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Sunny Jackson

Anthropic Principle - Television Tropes & Idioms - 0 views

tvtropes.org/...AnthropicPrinciple

Fiction

shared by Sunny Jackson on 27 Jan 14 - No Cached
  • For any given story, there exist basic elements that are required for the story itself to happen; there would be no story otherwise.
  • without those conditions, we wouldn't even be here to be making those observations in the first place
  • Therefore, the probability of us being in a universe where the conditions of the universe are perfect for the existence of intelligent life is 100%.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • Every fictional universe has fundamental, axiomatic elements without which its story simply could not exist
  • For House to happen, Dr. Gregory House must be able to keep his job as a genius diagnostician despite being a major Jerkass.
  • you cannot have a Space Opera without Faster-than-Light Travel
  • the Anthropic Principle says that certain details of the story do matter because they are the foundations that the story itself is built upon
Sunny Jackson

I, Robot - Google eBookstore - 0 views

books.google.com/ebooks

eBooks Wish List Fiction

shared by Sunny Jackson on 15 Jul 13 - No Cached
  • Sunny Jackson on 15 Jul 13
     
    The three laws of Robotics: 1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm 2) A robot must obey orders givein to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. With this, Asimov changed our perception of robots forever when he formulated the laws governing their behavior. In I, Robot, Asimov chronicles the development of the robot through a series of interlinked stories: from its primitive origins in the present to its ultimate perfection in the not-so-distant future--a future in which humanity itself may be rendered obsolete. Here are stories of robots gone mad, of mind-read robots, and robots with a sense of humor. Of robot politicians, and robots who secretly run the world--all told with the dramatic blend of science fact & science fiction that became Asmiov's trademark.
Sunny Jackson

Short Stories: What is the most intriguing story you can come up with in just five word... - 0 views

www.quora.com/...ome-up-with-in-just-five-words

Learning

shared by Sunny Jackson on 22 May 13 - No Cached
  • Quietly, she turned herself off.
  • "Welcome back," the coroner said.
  • We caught them stealing dreams.
  • ...69 more annotations...
  • Alone, she read her obituary.
  • She destroyed her own shadow.
  • I wasn't human before yesterday.
  • The future returned - empty handed.
  • Breathe and I'll find you.
  • The unopened letter held salvation.
  • Two entered, fearful. One returned.
  • "You're insane." said the lamp.
  • She only killed dead people
  • Her preferred weapon was guilt
  • She saw redemption in creation
  • She died that night. Free.
  • God struggled to keep up.
  • Found guilty of killing dreams.
  • Quietly, she turned herself off.
  • Mars is overbooked, Sir. Jupiter?
  • The plaque read "Planet Earth"
  • He remembered dying yesterday. 
  • She reentered her dead body.
  • I felt strange being reborn.
  • We exited the black hole.
  • The Robot said "You're free!"
  • They hopped between people's dreams.
  • He only remembered his future.
  • Thus the last government fell.
  • Suddenly, a universe was born.
  • Turning to look, they vanished.
  • Eyes closed. She saw everything.
  • That sinking feeling? Quicksand.
  • "I should not be alive".
  • He died an immortal's death.
  • My brain lies to me.
  • The sun gave up today.
  • And then, she started breathing.
  • Still awake, she began dreaming.
  • The Earth turned inside out.
  • I woke within my dream.
  • "Try 'Human', it's kinda intriguing..."
  • And there she was, smiling.
  • She died but awoke millions
  • Remember, never burp in hyperspace.
  • No longer human, she cried.
  • Suddenly, he knew too much.
  • That's how long forever is.
  • An explosion began his journey.
  • He tripped and fell, forever.
  • She watched herself die again.
  • Amidst the pieces, lay peace.
  • I know who killed me.
  • Death. The last book read.
  • He was born without parents.
  • Coma. Awaken to explore everything.
  • He dove into the Sun.
  • She built him from starlight.
  • I had safely reached death.
  • Networked souls flitted between bodies.
  • I loved making that mistake.
  • "What do you mean, forever?"
  • Just like that, fear won.
  • Her makeup was a mask.
  • She thought, then finally jumped.
  • "Anyone alive?", the droid squeaked
  • Eventually we remembered to breathe
  • He created God by mistake.
  • Escape my mind or vanish.
  • I smiled at my corpse.
  • A locked box washed ashore.
  • My face no longer exists.
  • No longer human, we survive
Sunny Jackson

