Editorial – February 2026: Escapism Is Equivalent To A Deep Breath.
Hello everyone,
Hardly the most auspicious start to the new year, and, from the looks of things, likely to get worse worldwide with various wars going on. Peace never gets a chance to corrupt a well-known saying. It’s more scary that the fate of so many countries is down to so few people in charge of them. As individuals, do you ever feel helpless against such events? Democracy doesn’t make the world safer, but it does mostly ensure that those in charge can be voted out.
In fiction, wars can look so simple, and numbers of victims become merely that. It’s not a particularly good aspect of fiction that works because up close and personal works with a smaller cast. To care for a large number of characters has the problem of finding time for all of them to have a say. Not impossible, but any author has to keep the reader on board. Life is not really like that because fiction has to simplify on some levels as to what is pertinent to the events taking place. Putting over the emotional impact of any event makes the reader involved. Is it any wonder that some fiction is being superseded by real-life events? I mean, why read fictionalised events when the real thing is more damning?
Usually, our genre is seen for its value as escapism, except there is little new there for the non-woke or non-gay community at present. The value of science fiction has been eroded. It doesn’t mean they can’t have their own science fiction, but it does seem odd that the rest of us are being neglected, and I don’t think SF tolerates divisions as a selling device. Think of SF as a stress reliever. To have some time away from reality balances out any stress you might be having. The beauty of a lot of early SF is that it doesn’t necessarily age as much as other genres. Although, it says that the likes of Dickens and other Victorian authors are regarded as historical now, although really they were depicting the times they were living in. Even Dickens did his escapism, or we wouldn’t have had his fictional ‘A Christmas Carol’.
Escapism is important for a healthy mind. Consider escapism as the ability to step back from reality and then return to it. If you need a break, then at least let it be enjoyable so you know you have somewhere to go. I doubt if many war-torn countries can allow such luxuries in a way we would see them. Escapism relieves stress and even allows the brain to assess anew when tired.
Think about any times when you’ve been seriously ill. You tend to become irrespective of anything but your own health at its worst. As you get better, you become more aware of the people about you and what is happening outside. This is recovery, and the better you attain this, the quicker your mental health recovers and then your body. It’s not perfect, but having things to get your mind occupied will let your body do what it does best.
Escapism is therefore a healthy part of your mental health. Whether it’s visual simulation, reading or listening to something, they all contribute, but it shouldn’t be only one. Variety is especially important, or complacency can creep in. A lot of people don’t have a creative bent, and history bears in mind those that do can encourage it in others. To illustrate this point, consider campfires at night where people gather around a wandering storyteller who entertains them with stories, providing a much-needed reprieve from their daily lives.
It’s also rather worrying that the attention span of the new generations is waning. I find it normal to juggle several different subjects and jump from one to another after giving each some part of my day. Each gets a length of my creativity and due rest so the unconscious part of my mind can process the choices I will make so, when I get back to them, I will understand the kinds of choices that work in context rather than rush at something and realise it’s wrong. Those who have seen me work doing this in the past, even if it’s only in discussion, find it disorientating as I jump from one subject to another. Sadly, it’s not a skill I’ve seen often in others, if at all, but I have to have something to pass the time in while waiting for others to catch up.
Learning new skills and developing them seems to be forgotten in our new advanced computer age. No one ever predicted that in science fiction, even when AIs existed. As science fiction fans, we need to keep our creative skills alive and not become so computer dependent that future generations are likely to turn into Morlocks simply because we forget our own innate abilities. If there is likely to be a brave new world, then we really need people up to the task with skills to make us stand out from the rest. So if you have any skills, work to bring them out and encourage your offspring likewise, or the new world won’t be brave.
Thank you, take care, good night, and learn or develop a skill you have. You’ll never know when you might need to have it.
Geoff Willmetts
editor: www.SFCrowsnest.info
A Zen thought: The above should make sense.
What Qualities Does A Geek Have? To tell the truth with honesty.
The Reveal: Flat planets wouldn’t have tides.
The Reveal: Mermaids wouldn’t have knees.
The Reveal: Humans need intelligence to survive.
Observation: This might extend beyond the UK, but the promotion of scents in TV advertising and other channels is also available, whether added to clothes washing or just something you plug into the wall, and the reaction of the actors tends to look like some sort of psychedelic effect. Is there anything wrong with normal-smelling stuff? I mean, once you get used to a particular smell, your body puts it into the background anyway. A man might comment on a perfume and then quickly forget it. No doubt, the same thing would apply to any additional purchased scents.
