Showing posts with label Science Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Science Fiction. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

RoboNomics Book II Soundtrack

Hey all! As promised, I've put together a soundtrack for RoboNomics Book II over the past couple weeks. From my perspective, it's as though you can trace the broad outline of the plot through these tracks. That's probably impossible, however. You will have no way of knowing what's going to happen in the story from just listening to this music.

However, might a fun exercise to try and guess! :)


At least it's not as long as the RoboNomics Book I soundtrack! Hope you enjoy it!

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

RoboNomics Book I Soundtrack

So, RoboNomics Book I is complete! At least, it is completely posted up on Wattpad now, entered into the Wattpad Prize, and as I just found out, has made it onto one of Wattpad's reading lists. The list is entitled "Time and Eternity". So cool. When they sent me the email explaining that the book is on the list, they said that they 'love' my story! Yay! :)

Before I leave the story, at last, to the care of the world, and start work on RoboNomics Book II, I would like to give it a good send off. And so, I've compiled the very best and most inspirational tracks from all of my previously 'Music that Inspired RoboNomics Chapter..." playlists into a master list.

And so, here it is kids, RoboNomics the Soundtrack. A massive list of the music I listened to while imagining the plot, coming up with character foibles, and revising -- the endless revising that I put into RoboNomics Book I.



Stay tuned for another little goodie next week...

Oh, I can't not tell you! I'm planning on releasing a preliminary music taste of Book II in the form of a RoboNomics Book II Soundtrack! Can't wait! :)

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Music that Inspired RoboNomics Chapter 16!

Hey everyone! A little late in the week, I know. But it's a busy one. And now I have the last RoboNomics Book I inspiration playlist until I start posting RoboNomics Book II on September 1.

In the meantime, here's the inspiration playlist for Chapter 16. Remember to check out the story on Wattpad this coming Monday, April 28th at midnight EDT. Can't wait!

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Music that Inspired RoboNomics Chapter 15

Man, what a week this has been. So busy -- no time for blog posts. Okay, I had some time yesterday but after I wrote a post my piece of crap computer lost the whole thing. I was too tired to rewrite it. So never mind that. Onto the fun stuff!

The playlist of tracks that inspired the penultimate chapter of RoboNomics Book I!

In chapter 15, crazy exciting stuff happens to Andrea, our heroine. I actually did quite a bit of revising to the chapter this week -- so it's going to be a lot of brand spanking new material! Fancy that.

When we had last left Andrea, she had just lost Austin in the crowd in front of Toronto's Economic Relief Center. When chapter 15 opens, Elizabeth is trying to convince her friend to leave the place. But can Andrea trust Elizabeth, now that her former friend has joined Chris and his Anti-Robotists? And what happened to Austin?

Can't say too much about the plot of Chapter 15 without giving too much away. I guess you'll just have to head on over to Wattpad on Monday, April 21 at midnight EDT to find out!!!! :P

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Music that Inspired RoboNomics Chapter 14

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:

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Music that Inspired RoboNomics Chapter 13

Hey everyone! So Monday, April 7 is the release date for RoboNomics Chapter 13!

After all the high-stakes drama that happened in chapters 10 through 12, this chapter is a step-back that deals with the aftermath. In Toronto, the city is dealing with the aftermath of the Queen's Park riot. After it's been decided to abolish obsolete labor unions in Ontario, the citizens are feeling abandoned and desperate. Meanwhile, Andrea has to deal with the aftermath of what happened between her and Chris. Not only does she have to worry about what he'll do with the incriminating information he has about her, but she also has to worry about her worsening financial situation.

What's going to happen to Andrea? Is she going to lose her freedom, her husband, the entire life that she's constructed for herself?


Don't forget to check out RoboNomics on Wattpad this coming Monday to find out! :)

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Music that Inspired RoboNomics Chapter 12

Well, here it is: the music that inspired RoboNomics' next chapter.

Chapter 12 is a small chapter, but by no means lacking in action and excitement. There's a big reveal, so I don't know that I want to say much more about the chapter other than that. Instead, I'll let the music do the talking: 



Hope you enjoy it! And don't forget, RoboNomics Chapter 12 comes out on Wattpad this Monday, March 31 at midnight EDT! Can't wait for you to read it! :)

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. 

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Music that Inspired RoboNomics Chapter 11

So I know that over the past two and a half months (has it really been that long?) I have been posting these 'inspirational' playlists on Thursdays. But this week, two things are happening:

1. I'm super excited about Chapter 11, coming up on wattpad.com this coming Monday, March 24 at midnight.

2. I'm not sure what to write about this week. I wrote about this topic in a really loopy entry on my other blog, but when it comes to that primary blog, I've already got another idea for tomorrow. Woot! But when it comes to inspirational music for authors of fiction, well -- I'm a little short of inspiration today.

