Did You Write Yourself In?

There are a few ways an author can review a manuscript with introspection. The first is to ask herself (or himself as the case may be) if she wrote a character that could be mistaken for her. In other words, did I as the author, write myself into the story? If so did I do it on purpose–because I’m a prima donna–or worse, by accident?

As an author who plans to keep on writing my thought is that doing so is a bad idea. The more the ‘author’ character is revealed, the less I have to work with when being interviewed or promoting my work by other means. Why would they talk to me personally when they can ‘read me?’

Accidentally writing yourself into the story can be detrimental in other ways. First, it could be a shock when a person realizes his ‘created’ character seems all too familiar.

Second, this could lead to some nasty and unnecessary introspection. It’s a better idea to know yourself before you begin writing.

An easy way to write yourself in is to write in the first person. Your novel may be full of things like, ‘then I raced down the stairs,’ or ‘the blood oozed out of his neck when I checked for a pulse.’ While not all first person manuscripts have the author as character it’s a good idea to distance creation from creator or you may end up with your own biography. Writing in the first person is supposed to allow the main character to draw the reader into the story.

Of course you can write yourself in as a background character who ties up all the loose ends for the reader. This is the modern equivalent of an ‘aside’ or even a narrator. It’s more acceptable to ’show’ instead of using this ‘tell.’ Even readers seem to prefer action to lengthy dialogue or soul searching.

As the creator of your own characters it’s worth noting that most of them will have something in common with you. They’re human, if I’m not assuming too much.

We tend to write from snippets of our own experience which allow us to create believable behaviors and personalities. Readers have their own life experience to draw upon and are quick to recognize when writing seems unreal. The trick is to allow them to see themselves in or be able to relate to your fictional characters. It can detract from their experience to spot the author hiding in the shadows.

Space Dog Mannequins Promo Video

Creating a promotional book video is a new experience for me. Since I didn’t have much in the way of science fiction settings I opted for the mannequins in the local museum. Here’s the link:

Phyllis K Twombly
http://www.ScifiAliens.com

Dolphins’ World chapter 3

A novella by Canadian Science Fiction Author

Phyllis K Twombly

Captain Dion watched the blue aliens stand up as the last of the water drained from the compartment. They had helped engineer Bruin to his feet. The translation tube now sealed to his shoulders and around his face looked like some kind of weird hood. A length of insulated wire connected it to a wall portal of the alien computer.

“How are your eyes, Mr. Bruin?”

“I can see fine now, Captain. The effects of the flash from the computer screen were temporary. These creatures put some drops in that took the pain away. It’s funny but they seemed to know how I was feeling even before we could communicate.”

A series of clicks and whistles burst into the air.

Dion gave him a puzzled look.

“They say they picked me because of my affinity for other living creatures. I guess they meant my way with animals.”

Gibbs frowned. “I assumed it was because you’re our chief engineer. With you incapacitated like this we can’t even begin recovery of the Andreas.”

Bruin wiggled a finger at him. “Be careful what you say, Gibbs. There’s an immediate translation for them while this thing is connected to me. We don’t want to insult our hosts.”

Dion sighed. “I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m starving. Do you think our hosts could possibly arrange for a meal?”

Bruin grinned. “I hope you like fish. There’s also a very nutritious selection of seaweed they’ve specially picked out for Marsha. They know all about her fish allergy.”

Dion folded her arms in front of her. “I guess they would since they downloaded all our computer files.”

Another series of clicks and whistles filled the room.

Bruin nodded as he listened to the translation. “It’s standard procedure when they don’t receive a response from an alien ship. Apparently we don’t have the technology to even detect their hailing frequency. They’re willing to help us with that.”

Before Dion could respond several of the blue creatures came into the room. Each one of them carried a large piece of seashell filled with fish. Several tables folded down from the interior walls of the chamber. The aliens placed the seashells on the tables and left to bring in more. One table was filled with plates that were obviously from the Andreas. The plates contained seaweed of various colors and consistency.

Dion bit her lip before she asked her question. “Do they know everything about Marsha?”

Bruin nodded ever so slightly. “They know everything that was in the computer files.” The look in his eyes suggested nothing more should be said.

