I am struggling with a story. Nothing terribly new in that, except in this case, the struggle is taking place on alien territory.
Bill Schafer, of Subterranean Press, and Gardner Dozois are putting together a tribute anthology to Robert Silverberg. Various authors have been asked to write stories set in one of Bob's universes. The story may or may not use his characters. I chose the short story "Going," a 1973 story about death.
I have been reading Silverberg since I was 15 years old, always with great admiration, but reading an author and writing in his world are two entirely different things. At first I tried to imitate Bob's erudite, cool, insightful prose, a prose that always stands back slightly to observe his complex, erudite, cool characters -- but THAT did not work. So now I am writing my own prose in his world, and finding it difficult. I'm not a natural collaborator, having done it only twice during my career (neither time with stunning results). This is not a collaboration, but it has some elements of one. Usually I write four to eight pages a day; this story is inching along much more slowly.
It's possible I've picked the wrong Silverberg story to borrow. In that case, I will choose a different story. I want to do this. But it's proving a struggle.
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8 comments:
I've never read "Going". I suppose LVC, Nightwings, "Born With the Dead", "Sailing to Byzantium", and "Going Down Smooth" have been grabbed by other writers.
My, I think I started reading Silverberg at the age of 8. What was the year that his juvenile novel "Lost Race of Mars" was published? It can't have been long after that that I become a voracious SF reader.
I'm not familiar with the story that you've picked as your background, as I have mostly read Silverberg's novels and not his short fiction. Much as I like his work, I'm not sure that I would want to attempt to emulate his style.
I find it a rather strange thing to see (or hear) one author's universe in another author's voice. The example that comes to mind is Poul Anderson's forays into Larry Niven's "Known Space" universe. The two authors have very distinct voices, and reading a novel about Niven's Kzinti written in Anderson's style was, well, not bad, but just sort of odd. Like drinking from a glass that you believe contains cola and finding out that it's actually ginger ale.
I like the *idea* of seeing a favorite fictional universe from another author's perspective. But, like all things, I think that sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.
Good luck with your story!
Sounds like an interesting experiment. Your description really captures what I admire about Silverberg. Good luck!
Borrowing a Universe is cool. Just as long as you give it back, safe and sound, in the condition you found it in.
Uh, had a surplus "in" thar...
My favorite Silverberg story (and he has =many= a beauty to his credit) is DYING INSIDE. I found it astonishing.
It reminds me of a friend of mine who runs an artwork-trading web site. Each of two comic artists agrees to draw a character from the other's work, and then they give them to each other as gifts. It's interesting to see your character in someone else's style(sometimes flattering, sometimes not), like the person they drew is just a stranger dressed up like your character (if it's not exactly your style). I know, I'm stretching a little, but your post simply reminded me of that. Good luck!
Meant to say that "Always True to Thee, in My Fashion" reminded me of a Robert Silverberg story from his "ironic" period.
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