Live Long and Prosper

A Brief Introduction to the Life & Works of Theodore Sturgeon

Dying at the respectable age of 67, Theodore Sturgeon did accomplish the first half of his shibboleth, “live long….” I wrote this post so you would explore for yourself whether–as a writer who left us a great many works–he accomplished the other half, “…and prosper.”

Mr. Sturgeon, a name that many of you (and myself until recently) have probably never heard of, is credited with the Star Trek Episode (“Amok Time”) that gave us the Vulcan mating ritual pon farr, & the far more familiar Vulcan phrase (and title of this blog post), which, of course, was transmitted to us by the nerdtacular Spock (it was Mr. Nimoy himself who is credited with giving us the hand gesture/finger-yoga maneuver that accompanies it).

(Follow the link to a wonderful video interview of Mr. Nimoy describing, and demonstrating, where the Vulcan salute came from, including its Jewish origins).

I suppose it can be said of Sturgeon what was said of a writer from our own time, “The most famous writer you’ve never heard of.” (At his peak in the 1950s Sturgeon was the most anthologized author alive).

I must confess that I am a poor carrier of this literary gospel, as my sentiments toward the science fiction genre have, for the most part, followed those of Michael Chabon:

“Most science fiction seemed to be written for people who already liked science fiction.”

Because I am not alone in this bias against sci-fi, I present the evidence for Sturgeon, obscure though the sources may be:

“Perhaps the best way I can tell you what I think of a Theodore Sturgeon story is to explain with what diligent interest, in the year 1940, I split every Sturgeon tale down the middle and fetched out its innards to see what made it function. I looked upon Sturgeon with a secret and gnawing jealousy.”

– Ray Bradbury

“Sturgeon’s often tender explorations of alien minds were as carefully worked out as Faulkner’s exploration of the mind of the idiot in The Sound and the Fury. His emphasis on psychology instead of blasters prepared the way for most modern masters of the science fiction genre.”

—Stephen King

“Sturgeon is a master storyteller certain to fascinate all sorts of readers, not only science fiction fans.”

—Kurt Vonnegut (Vonnegut also used Sturgeon as the basis for his fictional character Kilgore Trout)

“A terrific writer; I enjoyed every word he published.”

—Robert Heinlein (I thought we’d better hear from the sci-fi community, too)

If you are a lover of the sci-fi genre, you have probably already read and enjoyed Sturgeon’s works. If you are a lover of fiction, and not sci-fi, you have probably already enjoyed the works of those (like those listed above) who were inspired by him. And if you only love making fun of people who read fiction & sci-fi, and do not read such things for yourself, I am truly sorry for the unenjoyable life you have led.

**

Because it can be overwhelming to know where to start with a new author, here is my suggested Sturgeon reader, though this is only a launching point:

“Mr. Costello, Hero” – an interesting fictional commentary about the McCarthy era

“Bianca’s Hands” – a horrifying little piece about obsession

“A Way of Thinking” – an amalgamation of several genres with a twist to the voodoo-doll legend

“Extrapolation” – a short story about troubled men and the women who love them

“Slow Sculpture” – a great short story that won him both a Hugo & Nebula award

**

I must give credit to the following sites for making this post possible:

Theodore Sturgeon – The Wikipedia article

Theodore Sturgeon – A Biography (you must forgive this site’s awful layout; it is filled with gems of wonderful commentary, though they are buried in a world of barren design elements)

Published in: on June 2, 2010 at 3:33 pm  Comments (2)  
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Maps & Legends: A Review (sort of)

Regular Rivene readers might recall a review I did back in August of Michael Chabon’s Yiddish Policeman’s Union. I discovered Chabon through the recommendation of my ex, and began reading through his impressive bookography with Wonder Boys.

Recently, I spent a few weeks down in Phoenix where I had plenty of time to soak in the sun, and spend time with friends; but I also made a point of going solo long enough to finish Chabon’s Maps & Legends: Reading and Writing Along the Borderlands.

The following review was composed primarily on the flight back to Seattle, in-between mordibly curious glances at the couple making-out in the seats to my left.

(Honestly, before that flight, I hadn’t thought it possible for two people to contort themselves over an aircraft’s seatbelt-armrest combination..Well, you know what they say, learn something new every day.)

In that vein, I present you a review of the finest book on writing (with its added bonus on reading) I’ve read since Stephen King’s On Writing. Enjoy.

**

“If a writer doesn’t give away secrets, his own or those of the people he loves; if she doesn’t court disapproval, reproach, and general wrath, whether of friends, family, or party apparatchiks; if the writer submits his work to an internal censor long before anyone else can get their hands on it, the result is pallid, inanimate, a lump of earth.” -Michael Chabon

Maps & Legends, the wonderful set of essays by our national treasure, Michael Chabon, has crafted a cartography of the mind and soul of authors, as well as those who read them.

It has inspired me to read more deeply, write more joyously, and live more exuberantly than I have in many months.

