Designer babies

Designer babies...Yep, we've been talking about it for ages, but it seems like we're getting closer everyday. The process itself doesn't freak me out as much as the people we might inadvertently weed out because of the potential for disease or bad eyesight or something. Bill Gates pops to mind--probably because of all those damn Windows/PC commercials they're running now--though I'm sure there are others that are far less debatable. Like him or not, you must admit the world would be a different place without the advances he made.

 

Then again, I mean, if you believe that everything happens for a reason, then you would believe that we've arrived at this point in technology and there's a reason for it.

 

It's more interesting to me to think about what kind of society would be created if we could control the creation of the next generation. Then, not only would have teenagers moping about not having enough money or a car, but also that you didn't spend enough to give them the "good genes." Interesting, right? The gap between the rich and the poor would only be furthered by this process. You might be lucky and hit the genetic lotto naturally--intelligence, good eyesight, no major diseases, athletic ability, etc. But if everyone who has money is guaranteed those qualities, eeesh. The ability to climb up in the world, to get ahead, might only become that much harder. At the very least, the "natural" ones will face much stiffer competition for jobs, spouses, etc.

 

Or am I looking at this the wrong way? Is this just the next phase of "survival of the fittest"?

 

For those who are interested, Gattaca covers this ground pretty well. Children of Men kind of takes a different approach on a related path--our fertility as a species seems to be declining (which may have more to do with more news about the subject and people's willingness to talk about such things now than an actual scientific trend). Will our choices make us extinct? What if the desire to have a "perfect" baby leads to no babies? That's not really the plot of Children of Men, but it's an interesting kind of twist.

 

: ) Stacey, a redhead (a hair color that results from a genetic mutuation and will be virtually non-existent in the next 100 years, according to scientists) with pale skin, extremely poor eyesight and NO athletic ability. Thank God my parents weren't picky!

Chicago Area Writers--Plot class at College of Lake County

I'm notoriously bad at posting to let people know when I'm teaching, so I'm trying to do this ahead of time. I'm teaching a Saturday class on plot at the College of Lake County in Grayslake, IL on October 18, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. A description of the class is below, and here's a link to the CLC catalog. Class is listed on page 23.

 

PLOT IS A FOUR-LETTER WORD

It's a great story. You've developed it in

your mind from beginning to end. But

when your fingers hit the computer keys,

the plot just doesn't flow. It's difficult to get

the characters from one scene to another.

The dialogue seems stilted and the action appears

contrived. Never fear! Join author Stacey Klemstein as she demystifies

the concept of plot and breaks it down into more easily manageable

pieces. Writers will leave with tips, tricks and tools to help

create more interesting characters and a stronger storyline.

Cost: $59.00

4308 CWRT 18-001 0900A-0300 S GLC E124 10/18 10/18 KLEMSTEIN

My weekend project and other random musings...

Okay, so somewhere in this post (I'm posting via email, so I'm not quite sure) there will be a picture of my writing room with the newly installed blinds I put in yesterday. By MYSELF. With only a few panicked phone calls to a friend who did not laugh when I asked about using a drill bit that was THREE times the size of the one mentioned in the instructions. Yeah.

 

I not only found the other drill bits but also remembered from sixth grade wood shop how to change them out. Dude. I am so proud.

 

(Tangent: the power drill has long been my nemesis. In sixth grade, when we lived in Hillsboro, IL, I was forced to take wood shop. I also had to take home ec and hated that almost as much, but nothing traumatic occurred there...other than being forced to, you know, cook. I was terrified of the jig saw, among other things. I just think power tools and 11 year olds are a bad combination.

 

Anyway, on some project, can't remember which one, I had to use a power drill. I picked one up that someone had been using and the bottom, where the cord attached, was super hot. Instinct took over--you let go of something that hot. But it had also been drilled--no pun intended--into our heads that if we broke a tool, we'd have to pay for it. So I grabbed for the falling drill. Brilliant, right?

 

Caught it by the drill bit, which cut into the vulnerable space between my ring and little finger--you know that little webbing area? Not a deep cut or anything, but enough that there was blood. I am NOT good with blood. Didn't really know that at the time, though.

