Every movie I've seen the last two weeks has shown the trailer for Interstellar. If you've missed it you can watch it here. It's probably the most vague trailer I've ever seen and yet, I have a pretty good idea what direction the story will take. It's not a new concept in sci-fi. Ken Liu's Mono No Aware (you can read it here) and Mary Robinette Kowal's The Lady Astronaut of Mars (you can read it here) are beautifully written examples. Neither is derivative and that's certainly not my concern for Interstellar. I'm worried that because it's so vague that the general public either won't be interested or they won't realize what they're in for.
I'm going to ignore the possibility of bad science and trust that Christopher Nolan and his team did their research. They did a great job of making the gadgets in the Batman films functional in a real world sense so I'm willing to take a leap of faith on that. The possible conclusions for the story however...
There are a couple forks in this particular story path. The first is whether or not they can establish Earth 2.0. Astronomers have already found some likely candidates so if my research assumption holds true than the film will focus more on preparing the selected planet for the coming settlers. If I'm wrong than they'll waste screen time with an improbable search that could have been done by satellites and drones instead of people. The average American probably won't be bothered by it but those of us who actually pay attention to science will be throwing popcorn at the screen.
The second fork is whether or not they make it back home. This path has no in between. They either make it or they don't. If they do, Yay! Happy ending. If they don't (which I think is more likely) it's going to be a massive tear jerker that will catch many an unsuspecting viewer off guard.
Unfortunately we're going to have to wait until November to find out which direction the story takes. If they've done it right this has the potential to be a spectacular film but I'm not going to get my hopes up. Heaven knows Hollywood has let us down plenty of times before.
Showing posts with label Mary Robinette Kowal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mary Robinette Kowal. Show all posts
Monday, August 18, 2014
Monday, September 23, 2013
To tell or not to tell
You've already heard what I learned about surviving large Cons, but I'm sure you're wondering about the really cool "Oh, my frak! That's amazing!" stuff. Well...I can't do that without bragging. I know, I know. Assurances that there were indeed cool happenings aren't going to be enough for you. Hmm... Maybe if I tell the cool stories in a blase way, it might counteract the brag factor?
No, that's a terrible idea.
Ok, how about I keep the coolest of the cool to myself until the end and then I'll decide whether or not to share it. That sounds good.
Alright, to start off with I came home with some great books. The book on top I purchased, the three in the middle were free at registration, and the rest were given to me. I wasn't expecting to bring home a haul so this was a pleasant surprise. I'm really excited to have both of Jean's books. I loved her romances and I've been wanting to read her sci-fi for a while. I've also been wanting to read Sandman Slim. It's been highly recommended by a friend.
One of the activities was a lovely regency dance lesson. Unfortunately I only remember about half of each dance we learned but we had good time. I even learned how to properly curtsey from Mary Robinette Kowal and thanks to her clever mnemonic, I won't forget that.
While passing famous authors in the halls wasn't shocking, it did provide ample opportunity to take stealthies that I could use to tease friends (because I love them that much).
(The gentleman in the gray shirt on the left is Robert Silverberg. We were on the same flight.)
The fact that the hotel was attached to an upscale mall. How upscale? They had a Peruvian folk band playing American top 40 in the riverfront cafe by the foodcourt. You haven't lived until you've heard "My Heart Will Go On" played on a pan pipe.
But some of the most amazing sights and experiences were pure serendipity. Like this:
No, that's a terrible idea.
Ok, how about I keep the coolest of the cool to myself until the end and then I'll decide whether or not to share it. That sounds good.
Alright, to start off with I came home with some great books. The book on top I purchased, the three in the middle were free at registration, and the rest were given to me. I wasn't expecting to bring home a haul so this was a pleasant surprise. I'm really excited to have both of Jean's books. I loved her romances and I've been wanting to read her sci-fi for a while. I've also been wanting to read Sandman Slim. It's been highly recommended by a friend.
