shoot out my nose, I had to share it.  Because such stupid actions can be marvelous plot bunnies. 

The Pros.  Should you need to add a touch of humor along with a plot complication, stupid human tricks might be the way to go.  News of the weird or the True Stories section of magazines like Budget Traveler or web sites on various topics (parenting comes to mind; see Because I Said So in the sidebar) can provide marvelous jumping off points. 

The Cons.  The inherent silliness of such stupid human trick plot twists could be big mistakes in one's writing.  The danger, I think, would be that they sound too stupid/simplistic/contrived/cop-out/easy to work in a book.  One must be judicious.  You could use it in a comedy to effect, perhaps, but serious works having ridiculous stuff like that could belly flop.   

The moral.  Truth is definitely stranger than fiction.  Read the Darwin Awards page if you doubt me!

False confessions

Fascinating article on how false confessions occur and seem plausible.  Thanks paca.

I know I dropped this link on the blog a couple of days ago, but I realised that it ought to be given some more work, vis it's a great ideas source.

For example, a false confession created by leading the witness can be really the victim being enspelled by a sorcerous interrogator, an agent of someone who needs a false trail.  Say, for example, you wanted to mine the mined-out depths of Nazis and the paranormal, or some other military/terrorist/secret government group.  They want to seek control, to make their opposition look bad...so their cop allies find specious reasons to pick up the appropriate innocents the want to discredit, then they enspell them durin ginterrogation... The crux of the matter would be that the innocent is not sure how he ended up being there, because he had no intention of saying he did it. 

You could have someone decide to confess because he knew he didn't do it, thinking it would stop the 20 hour interrogation and that he'd get off when his lawyer tackled the case.  Throughout the whole story the guy is thinking reality is just to implausible, it's like such a bad Hollywood cliched movie.  So he confesses...and Whoops!  He doesn't get off, because he's actually in a different reality and his alter ego really did it.

This one makes you really reach for spec fic potential, but the idea of how the mind can trick itself into providing the killing details unintentionally picked up from the cops, and how the cops can deny the evidence to convict someone based on just their confession over the evidence...it seems like good horror fodder to me.

Psychedelic future?

"LSD and ketamine, two powerful hallucinogens, are also potential cures for depression, OCD, and anxiety. Two studies published this week, in Science and Nature, confirm that hallucinogenic drugs stimulate healthy brain activity, even promoting the growth of neurons."  io9 "Two new scientific studies reveal hallucinogens are good for your mental health"

An article at io9 (a very cool site for interesting science and spec fic world news) has me thinking of past tropes from 70s and 80s fantasy and sf, as well as humming along to weird tunes in my own brain.  To whit: What if you needed to take drugs like ketamine to operate a space ship through hyperspace (or whatever the hop-skip-and-jumper method you use to ftl travel.)

Ideas. 
As I generally do.  I have a few ideas where this concept could be used.

• Merely a background note.  Psychedelic drugs perform some useful function such as providing enhanced psychic or ftl piloting abilities.  (This makes them just a background note, nothing that drives the plot.)
• Good stuff...until it isn't.  Psychedelic drugs are used for a specific purpose, but they have a nasty side effect that wasn't initially discovered.  (I'm thinking the horrors of Thalydamide or other drugs like that.  Or even the unfortunate effect on women who take testosterone in order to build muscle.)  (This would have the potential to drive the plot, or there could be a resultant group who either wants the drugs back for some important purpose--such as to get off planet and they need a pilot; or there's a group whose resulting problem that drives the plot (handicap?) is caused by the drug.)
• Mixed bag of results.  One race of humanity (say, from Earth) is using a drug.  They run across another race of humanity from a pre-existing colonial period of humanity, and when that group tries the drug (or vice versa) there are unexpectedly awful or interesting consequences.
• Potential for possession.  Drugs that 'improve' human neurological function make the brain easier to take over by things like demons, ghosts, alien entities, etc.  Thus the supernatural world gains power/dominance over the merely human.
• Jekyl & Hyde.  Drugs that 'improve' human neurological function give rise to the dominance of the subconscious, some heretofore hidden personality, or it creates one.
• Magic mushrooms.  You could have the drug be a magical creation.  Say the faeries are planning an invasion and they dose the human waterways with their version of lsd, rendering humans blind to them. 
• Faked magic.  The ol' hoodwink.  Lots of what is magic in fairy tales can be explained away by technology, these days.  So you could use the appearance of magic and have it be technology instead. And a drug is the means of duping people into believing that the aliens/invaders are faeries. 

I'm sure you can think of more.

And I already have a story begun where I could use this bit of information. Hmmm...

Best paranormal jobs

Via Carolyn Crane's blog, Thrillionth Page, a link to an article about the best jobs in the paranormal world.  Good stuff here.

If you lived in a paranormal world, what would your ideal job be?

REMINDER: Please check Sunday's post for info on an upcoming contest.  I would like your input to determine the prompt for the writing of a flash fiction piece.  Cool prize will be involved.  Winner selected by reader votes. 

Cool Site redux

Here ya go, for ideas about Stupid Human Tricks, try the Darwin Awards site.  Go have fun, y'all.

Cool tech

I haven't been camping in dog's years, not since I moved back to New England in 1999.  So I'm a bit behind in the latest and greatest gear that's available.  Today, I learned about a cool thing (which I want now):  The Hennessey Hammock.  The hammock has a mosquito net on tip, a rope 'guy wire' that both helps to keep the hammock tent-like, and keep it from drooping from your weight by providing tension along the sides of the hammock.  Hammocks are comfortable and lightweight, and, so long as you have trees or something to string them from, they are quick to put up.  You can't beat that!

So, you can use this little bit of info in a story some time, if your characters are out camping someplace.  I actually have a story where they are out camping, so I might even be able to use it. 

Fingersnaps

On the heels of the last post, how about migraine symptoms as part of your story?  I ran across a mention of migraine aura being phantosomia (phantoms smells) and looked it up.  Turns out there are a TON of uncommon aura phenomena out there.  You can read a lot on them, including personal anecdotes, on Migraine Aura.

I'm not sure how to use migraines specifically in a plot; but the thing for me is that there are lots of uncommon symptoms and side effects.  I think that the last post has had me considering the possibility of murder/ suicide/ assination in the depths of my back brain-- stuff an urban fantasy or noir-type story might have in them. 

Perhaps you might get the Writer's Guide to Poisons and look up some intriguing symptoms for a poison victim; but you want to have the symptoms also be a red herring of some kind.  So you go look up medine side effects and symptoms of diseases.  Perhaps you have your murder victim have a disease, such as migraine,that has symptoms that mimic the poisoning symptoms.  Or perhaps the symptoms are really caused by some underlying disease and no one knew it because they were rare.  Or perhaps the person with hallucinatory aura symptoms (be they oral, visual, aural, taste) is eventually proven to not be crazy (or, as above, the reverse) and thus provides some critical clue or red herring.

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Additionally, an amusing (sort of) anecdote from helping a pal do a crossword puzzle.  He does them, for the most part; but I help out with spelling and soundingboard/word retrieval services.  (My vocabularly is, like many of we writers, ridiculously large.)  Today, he handed over the puzzle with a few words left, because something had been filled in wrong.  One of the issues was a word he'd filled in as 'fingersnap.'  It was a cookie.  Now, I ask you: what other cookie has 'snap' at the end?  Gingersnap, of course.  I insisted that he was a nutbag for using the 'f' there, it had to be a 'g'--and the cross clue proved me right.  But because I was so certain that there was no such cookie called a 'fingersnap' he looked it up...and Lo! there IS such a cookie.  (He'd never hear heard of it, either, but had to look it up just to be a jerk, lol.  And it's apparently a rare usage, involving biscotti, so I'm not sure it even counts, lol.) 

The point being, you need to open your mind and consider that what you KNOW may not, in fact, be TRUE.  Other options you refuse to consider might be valid. 

Paranoia and hypochondria

The other day, I was talking about little used tropes in speculative fiction.  Most specifically, I focused on urban fantasy.  You can consider any form of genre fiction in the same manner, of course, but I'm sort of focused on UF as there is so much of it out there and my favorite reads of recent years inhabit that spectrum.

 

Today's idea post is about two related strains of personality disorder:  Paranoia and hypochondria.  While they are not related in the sense that all hypochondriacs are paranoid and all paranoids are hypochondriac, both mental problems do have the person suffering them focused warily on the world and altering their approaches to life in order to deal with their issues.

 

The only time I've ever seen a hypochondriac used was in Carolyn Crane's new book, Mind Games.  She did an excellent job creating a protagonist with hypochondria and actually using the hypochondria as fuel for what could be termed a super power.  Wonderful stuff.  Paranoia, on the other hand, can be anywhere and everywhere.  I don't specifically recall clinical paranoia used for a protagonist in a story, however, not in the sense that the hypochondria drives the plot in Ms. Crane's work.  (If you know of an example, please chime in.) 