Dion reached downward with her left hand. “Marsha, come here.”

A tall girl with bright red skin stepped forward and took it. In spite of her height she looked to be about nine years old. “I’m here, Captain.” Her smooth, calm voice caused the blue creatures to stare back at her large blue eyes.

Dion closed her eyes for a few seconds. “Marsha, can you accelerate the translation protocols within the aliens’ computer?”

Marsha understood her captain’s true intentions. She let go of Dion’s hand and approached a panel of blinking lights on the wall. Several blue creatures stepped aside to let her through.

With incredible speed Marsha entered a series of commands and data protocols. One of the blue creatures came to stand beside her. It blinked and nodded its approval. After a few minutes it began entering its own commands into the panel beside hers. They stopped at the same time and looked at each other.

Several of the blue creatures hurried over to Max Bruin and removed the water filled translation tube from his head. The engineer smiled his appreciation. In an unexpected gesture, one of the blue creatures patted his shoulder.

The air filled with a series of clicks and whistles that quickly became peppered with words. Soon the noises were replaced entirely with human words spoken in a gentle male voice.

“This creature you’ve brought with you is amazing. Is she the only one of her species?”

Dion smiled at Marsha’s uncertain look. “No. She joined our crew when we visited her planet nearly a year ago. She comes from a thriving community of knowledge seekers. They asked us to take her with us to broaden their experience of the universe. We expect to deliver her back to her people three years from now.”

“So there’s no chance of having her remain with us?”

“You would have to ask her. She has her own free will.”

“Free will? We must examine the concept. It’s one of the things we wanted to discuss with you.”

Dion stepped closer to the blue creature that seemed to be the leader. “Do you mean to say you don’t operate as self-directed individuals?”

There was a pause. “We understand the words but the idea is new to us. We function as a collective.”

After a pause the blue creatures started to leave the room. The computer generated voice explained the sudden departure. “You must be hungry. Please help yourselves to the fish and seaweed. We prefer to eat in the open water. We will swim past the viewing port often so it will seem more like we are all eating together.”

Once the blue creatures were gone Gibbs turned to Bruin. “Do you think the fish and seaweed are safe to eat?”

The engineer nodded. “They have no reason to poison us. The last impression I had was that they were looking forward to our company now that we can communicate.”

Marsha looked around. Her soft voice was calming. “Captain, your telepathic ability is improving. I was able to add a silencer protocol to the translation matrix as you requested. Questions regarding our top secret matters will be translated as small talk. It only works one way. I was also able to learn that they cannot hear our conversation while they’re in the water without activating a special speaker. You may speak freely until they do.”

Dion nodded thoughtfully. She sniffed one of the fish and gingerly took a bite. “The food seems okay. Next time we should ask our hosts for something to cook with.”

Bruin shrugged and twisted his neck from side to side. “It’s good to have that thing off of me. Thanks for speeding up the process, Marsha.”

The young woman came up and began to rub his shoulders. “I don’t think they understood how heavy that was for you.”

He sighed as she continued the massage. “I don’t suppose. Did you manage to pick up any information regarding the state of the Andreas?”

“They’ve managed to repair most of the damage their sonic pulse caused. They’re hoping we’ll blame any effects of it on superficial damage they’ve inflicted on the hull of the ship. They fully expect you to conclude it was from entry of their atmosphere.”

Bruin patted her hand to signal he’d had enough physical contact. “I’d been trying to figure out where that flash from the computer screen originated. I couldn’t think of anything in our systems that could have caused it.”

Marsha looked at the captain and back at Bruin. “There’s something you should know. Giving the Andreas a nickname has led these creatures to think we have an extra crew member on board. They haven’t made the connection. They’ve searched the ocean trying to find ‘Andy.’ They’re hoping we won’t view the loss of this crewman as a hostile act on their part.”

Dion had finished her first fish. “They do seem to want to appear friendly, don’t they? I wonder why.”

Marsha approached the table with the seaweed and helped herself to a pink and blue combination of plant matter. “Not bad. It lacks spices. Perhaps that says something about our hosts.”

