I’ve been absent for far too long from TomorrowSage.com, especially given it is a site so near and dear to where I want go as an author. There are a variety of reasons for this absence, but the main one is the realization that what I want to do with TomorrowSage.com isn’t (and hasn’t been) compatible with the form and functionality of either traditional blog sites or author websites.

Chinese villagers build a bridge across a tributary of the Yangtze River.

So after burning up an appropriate amount of time and grey matter pondering how I could accomplish my vision for this website, I’ve realized I need to build something from the ground up that will turn TomorrowSage.com into much more of a canvas for conveying knowledge and stories. Or rather, a series of canvases upon which each article or story can be communicated in its own unique way.¹

Ultimately what I envision isn’t just a different approach to a website, but a different way tell stories (and ultimately for me, a broader creative experience).

I will do my best to bring about the new TomorrowSage.com as quickly as possible, but given other demands (professional and personal), it is likely to be a matter of weeks (or months) rather than days before everything goes live. And finally, while I don’t intend to provide any new posts on this site until after the reimagining is complete, I do promise to read and respond to any thoughts or comments you share below on this new direction. I’ll also remain active in my other online domiciles and quite possibly provide the occasional update about TomorrowSage.com in those locations. So please stay in touch at:

• twitter.com/tomorrowsage
• www.kevinabarnes.com

1. A quick clarification: When I say, “build something from the ground up,” I don’t mean lovingly code every line of every single web page. My intent is to develop a custom, highly-flexible content management system that will allow me to create and communicate in the way I envision. And no, I currently have no desire or intentions to sell the resulting tool — it is being designed and built for my unique needs and to meet my creative vision. [↩]

An event that looks to be the social affair of the year (1872 that is)¹ will take place on Thursday, August 20 when the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre hosts Steampunk Night in conjunction with that evening’s performance of “Around the World in 80 Days”.

Photo Source: Milwaukee Chamber Theatre

In Which Steampunk Comes to Milwaukee²
Steampunk Night promises to impart the very latest in 19th century music, theater and entertainment.³ (more…)

1. Yes, this post is being written entirely in character, so hang on to your goggles and top hat! The footnotes, however, will pull you out of your suspension of disbelief and provide 21st Century perspective and details. [↩]
2. If you are familiar with the original Jules Verne novel, you’ll recognize this as the terminology Verne used for his novel’s chapter titles. [↩]
3. Given that I read — and occasionally write — Steampunk fiction, I was pleasantly surprised to learn of a Steampunk event right here in Milwaukee. [↩]

Wolfram|Alpha¹ has been available to the general public for seven weeks now, allowing plenty of time to test drive it and uncover its strengths and weaknesses. What I’ve found is that it’s a surprisingly powerful tool for the science fiction writer.

Where traditional internet search engines like Google return a list of links that may or may not lead to the answer the user seeks, Wolfram|Alpha attempts to cut out the middle steps and deliver the actual answer directly to the user. Wolfram|Alpha really shines when you’re seeking specific factual information. Let’s look at a couple of examples of what might arise when conducting research for a science fiction novel.

47 Ursae Majoris b Wolfram|Alpha search

Extrasolar Planets
Assume I’m working on the next Nebula-winning novel and I’ve set the story on 47 Ursae Majoris b (an exoplanet I vaguely remember hearing about when it was discovered in 1996). I plug the planet’s name into Wolfram|Alpha and immediately get a wealth of information. I now know that 47 Ursae Majoris b is 45.86 light years from Earth and it is located in the constellation Ursa Major.² About the only thing it doesn’t tell me is whether the planet is inhabited. (Some things have to be left to the imagination of the writer!) (more…)

1. If you’ve somehow missed all the hype, Wolfram|Alpha calls itself a “computational knowledge engine.” It essentially is a new kind of search engine. Its ambitious goal is to provide all objective data in a way that allows users to crunch, convert, compute and compare that data. [↩]
2. In fact, Wolfram|Alpha provides a star map and tells me the exoplanet’s exact location in the sky based on the fact I’m in Milwaukee at the moment. [↩]

One of the more challenging areas of writing today is cross-genre speculative fiction, where (as one example) elements drawn from both fantasy and science fiction come together in a single story with a contemporary setting. Not only must an author create internally consistent fantasy elements (such as a dragon), those elements also must mesh seamlessly with the science and society of our modern world. Thus when an author succeeds at making everything work together in such a cross-genre piece, the payoff can be great.

Dragon Fountain Rue St. Michel, Paris

Sean McMullen’s¹ newest story, “The Art of the Dragon”, is one such successful genre-melding work. The story appears in the Aug/Sept 2009 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (F&SF). From the very first sentence, the reader is likely to be hooked: “I was there when the dragon first appeared — and ate the Eiffel Tower.” (more…)

1. Australian Sean McMullen has written both science fiction and fantasy. His debut novels — Voices In The Light (1994) and Mirrorsun Rising (1995) — were rewritten and combined for a publication in the US as Souls In The Great Machine (1999). More recently, McMullen has written a number of fantasy/cross-genre novels in his Moonworld Saga, including The Time Engine which was published in August 2008. McMullen also appeared in the April/May 2009 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction with the story “The Spiral Briar”. McMullen’s official web site can be found at: http://www.seanmcmullen.net.au/ [↩]

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (F&SF), currently in its 60th year of publication, is one of just a few remaining US-based magazines/digests in the genre.¹ A look at the upcoming Aug/Sept 2009 issue shows that even after six decades, F&SF is still a solid publication for science fiction and fantasy readers.

Cover of F&SF Aug/Sept 2009 issue Artwork by Cory and Catska Ench

It’s probably been 15 years since I read an issue of F&SF from cover to cover,² so the launch of TomorrowSage.com seemed a great excuse to reacquaint myself with the magazine.³ Overall the magazine matched my fond memories from years past, with over 200 pages of well written, thought provoking stories. Reading this issue of F&SF reminded me why I fell in love with science fiction and fantasy in the first place.

What Works
One of the things I most enjoyed about F&SF when I was growing up was the balance the magazine struck between columns and fiction pieces. That balance still feels right in this new issue — there are roughly 225 pages of fiction and 28 pages of nonfiction “Departments” as the magazine calls them. The bottom line is that if I’m buying a magazine of science fiction and fantasy, I want the vast majority of that magazine to consist of fiction. (more…)

1. Asimov’s Science Fiction and Analog Science Fiction and Fact are the other long surviving digests that immediately come to mind. Realms of Fantasy, which previously announced it was ceasing publication after the April 2009 issue, was recently purchased by Tir Na Nog Press and is scheduled to resume publication in July. [↩]
2. This is a scary admission from someone who claims to be both a reader and writer in this genre. [↩]
3. Disclosure: The F&SF circulation manager provided a complimentary copy of the Aug/Sept 2009 issue for review. [↩]