Interview Meme
Jun. 8th, 2003 03:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
coalescentThis is the meme:
If you want me to interview you -- post a comment that simply says, "Interview me." I'll respond with questions for you to take back to your own journal and answer as a post. Of course, they'll be different for each person since this is an interview and not a general survey. At the bottom of your post, after answering the Interviewer's questions, you ask if anyone wants to be interviewed. So it becomes your turn -- in the comments, you ask them any questions you have for them to take back to their journals and answer. And so it becomes the circle.
These are the (incredibly long-winded) answers. I've cheated and grouped them by topic, rather than person.
On SF:
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
immortalradical: What is your earliest SF memory?
Trawling back through my SF memories is like geology; there's a layer of Baxter, a layer of Asimov, and (back in the dim and distant past) a layer of Dragonlance, of all things. But the earliest memory is of a particular short story that my Dad used to read to my brother and I. It was about a young boy who made a device that disappeared things - made them vanish into thin air. And he terrorised the town he lived in, disappearing things from fire hydrants to (I think) pets. It's possible thatgreengolux is recognising this, because the story was 'Seven Day Terror' by Raphael Aloysius Lafferty.
despotliz: You're going to be dumped on a desert island, and you can take only 5 books with you. Name them.
Assuming that this list is asking for re-readability, rather than absolute merit, I'd have to go with something like:
- Red Mars, by Kim Stanley Robinson
- Voyage, by Stephen Baxter
- His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman
- Axiomatic, by Greg Egan
- Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
Of course, what I'd actually do in such circumstances is research survival manuals and the like, and take the five best of those that I could lay my hands on.
snowking: Do you think SF will ever gain mainstream acceptance?
Speculative Fiction arguably already has: Look at Life of Pi, or (whisper it) Margaret Atwood. Hell, in the bookshop yesterday I picked up a new novel at random (from the mainstream section) because it had an interesting-looking cityscape on the cover. Although I don't recall the author, the novel was called Forever, and was about a man bound by a shaman to New York; he'd live forever as long as he didn't leave Manhattan. So I think most intelligent people recognise that speculative elements - be they science fictional or fantastical - are no impediment to great novels. What may not ever gain mainstream acceptance - depending on how you define 'mainstream', of course - is genre. Whilst the prejudice against the modes and conventions of genre storytelling can be overcome - witness the success of Light, which is straight-up, in-your-face Space Opera, of all things - it's still present in too many circles: Reference China Mieville's exclusion from the Granta List on the grounds that he's a genre writer.
snowking: Who's your favourite author right now?
I couldn't pick. I'd give vital organs for new work by Ted Chiang; I'm also hoping we're due a new Egan short story collection sometime soon. Novel-wise, I'm most looking forward to the new Kim Stanley Robinson - and, of course, coming this autumn is Coalescent...
xsabx:You're asked by the BSFA to chair a discussion session at the 2005 Worldcon: who would you choose to be on your panel and what would be the subject you discussed?
Picking the panellists is relatively easy. M John Harrison and Ken Macleod for certain - I know they're always good value for money. Then I'd pick two authors I've never seen talk but would very much like to: Kim Stanley Robinson and Greg Egan. Choosing a subject is much, much harder, because I think it's the topic more than the panellists that make or break a panel. Something broad, like 'Ideas vs style: Reconciling the intellectual with the aesthetic.' Then they'd talk about how you approach that in writing, and whether in the end you should - whether SF really is an ideas-driven literature, and whether that means that at a certain level aesthetics don't matter.
applez: What science fiction or fantasy world would you most like to live in for a period of time, for how long, and why (for time and for choice)?
If it were for the rest of my life, then I'd go to Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars. It's hardly a utopia, but it seems such an exciting world; so much change, so much to see. Plus, everyone lives for about a thousand years. If I'm just going for a holiday…well, the Culture seems like a fun place.
hawleygriffen: What's your favourite non-SF/F book, and why?
I don't read mimetic literature. It's vulgar and childish. [/Mieville]
Seriously? I don't know; I honestly haven't read enough. I do adore Swallows and Amazons, though - probably enough to rate it as my favourite children's book of all time. It's got a great sense of adventure, but unlike (say) the Famous Five, you felt it could really happen to you.
pikelet: What's so bad about Doctor Who anyway?
If you have to ask...
On Mutant Enemy Fandom:
tinyjo: What is your favourite episode of Angel? What about the series in general do you admire most?
Favourite episode: 'Reprise', without question (that'd be the one in season two with dead Holland Manners and the elevator ride to hell). It's bleak as all get out, but so, so beautifully written - and the ideas aren't bad, either.