Bruin sampled a green piece from the next plate. “Did you learn where the Andreas is now?”

“Sort of. They’ve been experimenting with the pontoons and wings…”

Bruin put a hand on her arm. “Do you mean to tell me they’ve been playing around with my ship?”

Captain Dion grinned. “Don’t you mean my ship, Mr. Bruin?”

“Our ship, Captain. They’ve got no right to mess around with our only mode of transportation. If they damage it…”

Dion shrugged. “No doubt they’re just curious. Their data download would include all the specifications. They probably just want to see the technology in action. With all that information they don’t even need to reverse engineer it. Besides, there’s nothing we can do to stop them right now.”

****

Next time; hidden motivations.

Phyllis K Twombly
http://www.ScifiAliens.com

Dolphins’ World chapter two

A novella by Canadian Science Fiction Author

Phyllis K Twombly

Chapter Two

Chief engineer Max Bruin sensed the change in direction of his escape pod. Instead of a continued ascent to the surface it felt like the pod was being moved sideways. “Hell of an undercurrent,” he muttered to himself. He tried again to open his eyes. They still ached from the blinding flash of light that had burst from his computer screen back on the Andreas.

When the pod opened the air took on a strange fish-like odor. Small hands tugged on his sleeves. He followed their guidance, grateful that the crew had found him so quickly. There was no sound except for a background hum and the sound of their footsteps. “I’m grateful for the rescue, guys. But why is everyone being so quiet? Did we take refuge in a tomb or something?”

He was answered by a series of clicks and whistles.

Bruin chuckled in spite of his pain. “I see. Still playing pranks on the chief engineer, are we? I hate to spoil the fun but could you take me to whatever now passes for sick bay? My eyes are killing me.”

The two figures guiding him stopped. One of them touched a hand to his temple. Through squinting eyes he thought he saw a bit of blue flesh. He groaned.

“Oh, that’s just great. My vision starts to come back and nothing’s the right color.”

Bruin allowed his hand to be guided until he felt a long flat surface. “An examining table! Now we’re making progress.” He allowed himself to be helped onto the surface. He’d just begun to relax when he realized straps were being secured around his arms and legs. He tried to sit up but a hand gently pressed against his forehead. There were more clicks and whistles. A thought flashed through Bruin’s mind just before he passed out. Perhaps it wasn’t his crewmates who had found him but the aliens who lived in the Aquarium.

****

Captain Dion felt a smooth wet sensation on her skin. The blue creature had wrapped its webbed hand around hers. She let it lead her down a dim corridor. There was an entrance to another chamber at the end of it. Once inside she compulsively gripped the alien’s hand harder. She was completely unprepared for the sight before her.

Max Bruin, chief engineer of the Andreas, lay prostrate inside a water filled chamber. An opening around his face allowed for limited head movement. Bruin managed to turn slightly towards her. “Hello, Captain. Did everyone get off the Andreas safely?”

Captain Dion shook off her shock. “Uh, yes. These creatures were very helpful in bringing us all here. We haven’t found any way to communicate with them yet.”

Bruin waved his arm inside the water surrounding him. “That’s what this device is for. Don’t ask me how it works but it translates their clicks and whistles into thoughts and images. It’s quickly becoming more like speech. I guess that means they’re learning English. We’ve been exchanging quite a few ideas…”

Dion approached the tube and gently placed her hands on it. “Are you okay in this thing?”

“Never better. Now look over there.” Bruin rolled his eyes in the direction of a console she hadn’t noticed before. The blue creature walked over and tapped it. A look of concentration crossed Bruin’s face as the creature emitted a series of clicks and whistles.

“He says something like, ‘it’s a pleasure to host such charming creatures.’ I think he used the word charming. Either that or he thinks we’re naïve. He wants to apologize if we found their behavior aggressive.”

Dion frowned slightly. “Tell him we’re grateful for the hospitality. Ask him if there’s any other way to communicate that would allow you to get out of this thing.”

Bruin wriggled slightly. Clicks and whistles filled the air before he could speak. “The translation is already automatic for them. This device is for our benefit. Once they analyze enough of our language they should be able to create a computer program we can all use.”

