Meiosis and Writing

Meiosis Diagram
courtesy of sciencegeek.net

As an A-Level Biology student, I strive to understand the world around me. From learning how water gets from the ground to the leaves of a giant Oak Tree to how insects survive without blood, I am fascinated by nature.

One day, whilst learning about how meiosis causes variation I had a brainwave. What if I could cross my love of writing with my knowledge of meiosis? At first, I struggled to think of the connections, but I think I’ve managed to work it out.

I will be using three key ways that meiosis causes variation to think about how we, as writers, can vary our writing. This article will form the final part in my three-part series on being unique in writing.

Please note that I have simplified the biology in this article and missed processes out to make it more approachable for those without a scientific background.

Independent Assortment (of chromosomes on the spindle)

In biological terms, this means that chromosome pairs will align along thread (the spindle). This means that it doesn’t matter where the other pairs go on the thread, each pair will go wherever it pleases.

So, how can writers apply this principle?

It doesn’t matter what Stephen King is writing, or what Tolkien did – you are you. Put your characters in the situations you want to put them in. Sure, the Lord of the Rings is a successful series, but that doesn’t mean you need to copy it.

Be your own writer. You know what you want to write better than anybody else does, and the chances are somebody, somewhere will want to read what you have written. You shouldn’t ignore other writers, but you should remember that the best writing often comes when the author writes their piece in the way they wanted.

There is every chance somebody will suggest a change to the plot and by all means embrace the opportunity to make your piece more appealing, but if it goes against everything your piece stands for … well, don’t do it.

Crossing-over (of alleles)

Ghost in the Wires

Hi,

I recently finished Ghost in the Wires by Kevin Mitnick.

Ghost in the Wires cover

The book is an autobiographical account of Mitnick's 'adventures as the world's most wanted hacker'. He starts out by explaining his love for magic and deception as a young child, including a description of how he managed to get free bus rides around town.

Mitnick then describes his rise to notoriety in a thrilling, and suspenseful, tone that leads to numerous close shaves and hair-raising near encounters with the FBI.

Throughout the book Mitnick (and co-author, William Simon) uses an engaging writing style that never fails to keep you on the edge of your seat. I'm not normally a reader of any form of biography, but this is most definitely the exception. I mean, it has a helicopter chase in it. How many autobiographies have helicopter chases in?

I got this book for Christmas and started reading it, but a load of stuff happened that prevented me from being able to read it and it found its way to the bottom of the pile. After I found it again, I managed to finish reading it in less than 2 weeks (and I'm not the fastest reader).

The book contains details of many of the people he met in his hacking career (and all of their aliases) and how he worked with them, against them or how he was betrayed by them. Along with these people, he also showed how a strong family was vital for him. His mum and gram proved to be his backbone - his constant throughout his adventures.

As a computer geek myself, I thoroughly enjoyed the sections where the technical aspects of his exploits were explained and some of the codes shown. This really added a sense of wonder to his abilities and made the section about Novell NetWare even more enjoyable. This section was of extra interest as it is the system my college uses.

The book starts drawing to an end with his arrest and the Free Kevin protests that kept him going whilst inside. The end isn't quite as engaging as the middle, but that is to be expected with any book. The final chapter briefly details his change from the world's most wanted hacker to the world's best hacker with his own (legal) security firm, Mitnick Security.

Overall, it is the best non-fiction book I have ever read, and pretty close to my favourite book of all time.

Below is an interview (50 minutes) with Kevin Mitnick from Authors@Google:

Microsoft

Warning this post contains some strong language.