As to the show in general, the best thing about it is the fact that it changes so damn much - more, I think, than any other show I've seen. Part of it's surely down to making a virtue out of necessity; Glenn Quinn not working out (maybe), deciding mid-way through season one that, actually, they didn't really like writing an anthology detective show, having the season two arc scuppered by failed contractual negotiations and needing to write Pylea out of thin air. But boy, have they taken that ball and run with it; from Angel going beige to his epiphany to Pylea to the arrival of Connor and right through to next season (by the looks of things), nothing is constant. The group dynamic is constantly in flux; look at the changing roles of Wesley, Angel, Cordelia. Sometimes the development isn't as smooth as you'd wish; sometimes it just plain doesn't work. But I respect them an awful lot for trying all the things they do.
snowking: How optimistic are you about Angel S5?
I waver. The casting news is bad; the concept news is good; the writing team news is mixed. A lot will depend on the first few episodes, I think.
xsabx: You can go for dinner with EITHER Minear or Whedon: who goes, and where do you eat?
despotliz: If you could ask Tim Minear one question to which he had to answer honestly, what would it be?
See? Liz knows. It'd be Minear every time. The question I want to ask is exactly which bits of the show - from the beginning right up to the present - were planned, which were conscious writing decisions, which were forced on them by external circumstances, and what the original plans were. I would dearly like to know how season two was originally meant to end; with Connor's arrival, maybe? Or was that something that they only came up with after Pylea?
Oh, and we probably go to a Thai place. I love Thai.
fba: How do you feel now that Buffy is over?
Weird. I mean, it's been a part of my life for the past seven years, give or take, and a defining part for at least the last three (that'sgagravarr's fault, by the way; without him, I'd never have gotten started on this whole downloading thang). But hell, seven years; that's longer than almost any other relationship in my life. Longer than university, longer than I've known most of my current friends. So although I think it was time for the show to go, it has definitely left a hole.
Oddly, the defining memory I have is of 'The Freshman'. Coming back from my first term at university, watching that episode and thinking: That's it. That's it exactly. That's how it is.
On Writing:
tinyjo: Have you considered going pro/semi-pro as a critic? Do you create any fiction of your own?
For the first bit of that: No. I don't have the qualifications, and I don't think my reviews are good enough in and of themselves; but more than that, I'm just not sure I could do it. I think real critics need to be more objective than I usually am, and probably more objective than I can be. A lot of my reviews, when you get down to it, are just raving and ranting, not real analysis.
For the second part (and what is it with all these two-part questions, anyway? Way to cheat the five-question limit, guys):
snowking: I've read one of your short stories. Are you still writing?
Yes. Slowly. My big problem is endings. I need to know the ending before I start writing - if I try to work it out as I go, I end up with all sorts of problems - and I find working out endings very, very hard. Note that endings may get revised, but I need some kind of satisfactory ending in my head the whole way through. All of which means that I'm not the most productive writer in the world; maybe half a dozen stories, total, of which I am happy with precisely one. The one you've read.
xsabx: What's the best thing you've ever written?
If we're talking fiction, then clearly that one story I mentioned above (if anyone wants a copy, shout). If we're talking about everything I've ever written, then it's a lot harder. From a structural point of view, the review I'm happiest with is probably that for Evolution. There was also a LJ post from back in the Malenfant days that I was particularly proud of; something about sharing, and about eyes, if you remember that. It's not necessarily an accurate representation of my feelings any more, but as a piece of writing I really like it.
(See how I test your fangirlness!)
fba: Which book do you wish you had written?
I don't know about that, but I know which three pages I wish I'd written: The opening of Time, by Stephen Baxter. "Watch the moon, Malenfant, watch the moon. It's starting-"
Gives me chills, every time.
pikelet: If you had to write a novel, but weren't allowed to use any SF elements at all, what would it be about?
It would be about the various ways in which one might torture to death somebody who prevented you from writing about the things that most interest you.
On Work:
tinyjo: Are you surprised by where you've ended up? What did you want to do when you started university?
Yes, I'm surprised. Before (and, for the most part, during) university I assumed I was going to be a scientist. I assumed I wanted to be a scientist, too. The laboratory project in the final year of my course disabused me of that notion. I found I didn't have the temperament for sustained periods of labwork; it's just too tedious.
immortalradical: Are you happy with what you're doing now, or do you see it as a bridge to somewhere else?
Both. And to continue from Jo's question, I'm surprised that I managed to find it so quickly. It's a little under a year since I graduated, and I've managed to land a job that (a) is interesting, (b) is relatively well-paid, and (c) involves a thoroughly decent bunch of people. But I don't see myself doing it forever and ever, if only because I think I'll get restless. Where I'll end up, though, I don't know.
despotliz: Where do you see yourself in 5 year's time?
Could be anywhere, frankly. Effectively, I've managed to set myself up for the next two years: At the end of that time, I'll be fully trained, my car will be nearly paid off, and the fixed rate term on my mortgage will be ending. When that comes around, I'll have a lot of options - I could go more journalistic, maybe, or more editorial - and I think I'll probably look at moving jobs and moving house. Maybe to Oxford, although I'd like to live in London for at least a couple of years at some point.
hawleygriffen: What's your dream job and where, and why?