 

I ran across an informational email about workplace safety, in particular MRSA, a dangerous staph infection that is resistant to many antibiotics.  (Info below.)  It occurs to me that either paranoia or hypochondria could be used in relation to some sort of disease.  Your character is convinced that someone is trying to kill them, but it's via an insidious means such as MRSA.  So your character, who also is a gym rat and has to pump iron for hours a day or the world will end, must go through some odd machinations in order to get his or her workout in.  (That doesn't run the plot, actually, just adds complications in how the character would be potentially limited in dealing with plot elements.)  Hypochondria, though, would seem to be an obvious issue:  Fear of catching MRSA staph infection like Carolyn Crane has her protagonist afraid she's going to die from vein star syndrome.  Yet the fear alone isn't enough.  Ms. Crane has a character whose neurosis is used as a super power; to have your character's hypochondria function as part of the plot, you'd have to come up with something equally functional in the dysfunction, or have it add a major complication that the character has to work around.

 

Anyhow, thats' just some thoughts I was having.  Happy writing!

 

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WHAT IS MRSA & HOW IS IT SPREAD?

MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococus Aureus) is a potentially dangerous staph infection that is resistant to many antibiotics.  It is mostly hospital acquired but also can be community acquired.  Outbreaks typically occur in gyms, dormitories, and among armed-services personnel. 

MRSA is spread by direct contact with a contaminated individual or surface.  It can also be spread by contact with contaminated tactical gear or personal items such as towels or razors.  Note: some NFL teams have their practice fields sanitized periodically as a precaution.

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS & SYMPTOMS?

MRSA may proliferate where there is an uncovered cut, abrasion, or other skin flaw.   Check for fever.  Look for a bump or infected area that may be red, swollen, painful, warm to the touch, pus filled or draining.  These may quickly turn into deep, painful abscesses that require draining. 

HOW CAN I PROTECT MY FAMILY & OTHERS AROUND ME FROM MRSA?

 Know the signs of MRSA and get treatment early.  Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered.  Encourage hand washing or the use of a hand sanitizer and good hygiene.  Don’t share personal items such as razors and towels.  Use gloves when in direct contact with symptomatic individuals.

HOW CAN I AVOID MRSA IN THE GYM?

Wash and heat dry gym towels and workout clothing after each use.  Clean and disinfect gym equipment after each use.  Keep cuts, scrapes and wounds covered.  SHOWER. 

 

Superwimp?

Here's an idea for you.  I was reading my post from a couple days ago, about standing tropes on their heads.  And it occurred to me that one thing the uber violent world of urban fantasy lacks is true pacifism.

A few questions came to mind.

• How would a writer use a pacifistic hero?
• What means would a pacifistic hero use to change the situation when dealing with evil, minions of evil, supernatural critters or other things that go bump in the day or the night?
• Would religion come into this at all? If so, how?
• Would your hero be a Quaker, or a follower of Ghandi? What sort of elements could an affiliation such as these add to the story? (Make a list of quirks such as hunger strikes as a form of manipulation, etc.)
• Could a pacifistic hero be more than a running gag, or a minor and failed character?
• If the protagonist spends the entire story resisting the violence...how could you obtain a positive outcome in a battle against evil? By winning it over?
• What if the pacifist is the evil character? (Vis Good Omens by Neil Gaiman, where the son of Satan gets switched at birth and ends up being normal.)

Just a few ideas to toss around.  But pacifism and non-violence and the philosophy of Harm None is lost in the world of fiction--movies, books, tv, games--that I can't help but believe that, if done well, pacifism as a tool for your fictional character might very well work.  Might be a one-trick pony; might prove to be only fodder for a send up; but it would be an interesting experiment.

Take a dash of urban legend and a pinch of tall tale...

You can get ideas from many places.  I've been looking up interesting places to stop and have a looksee on my upcoming vacation road trip, and the below story, found here, strikes me as a cool story idea...

Slipperyskin – Bear, Bigfoot, or Indian?
In the 1700s the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont was (and still is to a certain degree) frontier country. It was inhabited by woodsmen, hunters, trappers, and fishermen extended families, mostly Wabanaki, but also a few sturdy others. It is told that it was also the haunt of Slipperyskin, a bear, which is supposed to have caused a general misery among the settlers. His name Slipperyskin was because he managed to elude every trap that was ever set for him. The Indians knew him and called him Wejuk or Wet Skin.

The story is told that an old bear once terrorized Lemington, VT for many years and committed wholesale destruction. He was a mean animal, and evidently had a grudge against humans. He destroyed their fences, ripped up their gardens, frightened their cows and sheep, tromped through the cornfields and caused no end of mayhem.

He was a huge bear, the stories relate, and he always ran on his hind legs and never on all fours. Before a hunter could lay his gun sights on him, the old bear would vanish into the woods as silent and swift as a drift of smoke.

He is said to have left tracks as big as wagon wheels, and for what it is worth, it is told he squeezed the sap out of maple trees when he felt so inclined. For maliciousness and cunning, it was claimed he could never be compared, except to humans. He seemed to enjoy himself immensely, frightening people and livestock, kicking over manure piles and throwing stones into machinery left in fields. Where the old bear came from, and why he eventually disappeared entirely is a mystery.

You could use this basic legend, as in the recreation of a fairy tale can work; or you can take the idea of a mysterious and deadly creature from current myth, e.g. the Bigfoot or Yeti, or you could make it sf or horror by having the terrorizing thing be an alien or a supernatural being.  All you really need do is come up with a cast of characters, personal motivations and a story for those characters that fits into the challenge of the monster. 

Let me know if you use it.  And happy writing!

An idea

What if this were an alien in your story?

http://cuteoverload.com/2008/08/22/the-lonely-deso/

Jumping into the lake of Verts

Well, taking a few minutes off from ACTUALLY WRITING, I thought I'd catch up on my blog reading via trusty Google Reader, which helps me at least know when I am blowing off my favorite 200-or-so bloggers rather than simply forgetting to check in regularly.  And, lo! I read a few snippets of things here and there and had a relatively interesting idea or two.  (Forgive me in advance for not looking up the links and references; I am being intolerably lazy, I know, but you will just have to live with it.  Either that, or you won't have a post to read.)  So I have a few things that struck me as interesting things to use.  (I should probably have broken this up into two posts, but instead you get a really long and rambly one.  Enjoy!)

Children and parenthood.  One blogger mentioned that in her novel she decided to have a slayer who has retired from slaying in order to deal with parenthood and ensure she maintains custody of her daughter.  The blogger poses the question: why don't we see more parents/parenting and children in urban fantasy?  Are we afraid to have children in the monster-slaying biz, or are we afraid to actualize children like in Lost Boys, where teens hunt and kill the monsters on their own?  Is it PC-ness or something else?  There's lots of room for interesting stories when parenthood crossbreeds with urban fantasy, I'd think.  It would be possible to have the children be involved, or the parent might want to keep them in the dark...or, even better, the kids could be embarrassed by mom/dad the slayer when they find out.  Or the reverse.

Less common settings.  And another blog mentions a cool sounding book based on an African (Senegalese?) myth, which is a milieu that isn't dealt with nearly enough.  Even better, the story is humorous.  We see very little in the US in the way of books set in other cultures or using other mythologies besides Greek, Roman, Native American or other familiar to our culture themes.  It seems that Norse and Celtic mythology and tales are the predominant "alternative" cultural motifs.  African myths and tales are rich in variety, characters, what have you.  (Read some of Migene Whippler's collected tales of the Orisha for a few examples.  Most are out of print, but I own them all because they are that interesting.)

Let go of the dysfunction. Stacia Kane has a great post from a couple days ago about Twilight and the one thing it really gets right: the concept that relationships are good things, and wanting to love and be loved isn't something to be ashamed of; and neither are marriage and kids.  We tend to downplay that in our society, and Stacia discusses how the criticism of the Twilight books can become negative criticism of wanting a relationship more than college and a career.  And there is nothing wrong with wanting to love and be loved.  Nothing.  And while the whole Edward thing is a bit creepy, the fact that Bella wants a relationship more than college and a career isn't inherently a form of mental disease.  So...how about having healthy relationships between your characters for a change, instead of a dysfunctional emotional shoot out in every chapter?  Or physical/emotional abuse?  Or lying, grudges, passive aggressive behavior?  [As a side note, the Kitty the Werewolf series by Carrie Vaughn has a very stable and healthy relationship between Kitty and her husband.  I just read the latest installment of the book and the thing that I pondered rather fondly after I finished reading it was that the relationship was so normal and Ms. Vaughn wrote it so well.]

Avoiding the Ooooh, Butterfly! Then there is the mention (by Mynfel, I think) about being easily distracted by the next shiny idea when you hit the middle-of-the-story hump, that place where things and thoughts get rather tangles and you absolutely must push through against your own mental inertia in order to get to the end.  (Is it mental inertia?  Or is it just that by that time the New, Shiny Idea has been niggling at you long enough you cannot further resist it?  Just sayin'...)

But really, the Big Idea of this post is that there are all sorts of trends, tropes, ideas, or commonalities in the everyday world that don't make frequent appearances in the (oft dysfunctional) fantasyland world of urban fantasy or fiction in general.  And perhaps we should, as writers, take a look at those elements--both to enliven what may be a stale plot and to look at other issues that might provide some interesting character development opportunities or plot enhancement.