One thing that really irks me is when people say things like 'that's Windows for you.' If anyone says that to you they are one of the following: 1. A liar 2. A mac user 3. A Linux/ubuntu user 4. Really bad with computers 5. All/Combination of the above I use Windows 7, I used to use Vista and still use XP at school. The majority of issues I encounter are my own (or the school's) fault. For example I had a blue-screen last year. Now, I look online for solutions to this problem and encounter post after post of window-hating, mac-loving idiots. Every single one of them said that I should by a Mac, or windows is for losers. Piss off! In the end I realised that sometimes shit happens. And sometimes it is me who did the shit (could be worded better). I had opened too many application and was doing too much at a time. I was downloading a large file of the internet, watching a HD video on YouTube, rendering a film and burning it to DVD and installing 2 applications. I had iTunes playing music and Tweet deck overloaded with tweets about the riots. It was not Microsoft's sole fault that my computer blue-screened. It was my fault for not considering what my machine could handle. Another issue people have is with networking Windows machines. I can do it with little hassle. Why? Because I know how and took the time to learn. Sometimes the moment something goes wrong they look for someone to blame rather than a solution. Why? Because they're idiots. Don't try and connect an XP machine to a windows 7 machine with a home-group and then blame Microsoft for not allowing compatibility. If every new feature had to be compatible with every other old feature nothing new would ever be made. Stop being a dick and accept you've got an out-dated OS and if you want to use modern features you need to upgrade. Then there are those people who claim Apple makes the best hardware, the best software and sun shines out of its bloody backside. They are wrong. Case in point: iTunes. When I run iTunes, almost 60% of my processing power is used and I am limited to browsing the web or typing stuff. I claimed at the start of this rant that people shouldn't blame companies for every fault, but I am aware that sometimes the blame does lie in shoddy coding. Apple prioritised Apple customers (as you would expect, nothing wrong there) and allowed Windows users to suffer. I don't blame them, they are right with there priorities, but they aren't Gods. They don't get everything right.

Embrace the Cliché

Last month I spoke about being unique in your writing and how to not be a copycat. In the second part of this series of articles, I am going to cover the embracement of clichés.

The other week, I was looking through my twitter-feed and came across a tweet from Amanda Wilcox that proves I am not alone in embracing clichés:

“The art of story writing seems to be simply re-writing clichés in your own words.”

I don’t know if I can attribute it directly to Amanda, or if someone else said it first, but story writing certainly seems that way.

I touched upon genre property last month, but not all genre property is cliché. Magical schools are not yet cliché and still have much uncovered ground. However, vampires are probably now cliché, what with Dracula, Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, and The Secret Circle to name but a few.

That isn’t to say that vampire stories should be avoided. If approached sensibly and with the right mind set any cliché can be turned into something new and exciting.

Before we go any further, perhaps an exploration into the definition of a cliché is needed. According to the Collins dictionary it is:

“An idea or phrase which is no longer effective because it has been used so much.”

This definition states that it can’t be used effectively any more. However, that doesn’t explain why some clichés are effective even after they have become ‘overused’. Perhaps I am being too broad with my own definition of:

“Something that has been used so much that it becomes predictable.”

Even with my definition, you probably would think it best to avoid any cliché where possible. Nevertheless, I am a firm believer that we shouldn’t waste clichés and should whole-heartedly embrace them with open arms. After all if you don’t try, you’ll never know, and knowledge is power. Remember that with great power comes great responsibility and that to use clichés is a privilege, not a right.

OK, so I went a little overboard with my clichés there, maybe to serve as an example of what not to do with them.

Young adult, book stores, privacy - An evolving rant

I'm back again wanting to rant some more and yet again I don't know what to rant about. Something that makes my blood boil, perhaps?

Well, being 17 I haven't witnessed or experienced as much as some of you... older members. Doesn't mean I'm stupid though. The young adult section in book stores irritates me as it kind of assumes this. We're too old to appreciate works like Harry Potter (one of my favourite series), but are much more likely to enjoy reading a load of tripe about sparkly vampires. Forgive if I'm wrong, but the last time I checked the young adult demographic consists of more than just girls. I don't mean to be offensive to males who read Myers 'work' but it is mainly females who read it.

