Writing Speculative Fiction from the Other Side of the World
Here's an excellent, excellent interview by Jeff Vandermeer.
The interviewer, Indian SF writer Samit Basu, had conducted a number of interviews on Indian and South Asian speculative fiction. However, I thought that the one on Jeff's could apply also to the Philippines.
Aptly enough, I agree with most of Jeff's points. I remember two years ago how I shelved most of my story ideas including a lot of notes and maps. This was because I was fixated at that time on the fantasy genre and its resultant world-building such that this was all I could think of when creating stories. However, despite all the great ideas I was coming up, I came to realize that my stories didn't speak to me. I felt that writing nothing that bespoke of the Philippine culture and its national identity was tantamount to shamefully turning away from who I was. Granted that there's nothing wrong with writing stories based on fantastical worlds instead of the real world (i.e. the Philippines), but i felt it was a matter of perspective: I needed to know where I was coming from before I could write my stories.
(Which is why, though Jeff thinks there's nothing wrong in borrowing from different cultures, it does give me pause before I attempt it. I suppose I'm afraid of losing that sense of identity in the process of writing such a story. But I digress.)
Fortunately enough, it helps that I'm inspired by the slowly-growing community of speculative fiction writers in the country. Knowing that writing well-written stories with a local milieu but with a speculative bent can be done at all makes me strive to do better.
It also helps that we Filipino writers have the bonds of the English language to connect us amidst the large number of local languages and dialects of the 7,000 islands. (Writing in our local language is also important but I think this merits a different, much longer post.) This proficiency in the English language, I think, is at least one advantage of Filipino writers has in trying to write international-level stories, much more speculative fiction.
As Jeff has mentioned, I do believe Dean managed to make in-roads into the international market in this very same way. i.e. via the Internet, to the point in managing to get himself published in the Datlow anthologies. It helps that he's a consummate marketeer himself and makes me think that if it can be done, then it can be done.
A lot of food for thought for me to chew upon here. In the meantime, check out Jeff's interview as well as all the rest for some interesting insights.
23 comments:
i personally ascribe to the idea that national identity must not be confused with personal identity, and the personal is more relevant to the human experience...
but that's just me.;p
Hahaha! I just commented on your blog man! Sheesh.
I agree with you on that one. However, I also believe that the national identity may be too closely integrated/linked with the personal identity. (After all, we are Filipinos in whatever we do: what we eat, what say, etc. Er, you live in the Philippines, right?)
Moreover, whatever I do, my own human experience will always inform my personal identity. :-)
true. i was about to post that particular caveat to the point i raised.
personal identity can be closely integrated with personal identity, as you say.
my main issue with the whole establishment vs. the individual writer thing is that it poses "requirements" for recognition that leads some establishment folk to pass over otherwise reasonably talented writers who don't have that particular slant in their fiction.
that said, my personal work comes straight from the imagination, and while it's often touched by, say, the slang and idiom and way of speaking of non-Filipinos, it is by no means meant to be reflective of anything in the real world, save, perhaps, my own interpretations of what it means to be human.
i guess you'd have to be able to read my stuff to know what i'm talking about, if i'm being vague.
incidentally, regarding your comment about shelving your work coz it doesn't speak to the Filipino in you...
i suppose it's a matter of choice for a writer, but i hope you don't totally abandon that stuff. as i've implied on the comments section in my reply to your comment back on my blog (now isn't that a confusing statement?), i put a lot of value in imagination, a lot more than on any other driving force behind fiction.
so even if it doesn't speak to you now, and it seems somewhat "pointless" to you at the moment to be dwelling on that kind of world-building, i hope you go back to it someday. you never know, if it's still important to you, you may find valuable reflections and insights into our "real" world, the Philippines, even, from the products of your imagination.
Whoops. Sorry bout the delay, took a quick nap. (Or better to say, the nap took me. Meh.)
The establishment thing I think we can agree, especially on the matter of recognition of the local literary forces. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I'm not much of a joiner and thus, I don't feel like going through the whole rigmarole of attaining literary recognition. Hell, I didn't even submit anything in the recent Palanca contest.
As for your work, I think that all work is more or less reflective of what we perceive what it means to be human. Fortunately (or unfortunately) we have a more extreme vision of this thanks to speculative fiction. :-D
On the matter of my earlier work: I do think that I'll probably go back after to it. It's just that I figure that since I can't emphasize the local nature of such works, I'd probably have to focus on the human side of that. And unfortunately, I figure I need to be a little bit older and more mature to handle such a work.
Of course I'm not forsaking the imaginative side of the story but I also want a little more depth to the tale. I think the perspective I'm looking for here is the gritty side of fantasy (yes, my preference leans to that side of the genre).
Besides, it's so fascinating to world-build. ;-)
I'd love to read SF written in Tagalog.
Maybe I'll try to write one but honestly, I'm not that good in writing in Filipino. What a shame.