One of the activities was a lovely regency dance lesson. Unfortunately I only remember about half of each dance we learned but we had good time. I even learned how to properly curtsey from Mary Robinette Kowal and thanks to her clever mnemonic, I won't forget that.
While passing famous authors in the halls wasn't shocking, it did provide ample opportunity to take stealthies that I could use to tease friends (because I love them that much).
The fact that the hotel was attached to an upscale mall. How upscale? They had a Peruvian folk band playing American top 40 in the riverfront cafe by the foodcourt. You haven't lived until you've heard "My Heart Will Go On" played on a pan pipe.
But some of the most amazing sights and experiences were pure serendipity. Like this:
The man operating K-9 was very nice and we had a lovely chat about his collection (which included a working Dalek, and a DRD). I confess, the DRD made me squee.
But undoubtedly the best part was becoming closer to my friends, making new ones, and being among my people. Whenever I go to an event where there are a lot of geeks and writers, that place automatically becomes a home away from home where I don't have to be afraid to belt out the Lumberjack song in a bar at one in the morning. (Yes, that happened and it was awesome.) It makes going home that much harder and yet, it gives me more to look forward to at the next event.
Monday, April 8, 2013
A writer's cone of shame
In college I took a couple of courses that left me wanting. One was a required computer skills class and the other was a creative writing class. They weren't bad classes, although the writing class came close, they were just really hard to get through.
The computer skills class was so rudimentary that I had trouble staying awake. I'm not a tech wizard by any means, but the assignments were so simple that I had them done by the time the instructor finished giving directions. In the writing class I had the opposite problem. It wasn't an easy class because I absolutely hated it! What I didn't know and the course catalogue didn't indicate was that the course alternated between novel writing and poetry writing. This particular term turned out to be poetry. I don't mind reading poetry, I simply hate writing it. Don't get me wrong, I'm actually pretty darn good, but it is something that I'll never enjoy doing because of a pushy English teacher I had years before. Plus the instructor didn't actually instruct. She gave us the defining characteristics for the various styles and let us go. Most of the class time was spent listening to each other's work being read aloud. Let me tell you, after three months of bad unicorn and fruit feallacio poems (don't ask) you stop wondering why Poe committed suicide.
In both cases, I didn't expect to ever use those skills again. When would I need to know how to make a spreadsheet or write Fushigi Yuugi fanfic haiku? Never. I'm a writer and an actor. That's two thirds of the humanities triple crown for crying out loud. All I need is a history degree and I win.
Well, guess what? I was wrong. (Not about the humanities triple crown. That thing is legit.)
I like keeping track of how many words I write each day. Usually I write it on the calendar, but I can't do that on Lee's pin-up calendar because it's too pretty. So I started doing something that Mary Robinette Kowal talked about in an episode of Storyboard. I made a spreadsheet.
Go ahead, cue the sad trombone music and say "I knew it!" I deserve it. I will don the cone of shame and wear it in shame.
Truthfully, I don't regret doing the spreadsheet. I've learned a lot about what various conditions and time constraints do for me. It turns out that I can do more in 30 - 60 minutes than I can typically do in big blocks of time. If I do a big 3 - 4 hour writing binge, I can get a lot accomplished but I'm so wiped out afterward that it takes me a couple days to recover.
As for the poetry class, I hate to say it but that came in handy too. A while back I needed a gothic poem for a short story I was working on. The poem had to be in the style of Lord Byron and rather than waste a couple days searching for something in the public domain that would work, I wrote one. In two hours...and I went a little overboard. I only needed two quatrains for the story but I ended up writing five.
Yeah.....
If I knew then what I know now, I might have payed a little more attention in those classes. Who knows what else may have become useful?
____________________________________________________________________________
If you're still considering what writing workshop or seminar to attend this year, please take a look at the Superstars Writing Seminar. Prices go up at the end of the month and the seminar itself is May 14 - 16 so you don't have much time to think it over. It's well worth every penny.
