MR/UF discussion

Today, Greg came in and was stubborn. He still insists that Sharon's story about Trufflefeet isn't fantasy. It's a "save the farm" story, he claims. We were discussing Urban fantasy and magic realism. See, my theory is magic realism, the story is still a story without the magic. you could replace it with something mundane, and it would still be a story. A girl here wrote a story about a fantastic vegetable. She could replace the fantastic veggie with a potato, and it would still be a good story. Not SF, but still good. A guy wrote a story with a female vampire. If the vampire is removed, it's not a story any more, just a mass of a lot of really gorgeous imagery. But no story. That's urban fantasy. What do we think? I'm still working on my cyberpunk definition. At first glance it's hard SF with computer tech as the SF. But it's more than that. Most CP has a particular mood to it, so it may be that without that mood, it's just hard SF.

And then mike just came through and brought his genre with him. Science Fantasy. Like John Borneman's Brassman stories, or Randall Garrett's Lord Darcy stories--fantasy, but with an intrinsic bit of science in there. Often turn of the century/alt history type things.

And then there is my own def of my stories. Urban SF. It's soft SF, but with much less of a concentration on the science. For USF, the focus is on the people.

We'll have to see how this all works in real life.

and I would just like to say, I would have read everyone's story already except first I had to write my story--I didn't want to wait any longer this week, as I didn't want it to fill up before I got there. And someone else noticed that when Terry asked if everyone was going to be submitting stories this week, he looked right at me. Which I suppose could just be coincidence, except I'm off to his side, so it didn't seem like it. I guess I'll see on Thursday, when we crit my story. Assuming that tomorrow I get my story in in the first 4. Julian left a story already tonight (well, at like 10. I would have taken mine over there, but I'm paranoid, so I wanted others to take a look at it first.), and I think one other boy was hoping to get something finished already. So hopefully this will be do able.

Anyways, where was I? Oh, yeah, so I finished my story. Then I chatted a little. Then greg came by. He left and told me to read stories (esp since his is one of them). I started. And then Mike came by. And in both cases we had really good conversations, but for heaven's sake, where were they when I was going crazy with boredom some other day?

"the purpose of your life may be to serve as an example to others."

Okay, so yesterday I mentioned feeling like Terry had singled me out, asking if I was going to turn in a story. But he'd just say, 'You" so it could have been the group, just looking at me. Because when I was going to the cafeteria I was standing next to him in line. And he tapped me on the arm, and said, "so, when am I going to see something by you." Luckily I'd already handed it in today, he just hadn't picked tomorrow's stories up. But now I"m all freaked like you wouldn't believe. And then Brendan had to go and point out that he's been dwelling on particular problems with stories each day, and maybe he has a reason he wants one of my stories. "the purpose of your life may be to serve as an example to others." Which isn't all bad, because I would like help with some of the things I see as major problems in my stories. But I really want it to be that he likes my stuff. :-)

Archives?

okay, off to ice cream. Well, old stories by famous people, and then ice cream. Clarion has all stories submitted over the past 35 years by every participant. :) I'm going to go read famous people's old stuff and laugh at them.

Mundane plus stress

I'm so dysfunctional. I went for a walk and ice cream today, and I was talking alot about stuff--life and all that, and I don't get how I can be this dysfunctional. I obsess over the stupidest things. I'm totally and completely hooked on this song right now--Lifehouse, "Breathing" I have listened to it for at least, oh, 6? 8? hours each of the past three days. I'm hyperworried about my story, and I'm just so damn sure I suck. Here's the question of the day: Do I write because I'm insecure, or am I insecure because I write?

I'm going to take a shower, shave my legs, and hope laundry faries come and take care of everything for me while I'm showering. It's not like it's that big of a deal, I just don't want to do it.