When What Next rings your bell.  So, you have all these ideas for plot points or interesting things you can toss into the mix to add to the conflict or obstacles for your hero/ine.  Or you get stuck in that middle-of-the-book doldrum, or you have a scene that you can't figure out how to fix.  Lillith Saintcrow says she just kills off a character to get the story rolling again.  And while that probably works, it might seem a little obvious after a while if that's your only trick pony...so perhaps you can try something a little less bloody and with a bit more variety:  You can use the list of odd little tropes, ideas, trends like we discussed above.

Take things you don't see much of and see how they would play out in your chosen genre.  Or pick a trope or plot element that you have been using in the story and invert it, subvert it, convert it. 

Invert it.  Take any plot element and stand it on its head.  Work from there to see that shakes out from the idea tree.  For example, if the vampire slayer bad ass is totally tough and totally able to kick vampire butt from here to next week...you have her not so tough in ways that give her a real Achilles heel.  For example (and there are better ones out there, I'm sure) you could take a vampire slayer, the Chosen One like Buffy, and make her get ill at the sight of blood.  Or even pass out.  So how is she going to deal with that reaction?  I imagine she will have to get pretty clever about it.  Perhaps therapy, or perhaps she finds a way to make herself color blind!  You can take any expected ability of a hero and pull the rug out from under it, making an unforseen complication and a rich opportunity for variety in your plotting.  Also, humor opportunities might arise; and that is a plus.

Subvert it. Usually in a paranormal romance (like most romances) there's a common mistake where lovers lie by omission or deliberately out of fear.  Well, subvert that trope by making the lie a big, ridiculous one, one that is so egregious by the understatement (I have a child and her mother and I are estranged) versus the reality (my kid's mother is your arch enemy and I don't know how to tell you and I don't want you to hate me because I want you bad, future baby mamma #2.)  In other words, make the paranormal romance pivot on a fairly typical plot element of the lie/misunderstanding and twist it.  So, as in the example above, the fact that the guy turns out to be the father of the child of Our Heroine's the Evil Enemy--and then, to make matters worse and more complicated, he's got to drop everything to go to a parent/teacher conference when the kid acts out at Evil Doer's Prep by insisting she be called Joan of Arc and be martyred by burning at the stake.  (Or something equally outre.)  Just try finding something extreme and outrageous and see if that gets you moving.  You can always modify it later on, right?  

Convert it.  Take a trope or plot element and make bad into good, good into bad, enjoyable into loathed, sexy into turn off.  Whatever.  But if you turn things around, or have your character(s) react differently from what the reading audience would expect, you give yourself an opportunity for memorable differences between your vampire novel and the many, many others.  

There are lots of ways to change things up and make your storyline more interesting.  But when you feel most comfortable with a plot element, you might consider if it's because it's something you've seen a lot of times previously.  And you may want to dip at least a toe into the lake of Verts. 

So, if you are stuck...Find the Verts. 

I hear you, I know you...sort of

In the animal kingdom, a male's vocalizations are sometimes are tied to actual physical strength. Human men turn out to fit that phenomenon perfectly.  Article, ontd science blog

Well, there you have it: men tell it all when the talk.  And women are still mysterious.

Seriously, this is fascinating.  Not sure yet how it can apply to a novel, but it's one of those little factoids that I can picture my gritty urban fantasy heroine considering when she's listening to a conversation, trying to assess her soon-to-be opponents.  Then, when she pops out to fight, turns out one of them is a scrawny dude with the killer voice and the one with the Tyson dilemma voice is the bruiser. 

Or something like that.  

Found this via  a mention on Facebook...Lilith Saintcrow, I think.  Anyhow, go read it, it's short and interesting.

Parody of evil?

From my brother, who, if he cared to, could likely write better than I can.

I was poking around the tvtropes.org site (fun to see people make cynical fun of the things you like in a really hilarious way) and I considered this one: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AlwaysChaoticEvil 

It's like, why are the bad guys always 'chaotic evil', even an entire race of evil like Uruk-hai  from LOTR.

In any case, from the guise of sick and twisted humor, I imagined a race of chaotically evil beings who, among other things, speak in a language that is so guttural that they frequently have to spit and occasionally upchuck through their noses when pronouncing certain vowel combinations. Horking up a green one would be like using an exclamation point.

Now, I don't fancy writing parody--and I doubt I could do it well, if at all-- but that is a funny idea.  It reminds me of Bored of the Rings, the Harvard Lampoon parody of The Hobbit.

Let's shake hands with our ideas

"My sister is currently dating a guy who met her through her “Hot or Not” profile. And I’M the asshole for thinking that’s really funny."  Commenter on random blog I found, somewhere in the comments here. (And how is that for lazy citations?)

Random blog clicking from today's time wastage.  The above cracked me up.  And I couldn't help but think it was an interesting starting point for a character. 

Do you ever do that?  See something that suggests there is a kernal there, an idea-in-the-rough, and so you consider it and see if you can make it work, make it develop into an idea or a character?  The above really suggests a lot about the personality of the speaker, and I'd have to say that it's a guy speaking, and he's got a rather self-aware sense of humor, and can laugh at himself.  I also imagine him to be 20-something and educated, rather GenX or slacker in appeal, and he probably has a skateboard in his closet somewhere.  Best of all, I find I want to know more about the guy, and I rather like him already. 

Am I reaching too far with those assumptions?  In analyzing the actual person who wrote this, definitely.  But the process of developing ideas is that you have to springboard from someplace;  so anything that arrests your attention like that should be heeded as something that might be useful or important. 

I suspect that when people claim to find ideas difficult to come up with, they are too prone to brush away stray thoughts and disregard the instincts that make me go all "Ooooh, shiny!" and start chasing butterflies.  They probably get a lot more stuff done than I do, though!

And a cool site about warfare of the future for your science fiction or post-apocalyptic writing thought processes.  I think I got this one from John Scalzi.  I am too lazy to look it up, though.  It's one of those kind of days.

Materials

Laughingwolf has a cool post that cites all sorts of new materials being developed.  It never hurts to think outside the box when you are creating fictional worlds.  Perhaps some of these can assist you, springboard style!

Above: a building made from concrete fabric.  A "building in a box."  Just unpack, inflate, get it wet and let it harden. 

Hmmm, what if...? Vampires!

Catching up on blog reading this a.m. and something in one of the many vampire-related book review blogs made me think about how to make vampire stories different.  Not that there is anything wrong with a sexy, only-kills-baddies or somehow-gets-away-with-no-blood-drinking-so-it's-okay type of vamp; but I really think it incumbent upon a writer to try to use their imagination a little bit.  Just a scosh, a smidgen, a minute little bitty bit. 

Because, someday, the market will be so saturated* no one will want to read one of those stories, right?

Idea.
So you want to make your vampires different.  Okay, you just have to list the things that are common tropes and be willing to consider changing your plot or creating it based on changes to one or many of the tropes.

What is common to vampire fiction:

1. Vampires are sexy bad boys.
2. Vampires only drinking from villians, criminals, or they never need to kill.
3. Vampires procreate their species by donating their blood over time (because a one-bite conversion to vampire would overpopulate the planet with the pesky predators).
4. Vampires have a code of ethics or rules of law in their ultra cool and secret vampire society that runs alongside that of mankind.
5. Vampires aren't evil, just misunderstood.
6. Vampires do too have souls!
7. Vampires are afflicted by garlic, holy water and implements of faith.
8. Vampires can regenerate from wounds with a little drinky of blood or bullets just pass right through them unless they are made from a special wood (rowan, apple, etc.)
9. Vampires are cool and love to wear dark colors and black leather (the better to hide the blood stains.)
10. Given a choice, any red-blooded vampire will choose a bladed weapon over guns or explosives.
11. Vampires don't adjust well to new technology.
12. Vampires burn up in sunlight and thus can only come out to play at night.
13. Vampires have special vampiric powers like super strength, night vision, ultra powerful hearing and sense of smell, etc.  Being a vampire improves on being human.
14. Vampires can be saved--and see color--due to the love of a good woman (their soul mate).

I'm sure there are more of these, but this is just the quick list.

So, the recipe for success, or at least mixing it up a bit.
Take any number of these commonalities and change them.  But don't just settle for changing them a little or even for the commonplace of turning them on their head; change them a lot.  This can force you to think outside your preference zone box a bit (for example should you decide that vampires aren't noble heroes in your world but creepy, slimy little goons who work for some agency you invent rather thanf or themselves); but you can find fresh territory if you are willing to let go of your preferences and prejudices and explore the world that might result.  You can surprise yourself with some interesting ideas that way.