Observation: Considering that in all his incarnations, Batman’s Batcave is littered with crime ‘souvenirs’, especially that giant coin, in all his later adventures we never see him adding to his collection, let alone getting them there.
Observation: If 80% of British trains never arrive, where do they go?
Observation: It’s very easy to upset fakers on the telephone claiming to belong to Microsoft by asking why I’m being singled out for having a faulty computer and why I would turn it on just for them. They tend to also get angry and want me to put away my computer when the sun doesn’t shine, which obviously means they have no idea how big the computer is.
Feeling Stressed: Take three slow, deep breaths and imagine there is always someone far worse. It puts things into perspective.
Submissions:-
If you think having free books to review isn’t enough, how about reading them months ahead of everyone? I mean real months. Beats a time machine.
I did think that having a lot of text about submitting material to SFCrowsnest would attract those with a compulsion to read and understand things the geek way. The main problem with the Internet is that it tends to encourage less reading, so it’s time to take a different approach. The original notes will be left on the July 2009 editorial, although the links aren’t likely to work.
Please include a brief introduction in your cover email to help me understand you better. The boss in the tower, also called Stephen Hunt, describes me as a ‘Dutch Uncle’ in that I’m good with advice and can explain when I see something that is wrong. Egos should be left at the door, as I’m only interested in your talent and how to improve it.
Reviews:-
I always have a clarion call for new reviewers, and if you have the yen to learn, you’ll quickly get the ropes if you’ve never done it before, but you must show me a sample, especially if you can follow my guidelines. We can usually get paper-based books in the UK, but if you live abroad, then you might have to stick with e-books. If you’ve picked a book we haven’t reviewed, then it stands a better chance of being used, so use the SFC search engine to see first, but I need to see how you would write for us.
The obvious qualification is a desire to read regularly, and I like to tell others about the book without giving away too many spoilers. The benefit is access to free books for the price of a review.
I want to give you the opportunity to get things right, so look up the Review Guidelines link: https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/so-you-want-to-write-reviews-for-sfcrowsnest-what-you-need-to-know-by-geoff-willmetts/
Fiction:-
Although we can’t pay for submissions, what we do make up for is exposure. Only the Sci-Fi Channel gets more hits than us, so it’s worthwhile getting us on your writer’s CV. Please avoid samplings from books you might be writing or have had in print elsewhere, as I do check. New original work is best, and whether I accept or reject it, you will be told of any problems I see so you look your best, and a grammar check that is equal to the pro world. Even the boss finds me scarily accurate.
Flash or One-Page Fiction:-
Speaks for itself. The shortest fiction possible is also the toughest to write, as no word must be wasted.
Link here for details: https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/one-page-stories-or-flash-fiction-submissions-instructions-by-gf-willmetts/
Short Stories:-
The definition of a short story is anything up to 30 pages, and then it becomes a novella. Bear in mind you want other people to read it online; stay somewhere between 5 and 20 pages. At least digitally, you don’t have to go double-line, as HTML will do that automatically, but think about being concise. If you want to send an attachment with these, then ask first and send as a TXT file, as it removes most touchy virus codes.
Look up the Short Stories Link by linking here: https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/so-you-really-want-to-write-an-sf-story-an-update-by-gf-willmetts/
Finally:-
The worst problem I see in any samples is poor grammar. Although I don’t want you to think I seek perfection, the less work I have to do, the easier it is to focus on other problems you might have. It will also serve you in good stead if you ever approach paper-based publishers because they will send back any bad grammar samples because it’s not worth their time.
Good grammar is the tool of any writer. Don’t just depend on what you remember. There are numerous quality grammar books available, so please take a moment to refresh your understanding of the rules. elf of the rules. If you think there are far too many to remember, get the major ones right before moving to the next so it becomes second nature.
This link, www.sfcrowsnest.info/the-guide-to-better-grammar-from-the-harrowed-hand-of-gf-willmetts/, will show you the common problems.
To submit, use our email address by joining the spaces as shown here: letters@SFcrowsnest.info and use the subject matter as to what you’re submitting.
If you have any pastimes that can be used to pass the time in captivity, let me know and we’ll see if it can be turned into an article.
Comments directly to reviews should still work as before.
Good luck.
Geoff
