Hatrack River Writers Workshop: Weeds

This is topic Weeds in forum Open Discussions About Writing at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

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Posted by hoptoad (Member # 2145) on :

I think people's minds are a lot like ecosystems.
When we are born we think only in concepts -- fertile soil. As we learn language, words spring-up, they decorate and beautify the mind, creating environments and little micro-ecosystems.

But then we hear something, a word or a cliche, a phrase and it so hardy, so robust, so forceful... It expresses an idea with clarity and economy.
You use it everywhere, but you start to notice it everywhere too. It invades the creeks and roadsides of the collective unconscious. It becomes a weed.

Question: Is there anything you have noticed emerging in sci-fi and fantasy with such rapidity that you are sure it will become a weed?

[This message has been edited by hoptoad (edited August 27, 2004).]

Posted by Doc Brown (Member # 1118) on :

"Real" adventures in Virtual Reality, with consequences that will affect the real world, are weeds. This isn't exactly the plot of the old Disney movie Tron, but it seems a million hack sci-fi writers saw Tron and got the same bad idea.

Posted by Robyn_Hood (Member # 2083) on :

It's the end of the world! Unless...[enter miracle here]!

Independence Day
Armageddon
Deep Impact

There are others, but these are the ones that come to mind. While they are all done relatively well, I'm just not a fan of the theme. Somehow the hero pulls it off and saves the world from almost certain doom.

Let me get out a bag of Cheese Puffs.

Posted by ambongan (Member # 2122) on :

War of the Worlds
Space Cowboys
Any James Bond movie

Posted by Robyn_Hood (Member # 2083) on :

To expand on the earlier metaphor:

Not all weeds are ugly. In fact some are quite beautiful to look at. The problem with weeds is that they are so plentiful and difficult to control.

In general, we tend to put a higher value on things that are rare or fleeting. Gold and brass look similar, but we value gold more. Roses and daisies are both beautiful flowers, but we value roses more.

The same can be said about stories. Story lines that put a fresh spin on an idea go on to become clasics, whereas recycled storylines can be entertaining but generally lack staying power.

Posted by Jeraliey (Member # 2147) on :

Clueless Brittish guys. (Hitchhiker's Guide, Neverwhere, Children of Men, etc.)

Although this one might be queen anne's lace.....

Posted by Worth the Wait (Member # 2155) on :

The Terminator movies.

The group of rogue, yet ultimately good and "moral", people out to either a) resurrect a dead civilization, b) protect civilization from itself, or c) any combination of the two.
(Firefly, Andromeda, Babylon 5, etc) (Though all three had their moments, mind! ) <><

Posted by djvdakota (Member # 2002) on :

I'm a lover of Arthurian stories. But if I have to read ONE MORE from Merlin's POV...
AAARRRGGGHHH!!! To me, those are fast becoming weeds.

And what am I doing? I'm reading another one--recommended by hoptoad, which is quite good, but because it's written in Merlin's POV (again) I just can't bring myself to get very excited about it. If only I'd discovered Robert Holdstock first. <sigh>