The YA section doesn't have the opportunity to annoy me as much as it does others as I (don't shoot me) buy my books online. It is pleasing to see that places like Amazon have avoided the dreaded YA section and instead make the cut off at children.

Yes, I buy my books online. I know that for many the fact that book stores are dying out is saddening, and in many respects it is. But we need to be honest with ourselves, it is far easier to order online and with places like Amazon having free delivery it is hard to see a reason not to. The prices are often cheaper so that makes up for the fact I have to wait a few days for the book to arrive.

It annoys me when people moan at me for buying online. Why should I pay more, travel further and risk not being able to get the book I want, when I don't have to? Book stores may have the benefit of being able to handle the book, see the page size and font, but that is about where it ends for me. Sure, people may say but you can try before you buy when you go to a shop, but you can online too. Amazon has a preview feature which allows you to read a fair amount of the book before you buy it. Better still you're not blocking the bookshelf whilst you stand there engrossed in whatever it is you've picked up.

"But there is something about the musty smell of a book store." Yeah, OK that can't be recreated online, but I don't think the book shops which sell second hand, old books will die out. They will simply merge with other second hand stores or possibly have an online presence in addition to the store. Places like Waterstones don't, in my opinion, have the smell of old books simply because they are selling new books. For that reason I don't think the musty smell argument can compete with the 'loads of variety, 24/7 service' argument for online.

The real threat to high-street book stores is probably not even online. It is the supermarkets. Asda, Sainsbury's, Tesco, they are all starting to stock more and more popular books for less and less. People are buying on impulse in the supermarket as they do not always go purely to buy a book, but to go and buy their groceries. Then they spot a book they like and buy it. A lost sale for book stores which often work on impulse buys, too. When you shop online the chances are that you are not going to have a peek at every book, but search for a specific one, or perhaps go to a specific category. Online purchases are still impulse buys, but not as much as supermarket book purchases.

So, perhaps the loss of impulse book purchases is a shame. Not really, in my opinion. As online stores get bigger, they accommodate more types of user, including impulse buyers. You've all seen the Recommended section on Amazon, or received personalised emails suggesting your next purchase. These advertisements work off impulse. It is like walking down an aisle in Asda and spotting a book you like the look of and buying it. The only difference is that you are online so it is more likely to be appropriate to you.

This brings me onto another thing that really annoys me:  People complaining about the loss of privacy when companies like Amazon, Google, Microsoft and supermarkets, collect data about you. Personally I welcome these companies to 'spy' on me. I would much rather see a book about writing fiction on the Amazon homepage than a book about expecting mothers! The fact is Amazon knows my web history based on the trail of cookies I leave as does Google. I want personalised ads; I want a better service from the companies I am paying money to; I want to be able to find things that interest me; I want emails that aren't spam, and actually contain content that I want to read. If this costs a small bit of my privacy so be it. I've got nothing to hide so it doesn't really affect me. The vast majority of these services operate an opt out policy so if you're looking for a place to bury the guy you killed without your wife becoming suspicious at the 'How to bury a body' books popping up on the homepage of Amazon then you can just turn off cookies in your browser, and use incognito/private browsing.

So, please stop moaning about your privacy being violated by companies wanting to earn more money by making your experience better. Correct me if I'm wrong but I can't think of anyone who would rather read mindless junk email instead of a list of products that are suited to them.

So, yet again it turns out that I do have stuff to say.

Thanks for reading, I'd love to hear your responses

Matt

Be 'Younique'

This article is about the variety of ways any writer can use to prevent themselves accidentally becoming a ‘copycat’.

To start with, it is important to note that copying from others is different from using the general idea. In fantasy, especially, most ideas have been done, but not every idea has been done in every way. These ideas are sometimes referred to as ‘genre property’ and include the concepts such as magical schools (Unseen Academy, Hogwarts), apprentices (Magician, The Magician’s Apprentice) and trolls, wizards, and pretty much everything else associated with fantasy.

