In this issue:

Writing Avenues

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Gather 'round, folks, for I have a horror story to tell. Now, you may be thinking that it would be much more appropriate in the Halloween issue of the Emporium Gazette than the New Year's edition, but it's just as fingernail-biting any day of the year. And the most terrifying thing of all -- it's true.

I've been a little busy lately. I'm writing two books, one under contract and behind schedule, the other on speculation. I'm also editing two new books for Atriad Press, so I have those anthologies on my computer as well. Not to mention all of the years of writing that I have laying around on various corners of my hard drive; some of the things I wrote twenty years ago and they're just as bad now as they were then. Still, I want to hang on to them.

So there I was, on a typical Tuesday evening, sitting at my desk and pounding out a few words on the keyboard. A notice from Microsoft popped up, informing me that there were a few updates available to my Windows XP operating system, and that I should perform their automatic download/install function. I've done this a hundred times, and since the process is automatic I closed my word processor and clicked the "Install" button.

I watched for an hour as a huge file was downloaded to my computer from Microsoft, then got a little nervous as it told me that it was removing and replacing files, but since I'd never had a problem before I poured a cup of vanilla tea and sat back to wait.

When it was complete, I was given the familiar pop-up window informing me that I needed to restart my computer to pick up the changes. I clicked the "Shut Down" button, and waited for it to reboot.

To my horror, it didn't.

My computer would boot for about twenty seconds, get as far as the Windows XP logo, then click off and begin again. This process continued over and over as I sat there in disbelief. A chilling thought occurred to me as I watched -- I hadn't backed up my files in weeks, and if my system was trashed, I would lose a lot of writing and editing. It's bad enough that my own work would vanish, but there were dozens of writers with stories in the Atriad Press anthologies that had placed their writing in my hands. I felt sick; physically, mentally, and emotionally ill.

For the next several hours, and into the wee part of the morning, I did everything that I knew to try to recover the system. When I booted off a floppy, the system didn't recognize the hard drive. I couldn't even bring up Windows in Safe Mode, an operation that only starts the most basic tasks. I reset the BIOS, and did everything but a sorcerer's incantation to try to get it to work. If I could have found eye of frog and toe of newt at that hour, I might have even tried a little conjuring.

All's well that ends well, though. I had to purchase and install a new copy of Windows XP -- not cheap by any stretch of the imagination -- and after twenty-four hours and two hundred bucks, I had my system back with all my files intact.

But don't get me wrong: I'm not blaming Microsoft. Their automatic updates are a wonderful feature of their operating system, and I've successfully done them a hundred times. On this one occasion, something that never should have happened, and that there were safeguards against happening, well, happened.

As if there was some divine plan to hammer the point home, I then spoke to a friend of mine with computer woes of her own. A restaurant building next door to her office caught on fire, and even though it was a separate structure, the massive amount of smoke and soot permeated her office and left a powder coating on everything that made it look like a snowy January morning. Her PC wouldn't boot, and even though the hard drive is theoretically sealed, she's worried that her files are gone. Hopefully not, but it's still a possibility.

The thing that concerns me the most isn't the two hundred bucks to buy a copy of an operating system that I already had -- although that does sting. The thing that scares and embarrasses me is that I was caught without backups. I worked in the computer industry for twenty years, and I've owned a personal computer since the first Commodores came out back in the early eighties. I know better. At least, I should. It was just too much trouble to stop and back up my files. I'd rather spend the time writing, or hurry to get an idea down before it popped out of my head. I won't be making that mistake again.

If you have a mechanism for backing up your files, be it onto a floppy, CD ROM, tape, or other, I'd implore you to use it regularly. No one plans for computer problems, but they happen, and usually in ways that we'd never anticipate. If you don't have a way to do backups, here are a few things to consider, no matter what kind of computer you have:

1. You can't use your working disk for backups. If you merely make a copy of a file and put it in a different folder, you're taking a big risk. Anything that can hurt your file in the working folder can hurt the file in the backup folder: a disk crash, a virus, your son trying to free up disk space for his new computer game, etc.

2. Another disk on the same system isn't much safer. If you have an alternate disk, even a plug-in external drive, it's subject to the same things that your working drive is. I could use all of the examples from above, or point to my friend and the fire next door. You really need to have a backup that's removable: a CD-ROM, a DVD, a floppy disk, a tape, a zip disk, etc.

3. Incremental backups work great. Once you've backed up all of your files, it takes much less time to get into a daily routine of backing up only the files that you've recently revised. If there is a disaster and you have to restore your disk, you can put the master backup on first, then load the latest incremental. If you use this method, be sure to label the backup with the file names and dates.