 

Someone saw me and told the teacher. And this was the worst part. He sprayed my hand with this bright green antiseptic stuff. It made it hurt worse, and it smelled like a hospital.

 

Shortly after that I started seeing little white spots out of the corner of my eyes. Thought I had wood shavings in my safety glasses. Nope, I was in the first stage of fainting...or more likely, now that I know myself a bit better, the midst of a panic attack triggered first by the fear of dropping the drill, then the cut on my hand and the blood, and the embarrassment of everyone staring at me. 

 

Yeah. The spots got worse and near fainting ensued. Two girls had to help carry me from class to the office. Uh-huh, that worked wonders for my reputation, let me tell you.

 

But now, twenty some years later, I have triumphed and used the power drill without incident!)  

 

Other things...watched the fourth (?) episode of True Blood, this one not written by Alan Ball, and as predicted by various critics, I think I did like it better than the previous three. Bill seemed to have a bit more personality. Pam, one of my favorite characters in the books, was awesome. Hilarious, in fact. "In the vault" indeed.

 

As always, those who are acting vampire-y always seem a bit too campy (is that possible?). Long Shadow, an interesting character in the book, sort of seemed kind of laughable with his posturing and his fangs. And if they follow the book, he should seem to be at least a threat. But others, like the Taryn chick who took the tourist to the bathroom to, um, snack on, were scary. Can't figure out it if depends on the actor, the direction or just me at a particular moment.

 

Eric was fabulous. Younger than what I pictured in my head, but with the accent..um, yeah. Wow.

 

I've been reading this series of books for years now, and it's been kind of fun seeing the story in a different medium. I like Anna Paquin as Sookie. The actor playing her brother is perfect. Even Tara, whose role is VERY different from that in the book, I enjoy.

 

Yeah, I procrastinated a lot this weekend. But it was fun and relatively productive!

 

: ) Stacey

Recognizing the supreme awesomeness of this exact moment in time...

Okay, I know this won't make sense to most you out there (except Stacy G. because she knows me all too well), but today I had one of those (incredibly rare) moments where I actually recognize the supreme awesomeness of what has happened in the last six months and get a bit giddy over it.

 

After five years of off and on again querying, I found a fabulous agent who loved and believed in my book enough to sign me!

 

Laura Bradford, said fabulous agent, sold my YA book to Hyperion to an editor who really seems to like it!

 

After ten or so years of off and on again trying, I will be New York published. Very cool.

 

And here's the best part: I get to write more YA...and likely get paid for it!

 

For those who think I might be glorying in this a bit too much, let me tell you...writers, in general, can be a rather morose and anxiety-driven bunch. I mean, there's a reason we're driven to create whole other worlds into which we can escape. I'm not just worst-case-scenario girl, I'm the awake-at-three-am-calculating-the-odds-that-my-weird-stomach-pain-is-the-Ebola-virus girl. My glass is not only half empty, but it has a serious and fatal leak somewhere (probably).

 

So, I'm celebrating this EXACT moment and the joy that it brings me in defiance of all that I am normally. (Trust me, it's only a momentary blip, and all too soon, we'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming of sweaty panic attacks and general gnashing of teeth.)

 

: )  

 

 

Twitter

For those of you who are Twitter-ing too, let me know. I'm StaceyKlemstein on Twitter.

 

It's so much fun! Kind of goofy and interesting how much information you can get and give in just those few sentences. I see why people do this.

Random thought for the day

I was weird kid. Not that this should come as any shock to you. But it recently occurred to me that one of the many awesome things about iPods is that they provide you with that background soundtrack to your life that has been missing up this point. You know, I always wanted heroic music to play when I was attempting something difficult. Now I can make it happen. And because the iPod tucks into your pocket and the earbuds (though painful and not awesome) are so tiny and discreet, it's about as close as you can get to having John Williams following you around, you know?

ETA: I'm an idiot for posting without actually reading what I wrote. Sorry for the typos. Most of them have been captured safely and returned to the wild.