____________________________________________________________________________
Last week the son of my teacher and mentor, Dave Farland (AKA Dave Wolverton), was in a terrible longboarding accident. His injuries are severe and the cost of his care is going to be astronomical. If you can, please donate to Ben's Recovery Fund or buy one of Dave's books. Dave and his family are among the nicest people I know and even the smallest amount will be greatly appreciated.
The computer skills class was so rudimentary that I had trouble staying awake. I'm not a tech wizard by any means, but the assignments were so simple that I had them done by the time the instructor finished giving directions. In the writing class I had the opposite problem. It wasn't an easy class because I absolutely hated it! What I didn't know and the course catalogue didn't indicate was that the course alternated between novel writing and poetry writing. This particular term turned out to be poetry. I don't mind reading poetry, I simply hate writing it. Don't get me wrong, I'm actually pretty darn good, but it is something that I'll never enjoy doing because of a pushy English teacher I had years before. Plus the instructor didn't actually instruct. She gave us the defining characteristics for the various styles and let us go. Most of the class time was spent listening to each other's work being read aloud. Let me tell you, after three months of bad unicorn and fruit feallacio poems (don't ask) you stop wondering why Poe committed suicide.
In both cases, I didn't expect to ever use those skills again. When would I need to know how to make a spreadsheet or write Fushigi Yuugi fanfic haiku? Never. I'm a writer and an actor. That's two thirds of the humanities triple crown for crying out loud. All I need is a history degree and I win.
Well, guess what? I was wrong. (Not about the humanities triple crown. That thing is legit.)
I like keeping track of how many words I write each day. Usually I write it on the calendar, but I can't do that on Lee's pin-up calendar because it's too pretty. So I started doing something that Mary Robinette Kowal talked about in an episode of Storyboard. I made a spreadsheet.
Go ahead, cue the sad trombone music and say "I knew it!" I deserve it. I will don the cone of shame and wear it in shame.
Truthfully, I don't regret doing the spreadsheet. I've learned a lot about what various conditions and time constraints do for me. It turns out that I can do more in 30 - 60 minutes than I can typically do in big blocks of time. If I do a big 3 - 4 hour writing binge, I can get a lot accomplished but I'm so wiped out afterward that it takes me a couple days to recover.
As for the poetry class, I hate to say it but that came in handy too. A while back I needed a gothic poem for a short story I was working on. The poem had to be in the style of Lord Byron and rather than waste a couple days searching for something in the public domain that would work, I wrote one. In two hours...and I went a little overboard. I only needed two quatrains for the story but I ended up writing five.
Yeah.....
If I knew then what I know now, I might have payed a little more attention in those classes. Who knows what else may have become useful?
____________________________________________________________________________
If you're still considering what writing workshop or seminar to attend this year, please take a look at the Superstars Writing Seminar. Prices go up at the end of the month and the seminar itself is May 14 - 16 so you don't have much time to think it over. It's well worth every penny.
____________________________________________________________________________
Last week the son of my teacher and mentor, Dave Farland (AKA Dave Wolverton), was in a terrible longboarding accident. His injuries are severe and the cost of his care is going to be astronomical. If you can, please donate to Ben's Recovery Fund or buy one of Dave's books. Dave and his family are among the nicest people I know and even the smallest amount will be greatly appreciated.
Monday, October 29, 2012
The coming storm
Get your survival gear and batten down the hatches because it's...
NaNoWriMo! (Dun dun dun)
What? Did you think I was talking about Hurricane Sandy?
We inturrupt your regularly scheduled blog for a message from our socially conscious host:
My thoughts and prayers are with those on the East Coast. Stay safe and for heaven's sake, stay home! I know it's not every day a hurricane knocks on your door, but seriously people, don't become victims of storm stupidity. I know the monster waves are cool and you want to witness them first hand, but do you really need to risk getting washed out to sea or impaled by a golf club? God gave us Hi-def TV for a reason. I'm just sayin'.