Dion raised her eyebrows. “Just how long is this analysis supposed to take?” She sighed as another series of clicks and whistles broke into the relative quiet.

Bruin smiled patiently. “A day, maybe two. I’ll be a bit wrinkled by then but think of the science and technology we’ll be able to exchange when we can communicate freely. They have so many questions.”

Dion scowled. “Maybe we shouldn’t tell them everything.”

Bruin bit his lip. “It’s too late for that. They know everything that was in the Andreas computer: programs, personal logs, passwords, everything. We have no secrets from these people. Actually they find us a bit primitive. We could stand to learn some of their sciences.”

Captain Dion turned around at the sound of multiple footsteps. The eighty-seven men and women who made up the crew of the Andreas were being escorted into the chamber by more blue creatures.

Dion turned to Bruin. “What’s going on?”

“The inhabitants of this planet require water submersion at least twice a day. This chamber has been set up to provide us with oxygen while our hosts go for their swim. It’s quite a feat of engineering. They’ve put together a series of rotating air pods to provide the upper half of this chamber with a breathable atmosphere while the rest of the facility is flooded. The water levels in here should only rise about four feet…unless a seal breaks. Then we could be in trouble.”

Dion shook her head. “Tell them we have emergency gear for situation like this on our spaceship.”

“They’ve already taken the liberty of bringing that gear from the Andreas. It’s in the compartment outlined by lights if you need it. The water is about to start coming in. You’d better tell everyone what’s going on.”

Dion turned to address her crew. “Alright, here’s the situation. Our hosts seem to be able to breathe underwater. They need to be submerged in water twice a day and they’ve designed this compartment to give us air while they swim around. We’re still going to get wet because four feet of water will be allowed into this compartment. I don’t want to hear any panic or complaining. If anything goes wrong I want each department leader to proceed to retrieve scuba gear for their team from that compartment.” She pointed to the door outlined in lights.

Bruin chuckled. “I beg to be excused from that assignment, Captain.”

Gibbs stepped forward. “I’d be happy to fill in for you, Chief.”

Dion smiled. “You chose your team well, Mr. Bruin.”

****

The crew of the Andreas watched with a mix of curiosity and amazement as their hosts swam through the water they stood in. Dion kept a watchful eye on the chamber containing her chief engineer. She raised her eyebrows when one of the blue creatures began to adjust a segment of the tube just below Bruin’s shoulders.

Bruin winked at her. “It’s alright, Captain. At first they weren’t sure what part of the human body was the equivalent of their melon. That’s the sound organ in the front of their heads…”

“Thank you. I know what a dolphin’s melon is, Mr. Bruin.”

“These creatures believe it’s more like their seat of emotion and instinct. They make less differentiation between the mind and the emotions than we do. That’s something important to keep in mind when you begin negotiations with them.”

Dion frowned. “What will I be negotiating for, Mr. Bruin?”

A dark look briefly crossed the man’s face. “I can’t tell you right now. They’re about to start listening to my thoughts again.” He smiled brightly at her as two of the creatures resealed the tube against his shoulders. They pulled the rest of the tube away to give him more freedom of movement.

****

Next time; negotiations with the aliens.

Phyllis K Twombly

Dolphins’ World: Chapter One

A novella by Canadian Science Fiction Author

Phyllis K Twombly

Chapter One

The crew of the Andreas had adopted their captain’s tendency to call the spaceship ‘Andy.’ It had been somewhat of an adjustment for the ship’s computer but Andy soon showed a preference for the shorter version.

Chief engineer Bruin lived up to the physical part of his name. His muscles came in handy whenever some of Andy’s larger components exhibited their tendency to jam. Other crew members knew to stay out of his way when he began to wrestle with the machinery.

Bruin’s mind was on other things at the moment. A habitable planet had been found. Unfortunately this orb was made up of even more water than Earth. From this distance it was hard to spot the few land masses the computer insisted were there.

Bruin pressed the voice recognition button on his console. “Recognize chief engineer, Andy.”

A pleasant male voice responded. “The computer recognizes chief engineer Max Bruin. Please state your instructions.”

“Has the planet been given a designation yet?”