For example:

1. What if your vampires are not noble, and they are minions of others? Say they are created by/enslaved to another race, and their wills are not their own? Ilona Andrews has vampires being mindless puppets run by necromancers, and they never stop 'evolving' after the virus infects them so that older vamps look nothing like their original human form. You could have your vampires be any number of things while enslaved. They could be mindless, they could be sentient. They could be used as the enforcers for a global government who created them to sniff out and kill 1) drug addicts, or 2) criminals, or 3) people who illegally have sex with aliens/without birth control/and get preggers as a form of pop. control. You can go waaaay out there with this.
2. What if your vampires aren't human at all, and they have the humans buffaloed into thinking that they are going to be changed over...when instead the vamps are merely replacing humans with vampiric duplicates? Pod people with a twist! It could work. Alien colonization by misdirection and with the unwitting cooperation of those they are replacing. And you could change it up even further by having what happens to the humans be not death but an 'act of kindness'...say humans are dumped on a planet where the thoughtful vampires aren't going to kill them, but leave them to fend for themselves (just like people dumping animals in the woods instead of taking them to the shelter.) People left on the world with which they are unfamiliar would have to deal with the issues the vampires are trying to leave behind.
3. Or perhaps the vampires have a religious crusade that involves saving humanity, and they believe themselves to be the inheritors of Christianity or any other mainstream religion. You can support the vampire idea with many of the old rituals of faith, such as sacrifice in any form. You might shock folks, but it would be decidedly interesting.
4. And what if vampires aren't all that? What if they detest the Goth look, hate the dark, can't SEE in the dark, and have no special abilities (or even fangs, perhaps) due to being a vampire? How much would that suck? And what would that do to vampires and how they survive and recruit new members? Perhaps your vampires would be seeking to share their misery with as many folks as possible just because they are pissed about all that they didn't get via the change?
5. How could you organize your vampires? You could have vampires who are either willing minions of evil (done before) or crazy (done before) or merely disgruntled employees by default of whatever agency has created them in the first place. Oh, making them bureaucrats. That might be an interesting twist to add to the mix!

*Who am I kidding?  Just like romances, the market will never be too saturated for sexy vampires and the women who love these bad boys.  It just can't happen.  So says my magic 8 ball.  And my libido.

God of the brain?

Interesting article on neurology and god.  Have only skimmed so far, but wanted to share the link with anyone interested.  An additional article of interest here.

The big idea from this is simple:  If god is truly only in your brain, then couldn't that lead to superpowers via belief or harnessing this ability?  In other words, if god is truly in your brain, everyone is a potential god if they can harness that power.

Sure, there are other possibilities, but this particular one speaks to me.  Because I'm apparently a narcissist.

Ideas.

1. Insane guy discovers his powers and takes over the world/creates massive havoc until one of his caretakers (not necessarily the hidebound doctor) heeds the guy's ramblings and discovers his/her own superman within.
2. Man discovers himself doing something impossible, knows he actually experiences this and goes into research mode to duplicate the event.  (Something like original Jumper, where, if memory serves, the kid uses biofeedback to control an ability he accidentally discovers.  Read the original; it's far better than the movie version.)
3. If we all can create reality, what happens if we disagree?
4. How can the "akashic record" or "collective conscious" be related to this god-of-the-brain?  And what if someone discovers how to manipulate it, for good or ill?  If it is already being done and our protagonist discovers it, what can he do to overcome this?  (Reminds me of The Matrix a bit, although the spin is different.)

I could come up with more but it's time to go to work. :)  Happy writing!

"...this entire tangle calls for a major creative effort to make the American legal system, which is based largely on individual and property rights, somehow accommodate the communal, nature- and place-based belief systems of many Native (and other) people. It is interesting that Christians are beginning to invent something called Creation Theology, which sounds a lot like what goes on at Bear Butte.  [Bear Butte is a place sacred to Native Americans.]...It is possible, however, that the ecological havoc in store for us from global warming will push the law in this new direction, as private and public property vanishes under the encroaching waves and ownership of all sorts of resources is rendered moot."   From "Sacred Ground" Native People's magazine online

I was looking up various things that struck my fancy and ran across Native Peoples magazine's site, which has both online and print editions.  There are many articles about current causes, events, and other related things, and I highly recommend it if you want to keep apprised of ecological issues, as many of the proposed environment-raping actions are being fought by native peoples. 

The other things I found interesting in the "Sacred Ground" article were in the above quote. 

Firstly, the interesting way of looking at so-called creation science where the writer saw a legitimate and realistic assessment of how the world works/was created in the concept.  This with no separation between science 'fact'-- because in scientific processes, there is no such thing as fact, there is only theory, e.g. what has yet to be disproven-- and religious explanations for how the world was made.

The native writer was apparently seeing in creation science a parallel vision to how native peoples see the world; and that what Western science quantifies/ describes with the rules of science is either not the important thing, or it is another aspect that is disregarded by mainstream Western science.  (I rather feel the writer was thinking that the scientific method is more like the dissection of a dead body to define life versus the examination and treatment of a living being by a doctor.  But I tend to disagree with the statement in that creation science is highly flawed and is attempting to use an inappropriate framework to define itself, one that actually takes away from the beauty of religion; and that while the comparison with native religious belief that the land is a living entity has some similarities, it is a strange and incorrect correlation to make a comparison between creation science and native belief systems.  Between religious elements, yes; but not between a pesudo science and a religion.  I suppose if you are looking at shamanic practices as science...but it seems to be off the mark.  (But that's me, and that's a discussion for another forum. :)

The point being that the article illustrates an interesting perspective that would make a fascinating jumping off point for character building.

Secondly, I really like the mention of what Global Warming might do to change property ownership and rights in the future.  You can take all sorts of directions with that.  If a Native American model was adapted, dictating that the world's resources were not owned, but were to be respected and used sustainably without damage to the environment... that would be interesting, especially if you had a hard-line standard where people made do or they did without, even and unto death by starvation, lack of water, or poor shelter. 

I believe it was Charles DeLindt in Svaha that had the Hopi or Navajo nations (forgive me, it's been years since I last read this book) being the leaders of technology and sustainable high tech in a quasi-post-apocalyptic world.  And Karen Travis had that hardline do or die attitude in the culture of her aliens in the Wess'har series, with hard-line aliens who believe all life is sacred--unless you are threatening other life yourself.  In which case, they will act on behalf of the helpless life you are trouncing, be it the things you kill to eat the meat of, or the raping of the environment.

So the latter idea has been used somewhat; yet it's an intriguing way of looking at the future, and it could be used many more times, whether in an upbeat tale or a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk tale of tech gone wrong and the morass that Western culture has fallen into.  You could make it from teh point of view of a native person, or from an African tribal person, or any number of folk from 3rd world or oppressed cultural groups.  [I've taken that tack somewhat in a world I'm building.]

Interesting stuff. 

 

Random idea

A what if for you: What if a child's imaginary friend wasn't imaginary? I know the imaginary friend plot has been done before, but stick with me here... What else could the imaginary friend be?

A fairy
An alien
A guardian angel
A brain flaw like mental disease
An hallucination from an outside cause
Parallel universe overlap/bleed through

I could go on and on. But if you take any one of these things and extrapolate, you can get some fascinating ideas.

For my money, I like the imaginary friend purporting to be a guardian...but really being a pedophile. It would make for an intense and very horrifying nightmare ride as seen through the eyes of a parent.

So many ideas, so little time...

It's all good

Before I forget:  I envisioned an art project while at church today.  Being the typical Unitarian Universalist who arrived here via many tangential spiritual explorations (mine being heavily wiccan with lots of African- and Native American-based explorations), I was considering the various aspects of god/dess during the sermon today... and had the vision for a fun art project. 

I've lately been wanting to do a mixed-media collage, acrylic, found objects and torn paper done up into some rather large and messy expression.  I want to start with a typical New England steepled meeting house with Baba Yaga chicken legs.  Then add a mixed bag of diety doing what they do best: Bast-et as woman with cat head lounging in the sunlit yard on a chaise longe; an angel with dreads playing a clarinet with an accompanying jazz band of cherubs, satyrs and devils; and the Willendorf goddess all pillowy and dressed in gauzy clothes, en pointe and ballet dancing across the clouds.  The sun and moon are smiling in the background, along with assorted animals and people joining in (and whatever weirdness comes up on the fly to be added as inspiration strikes.)  I thought a mixed media collage. And perhaps I'll glue some beads on there, and add gitter.  Nothing says over the top like glitter!

I'm sure it'll take me a while to get to this, but I like the idea of god having a party with herself in her many aspects.  (The thing is, I can't figure out who the church is dancing with yet.  But you have to have faith that will work itself out.  The subconscious is good that way!) 

The title?  "It's all good."  Of course. :)

I think this all stems from some friends asking me to set up a retirement change-of-life ritual for them.  Been considering how to go about it, and got some good ideas during the service (No, my mind doesn't shut up for a second, even when it should.)  Anyhow, the service made me think in terms of archetypes and symbols that we have developed in various cultures. Thus, the image. 

Weird dream

Weird dream aliens were coming to take over last night.  Vivid.  I was on a secret govt think tank and was called up after a strange night where I realized that the world had changed somehow but (mostly) everyone else didn't get it.  there were clouds in grid patterns that started dripping black clouds like jellyfish tendrils, from which formed space ships.  When the sun came up, they still looked rather like clouds, but were clouds that looked like space ships of various sizes.  No one noticed.  and I was held for hours, waiting for our think tank to be called to order.  Finally I got peeved and went to get some water and take a walk--just in time to watch the alien ships drop more black clouds and make everyone think the aliens were their friends and they wanted us to handle all the stressful details of life--like government, decisionmaking of any sort.  I ran but eventually got targeted, too.  At that point, I watched myself getting taken over (omniscient narrator mode).  The voiceover was rather like David Attenborough's delivery but in my voice.  I sound pretty good with a British accent, lol.