I don't know. To me, that's a question that can't really be answered; I can't tell if something's my dream job until I've actually done it for a while. I don't think I could be a full-time fiction writer, although I'd still like to get some short stories published someday. Features journalism - science journalism - definitely has some appeal. Or, hey, I could apply for a job with SFX again. And all that said, I've decided I really miss the contact with people that went with working in a bookshop. I don't know what job could replace that and still include some element of writing, but I have decided that when I retire, I want to own a bookshop.
On Friends:
hawleygriffen: What do you think are the most important qualities in a friend for you, right now?
A high tolerance for listening to me wibble on about myself? :-)
snowking: How do you feel about Fanboys?
It rocks the hizzay.
immortalradical: Do you enjoy all those umter Niall references, or would you rather they start picking on someone else? :)
They don't bother me. I just wish I had more time to join in the fun.
tinyjo: How do your relationships with online friends differ from those with people you know in the flesh? What are the best and worst aspects of each?
My meatspace friends don't have a comic devoted to mocking me. That I know about, anyway.
More seriously, this is something I do spend time thinking about. It's also hard to define what constitutes an 'online friend'; most of my friends are online to at least some degree, and since leaving university there are many meatspace friends that I predominantly speak to online.
There is a large culture difference, certainly. With online friends, real-world meets are special, infrequent occasions. They tend to be incredibly imformation-rich; it's probably true that thanks to Livejournal and Usenet and Trillian, my online friends know about my life (and I know about their lives) in more detail than is true for my offline friends, so there's no need for to spend conversational time bringing each other up to speed - we leap straight to the detail.
Also, online parties are more fun than they have any right to be.
On the other hand, it's patently obvious that there are benefits to being able to ring someone up and ask them if they feel like going to the cinema.
On Music:
tinyjo: Do you make music? What instrument would you like to play, and who would you play it with?
I play piano and violin, although neither as much as I used to. I've got to that point where I haven't played regularly for a couple of years, so my playing has deteriorated, so I don't want to play when my parents can hear me because it would be embarrassing. I have vague ideas of playing more when I move into my flat.
The instrument I still want to learn is the cello, simply because it sounds absolutely gorgeous. I don't have anyone in particular that I want to play with.
xsabx: Some people use music as a way of remembering important moments in their lives: do you, and if not, what's your personal signposting technique?
It's not like it's a conscious choice, but some music does fix with certain times for me, particularly times of stress. Garbage got me through my A-levels; Shed Seven was associated with prelims (to this day I can't listen to 'Chasing Rainbows' without feeling a little sympathy stress).
Oddly enough, although I bought 'Free All Angels' immediately before Finals, and listened to it every day during finals, it hasn't really associated with Finals in my mind.
Perhaps the fact that I don't have any conscious signposting technique accounts for my appalling memory when it comes to people and places. I remember unrelated incidents, but I'm awful at fitting things together in context. It's one reason I started a blog, actually.
immortalradical: Avril Lavigne or Busted?
What is this, musical purgatory? Um. Avril Lavigne. But I won't like it.
On Height:
despotliz: What's the most inconvenient thing about being unfeasibly tall?
Doorframes. The standard doorframe in this country invariably seems to be half an inch shorter than I am. I'm sure I'm going to have a terrible stoop when I'm older. If I've already got one, I don't want to know.
immortalradical: Were you always tall, or were you one of those freaky kids who shot up in year nine?
I don't remember thinking of myself as tall until the sixth form. Mind you, I don't really think of myself as tall now, but I have a certain awareness that I am tall. Back then, I remember looking up at people, rather than down.
I have no idea which year year nine is.
hawleygriffen: Do the Rea/height jokes annoy you much?
Height, no. Rea, a little, but not that much.
On Life:
fba: Do you ever suffer from 'middle-class-guilt'?
I get pangs, now and then. I mean, c'mon - no debts, Oxford educated, good job, flat, car, great bunch of friends, basically happy? How can I not feel guilt?
pikelet: On the one hand, there's a big meet of everyone from the 'net that you've ever wanted to see in person, and then there's a blonde girl who's asking you to come out for a romantic dinner for two. You can't do both, and each one is a once-in a-lifetime, never-to-be-repeated event. What do you choose, and why?
If she's actually specified that it's romantic, then I go for the dinner, obviously. Because I know that several of the people who will be at the meet will only be at the meet because you're compelling them there by authorial fiat; and anyway, there'll be plenty of photos on the web the day after.
fba: Are you ever going to get over her?
Not completely. Not until I (a) meet someone else, or (b) stop seeing her. Neither of which is looking very likely in the near future, so...
I don't see it as a particular problem, though. I know where things stand, she knows where things stand, and we're both more-or-less happy with the arrangement.
despotliz: Do you think the romantic ideal of a relationship you're chasing after actually exists?
