Hey everybody! Another week, another chapter, another playlist! I am very proud of the playlist this week. I feel like it's almost an encapsulation of the entire RoboNomics Book I story in five songs.
RoboNomics Chapter 14 comes out, funnily enough, on Monday, April 14 at midnight EDT. In this chapter, things for Andrea and Austin go from bad to worse to worst. However, just when our favorite couple along with all the other citizens of Toronto are ready to give up hope, the government swoops in acting as hero and opens "Economic Relief Distribution Centers." There's only one problem: the centers rely heavily on robots. Is another clash with frustrated, desperate citizens inevitable?
You'll have to read Chapter 14 on Wattpad to find out!! ;)
In the meantime, enjoy the tunage:
Showing posts with label Action Scenes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Action Scenes. Show all posts
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Friday, March 21, 2014
Revolution/Evolution
So the other day I was thinking about my novel, RoboNomics. Sheesh, what else do I think about these days?
But for the longest time I've been constructing this novel with the idea that I want people who read it to be scared. I want them to think about the trials of my main character, Andrea Anderson, and the fact that her intellectual industry job (schoolteacher) has become obsolete because of a robot with advanced artificial intelligence and think, "Geez, that could be me."
I wanted it to be a novel about how dystopias happen. There are no many science fiction narratives out there in the world that are about dystopias after the bad shit has gone down. And a lot of robot and artificial intelligence take overs follow this format. So on top of RoboNomics being a metaphor for the 2008 global economic crisis (something no one could have imagined back in 2006 or so), I wanted it to go from a normal world, familiar to a reader in say, modern Toronto, to a dystopia.
So far, some the comments I've had on the story have been more along the lines of "That would never happen here," than of "oh my god that could so easily happen to me," which is interesting and not all that surprising. But then I think of the thousands of times this sort of thing has happened before: the total breakdown of a political system, a social contract. I think of the 1990s, when Yugoslavia went from having the world's highest rated quality of life to being a war zone. My point is, stranger things happened in reality than could ever occur in my fiction...
But there's a word for that, isn't there? Whenever a social or political system changes, wherever it slides from comfortable apathy to dystopia: Revolution. Upheaval that lasts only a little while or a long while, until a new political agreement is reached (or imposed) and a new normal is established.
And so, here's my playlist for today -- songs for a robotic revolution of a different kind:
And don't mind the bit of music geekery book ending the playlist. I just had to include a song performed what? 50 years apart. Perfect.
But for the longest time I've been constructing this novel with the idea that I want people who read it to be scared. I want them to think about the trials of my main character, Andrea Anderson, and the fact that her intellectual industry job (schoolteacher) has become obsolete because of a robot with advanced artificial intelligence and think, "Geez, that could be me."
I wanted it to be a novel about how dystopias happen. There are no many science fiction narratives out there in the world that are about dystopias after the bad shit has gone down. And a lot of robot and artificial intelligence take overs follow this format. So on top of RoboNomics being a metaphor for the 2008 global economic crisis (something no one could have imagined back in 2006 or so), I wanted it to go from a normal world, familiar to a reader in say, modern Toronto, to a dystopia.
So far, some the comments I've had on the story have been more along the lines of "That would never happen here," than of "oh my god that could so easily happen to me," which is interesting and not all that surprising. But then I think of the thousands of times this sort of thing has happened before: the total breakdown of a political system, a social contract. I think of the 1990s, when Yugoslavia went from having the world's highest rated quality of life to being a war zone. My point is, stranger things happened in reality than could ever occur in my fiction...
But there's a word for that, isn't there? Whenever a social or political system changes, wherever it slides from comfortable apathy to dystopia: Revolution. Upheaval that lasts only a little while or a long while, until a new political agreement is reached (or imposed) and a new normal is established.
And so, here's my playlist for today -- songs for a robotic revolution of a different kind:
And don't mind the bit of music geekery book ending the playlist. I just had to include a song performed what? 50 years apart. Perfect.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Action Scenes
Yesterday, I was revising one of my high-paced action scenes and I was having a little bit of trouble with it. What happens next? I kept having to ask myself, but I couldn't come up with a satisfactory answer. My characters were reacting to high-stakes happenings by meandering. They dawdled in replying to demanding questions and didn't seem to care that time was of the essence.
Then I realized the problem. I was listening to one my usual soundtrack for editing and revision: barely-there ambient soundscapes. So I switched to another revision soundtrack. This one was a mix of classical tracks. Still, not exactly helping me to get in the right frame of mind. Then I just broke down. Sure, I was in the midst of revising and not technically at the drafting stage, but I needed some drafting music. Specifically, music for drafting action scenes.
For me, nothing quite compares to thumping bass and action movie soundtracks for suggesting movement and urgency. When I played these tracks, a strange thing began to happen. My pen matched the rhythm of the scene. Suddenly, words were flying from it as fast as my imagination came up with them. My characters were running, fleeing, and getting it done. For me, it's the best way to get a scene moving when it's stalled. Plus, it's actually pretty fun. Maybe you'd prefer a different mix of music: metal or drum and bass or what have you -- but still, you should try it.
Then I realized the problem. I was listening to one my usual soundtrack for editing and revision: barely-there ambient soundscapes. So I switched to another revision soundtrack. This one was a mix of classical tracks. Still, not exactly helping me to get in the right frame of mind. Then I just broke down. Sure, I was in the midst of revising and not technically at the drafting stage, but I needed some drafting music. Specifically, music for drafting action scenes.
For me, nothing quite compares to thumping bass and action movie soundtracks for suggesting movement and urgency. When I played these tracks, a strange thing began to happen. My pen matched the rhythm of the scene. Suddenly, words were flying from it as fast as my imagination came up with them. My characters were running, fleeing, and getting it done. For me, it's the best way to get a scene moving when it's stalled. Plus, it's actually pretty fun. Maybe you'd prefer a different mix of music: metal or drum and bass or what have you -- but still, you should try it.
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