To stop yourself from becoming just another copy that isn’t quite as good as the original, you have to become the original. You need to come up with something unique, clever, and new. I’m not going to lie and say this is easy, it isn’t – especially if you’re writing something like epic fantasy with dragons and knights. The way you go about creating something different will vary depending on the sub-genre, but there is one basic rule for all sub-genres.

Think. Now, this may seem to be the obvious thing to do, but it is surprising how often it is not done. If you know your story is going to be about a man who’s been an orphan since childhood but is going to learn more about his parents’ death through means of magic then you have a good start. By knowing what your plot is, it is much easier to make a few changes.

Let’s think about the first part of that plot; this man is an orphan. That’s definitely been done before, but comes under genre property. The unique part here has got to be how he became an orphan and how it has affected him. You would be copying if you had a dark wizard kill them and this caused you’re character to be the chosen one who is the only one who can kill this dark wizard. Perhaps making it an accident that killed the parents, but an unknown one. This helps with the second plot element and enhances the first one.

So, your character is going to find out about the death of his parents. This is more generic and so safer from you accidentally copying someone else. From the first plot element, you have created a unique death… or perhaps a unique known death. Maybe they’re not dead. If so, why did people think they were? Be adventurous here. Don’t have characters think the father’s death was caused by them falling off a cliff and then have the dad come back and explain how he climbed down the cliff face and had rocks thrown at him by an assailant but luckily he managed to escape. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has already done this. If you want to do something similar then perhaps have it be more dangerous, or maybe have somebody else save the character.

As you can see, there are a number of ways to stop yourself from copying and still have the same plot as you wanted. However, there is the issue of knowing what has been written. It is impossible to read everything and so you must do your research. If your plot is good and you haven’t read it before then a quick search on the internet is all that’s needed to make sure you are being original. Use Google to look for keywords from your plot. Using our previous plot example typing, ‘fantasy orphan magic dark wizard’ into Google had Harry Potter as the second result.

Of course, what I have explained is only the tip of the iceberg. To explain all the ideas under the sun would require forever and a day. Let your imagination flow from your pen and by thinking outside the box, you can prevent copying becoming a spanner in the works.

That paragraph beautifully flows to the other method of being unique. This is the one I employ most:  Embrace the Cliché. That, however, is one for another day, and another newsletter article.

So, I leave you with this quote from Terry Pratchett.

Most modern fantasy just rearranges the furniture in Tolkien’s attic.

Hope this helps,

Matt B



Also available at Be Younique (WDC)

AS Results are in!

Hi,

Last night I posted about what I was predicting for today's results.

Well, to day I am happy with what I have got would be lying. My predictions were wrong. To say I was thrilled with my results would be telling the absolute truth. I have never been more relieved from a set of results in my life.

I worked really hard for these exams and it seems to have paid off. Surprised doesn't cover the fact the results are so good. Shocked would be better!

Chemistry was the subject that I thought I did worst in, but I got a comfortable A. The UMS (standardised marks) mark required for an A was around 99 and I got 108 so well in the bracket.

I was completely unsure how I did in Biology and guessed a B. I got an A!

The only exam I was confident in doing well was physics. I got an A. To make it even better I got the third highest mark in my year (or class, I'm not sure; there are 2 classes for physics).

I'm doing my ICT a year early. This means that I did 2 years of GCSE in one go in year 10, did my AS level in year 11 and my A2 this year, year 12. I thought I'd completely flunked one of the questions, but it turns out I didn't. I got an A. My ICT teacher said to my parents 'I expected Matt to get an A, but not such a high A.' He then went on to explain I got the highest ever mark in that paper for my school - 95%! 'It was a hard paper' were his words and I modestly agree.

Needless to say I am euphoric with these results and am more ebullient than ever about my academic life.

Thanks
Matt B

Exam Results are Looming

Hi,

Tomorrow is AS Results day for the January exams. Normally I don't get worried for exam results, but this time is different.

