IDEAS ON TUESDAYS 500

I started IDEAS ON TUESDAYS a decade ago!

To mark the occasion? The first post I ever made. (Also, I thought I’d add the three gems of wisdom from master practitioners, regarding three of my favorite genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror!)

First, the ORIGINAL POST:

Each Tuesday, rather than a POSSIBLY IRRITATING ESSAY, I'd like to both challenge you and lend a helping hand. I generate more speculative and teen story ideas than I can ever use. My family rolls its collective eyes when I say, "Hang on a second! I just have to write down this idea..." Here, I'll include the initial inspiration (quote, website, podcast, etc.) and then a thought or two that came to mind. These will simply be seeds -- plant, nurture, fertilize, chemically treat, irradiate, test or stress them as you see fit. I only ask if you let me know if anything comes of them.

February 22, 2011

Ideas On Tuesdays 1: ReVisiting Fermi's Paradox...

This is going to be a regular feature on POSSIBLY IRRITATING ESSAYS. Rather than irritating you though, I'd like to both challenge and lend a helping hand. I generate more speculative story ideas than I can ever use. My family rolls its collective eyes when I say, "Hang on a second! I just have to write down this idea..." I'll include the initial inspiration (quote, website, podcast, etc) and then a thought or two that came to mind. These will simply be seeds -- plant, nurture, fertilize, chemically treat, irradiate, test or stress them as you see fit. I only ask if you let me know if anything comes of them -- and that you can post in the comment section.

My wife ran across this on msn.com:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41686017/ns/technology_and_science-space/

The comment at the end paraphrases Fermi's Paradox: "the apparent contradiction between high estimates of the probability of the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations and the lack of evidence for, or contact with, such civilizations."

Idea: What if every world with a technological, pre-atomic civilization is provided with a gate linking them to other worlds with other intelligences -- but the instant an atomic explosion occurs, the gate closes forever?

Posted by GuyStewart at 5:00 AM 

Labels: Fermi's Paradox, Ideas On Tuesdays

And the wisdom?

Regarding Science Fiction: “Octavia Butler said, ‘SF doesn’t really mean anything at all, except that if you use science, you should use it correctly, and if you use your imagination to extend it beyond what we already know, you should do that intelligently.’”

Regarding Fantasy: “Melissa McPhail wrote, ‘I see the fantasy genre as an ever-shifting metaphor for life in this world, an innocuous medium that allows the author to examine difficult, even controversial, subjects with impunity. Honor, religion, politics, nobility, integrity, greed—we’ve an endless list of ideals to be dissected and explored. And maybe learned from.’”

Regarding Horror: “Lou Morgan in The Guardian wrote, ‘We seek out…stories which give us a place to put our fears…Stories that frighten us or unsettle us - not just horror stories, but ones that make us uncomfortable or that strike a chord somewhere deep inside - give us the means to explore the things that scare us.’”

I continue to look forward to tossing ideas out there to see what surfaces!

Image: https://cms.qz.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Ideas-Social1.png?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200&h=630&crop=1