All posts for Science Fiction Repair Shop in 2012
Not Fade Away Dept. 2012-12-07 15:00:00
Looks like I wasn't alone in feeling that SF is losing its luster, but that just makes my job as a creator of same all the tougher.
Non SF&F Writing For SF&F Authors 2012-11-26 15:00:00
SF&F authors shouldn't read just SF&F. Here's some other things to broaden your mind.
Avatar 2012-11-21 15:00:00
A look at making Cameron's blockbuster a little more thoughtful (and a little less annoying and predictable).
Cowboys & Aliens 2012-11-03 15:00:00
How I would have fixed Jon Favreau's cross-genre dud.
Deep In It Dept. 2012-10-16 16:00:00
The hazards of making a story long for its own sake are not always obvious.
The Other Side Of The Fence Dept. 2012-10-12 14:00:00
What will it take for SF&F and mainlit criticism to appreciate each other? New critics, I suppose.
Cruel To Be Kind Or Vice Versa Dept. 2012-10-06 14:00:00
What should SF criticism really be doing? Just catering to fans' tastes, or expanding our understanding of the genre? Why not both?
Express Yourself, Impress Yourself Dept. 2012-09-29 14:00:00
SF&F are always best when they're the voice of an individual observer's insight, not simply a reflection of market demands.
Some Difference That Makes Some Difference Is Some Difference Dept. 2012-09-25 14:00:00
Fantasy, science fiction, or other? (Or multiple choice?)
Sol Y Sombra Dept. 2012-09-22 14:00:00
How do we get out from under the shadow of our own idols?
The (In)Human Agenda Dept. 2012-09-17 14:00:00
The last thing we need with SF is a "humanism" that doesn't have any actual humans in it.
Hey, I Just Had A Great Idea Dept. 2012-09-06 14:00:00
The "liteature of ideas" doesn't just contain ideas; it embodies them.
Badmouthing and Goodmouthing Dept. 2012-08-17 13:00:00
Writers should do more for each other than just supply cover blurbs; they should be honest critics, too.
Canon, Fandom and Random Dept. 2012-08-16 13:00:00
On the idea that a canon is a spectrum of interpretation and interactivity rather than a fixed artifact.
Under the New Sun Dept. 2012-08-08 14:00:00
Nothing new? Depends on how you see "new".
Surface Tension Dept. 2012-08-02 14:00:00
A complex surface doesn't always mean complex depths. Sometimes it just means ostentation.
Against The Grain, Pt. The Last For Now 2012-07-25 14:00:00
This last slew of posts sparked some comments, some locally and some elsewhere. I wanted to touch on a few of these, and conclude my discussion of masscult in SF&F with some directional suggestions....
Against the Grain, Pt. 3 2012-07-24 14:00:00
In my previous posts about Dwight Macdonald's concept of "masscult" and how it affects SF&F (part one; part two), I wrote about how the creation and marketing systems in place for SF&F have been affected deeply by the assumptions masscult...
Against the Grain, Pt. 2 2012-07-23 14:00:00
More on how masscult has made SF&F into its lackey.
Against The Grain, Pt. 1 2012-07-19 14:30:00
How a literary critic from the 1960s casts light on the dilemma of SF&F publishing today.
Future Tense Dept. 2012-07-15 14:00:00
On looking forward (in SF) while at the same time looking around -- because that's all you really can do.
What We Talk About When We Talk About SF&F Dept. 2012-07-10 14:00:00
On why good SF&F should be concerned with details, not trivia.
Imagine How It Would Be Dept. 2012-07-02 14:00:00
On "escapism" vs. what's really often meant by that word: imagination.
Those Pesky Fans! Dept. 2012-06-23 19:23:51
When the biggest obstacle to a cultural phenomenon is the fans.
Other Paths Dept. 2012-06-22 15:00:00
SF has its Jack Londons and Joseph Conrads, but where are its Virginia Woolfs or Thomas Manns, among others?
Wrestling Match Dept. 2012-06-18 15:00:00
The classics aren't things to put on pillars. But neither is popular culture.