The computer responded immediately. “Captain Dion has named the planet the Aquarium.”

Bruin chuckled. “Is that going to be its official designation?”

“Unless the inhabitants have another name for it, the designation will remain.”

Bruin placed his large hands against his console. “Computer, are you telling me we’ve detected intelligent life in the Aquarium?”

“Negative, Mr. Bruin. The conclusion is computer generated. This system’s files were downloaded by the artificial satellite detected at the edge of the solar system. The data was then relayed to an underwater complex in the Aquarium.”

Bruin sucked in his breath. “Wow! Tell me, Andy, when were you planning on informing the rest of us?”

“Please restate your question.”

“Is the captain aware of the data download?”

“That’s unlikely.”

Bruin groaned. “I suspected as much. Why do you always make me tell her the bad news?”

****

A series of clicks and whistles greeted the large blue creature with black eyes. He responded with a similar vocalization as he eyed the computer screen. The skin around his bottle shaped snout wrinkled slightly. He could see what was happening; he didn’t need a running commentary. He got it anyway.

“Commander, the alien craft is about to splash down. They have reconfigured it so that it won’t sink. If they make it to land…”

The station commander shook his head and torso. ”I can see that, Manti. We’ll have to make it sink.”

There was a pause before the clicks and whistles responded. ”Make it sink? The aliens might view that as an act of war on our part.”

”Not at all. They’re completely unfamiliar with our technology. I’ll send out a few sonic pulses that will overload their computer. They’ll assume it’s a malfunction. Have a dozen of your commandos ready. Retrieve the engineer. Their computer files list his affinity for lower life forms. He’s the one most likely to be useful for the linguistic interface.”

****

Bruin kept the descent through the alien atmosphere from becoming too disconcerting to the crew, all the while swearing about damage to Andy’s systems. The ship would need major repairs if they could find any metal on this water logged planet…assuming Andy was even salvageable after the splash down still to come.

Bruin double checked his computations. Andy’s triple side wings were now deployed. With the correct angle, it was possible the wings and pontoons might allow the spaceship to land and glide over the top of the water’s surface; maybe even until they could find a land mass. Possible, Bruin mused, but not likely. They were still coming down fast.

Still, attempting to touch down and glide on the surface of the water was a better option than having the ship submerge. A flash of nausea almost overwhelmed the chief engineer. He grasped a nearby console, only to see serious warnings on the computer screen. Several key landing systems were shorting out. The wings retracted. The pontoons disengaged and dropped into the water below.

Bruin tapped the intercom button. “Captain, something’s fishy down here! All the anti-submergence functions are failing!”

A calm female voice answered. “That’s impossible, Mr. Bruin. Please recheck your sensors.”

Bruin swore under his breath as he released the button. “Damn unflappable hybrid! She didn’t seem to care about the aliens copying our computer files, either.” He tapped a few more keys on his console before hitting the intercom again. “There’s no mistake, Captain. We’re going underwater!”

“Thank you, Mr. Bruin. This is Captain Dion to all crew. Execute water contingency plan four. Everyone who can’t swim is to evacuate to an escape pod. Those trained in advanced aquatics are to don snorkeling equipment. Wait for the ship to finish its descent and the lights to go to green before opening the hatches. I don’t want to lose anybody to decompression stress.”

Immediately the soft white lighting of the ship’s interior became a harsh red color.

****

Everyone was strapped into a chair but still felt the shock of the ship hitting the water. Captain Dion turned a full rotation in her chair to check the six members of her bridge crew. “Is everyone okay? Good, let’s prepare to disembark.”

****

Bruin ensured all of his men were in snorkel gear and ready for evacuation. He felt a bit juvenile, being the only member of engineering who couldn’t swim. At least it allowed him to continue monitoring the computer screen without hindrance. He frowned as the console began to emit a strange, increasing whine. He caught the full blast of light generated on the computer screen by another sonic pulse. He collapsed on the floor with his eyes squeezed shut in pain. His team gathered around and removed their snorkel masks just as the ship’s lighting turned green.

Bruin tried to open his eyes but only perceived the general change in the interior lighting. “Has Andy gone green?” he gasped.