Yes. On the other hand, I don't think it's possible to get from my starting axioms to the end relationship without a lot of really hairy maths, and possibly some cheating. There's a tension between what I think I want and what I actually pursue. I don't know how to reconcile it, and I'm not even sure that I want to reconcile it.
pikelet: What are your best and worst features?
I have no idea what my best feature is. My worst feature is definitely a tendency to be over-analytical. As evidence, I refer the honourable reader to my previous answer. :-)
pikelet: Justify yourself before God.
Two of my friends would probably not have met without me. I didn't set them up, but they met through me and now they're probably going to live happily ever after with lots of babies. So that's got to be a plus.
toastie: What would like be like for you if you fulfilled all your dreams?
Logically impossible. My dreams are contradictory.
toastie: Is today a day like any other?
In the sense that every day is always different, yes.
applez: Do you believe that the content of a meme is as important as the meme itself, and that one should careful decide before propagating it - and why?
The only context in which the content of a meme is separate from the meme itself is Livejournal. True memes, like Catholicism, for instance, can't be subdivided in that way. Livejournal memes are a template for your own information; and in those cases then yes, the content is clearly as important as the meme itself. The content can be frivolous or serious, but it has to mean something
applez: Do you think that discovery/invention is innately 'good' - and how would you choose to approach one that could have massive consequences for society (positive and negative)?
(20 marks)
I think that discovery is innately good; the process of exploring and understanding the world and the universe is the most important human endeavour there is. Invention is as good as its aim; invention implies intent. That intent could be to eradicate a subpopulation of humanity (see 'The Moral Virologist'), which is clearly not good, or to build a space elevator, which clearly is good.
My examples may not necessarily carry equal moral weight.
The answer to the second part of the question is obviously 'very carefully'. And probably not alone; if the consequences affect society, then society should be involved in the decision. This is not to say that society should be allowed to make the decision, because a large part of society is composed of idiots. But they should have input.
applez: Where do you see the future of European, African, Asian, and North American relations (oh okay, throw in Australia for good measure too) in the next 5, 10, 25, 50 years? Who do you think will aquire relative dominance, and in what areas?
(35 marks. Use both sides of the paper if necessary)
I haven't the foggiest. I'm roughly the least politically aware person I know; I'm aware that this is less than ideal, but don't quite have the inclination (or, to be honest, the time) to rectify the situation right now.
applez: What probable development path do you foresee for the Earth's exploration/exploitation of space?
If we're going to get into space now, it's because corporations are going to take us there. I can't see government-sponsored human exploration of space becoming viable in the near or even medium-term future. And, obviously, without some major technological development, where we can go is going to be fairly limited. I tend to be convinced by the argument that the next major step will be trips to the asteroid belt for resources.
On Stuff:
xsabx: Name your favourite item of clothing, and one item of clothing you don't own that you'd like to.
Sandals. Proper, comfortable, walking sandals. In the summer, they're just the Best Thing Ever. And I've currently lost my pair, so I can use them for both parts of the question.
hawleygriffen: What're your favourite and least favourite colours?
It depends on the context, although blue, grey and brown are favourites.
toastie: How many moles do you have on your body?
One. I think.
fba: What car would you have bought if money had been no obstacle?
Right now, a new Mini, because they're just so goddamn funky.
toastie: Which item of food conjures up memories of a specific event in your life, and why?
I have no particular food-associated memories, I'm afraid.
toastie: Does 'organic' food taste better than everything else?
No.
applez: What's your credit card number? Nah, just kidding. ;-p
If you're going to rip off someone's credit card then trust me, there are better ones than mine to rip off. :-)
Any more? Bring 'em on!
If you want me to interview you -- post a comment that simply says, "Interview me." I'll respond with questions for you to take back to your own journal and answer as a post. Of course, they'll be different for each person since this is an interview and not a general survey. At the bottom of your post, after answering the Interviewer's questions, you ask if anyone wants to be interviewed. So it becomes your turn -- in the comments, you ask them any questions you have for them to take back to their journals and answer. And so it becomes the circle.
These are the (incredibly long-winded) answers. I've cheated and grouped them by topic, rather than person.
On SF:
immortalradical: What is your earliest SF memory?Trawling back through my SF memories is like geology; there's a layer of Baxter, a layer of Asimov, and (back in the dim and distant past) a layer of Dragonlance, of all things. But the earliest memory is of a particular short story that my Dad used to read to my brother and I. It was about a young boy who made a device that disappeared things - made them vanish into thin air. And he terrorised the town he lived in, disappearing things from fire hydrants to (I think) pets. It's possible that
greengolux is recognising this, because the story was 'Seven Day Terror' by Raphael Aloysius Lafferty.despotliz: You're going to be dumped on a desert island, and you can take only 5 books with you. Name them.Assuming that this list is asking for re-readability, rather than absolute merit, I'd have to go with something like:
- Red Mars, by Kim Stanley Robinson
- Voyage, by Stephen Baxter
- His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman
- Axiomatic, by Greg Egan
- Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
Of course, what I'd actually do in such circumstances is research survival manuals and the like, and take the five best of those that I could lay my hands on.