How (not?) to explain worldbuilding to your friends

I was in the coffee shop the other morning, actually there with the laptop and intending to write, when in stops a good friend (I'll call him Bob.)  We sit down and chat for a bit before going about our days.  The topic of science fiction came up, and he mentioned a mutual friend of ours--who happens to be a neuropsychologist--was a big fan of reading science fiction.  "You wouldn't have thought, him being a scientist," my friend says.  And I mention that speculative fiction is really all about inquiring minds asking questions and picking and prying at odd bits of things and piecing them together to see how they fit.  So really worldbuilding is something many scientists enjoy doing.  Arthur C. Clarke being an excellent example.

As an example, I said, "You know Bob, the thing about writers and scientists is that we are both asking what if questions.  To one side, it's scientific inquiry; and to the other, it's worldbuilding for a story.  And I segued off into a tangent by trying to illustrate this point.  "If you have some scientific breakthrough, say a medical breakthrough that allows you to stimulate any given neuron or nerve remotely, you could have the cure for paralysis.  But a government might want to take that benign and beneficial knowledge and weaponize it. "

So," I continue, "a writer has to extrapolate and think of consequences and social applications and political fallout and myriad ramifications of a single thing or idea or event in the story.  And juggle a bunch of them to make a coherent and interesting whole." 

I was sounding all smart, wasn't I?  And then I said, "Say a government did weaponize a remote, selective neural stimulating device.  Say they needed a distraction in order to assassinate (or protect) some person of interest.  What would happen if an entire theater of people all had instantaneous orgasms?"

Much laughter ensued.

And now I want to use that in a story some time.

Looking at the paranormal sideways

Okay, I'm reading Caitlin Kittredge's latest Nocturne City novel, Witch Craft.  I love her writing, but something she wrote had me doing a doggie head tilt.  Her main character, Luna, observes something along the lines of, 'Sometimes being a werewolf has it's downside.  Do you know what a hobo smells like to a were?' 

Hmmm... That line, which I didn't mark and thus don't have exactly, caused a great disconnect for me.  Because I know from being around dogs that their brains aren't wired to interpret smell or sound or sight the way we do.  If you watch them--or any animal--they respond to their sensory input with different assumptions, different interests.  So it' struck me as a mistake to assume that a werewolf would experience the same reaction to a particular scent or odor that a human would (or vampire, or cat, or minah bird for that matter.)  [NOTE:  Nothing I'm saying means an author can't make these decisions. You just have to sell them to readers, and this didn't sell.]

Let me put it this way:  Have you ever had your dog roll in something noxious, like horse shit or the carcass of a dead animal?  They come home pleased as hell with themselves, and they are pleased (as I understand it) because their instincts are to hide their scent.  Horse manure does that nicely, as does eau de decomposition. 

Or, have you ever noticed how dogs really like to smell feces?  I mean, they really, really like to sniff that.  It's the neighborhood bulletin board to them, not disgusting.  Or they will jam their nose into a menstruating woman's crotch, or up another animal's butt.

Point being, their requirements for input and their interpretation of it are based on completely different requirements.  And for every animal, species of alien, type of paranormal critter, it might behoove you to consider where they diverge in their interpretations of their sensory input from people.

I'm not saying you must have a male were want to jam his nose into a menstruating woman's crotch (although it might be an amusing bit to use with a newly turned and not well controlled were); but I recommend you consider carefully before making comparisons like the one I mention that go against the natural behavior of the werecreature's nature.

Ms. Kittredge overall really impresses me with the way she integrates Luna's were nature into her human world and responses.  But that one little thing really opened up a world of opportunity for me.  I hope it's useful for you, too.

Mistaking mysterious for mundane

Back several years, I was just on the verge of flittering off to Paris for a week of fun and frivolity when I woke up with a rash.  Not just any rash, mind you, but one that--I kid you not--was the pattern of a giraffe hide!  Since I had just started the first med I took for migraine prevention I thought it might be an allergic reaction, and the doc had me come in straightaway.  She looked at me, pulled out a reference picture book, called in the other doc, and they together determined I had what is called a viral rash. 

Yep, a virus causing a rash.  Now, it wasn't a skin infection.  I knew you could get a viral skin infection.  But I'd caught some odd bug that was lingering, had lingered a couple of weeks already but hadn't put me out.  It did affect me enough to give me a glorious rash, however.

The rash faded enough on my face and hands that by the time I was in Europe I didn't cause widespread panic and cries of plague.  But it lasted for about a week in total on the unseen portions of my anatomy.

What brings this up?

Well, I was catching up on my blog reading and saw the above cover.  It reminded me of my wonderful rash.  And that gave me an idea...

The idea.
Well, not to make any claims of brilliance, it's really a simple idea in specific; but I thought you all might be able to take it and run with it in your own worldbuilding and plotting:

What if what you and your doctor thought was a simple medical condition wasn't?  What if a viral rash that looks like a giraffe's hide is really the first sign that you have caught something other...like lycanthropy?  Or some other monstrous curse?

That's it.  But you can take the idea and extrapolate the basic nature of it into What if something apparently mundane occurs, is dismissed, and then you find out it isn't mundane at all?  The crux of a horror plot, isn't it? 

And now you know why that cover picture is relevant.

Happy writing, my friends.  I may not comment for a few days due to my surgery tomorrow.  You can probably see how I'm doing on Facebook though.  (Link at top right on the blahg.)

Worldbuilding thoughts from a transitional country

Egypt, as you might imagine, is quite different from major industrialized nations.  I don't know if you can categorize it as Third World, but there are huge swaths of the country that fit the definition as far as I can tell.  Poverty, filth, and a plethora of armed police and military every where you went were some indicators that we weren't in Kansas any more, Toto.  Also, the architecture, signage in Arabic, different dress and different products for sale in the ubiquitous stores and bazaars were omnipresent reminders that it's different from home.  So many things to take away from the experience that are, basically, glitter and shine...and a lot of ideas about how to write the ephemeral differences like attitude and cultural expectations (taboo, gender roles, etc.)

I liked the look of the place (except for the garbage everywhere); but the cultural differences are what sparked my writerly interest, not the visual ones--I can always come up with visual differences!

Here are a few thoughts I take away from my Egypt experience.  They do not necessarily have anything to do with actual experiences, just that my trip gave me some ideas. 

• Mixtures of high and low tech, old and new architecture, ultra modern cultural elements and conservative ones (which can included dress) can be used to create a feeling of cultural conflict or a sense of dystopia.
• The condition of dray animals (donkeys, oxen, horses) can be an indication of where you are in a city that welcomes foreigners.  In other words, if you see starving horses in harness, you aren't where the bleeding heart tourists usually go.
• The greater the poverty, the more jobs are oriented toward selling things to tourists.
• Countries with little or no social welfare tend to have an expectation of a strong work ethic in order for a job to be kept.
• In a country where baksheesh/tipping is expected, it is generally based upon value for service rendered...but the value depends on the social equality of the parties involved.  In other words, if it's a "rich" (by comparison) tourist, the tip is high to the locals and generally always expected for every little thing.  If it's a fellow local, there may be no expectation at all of monies, but of future goodwill or mutual back scratching to follow later.  If money is involved, it is expected to be smaller in amount than you'd expect from "rich" tourists.
• City culture versus country culture:  There's a distinct tug 'o war between the two.  City dwellers can view the country dwellers as less, and the poor can view the city dwellers as trying to copy Westerners (or other culture that's strongly influencing the countrys' development.)
• Foreign visitors don't get the outlook, even if they know the motions to go through.  Take bargaining for example.  In Egypt, it's basically an insult not to bargain, to accept the first offered price.  The why is a bit tricky.  Near as I could tell, the issue is that no bargaining is like saying, "I'm the rich foreigner and I am too well off/too above you to haggle." 
• Cultural and religious issues are traps for the unwary.  People can understand your words and not your meaning.  And we are not talking idioms but unvoiced assumptions.  The things that one simply "knows" or "does" unthinkingly that were absorbed along with breast milk and language.
• People who don't understand each other tend to smile and nod a lot, or to smile, nod and say Yes.  It might be because they are hoping to understand, that they don't know much of your language; or it might be that they are being polite and don't want to make you feel bad. 
• If the merchant agrees to a price, he's not losing money.  Tourists quit haggling waaaaay too early.  A tourist who is a good bargainer is respected.

So much more could be said.  But the above list is really all about how you can portray the experience of a foreigner, or portray a foreigner in the eyes of the locals.

Anything you want to add to the list?

List making for ideas

Have I ever mentioned what spurred me to take writing seriously?  I was reading yet another vampire paranormal romance about ten years ago, and got fed up with it being a cookie cutter example of same old, same old.  Ended up tossing it across the room in disgust while I disclaimed, "I can write a vampire novel better than that!"  Whereupon I did with great enthusiasm and reasonable skill for a newbie. (That means it was really bad as a novel but had some great scenes and dialog.) It's my Tome of Shame, my beloved trunk novel I really want to fix up some day.  And when I wrote it I did something as a challenge:  I deliberately used every single trope in vampire novels I could think of.  My thinking was that everyone else was using the same tropes, and if I really could do better, I should be able to do so with the same 'handicaps.'  Er, that would be cliches.

