Surfing on the Internet and reading the bookshops’ events’ page, I’ve recently discovered the interesting SciFi Session that Waterstones Gower Street monthly arranges to talk with new and established authors about science fiction and fantasy. The special guests Glyn Morgan professionally introduced were Adrian Tchaikovsky – author of Dogs of War – and Emma Newman – Before Mars. After the writers read a sample of their novels, Morgan immediately plunged into the core of the conversation, asking what drew them on writing science fiction and fantasy, and what was the distinction between the genres.
“That’s not an easy question,” Newman replied, causing the audience to chuckle, “I’ve never thought about the genre I was writing. I was just writing. It actually was the publisher to let me know what genre it was when it picked my novel up.” “I think science fiction and fantasy are the genres I’ve always belonged to,” Tchaikovsky said. “Since I was a kid, I’ve used to read a lot of science fiction, and I then decided to write something the readers might want.” The authors agreed that they spent a huge amount of time on researching. Morgan wanted to create an original scenario which could be rooted in British history. Tchaikovsky, instead, focused on the consistency; the worlds a writer created had to make sense. “The closer you get to reality,” he said, “the more you bear the burden of what you created.” The connection between reality and fictional creation gave Morgan the opportunity to ask what led the writers to a certain story or series. “There were a lot of variables involved,” Newman replied. “My initial ideas needed numerous characters to describe the multiple points of view I wanted to write about.” Tchaikovsky thought that short series was the best way to write a story; what was really important was to create the world in which you wanted to set the story, then to focus on the characters and plot. “I believe that a novel has to have a pay-off at the end,” the author said, “without leaving the readers depending on the next book.” The works of Tchaikovsky portrayed a strong and unusual interaction between animals and human beings. “My inspiration came from the David Attenborough’s documentaries I grew up with,” he explained. “Playing role games inspired me, too. The best way to judge a system or people was to put yourself in others’ shoes and observe them from that new perspective.” Newman’s narration had a more psychological approach, instead. Disorders and difficult backgrounds were the main characteristics of her characters. “The interaction between humanity and technology brought me to write about what I was angry for,” she said. “I focused on the psychological aspects because literature often stereotyped people who had these disturbs. I believed that the causes behind their conditions were more complex to examine.” The author then told the audience that she suffered depression in the past, and she wanted to describe what she really felt, instead of a mere and superficial representation. Morgan’s last questions focused on the importance of the science fiction in analysing and criticising the society. “Politics shouldn’t ever be removed from science fiction,” Newman proudly said. “Along with fantasy, this genre has always been political. My works expressed my views, my fears, and my worries.” Newman the added that the problem wasn’t the technology, but the determination of the people to make good results. The technology used properly could sort a lot of problems out. “I’m not completely optimistic, in the short term.” Tchaikovsky concluded, “In the long term, I think we should be able to get over the period of crisis and resolve the problems.”
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