snowking: Do you think SF will ever gain mainstream acceptance?Speculative Fiction arguably already has: Look at Life of Pi, or (whisper it) Margaret Atwood. Hell, in the bookshop yesterday I picked up a new novel at random (from the mainstream section) because it had an interesting-looking cityscape on the cover. Although I don't recall the author, the novel was called Forever, and was about a man bound by a shaman to New York; he'd live forever as long as he didn't leave Manhattan. So I think most intelligent people recognise that speculative elements - be they science fictional or fantastical - are no impediment to great novels. What may not ever gain mainstream acceptance - depending on how you define 'mainstream', of course - is genre. Whilst the prejudice against the modes and conventions of genre storytelling can be overcome - witness the success of Light, which is straight-up, in-your-face Space Opera, of all things - it's still present in too many circles: Reference China Mieville's exclusion from the Granta List on the grounds that he's a genre writer.
snowking: Who's your favourite author right now?I couldn't pick. I'd give vital organs for new work by Ted Chiang; I'm also hoping we're due a new Egan short story collection sometime soon. Novel-wise, I'm most looking forward to the new Kim Stanley Robinson - and, of course, coming this autumn is Coalescent...
xsabx:You're asked by the BSFA to chair a discussion session at the 2005 Worldcon: who would you choose to be on your panel and what would be the subject you discussed?Picking the panellists is relatively easy. M John Harrison and Ken Macleod for certain - I know they're always good value for money. Then I'd pick two authors I've never seen talk but would very much like to: Kim Stanley Robinson and Greg Egan. Choosing a subject is much, much harder, because I think it's the topic more than the panellists that make or break a panel. Something broad, like 'Ideas vs style: Reconciling the intellectual with the aesthetic.' Then they'd talk about how you approach that in writing, and whether in the end you should - whether SF really is an ideas-driven literature, and whether that means that at a certain level aesthetics don't matter.
applez: What science fiction or fantasy world would you most like to live in for a period of time, for how long, and why (for time and for choice)?If it were for the rest of my life, then I'd go to Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars. It's hardly a utopia, but it seems such an exciting world; so much change, so much to see. Plus, everyone lives for about a thousand years. If I'm just going for a holiday…well, the Culture seems like a fun place.
hawleygriffen: What's your favourite non-SF/F book, and why?I don't read mimetic literature. It's vulgar and childish. [/Mieville]
Seriously? I don't know; I honestly haven't read enough. I do adore Swallows and Amazons, though - probably enough to rate it as my favourite children's book of all time. It's got a great sense of adventure, but unlike (say) the Famous Five, you felt it could really happen to you.
pikelet: What's so bad about Doctor Who anyway?If you have to ask...
On Mutant Enemy Fandom:
tinyjo: What is your favourite episode of Angel? What about the series in general do you admire most?Favourite episode: 'Reprise', without question (that'd be the one in season two with dead Holland Manners and the elevator ride to hell). It's bleak as all get out, but so, so beautifully written - and the ideas aren't bad, either.
As to the show in general, the best thing about it is the fact that it changes so damn much - more, I think, than any other show I've seen. Part of it's surely down to making a virtue out of necessity; Glenn Quinn not working out (maybe), deciding mid-way through season one that, actually, they didn't really like writing an anthology detective show, having the season two arc scuppered by failed contractual negotiations and needing to write Pylea out of thin air. But boy, have they taken that ball and run with it; from Angel going beige to his epiphany to Pylea to the arrival of Connor and right through to next season (by the looks of things), nothing is constant. The group dynamic is constantly in flux; look at the changing roles of Wesley, Angel, Cordelia. Sometimes the development isn't as smooth as you'd wish; sometimes it just plain doesn't work. But I respect them an awful lot for trying all the things they do.
snowking: How optimistic are you about Angel S5?I waver. The casting news is bad; the concept news is good; the writing team news is mixed. A lot will depend on the first few episodes, I think.
xsabx: You can go for dinner with EITHER Minear or Whedon: who goes, and where do you eat?despotliz: If you could ask Tim Minear one question to which he had to answer honestly, what would it be?See? Liz knows. It'd be Minear every time. The question I want to ask is exactly which bits of the show - from the beginning right up to the present - were planned, which were conscious writing decisions, which were forced on them by external circumstances, and what the original plans were. I would dearly like to know how season two was originally meant to end; with Connor's arrival, maybe? Or was that something that they only came up with after Pylea?