Gibbs, his second in command, responded. “Aye, Sir.”

Bruin groped for his arm. “Listen, Gibbs. You’ll have to leave me. I’m no good to you blind.”

“But Sir…”

“That’s an order, Gibbs. Don’t worry, I know Andy like the back of my hand. I’ll find an escape pod. Just help me to my feet and point me in the right direction. Captain Dion will find me. She might be genetically warped but there’s no sub-human I’d rather have looking for me.”

Gibbs helped him up. “This way, Sir. The rest of the men are on their way to the hatches.”

The ten men gave him a dubious look. Gibbs scowled at them. They nodded and left the room.

****

Manti waited in the water near the alien ship. As each escape pod launched itself one of his commandos took hold of it and guided it to the underwater station. The aliens in artificial swim gear were no match for the superior strength of his team but Manti worried about the consequences of appearing so aggressive. At least the aliens seemed to calm down when they saw the station. Perhaps they had a fear of drowning. Rumor had it that they couldn’t breathe in water.

The sudden tugging sensation in Manti’s rounded forehead wasn’t completely unexpected. The alien records had noted their chief engineer had an ‘affinity for animal life forms,’ their term for ‘congruence.’ It might enable some communication with the new arrivals.

The strength of the feeling was most compelling. Manti grabbed the pod without hesitation. He felt a stab of conscience about how confused the alien must be feeling. He knew the poor fellow would face even more troubling events before he would understand. He nearly released the capsule before two of his commandos swam up to reassure him. They had felt the compulsion as well.

****

Captain Dion was nearly two feet shorter than the blue creature standing in front of her. She had tried talking to it, but couldn’t decipher the clicks and whistles it responded with. She assumed it knew she was captain of the Andreas from downloading the computer files. Obviously they were trying to form a connection. The creature had offered its webbed hand as if it understood the meaning of a handshake. Dion had shaken it and offered a smile, something the creature also seemed to understand. It had reached over and felt her short, brown hair for just a moment. It was an understandable reaction for a creature with no hair at all.

The moment the creature didn’t seem to be watching her, Dion rubbed the inside of her right arm. The genetic markers couldn’t find an exact match with any of the DNA samples implanted in her. She repeated the motion on her other arm. A potential match popped up in her mind, but she’d need access to the Andreas computer to verify these aliens as a distant match to the dolphins back on Earth.

****

Next time; talking to the aliens.

