It is hard to choose, because you have a lot of good concepts there. #1, 2, and 6 are my top 3. If I saw all 3 in a bookstore, I would have to narrow it down to #2 or 6. If I could only afford to get one on the spot, I would go with #6. I'll ask my kids for their votes and come back to this.
Thanks Tina - good to have feedback on this. I like the way you narrowed it down based on your budget.
I'll carry on with my plan to read all six drafts, but they all have some strong points for me. The last one, #6, is still just a few short stories, a concept, and some world-building. I'm not sure who the story is about - the daughter, I think. But where does it start? Not a pre colonyship story line back on Earth, that's another novel. I could start when they land, or when they discover almost all must die, or when that one woman gets pregnant, or when her daughter decides she does not want to die with everyone else. And I could end when the daughter runs away or when she reaches the new land or when she succeeds in settling in and sends for everyone else or when the next colony ship arrives from Earth. A character and situation the reader can invest in, with an ending that shows change and development and reflects the initial issue, and with a gripping page turner in between. Piece of cake.
I decided this was the moment to look at your offerings...
First thing I would say, "Too many stories?" is not possible. I think it's great to have many stories, the issue is to complete them. Personally I am a 'one-project-at-a-time' person, but that does not stop me from having ideas... So having many stories in the wings is great!
ok...
The choice is really hard, so I'll jot down the things I was thinking about as I read them.
1. Agnes of Grimm reminds me of my own ideas of fairy tales translated into the modern world, though your story is far more complex and developed and interesting. Great story, I think.
2. Ghost in the machine appears to be an example of transhumanism, where humans aim for a posthuman conditions with a focus on technology. I love the idea of a conflict between the woman who wants to help against those who want that technology for their own reasons.
3. The Portal. I don't relate so much to this one, though it reminds me of people submerged in online roleplay games to the point of ruining their real life, something I have observed.
4. The Managed. Has good potential with AI development. It sent me trying to figure out what would happen in a solar flare event wrecking the electricity grid (among others)
5. The Game. Reminds me a bit of stories by Ottawa author Robert Sawyer, but yours seems grounded on earth which would make it relevant to current events. Imagine a theocracy like Iran using that against the 'western' world.
6. Autumn endings. Has great potential and lots of technical difficulties associated with it (100 embryos? 1000? 10,000? -who takes care of them after birth; what are the psychological consequences of such birthing events, etc). And the start of natural births... are they more adapted to the planet?
Which ones are my favourites? I dont know. I want to read them all. :)
Wow - excellent feedback, thanks. And some of your points tell me I need to add more details from each story. Possibly spoilers ;-) I'll go back and edit in the post.
1 -Agnes and company - They realize they can boost their powers a bit by doing little mini-scenes, blending fantasy and reality. And for the battle against evil (voodoo) they turn to First Nations power sources. I like the 'normal' world challenges they have, including Agne's new boyfriend, a cop.
2 - Ghost in the Machine - As these 'people' in cyberspace gain knowledge and power, they sense they can do a lot of good. Or not. Ethics questions, who watches the watchers, will governments want to take them over?
3 - The Portal - I liked the sparkly idea of learning about medieval times. The woman spends time over there, seeking her lost son and then saving her husband. He was captured by an evil person (?) that is hoping to steal the idea of this portal. And her sports background means she likes the woodsy life, hunting and battling. Son's yappy dog goes through and becomes a Direwolf? Is her son named Merlin?
4 - The Managed - becomes about government control or emotions and lives, for a more docile populace as the network spreads. Hard for the ageing hero to be persuaded to come out of retirement. I like the solar flare wrinkle.
5 - The Game - I liked the idea, but only got 32k words done. Lots of gaps, but the concept of selecting and training youths to be little more than battle robots is interesting. Hero's ability to see the future - is he the first of many?
6 - I agree, potential and problems. I'm not sure of the optimum colony size. And they are not fertile, so they can 'make' more embryos. Pregnancy issues arose on Earth, due to environmental problems, so had to develop artificial lab birth, and then much of child rearing ended up being done as a group, by robots. So little initial bonding. New colony's Plan B, all die in fall, all new in Spring, means little continuity of culture. First natural pregnancy rekindles their love of children (?), but makes the choice as to what to do with her when they all are to die even harder. This might be the most interesting one, but might be the hardest. Lots to create, but I don't have to edit and re-arrange a more complete story.
My choice isn't any easier. I'll keep reading. Two down, four to go.
Ahah, the goal is not necessarily to make your choice easier... but to encourage you :)
1. I love, for Agnes, the use of First Nations power sources
2. The series Person of Interest (Netflix, I think) touched a bit on Ethics. This makes me wish to re-watch that series (an all powerful AI watching the world touching on moral issues, privacy questions...)
3. Learning about medieval times is great, for me this comes from my interest in history, genealogy, and natural history (I worked as a field biologist for a while). And I love the tie in with direwolves and Merlin...
4. we all hear these days how much electricity AI requires.
5. children tapping in their unknown potential... Speed of reaction, ability to plan ahead at super speed... and why not to a certain extent sight of the future... clearly or not...
6. Nothing stops you from developing it further, right? I'll be happy to be a sounding board :D
Thanks for the feedback and the offer of sounding board. Constructive criticism is always welcome.
I've been compiling each novel as an epub, complete with the occasional typos and notes like "more dialogue here" and "who is this character?", but still readable. I just finished #3 and loved it. Starting #4, with chips in the neck to monitor and manage people, and realized it related to my Sunday Sparkies post on using AI to analyze faces. Also, back in 2015 I had the timeline to 2026, someone had just been sent off to Mars. and I had already included solar flares as a possible disruptor of the system..
