The Power of Imagination

This is from my guest post on Olsen Jay Nelson's blog. Enjoy!

If I asked you what is the answer to the ultimate question, the question of life, the universe and everything, I expect you would already know the answer. It's forty two. Simple. But now, what if I asked you to come up with a unified theory of how the universe works, something along the lines of the ultimate question (and answer). Any ideas?

The answer - my answer, anyway - is 'imagination.' It too is pretty simple, and yet even the most complex of theories are rooted in seemingly simple ideas.

Imagination is what has brought us to this point of existence today: the computer you're looking at, the cable that connects it to remote servers, even the chair you are sitting on! All of it is the product of imagination. It is the energy source that has driven human ascent, has shaped the planet itself, and as we reach out to distant stars and galaxies, it will determine where we go in the future - for better or for worse. Consider for a moment: is every idea a good idea? If imagination is what has shaped our existence, look around you and ask yourself this: is this as good as it gets? Is this the best we could have done?

Imagination is a powerful source, and it's open to everybody too - open source, if you like that - but it is both creative and destructive at the same time. The same technology that runs the GPS in my car is used in the Star Wars weapons program to knock down enemy missiles. Same technology but applied very differently. Perhaps then imagination is agnostic, and it is people that are the determining factor. At least, that is, until we unleash technology that can think for itself. And then, how will it use the power of imagination? For better or for worse?

The concept of a technological singularity may be familiar to you: the idea that technology will invent subsequent versions of itself, becoming so complex and powerful that humans will be unable to comprehend it. It will cease to exist as far as we are concerned (and vice versa quite frankly). In my book, I explore the theory that events leading up to the singularity horizon will be visible to humans, they will be time-based events; in fact, they will be how we measure our own rather self-absorbed existence. As the singularity approaches, however, events will exponentially outstrip time until time runs out. And when you run out of time, life as you know it runs out too.

But what is left, floating out in the ether will be a spark, a spark of imagination. An idea to create a new world, or an entire new universe of worlds, an idea that is irrepressible and must find a way to come forth into being. That is the power of imagination.

The Road Not Taken

It's been an interesting week, not the least in my writing. My work in progress continues to be an uphill struggle, each word a knock-down-grudge-match affair and, while challenging, not particularly fun. Into the midst of this came another book idea, one that I made note of and put aside, but which kept pushing its way to the front of my mind and which refused to be ignored. What to do? Do I continue to labor on the work in progress, or do I go with the flow and accept the new idea that wants to be written? Would I be giving in, taking the path of least resistance, or seizing an opportunity in the moment?

I was reminded of the poem "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost:

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth; 

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 


And I... put the work in progress aside and found a blank page. Better to be writing than struggling, particularly as (I reminded myself) I'm doing this for fun. I hope that following the road less traveled by will be fun, and indeed, make all the difference. I will let you know.

A Unified Theory of Existence in Less Than 500 Words

I am a guest blogger on Olsen Jay Nelson's SF blog. Check out my post "A Unified Theory of Existence in Less Than 500 Words" about the power of imagination, and explore Olsen's blog!

Outlining is the Miracle Drug

I don't normally outline a piece of work before I begin writing. I just don't, that's all. Outlining is something I associate with school essays, not necessarily with something creative and fun and so it's not a technique I lean on. At least until today that is.

As I have mentioned on this blog I have been dealing with writers block for a few weeks now, and my current work in progress, Revival, has been sitting to one side while I get on with everything else. It had started so well: a clear vision of the story's spine, a set of characters that I understood, an initial situation to get the action rolling and a quest. Pretty much everything a writer could ask for, all neatly laid out and served on a silver platter. But I ran out a number of plot lines, had at least two story-lines running in parallel, I switched jobs in the middle of all of this etc. Bottom-line: I lost track of my story.

So how to recover from this? Outlining seemed like the very answer I was looking for, a systematic way of tracking the arc of the story and ensuring that I wrote down what I meant to say (which sounds easier than it is in practice). I read through my work in progress and outlined the eleven chapters I had so far; they made sense, the work was coherent, and I liked it. Now I am outlining the rest of the book, the road home, and with tasks laid out before me I think I should be able to get back on track and finish the first draft.

Running To Standstill

It's been a while. Funny how things catch up with you, roll over you, put you through the spin cycle... Life has been a whirlwind for the past few weeks. First I broke my collarbone and separated my shoulder. Well, if you're going to do this you might as well go the whole hog. Then I started interviewing for jobs, with arm in sling, and doing two or more interviews a day for a while. Then I landed a new job (a great job too), and was whisked off to Utah for a week of intensive training. Then I came back and started the new job and have been working a lot of hours for the past couple of weeks. All of that is by way of apology for not posting more often over the last six weeks. But there's more...