Phyllis K Twombly
http://www.ScifiAliens.com

Dolphins’ World

A novella by Canadian Science Fiction Author

Phyllis K Twombly

Introduction

A webbed blue hand hovered over a backlit computer console. Big black eyes regarded the large computer screen with intelligent curiosity. Alien hieroglyphics surrounded the image of an unidentified ship entering the planet’s solar system. A steady series of clicks and whistles came over the computer’s speakers. The blue creature understood them all. “Relay outpost to Alpha Base Commander, we still cannot establish communications with the alien ship. However, we were able to copy and translate their computer files. It seems our visitors come from a system that supports some of our distant cousins. The species they call ‘dolphin’ was apparently unable to communicate with them. Our first evaluation is that they’re probably desperate to find a hospitable planet. Their fuel and food reserves seem to be unacceptably low.” The first creature’s webbed hand tapped his rounded face. “Can you determine the extent of their weaponry?” “What they have is inferior but still dangerous if they choose to activate their missiles.” The base commander’s bottle shaped mouth gaped. “Missiles? They went into space with archaic weapons?” The response was similar to a laugh. “We double checked to make sure we hadn’t made a mistake. Such simple beings… No wonder their own records contain incidents where our cousins rescued some of them. Apparently they can’t even breathe in water.” The commander’s eyes blinked several times. “They can’t breathe in water? Then why does their trajectory indicate they’ll land in our ocean?” “Perhaps they plan some kind of course correction. Or perhaps they don’t realize they’re heading for water.” The commander began to sound perturbed. “It goes against all common sense and reason…” “Sorry to interrupt, Commander, but I think we’ve detected a defect in their navigation. They direct their ships with visual recognition. They have no liquid sonar.” The commander rolled his black eyes and sighed. “What a shame. I’d begun to think we were dealing with a highly evolved species.” There was a pause before the clicks and whistles responded. “Perhaps they are. Perhaps they’re just…different. They have achieved space travel.” The commander slowly moved his head and neck. “Then we should probably look after them until we can determine their intentions. It seems our cousins have set a precedent regarding these creatures. Even so, caution is advised. Continue to monitor their approach.” “Aye, Sir.” The commander pressed a green area on his control panel. The image on his view screen switched to show a creature like himself. It smiled back at him. “Hello, Commander. What can I do for you?” The commander’s gaze momentarily dropped to the floor. His voice softened. “Hello, Astra. We have guests arriving. They’re going to need an oxygen atmosphere.” “That’s no problem.” “They can’t breathe in water.” “That might be a problem.” “That’s why I called.” Astra had begun pressing keys on her computer terminal. “I suppose, if we rotated a series of air pods through the core of your station, it could work. How long do these guests of yours plan on staying?” The commander rolled his shoulders slightly. “I have no idea. They’ll splash down within a day or two.” The skin above Astra’s eyes wrinkled ever so slightly. “If they can’t breathe in water why don’t they aim for land?” The commander knew he should answer with the standard response of ‘top secret.’ Instead he drew a sharp breath that made his voice become deeper. “We suspect they may be a bit clumsy in their navigation. Besides, I’d rather be in a position to ensure the safety of our planet. If they’re running around on land our access to them will be limited.” Astra turned and nodded to someone outside of the commander’s view. “That’s a wise precaution. I hope your guests don’t resent so much restriction.” The commander winked at her. “They’ll barely notice.”

****

Look for chapter one next week.

Phyllis K Twombly
http://www.ScifiAliens.com

Creatively High Strung

It’s a bit of a stereotype but creative people are often high strung. Not all high strung people are necessarily creative, some are just nervous. I’m a fairly confident person, but don’t sneak up on me. At one point my staff developed the habit of warning me if they were about to hurry past my desk, which was quite thoughtful of them. I guess they got tired of seeing me jump.

Fortunately for me, staying calm is almost as natural as being high strung. It’s not hard to maintain a balance between the two—most of the time. Some people delight in pushing high strung people over the edge. That’s not a good idea. If you poke me in the ribs and startle me at the same time you may end up on the floor and it will be your own fault.

(A quick aside here-poking someone in the ribs is cruel, nasty, and proves you’re a bully. Ribs are somewhat fragile as those of us who have fractured a few are painfully aware.)

I don’t risk alcohol. Not only do I lack any desire for it, drinking would be counterproductive to staying in control. Besides, I’m quite fond of all of my brain cells. (I suspect my definition of ‘fun’ is somewhat different than most. My enjoyment comes from a depth of experience and/or entertainment. I love writing and tend to get completely lost in encyclopedias. Or thought. Sometimes being high strung helps me return to the real world.)

Being high strung tends to be hereditary. My tendency comes from both sides of the family, although I’ve always believed the maternal side had it under better control. Of course the family assures me that the higher strung, the more intelligent you are. How nice of them.  ;-)

Phyllis K Twombly
www.ScifiAliens.com

All the Fish Died: comedy vs humor

Comedian. Humorist. Although both are supposed to be entertaining they bring different expectations to mind.

The comedian is supposed to be funny all the time and cause laughter on a variety of subjects that may or may not include the vulgar or tragic. Comedy is outspoken, often loud, often irreverent.

Humor tends to be more laid back. It may be subtle, wry, or even sarcastic. Humor is often deemed to be more intellectual than comedy. Comedy clubs abound while humor suffers slings and arrows, etc.

It’s the braver (or more stupid) comedian who makes much of ‘gallows humor’ with jokes about tragedy or death. It’s comedy with a bit of shame attached…we know we shouldn’t laugh but can’t help ourselves. Humor may be dark but it’s often without shame.

Sometimes one encounters darker comedy by accident, such as the newspaper article in which the light of a fish tank ignited a fire; the fire broke the glass, the water put out the fire, and the article ended with the words, ‘all the fish died.’ I laughed. Then I felt bad. As a pet owner I know how close a person get to pets, even fish.

