Mind-mapping software

Mind mapping is an interesting phenomenon. I think there are a few books covering it out on the market, and I think it can be a great tool for breaking through some mental barriers and teaching yourself to make some imaginative connections--especially if you are a more visually oriented learner and thinker.

It's pretty much what the name says--you map out, or diagram your thoughts and concepts, attaching them to a core idea in an almost train-of-thought manner that allows you to see numerous sub-thoughts or tangents all feeding off from the main theme or inspiration.

So say your main idea is "A fantasy story." You draw that in a circle in the middle of a page, and then draw two more circles feeding off from it, one that says "dragons" (because you dig dragons) and the other that says "God decides to restart the universe" (because that is one of the big fears you live with every day, for some weird reason).

How would you link those very different elements? Do they even belong together in the first place? Who knows? But it's our job as writers to find out, right?

If you decided to give mind-mapping a try, here's some free software that helps lay out the process for you:

http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

Holly Lisle also gives an example of how she does some of this to flesh out a new story idea and give it some initial structure.

Maybe you already use a process like this. I feel like I do, except I tend to write it out, instead of drawing it. But it could be a useful tool to kick you through a mental wall during some writing, or give you some new perspective on an old idea.


I see that smile.

Happy Mother's Day!

And that's who we're spending it with. Hope you are too.


I see that smile.

Weird News Weekend

This guy has a no-good, very bad, car-crashed, house-burned-down, got-a-ticket kind of day...


I think they've found a good candidate for Daredevil, in this blind gentleman who bowled a perfect game the other night.


And lastly...oh, the irony...A police chief shoots himself while running a gun safety and instruction class.


Enjoy the weekend, and make sure you don't forget Mother's Day!


I see that smile.

6 pocket-sized sci-fi gadgets

For the fun of it, and the fact that I love toys that bleep and have lights that flash on and off for no known reason, here's a great list of six awesome gadgets that fit in your pocket. Not surprisingly, Dr. Who's sonic screwdriver tops the list, being able to do everything from unlock doors, rewire complex computers, and generally cause things to fall apart, explode, or malfunction. What manner of havoc could you wreak with such a gizmo? Or, better put, what havoc wouldn't you wreak?

Star Trek and Star Wars have their share of shiny items too...though I'd say Star Trek uses the shiny items much more often as plot solutions than they should be allowed. Let's not talk about reversing the polarity here, shall we?

Are there any devices you think should be listed here? Ones you've coveted ever since you saw them bleeping and flashing away on the screen? For some reason, I keep thinking back to Calvin and Hobbes, and his cardboard box that could double as a time travel machine or a transmorgifyer device. Guess that's not technically pocket-sized, but it could be folded up...


I see that smile.

How much detail do you go into?

I don't mean in your writing, but in your head, when you're developing the story. How much do you grind down your thoughts into fine bits of sand so you can understand the minutest aspect of the plot or character you're working on? Or do you start out a story with broad sweeps of thought and image, letting the details emerge as you go?

For me, I tend to spend a good bit of time building the world, its environment and even its mythology. It is much easier for me if I do this at the beginning then to make it up as I go through the writing process. Otherwise I keep hitting spots where I think, "I need something culturally or magically significant to happen here, but I have no idea what their culture involves." Then I have to pull away from the story and think through it, losing the momentum of the prose in the process. I'd rather have the setting at hand when I begin, and then if I need to dicker around with it, shift a few timelines or language

There is a point where things gel. Where I can step back and say, okay, I could keep going, but this is all I really need to know for now. If I were to compare it to drawing a portrait of someone, I'd say I need the outline of their face, the arranged features (though subject to rearranging if necessary), some hair and eye color, and brushstrokes of their clothes. I don't need all the shades and wrinkles and freckles dotted in. I don't need everything...just enough so when I put this character into a scene, I see them right away.

Where do you begin? Do you get down into the grammar structure of your fantasy kingdom? Do you know their monetary conversion rates between neighboring lands and mapped out merchant trade routes? Draw maps? (I do)


I see that smile.

A monstrous correlation

I think it is generally known that writers...or any artists, really...are affected by the times they grow up on and the "big issues" that shape their culture. Politics, racial issues, the economy, religion, terrorism. Characters, plots and themes all tend to be driven by these overt or subconscious influences on an author's psyche.

To prove the point, the folks over it io9 have put together a graph that correlates the various monster movies and novels that have come out with the natural disasters, plagues, wars, etc. of the century. Atom bombs create humongous critters. HIV/AIDS may have sparked the fascination with vampires and zombies. And how many big destructo films have been placed in NYC so far, with an obvious hat tip to the 9/11 event? Can you look at your own writing and see an event or theme that inspired you to create a monster, villain, or otherwise deadly premise?

http://io9.com/384871/do-giant-disasters-provide-inspiration-for-giant-monster-movies

The graph is probably a bit small in the post, but you can click through to see the full size blowup and article.



I see that smile.

20 science fiction books everyone should read

Hooray. Reading homework! This isn't a list of fiction, but a list of books that touch on a variety of topics, from cloning to universal physics to How-To guides for surviving a robotic uprising. Everything any science fiction author (and fan) might find enlightening.

http://io9.com/384242/20-science-books-every-scifi-fan-and-writer-should-read

The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography especially caught my eye, as a fascination with cryptography and its close cousins has fascinated since forever, probably once I started reading through the whole Sherlock Holmes collection.

Any of these look particularly interesting? How many are you already able to check off the list? These might even be great idea fodder for fantasy writers as well, since we tend to take the laws of physics and give them big nasty tweaks on the nose, just for spite. The more you know, the more you can jumble it all up beyond all recognition.


I see that smile.