The Chemistry exam was the hardest exam I have ever sat. Couple that with the A grade and the cold fact I got a C in the trial exam and the pressure is high. In this case I would be thrilled with an A, disappointed with a C, unsurprised by a B and devastated with less than a C. However, I don't think the exam went badly. After speaking to teachers about the exam I feel better. The conversation usually started with me saying the exam was hard and then the teacher pointing out different questions and me saying 'I got that one' a fair few times.

The Biology was one of those exams where I don't know if it went well. After most exams I have a gut feeling about how it went, but this one I really just don't know. Nobody really discussed the Bio exam so I don't even have the comfort of knowing I got at least some of the answers right. Funnily enough I got a B in the trial exam despite finding the subject harder than Chemistry. Like above, I would be thrilled with an A, disappointed with a C, unsurprised by a B and devastated with less than a C. The really worry for this one is that there have been rumours going around that 1 in 5 people failed the exam. However, I did some digging in the past exam statistics and learned in 2011 30% got an E or less and in 2010 35% got an E or less. I take solace in that the rumours going round are little more than just rumours. The exam grade boundaries are determined by how hard the exam was (hard exams have nicer boundaries) and how well everyone did. The boards are ruled by percentages and they aim to get a certain percentage of A's, B's, etc... on each paper by adjusting the boundaries.

The Physics exam was the only exam I am confident with. I felt good after that exam and so am hoping for the A. I would be disappointed with a B here and pretty upset with a C or less. However, as explained above if nationally the paper was done well the grade boundaries will be higher. Also, I have found that the exams you feel went best are those you get the most unexpected result in.

ICT is the only subject with coursework that I take. The sciences have practical exams but they are not worth as much. I can be comforted by this fact if the ICT exam doesn't go as planned. I think I should at least get a B, but I just don't know. I was stupid and didn't look up the EC Regulations even though they were mentioned in the case study and a 6 mark question came up on that. I may have got 1 or 2 marks there, but it could make the difference if the boundaries are tight.

So, the short story is I just don't know how I did in my exams so there is really no point worrying as there is nothing I can do.

I will post my results tomorrow, no matter what they are. If they are good I will like to share it with you all, if they are not so good I want you to know about the changes I will make to my work and revision techniques and attitudes.

Thanks
Matt B

Hypermnesia

This post is for those of you who have hypermnesia and can remember that I am trying to expand my vocabulary.

Words - courtesy of Armenianweekly.com

Of course those with hypermnesia are often froward as you can always remember exactly what was said and so can cleverly divert instruction. That said many are affable despite their hegemony. I will point out that eating the brains of a person who as the ability will not give you it, if only because human brains aren't normally comestible. Then again those who seek to steal your ability are often doing so only to fulfil their sycophantic disposition. I imagine those who eat brains are spelunkers, specifically for caves that are adventitious. Anyway, I give an encomium to all those with hypermnesia and fully enjoy the company of ebullient spelunkers so long as they're not too stentorian.

In other words:

Of course those with an abnormally vivid memory are often disposed to disobedience as you can always remember exactly what was said and so can cleverly divert instruction. That said many are characterised by ease and friendliness despite their dominant influence and authority over others. I will point out that eating the brains of a person who as the ability will not give you it, if only because human brains aren't normally edible. Then again those who seek to steal your ability are often doing so only to fulfil their servile, self-flattering disposition. I imagine those who eat brains are cave explorers, specifically for caves that are arising sporadically in places that are unusual for them. Anyway, I give a glowing praise to all those with hypermnesia and fully enjoy the company of bubbly, lively spelunkers so long as they're not too loud.

Raven Shadows

Hi,

I have just read a fantastic poem on writing.com and I want to share the link with you all.

Raven Shadows, by Julie

I have sent a review to her, though it read more of the extent of how many ways I can say I enjoyed something! The review is here:

My Review


Thanks
Matt B