It is hard to choose, because you have a lot of good concepts there. #1, 2, and 6 are my top 3. If I saw all 3 in a bookstore, I would have to narrow it down to #2 or 6. If I could only afford to get one on the spot, I would go with #6. I'll ask my kids for their votes and come back to this.
Thanks Tina - good to have feedback on this. I like the way you narrowed it down based on your budget.
I'll carry on with my plan to read all six drafts, but they all have some strong points for me. The last one, #6, is still just a few short stories, a concept, and some world-building. I'm not sure who the story is about - the daughter, I think. But where does it start? Not a pre colonyship story line back on Earth, that's another novel. I could start when they land, or when they discover almost all must die, or when that one woman gets pregnant, or when her daughter decides she does not want to die with everyone else. And I could end when the daughter runs away or when she reaches the new land or when she succeeds in settling in and sends for everyone else or when the next colony ship arrives from Earth. A character and situation the reader can invest in, with an ending that shows change and development and reflects the initial issue, and with a gripping page turner in between. Piece of cake.
I decided this was the moment to look at your offerings...
First thing I would say, "Too many stories?" is not possible. I think it's great to have many stories, the issue is to complete them. Personally I am a 'one-project-at-a-time' person, but that does not stop me from having ideas... So having many stories in the wings is great!
ok...
The choice is really hard, so I'll jot down the things I was thinking about as I read them.
1. Agnes of Grimm reminds me of my own ideas of fairy tales translated into the modern world, though your story is far more complex and developed and interesting. Great story, I think.
2. Ghost in the machine appears to be an example of transhumanism, where humans aim for a posthuman conditions with a focus on technology. I love the idea of a conflict between the woman who wants to help against those who want that technology for their own reasons.
3. The Portal. I don't relate so much to this one, though it reminds me of people submerged in online roleplay games to the point of ruining their real life, something I have observed.
4. The Managed. Has good potential with AI development. It sent me trying to figure out what would happen in a solar flare event wrecking the electricity grid (among others)
5. The Game. Reminds me a bit of stories by Ottawa author Robert Sawyer, but yours seems grounded on earth which would make it relevant to current events. Imagine a theocracy like Iran using that against the 'western' world.
6. Autumn endings. Has great potential and lots of technical difficulties associated with it (100 embryos? 1000? 10,000? -who takes care of them after birth; what are the psychological consequences of such birthing events, etc). And the start of natural births... are they more adapted to the planet?
Which ones are my favourites? I dont know. I want to read them all. :)
Good luck!
Anne
Wow - excellent feedback, thanks. And some of your points tell me I need to add more details from each story. Possibly spoilers ;-) I'll go back and edit in the post.
1 -Agnes and company - They realize they can boost their powers a bit by doing little mini-scenes, blending fantasy and reality. And for the battle against evil (voodoo) they turn to First Nations power sources. I like the 'normal' world challenges they have, including Agne's new boyfriend, a cop.
2 - Ghost in the Machine - As these 'people' in cyberspace gain knowledge and power, they sense they can do a lot of good. Or not. Ethics questions, who watches the watchers, will governments want to take them over?
3 - The Portal - I liked the sparkly idea of learning about medieval times. The woman spends time over there, seeking her lost son and then saving her husband. He was captured by an evil person (?) that is hoping to steal the idea of this portal. And her sports background means she likes the woodsy life, hunting and battling. Son's yappy dog goes through and becomes a Direwolf? Is her son named Merlin?
4 - The Managed - becomes about government control or emotions and lives, for a more docile populace as the network spreads. Hard for the ageing hero to be persuaded to come out of retirement. I like the solar flare wrinkle.
5 - The Game - I liked the idea, but only got 32k words done. Lots of gaps, but the concept of selecting and training youths to be little more than battle robots is interesting. Hero's ability to see the future - is he the first of many?
6 - I agree, potential and problems. I'm not sure of the optimum colony size. And they are not fertile, so they can 'make' more embryos. Pregnancy issues arose on Earth, due to environmental problems, so had to develop artificial lab birth, and then much of child rearing ended up being done as a group, by robots. So little initial bonding. New colony's Plan B, all die in fall, all new in Spring, means little continuity of culture. First natural pregnancy rekindles their love of children (?), but makes the choice as to what to do with her when they all are to die even harder. This might be the most interesting one, but might be the hardest. Lots to create, but I don't have to edit and re-arrange a more complete story.
My choice isn't any easier. I'll keep reading. Two down, four to go.
Ahah, the goal is not necessarily to make your choice easier... but to encourage you :)
1. I love, for Agnes, the use of First Nations power sources
2. The series Person of Interest (Netflix, I think) touched a bit on Ethics. This makes me wish to re-watch that series (an all powerful AI watching the world touching on moral issues, privacy questions...)
3. Learning about medieval times is great, for me this comes from my interest in history, genealogy, and natural history (I worked as a field biologist for a while). And I love the tie in with direwolves and Merlin...
4. we all hear these days how much electricity AI requires.
5. children tapping in their unknown potential... Speed of reaction, ability to plan ahead at super speed... and why not to a certain extent sight of the future... clearly or not...
6. Nothing stops you from developing it further, right? I'll be happy to be a sounding board :D
Good luck!
Thanks for the feedback and the offer of sounding board. Constructive criticism is always welcome.
I've been compiling each novel as an epub, complete with the occasional typos and notes like "more dialogue here" and "who is this character?", but still readable. I just finished #3 and loved it. Starting #4, with chips in the neck to monitor and manage people, and realized it related to my Sunday Sparkies post on using AI to analyze faces. Also, back in 2015 I had the timeline to 2026, someone had just been sent off to Mars. and I had already included solar flares as a possible disruptor of the system..