I think that's a valid approach for constructing a creature in your fantasy novel; but it would generally prove most useful for a spoof and not a straight urban fantasy or paranormal romance.  And there are risks in using cliched traits in your story:  You might seem to be a copycat; you might not be as good as someone who's done it before; or you might turn off readers who are tired of the same old, same old.

So perhaps you might consider an opposite approach: Brainstorm to get traits for your paranormal beings that haven't been used before (or often.)  Come up with something new (or newish.)

I'm particularly fond of vampires.  So I'll walk you through an exercise to develop a new type of vampire.

First, it pays to do some research. 
Vampires of various flavors are all over the mythological map.  I ran across a few sites recently that showed Asian mythical creatures, and many of them were vampiric. (see the Vamp Chix article for some examples.)  There are a lot of places on the net where you can find info on monsters.  Monstropedia, wikipedia, etc. Read up on your intended type of creature and get a feel for what's out there.

Idea for how to come up with something different in a trope.
When you have a sense of other types of vampires, list the commonalities.  You may very well plan on using them, but it's a good idea to understand what's a trope and what's rarely seen. 

List the basic vampire traits you commonly find in stories. As in, how do they look, what do they eat, function, flaws, Achilles heels, advantages, disadvantages, how to kill them, how they heal, how they are organized.  Brainstorm by listing the random things that come to mind.  If you are stuck, ask what if questions. Just list anything, just as long as it's not been seen by you before.  Anything that comes to mind, and ask questions of that answer.  Your mind is a deep well of inspiration.  You can only delve it, though, if you drop that bucket of questions in there and haul up some answers. 

As an example, here's my alternative vamp food list:  Business acumen, depth perception, warts, memory, language, dreams, hunger/thirst.  Just a few things that popped into my mind.

Take a look at your lists.   Make a few notes.  This is where you can generate fresh ideas.  Ask and answer questions such as How would these traits/things be used by the vampire?  Why?  What effect upon the victim? What if you inverted this idea? (I can think of several story possibilities from my meager list alone.)

I guarantee that if you keep making lists and asking questions, you will eventually find some idea that goes zing! makes you sit up and take notice.

I love you...madly

From Post Secret, Sunday, February 7, 2010

This is a sweet idea.  I sometimes do or want to do random nice things, like putting a quarter in an about-to-expire parking meter--nothing too life altering, but just a nice thing that brightens someone else's day and makes me also feel good about myself.  (Let's be honest, being kind is in part about feeling good about oneself.)  Anyhow, onto the idea section of this little jaunt.  Seeing this particular card gave me the kernal of an idea.  An idea about misunderstandings.

The idea.
What if you have a nice, friendly, innocuous neighbor who sees a young gal over time, over random glimpses as she comes and goes.  This accidental watcher decides that the person, with whom he's rarely interacted except to exchange anonymous hellos or waves, is depressed or needs cheering up.  Perhaps he has seen her break up with her lover.  Perhaps he notices that she has had some other troubles.  But he decides to start cheering her up and to that end begins to do small things to make her life better. 

So say our one man cheering squad just sends her random postcards that say, for example, "You are loved."  Or, "Someone thinks your kind heart brightens the world."  Whatever.  A note like that can be incredibly innocuous if received from someone with a face, someone known; but the recipient might not take anonymous notes well if the phrasing is unfortunately such that it sounds like something stalkerish or related to some other issue is going on...such as, say, a crazy ex-boyfriend whom our recipient of cheer happened to murder to get away from.  If, for example, your kind neighbor drives her over the edge of sanity with his attempt to make her feel better, it would be an interesting set up for a horror story, especially one told from the perspective of a well-intentioned person who is too lacking in sense to see what he is doing to the poor woman/victim.  And even more interesting to write the story so that the old guy doesn't realize that he is the cause of her eventual breakdown.

Even better, what if the 'helpful' neighbor is revealed at the end to be doing all this deliberately?  Nasty.

Now, if I could only think of a speculative element to toss in there, it might be something I'd tackle.  Maybe there's a fairy tale that it can be cross-pollinated with. [Okay, spec element potential: a psychic vampire that feeds on fear is one possibility; but it's a bit overdone and I want to find something obscure.]

If anyone wants to use this sort of set up, I'd love to beta read.  Moi, I have enough on my plate.  (You know I just bring up these ideas so I don't go off and start one more project I have to abandon so I can work on the ones that are closer to my heart, right? So I don't care if someone takes an idea and runs with it?  Really.  Glad to be of service.  Besides, it isn't the ideas, it's the execution that makes the writing.)

Revisiting another wonderful resource

via Overheard in New York, Jan 26, 2010

Guy #1: Wow, they indicted five cops in that beating last year in Shenandoah.
Guy #2: Yeah, it was a hate crime.
Guy #1: The victim was gay?
Guy #2: No, dude, he was Mexican.
Guy #1: What? Since when is it a crime to be Mexican?
Guy #2, after pause: Everyone on this train thinks you are a fucking idiot, and I agree with them.

Ah, yes, Overheard In New York, a blog that provides both humor and ideas for ridiculous, too-bizarre-to-work-in-a-novel dialog.  Still, I like to call it idea fodder when I peruse.

The uncanny valley

Catching up on my blog reading and commentary, I discovered a new term which intrigued me: The Uncanny Valley.  Per wiki,

"...as a robot is made more humanlike in its appearance and motion, the emotional response from a human being to the robot will become increasingly positive and empathic, until a point is reached beyond which the response quickly becomes that of strong repulsion. However, as the appearance and motion continue to become less distinguishable from a human being, the emotional response becomes positive once more and approaches human-to-human empathy levels.

This area of repulsive response aroused by a robot with appearance and motion between a "barely human" and "fully human" entity is called the uncanny valley. The name captures the idea that a robot which is "almost human" will seem overly "strange" to a human being and thus will fail to evoke the empathic response required for productive human-robot interaction.

I recall hearing back in the 90s how companies were making their CGI animation less realistic due to a negative reaction from viewers in test screenings; but I had no idea why this was the case, or that there was a scientific term for the phenomenon.  

But the Uncanny Valley hypothesis to explain the poor audience response is really cool idea fodder as a basis for what if questions to start some world building, as listed below.

I couldn't help but picture scenarios where this natural tendency is juxtaposed with robots, aliens, holograms, cyberspace, and other forms of 'fake' life that fundamentally disturb or screw up humanity because we aren't, genetically or culturally speaking, geared for that sort of thing. 

Ideas.

• In a world where robots think to take over, they overlook a problem: No matter how much they make themselves look like humans, they aren't exactly human, and the human subconscious reacts with the Uncanny Valley effect, or something like it. Ensuing riots and troubles when it's a struggle for robots to be considered intelligent, or for robots to get rights, or for the author to pose the great thematic question What Is Life/Intelligence/Humanity/Fill-In-The-Blank. In any case, Robot fail! You can also have society collapse into chaos, riots, revolution, etc. if robot freedom actually is pushed through, and a new Civil War commences over basically the same concept, slavery. (This could be interesting.)
• After a new generation of humans is raised more by robot nannies or holographic nannies, or spending most of their educational life with computer generated teachers and care givers, the new generation starts acting funny/dysfunctional due to being raised by robots or holograms, none of which resemble humans, causing the young to bond improperly and fundamentally affecting society. Perhahps these kids are psycopaths, perhaps they become sociopathic, totally lacking empathy or the ability to bond with anything that breathes and has a pulse. In any case...Childrearing Fail!
• You could also have a generation of robots or holograms or version of cyberspace that are self-evolving and intelligent, and which reject the requirement to copy humanity, thereby kicking off the Uncanny Valley effect. Sort of a damn the torpedos, full speed ahead action that has consequences.
• Aliens offer us a place in the greater galaxy...thus unearthing (forgive the pun) a screaming horde of haters (otherwise known as humans) loose to poison galactic peace with our screwy need to be repulsed by anything that resembles us. This reaction could pop up the first time humanity reaches a group of similar life, where the galactic resettlement gurus place them, thinking that since they are so much alike, humanity can live peacefully with the G'chkchkim. Perhaps the Earth is destroyed, either by us or some other cause and the aliens feel sorry for us. So they stick us with the G'chkchkim and assume we will get along...Ooops: Galactic peace: Fail! (I can't help but picture this one told via a frame story, the trial of one of those who commited the atrocity of xenocide on the G'chkchk planet.)
• Re the above, suppose that humanity was seeded on various planets with the express purpose by some 'parent' race to serve a particular role in the future. Perhaps humans were to be part of a network of supply depots, thus making humanity's reaction to the aliens perfectly logical and an instinct based on their earliest ancestors' experiences with being treated as livestock? Oooh, that might be an Instinct: Win!
• Remember that Heinlein story, The Veldt? Kids kill their parents with holographic lions that mysteriously are real in the first version of the holodeck ever described (to my knowledge)? Childrearing: Fail once again!

As usual, my ideas tend to show a rather jaded and cynical view of mankind.  But if you can take this stuff and make a happy-happy-joy-joy plot out of it, be my guest.  I'll root for you. 

Introducing: Weird Book Wednesday!