And so instead I'll tell you about the upcoming Chapter of RoboNomics:

When we last left our heroine, Andrea Anderson, she had just left her friends in the throes of the protest that was quickly devolving into a riot. She's off to find Chris and the other former garbage collectors, who have been absence for the protest so far.

But in Chapter 11, she catches up to them. And what they're about to do makes Andrea complicit in a criminal plot. But does that mean she'll refuse to help them?

I hope you enjoy this week's playlist! Don't forget to check out RoboNomics Chapter 11 on wattpad when it comes out: Monday, March 24, 2014!
 

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Music that Inspired RoboNomics Chapter 10!

Hey everyone! It's that time of the week again! Time to reveal some of the tracks that inspired me in writing RoboNomics. This week it's Chapter 10 -- a big, actiony chapter that leads into the part of RoboNomics during which shit really goes down.

As may be obvious from some of the songs that I've included this week, the protest against the Ontario government's bill -- which proposes to abolish unions in the province -- takes place. The logic behind the proposed legislation is the fact that because so many jobs have become automated, the members of unions in the province are organized around something that is obsolete -- human labour.

However, the protest doesn't exactly go smoothly for Andrea and her friends. Chris, the leader of their group and the person who fought them to hold the protest, is no where to be found. Thousands of people show up in front of the Ontario legislature. Those numbers prove too much for the little protest group to control, especially without their leader.

And then robots get involved in the chaos...

)

Don't forget to check out RoboNomics Chapter 10 when it's released on Monday, March 17 (St. Patrick's Day) at midnight EDT! Can't wait for you to read it!

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Music that Inspired RoboNomics Chapter 9

Hey Everyone! So RoboNomics Chapter 9 is coming up this Monday, March 10th. Are you ready? In this chapter, Andrea gets closer to Chris, but she also finds out how dangerous he is. Meanwhile, she and Austin are trying to figure out how to avoid losing their home. Both have become obsolete in their respective jobs, and they don't know how they can make ends meet. Will they lose their home? And what happens if they do? Will Andrea have no choice but to rely on Chris and his volatile personality?

Better check it out on Wattpad this coming Monday to find out! In the meantime, here's a playlist of tracks that inspired the chapter, as taste of what's to come:

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Music that Inspired RoboNomics Chapter 7

Well, kids, RoboNomics Chapter 7 comes out this coming Monday. I can't believe that it's been six chapters and more than that -- over 700 reads! I'm actually surprised that anyone would even be interested in this bit of shitty folly I call writing. All right -- that was false humility if ever I've seen it. Silly me.

Anyways, in Chapter 7 the particularly harsh winter has melted into spring in near-future Toronto as it always inevitably does. But Andrea's problems do not get better as time rolls on. In fact, the landscape of the city is changing rapidly with more and more wandering the streets, looking for employment of any kind. This spells trouble for Andrea's friends, who don't know what to do next. There's always the Protest Group, but joining it would mean aligning themselves with known criminals...



I'm excited about this next chapter! I'm also kind of excited about my other project. Just a little experiment to see what kind of response my YA fantasy writing gets on Wattpad....

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Music that Inspired RoboNomics Chapter 6

Hey everyone! Another edition of the RoboNomics soundtrack coming at you! RoboNomics Chapter 6 will be on Wattpad on Monday, February 10 at midnight EST! Chapter 6 is back to material that is more polished than Chapters 3 to 5 turned out to be. But if you go over to wattpad to check it out (I don't think you need an account to read), please let me know via wattpad comments or Google+ comments on this blog post or even via tweet what you thought of it. I need some constructive criticisms!!

Also, in the next day or so I will be uploading some sweet sweet Chapter 6 preview pictures to Twitter. So watch out for that. I have been seriously thinking of throwing up some bits of other projects onto wattpad. Especially that Epic Fantasy YA business I keep banging on about. But that will be more of a fun experiment to see what sort of response I get so I won't be compiling playlists or making pictures or promoting it very much. Basically I want to see if that work can stand on its on a website of stories that is populated by 65% young adults.

But enough about that. In the meantime, back to Chapter 6. In Chapter 6, we find Andrea struggling with unemployment and a world that is increasingly filled with automated processes and robots that replace humans in their jobs. She is worried about how her and Austin's income has been drastically cut, but then something unexpected happens that makes her troubles a lot more serious.


Thursday, January 30, 2014

Music that Inspired RoboNomics Chapter 5!

Hey everyone! Another week, another chapter soundtrack. Chapter 5 is a big one!

In this chapter, which you can read over on wattpad.com, Andrea has to prepare for the RoboNomics press conference -- in more ways than one. Not only has she been asked by Jay to hand out namecards with the robot that took her job, but she's also been recruited by Chris to sabotage the presentation of the RoboNomics' Interactive Instructions Units to the world. Who will she help? And what will happen at the press conference? You'll have to read Chapter 5 to find out!