Now back to the program.
November is nigh and even though there are natural storms and political storms brewing, don't forget to prepare for the annual writing flurry that is NaNoWriMo. Get your personal affairs in order, clean the house (because let's face it, you're not going to be vacuuming when you could be writing instead), stock up on your favorite writing snacks (hopefully healthy ones) and caffeinated beverages, and set the DVR to record the football games and TV shows.
What's that? You're not doing NaNo this year? Why the hell not?! Just because you don't think you can write 50,000 words in a month doesn't mean that you shouldn't try. I've never written that much in a month and aren't likely to until I can afford to write full-time but I still do NaNo...in a fashion. Rather than a true NaNoWriMo novel, I work on my WIP and set a word count goal that I normally wouldn't reach before the end of the month. In a normal month I write about 500 words a day, six days a week. That's about 13,000 words before edits (because I can't resist the urge to edit). During NaNo I push that daily goal to 1,000 so my monthly goal is only 30,000 words. It never gets me anywhere near the end of my novel, but I'm a lot closer at the end of November than I normally would be. Plus, since it's not a throwaway project that I'm doing just for the sake of NaNo, they're all productive words and I don't have to transition back into the WIP in December either.
If you're not doing NaNo because it conflicts with the holidays or some other activity, don't let that hold you back either. Last year, I started three days late because of my sister's wedding. When Thanksgiving day rolled around, I rose early so I could go for my morning walk and still get some writing in before the baking and festivities began. I even took a night off to go watch The Muppet Movie with Mary Robinette Kowal, Lee Moyer, and Brent Weeks because not even NaNoWriMo was going to make me pass up an opportunity like that. I didn't meet my word goal last year. I was about 8,000 words shy if I recall, but I don't count last year or any year as a failure. The whole point behind NaNo is to get people to stop aspiring of being a writer by being a writer. If I wrote more than my normal word count in November, I count that as a successful NaNo. If I learned how to manage my time better or how to ignore distractions better, than I also count that as a NaNo success.
When it comes to giving gifts, everyone says that it's the thought that matters. I believe that when it comes to NaNoWriMo, it's the intent of NaNo and what you intend to get out of it that matters. Keep that in mind and there's no way you can fail. With that in mind, Happy NaNo everyone!
If you want to keep tabs on how my NaNo is going, I'll be posting regular updates on my G+ and Facebook pages.
NaNoWriMo! (Dun dun dun)
What? Did you think I was talking about Hurricane Sandy?
We inturrupt your regularly scheduled blog for a message from our socially conscious host:
My thoughts and prayers are with those on the East Coast. Stay safe and for heaven's sake, stay home! I know it's not every day a hurricane knocks on your door, but seriously people, don't become victims of storm stupidity. I know the monster waves are cool and you want to witness them first hand, but do you really need to risk getting washed out to sea or impaled by a golf club? God gave us Hi-def TV for a reason. I'm just sayin'.
Now back to the program.
November is nigh and even though there are natural storms and political storms brewing, don't forget to prepare for the annual writing flurry that is NaNoWriMo. Get your personal affairs in order, clean the house (because let's face it, you're not going to be vacuuming when you could be writing instead), stock up on your favorite writing snacks (hopefully healthy ones) and caffeinated beverages, and set the DVR to record the football games and TV shows.
What's that? You're not doing NaNo this year? Why the hell not?! Just because you don't think you can write 50,000 words in a month doesn't mean that you shouldn't try. I've never written that much in a month and aren't likely to until I can afford to write full-time but I still do NaNo...in a fashion. Rather than a true NaNoWriMo novel, I work on my WIP and set a word count goal that I normally wouldn't reach before the end of the month. In a normal month I write about 500 words a day, six days a week. That's about 13,000 words before edits (because I can't resist the urge to edit). During NaNo I push that daily goal to 1,000 so my monthly goal is only 30,000 words. It never gets me anywhere near the end of my novel, but I'm a lot closer at the end of November than I normally would be. Plus, since it's not a throwaway project that I'm doing just for the sake of NaNo, they're all productive words and I don't have to transition back into the WIP in December either.