4. Off-site storage is best. If you have a complete backup of your system and keep it in the drawer of your desk, you are still asking for trouble. Heaven forbid a fire in the room, or a leaky roof during a storm that floods the office, or any other disaster. Your backup is only as good as where it is stored. You can easily put a copy disk in your desk at your day-job, give it to a friend to keep at their house, or put it in a safety deposit box at your bank. Every so often, rotate the latest backup to your off-site storage place and take the old one back to archive away at home.

5. The medium doesn't matter. There are folks that will argue about what type of backup medium to use: tape, CD ROM, floppy, etc. In the end, I don't think that it matters that much. The only crucial thing is that you must be able to retrieve the data. If you use a tape backup, or an archive program that mirrors your disk out to a DVD, remember that you'll need a copy of the backup/restore program in case your hard drive crashes. The data won't be any good without the means to retrieve it. Personally, I use a DVD. The drive costs just a little over a hundred dollars, and you can get 4.7 Gigabytes of data on a single disk. Writing to it is as easy as dragging and dropping the files onto the disk icon, and it can be read back without any special program. There are many good mediums to use -- just make sure that you're using one regularly.

6. Get into a routine. Some backup programs allow you to schedule a regular backup, but maybe it's something that you want to do yourself when you first sit down at the keyboard with a cup of coffee in the morning, or just before you power your computer down at night. The important thing is that you get into a backup routine with your files. That will help keep you from forgetting to do it, and take away any excuses for not getting it done.

7. When it comes to the method, ask a pro. If you're debating on what backup method to use, pay a visit to your local computer store: Office Depot, Comp USA, MicroCenter, to name but a few. Grab a knowledgeable sales rep and give him the details of your situation, including what type of system you have, how much you want to spend, etc. The rep will be able to make recommendations, and give you some tips on hooking the backup device to your system -- or maybe even using one that's already there.

Well, that's the end of my scary little tale, so it's time to break out the marshmallows and roast them over the campfire. I managed to escape harm, but it was only by chance. It could have easily gone the other way, and my files would be a distant memory. As the New Year dawns, make it one of your steadfast resolutions to back up your data. We're writers, after all, and we live by the words that pour from our brains into our computer. We have to protect them.

I'll leave you with those words, and a wish for a very happy and prosperous New Year. Now then, I have to go back up my files.

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Mitchel Whitington has published in many genres, from comedic fiction in "Uncle Bubba's Chicken Wing Fling" to his latest travel guide to haunted locations in the Lone Star State, "Ghosts of North Texas." Find out about his new book at www.ghostinmysuitcase.com.

Alternative Fiction for Kids
by Lucile Davis

Whether you want to write space adventures for teenagers or stories about talking rabbits for the preschool crowd, you're thinking about writing alternative fiction for kids. According to Orson Scott Card, in his book How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy, "speculative fiction includes all stories that take place in a setting contrary to known reality." Space adventures, as opposed to space exploration, fits this definition. Stories about talking rabbits do, too. There are four key factors to remember about writing speculative fiction. If you are going to write it for kids, there are some special rules that also apply. Let's take a look.

Writing speculative fiction can be fun. It allows a writer the chance to let his/her imagination run free to create places, objects, and characters outside of the ordinary. But there are four key factors a writer must keep in mind when creating alternative fiction. To keep a human reading audience involved with an alternative fiction story, it is important to:

1. Create the story around "one fantastic assumption."

2. Develop a "human-friendly" world for that story.

3. Stick to the path of that "one fantastic assumption" and "human-friendly" world.

4. And always remember--the plot is the point.

So how do these factors govern alternative fiction? Think about the alternative fiction you've read. Whether the stories are science fiction, fantasy, horror, folk tales, or talking rabbit stories, each tale contains one major assumption that takes the story outside of known reality. Ann Rice's stories of vampires are an example. All the stories are built around the assumption that vampires are real and walk among us. Most space adventures are based on the assumption that humans can travel in space faster than light. And talking rabbits--well, the fact that an animal can talk and act human is a fantastic assumption.

The world in which an alternative fiction tale is placed must not be so alien the reader gets lost. A world too different from our own would cause readers to become lost. A place where buildings look like upside-down trees, and mountains look like buildings, and everything and everyone are sand-colored would be hard to picture for the duration of a book. A writer must be able to give the reader a few hints about places, people and things, then allow the reader the opportunity to create the scene in his/her mind. This works even in alternative fiction--if you don't go too far outside human experience. For instance, a science fiction writer might describe a tropical scene then explain that in this alien world the tropical colors are in shades of blue, red and yellow. This is easy to keep in mind--the tropics in shades of purple tinged with yellow.

