tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post1729528808064718971..comments2024-03-28T18:54:13.800-04:00Comments on alien romances: Bottom Seal, Earth Day Irony, and Ripping Sci-FiRowena Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11839386556697211986noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post-44950314869178528742010-06-14T11:51:46.351-04:002010-06-14T11:51:46.351-04:00Oh, another question: How much time has to pass be...Oh, another question: How much time has to pass before a catastrophe becomes legitimate material for unrestrained fictionalization? Pearl Harbor has been fair game for romantic movies for decades. Jokes are allowed about the assassination of Lincoln ("Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?"), but a similar reference to the Kennedy assassination would still be considered unpardonably tasteless.Margaret Carterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08293021955480708191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post-18966604357663245912010-06-14T11:47:33.648-04:002010-06-14T11:47:33.648-04:00I don't see any harm in including recent or cu...I don't see any harm in including recent or current catastrophes in fiction if they're treated authentically and respectfully. Some of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter novels are set in New Orleans, and those written after Katrina make mention of the devastation. It could be argued that it would be disrespectful to ignore the event while continuing to write fiction in that setting.<br /><br />Of course, genre does make a difference. After 9-11, TV sitcoms set in New York, e.g. SEINFELD, didn't mention the attacks (as far as I know); many TV comedies (not all -- serious issues were inserted into later seasons of ALL IN THE FAMILY) are set in an alternate universe where the intrusion of seriousness would upset the balance. OTOH, the producers of THIRD WATCH, centering on a cast of New York City police officers and firefighters, felt they had to address the events of 9-11. The 2001 season incorporated an extended 9-11 aftermath storyline. Likewise, JAG and later NCIS have included Middle Eastern terrorist plotlines since 2001. WEST WING, however, made it clear from the beginning that it was set in an alternate universe, and while some post-9-11 episodes included terrorist plots, the only direct treatment of the attacks was an outtake sort of episode declared to be not part of the show's canonical timeline.<br /><br />Sure you can write SF without having the hero save the world -- the whole postapocalyptic subgenre. Last night I happened to watch a DVD of THE ROAD. Talk about depressing. (In fact, the word "depressing" is one of the subject tags in our public library's entry for the book the movie is based on!) In the final scene, there's a glimmer of hope for "The Boy." There is none offered for the world as a whole.Margaret Carterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08293021955480708191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post-69692416988170058172010-06-13T19:36:53.807-04:002010-06-13T19:36:53.807-04:00Sometimes we as F/SF writers go to the headlines f...Sometimes we as F/SF writers go to the headlines for inspiration, and sometimes they come to us. I have a book set for release by Tor next year set in...(drum roll)... Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, and the LA wetlands and paranormal critters who live in the waters there. Urg. <br /><br />Now, I'm getting ready to start revisions and pondering how BP and the oil spill and the ruination of those wetlands should be treated. Would I have chosen to write an paranormal book set in that location if I were starting the book today? Probably not, or at least not until the fallout is known. On the other hand, I have a chance to maybe...I hope...say something with how I treat the subject.<br /><br />Interesting post!Suzanne Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14180604715572075576noreply@blogger.com