But, whatever, I can develop my Filipino prose anyway. Endless possibilities. (Hmn..an Endless story in Tagalog?)
df: go for it, der fuhrer.
i myself suck at writing in Tagalog. it's very artificial for me.
that said, my problem with Filipino writing is that it always seems artificial, even when it isn't written by me.
take the crap you find on TV. who really talks like that around here?
that said, i think the truly Filipino story or novel will, by necessity, be bilingual. and not just that italicized idioms and cliches crap. i mean in your face written in two alternating languages.
if i ever did that, it would necessarily have narration in english (as i've said, i suck ar writing in tagalog), and dialogue in combination, straight english, straight tagalog.
bc: i've never submitted anything to Palanca. i've had a low opinion of the selection process since i was an undergrad... and recognition isn't all it's cracked-up to be, i'm sure... that said, as an unpublished author, as Neil would say, my job is still to get stuff out there, and contests are a good way to do it, whether we find them respectable or not.
i don't think my stuff is Palanca-able, though...
df: What sbc said. I would't also doing a piece in Tagalog but it's a smaller market, barely a niche if for a piece like that. And considering spec fic is already a small market, what are the chances of getting that published? (I know, I know-- just try, right?) Besides, like sbc, I also feel that for a piece written in Tagalog, it has to done in the vernacular (unless it's done as a children's story, in which case the mythical aspects of language can be used... hmmm...)
In any case, I also have problems writing a story using code-switching, especially if I'm contemplating on passing it on to an international market.
On the other hand, an Endless story in Tagalog? Are you referring to fan-fiction? Or more of an Endless kind of story in a Gaiman kind of way? (You know, personalities of Filipino archtypes?)
sbc: Hehe yesssszz... the quintessential Palanca. Unfortunately, I consider myself a commercial hack so I have no worries about targeting those awards. Likewise, I know Dean said that contests is a good way to sharpen one's writing skills. With that said, I think that getting published-- hard as it is both here and abroad-- is a contest already, moreso finding an audience that will appreciate your stories. So am more concerned with writing for publication rather than for awards. To paraphrase, keep writing and let the reader sort 'em out!
But I do admit that submitting to the Palancas is a good way to hone your writing. It's just not for me.
Shit. I can see why I answer comments in the afternoon. My language skills suck so early in the day. (I would have said morning but it's already lunchtime here. Too little coffee in my system, methinks.)
haha, as long as you're coherent, we won't be giving you editorial shit for typos and grammatical errors here. after all, this is YOUR space. hehe.
the problem with writing an "Endless" story would be copyright shit (if you want it published). DC has the rights to that, if you'll recall, so unless you can sell them on the idea, it might not fly. if it's just for yourself, not a prob.
interesting idea, actually. while Filipinos have a decidedly western view of pop culture and all that, it would be nice to see how our local myths would translate in light of the Endless. where would the Endless figure in the story of Malakas at Maganda, for instance.
df: if you ever do write a Filipino Endless story, maybe let us have a peep at it?
it would make a good exercise, at the very least, as all kinds of fan-fic would anyhow.
Hah. Good to know we have differing opinions, sbc.
I have mixed thoughts on fan-fic. On one hand, I figure that the imagination is limitless so why bother trying to create something out of another writer's playground? (That's not even considering the matter of copyright issues as you said.) On the other hand, fan-fic is a good exercise in writing and could be used to sharpen one's own abilities. So you see my dilemma in the matter.
Still, like you said, it would be interesting to see a Filipino version of it. To riff on Gaiman's ideas, I would consider the Filipino national identity: what would be Endless-type characters of the Plebeian (Bonifacio), the Intellectual (Rizal), and the General (Aguinaldo)?
er, actually, oddly enough, we have the same basic opinion of fan-fic.
only i do see the point of "playing in another writer's playground," as you put it, it being an exercise of imagination in itself. however, unless you come up with something really good and earn the creator's approval for it, as i said before, best do it for and keep it to yourself.
the problem there is if you get stuck in a rut, get trapped in that other writer's playground. pitfall.
as for the Filipino Endless idea, i was thinking more of how Gaiman's concepts (Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Desire, Despair, Delight/Delirium) could be injected into a local/historical story set in the Philippines. sort of a demonstration of the universality of his ideas, if you will.
as for your idea of the Filipino "Endless", that's interesting as well, although it's really a wholly different set of ideas.
Grrr, dammit. if we have the same opinions, then how are we going to argue? Hehehe. ;-)
Seriously, what I meant was that though fan-fic does sharpen a writer's skills, given how short life is, I tend to veer on the wouldn't-recommend it faction. Call me snotty but I can't seem to wrap my imagination around the idea of using someone else's ideas. Maybe it's because I'm older now.
Reading-wise, the fact that most of it is online and I have an aversion of reading too-long stuff on screen, it all adds up that I'd rather not check 'em out to begin with.
As for the Endless, Filipino-style, I agree that it's a good way to test the universality of Gaiman's ideas but isn't it a bit like copying his idea still? Which is why I thought of altering the archtypes so as determine the universality of an idea but without the same faces.