Once the fantastic assumption and alternative world are set, the story must precede without violating the rules of the assumption or world. You see even magic has rules. A fantasy world of magicians and magic creatures has rules. Magic power comes with a price. An all-powerful evil magician is still human and has to deal with human thoughts and feelings, which makes him vulnerable. If there is no possibility that the powerful magician can be defeated, there is no story. Which brings us nicely to the fourth key factor--the plot.

No matter what sort of fiction is being created, the plot is the point. There is no plot or story if there isn't a main character with a personal problem to overcome. The main character might have to travel to alien worlds, or challenge a powerful magician, or deal with a talking rabbit, but in the end the main character must solve his/her personal problem. A little girl named Alice thinks her life is boring, but after she struggles through the craziness of Wonderland, she's thankful to be home and doesn't mind that nothing much happens there.

The plot is the heart of any story whether the tale is for adults or kids. But if you want to write speculative fiction for kids, there are a few extra rules you need to follow.

Rule #1: Keep your writing age-appropriate. If you want to write for early readers (ages 5 to 8), you must keep your story short and your plot simple. Your sentences and paragraphs must also be short and simple. New readers have a hard time reading past commas. Be sure your vocabulary is elementary level. Think in terms of one and two syllable words. For the kids, age 9 to 11, the story may be longer, but you still need to keep you sentences and paragraphs short, but the vocabulary can be a bit more advanced. This age group can read past commas, but stay away from semi-colons--they translate as "difficult to read." For the junior high bunch, stories may be longer and the plot more complicated, but it is still a good idea to keep paragraphs short to keep the kids' interest up. Short paragraphs leave nice friendly white space on a page. Faced with a page full of solid type, kids are apt to be discouraged and stop reading. Oh no, can't have that. For high school students, the story can be "almost" on an adult level, but sex, excessive violence, and swearing are not appropriate. It is still a good idea to watch the length of your sentences and paragraphs. Teens have short attention spans, too, because they are use to the pacing they see in television, movies, and video games.

Rule #2: Fit your story to your audience. Choose your audience age group. Your main character needs to be about the age of your target audience or just a bit older. If you are writing for pre-readers (ages 3-5), your main character could be five or six years old. Writing for junior high students? The main character should be between 14 and 16. If you make the main character older than that, the life experience of the main character would be outside that of your target audience. Remember, your readers must be able to identify with your main character.

Rule #3: The Young Main Character Must Solve the Problem. As a storyteller, you need to have your audience identify with your main character in order to follow along on the adventure of the tale. If your young readers identify with your main character, they will want that young character to be resourceful enough to solve his/her own problem. Don't let an adult or adult representative swoop in and save the day. What is the point of going adventuring if you have to be e-vac'ed out of danger? Let your young reading audience experience the full adventure--including the solution to the problem. (Hint: Kids learn to problem-solve that way.)

Rule #4: Think Like a Kid. Your alternative fiction story will resonate with kids if you remember to think like a kid about the age of your audience. A rabbit scurries by talking about being late. How would a five or six year-old react to this? Curiosity is the first reaction. The next response is to follow the rabbit to find out what the rabbit is late for. See? The same is true if you are writing a science fiction adventure involving teenagers. Would a teen consider taking the family space ship out into a meteor shower if his best friend were in trouble and needed rescuing? Probably.

Keep your young audience and their life-experiences in mind as you build the plot for your alternative fiction tale. And remember, for any fiction you write--the plot's the point. Happy writing.

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Lucile Davis is a freelance writer and author of 18 children's nonfiction books and numerous children's biographies. She does freelance work for newspapers, magazines, businesses, and organizations. She is also an instructor for The Institute of Children's Literature, an accredited correspondence school advertised through Writer's Digest and other sources.

Speculative Fiction and You
by R. S. Nailor

Exactly what is "speculative fiction" and how is it defined?

Speculative fiction is to speculate on the final outcome of a situation, or to assume what will happen IF a certain event happens. Actually, a hint of fantasy is necessary to create speculative fiction. The need for this fantastical event is the pivotal point to make it speculative.

Every writing genre can be of a speculative fiction format, but normally it falls into the realms of science fiction, fantasy, horror and general fiction. The reason is simple: fantasy element.

Are you tired of playing semantics? How about some examples?

When Jules Verne wrote his Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea, the concept of a submarine at that time, 1869, was a very stripped, base version of today's vessels which still fall short of Verne's Nautilus. In fact, Verne's novel is still speculative fiction even in today's market since much of what he wrote of has yet to be proved or disproved; Atlantis.