If you're not doing NaNo because it conflicts with the holidays or some other activity, don't let that hold you back either. Last year, I started three days late because of my sister's wedding. When Thanksgiving day rolled around, I rose early so I could go for my morning walk and still get some writing in before the baking and festivities began. I even took a night off to go watch The Muppet Movie with Mary Robinette Kowal, Lee Moyer, and Brent Weeks because not even NaNoWriMo was going to make me pass up an opportunity like that. I didn't meet my word goal last year. I was about 8,000 words shy if I recall, but I don't count last year or any year as a failure. The whole point behind NaNo is to get people to stop aspiring of being a writer by being a writer. If I wrote more than my normal word count in November, I count that as a successful NaNo. If I learned how to manage my time better or how to ignore distractions better, than I also count that as a NaNo success.
When it comes to giving gifts, everyone says that it's the thought that matters. I believe that when it comes to NaNoWriMo, it's the intent of NaNo and what you intend to get out of it that matters. Keep that in mind and there's no way you can fail. With that in mind, Happy NaNo everyone!
If you want to keep tabs on how my NaNo is going, I'll be posting regular updates on my G+ and Facebook pages.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Must...not...squee...
A good ninja knows when to strike and when to walk away. Likewise, a good writer knows when to squee and when to be professional. Mary Robinette Kowal talked about this in her blog last week and gave some really great guidance.
http://www.maryrobinettekowal.com/journal/debut-author-lesson-how-to-be-a-professional-when-you-really-want-to-fangirl/
I've been to enough signings and seminars that I don't have much of a problem reigning in my inner fan girl. Plus, as an actor, I know how to hide my emotions so only the desired character shows. (I'm not saying that being professional is a character or facade, it's not, but the skill is pretty handy.) The last time I turned into a fan girl in front of an author was during Laurell K Hamilton's A Lick of Frost tour and that happened to be the first signing I'd ever attended so it was to be expected. Since then I've managed to be calm, clever, and professional.
As Mary pointed out in her blog, it's much better to be seen as a colleague instead of a fan. That's why I don't often take pictures at signings, dinners, and release parties (much to the chagrin of a certain friend). I feel that asking for a photo immediately puts me into the fan category. Granted, if I took Mary's advice and prefaced the request with "May I indulge..."I could get away with it. I'd still feel a little uncomfortable, but I could get away with it. There's nothing wrong with being a fan, but I find it limits your interaction with an author. They'll nod and smile, sign your book, maybe answer a question, and then you're on your way. However, I've noticed that if you establish yourself as a peer (through casual conversation and shop talk) the author you're speaking to will relax a bit and you'll get to see the real individual rather than public persona. It's allowed me to have a more memorable experience with the authors I admire and respect, and conversely, be more memorable to them. Instead of just meeting so-and-so, you're instigating a relationship with so-and-so.
However, on Monday night my spotless record came to an end. That was the night I went to David Brin's signing at Powell's books. I love David Brin. He's an incredibly intelligent, well spoken, funny and clever man that writes absolutely beautiful prose. It's almost lyrical. David is also not afraid to flatter a pretty and intelligent woman -- a category I found myself in when I was talking to him after the signing.
I lost control and squeed. I'm not talking about the "oh my gosh, ______ is standing right there!" kind of squee, but the shy and giggling twelve year old kind of squee. It was shameful and a certain friend will never let me forget that shame.To my credit, I didn't squee in front of David, but I did have to make a hasty and discreet retreat so I could hide my mouth behind my hands and blush (just like Sailor Moon). I have to clarify, I'm not a super girly girl. Marriage proposals don't elicit that kind of reaction from me. I'm a calm, clever professional. Speaking to my writing idol leaves me shaking afterwards (repressed nervousness), but not squeeing.