A post about something other than television...

Believe it or not, I am actually working on something. I'm just at the "flail-around and make a big mess" stage of writing the sequel to Ghost and the Goth. I actually hate this part. I love writing first drafts, but only once I've got that hook. That "oh, yeah, I can't WAIT to see what happens with this" feeling in the pit of my stomach. Other writers have compared it to reaching the top of that first hill on a roller coaster ride, when all the fun is in front of you, and you're anticipating the thrill but also a little scared. 

 

I'm not there yet. I'm still playing. Interviewing characters. Talking to people. My weekend at Linnea's really helped me find some mile markers, but it's all still mush in my head. Still simmering on the back burner. Dude, could I mix just one more metaphor in this post? Sheesh. I haven't gotten the "a-ha" yet, where everything snaps together and suddenly, you've got soup instead of random floating ingredients in some lukewarm water. 

 

Ugh. I hate this part. I remember this with the start of Eye of The Beholder too. There are just so many ways to go, so many options to try. Some of them only a little different than the others, but enough so that it can shift the whole thing from "working" to "not working." And it was a little easier with EOB because I hadn't closed things off quite as much.

 

Now I've got to go back and look at things, peel back the layers, figure out how to open the story threads again without making the end of G&G seem false.

 

The only solution is to keep working at it, keep chipping away it (that's like, what, metaphor number six, seven?). It will eventually come together. It always does. It's just a matter of how crazy it will make me in the getting there, you know?

 

Oh, hey, fabulous book I read on the plane home from Ohio, Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I'd been hearing about it on PW and I think even Stephen King wrote in praise of it. It's truly, truly excellent. Worth the hardcover prices, in my opinion. First chapter is up on Amazon at the link above.

 

: ) Stacey

Sarah Connor Chronicles: Mousetrap

Don't really have much on this episode except a couple of questions. I'm confused a little about where the Connor/Reese household is, at the moment. John obviously started a new school in the previous episode, hence the meeting of Riley, right? So, are they just in a different part of the Los Angeles area? Must be.

 

Also, where did all the money come from? Up to this point, they've been living in kind of crappy houses, driving rather beat-up vehicles. Now they're living in a very nice (rental) home with some not cheap furnishings. (Damn, I'd hate to be the homeowners returning to live there after Sarah and Company leave. Blood is just so hard to get out of the upholstery. : ) ) And they're driving what appears to be a brand-new Dodge Ram (which I'm sure is a sponsorship thing) and loading up new computer equipment without even blinking at what that will do to their funds. Was there a sudden lotto win that I am not aware of?  

 

One could assume that because they didn't have to pay Sarkissian (spelling?) for the Turk, they've got that money to spare. Or perhaps Derek has access to some additional funds and now that he's living there, they've combined their resources? For all I know, they stole the new truck, I guess. But I just wish there was a little bit of an explanation. It just seems too sudden a shift in socio-economic standards.

 

This leads me to my other point...where is Derek? I mean, seriously, they bump the guy up to being a regular and he only gets a couple of lines per episode? That's less of a role than when he was a guest star. Believe it or not, I actually like Brian Austin Green as Derek. In fact, one of my favorite moments last night, harsh though it was, was when Derek kind of whapped Charlie with his own phone, reminding him to make sure it was really Charlie's kidnapped wife on the phone and not a Terminator imitating her.

 

Moments like that, you remember that Derek doesn't have much softness, much give left in him, except, it seems, when it comes to John. He's seen and done way too much. I LIKE that. I want more. I hope that they're saving him for a big part of the storyline later. I just hope the show is on the air long enough to get there. Anybody know how it's doing?

 

One thing I did like last night was that we, the audience, figured it out just a few minutes before Sarah did. I mean, I knew the Terminator deliberately left Charlie's wife near her phone. He knew she'd call for help, but he didn't want to make it seem too obvious that it was a trap or she might have tried to warn them off. And I was following the logic of leaving John behind because the Cromartie would expect them to bring him so as not to leave him undefended.