Oh, and we probably go to a Thai place. I love Thai.
fba: How do you feel now that Buffy is over?Weird. I mean, it's been a part of my life for the past seven years, give or take, and a defining part for at least the last three (that's
gagravarr's fault, by the way; without him, I'd never have gotten started on this whole downloading thang). But hell, seven years; that's longer than almost any other relationship in my life. Longer than university, longer than I've known most of my current friends. So although I think it was time for the show to go, it has definitely left a hole.Oddly, the defining memory I have is of 'The Freshman'. Coming back from my first term at university, watching that episode and thinking: That's it. That's it exactly. That's how it is.
On Writing:
tinyjo: Have you considered going pro/semi-pro as a critic? Do you create any fiction of your own?For the first bit of that: No. I don't have the qualifications, and I don't think my reviews are good enough in and of themselves; but more than that, I'm just not sure I could do it. I think real critics need to be more objective than I usually am, and probably more objective than I can be. A lot of my reviews, when you get down to it, are just raving and ranting, not real analysis.
For the second part (and what is it with all these two-part questions, anyway? Way to cheat the five-question limit, guys):
snowking: I've read one of your short stories. Are you still writing?Yes. Slowly. My big problem is endings. I need to know the ending before I start writing - if I try to work it out as I go, I end up with all sorts of problems - and I find working out endings very, very hard. Note that endings may get revised, but I need some kind of satisfactory ending in my head the whole way through. All of which means that I'm not the most productive writer in the world; maybe half a dozen stories, total, of which I am happy with precisely one. The one you've read.
xsabx: What's the best thing you've ever written?If we're talking fiction, then clearly that one story I mentioned above (if anyone wants a copy, shout). If we're talking about everything I've ever written, then it's a lot harder. From a structural point of view, the review I'm happiest with is probably that for Evolution. There was also a LJ post from back in the Malenfant days that I was particularly proud of; something about sharing, and about eyes, if you remember that. It's not necessarily an accurate representation of my feelings any more, but as a piece of writing I really like it.
(See how I test your fangirlness!)
fba: Which book do you wish you had written?I don't know about that, but I know which three pages I wish I'd written: The opening of Time, by Stephen Baxter. "Watch the moon, Malenfant, watch the moon. It's starting-"
Gives me chills, every time.
pikelet: If you had to write a novel, but weren't allowed to use any SF elements at all, what would it be about?It would be about the various ways in which one might torture to death somebody who prevented you from writing about the things that most interest you.
On Work:
tinyjo: Are you surprised by where you've ended up? What did you want to do when you started university?Yes, I'm surprised. Before (and, for the most part, during) university I assumed I was going to be a scientist. I assumed I wanted to be a scientist, too. The laboratory project in the final year of my course disabused me of that notion. I found I didn't have the temperament for sustained periods of labwork; it's just too tedious.
immortalradical: Are you happy with what you're doing now, or do you see it as a bridge to somewhere else?Both. And to continue from Jo's question, I'm surprised that I managed to find it so quickly. It's a little under a year since I graduated, and I've managed to land a job that (a) is interesting, (b) is relatively well-paid, and (c) involves a thoroughly decent bunch of people. But I don't see myself doing it forever and ever, if only because I think I'll get restless. Where I'll end up, though, I don't know.
despotliz: Where do you see yourself in 5 year's time?Could be anywhere, frankly. Effectively, I've managed to set myself up for the next two years: At the end of that time, I'll be fully trained, my car will be nearly paid off, and the fixed rate term on my mortgage will be ending. When that comes around, I'll have a lot of options - I could go more journalistic, maybe, or more editorial - and I think I'll probably look at moving jobs and moving house. Maybe to Oxford, although I'd like to live in London for at least a couple of years at some point.
hawleygriffen: What's your dream job and where, and why?I don't know. To me, that's a question that can't really be answered; I can't tell if something's my dream job until I've actually done it for a while. I don't think I could be a full-time fiction writer, although I'd still like to get some short stories published someday. Features journalism - science journalism - definitely has some appeal. Or, hey, I could apply for a job with SFX again. And all that said, I've decided I really miss the contact with people that went with working in a bookshop. I don't know what job could replace that and still include some element of writing, but I have decided that when I retire, I want to own a bookshop.
On Friends:
hawleygriffen: What do you think are the most important qualities in a friend for you, right now?A high tolerance for listening to me wibble on about myself? :-)
snowking: How do you feel about Fanboys?It rocks the hizzay.
immortalradical: Do you enjoy all those umter Niall references, or would you rather they start picking on someone else? :)They don't bother me. I just wish I had more time to join in the fun.
tinyjo: How do your relationships with online friends differ from those with people you know in the flesh? What are the best and worst aspects of each?My meatspace friends don't have a comic devoted to mocking me. That I know about, anyway.
More seriously, this is something I do spend time thinking about. It's also hard to define what constitutes an 'online friend'; most of my friends are online to at least some degree, and since leaving university there are many meatspace friends that I predominantly speak to online.
