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Author: Karlo Yeager Rodríguez

“Fahrenheit 451” and the Problems of A Single Story

A few nights ago, I took to Twitter to respond to all those articles I've seen urging people to read George Orwell's "1984" (or, alternately, "A Brave New World"). To which I said--and continue to say--"Hey, great books!" However, for me the book to study is Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451." The reasons I can see for this are: "1984" inhabits the mindscape of Stalinist Soviet Union: hulking gray buildings framed against gray skies, far removed from how someone from the U.S. views their country. "A Brave New World," while prescient in certain ways, is too bizarre an environment for today's readers Styles change, and while I find "1984" to be much more modern-sounding than "Brave New World", Fahrenheit 451 is written in allegorical and poetic language which lends it a timelessness.   [embed]http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-IcPx9uD0U[/embed]  Don't want to read the rest of the post? Thug Notes video to the rescue!   Bradbury's book is by far the shortest of...

March 4, 2017
Science Fiction

Revisions On a Story I’m Dusting Off

I dusted off a story I had thought complete years back, and started revising it. I like to go back over, rewriting entire paragraphs into what flows better for me, as well as re-ordering scenes to see how they change the effect of the story. Here's hoping I can finish the revisions by mid-March, which will allow me time to get something ready for Lightspeed when they open for fantasy. This story is the oldest of what I call the "second wave" stories I wrote around 2014. Once this one's done, maybe I can pull another one of those story drafts out of my drawer and get it ready. These days, I'm very slow. Now that I've been able to write a little more consistently, my next step will be to layer in some regular visits to the gym, which I've been missing. One step, then the next, followed by yet another.  ...

February 28, 2017
Uncategorized

Back to Regularly Scheduled Program (I Hope)

I'm back. I have to admit I knew I hadn't written a post in a while. Hell, I hadn't written anything in a while. Part of it was shifting my priorities to make sure several other personal goals were met, part was not feeling ready to write a post, or anything, really. I spent long hours away from creating anything, re-watching some favorite movies and TV shows, trusting (hoping) I would come back to the many projects needing revision. I have also been watching "Atlanta," which is superbly written, and very funny. I kept seeing Facebook messages on my author's page, guilting me with how long my followers hadn't heard from me. I felt a little guilty, but also ashamed enough that I didn't immediately post anything. Now, I'm back. I finished writing a short piece last night. I dusted off another piece I started last year, but never finished. I'm hoping to get it...

February 23, 2017
Science Fiction, Writing

It’s Been a While, But Let Me Tell You. . .

. . . When it rains, it pours. Why haven't I posted anything for a while? Well, let me tell you all about this Puerto Rican's experience with black ice. On January 11, there had been what my phone's weather app called a "wintry mix" falling since before dawn. I salted the front steps, since I almost slipped and put further cracks in my ass, and didn't want my fiancée to have an accident. Already behind schedule, I got in my car and started the drive to work. Where we live is rural. Farm country with lots of twisty-turny roads through the odd field, but mostly forest, and I had become used to the fact that most days with icy conditions, the roads are already salted. So, when I came to a hill I've traversed hundreds of times since I've lived here, I didn't expect to skid down the slope and into the...

January 23, 2017
Uncategorized

An Election Plus Two Deaths Equal a Retrospective

I've been wanting to write this, but struggled with the words. I mean, I'm a writer! How can a writer be at a loss for words? On November 9th, my fiancée and I sat stunned at the election day results. We had talked about what might happen, and both were convinced it might be very close, but weren't ready for the results. A phone call came. A neighbor who had taken my fiancée's mom to vote let my fiancée know her mom seemed out of sorts. A week sped by in a blur. My fiancée rushed between home and the hospital, while I held down the fort. By the end of that week, I was offering her what scant comfort I could. Let me take a brief pause, here, to share a small detail. Ever since we found it out, my fiancée and I have delighted in the fact our birthdays fall on consecutive days. Hers first on...

December 29, 2016
Uncategorized