 

But as soon as Charlie came back in, carrying the wires that Cromartie had torn from their car, I knew he'd led them there to get them out of the way. And I'm probably one of the last ones that caught on, but I like it when I figure it out just a second or two before the characters do. It's good writing, in my opinion, if/when that happens. Not so far in advance that I get bored, waiting for them to figure it out, but not so late that I'm a little lost as to how they reached a certain conclusion and it feels like the writers cheated to move the plot forward.

 

Other thoughts:

Figured Charlie's wife (can't remember her name) was toast. Interesting, though, that it was not the Terminator directly who killed her. More the whole situation, and her desire to show her husband that she was strong like Sarah, in my opinion. I suspect we'll be seeing more of Charlie, at least for a little while. Wonder if they're setting up a potential love triangle or at least a conflict of interest that involves Derek, Charlie and Sarah.

 

Cameron's still acting like she's got a screw or three loose. Don't mind the weirdness of her talking about the house moving. That was kind of funny and once again, I like the interaction of John and Cameron. Kind of worried about her wanting to kill the bird. Not sure where that comes from. Terminators, I thought, killed to accomplish their mission (and eliminate obstacles to the mission), but this potential for random bird violence is rather off-putting. I suspect it's supposed to be.

 

I also don't like that John had to remind Cameron that she needed to have "help" with the heavy computer boxes. I know it's supposed to be showing she's still broken. I get it, but I also don't like that she's seeming less efficient at pretending to be human. That signifies larger damage, I think. Not good. And I want to like Cameron, damaged or not.

 

On a related note, I liked Riley in last week's episode. She is the normalcy John thinks he needs/wants. Did NOT like her getting all bully-ish with John and claiming not to be afraid of his mother, like he so obviously was. Though, it did amuse me because I thought if there was ever a mom to be scared of, it would be Sarah Connor.

 

Hmm. Thought this was going to be a short post...Thoughts, ruminations? Am I taking this way too seriously? : )

 

 

 

 

Sarah Connor Chronicles: Automatic for the People

First, a disclaimer...I know that every episode cannot focus on the weird and changing dynamic between Cameron and John. It would get old really fast. That being said, I must confess those episodes are likely going to be my favorites and others will pale in comparison.

 

In this episode, I like that the trend of John making his own (probably foolish) decisions continues. Part of the fun of this is now trying to figure out which one is going to bite him/them all in the end. Is it saving Cameron? Trying to lead a normal life? There will be some fallout (no pun intended) from one of his decisions, and I like it because now I'm watching to see which one it's going to be.

 

I think stepping away from his mother and making his own decisions (and learning from his mistakes) is going to be a vital part of making him into a leader. And I think Sarah and Derek must know that. They can't shelter him forever, or he'll never learn to be the leader they need. This is not to say he is, in any way, shape or form, that leader yet. Sarah is walking that knife's edge of letting him make mistakes and trying to keep him from getting himself (and the rest of us) killed. That will keep me watching.

 

The whole story surrounding the nuclear power plant was a bit...meh. I understand it's vital for the resistance in the future, but this whole concept of sending various people back from the future with missions for Sarah and company that MUST be accomplished strikes me as forced. A barely disguised plot device. If you can send that many people back, why not send more help for John and Sarah? Of course, dying guy did seem to scrawl a whole bunch of stuff on the wall, so maybe he will be the only plot device visitor this season.

 

I hate watching Sarah worry about cancer, mainly because that's just a little too close to things that can happen in real life. Though, I did enjoy Cameron's response to her when she, Sarah, said something about being a time bomb, waiting to go off (or something like that). Essentially, Cameron said that's what we all are. We don't know what's going to happen or when. For someone like Sarah who lives her whole life based on knowledge from the future, that must have been incredibly frustrating and yet a good reminder.  

 

I'm intrigued by Riley, the girl at school who approaches John. I keep thinking of this interview I read with Jeffrey Donovan, the guy who plays the spy Michael Westen on Burn Notice. He said that in doing research about spies, the hardest thing for him to to wrap his brain around was that you couldn't ever trust anyone who approached you. Anyone who ever made overtures of friendship, romantic interest, whatever. You could never be sure about their motives, so you couldn't be friends, lovers, even business associates. Think about how many people that would eliminate in your life.

