sdowney

Comment Threads

• slamble commented on Some news about the Hugo voters packet
  The big issue that I can see with serialisation - and bear in mind that it may not apply to all works, but I reckon it would apply to quite a few - is maintaining internal consistency. Currently, you write a first draft; somebody goes through and notes inconsistencies and form problems; these get cleaned up, possibly introducing a few more; repeat until it looks good (handwave, handwave.) If you write and put out the first chapter (say), then chapter two, then chapter three, and suddenly realise that for chapter four to work, you needed to have a MacGuffin (or...
• soon-lee commented on Some news about the Hugo voters packet
  Serials are eminently doable & have a long history in many storytelling media. Granted it is a different mode of writing because parts are published before the whole story is complete, but there are a number of 'tricks' a writer can use to mitigate that disadvantage. See also Charles Dickens....
• Greg. Tingey commented on Some news about the Hugo voters packet
  Went out & boought Ancilliary Justice as I need to make up my tiny mind for Hugo-voting. Good story, as a story, but severely dissapointed. In spite of the mention of "Roman" influences in the afterword, I got a very strong flavour of a super-sized Shogunate Japan, sealing itself in, ruling with great, but consistent cruelty. However, suspension of disbelief collapsed completely on the finding that this super-advanced, technological "civilisation" had a multi-theistic pantheon of "Gods". Oh yeah? And you want to sell me this bridge, for scrap metal? Really? NOT impressed...
• Chris Suslowicz commented on Some news about the Hugo voters packet
  I must admit that I didn't find that to be a problem at all. Bear in mind that the viewpoint character is an AI a couple of millennia old, the ruler will be older still, and the annexation "process" is designed to eliminate all resistance. Over that timescale I suspect religions will be forced to merge or perish. (Compare current religions that are built on top of (and incorporated whole chunks of - file the serial numbers off and everyone's happy) what was there before. It may not make much sense but that is how it evolved.) It's an interesting...
• Antonia T Tiger commented on Some news about the Hugo voters packet
  For General Information On-Line Hugo voting is now available on the Loncon3 website....