I'm blocked.

I had heard of writer's block, of course, but had never experienced it before. It's not a day at the beach. I'm halfway through my current work in progress (Revival) and the characters are dying on the page, all blank stares and asphyxiation, and there's nothing I can do. This group of characters that I have come to know and to love have nothing to say, I'm losing touch with them and the creative edge of the story, and I'm not sure where to go from here. But I have to save my book. I have to figure this out.

Thoughts, advice, suggestions are welcome on this blog or on Twitter.

Patti Roberts - Book Blog: free ebook for review - Interview with Alan Parr - Author of "Renewal"

It's been a while since I posted, and I can only say that having my arm in a sling did little for my words per minute average.

To get back into the swing of things, here is Patti Roberts - Book Blog: free ebook for review - Interview with Alan Parr - Author of "Renewal"

The title of the piece says "Free eBook for Review" and what that means is (if you read the interview) that I am willing to donate free copies of the book if I can get reviews from the readers. Sounds like a deal? Possibly the best offer you will get all day? So how do you get in on the action?

Contact me via Twitter (my link is shown on this page) and mark your tweet with #renewalreview and I will send you a coupon for a free download from Smashwords in the format of your choice. Simple.

Free Download of my eBook "Renewal"

Free.  That's right. Free. Gratis. For nothing.

Visit Smashwords and download my new eBook for free this week only! It's available in a number of formats, including PDF so you can read it on PCs and Macs.

Click this link to download the ebook, and use the coupon code DA59R

If you like it, consider giving me a review on Smashwords.

Enjoy!

Vision Without Obstruction: What We Learn From Steve Jobs

I really liked this article Scott Belsky wrote about Steve Jobs, and about his ability to stay true to his vision.

Holding on to a vision, maintaining clarity, and beating away self-doubt is no easy thing. Authors know this. But at some point you need to decide to go for it. Here was what Jobs had to say on the matter:

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure -- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

There is nothing to lose in holding onto your vision until you can make it reality, nor is it too late to start. What would be an issue, I think, is deciding that you have nothing to offer, or that what you can create isn't as good as what other people have done, or that you don't have the time. Twyla Tharpe has the best advice to offer here: get over yourself. Have a go and you may be surprised at what you can do.

I have to confess to being a big fan of Steve Jobs, Jonathan Ives and Apple. They foster creativity and great design in all they do. I wish Steve Jobs well.

My Author Interview with Patti Roberts

Since publishing Renewal, I have been asked to do a couple of author interviews.  The first is with Patti Roberts on her book blog. You can check out my author interview with Patti Roberts here. Thanks for the opportunity Patti!

New Book Released: "Renewal" on Smashwords

Somewhere, my English teacher Ms. Jane Forshaw is crying real tears.

I just watched Smashwords upload my Word document and churn it through Meatgrinder.  The result?

Renewal, by Alan Parr

I'm so happy! This is my first work of fiction (I've published non-fiction work before) and this book was my baby for a long time.  I started writing last summer and got stuck, and put my story away. In April this year, I took it out again and liked what I had written (always a good thing when it happens, which is not always) and knew where the story wanted to go. I just had to write it all down.

Renewal is the first book in a series that looks at Humanity's relationship with Technology (a slippery affair at best) as viewed through the experiences of a boy called Stig and his iFriend.  It is a humorous science fiction and fantasy story, simply because those are the kinds of books I like to read.

So today is a happy day, and I will kickback and enjoy a glass of wine tonight, and consider the misty future through a rose-colored blindfold. And now Ms. Forshaw, I have to ask why you never taught me anything about marketing my stories once they were published?

Shine A Little Light On Me

What are you doing right now?

Me? I'm working harder than ever, taking personal and emotional risks, and having fun doing it.  Yes, it's scary to take something you have created and expose it to the unmoderated criticism of the general public. But what's the alternative? To avoid it, and live the life unexamined?  No thanks.

You need to remember that there's a lot of fear built in to any personal project: fear of criticism, fear of failure, fear of wasting your goddamn time when you could be doing so many other things with all of those hours spent locked away scribbling. But what else are you going to do with your idea, your project? Remember this too: most projects start out with fear; the fear of the blank page (or the White Room as Twyla Tharpe calls it) exists for a lot of people. It's real.

