So, I've been fairly pleased with the number of folks who have taken me up on my eBook bundle, but I want to relaunch with something new. My question is, what do my readers want? For those that have read the books, what would you like next? Do chapter by chapter story releases appeal to you? Character offshoots for short stories? Just pictures of me naked?
Tell me what you want....
Well told stories of humans, featuring science fiction as a backdrop...
ReplyDeleteBetter yet, a series fictionalized of short stories (based on real events) which put a human face on the desired, struggles, and injustices suffered in the various #Occupy movements the world over.
ReplyDeleteThere's plenty of real-world source material plus tons of wiggle room for human drama of practically all sorts--hope, theft, murder, marriage, charity, brutality, injustice, fascism, agents provacateur--plus if you nail the timing there's a chance of REALLY big sales.
You could call the finished book "The Occupation".
Another few ideas:
ReplyDelete"The Rockets Red Glare"
A tale of the dystopian future, occurring two generations hence--a story which takes place over 30(?) years. The story of the second American revolution.
In this future, the United States of America has dropped all pretense of being a democratic republic and is a fascist oligarchy. 90% of the population is either a felon or in prison. All industry is controlled by the prison-industrial complex. Those few people not in prison are referred to euphemistically as the "middle class" and are the backbone of necessary prison guards and government employees. The upper .1% are called the "Aristocrats" (no relation to the joke) and can flout the law without fear of repercussion. Oh, and the rumored "wilders"--those who are born in the backwoods and not implanted with an ident chip--outlaws at birth because of it.
This sort of story is rife with good sci-fi & sociological opportunities... implanted money/identiy chips. Internet neutered and exists to spy on populace, self driving cars, self flying planes, augmented reality, bans on non-licensed gardening & farming. Corporate regulatory capture is rampant, and nobody dares speak against it. All news is carefully controlled. "Normal" people do not travel, especially outside the country; though rumors circulate about countries outside the US which are havens of freedom.
Felons are mandated to take *expensive* anti-psychotic drugs after release and are often thrown back in jail later when they cannot afford them, et al, etc...
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"Shadow War"
A present-day account of the "very cold" war between China & the United States; which occurs via proxy wars, economic maneuvers, earthquake & weather control, clandestine military maneuvers, occasional "ha ha we piss on you" moves (China melts US satellite using ground-based laser), and some plain-ol espionage.
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"The Greatest Show on Earth"
An account of the 2012 elections, written as though it were a reality show, complete with a mysterious 'director.' The ultimate in mix between chilling warning and satire.
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(Hope I'm not spamming--I'm just a fan with ideas and not enough motivation to actually write a book.)
Sir...these comments are awesome. I'm partial to the occupy short stories and the dystopian prison state story, for personal reasons. As much as the artist in me wants to retain control, I wonder if I could create an Occupy story outline and then let various people from around the country/world where these protests are occurring write their own short stories, then I'll edit them and clean them up to fit the overarching outline, in addition to writing the Chicago chapter of course. What do you think of that idea?
ReplyDeleteThe crowd-sourced model of "The Occupation" is, I think, better than my initial idea.
ReplyDeleteI'd be glad to kick around tech/social theory for the dystopian prison state as well.
Anyhow, you have my twitter & email, holler if there's anything I can do.
I think more than anything, I need to write up an Occupy outline and the Chicago short story and then use my social media and everyone who reads this stuff to recruit writers from around the country....
ReplyDelete