Occasionally, I run across some really odd books.  I often buy them, too, because I have this sense that I might NEED the book someday for a writing project.  (This is the reason I have hundreds of dollars worth of college texts, mythology books, and books on a wide miscellany of topics such as forensics, true crime, religion, or obscure historical events...most of which I haven't used yet for an actual project.)

But, occasionally, I run across some really, really odd books.  And today I decided to initiate a sporadic series entitled Weird Book Wednesday wherein I shall share some of them with you.  Only the best of the weirdest, folks.  So with that in mind, here's offering number one:

Contingency Cannibalism:  Superhardcore Surival's Dirty Little Secret by Shiguro Takada
Paladin Press trade paperback, 160 pages

One reviewer described this as 'Cannibalism For Dummies but darkly humorous.'  And it has recipes. 

Part of me thinks that having this book would be useful; but truthfully it's unlikely I'd ever write about cannibalism. So any desire for this on my part sparks of prurient nosiness, basically.

Another way to think about acquiring books like this is that, when reading them, you can spark some interesting ideas--like what if your protagonist had to consider such things as cannibalism to survive?  How would dead bodies be dealt with in enclosed environments?  And what is the most efficient way to get the nutrients of the dead into the living--by the use of their remains to feed the hydroponics of your spaceship, or to eat the dead and feed your wastes to the hydroponics?  Or what if there was some sort of nutrient lack and cannibalism was an instinctual response to a lack of a certain brain chemical (actually a true hypothesis in a scientific study I heard about.)

And as a slightly tangential note, Bone Song, the last book I recommended and a fine read, is essentially metaphorical cannibalism in that the bones of the dead are used to create the power that keeps civilization running (as well as zombies and other creatures.) Metaphorical cannibalism is a bit easier on the squick factor, IMO.

Writing!

Got an hour's writing in this evening.  I've grabbed the reins once again on Magus of Athlinar, which I really like and want to get finished.  What I really really like about it is the world I'm building.  I've had a story in mind for a while, but when I sat down to take the idea (a living, parasitic item that becomes a problem for the protagonist who accidentally becomes bonded to it) and the context (post-apocalyptic world, about a thousand years past what then-Christians called the Rapture) where magic reappears, laws of physics are no longer quite the same, and there are beings around who are maybe gods and/or angels.  It's over a thousand years post the Assonance Event as I term it, and the once-industrial nations have given way to the Near and Far East.  Our story takes place in what was once India.

To give you an idea of my worldbuilding process, let me share the ideas I had in the order I had them. I had an image of the protagonist picking up a cloak and putting it on for convenience's sake after she's robbed a mage.  Turns out that's a mistake...  From there I came up with her history, which is a former acolyte who, when being initiated as a priestess of her dieties, the angelae (who claim they are come to raise mankind up after God abandoned us) finds herself horrified and no longer able to believe in them.  She becomes a thief, assassin and magical practitioner, and eventually is commissioned to pull a job in Athlinar, where our story takes place.  Thing is, more is going on with this job than she anticipates, and the player may just be the one who is played...

And to give you the basis of the world change, here's my take on the events that changed the world:

The Assonance Theory:  Assonance is essentially "the repetition of similar vowels in the stressed syllables of successive words" and I extrapolate the term to refer to 'vibrational similarity'-- an explanation for how the natural laws of the world could have suddenly altered and of 4/5 of the population go missing (the Rapture, of course!).  Because, according to moi, what occurs is a collision of universes that results in a complex result:  Two universes merging to change ours into a composite; and other 'baby-verses' splitting off (with, it's hoped, the missing people, because consciousness--'mental vibrations' or some such--has an affect on where one ends up. This point is still hotly debated at the time of the story, as you can imagine.) Overall, I'm relying on the present M-theory that's being debated among the theoretical physicists as the basis for the concept, as well as my own hunch that translation from one universe to another would result in changed natural laws.

I think it's very beneficial to make a statement, even if just for yourself, that clarifies teh basis of the world's rules you are dealing with.  It gives you parameters, helps you keep from straying too far from plausible in your fictional world's framework.

Hormesis (repost)

Reposted from August 13, 2008

"The theory of hormesis has been around for decades, but has long been met with scepticism or downright suspicion. In recent years, however, biologists have pieced together a clear molecular explanation of how it works, and hormesis has finally been accepted as a fundamental principle of biology and biomedicine. The question now is how to take advantage of hormesis to live longer and healthier lives."  Mark Mattson & Edwin Calabrese, New Science, 6 Aug 2008

Homeopathic medicine has been sneered at by allopathic believers for a long time now.  Probably since the Swiss physician and alchemist Paracelsus recognized the concept of hormesis, or "a process whereby organisms exposed to low levels of stress or toxins become more resistant to tougher challenges."  (See cited article.)  We also have been hearing in the news recently that a bit of germs and dirt actually innoculates the immune system, keeping it strong.

The advent of mechanical models of the universe affected philosophy and scientific thought as well.  You can see how the advent of Copernicus' postulation in 1543 that the Earth orbited the Sun had a profound affect.  Likewise, Kepler, Galileo, Descartes and Isaac Newtons' ideas fostered a burgeoning model of mechanistic life had effecuts upon the theories of medicine.  The 'magic' was discounted in favor of 'scientific' medicine.  Sometimes it wasn't very scientific and this baby and bathwater approach to deciding what was proper medicine ignored means of healing that were more effective.  Common sense was often forgotten as well in the fervor for new ways that embraced the mechanistic models of science.  (Note:  This is my loose interpretation of these events, not a genuinely well-researched treatise.)

Anyhow, medicine in the Dark and Middle Ages was, in part, a reflection of the male-oriented allopathic physicians seeking to control healthcare over the grannies and midwives who used knowledge of plants and 'what worked' over high-falutin' ideas like cupping and starvation to heal illness.  It was a product of religious and social tensions as much as it was about knowledge.

Starting with Hippocrites, who is credited as being the father of modern medicine, however in the middle ages, the collapse of the Greek and Roman empires caused a halt in the progression of medicine, and the repository of medical knowledge was maintained primarily at the monastery, which frequently had hospitals attached.  (See Wikipedia article on Medieval medicine.)  While astrology often got lumped in with medicine at this stage, herb craft and medicine practiced by outsiders--those who were not part of the religious heirarchy or doctors with political clout--were often labeled witches.  And medical philosophy was increasingly tied in with the Christian world view.

As Wiki explains, "As Christianity grew in influence, a tension developed between the church and folk-medicine, since much in folk medicine was magical, or mystical, and had its basis in sources that were not compatible with Christian faith. Spells and incantations were used in conjunction with herbs and other remedies. Such spells had to be separated from the physical remedies, or replaced with Christian prayers or devotions. Similarly, the dependence upon the power of herbs or gems needed to be explained through Christianity.The church taught that God sometimes sent illness as a punishment, and that in these cases, repentance could lead to a recovery. This led to the practice of penance and pilgrimage as a means of curing illness."

How does this relate to your novel?
In a worldbuilding mode, you might need a conflict wherein your character is in conflict with society over what he/she knows works and what is allowed.  Classic conflict for Church or State vs. Individual.  Even Big Biz vs. the Little Guy.  The motif is one of struggle against some amorphous juggernaut, a thing that cannot be stopped and must be either worked around or be crushed by it.

And hormesis, the idea that you can use a little of something to do good, could also be used in a magical scenario for your fantasy novel.

The important thing to take away from the discussion is, I believe, that large social institutions can influence--perhaps very wrongly--the growth and function of science.  And it can be to the detriment of a society.  The human Will To Be Stupid is so common...

Alien intelligence

From a link at Cute Overload, an article on tool using octopuses.  Basically, scientists studying a tropical species of octopus that live on, basically, a mud plain with no cover, are using coconut shells as portable shelters in which to hide while resting.  Thing is, they can move a lot faster without the shell, but persist in carrying the thing around even though locomotion for them becomes like tiptoeing while in a horse stance.  Because the shell is a useful tool for when they stop moving.

This brings up a few ideas for me about the topic of alien intelligences.  I mean, if octopi, which are apparently the smartest invertibrate, can figure out how to use an object (aka a tool) for a future need, then what else can be smart?  You could run about and ask of nearly anything, what if it were intelligent? and a panoply of attendant follow up questions can give you some interesting story starting places.

I'm particularly interested in true alien (off planet) intelligence and stories that might come from encounters with what we didn't understand was intelligent.  I mean, if the very planet you walk on takes offense at something you do, such as slaughtering its planty bits for salads...

But innerspace, the deep ocean depths, haven't been fully explored.  There could be all sorts of things living down in the dark.  Maybe we need to learn to speak with them so they can speak with the creatures living in the oceans of Saturn's moon, Titan.  Or maybe the critters living on Titan take exception to how we treat the creatures of our own inerspace?  Imagine how humanity might have to humble itself if it learned that there was something that we needed to survive, and the creatures at the bottom of the Mariana Trench were the only way to save our world from damage we've done to it?  Most of these ideas require a bit of scientific-sounding tap dancing to be workable, but as the basis for a plot, they aren't exactly new but are intriguing.

Anyhow, check out the link and watch the coconut-carrying octopus.  It's amazing.

SpecFic Holiday, anyone? Meet the Krampus!