 

I'm just not so sure about this girl. She is so blatantly normal. So very much want John wants right now. A normal girlfriend. A normal life. So...I see this going one of two ways. A) she's a set up of some kind, getting close to John to be able to hurt him--doubtful, given that's sort of the whole Cameron thing (an interested girl turns out to be a robot). Though, if you have one Terminator model that looks like a sixteen year old girl, why not others?  It was kind of a weird moment when she built that robot out of Legos "to protect you while you sleep," but it also could have been nothing.

 

More likely, B) she's cannon fodder.

 

In writing, you have to hurt your characters and the best way to do that is to give them something they want desperately and then yank it away. I can easily see Cromartie (spelling?) finding her and trying to use her to get to John, to the point of killing her. Cold-blooded as it sounds, it will also serve the purpose of strengthening his resolve to win this war.

 

Now...as always, my favorites were the few Cameron and John moments. The first where she tells him she can't trust him anymore because he didn't destroy her. Okay, I can almost get that. Except is she not capable of destroying herself or requesting destruction if the situation warrants it? Isn't that how T2 ends? I'm not suggesting that she should be destroyed. It's far more interesting with her around. But I find it worth noting that she did NOT say anything like this when she was still in the car in the junkyard, covered with that flammable powder stuff. Theories?

 

And finally, when John asks her about what she said, about not being able to be trusted. I held my breath when he started that line, ("What you said before...") because I thought he was going to ask her about what she said when she was pinned between those trucks. Anybody else think that? I mean, wouldn't you ask about it? Yeah, I guess he could have written it off to the trick that it probably was, and maybe it would be humiliating to admit that you wondered, even for a second, if it might be real. Okay, yeah, I see that.

 

As for him telling her that he doesn't have to prove himself to her, that smacked way more of hurt and betrayal than anything else. I think she hurt him when she used his feelings against him. And yet that didn't stop him from saving her. Hmmm. I just don't know what to make of all this, but I can't wait to see more!

 

: ) Stacey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sarah Connor Chronicles: Samson and Delilah :) Loooooong post…sorry.

Yesterday, despite having the aforementioned splitting headache, I piled myself into bed, surrounded myself with lots of pillows, Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold, and all the remotes to watch Sarah Connor Chronicles.

Okay, so don't read on if you haven't watched yet…

So far, one episode into the second season, and it is BETTER than last year. As you know, I'm watching this not just to make sure the world stays safe from the machines, but also to find out what Derek Reese's secret(s) is/are, whether Sarah is going to fall for him in any way shape or manner (or is that too weird?), and what are they going to do with John and Cameron?

As a devotee of the forbidden love genre, I'm DYING for them to get to the "I have feelings but I can't do anything about it because it's wrong and possibly weird" stage.

I've been rewatching the first two Buffy seasons and figured out that was my favorite part, the back and forth with Angel and Buffy.

Of course, my beef with that show is they did not figure out a way to give them a happily ever after without destroying the show. Hence, no happily ever after, or HEA, as they say in the romance writing business. It is for that reason that I only own the first two seasons of the show. I loved the whole show (except for the last season), but the first two seasons just rock.

I'm trying to think of other shows that did this back and forth thing and managed to have a decent show and an HEA. Usually the show--and the network's desire to keep raking in the cash--outlives the romance. Only shows like BSG and Roswell--where they know they're in the final season--have that kind of closure, I think. Farscape, too, gave that kind of closure through the TV movie, if I remember correctly. Any other ones? Suggestions? I feel like I'm missing an obvious one…)

Anyway, back to SCC and last night's episode, it nearly killed me when Cameron turned on them, damaged chip and all. I was worried we were going to spend the entire season with "bad" Cameron and that would have annoyed the crap out of me.

But I like the damaged chip aspect in that it now adds even more unpredictability to her behavior. IMO, she was always unpredictable because you don't know what she knows and what her exact objective is, other than keeping John alive.