So what was different this time? David caught me off guard. He complimented me. Not once, but three times in rapid succession. I didn't know how to process that. It was too cool. As guilty as I feel for loosing my control, I've come to realize that I shouldn't beat myself up for needing to run away. (He is contrary Brin, after all. Defying expectation is what he does.) An inner fangirl can only be kept in a box for so long. Eventually she'll burst out and wreck havoc. Walking away and venting the squee was necessary. In his eyes (I'm assuming on this since I haven't been able to confirm it with him) I'm still the intelligent pretty woman he met in Portland. He has no knowledge of the squeeing fangirl or of the razzing I received from friends afterward and that's the real goal.
To see and be seen, but never let them hear you squee.
http://www.maryrobinettekowal.com/journal/debut-author-lesson-how-to-be-a-professional-when-you-really-want-to-fangirl/
I've been to enough signings and seminars that I don't have much of a problem reigning in my inner fan girl. Plus, as an actor, I know how to hide my emotions so only the desired character shows. (I'm not saying that being professional is a character or facade, it's not, but the skill is pretty handy.) The last time I turned into a fan girl in front of an author was during Laurell K Hamilton's A Lick of Frost tour and that happened to be the first signing I'd ever attended so it was to be expected. Since then I've managed to be calm, clever, and professional.
As Mary pointed out in her blog, it's much better to be seen as a colleague instead of a fan. That's why I don't often take pictures at signings, dinners, and release parties (much to the chagrin of a certain friend). I feel that asking for a photo immediately puts me into the fan category. Granted, if I took Mary's advice and prefaced the request with "May I indulge..."I could get away with it. I'd still feel a little uncomfortable, but I could get away with it. There's nothing wrong with being a fan, but I find it limits your interaction with an author. They'll nod and smile, sign your book, maybe answer a question, and then you're on your way. However, I've noticed that if you establish yourself as a peer (through casual conversation and shop talk) the author you're speaking to will relax a bit and you'll get to see the real individual rather than public persona. It's allowed me to have a more memorable experience with the authors I admire and respect, and conversely, be more memorable to them. Instead of just meeting so-and-so, you're instigating a relationship with so-and-so.
However, on Monday night my spotless record came to an end. That was the night I went to David Brin's signing at Powell's books. I love David Brin. He's an incredibly intelligent, well spoken, funny and clever man that writes absolutely beautiful prose. It's almost lyrical. David is also not afraid to flatter a pretty and intelligent woman -- a category I found myself in when I was talking to him after the signing.
I lost control and squeed. I'm not talking about the "oh my gosh, ______ is standing right there!" kind of squee, but the shy and giggling twelve year old kind of squee. It was shameful and a certain friend will never let me forget that shame.To my credit, I didn't squee in front of David, but I did have to make a hasty and discreet retreat so I could hide my mouth behind my hands and blush (just like Sailor Moon). I have to clarify, I'm not a super girly girl. Marriage proposals don't elicit that kind of reaction from me. I'm a calm, clever professional. Speaking to my writing idol leaves me shaking afterwards (repressed nervousness), but not squeeing.
So what was different this time? David caught me off guard. He complimented me. Not once, but three times in rapid succession. I didn't know how to process that. It was too cool. As guilty as I feel for loosing my control, I've come to realize that I shouldn't beat myself up for needing to run away. (He is contrary Brin, after all. Defying expectation is what he does.) An inner fangirl can only be kept in a box for so long. Eventually she'll burst out and wreck havoc. Walking away and venting the squee was necessary. In his eyes (I'm assuming on this since I haven't been able to confirm it with him) I'm still the intelligent pretty woman he met in Portland. He has no knowledge of the squeeing fangirl or of the razzing I received from friends afterward and that's the real goal.