I've crossed this bridge before: I'm also an artist.  Every time I finish a piece of work, I have to show it to people.  Art is to be shared - in fact, art is to be given away.  That's where it's value lies, in spreading ideas, and that's true of books too. Maybe you've never thought of your work as art before, but it's true.  Perhaps your work is not what you would consider to be high art (Stephen King, an author I love dearly, described himself as the literary equivalent of a Big Mac and fries) but your work is art. It's your art.  Shine a little light on it.

Book Cover

This will be a  very quick post  - almost a teaser - but I'm very excited about the draft of the book cover for my new book "Renewal" and wanted to share. I think it turned out great!

Lev Grossman on MPR Midmorning

My wife left a message on my phone Tuesday morning saying, "You've got to listen to MPR, there's this author and he's talking about fantasy books and they're listing all the same authors you read!"

Unfortunately, I was in a meeting and light years from being able to listen to the Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) Midmorning broadcast with Kerr Miller.  If you missed it too, here's your chance to listen to Kerri interview Lev Grossman.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/08/16/midmorning2/

Lev Grossman is both an author and a book critic.  His latest book is The Magician King, and you can read more about Lev on his blog.

I loved this interview.  Not only was Lev entertaining (it might be an interview to Lev and Kerri, but it's still entertainment to the rest of us) but he also said some very interesting things about science fiction and fantasy, things that rang true for me as I'm working on my books.

Some of my favorite quotes from this interview include: "Fiction is the place where the mind can play..." and "These [fantasy] books are about dealing with reality..." and "... fantasy isn't escapism, it's a new, fresh way of looking at old problems... certainly fantasy engages really well with social questions and political questions... it is a good tool for people to use to grapple with this kind of social disorder."

The interview also contains many fine suggestions for sf/fantasy books, including Susanna Clarke's "Jonathan Strange & MR. Norell" which I am now reading - how is that I am only hearing about this book now?

Interesting author, great interview. Check it out!

Wringing Out the Changes

The best stories change over time.  Why bother reading something when you already know what it says?

What I'm talking about is the popularity of the multi-book series.  Sure, there are truly great one-off stories - To Kill A Mocking Bird is a prime example.  It's unique and wonderful.  But if you examine what people are reading today, you'll see a number of series and this is particularly true in my preferred genre of sci-fi/fantasy for young adults.  Ever wondered why?

Humans have a balanced need for the expected and the unexpected.  It's built into us, it's how we operate, and it comes through in our reading habits. We may read the same author over a series of books, because we like the author's style and we come to expect certain things in those books. But each book is different - that's the unexpected part, right?  We like surprise.  We would never read the same book by an author over and over again. Boring.  But we like to read a continuation of a favorite story, don't we?  The Harry Potter books, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Aubrey/Maturin novels, and Amanda Hocking's trilogies are all fine examples.  We read these series because they balance the expected - the characters, settings, themes, and tones that we love - with the unexpected narrative twists. If the authors made more of them, we'd read those too, no question.

The best stories change in ways that fascinate, that are fun or interesting; they change in ways that make us want to talk about them.

So why am I spending time telling you about this?  Well, it's simply because I am currently working on the second book of a trilogy. And I'm working on the second book before the first book is even published because I want to make sure I manage to balance the tone, maintain my characters and settings, manage to keep the expected in both books while cranking out a story that is new and fresh and unexpected.  The two have to connect on some level. It's not as easy as I thought. To make matters worse, I'm already sowing the seeds of the plot for book three in book two, building a bridge that will cross the theme of all three stories. Fun but challenging.

It all comes down to the above: finding ways to forge a stories about a single concept (theme, characters etc.) that change in ways that delight and make people want to talk about them. I want to write great books and have fun, that's all.

I would love to hear from writers that have produced multi-book stories (no matter the genre) and learn about their experiences. How do you make things come together?  Feel free to drop me a line here.

Everything I Know About Writing In Six Words

"Read a lot, write a lot"

That's the golden rule for writers and wannabe writers, and it's practically all you need to know to get started.

I have three goals for this blog:

• To talk about the craft of writing, and encourage those who want to write
• To have a place to vent about my own struggles with writing, and
• To talk about work that I have published or that is in the making.

While my personal interests tend towards science fiction and fantasy, I won't necessarily be restricting this blog to those genres.  Why should I? I think there's much to be learned from other writers, and other ideas - see part one of the golden rule: read a lot (and read widely, for that matter).

So, that's where I'm starting.  I hope you'll enjoy reading this.