CENSORSHIP OR SELF CENSORSHIP -- WHICH IS WORSE?
WELL, IT'S A NEW YEAR WITH NEW CHALLENGES!
AND SOME SUCCESSES! I recently received news that my sci-fi short story, Serpent Caravan, has been accepted at pro rates by Dark Wisdom Magazine. That, along with my story, Dreamtime, being accepted by Jim Baen's Universe, also for pro rates, makes me very happy indeed!
The new issue of Alien Skin Magazine, the February/March issue, is now online. Check it out! We have some great articles there on Fantasy, Horror, as well as one I've done on Science Fiction; this time one about why we don't, as authors, write more about UFOs. There is also an interview I did with Alan Caviness, a MUFON certified UFO investigator. It's a great article and not because I wrote it, but because Alan really goes all out and tells us a great deal about himself and his convictions. Believe me, it's worth a read. It will give you a real insight into things. Also, we have a great ZAP for everyone, as well. We had a "ripping" good time with this tale, believe me, and the author was a good sport about it all.
NOW FOR THE CHALLENGES: As I mention in my article on writing stories about UFOs, and it being a sort of "no-no" subject in the science fiction world these days, I also wonder why so many other old topics are now considered, more or less, off limits for authors. Whether it is UFOs, Time Travel, or Vampires and Werewolves for horror, or Elves and Pixies for fantasy, there are a host of topics now relegated to the dustbin of genre history -- at least for the most part.
Some editors out there still accept them, but not many. Well, why are they now banned for all practicality? The answer is, of course, from the editors' point of view that they are "old hat," tired, worn out subjects. And, they are right, sadly. How many times have we seen a variant on someone going back in time and killing a great grandparent, only to wipe themselves out in the present as a result? But what if we could restore interest, as authors, in these topics. What if we accepted the challenge of trying to find a new and fresh approach, a strange twist on an old idea to make it new again? It wouldn't be easy, and that's why I say it's a challenge, but if one succeeded, I'm betting they'd have a hit! We might, by recapturing interest in so many no-longer-used subjects, actually make a shrinking genre-field expand again, reclaim old territory! I always loved time travel stories, and I'd like to see more, but not more of the same old thing. And don't tell me we can't come up with new ideas -- I don't believe that! "Imagination knows no bounds," so there have to be fresh ideas out there about werewolves, vampires, time travel, and UFOs, for authors to discover and write about.
ANOTHER CHALLENGE: Writing about contemporary relevant issues, topical subjects, in Science Fiction. Yes, yes, I know we all love to do stories about global warming and its consequences, extinction of species, and whatnot, but why don't we do more about current crisis issues of a political or social nature? Why are we afraid, as a group of authors, to do stories set in current Iraq, Iran, or even Afghanistan? The answer is, I'm betting, that it is politically correct to worry about the environment, so it's safe to write about that. But not about political issues.
Yes, we all know Iraq is horrible enough without writing horror stories about it -- I mean, what could be worse than the reality there -- but how about a gentle fantasy of a young Iraqi woman discovering she is a shaman, has the power to heal? How about a solder who thinks he's discovered a cache of the long-missing weapons of mass destruction, only to realize what he's stumbled upon is really alien in origin? See what I mean? We don't have to take political sides, we don't have to rant and rave about political issues, but we could delve into these areas, add them into the sci-fi genre, and write some genuinely wonderful and beautiful stories about it. After all, it is part of the human condition, and therefore should not be off limits to us as writers.
You know, as authors, we used to do this. We wrote highly-charged novels such as 1984, Animal Farm, Brave New World, and all sorts of things, but now it's as if whole areas of our human world don't exist for us as authors, as if Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Afghanistan, New Orleans, Somalia, and such are suddenly off limits, untouchables, politically hot potatoes that are just too hot to handle. Why? When did this happen to our genre? When did whole areas of our planet's geography suddenly become off limits to us as writers? And who made this so?
When our world has problems, when it is in various crises, is when science fiction can do the most to illustrate a possible way out, a path through the thicket, so to speak. Instead, unlike our writing forebears, we now shy away from this, afraid to discuss it, afraid we will offend someone, somewhere. Well, perhaps we might. That's a real risk, but I think it's a risk we writers have to take. I don't mean we should deliberately try to offend anyone. That would be just plain stupid and pointless. First of all, once offended, people usually stop listening, so your story and point would fall on deaf ears. But we have to be able to write about anything we feel is relevant, topical, and important to our world. We do it about Global Warming, extinction of species, so why not other subjects. The human condition requires it of us.
And I'm not saying that some writers don't do just this, and in doing so, have achieved monumental success. Look at Frank Herbert's, Dune, series -- really discussing in large part the environment, and illustrating how delicate it can be, and how important! He was one of the first, so now we all love to write about that and global warming. But if he hadn't dared back then, where would authors be now? He took a risk. So did George Orwell. So did Aldous Huxley. Of course care should be taken to not offend unnecessarily, but writers should write. They should, as authors, not consider any subject taboo, as long as it is handled with taste, compassion, and understanding to the best of their abilities as writers.
Censorship comes from the outside, is pressed down upon us with threats of dire consequences, which is a good excuse to give in to it, I suppose. But how do we justify self censorship? We do that to ourselves, take away our own rights. Remember my earlier question about who is doing this to us? Well, the answer is simple: We, as authors, are doing it to ourselves. We are fearful of repercussions. Could there be some? Of course. And we can practice self-censorship for various reasons, but not out of fear! There is no justification for that, no justification at all for this type of poisonous self-censorship! And it's one thing we can control.
You know, for authors and writers of every persuasion, censorship is a terrible thing, but self-censorship is so much worse! Think about it.