To see and be seen, but never let them hear you squee.
Friday, April 27, 2012
The Bacon Cat Theorem
As I wrote my first novel, I discovered that knowing the English language and its conjugation isn't enough. Our craft requires us to (at the very least) have a working knowledge of a wide set of topics. History, sociology, psychology, biology, chemistry, foreign languages, art, anatomy and physiology, technology, popular culture......the list goes on. In my opinion, this contributes to our "oddness".
To be less polite, it makes us a bit wacko.
Not the "I'm going to stalk you until I know the sound of your farts" kind of wacko, but the lovable eccentric kind of wacko. The Sheldon Cooper kind of wacko. Being wacko of course, leads us to develop unusual habits and the impulse to do unexplainable things. It makes us fall victim to the Bacon Cat Theorem.
What is the Bacon Cat Theorem? I'm glad you asked.
The Bacon Cat Theorem of course gets its name from one of John Scalzi's more famous acts. (If you don't know what I'm talking about you can educate yourself here:http://whatever.scalzi.com/2006/09/13/clearly-you-people-thought-i-was-kidding/) The theorem is thus:
Every great author has at least one habit, hobby, attribute, or something they did at band/summer camp that makes them stand out from the pack and therefore adds to their fame.
John Scalzi taping bacon to his cat clearly proves this theorem but for the sake of science I'll provide further proof. Mary Robinette Kowal composes (delightful) pornographic puppet construction tweets, Brandon Sanderson has an almost unholy love of macaroni and cheese, and Dan Wells occasionally signs books like a serial killer. (ok, maybe it was just that one time but it totally qualifies.)
Of course, you don't have to be a published author to fall prey to the Bacon Cat. My friend, and fellow writer, Sarah Parish is a hive mind and I conlag road rage. It's a reflex. (I also licked a slug at summer camp but it seems to be superfluous to have more than one Bacon Cat.) The simple fact that publication isn't a requirement of the theorem has led me to the conjecture that such a person has the potential of becoming a great author. However, until such a person achieves said greatness, this conjecture will remain unproven.
If you too are or know someone who is proof of this theorem and/or my conjecture, feel free to post it in the comments. I'd love to know.
To be less polite, it makes us a bit wacko.
Not the "I'm going to stalk you until I know the sound of your farts" kind of wacko, but the lovable eccentric kind of wacko. The Sheldon Cooper kind of wacko. Being wacko of course, leads us to develop unusual habits and the impulse to do unexplainable things. It makes us fall victim to the Bacon Cat Theorem.
What is the Bacon Cat Theorem? I'm glad you asked.
The Bacon Cat Theorem of course gets its name from one of John Scalzi's more famous acts. (If you don't know what I'm talking about you can educate yourself here:http://whatever.scalzi.com/2006/09/13/clearly-you-people-thought-i-was-kidding/) The theorem is thus:
Every great author has at least one habit, hobby, attribute, or something they did at band/summer camp that makes them stand out from the pack and therefore adds to their fame.
John Scalzi taping bacon to his cat clearly proves this theorem but for the sake of science I'll provide further proof. Mary Robinette Kowal composes (delightful) pornographic puppet construction tweets, Brandon Sanderson has an almost unholy love of macaroni and cheese, and Dan Wells occasionally signs books like a serial killer. (ok, maybe it was just that one time but it totally qualifies.)
Of course, you don't have to be a published author to fall prey to the Bacon Cat. My friend, and fellow writer, Sarah Parish is a hive mind and I conlag road rage. It's a reflex. (I also licked a slug at summer camp but it seems to be superfluous to have more than one Bacon Cat.) The simple fact that publication isn't a requirement of the theorem has led me to the conjecture that such a person has the potential of becoming a great author. However, until such a person achieves said greatness, this conjecture will remain unproven.
If you too are or know someone who is proof of this theorem and/or my conjecture, feel free to post it in the comments. I'd love to know.
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