Okay, not quite speculative fiction, but definitely mythological and something you likely never heard of before.  From the way cool site, Neatorama, we have an article on an old, pre-christian character who reminds me of what the Grinch should have been had he not been written in the 20th Century...

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Krampus is Making a Christmas Comeback

This Christmas, forget Santa. There’s a mythical creature that’s making a big comeback: the Krampus.

Popular in Alpine villages centuries ago, Krampus scared kids straight—his long red tongue upped the fear factor—and taught them that evil bows before good. He served Santa’s forerunner, kindly St. Nicholas, who had “the power to send Krampus back to hell,” says Austrian ethnologist Ulrike Kammerhofer-Aggermann. [...]

But by the 1800s, church leaders had marginalized Krampus. Now he’s enjoying a mini-revival, mainly for the fun of it. The Austrian state of Salzburg alone has 180 Krampus clubs, more than half set up since 1990, says Josef Moser, Jr., chairman of Austria’s Krampus Museum. Revelers roam streets in Krampus garb, rattle bells, and roar. “It feels good!” says Moser. Link 

Original post here.

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Ideas.  So many ideas!  Can you picture what would happen in a world where magic has returned (such as in the Ilona Andrews Kate Daniels series) and that very first Christmas?  What, exactly, comes down the chimney to a bad little boy?  Or perhaps it's about the warning you get before things Go South in a spectacular way because the Devil's agents are there to collect blasphemers when they hadn't been before?  Or perhaps the Old Ones or the Old Gods are stretching their limbs after being cramped between the pages of mythology and history texts for so darned long...and they are granting wishes and such no one expects to have granted.  And the possibility of so many old creatures and dieties--even saints or religious icons--being returned to the world during a season of hope (and now likely mayhem)...  And I must say, that if you were to write a holiday-focused horror or speculative work, the Krampus or some variation from pre-christian yore would be pretty cool.  Whoever gets to that first, wins.  But it won't be me this late in the game. 

I LIKE these ideas though.  *dons thinking cap for next Yule season*

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Christmas horror contest, anyone?  If there is any interest, I might hold one, prize to be determined.  We'd keep it to 500 word flash this time, or possibly a poem.  If I hadn't already done Chthulu as a prize, I could offer this little feller...except it's a bit too pricey.  But something.

Zombie story ideas revisited

Excerpted from a post dated January 6, 2008:

A few ideas to toy with.
1.  What sort of employment would be appropriate for zombies?  Places where lives could be saved by them or where literal mindedness would be useful-- Mining, deep sea work, space work, shoveling coal into furnaces, lifting heavy stuff, repetitive actions such as on assembly lines.  Corrollary:  What uses would be amusingly inappropriate?  Zombie pets, etc.

2.  What sorts of things could zombies do to cause a business or person trouble?  Maybe they get hungry and eat somebody or something of importance.  Maybe one malfunctions, e.g. develops free will, or gets stuck like a broken record.  Maybe somebody gets too good at producing these things and it threatens to take too many human jobs-- and employees have issues, which brings in unions, strikes, etc.

3.  Where would using zombies get a business into trouble?  Food handling, child care, dealing with the public, hospital staff, pet care...endless possibilities for inappropriate but cost-saving uses of the mindless-yet-programmable undead...   Maybe the people sold into becoming zombies are a form of China Syndrome (hazardous work conditions cover up) or Manchurian Candidate (assassination programming) units.

4.  Government uses for zombies?  Unkillable and merciless ground troops, riot control, chain gang workers, means of cleaning the streets of undesirables.

5.  Criminal uses for zombies?  Body disposal, voting fraud [you could title this one How The Vote Was Won, lol], mules for drugs or other substances, genetic engineering experiments gone wrong, terrorist weapons [in particular for religious groups seekign to take over the world, which, considering zombification is a voudoun tradition, might make for an interesting riff in and of itself.]  Or maybe the creation of zombies is a black market operation. 

6.  Other strange and unusual uses for zombies (many of which may be impractical but could be funny if you sell it well).  At the garbage dump, toxic waste conversion [title it 101 Uses For Zombie Shit], a mad scientist's failed experiments, a voudoun priest/ess's enforcer, a very straaaaange surrogate mother, a rather frightening Show & Tell offering for Jimmy's first-grade class, how a demented person gets even with her abusive parent/friend/spouse...

7.  Role reversal.  Zombies and normal humans change places.  A basic inversion that has some intriguing possibilities.  For example, in a world where the zombies have taken over, how do young humans feel about 'making the change' a bit early?  Do they curry favor to be zombified like young Turks curry favor or compete in office politiking in order to get that cushy corner office and promotion?  And what changes in the society that would follow from such a switch.

8.  Change the rules.  If zombies aren't mindless brain-eating killers with rotting flesh and a tendency to literal-mindedness...

9.  And then there are the really twisted ideas... like Zombie Love.  Eck.  Makes me think of the Evil Editor continuation where the woman keeps her husband's corpse on the front porch as a yard ornament...

The editors specifically request non-cliched zombies, so I guess your undead critters shouldn't be lurching about with arms extended, skin bone white with oozing eye sockets and a stench only a corprophage would love.  Maybe have one in a smoking jacket and smoking a pipe.  Discover he's erudite and chatty and happens to like chianti and fava beans with his brains...?

I cannot help but picture humor being involved, rather like Sean of the Dead.  I have a couple of ideas, which you may steal:
1.  Murder and mayhem at the national championship of the Zombie Breeder's of America.  It's rigged.  One of the judges is a sentient zombie...with an agenda.
2.  A young Turk pits his wits against the competition for a promotion and a corner office.  The twist: you should read the non-disclosure clause before you sign up for the competition, because failure is not an option.
3.  Greedy zombie manufactory didn't do its quality control.  Ooops!  Now for the cover up!
4.  Necrophilia and nuptials.  'Trophy' second-spouse is so determined to get married (and get the loot) he/she rigs a zombie raising to save the wedding after the fiancee is murdered.  Twist:  getting the marriage consummated and the will drawn up.  POV the first wife/husband, their angry murderous child, or the lawyer lover of the zombie-marrying spouse spouse. 
5.  The draft is reinstated, and Bill doesn't want Uncle Jiordi to be exhumed for combat.
6.  Zombie body parts 'accidentally' farmed out to transplant recipients.  Blackmarket chop shop suffers the revenge of a person who is turning into a different kind of zombie from the donor tissue.  A zombie without a master and a will of its own... Bwa ha ha...
7.  And, my personal fav, if zombification isn't magical but a recessive genetic trait which comes to the fore via some natural disaster causing the population to inbreed, or to occur on a colony planet, etc.... 

Biology for SF writing links

Biology in Science Fiction blog had an interesting link to an article about a Kenyan College professor, writer Joan Slonczewski, who offers a biology for SF course.  Links below for your edification.

Course syllabus here.
The course study guide here.
Student projects here.
Related wiki here.

Rethinking the spaceship

"[W]hat intrigues me is the possibility that the entire conceptual framework of the starship is a dangerously misleading dead-end, and that what we need is a new framework for thinking about interstellar travel."  Charles Stross, from his blog

Charles Stross has another thoughtful post on his blog, this time regarding spaceships.  Lots of food for thought there.

Mr. Stross has some excellent scientific information describing all sorts of things on his blog.  He's obviously a smart fellow.  But the thing I admit to taking away from the post?  I can't help but consider the quote above and thinking...What if there were some other way of transporting ourselves from our planet to another?

Hmmm... Whether you choose fantasy or science for the method, you can use many other means of interstellar or interworld travel.

How about psychic pilots - something similar to what Herbert uses in Dune? Or portal technology - similar to L'Engle's tesseracts or Dr. Who's Tardis -  where you step from one world to another.  Or technology that's so advanced (and not relevant to the plot) that we don't really care about the impossibility of exceeding the speed of light.  Or (and this is my favorite) the larger-dimensional character in the Jade D'Arcy series that shifts travelers through its dimension and thus from one location to another.

In any event, there are plenty of variations on travel modes from one world to another.  But if we put on our thinking caps, perhaps we can think of more.

Control the Proles?

ScienceDaily (Oct. 5, 2009)— A vaccine to treat cocaine dependence appears to reduce use of the drug in a subgroup of individuals who attain high anticocaine antibody levels in response, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Saw the above article in Science Daily that made me think 1984 or Brave New World could have used it.  Instead of drugging people into compliance, you could control them by vaccinating them against things the government doesn't like.  Such as illegal drugs.  Or booze.  Or tobacco.  Or greasy fried foods.  Or even relligious-linked choices so that you have to eat fish on Friday or avoid pork so you remain kosher!

These things aren't going to the be main thrust of your plot, but such sorts of governmentally enforced behaviors would affect your characters,and they are definitely a sign of eroded individual freedom and other sorts of socio-political issues that lead to larger plot issues--like your character being in conflict with society because, perhaps, he sells an antidote so your cigaretts give you that nice nicotine rush?

A new sort of drug dealer could be someone who deals in reversing immunization.

Or, a different idea, what if autism really is affected by components in vaccinations?  What if you had a character who knows how to reverse it?  Why would the govt do such a thing on purpose (if they have in your story)?