I would have been content to enjoy the musical quality of his prose, like a finely arranged symphony that sweeps up and down the scales, each sentence plucked by his Muse-inspired mind; or, I might have simply journeyed across the wide historical range of the many books he has–with passionate delight–convinced me are worthy of the time to read, even as he handed me the map to understanding them.

But what I did not expect (and what is even now shaking the tender pillars of my own troubled soul) was to discover with what brutal, animal-like emotion his personal account of the travails of literary labor–crafting the Golem and speaking it to life–would pluck the tight strings of my own creative heart, and send ripples of delight and dread to the farthest corners of my imagination.

In this book, I discovered a literary brother who, though older, wiser, and more experienced than myself (and yes, like all younger brothers, I must resist the urge to hate and envy his literary success) has taken the time to pause, reflect, and pen a map of the road to writing for those just starting down its path– in the hope that others would follow him.

He could have buried it in the sand, left all these wonderful insights unpublished, or hidden them inside a harddrive or dusty journal. Instead, he has telegraphed them from the wild lands, sent it through the post, with the welcoming inscription:

“Follow the signs. Mind the snakes. But come on over. The view is wonderful.”

Published in: on May 17, 2010 at 10:59 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Scott’s School of Grammar: Em & En

Yes, I went there.

It’s been awhile since ol’ Rivene brought the grammar love. As I was trudging through a combination of work-related work, and non-paid work-related work, I stumbled across a helpful reminder regarding the use of ems and ens ( and no, I’m not referring to our great Detroit-boy Marshall Mathers).

I’m actually referring to those helpful, though sometimes confusing, “-”s and “- -”s.  Before we go into what these amazing little lines can do for you, let’s break down the difference between them.

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First, we got the en, punctuated exactly like a hyphen “-”. It replaces the word “to” (**see note below regarding to**):

He groaned when the preacher said, “We’ll be reading from Genesis 11:10-29.”

My teacher sounded my deathnote when she told us, “Read pages 9-350 by Friday, and be ready to discuss it. A pop quiz may be in your future.”

Secondly, we got the em, just like the hyphen, but two of them “- -”. These powerful little lines can replace many other types of punctuation- -commas, semicolons, colons, and parentheses:

I never imagined I would write a grammar blog post with such punless taste- -my friends assure me it was only a matter of time before I hopped down that rabbit hole.

If it’s true that I only get one shot before I blow- -keep your distance if I’ve been eating Ho-Hos.

It becomes obvious- -even in these silly examples- -that the en is more commonly used than the em. It’s because the writer has a choice of keeping those semicolons, commas, etc., that it seems like the en gets all the love- -at least in academic circles where confusion can result in grade point deductions- -while the ems are left to the flowery world of the poets. And among the poets, many readers may be tempted to think first and foremost of Emily Dickinson’s frequent “-”s, but this would be technically incorrect, as Ms. Dickinson’s use of “-”s in her poetry follows rules that exist- -generally- -in her mind & writing only:

A long—long Sleep—A famous—Sleep—
That makes no show for Morn—
By Stretch of Limb—or stir of Lid—
An independent One—

Was ever idleness like This?
Upon a Bank of Stone
To bask the Centuries away—
Nor once look up—for Noon?

Emily Dickinson “Poem 654″

Sometimes Ms. Dickinson’s “-”s follow the rules of em & en, but more often, they seem to follow the fanciful meter of the poet. If we want to see a poet-writer who uses them properly, we must turn to a “simpler” writer:

I opened my eyes
And looked up at the rain,
And it dripped in my head
And flowed into my brain,
And all that I hear as I lie in my bed
Is the slishity-slosh of the rain in my head.

I step very softly,
I walk very slow,
I can’t do a handstand- -
I might overflow,
So pardon the wild crazy thing I just said- -
I’m just not the same since there’s rain in my head.

Shel Silverstein, “Rain”

Notice how Mr. Silverstein’s use of “- -” after handstand replaces a “,” that would fit equally well. The same is true of the “- -” after said. He uses the ems to create variety, spicing things up a bit.

~~

So let’s recap- -ems are used to replace symbols, while ens are used to replace to. Used together, they give the writer extra spice to use in their works, breaking up the doldrums of familiar punctuation.

But- -like any spice- -both the em- -and the en- -can be overdone- -leaving your poor reader- -only wanting to get from page 1-the end- -floundering.

Just like you wouldn’t put too much chili powder in your pot, don’t put too many ems & ens in your writing.

~~

Rivene would like to thank the following sources for making this post possible- -

Poem Hunter

The Ps and Qs of Ems and Ens by Kristy Schnabel

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**It should be pointed out that I am unclear whether to and through have, through common use, become  interchangeable (e.g. I often hear pastors say, “Turn in your Bibles to Amos 2:1 to 10″ then continue to read through the tenth verse, even though,  technically, to means up to– he worked from 9-5, meaning he did not work the 5:00 hour; while through, in the same example, means he worked from 9 through 5, including the 5:00 hour).