The scene in which they've trapped Cameron between the two trucks and she's pleading with John not to take her chip out, that she loves him and he loves her…oh, boy, this is what I've been waiting for. *claps hands together gleefully*

Sarah tells him that it was all fake, that they're machines. They can't *feel* anything. It was manipulation, plain and simple. And it works because John gives her a second chance.

Interesting, because I don't recall any other terminator using emotions to lie this way.

Yes, they imitate other human beings through voice or physical appearance, but never as themselves. They did not seem sophisticated enough to carry off that kind of task, or else why wouldn't they (meaning SkyNet) send one with the intention of befriending John and Sarah only to turn when he/she is finally trusted? (Maybe they have! Derek, what exactly happened to you in that weird abandoned house last season? Hmmm...)

It brings up all kinds of delightful questions about how advanced Cameron really is she told him in the beginning that she is a more advanced model), why John in the Future (JitF!) chose to send her specifically back, and whether a machine is capable of expressing some form of humanity.

Her interest in ballet, for example. They made a big point of showing her practice this even after the mission for which that knowledge was required was over. And yes, I know, Summer Glau is a ballerina and they're making use of her skill set for the role, but I also feel like they may be exploring the boundaries of humanity and how we define it.

It also brings up this great point about love…last year in preparation for a book that I'm still thinking about writing, I bought this book called Love and Sex with Robots. It's non-fiction and the author's premise is that with the advances in technology now, it would be possible to create companions who would fill the role of spouse and partner. Programming is sophisticated enough, or will be, to simulate a human. And where do you draw the line?

We feel a certain way because our brain has been programmed to respond to certain stimuli, not all that different than a CPU.

Also, the author included some research about love that indicates we fall in love because of how we feel when we're around the other person. Your feelings for someone have more to do with how he/she makes you feel about yourself or in general than anything in particular about them. Isn't that interesting?

Therefore, I would posit that it is very possible to fall in love with a machine that protects you, helps you, looks after you and strongly resembles an attractive female in your age bracket. The question is, can the machine love you back? And how can you tell, what's "real" and what's "programmed"? Does it matter?

There's also the self-sacrifice issue too. When Cameron tells Sarah,"If that ever happens again, don't let him save me." That would indicate that her programming regarding John (the mission to protect him) are more of a priority than her own survival. She recognizes that she could be a danger to him and puts that before anything else. Another definition of love, perhaps…

LOVE this kind of stuff. LOVE IT.

Also, it was way cool to see the TX1000 or whatever the melty metal robot models are called. : )

Updated to add: Fixed the screwy paragraph spacing. Sorry about that. Also, I'm reading online that some are putting forth the theory that Cameron herself is the one who overrode the termination order rather than any preset programming, which would indicate some form of self-awareness and independence. Intriguing!

Fall has kicked me to ground and trod upon my head

I love fall. We're heading in to my favorite time of year. Crisp leaves, cool air, bright sunshine in an impossibly blue sky. Unfortunately, I seem to forget that, every few years, the season change kicks my a**.

 

Allergies and sinus issues run rampant in my family (A dentist, after reviewing my x-rays, said I had the largest sinuses she'd ever seen--gee, thanks?) and the second the weather changes and the barometric pressure shifts one way or another, I'm down and out for the count.

 

It's not every year, so it probably has something to do with the mold count or how fast the changes happen or something.

 

I've spent the last week with a splitting headache on the right side of my face, above and below my eye. Ugh. I laid around all weekend with tissues and over the counter medicine, hoping to knock this thing out. And I woke up this morning to find the pain gone…

 

Unfortunately, it had only relocated to the left side of my face.

 

*sigh*

 

I do not have time for this!

 

I'm teaching my first class at the College of Lake County this week on Thursday, and I'm still prepping my materials. I'm trying to make some forward progress on my very stubborn sequel to G&G. And I'm planning to spend the weekend at my friend and mentor, Linnea Sinclair's, house.

 

I cannot be on sinus medicine while I'm visiting Linnea--I will miss out on the Cosmos and that is simply not acceptable. : )  

 

So come on, head, hurry up and STOP hurting already.