Defining the Genre: High Fantasy | Fandomania - 0 views

fandomania.com/efining-the-genre-high-fantasy

Fiction Fandom Favorites I've Read ✔ Lord of the Rings Middle-Earth Reading Reading & Writing Speculative Fiction Ursula K. LeGuin

shared by Sunny Jackson on 01 Jun 13 - No Cached
  • the Hero’s Quest
  • Epic Fantasy
  • there is a hero, sometimes of humble origins, who must rise above his or her circumstances and is compelled to act by conditions and/or events outside of their control
  • ...28 more annotations...
  • We see this character grow up and become someone great, defeat the odds, and challenge the evil and corrupt.
  • The hero may not always succeed at first try, but they will find means either within themselves or from outside sources to continue on their quest, which if they fail, would have world-reaching consequences.
  • a completely developed secondary world
  • a portal into another world
  • the “world within a world”
  • series
  • episodic installments
  • high fantasy is often based on myth or legend
  • a hero’s tale
  • Matters beyond him and magic turn his life, which would have been otherwise dull and ordinary, into the stuff of legend.
  • Echoes of these stories have been passed down through the ages and were at one point rooted in local myth, tradition, lore, or legend.
  • These stories still stir imaginations today and influence epic literature by their fantastical nature.
  • High fantasy has roots as far back as fairy tale; they are human stories passed down, aggrandized and lasting.
  • wizard
  • antihero
  • rough around the edges, has a haunted past, and isn’t afraid to do what must be done to achieve his goal
  • may be acting on the “good” side, but he’s not a “good” character even if he does grow in that direction
  • it is possible to bring high fantasy into a more modern setting
  • subgenres are not mutually exclusive
  • medieval type setting
  • how fantasy and the fantastical elements affect the world
  • A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin
  • The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
  • The Once and Future King by T.H. White
  • The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
  • Lord Foul’s Bane and The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series by Stephen R. Donaldson
  • A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
Sunny Jackson

The Untwist - Television Tropes & Idioms - 0 views

tvtropes.org/...TheUntwist

Stories

shared by Sunny Jackson on 27 Jan 14 - No Cached
  • All that evidence against him, which the reader dismissed on the grounds of being too obvious, is actually correct and valid
  • The author drops a large number of hints at the start of the story which a Genre Savvy reader assumes to be obvious red herrings, and thus is surprised when, later on, it turns out that the simplest, most obvious explanation was the correct one.
  • without the expectation of a twist would be a very boring story
Sunny Jackson

Tropes Are Tools - Television Tropes & Idioms - 0 views

tvtropes.org/...TropesAreTools

Fiction

shared by Sunny Jackson on 27 Jan 14 - No Cached
  • Writers understand tropes and use them to control audience expectations
  • to convey things to the audience quickly without saying them
  • a character action that happens plenty in Real Life
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • a reasonable type of character
  • It's impossible to write something completely and utterly without tropes
  • stories often gain something by having ties to other works
  • Every story is influenced by what came before it
  • Fiction isn't necessarily supposed to be realistic.
  • Much fiction seeks to show not what is, but what could be, or what should be.
  • All tropes can be written badly.
  • All tropes can be overused.
  • The important thing when writing a story is that it's believable
Sunny Jackson

Category Descriptions » Parsec Awards - 0 views

www.parsecawards.com/...category-descriptions

Award Winners Fiction

shared by Sunny Jackson on 15 Jul 13 - No Cached
  • Best Speculative Fiction Story (Short Form)
  • Best Speculative Fiction Story (Novella Form)
  • Best Speculative Fiction Story (Long Form)
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • Best Speculative Fiction Audio Drama (Short Form)
  • Best Speculative Fiction Audio Drama (Long Form)
  • Best Speculative Fiction Magazine or Anthology Podcast
  • Best New Speculative Fiction Podcaster/Team
  • Best Speculative Fiction Music Podcast
Sunny Jackson

Strange Horizons Jobs - 0 views

strangehorizons.com/Jobs.shtml

Fiction

shared by Sunny Jackson on 15 Jul 13 - No Cached
  • tell us about your relevant experience (if any)
  • let us know a little about why you'd like to join us
  • introduce yourself
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • list three to five authors whose short stories (not novels) you particularly like (with emphasis on authors who write speculative fiction)
  • provide a list of three to five of your favorite stories that SH has published
  • For each story, provide a brief comment (roughly twenty to fifty words) about what you liked or didn't like about it
  • Tell us what you really think rather than what you think we want to hear; the main point of this exercise is to help us (and you) decide whether your tastes are likely to match ours.
Sunny Jackson

Story : 365 tomorrows : A New Flash of Science Fiction Every Day - 0 views

365tomorrows.com/story

Fiction

shared by Sunny Jackson on 15 Jul 13 - No Cached
  • "Flash fiction is fiction with its teeth bared and its claws extended, lithe and muscular with no extra fat. It pounces in the first paragraph, and if those claws aren’t embedded in the reader by the start of the second, the story began a paragraph too soon. There is no margin for error. Every word must be essential, and if it isn’t essential, it must be eliminated."
Sunny Jackson