There is a large culture difference, certainly. With online friends, real-world meets are special, infrequent occasions. They tend to be incredibly imformation-rich; it's probably true that thanks to Livejournal and Usenet and Trillian, my online friends know about my life (and I know about their lives) in more detail than is true for my offline friends, so there's no need for to spend conversational time bringing each other up to speed - we leap straight to the detail.
Also, online parties are more fun than they have any right to be.
On the other hand, it's patently obvious that there are benefits to being able to ring someone up and ask them if they feel like going to the cinema.
On Music:
tinyjo: Do you make music? What instrument would you like to play, and who would you play it with?I play piano and violin, although neither as much as I used to. I've got to that point where I haven't played regularly for a couple of years, so my playing has deteriorated, so I don't want to play when my parents can hear me because it would be embarrassing. I have vague ideas of playing more when I move into my flat.
The instrument I still want to learn is the cello, simply because it sounds absolutely gorgeous. I don't have anyone in particular that I want to play with.
xsabx: Some people use music as a way of remembering important moments in their lives: do you, and if not, what's your personal signposting technique?It's not like it's a conscious choice, but some music does fix with certain times for me, particularly times of stress. Garbage got me through my A-levels; Shed Seven was associated with prelims (to this day I can't listen to 'Chasing Rainbows' without feeling a little sympathy stress).
Oddly enough, although I bought 'Free All Angels' immediately before Finals, and listened to it every day during finals, it hasn't really associated with Finals in my mind.
Perhaps the fact that I don't have any conscious signposting technique accounts for my appalling memory when it comes to people and places. I remember unrelated incidents, but I'm awful at fitting things together in context. It's one reason I started a blog, actually.
immortalradical: Avril Lavigne or Busted?What is this, musical purgatory? Um. Avril Lavigne. But I won't like it.
On Height:
despotliz: What's the most inconvenient thing about being unfeasibly tall?Doorframes. The standard doorframe in this country invariably seems to be half an inch shorter than I am. I'm sure I'm going to have a terrible stoop when I'm older. If I've already got one, I don't want to know.
immortalradical: Were you always tall, or were you one of those freaky kids who shot up in year nine?I don't remember thinking of myself as tall until the sixth form. Mind you, I don't really think of myself as tall now, but I have a certain awareness that I am tall. Back then, I remember looking up at people, rather than down.
I have no idea which year year nine is.
hawleygriffen: Do the Rea/height jokes annoy you much?Height, no. Rea, a little, but not that much.
On Life:
fba: Do you ever suffer from 'middle-class-guilt'?I get pangs, now and then. I mean, c'mon - no debts, Oxford educated, good job, flat, car, great bunch of friends, basically happy? How can I not feel guilt?
pikelet: On the one hand, there's a big meet of everyone from the 'net that you've ever wanted to see in person, and then there's a blonde girl who's asking you to come out for a romantic dinner for two. You can't do both, and each one is a once-in a-lifetime, never-to-be-repeated event. What do you choose, and why?If she's actually specified that it's romantic, then I go for the dinner, obviously. Because I know that several of the people who will be at the meet will only be at the meet because you're compelling them there by authorial fiat; and anyway, there'll be plenty of photos on the web the day after.
fba: Are you ever going to get over her?Not completely. Not until I (a) meet someone else, or (b) stop seeing her. Neither of which is looking very likely in the near future, so...
I don't see it as a particular problem, though. I know where things stand, she knows where things stand, and we're both more-or-less happy with the arrangement.
despotliz: Do you think the romantic ideal of a relationship you're chasing after actually exists?Yes. On the other hand, I don't think it's possible to get from my starting axioms to the end relationship without a lot of really hairy maths, and possibly some cheating. There's a tension between what I think I want and what I actually pursue. I don't know how to reconcile it, and I'm not even sure that I want to reconcile it.
pikelet: What are your best and worst features?I have no idea what my best feature is. My worst feature is definitely a tendency to be over-analytical. As evidence, I refer the honourable reader to my previous answer. :-)
pikelet: Justify yourself before God.Two of my friends would probably not have met without me. I didn't set them up, but they met through me and now they're probably going to live happily ever after with lots of babies. So that's got to be a plus.
toastie: What would like be like for you if you fulfilled all your dreams?Logically impossible. My dreams are contradictory.
toastie: Is today a day like any other?In the sense that every day is always different, yes.
applez: Do you believe that the content of a meme is as important as the meme itself, and that one should careful decide before propagating it - and why?The only context in which the content of a meme is separate from the meme itself is Livejournal. True memes, like Catholicism, for instance, can't be subdivided in that way. Livejournal memes are a template for your own information; and in those cases then yes, the content is clearly as important as the meme itself. The content can be frivolous or serious, but it has to mean something
applez: Do you think that discovery/invention is innately 'good' - and how would you choose to approach one that could have massive consequences for society (positive and negative)?(20 marks)
I think that discovery is innately good; the process of exploring and understanding the world and the universe is the most important human endeavour there is. Invention is as good as its aim; invention implies intent. That intent could be to eradicate a subpopulation of humanity (see 'The Moral Virologist'), which is clearly not good, or to build a space elevator, which clearly is good.
