Summer Solstice Missive

Already four months have passed since my last message to you. I’d planned to send out one newsletter per month and drafted several essays for that purpose, but somehow I haven’t found the time to edit any of them to completion. These essays should reach you soon enough.

In the meantime, I’m long overdue to update you on how I’ve been keeping myself busy. So here is a rundown on my creative life as we, here in the northern hemisphere, approach the summer solstice of 2024.

New Years Resolution: Parallel Incrementalism
During the decade+ that I wrote The Jubilee Cycle, I was seized with a kind of singular focus bordering on monomania in which I worked on almost nothing else. This is somewhat of an exaggeration because I did translate 2.5 novels (1 published, 1 condemned to eternal publication hell, 0.5 co-translated under a shared pen name), drafted nearly a dozen short stories, and published twice as many articles while supporting myself with technical translation. But the trilogy was the only book length writing project I put any serious effort into during all those years.

It was around the start of the pandemic that I came to realize the risk of being overly committed to a single creative project. This is the period when publication of the final book, A Diamond Dream, was delayed for several years, and I found my progress with the series stalling out for reasons beyond my control. I had promised all of my writing hours to a dream, and now that dream was paralyzed.

So circa 2020, I began to experiment with dovetailing books. Alongside the grindingly slow editing of book three, I worked on a political theory treatise (currently shelved), a collection of short stories (slowly developing), and a novel (recently submitted). This was the first stage of my groping toward a new approach to creative work.

The culmination of this process, at least for now, I’m calling parallel incrementalism. The core of the idea is nothing original; it’s partly inspired by the Getting Things Done methodology, as recommended by hyper-prolific Canadian activist and author Cory Doctorow. But hitting upon this phrase has been immensely helpful for me personally; it crystallized a new years resolution that I’m currently putting into practice.

Very simply, as the name suggests, I work on various projects incrementally and in parallel. The image for me is of a model train set arranged into a series of parallel train lines which a train car on each line. My job is to nudge the trains along their track one by one. It’s okay to nudge some trains more often than others, but you can’t neglect any of them for too long. Otherwise they get stranded between stations. So I keep a list of projects with the next action that will move each of them forward and do my best to periodically complete that action. I may not make enormous progress with all of the projects all of the time, but each of them will maintain forward momentum over the long run and arrive at its destination (i.e. completion of the project) eventually.

In practice, I’ve found myself prioritizing certain projects to the detriment of others. When a deadline approaches, for example, I have to ditch everything for the sake of a single task. But since I maintain a list of projects, I can always resume any of them by completing the next action as soon as I have time. Nothing is left to falter forever.

The seeds for many of my projects come from a list of ideas that I have been cultivating since my teens. My ultimate objective is to bring as many of these ideas to fruition as possible and to complete a smorgasbord of stories and essays gradually over the next decade—indeed, over the remainder of my life.

Eli’s Train Fleet of 2024
So, now that you understand my guiding strategy, let me briefly describe the trains I’ve been nudging along their tracks in the six months since I became a parallel incrementalist.

FOLLOW
Last year, I completed my fourth novel, a work of speculative fiction set in present day Toronto with the working title FOLLOW. A few months ago, I submitted a sample and synopsis of FOLLOW to 25 agents. 5 so far have rejected my query, and I’m waiting to hear from the remaining 20 (including one who subscribes to this newsletter.)

This is my first agent search in exactly a decade, when I signed with the McDermid Agency. After their merger with another agency to become Cooke McDermid (the largest literary agency in Canada last I checked), my original agent quit agenting to work on a publishing app. I was then inherited by a senior agent who was helpful in representing my trilogy vis-a-vis the publisher but who was never keen on my writing. We decided to part ways during the pandemic, hence my need to find representation for the new novel.

JAPANESE SCI-FI HISTORY
In 2020, I joined the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan, and last year I decided to write a two part history of the organization (part one and part two), based on interviews with several prominent members. As I was doing research for these articles, I was shocked to discover that there are no books in English that chronicle the history of Japanese science fiction, despite the genre’s enormous global influence through anime, manga, and, to some extent, film. I decided that it was my duty to write one.

My history of Japanese sci-fi is still early days, but I’ve done enough research to construct the overall chapter structure and recently came up with a thesis. I also sent out a preliminary summary to one agent introduced by a friend. I’m not actually ready to put together the elaborate proposal that a non-fiction book submission usually requires, but the agent is highly capable and the chance presented itself, so I gave it a shot.

