I'm On This Hill Holding A Flag.

It took me 4 days to write this post.

As most of you know, I tend to stay out of the various public kerfluffles that periodically rise up from the depth in SF/F/H. it's not that I don’t have an opinion. I do. It's just that I've always felt my time and energy was better spent staying focused on the writing. Typically, I'm pretty quiet, not wanting or needing to toss myself into the various arguments, discussions, and sometimes flamewars that happen.

That said, there is something bothering me. It's not so much that I want to refute something or attack someone's position as I want to get my own thoughts on the matter down in public.

Just because you do not like a certain genre does not mean you should go around in your stompy boots and stomp in other people's playpens. Perhaps I'm feeling a little under siege, since the genres coming under the hardest attack are urban fantasy, paranormal romance, throwback style space opera, and steampunk (though I would say I write something more akin to "gaslights and grimoires" since I add magic to my steam culture), all of which I enjoy as a reader and writer. You don't have to enjoy (or even like) the same genres I do. I dislike certain types of stories and genres. I try not go around bashing the things someone else loves.

This isn't to say that you can't express your dislike of a particular style or genre or trope. I have friends who don't like steampunk. I have friends who don't like urban fantasy. I don't like certain styles and genres. I don't have a problem with you saying you dislike story type X. I do have a problem with you attacking story type X, its fans, and its creators before going on a tirade and acting as if they are stupid/evil/somehow responsible for all the woes in the world/somehow responsible for all the woes in publishing/somehow lesser than the fans and writers of the thing you love.

I'm tired of authors (of any kind) who bag on fiction (and authors) that they consider not realistic enough/not dark enough/not gritty enough/not dirty enough/not hopeless enough (which seems to equal realistic) and OMG people are having silly fun with something they enjoy and IT HAS TO STOP! Because fiction (Art) should reflect real life which is ALL PAIN ALL THE TIME AND IF YOU THINK IT ISN'T YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY LIVING A FANTASY!!!

Also, stop with the constant "Well, that's not realistic/period/it couldn’t happen that way" pissing on other folk's stories. This is fiction. If I wanted to be exacting in my science (as we know it) or history, I would write non-fictions article about science and history. What we are writing is fiction, and fiction writers get to take reasonable liberties with things for the sake of story and entertainment. Sure, there are things I always try to get right (mostly concerning guns, gowns, and horses), but I also get to play with things. All fiction exists in an alternative universe next door to ours. It can be somewhat different to reality as we know it.

I think most of us understand the historical periods we're writing in as well as the tropes we are working with. I am well aware--as a student of history--of the dark side of the Victorian era, both in Britain itself and in its colonies. I am well aware of all kinds of race, class, and gender issues in the real world today. I am well aware of the history and suffering of any number of marginalized groups of people. I realize that as a white male I have an incredible amount of privilege in the world, so much so that even though I give it hard thought pretty regularly, I know there are things that are still invisible to me.

Do not assume that I or any other author do not know these things, even if we decide not to address those issues in our fiction. Stories exploring the evils of colonialism and imperialism need to be told--these are things that need addressing--but not all the time and not in every piece of fiction. They don't need to be part of every story anymore than kids need to eat brussel sprouts at every meal. Those might be "good for you," but sometimes you want a cheeseburger. Or cheesy space opera.

As always, these thoughts and opinions are my own and your mileage may vary.

I'm On This Hill Holding A Flag.

It took me 4 days to write this post.

As most of you know, I tend to stay out of the various public kerfluffles that periodically rise up from the depth in SF/F/H. it's not that I don’t have an opinion. I do. It's just that I've always felt my time and energy was better spent staying focused on the writing. Typically, I'm pretty quiet, not wanting or needing to toss myself into the various arguments, discussions, and sometimes flamewars that happen.

That said, there is something bothering me. It's not so much that I want to refute something or attack someone's position as I want to get my own thoughts on the matter down in public.

Just because you do not like a certain genre does not mean you should go around in your stompy boots and stomp in other people's playpens. Perhaps I'm feeling a little under siege, since the genres coming under the hardest attack are urban fantasy, paranormal romance, throwback style space opera, and steampunk (though I would say I write something more akin to "gaslights and grimoires" since I add magic to my steam culture), all of which I enjoy as a reader and writer. You don't have to enjoy (or even like) the same genres I do. I dislike certain types of stories and genres. I try not go around bashing the things someone else loves.

This isn't to say that you can't express your dislike of a particular style or genre or trope. I have friends who don't like steampunk. I have friends who don't like urban fantasy. I don't like certain styles and genres. I don't have a problem with you saying you dislike story type X. I do have a problem with you attacking story type X, its fans, and its creators before going on a tirade and acting as if they are stupid/evil/somehow responsible for all the woes in the world/somehow responsible for all the woes in publishing/somehow lesser than the fans and writers of the thing you love.

I'm tired of authors (of any kind) who bag on fiction (and authors) that they consider not realistic enough/not dark enough/not gritty enough/not dirty enough/not hopeless enough (which seems to equal realistic) and OMG people are having silly fun with something they enjoy and IT HAS TO STOP! Because fiction (Art) should reflect real life which is ALL PAIN ALL THE TIME AND IF YOU THINK IT ISN'T YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY LIVING A FANTASY!!!

Also, stop with the constant "Well, that's not realistic/period/it couldn’t happen that way" pissing on other folk's stories. This is fiction. If I wanted to be exacting in my science (as we know it) or history, I would write non-fictions article about science and history. What we are writing is fiction, and fiction writers get to take reasonable liberties with things for the sake of story and entertainment. Sure, there are things I always try to get right (mostly concerning guns, gowns, and horses), but I also get to play with things. All fiction exists in an alternative universe next door to ours. It can be somewhat different to reality as we know it.

I think most of us understand the historical periods we're writing in as well as the tropes we are working with. I am well aware--as a student of history--of the dark side of the Victorian era, both in Britain itself and in its colonies. I am well aware of all kinds of race, class, and gender issues in the real world today. I am well aware of the history and suffering of any number of marginalized groups of people. I realize that as a white male I have an incredible amount of privilege in the world, so much so that even though I give it hard thought pretty regularly, I know there are things that are still invisible to me.

Do not assume that I or any other author do not know these things, even if we decide not to address those issues in our fiction. Stories exploring the evils of colonialism and imperialism need to be told--these are things that need addressing--but not all the time and not in every piece of fiction. They don't need to be part of every story anymore than kids need to eat brussel sprouts at every meal. Those might be "good for you," but sometimes you want a cheeseburger. Or cheesy space opera.

As always, these thoughts and opinions are my own and your mileage may vary.