(no subject)

Today is full of random thoughts.

First, about my dreams, which were all SFnal. No zombies, but gill-people and the politics thereof. Second, about hot baths full of lovely scents (my excuse is that - having just slept a day and a half - I have toxins that need removing from my system and hot baths are essential). Third, that I need to make rice porridge today. Garlic and chilli and mustard greens and coriander - warms the bones.

I'm teaching worldbuilding on Saturday and Sunday and think I might just spend most of today preparing. I have giant paper for people to design things on, and I have coloured pencils: it's a good start.

Lots of thoughts are bubbling in my head and - you must have noticed - they're highly disordered. This may be because of Convergence but it may also be because I no longer have a 2 week deadline for an academic paper. There is a chance I will catch up on some other things before 1 July. Like more reviews. Like the Ursula le Guin article. (Another Convergence tidbit: I warned Marianne de Pierres that I might be using her books in an article later on and she just looked down on me and smiled - by 'looked down' I don't mean that she was haughty, but that she is that much taller than me. I keep offering to take 5 inches, but she's reluctant.)

Teaching is gradually slowing down a bit for winter. Torchwood starts on Monday and Dr Who soon after. All I have to do is sort out how to keep my flat warm and I can snuggle down and think about other stuff. Not just SF TV. Fiction, for one thing. The trouble with being never-quite-well and having enough work is that there's no energy for novels. I keep thinking that this year's writing may be a bit more futuristic than my norm. Wait and see.

While I remember (and talking about futuristic), I managed to snaffle some New Ceres postcards from girliejones during Convergence. If anyone wants one and might see me in the next little while (I'll be in Sydney during July, remember, so we're not just talking Canberrans) just say and I'll put one aside for you.

(no subject)

I forgot to give Jo my Titanic theory. I haven't had time to fix my webpage to include Russell's amazing map. Truly, I am sad, sad individual.

The Titanic theory is all about worldbuilding. When you build a world you build the complete iceberg that's going to take down the Titanic. You don't describe the whole iceberg, though, just the bit that gets seen from a distance and the bit that tears into the hull. And even then, the focus is on the drama and tragedy of the sinking ship. People don't want to hear about how the iceberg is formed - they want to know who dies and when. They want story, not science.

Well, most people do. I have two relatives who much prefer the science to the story :).

So for most readers, writers should be hiding their world building *unless* it has direct impact on the story.

What I will be teaching over the weekend is a two day expansion of this, plus drawing maps and invent-your-own-language. This means I have *no* excuse for leaving it till now. I have even less excuse for Russell's map, except that I really haven't had time for my webpage update. Tomorrow. I promise. Tomorrow.

PS We had snow today.