If someone knows whether to and through are now interchangeable, or whether it is merely commonly misused, please note it in the comments. Thanks! And my thanks to Jonathan Paul for pointing this out to me!

Published in: on April 12, 2010 at 11:33 pm  Leave a Comment  
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How to Bait Your Muse

This post started its life as a tweet:

“I want to find a ‘How to Bait Your Muse’ class, or even better, ‘Abducting Muses 101.’”

I wrote it using my Droid around 10:00am this morning. It then went onto Facebook where it generated the following comments:

“…CREEPY!!! :P “

and

“Put cheese on a musetrap“

~~

Now, I suppose I could (should?) allow this tweet to disappear into the nether regions of twitterverse, consumed by the black hole of inanity that consumes most of my 140 constrained characters. But my inanity knows no bounds, certainly not those imposed by Twitter. Plus I still want to know How to Bait My Muse.

It perplexes me where ideas come from. I mean, the good ones. The ideas that keep me up (like this blog post is currently keeping me up) until 2:00-3:00 in the morning, even though I have to be up for work at 7:00.

I used to believe that ideas were like fireflies – a writer would go in the woods, alone, in the dark, and patiently scoop these glittering jems out of the sky, bottling them up for the world to see. But oftentimes (and maybe this is just poor me) they are not so obvious.

If it was this easy, if any old bloke could go bumbling around the woods with a big enough jar and cram that sucker full until it could power up the Bat-signal, well -any old bloke would.

But ideas are not like fireflies. Sometimes they light up in the dark, but if they flicker, they flicker slowly, almost imperceptibly, and it’s up to the writer to go chasing them down, hoping that he will be able to find his way out of the dark woods; hoping there really is a trail that led him in; and once he finds what he came for, that a trail will lead him back out; and more hopeful still, that he can somehow remember the way so he can tell others where he went.

Maybe ideas are less like fireflies, and more like the darker things lurking in the woods, the “semi-domesticated animal” that Stephen King writes of:

“There’s a mystery about creative writing, but it’s a boring mystery unless you’re interested in this one small animal, sometimes quite vicious, that makes its home in the bushes. It’s a scruffy little thing with fleas and often smells of whatever nasty mess it’s been rolling in. It can never be more than semi-domesticated and isn’t exactly known for its loyalty. I’ll speak more of this beast — to which the Greeks gave the comically noble name musa , which means song…” – Stephen King, “The Writing Life”

It’s interesting to me that Stephen King describes the creative process in terms of waiting for a beast, as though the Muse were just some vicious animal, nearly feral, and that which can never be controlled, only caught for short periods of time, usually at the price of scratch marks and bite wounds.

I also think of the creative process in terms of a hunt, but it’s less like Buckmasters and more like eHarmony; less the bear trap metaphor, and more a courtship. In fact, I can almost picture the Muse’s eHarmony profile:

“She enjoys walks on the beach under moonlight, followed by romantic fireside dinners with baked brie and blood red wine the color of former heartache. She enjoys dancing under undying stars where the Milky Way pirouettes into the infinite reaches of heaven. Her favorite colors are sadness, melancholy, exquisite delight, and loneliness. Her worst fears are too much happiness, too little joy, and being suffocated. She is looking for men (and women) who are content in their solitude, afraid in their fears, hopeful in their joys, and  generous with their lives. She also likes cats.“

Mr. King and I agree that the only way to meet this Muse is by getting alone with her (standing on the edge of the woods, waiting for it to arrive), which really means getting alone with oneself. The greatest gift the writer can give to the world is solitude, for it is the price of meeting one’s Muse.

She will flirt in books; she will play coy at parties; she will send love notes throughout your day at work, even while you are out with the boys; but it’s not until you get back to your desk, back to that park in the bench where you’ve stopped to enjoy the sun, back to the driver’s seat of your car while trying to get from social event A to social event B – yes, that’s when she arrives. You won’t always know how she got there, may not even know she’s there at all until she bumps you on the shoulder, but you’ll always know it’s her - the world stops; time hangs on a single, yet eternal, thread of decision: continue along the way, ignore her and all she stands to give, or accept her in that moment, that moment that hangs in eternity.

Make no mistake, writer, if you spurn her presence here, there is no guarantee she will return. Oh, she may come back again, but not like she was in that moment, not as the sun caught in her hair just so. If you ignore it, you’ve lost it – whatever idea, whatever inspiration, whatever gift she would have given, it is gone.

So writer, woo her. Writer, cherish her. Writer, pause. Listen. Hear.

And writer, whatever else you may do

Wait for her.

Published in: on March 10, 2010 at 4:57 pm  Comments (3)  
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Northwest Profile #777: Coffee Serving Dentist

With bleach product next to staining stimulant, you give the people what they truly want. Hated by the ADA, yet loved by Crest, you realize “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” so why not make a few extra bones?

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My mind thinks of things like this, even at 7:30am while sitting in my dentist’s office. Imagine what it must be like to live inside my head!?

Published in: on March 4, 2010 at 4:58 pm  Leave a Comment  
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