Is Cyberpunk dead? What is this post-cyberpunk then?

Well it just goes to show you should do you research into genres - or so I found out.


It's hard, particularly for myself, to go too deep into genres because I find the more genres there are, the more formulaic the writing becomes and the more, well, generic everything becomes. However, other times you start to write a novel, call it cyberpunk and then find out it's something different. A 'Doh!' moment.

This is unfortunately what's happened to me. So the novel I'm working on turns out to be something known as biopunk. This doesn't really change anything for me, well, except maybe my marketing plan. The thing that really rubs is that I've made myself look a layman.

So as it turns out, biopunk is a derivative of another sub-genre called post-cyberpunk. Cyberpunk was a post-modernist take on SF and post-cyberpunk is the result of writers who grew up reading William Gibson, Bruce Sterling, Rudy Rucker and others. So rather than being a major change, post-cyberpunk is more of an organic progression that has spread out creating derivatives like biopunk, steampunk, clockpunk and dieselpunk.

So what does that mean to us as writers? Well not much. Write what you want to write, research the market your book will fit into, don't just try and write specifically to fit in a genre. Just make sure you know what it is, so you don't look ignorant like I did. 8' (

Music to my Ears

Just a quick post this time on the subject of music and inspiration.

When it comes to my own writing I spend time working out what music best fits the writing - almost as if the story is a movie. This helps me to get 'in the zone'. When I wrote a hypertext piece, it worked even better, because I was able to have the music play while you read:https://sites.google.com/site/minusearth1/ .

(There is also a short but informative article here:http://www.suite101.com/content/inspiring-yourself-to-write-a102140  )

The article talks more from the perspective of dealing with writer's block, but there are other things hinted at like using music to control the tone or mood of a piece of writing. In my own case, I like to use orchestral music for space exploration SF, Cyber/industrial for my cyberpunk stories and folk metal/folk for writing fantasy.

I suppose it would be a worthy experiment to deliberately play inapropriate music and see what effect it has. I know that in my case it disturbs the flow and will innevitably put me off writing the piece, but each to their own. Happy writing, people!

Sociological Science Fiction.

So, you want to write Science Fiction. You've been in love with the genre since you first picked up a Philip K Dick, Charles Stross, or a William Gibson. But there's a problem... You don't know anything about science.

Yes, you could give up now. Settle for another genre, one set in the real world, where a can of coke is a can of coke. Or even worse, you could give up your dream only to fret over it when you hit your mid-life crisis, or menopause.

Even if you don't have a degree in advanced physics or any other science, you still should know people. As long as you know people, you can write any sub-genre.

James is a reporter. He's on the job, when he sees a man being beaten by cops. He takes photos, and heads straight back to his office. The story hits the evening news, and the cops get punished.

Now, without any real science knowledge, lets turn it into SF.

James is a reporter. He's on the job, when he sees a man being beaten by enforcers. He daren't take photos, all the media is sifted through a government mainframe, and there are cameras everywhere always on the look out for subversive idealists. James heads to cheapside with the notion of buying a las-pistol.

So, as you can see from my poor example. Any simple story can be fleshed out with a little exposition. The details added are enough to make it SF, and without the use of scientific knowledge. This doesn't mean you shouldn't base your worlds and stories on solid scientific what ifs. The untitled novel I'm working on, is a world where Earth has sank beneath the ocean, and the people live in orbital cities. A genetic plague has haunted humanity for around one hundred years; leading humanity to constantly race against it, modifying their own genes and trying to stay ahead.


Once you have a basic idea like this, a whole world starts to flesh out. How has gene-modding changed the evolution of society? Does that change have a knock on effect? What kind of social groups would exist, based on the life-styles available, is there a class system? Extrapolation's the word, friends. The list of questions goes on and on, and you must remember at some point to get some actual writing done! Speaking of which, my novel is calling to me ; )

Research.

Here's the last poem, enjoy. I shall be posting stories, in the future.

Research.

Smoke;

dirty orange

against the page

as I read.

Pages

bent,

separated;

waiting...

falling.

9th December, 2010.

9^th December, 2010.

Thick skin

feels the stamp,

tramp and

thump of

feet.

Reverberates

to its

core.

Slush Pidgeon.

The second in my short run of free verse. Short stoies and musings to follow...

Slush Pigeon.

The snow is in thick

clods,

grey sludge

trails;

blurred

lines.

But there,

an impression

like a

Twiglet,

depicts unhurried

hop,

skip;

jump,

but no walk.

Freedom at 4:20.

The first in a short series of free-verse poetry.

Freedom at 4:20.

It breaks

free

of its blue-white prison.

Liberated,

stretches its legs -

packs a bowl;

chills,

nestles in cool

polythene

bags.

Released,

pulled, torn and

ground apart;

sprinkled.

smoke

hovers

in the mind;

free,

it courses

from a pen...

Immortal.