A Writers Intro

I once made the mistake of telling my family that I wanted to write Cyberpunk. This prompted an endless barrage of questions, including the obvious "What the hell is Cyberpunk?". My best answer at the time was that it was a genre of Science Fiction set in dystopian futures and often involved computers and hackers. Why was this a mistake? For the next few years I was constantly inundated with cries for help 'fixing' whatever bit of technology had most recently caused issues. I say 'fixing', but it was very rare that the device was actually broken, more that my poor family hadn't quite figured out how the damned thing worked. This only eventually subsided when people began to realise that I had very little advice to offer beyond that old Tech-Support cliché of "Have you tried turning it off and on again?"

It's an issue that still persists. People tend to assume that because I write about computers and the digital frontiers of the world that I must have some innate understanding of it; that I am, in fact, a Tech-Wizard. I'm really not, despite studying a year of Computer Forensics. When I say that I am fairly well read, I mean in the works of William Gibson, Neal Stephenson and the like, not that I have summarily digested the latest wave of computer manuals and tech-spec sheets. In fact, I actually have very little understanding of technology at all, my secret is that I was born into the last generation to play in the streets; coincidentally also the generation to witness the birth of the internet and first to witness the rise of technology throughout the '90s. In short, I grew up with technology that nobody older than me, that I knew, seemed to know how to work - I had to figure out how to operate Microsoft Office, how to configure my own soundcard, on my own. It developed a sense of tinkering in me, though I'm not the kind of guy who takes a computer apart and puts it back together, but somewhere between the two extremes of technophile and technophobe.

I got hands on, and I still do. When I first got the iPad that I write all of this on, I spent a good few hours just tinkering with the various settings, seeing what was on offer. I wasn't trying to break it or find out how it works, I just wanted to know what it could do. 

I swiftly stopped referring to myself as a cyberpunk writer; instead a 'Writer of Speculative Fiction', or when I'm feeling really posh I describe what I do as 'Writing Speculative Fiction that explores the dynamic of the man/machine interface, how humanity is reacting to the onrush of the digital frontier'. Most of the time, however, 'I write sci-fi stories' is about the extent of the answer most inquisitive folk are happy with.

But what do I mean about 'exploring the dynamic of the man/machine interface'? Well, I'm fascinated by how humanity reacts to technology. I find it innately hilarious how a group of friends will contact each other using mobile technology (Facebook for iPhone, for example), state how "It's been so long since we all met up and talked properly!", turn up at a restaurant at the agreed time - because, yes, it has been too long - and the first thing they all do after being seated, is take their phone out and start checking it. It's a symptom of modern society. We're already constantly connected. Imagine, if you will, you're out with friends and family and the group splits for a bit. You check your phone and the battery has died. Shock and horror. How will you ever get home? Will you ever see your pals again? It's stupid, of course, but I guarantee that you've been there, panicking to get your phone charged before you become separated from the rest of humanity.

When I go for a meal, we have a rule. Our phones go in a stack on the table, and the first person to check theirs pays the whole bill. If everyone survives until the end, we split it as per the usual protocols. When I grew up, I had no phone, so we'd all say "Meet back here at two-thirty". If I'd finished doing what I wanted to do before then, I'd wander the shops or sit in a park or something until the arranged time. It actually helped me discover a lot of places and is still - in my head at least - the reason that I enjoy trying to get lost, exploring all the alleyways in a new town; seeing where each street leads, how it all connects.

Thus, circuitously, we come back to the writing. This has always been an outlet for me to explore the alleyways and streets of society. What would happen if we all lost phone signal permanently? What actually happens if we're denied the technology we rely on? Can we actually survive being disconnected from it? In Arks future version of London, life is all about being connected to one simple bit of technology that holds the world together. In essence, the e-brain is just a short leap down the line from the smartphones we all use today, it has practically the same functions and society relies on it only a little more than we rely on our smartphones due to your bank account being linked intrinsically to it. And we all know that the true meaning of life is your bank account.

So it is that each time I step forward into Arks London, I'm not writing about what will be, I'm not trying to predict the future here, I'm just exploring those streets and seeing where the alleyways lead. I'm just asking questions and trying to figure out just that little bit more about our current society and how it operates in regards to technology, via speculation.

I was asked to write a brief, 1000 words max, intro as to why I write, as an exercise and exploration of how I write. What you see is the result of that. The only editting it had was me breaking my own rule of using the word "etc" in the text, and to make sure that my little bit of OCD was catered for in ensuring the text reached exactly 1000 words. Perhaps it might feel quite pretentious to write such a piece, but regardless, I quite enjoyed writing this, and it offers a nice insight into why I do what I do.