In the 1971 movie, "Silent Running" starring Bruce Dern, a group of ships orbit the Earth. They are the last Garden of Eden chance for Earth, waiting to return and replenish the destroyed planet. Only one man cares about these unique environmental domes of flora and fauna. When the word is given to destroy them, he lashes out and attempts to save them with the assistance of his robot droids. Why would this movie be speculative? The movie's idea of environmental domes was a decade before the Biosphere's reality. Also, in the movie, the hero sends the domes off into space to become seed for Earth's second chance.

The 1995 movie, "Outbreak" took a speculative chance that a virus could destroy us in a very short length of time. Although not truly speculative since the right virus in the right environment could probably do that, the movie used it as the basis for its IF theory. Unfortunately, each year, the truth of that movie gets closer to fact than fiction: Ebola, SARS, AIDS.

Horror? Of course the horror genre uses speculative fiction. Using the "what if" scenario for speculative fiction: What happens when a pet dog goes bad? Read Stephen King's "Cujo" to find out. Read Michael Crichton's "Prey" to learn the secrets of nano-technology gone awry.

Blockbuster movies from books, Michael Crichton's "Timeline" and "Jurassic Park" use just a touch of whimsy to create a thriller. What happens when you mess with DNA from a prehistoric mosquito? In "Timeline" the pivotal point is obviously time-travel and Mr. Crichton grabs you by your bootstraps and sends you back and forth.

So exactly where can you find this marvelous thread to weave into your story? Read newspapers, scientific journals, even Wall Street. Somewhere, hidden within the myriad columns are articles that might just touch your imagination. It might be the most insignificant thing that you read, but it is what your mind can do with that concept that will create your story. An example: I was working on a story about time travel using a fabric. I was stumped when a friend handed me an article about a new material being used on bicycles. I haven't completed my story, but I have the article and my mind has raced with ideas of how to incorporate this new material into my story. Yes, it is lightweight and almost indestructible, perfect for a bicycle... or a time traveler.

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R. S. Nailor is Poetry Editor and Production Manager for the Emporium Gazette. His manuscript, THREE STEPS: THE JOURNEYS OF AYROLD, is currently in the final stages of editing. He has short stories included in three ebook anthologies from 23House and numerous articles and poems elsewhere on the internet. You can visit him at Lore's Webs.

From Another Angle
by Susan Long Turner

THROUGH THE CORRIDORS OF TIME

"Time has been transformed and we have changed;
it has advanced us and set us in motion; it has unveiled
its face, inspiring us with bewilderment and exhilaration."
~ Kahlil Gibran, CHILDREN OF THE GODS, SCION OF APES

A line from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in THE DAY IS DONE says that "distant footsteps echo through the corridors of Time." Although the poem refers to sunset, his words could apply to speculative fiction.

We've come a long way from stories on cave walls, through the days of tribal story tellers, to the written word and speculative fiction. While Jules Verne and H.G. Wells are widely recognized as the founding fathers of Science Fiction, both authors are reported to have gained inspiration from a short story about a dream of life on the moon. SOMNIUM by Johanne Kepler was published four years after his death in 1654. In an article by Nick Greene on a website, ALL INFO ABOUT, states that "this influence is seen in Jules Verne's EARTH TO THE MOON and H.G. Wells' THE FIRST MEN IN THE MOON."

While many people claim Kepler's SOMNIUM to be the start of speculative fiction, almost two thousand years ago a wealthy speaker of the second century, Lucian of Samosata, wrote two stories about such trips. From that day forward, I suspect, speculative fiction writers simply let imagination take over unencumbered by scientific facts.

Verne's inspiration sometimes contradicted facts. In FROM EARTH TO THE MOON, a giant cannon shoots the protagonist into orbit. Any scientist could have told Verne, that the passengers would be killed by the initial acceleration. Such contradictions in Jules Verne's works didn't interfere with his prophetic reputation.

Today's speculative fiction writer can't get away with scientific inaccuracies. Since most science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories today touch on time travel, I recommend a Writer's Digest Book, TIME TRAVEL, a writer's guide to the real science of plausible time travel, by Paul J. Nahin. "TIME TRAVEL explores the theories of relativity, shows you the equations, and probes the marvelous possibilities." The book is filled with facts you can use in your fiction "to cross the filmy borders and take readers along the corridors of time." Nahin gives you the inside scoop to tell you when you can use pure fantasy and when you had best stick to scientific facts.

Follow me to the bookstore, pick up or order TIME TRAVEL and several of the latest speculative fiction novels. Disappear into your reading nook and remember Longfellow's ending to THE DAY IS DONE:

". . . the cares that infest the day,
Shall fold their tents like the Arabs,
And as silently steal away."

Then start the New Year with a look back through the corridors of time and begin your own science fiction, fantasy, or horror. I'll leave horror to the likes of Stephen King, Tess Gerritsen, and our own Ronald Jones. I think I'll try a mix of time travel and fantasy.

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