Fantasist’s Scroll

Hmm, there have been a lot of rat-brain stories lately…
No, really, there have been a lot of stories about experiments done with rat brains. First, there was the story about the scientists in Florida who got a rat brain to pilot an aircraft. Then, there was a story about the android run by a rat brain. But, when I got really got me thinking was when I saw this article about how rats can tell the difference between two languages.
Taken separately, they don’t seem like a big deal, but, what happens when you combine them together into a single package? How long before we see these freakish things on the battlefield? Truth is stranger than fiction. But, you know what? A science-fiction author predicted this kind of thing back in the early 80′s. Yep, Joe Clifford-Faust, author of “Company Man”. He didn’t get much attention back then, I thought, but he sure seems right on the money with his predictions. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

I’m not really a writer anymore.

When I noticed that Joe Clifford Faust had listed my website under “Resources” instead of “Writer’s Blogs” I was, well, a little miffed. Don’t I have free fiction on my site? Haven’t I submitted to magazines? And even been accepted?! Well, yes, I had one story accepted by a magazine that promptly shut down. More than ten years ago.

More than ten years ago.

Gah! What have I been doing with myself? Not enough writing, that’s for sure. So, I have to reluctantly admit that I am NOT, in fact, a writer anymore. I’m just a “wannabe”. So, now, after not really writing in quite some time. How do I start again? Well, I guess, I’ll start by reading a book by Damon Knight on short story writing. I have it right by my bed. It’s called Creating Short Fiction : The Classic Guide to Writing Short Fiction. And, then, I guess, I’ll have to actually make time to write!

A fun literary game.

I actually found this on Joe Clifford Faust’s blog, but I’m gonna’ post it anyway! The website is called First Lines. It’s a simple game, actually, the page presents you with a series of first lines from novels and you try to remember (I.E. Guess) who wrote it and in what novel. There’s no grading or anything, but it’s still fun. And, it’s a powerful reminder of the importance of the first line of your own work.
But, heck, it’s Friday, go have fun!

A notable author noted my website!

Well, he may not be the most well known author, but he’s written some real gems. The author in question is Joe Clifford Faust, author of The Company Man and Ferman’s Devils. He apparently found my other website, Diary of a Network Geek, where I mention him briefly. I have to admit, until I wrote that little entry, I hadn’t thought about The Company Man in a very long time. But, it was a good book, which I still have, and well worth finding, if you haven’t read it. Come to think of it, so is everything else I’ve read by Mr. Faust. So, go buy his books and maybe the old stuff will come back into print.

Anyway, it was a small thrill to be found by a Real Writer and exchange e-mail with him. Always is for me. Writers are my celebrities. God, I’m a geek.