Perspective often draws the line between what one person laughs at and another doesn’t. In some cases an inablility to recognize humor may be a sign of mental illness. Then again, some people naturally have no sense of humor. I’ve encountered a few. To me it’s always a bit of a shock. In my family, if we don’t tease you we simply don’t love you. Unfortunately we also know just how and when to use humor as a weapon for those rare occasions that call for it.

Personally I prefer ‘harmless’ humor, but again the definition can vary. I was a fan of the old Canadian duo, Wayne & Shuster. You couldn’t pay me to watch a film that insults the United States. Yet many comedies I’d find acceptable do poke fun at some of our North American foibles.

Shared humor is a sign of affection. Humor that hurts or insults is just mean and may damage relationships. A comedian can get boo’d off the stage for crossing the line between funny and nasty. Fortunately most of those acts die long before the comedian ‘hits the big time,’ which spares the rest of us.

It takes a specialized personality to be able to say things other would be held in contempt for and have people laugh instead. It’s more than mere delivery. People are fairly good at quickly assessing the personalities they encounter. Human instinct allows us to quickly assume whether we’re going to like someone or not. Regardless of accuracy and past experience, most of us rely on this instinct more often than we might admit. The comedian who wants to be rich and famous would do well to assess his own personality if only to determine what kind of material he can ‘get away with.’

Comedians tend to be thought of as ‘live performers’ while humorists are often thought to be writers. Hence, ‘stand-up comedy,’ not ‘stand-up humorist.’ People tend to say they’ve ‘read’ a humorist, but watched a comedian.  We’re funny that way.

Thanks for reading.  :-)

Phyllis K Twombly
www.ScifiAliens.com

For the Love of Klingons!

Advanced technology has brought us another Burger King commercial for their collectible Star Trek glasses. Have they gone too far?

This time the ‘Kingons’ (Burger King’s own iconic character melded with Star Trek’s Klingons) come after the customer in his own living room. They immobilize his dog with some kind of beam before they take his collectible glass.

In a surprise twist the poor guy asks the Kingons “why don’t you take my girlfriend too?” The Kingons seem to think it’s a great idea but she objects…

Come on, a Trekkie wouldn’t date someone unfriendly to the franchise. A real Trekkie’s girlfriend would be one in her own right. She’d be thrilled to ‘beam’ anywhere, assuming the people using it have invented a pattern buffer. (The technology is currently unusable for lack of one. In Martian Divides I overcome the problem with the Martian symbiont on page 32.)

Perhaps the most important thing for animal loving Trekkies is that the dog is still unable to move at the end of the ad. Much of the commercial message is overwhelmed as the viewer’s engagement is shifted towards the poor pet.

Sorry, BK. This ad loses focus on that point and only gets…three cheeseburgers out of five.  ;-)

Thanks for reading.

Phyllis K Twombly
http://www.ScifiAliens.com

K’Plah, Cheeseburger!

Burger King came up with one clever commercial. They could have gone with the standard tie-in, ‘we sell collectibles for the latest scifi movie, supplies are limited, etc…’ Instead they chose to forever write themselves into the Star Trek mythology, if only in a small way.

Remaking their own icon into a ‘Kingon,’ sort of like a Klingon, ensures at least one particular segment of Star Trek fans will always think of their restaurant. To make an entire group of them including females, was just the start.

Your average customer supposedly needs to hurry because the ‘Kingons’ are after the collectibles. (Never mind that they might be eligible for a staff discount!) They want your collectible glass! There’s nothing to create desire like limiting supply and threatening availability.

But BK went one step further. They combined that with the fictional market demand, ie, the ‘Kingons’ will go to extremes to get one of these glasses, just like a Ferengi. The insinuation is that these collectibles must be protected once one has them. It’s not enough to just watch your burger anymore.  

I think it’s one of the most entertaining commercials I’ve seen in a long time. I give it four and a half stars out of five. K’Plah, Cheeseburger!

Thanks for reading.

Phyllis K Twombly
www.ScifiAliens.com