These Character Names Should be Banned Forever - 0 views

io9.com/...names-should-be-banned-forever

Characters Writing

shared by Sunny Jackson on 18 Dec 13 - No Cached
  • the tone
  • rhythm
  • history
  • ...34 more annotations...
  • personality
  • It's not a major problem when they link their work directly to earlier stories.
  • A direct link might not always be desirable to readers
  • distracting
  • It's when you drop coincidental names into the book that things get bad
  • flourish
  • There are a number of names that have stopped being allusions and have become spoilers.
  • distraction
  • No one is going to be surprised
  • Step away from the spoilers
  • Unflattering Comparison
  • rarely subtle enough
  • Rarely can the piece of work top the name.
  • well-suited to the material
  • subtle
  • an expansion of the usual list of names used in fiction stories
  • too many shout-outs
  • an invitation to judge the material harshly
  • Killed By Overuse
  • minor character allusions
  • good the first few times around
  • thoroughly worn-out
  • the default name
  • tend to cast long shadows
  • literary allusions
  • The prohibition of names in fiction has to depend on context.
  • overly common names
  • creator names
  • what you call your main female character when you realize you can't call her Main Female Character
  • It has turned, hydra-like, from a name into a multi-headed monster
  • ubiquitous, and therefore meaningless
  • It's a way to make sure your main character won't make an impression on literary consciousness, but will go through the story with a serviceable everywoman demeanor.
  • just means a statistical blank
  • Samona
Sunny Jackson

Clarkesworld Magazine - Science Fiction and Fantasy : Another Word: Reading and Writing... - 0 views

clarkesworldmagazine.com/another_word_02_13

Fiction Stories Clarkesworld Magazine

shared by Sunny Jackson on 09 Jan 14 - No Cached
  • We learn about some of the most important things in our lives vicariously through fiction.
  • I’ve known a lot of people for whom books have been profoundly important
  • Fiction isn’t powerless. And if the author just ignores the politics of their work, that doesn’t mean the book becomes apolitical. It just means they wrote their own defaults.
  • ...12 more annotations...
  • Think Black people are lazy and violent, but your work isn’t about that? I’ll bet you dollars to donuts it’s in there.
  • Reading is the same way.
  • He’s trying to be a better man and to create (in a small way) a better world by the way he chooses what he reads.
  • And it was a moral statement, even if it was mostly a private one.
  • How we read and how we write will always have moral and political implications. The only choice we’ve got is whether they’re unconscious or considered.
  • beautiful and damning distinction
  • best self
  • authentic self
  • Wanting to live in a better world is great. Working for a better world is great. It only becomes a vice when it keeps us from loving the world we’re in—warts and all. My experience is that life is full of strong women and weak ones. Venal ones. Active ones. Passive ones. Complicated ones. Unhealthy ones. Men are just as varied and complicated and screwed-up. Their lives aren’t our societal best self, but they’re who we are
  • Treating moral issues as if they were craft is asking for a literature of beautiful sermons.
  • reading projects that pull you out into different kinds of authors and stories are wonderful so long as the moral aspects of your reading list don’t become more important than the joy you take in reading
  • I would never argue that the power of story—and it’s a real power—comes without responsibility. But I would say that responsibility is both to the better world to which we aspire and also the broken, compromised one we live in now.
Sunny Jackson

Stories - Quora - 0 views

www.quora.com/Stories

shared by Sunny Jackson on 22 May 13 - No Cached
Sunny Jackson

The Future Fire: fiction index - 0 views

futurefire.net/index.html

Collection Story Collection Fiction

shared by Sunny Jackson on 13 Jun 13 - No Cached
  • Cyberpunk
  • Feminist SF
  • socio-political speculative fiction
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • Any story that takes a world unlike our own in one small way (be it science fiction set in the future, speculative in the past, a fantastic parallel universe, a psychedelic dream) and uses that setting to examine some aspect of our own world with a social and political conscience, is broadly within our purview... so long as we think it's great.
  • Challenge the expectations of our commodified little world.
Sunny Jackson

Universal library - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 0 views

en.wikipedia.org/...Universal_library

shared by Sunny Jackson on 03 Jul 13 - Cached
  • a library with universal collections
  • Science fiction has used the device of a library which is universal in the sense that it not only contains all existing written works, but all possible written works.
  • Kurd Lasswitz's 1901 story "The Universal Library"
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • "The Total Library"
  • all libraries in the multiverse being connected in "L-space", effectively creating a single, semi-universal, library
    • Sunny Jackson
      Sunny Jackson on 03 Jul 13
       
      Discworld
  • Borges's story "The Library of Babel"
  • a planet
  • Memory Alpha, (from the Star Trek episode "The Lights of Zetar")
  • the best-known lost library may be the Library at Alexandria
  • disasters destroy libraries
  • Encyclopedia Galactica
Sunny Jackson

Robert A. Heinlein bibliography - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 0 views

en.wikipedia.org/...obert_A._Heinlein_bibliography

info Wiki

shared by Sunny Jackson on 03 Jul 13 - Cached
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