Er, hope I didn't confuse you there...
interesting... but those are still different "universal themes" you'll be tackling. in essence, you'll still be copying the idea of anthropomorphic personifications, but not the themes.
on the other hand, yeah, making the Endless show-up in a Filipino story would be copying... but then, if you'll recall, part of the brilliant thing about the Endless is that they don't have to be there: they can be conspicuous by their absence. that kind of fan-fic, i think, would be worth writing, if you absolutely must write an Endless fan-fic story.
i see your point about longevity, and i, too, personally, avoid writing fan-fic. but i'm not going to stop someone whose imagination is, at the moment, careening in that direction.
go where the inspiration takes you. you might come up with something f**king brilliant. but don't expect to get it published, is all i'm saying.
unless you're the type who doesn't mind writing, say, Star Trek novels for the rest of your life. some people dig reading that sort of thing, after all, so there IS a market for it, and you don't want to disappoint that particular subset of readers.
like the man says, as long as people keep reading, right? by the same token, if you're a writer grasping at straws, as long as you keep writing, i'm sure you'll come up with something...
I didn't get past the second paragraph of my tagalog SF.
It's pretty creepy writing about the Endless in Tagalog and I mean creepy in a negative note.
and yes, it was taglish.
but there's a much greater potential for tagalog SF to thrive in the market. People would really take notice of it because it's written in something they understand easliy. And if the SF revolves around old Pinoy myths taken into new levels, that would be a much greater thing.
I's really like to win a Palanca. Wala lang. It's my loser side talking.
yeah, fan-fic stuff. and I'm doing that (probably in English) because I'm just starting as a writer of fiction. For the past 3 years that I've been writing, I've only written 3 short stories.
The Endless-in-the-Philippines story should've been a category in the Graphic/Fiction awards (which will be tomorrow and I won't be able to go) but then again, maybe no. Perhaps, the Pinoy are too tired of writing fan-fic.
And with that story, I mean, The Sandman Book of Dreams kind of way. Not shitty fan fic crap (that's redundant).
And yes, I don't like reading looong entries on screen, that's why I have to print the Kelly Link book.
if you consider Book of Dreams fan-fic, then yes, that's the amazing kind of fan-fic that's really worth writing.
make the material your own without stepping on the creator, know what i mean?
sbc: Yep, I think it's the anthromorphic themes has a lot of potential, especially in the area of Philippine lit.
I do admit that I have a knee-jerk reaction to the idea of working in other people's creation. This means that if I do come up with an idea that's almost the same as an existing work, I have to work doubly-hard in making sure that my creation is different from the other.
Still, there must be something to be said about fan-fic, especially from the pens of respected genre authors writing Star Wars novels (like Sean Stewart, Elizabeth Hand, Matt Stover). If they can do it, then that means there's nothing wrong, right? Hell, it supposedly pays better.
On the other hand, I've never read the Star Works of these established authors and the three I cited above are my particular favorite writers to begin with.
On the other OTHER hand (yes, I know), the Sandman Book of Dreams as well as the Elric anthology can be regarded as fan-fic though I think some could call it as an homage. So what's the difference? I suppose one gets paid when doing a homage. :-D
"Make the material your own without stepping on the creator."
I suppose if one were to write fan-fic, they should hang a sign with your quote on it. ;-)
df: Hmmm, and here I thought that writing about the Endless was spine-chilling! Still, no harm in trying, right?
You maybe right about Tagalog SF though I think it maybe better of it's fantasy. After all, the fantaserye on TV works quite well, right? And remember all the lokal komiks we used to read in barbershops? (Well, I do.) So there may be an untapped market there. (Which I think the local ghost stories books are trying to hit.)
And don't mind me about the Palanca thing: that's just me. ;-)
3 stories = 3 years? That's alright. I've written (more like completed) less in how many years already. But what's more important is being happy enough to send them out into the wide world. They have to make you proud.
On the other hand, is there a big market of Filipino fan-fic? Good lord, I can imagine it now: Capt Barbell meets Agila or some shit like that!
Lastly, I'd print stuff from online but then I'd feel guilty for killing trees. Which is why as much as possible, I don't throw away books. ;-)
one thing to be said about fan-fic; as Mr Gaiman says, we all share the same collective subconscious grab-bag for fiction. he himself borrows from hundreds of influences for his material. i mean Sandman, in a way, is one epic fan-fic devoted to literature and myth and folk legends and movies and all that.
so depending on how you treat your fan-fic writing, it is possible to come up with something truly original, unique, and worth setting down.
That's true but as you mentioned before (and even Gaiman does the same), one needs to re-work the material used in order to make them their own. I know I maybe sounding strident here but it strikes me that fan-fic is the proficient use of one's writing ability but at the expense of one's imagination. Such a stunting would be a sad state of affairs.
Ah well, don't mind me. ;-)
not at all. but you know, playing with toys is great for developing imagination... even if your kid didn't make the toys.
Ah, but that's the thing: we're not kids anymore. ;-)
(Hehehe the argument never ends!)
Post a Comment