Mark your calendars -- Chapter 5 drops this coming Monday, February 3rd at midnight EST!

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Music that Inspired RoboNomics Chapter 4

Hey, all! Welcome to another installment of soundtrack preview for RoboNomics. Chapter 4 is coming out on Wattpad Monday, January 27th at midnight EST! Excited? I know I'm excited for you to read it!

In Chapter 4, we find Andrea coping with the day of day of her post-teaching existence. She's come back to the United Workers Protest Group headquarters and she's working at her robot technician job part-time at her old school. However, things are not straightforward in the new job. She makes a discover about the teaching android, the I.I.U., that is frightening...but also opens up a possibility for the Protest Group to really make some waves. The question is, will Andrea let them?

While I was working on the chapter this week, here's some of the tracks that inspired me:

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Music that Inspired RoboNomics Chapter 3

Hey everyone! I'm working on some stuff for my other blog, as well as working hard on RoboNomics Chapter 3! While you wait for all that to be complete, enjoy the soundtrack to Chapter 3:



Hey at least I managed to get a Chapter 3 preview pic out! Lots of work this week!

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Music that Inspired RoboNomics Chapter 2

See? I told you! RoboNomics is taking over this blog! But I promise this will be the last week that I will have two posts concerning the serial novel since I intend these playlists in particular to be little tantalizing previews of Next Monday's Chapter. That first chapter playlist was just a catch-up since this is the first week back from holidays.

So the format of this blog will go from a once a week entry to a twice a week entry: one concerning RoboNomics inspiration, and the other concerning music that inspires other aspects of the writing process in general. Cool. All right. Now onto the list!


There's no way you can figure out what will happen in the chapter by listening to the music. That's not really the point of the list. Think of it more as a soundtrack to the chapter or the soundtrack to my frame of mind when I wrote the first draft.

Monday, January 6, 2014

Music that Inspired RoboNomics - Chapter 1

Hey everyone! Back from holidays. And I'm afraid that my big 2014 project -- RoboNomics in serial form -- is going to occupy quite a lot of this blog.



And so, in celebration of my having guts enough to release my work into the world, I give you a very special playlist: the songs that inspired RoboNomics Chapter 1:


Monday, November 4, 2013

Futuristic/Robotic Music II

I approve of these songs
(robotic voice)
Hey, kids! I thought I'd start this blog off by doing a comprehensive Part II of the music that inspired my manuscript, RoboNomics. Futuristic, robotic, great stuff like that. Some of it I covered over on my other blog, but I couldn't help but feeling, even as I wrote that post, that it left out some essential tracks.

Here's a run down of the tracks I covered there:

1. ON AND ON - The Hunter: For amazing use of robotic-like vocals

2. Grimes - Genesis: Spooky, otherworldly, ethereal. Love anything weird for the use of inspiration.

3. Massive Attack - Karmacoma: Trip-hop may be a thing of the past, but its association in my mind with movies like The Matrix will forever mean that it is futuristic, for me.

4. Goldfrapp - Human: More trip-hop, but that actually asks, "Are you human?" Spooky.

5. Fever Ray - Concrete Walls: Because if you're writing speculative fiction, you just gotta have some Fever Ray.

6. Crystal Castles - Courtship Dating: Soundtrack for an automated world

7. Kanye West & Bon Iver: Lost in the Woods: Because nothing says robots quite like auto-tune.

Definitely has some holes. So here's some other tracks that are more emblematic of the atmosphere I am trying to capture in my manuscript:



1. Allez Allez - Weird Science: Electronic beats. Enough said. In fact, here's some more:

2. Kate Boy - Northern Lights: Yummy and atmospheric.

3. Imagine Dragons - Radioactive: For some reason, this song has been inspiring me lately. Maybe
it's a mixture of the particular sound with all those lyrics about apocalypse.

4. Portal 2 OST - The Future Starts with You: Definitely have to have some Portal 2 in there. If you want to write about an increasingly electronic world, this is kinda what it would sound like. Am I right?

5. Björk - Army of Me: How could I have even written that first blog post without a little Björk? How is it even possible to write any sci fi without a little bit of her weird playing in the background? Seriously??!

6. Florence + the Machine - Cosmic Love: Maybe I just love the mix of electro beats and the emotional vocals. Similarly,

7. Ellie Goulding - Under Control: Add some bleeps and blorps and we've got a future city.

8. Janelle Monae - Many Moons: No robotic playlist would be complete without a little Janelle Monae and her obsession with androids.

9. Röyksopp feat. Robyn - The Girl and the Robot: A song that's actually about human-robot love. Haha.

10. Tiësto feat. Tegan and Sara - Feel It in My Bones: Quite a lot of umlauts on this playlist. Germanic language speakers and robots = gold? Can this be a coincidence?

So what do you think about my playlist? Did I miss anything (other than sci fi movie soundtracks, which I left out on purpose). What do you listen to while writing sci fi?