My examples may not necessarily carry equal moral weight.
The answer to the second part of the question is obviously 'very carefully'. And probably not alone; if the consequences affect society, then society should be involved in the decision. This is not to say that society should be allowed to make the decision, because a large part of society is composed of idiots. But they should have input.
applez: Where do you see the future of European, African, Asian, and North American relations (oh okay, throw in Australia for good measure too) in the next 5, 10, 25, 50 years? Who do you think will aquire relative dominance, and in what areas?(35 marks. Use both sides of the paper if necessary)
I haven't the foggiest. I'm roughly the least politically aware person I know; I'm aware that this is less than ideal, but don't quite have the inclination (or, to be honest, the time) to rectify the situation right now.
applez: What probable development path do you foresee for the Earth's exploration/exploitation of space?If we're going to get into space now, it's because corporations are going to take us there. I can't see government-sponsored human exploration of space becoming viable in the near or even medium-term future. And, obviously, without some major technological development, where we can go is going to be fairly limited. I tend to be convinced by the argument that the next major step will be trips to the asteroid belt for resources.
On Stuff:
xsabx: Name your favourite item of clothing, and one item of clothing you don't own that you'd like to.Sandals. Proper, comfortable, walking sandals. In the summer, they're just the Best Thing Ever. And I've currently lost my pair, so I can use them for both parts of the question.
hawleygriffen: What're your favourite and least favourite colours?It depends on the context, although blue, grey and brown are favourites.
toastie: How many moles do you have on your body?One. I think.
fba: What car would you have bought if money had been no obstacle?Right now, a new Mini, because they're just so goddamn funky.
toastie: Which item of food conjures up memories of a specific event in your life, and why?I have no particular food-associated memories, I'm afraid.
toastie: Does 'organic' food taste better than everything else?No.
applez: What's your credit card number? Nah, just kidding. ;-pIf you're going to rip off someone's credit card then trust me, there are better ones than mine to rip off. :-)
Any more? Bring 'em on!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2003-06-08 08:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-08 08:28 am (UTC)If you have to ask...
I think you actually need to go away and watch some good Doctor Who. There is a fair bit of sillyness - but there is a lot of very good hard science fiction in there (and methaphor by the bucketload).
fba: What car would you have bought if money had been no obstacle?
Right now, a new Mini, because they're just so goddamn funky.
Does anyone else find the idea of Niall in a mini comical?
no subject
Date: 2003-06-08 08:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-08 08:34 am (UTC)He'd have to drive from the back seat.
Interview me...
Date: 2003-06-08 09:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-08 09:48 am (UTC)Yep, that is sounding familiar, and I do like that story. ;)
My dad used to read me Ray Bradbury stories when I was a kid. There was one about plasticine dinosaurs that really freaked me out.
no subject
Date: 2003-06-08 10:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-08 10:49 am (UTC)A high tolerance for listening to me wibble on about myself? :-)
That's it? Cool. Low-maintenence. *g*
I play piano and violin, although neither as much as I used to.
The instrument I still want to learn is the cello, simply because it sounds absolutely gorgeous. I don't have anyone in particular that I want to play with.
Apart from never having played the piano, this is a 'me, too' reply. The cello has such a rich sound. Wouldn't mind learning to play the piano one day - when played simply but soulfully, it's really lovely.
My worst feature is definitely a tendency to by over-analytical. As evidence, I refer the honourable reader to my previous answer. :-)
Pfft, nothing wrong with being a little overly-analytical. (says someone who did psychology...)
It depends on the context, although blue, grey and brown are favourites.
Hmmmm.... right.
Anyway, tentatively asking, interview me! When you have the time.
no subject
Date: 2003-06-08 11:07 am (UTC)You think? Oo-er.
Interview me.
Some more questions for you (sorry they're late)
Date: 2003-06-08 11:29 am (UTC)2. What kind of a kid were you, and was your childhood a happy one?
3. Would you ever consider - maybe in a couple of years, if there were a few of us - trying to set up a new SF mag, either fanzine or pro-zine?
4. Pitch me your idea for a great SF film.
Replies to replies
re: what do you find so convincing about the argument that we'll go to space to strip the asteroid belt for resources? To my mind, as far as terrestrial resources are concerned, barring government subsidies - if raw terrestrial resources begin to run down, then surely mining landfills or even the oceans would be cheaper than going to the asteroid belt (we'll neatly sidestep the materials economy vs. energy need argument for now). To my mind at least, asteroid belt resources would be most useful for an orbital/lunar/Martian community ... and the presents a commitment of capital beyond realistic returns that corporations operate under.
Again, all this assuming no government intervention, subsidy, or tarrif manipulating the markets.
no subject
Date: 2003-06-08 01:59 pm (UTC)