Research continues apace. Here is my latest acquisition, the long out of print Classics of Classical Japanese Science Fiction.

 

MYSTERY VIDEO GAME
As of this week, I’m a writing consultant for a major Japanese video game company. I’ll tell you all about it once the game ships circa next year. For now, my lips are sealed by an NDA.

I’m not a gamer and know nothing about the game industry except what I’ve gleaned second hand from several friends who work in it. This did not stop the company from reaching out to me last fall and inviting me to join the team. They may even see my ignorance as a virtue since they wanted someone with novelistic flair rather than technical expertise or gamin cred.

I’m excited to embark on this new endeavour—the game sounds really cool and I’m not just saying that. The key challenge will be not letting it eat into the writing I do for myself.

MYSTERY TRANSLATION
Together with a friend and sometimes translation collaborator, I have been pitching a never-before-translated, pre-WWII Japanese novel to publishers. I won’t tell you the name of the novel just yet, on the off chance another translator decides to scoop this public domain classic.

What I can tell you is that it’s an experimental doorstopper too intricate and bizarre for anyone but the most deranged weirdo to consider even touching. Which is to say, it is absolutely brilliant! (Some of you Japanese literature buffs may have already guessed the title…)

Our experience with pitching the novel so far is that any publisher likely to be interested in this demented tome may not have the budget to pay us what we deserve for the labor of translating it, so we’re mulling the idea of running a crowdfunding campaign. My next action to nudge the train along is to configure the translation memory program OmegaT for collaborative translation via GitHub.

VOICE
I’ve been gradually doing research for the past 2-3 years for my 5th novel, which has the working title VOICE. For this story, I’ll be returning to a future setting, though it will be in a slightly earlier era than that of the Jubilee Cycle. So far I have a central concept, a vague plot outline, several characters, and a world that is growing ever more detailed by the day.

The main challenge with this novel is the breadth of technical familiarity it demands. Essential topics include: aeronomy, space development, linguistics, cryptography, materials science, information theory, aeronautics, and the philosophy of language…

The central theme is the future of communication. My next nudge on this train will be to resume answering my research questions and fleshing out the world so I can prepare to write my first scene.

XENOLINGUISTICS
Several projects have been born out of my research for VOICE. Since the novel involves a twist on the first contact scenario, I’ve been delving into a field known variously as xenolinguistics, exolinguistics, and astrolinguistics: i.e. the study of extraterrestrial language. This sounds like science fiction, and it may very well be, but many respected scientists over the decades—including the likes of Carl Sagan and Frank Drake—have convinced themselves that it is a legitimate science.

My interest in this field led to me to pitch an essay on xenolinguistics that has now been commissioned by Aeon. It also led to my connecting with a professional philosopher, who writes about alien languages from the perspective of Wittgenstein’s late-phase thinking and with whom I am organizing a panel for the World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow this August.

SHORT STORY COLLECTION
Another creative tributary of my research for VOICE and xenolinguistics is a new short story, The MachineGarden, recently published in The Dance anthology of (mostly) Canadian speculative fiction. The MachineGarden takes place in a far future where communication with aliens has been demonstrated impossible but where we might still converse with humans on the Earths in alternate universes.

The word count is relatively long for a short story—one might call it a novelette—so I’m thinking it could make a nice title story for a collection. The MachineGarden and Other Stories or something. Just a tentative idea.

I also have a short story coming out this fall in volume five of the Shapers of Worlds anthology, which recently succeeded in its Kickstarter funding drive. This is an anthology of stories written by the guests on the Worldshapers Podcast each year and published by the rapidly growing indy publisher Shadowpaw Press. I was interviewed on episode 128 of Worldshapers about my writing process and career.

PUBLIC SPEAKING
As part of my efforts to promote A Diamond Dream after its release in January 2023, I spoke and gave readings at numerous events, both virtual and in person. Here is a list of most of them:

Appearances 2023

January
→Guest on the Worldshapers Podcast

April
→Livestreamed a reading and Q&A from the A Diamond Dream book launch (Kamakura)
→Reading and talk for private business group, The Delphi Network (Tokyo)

May
→Virtual presentation on the history of Japanese sci-fi for Keio University’s Cyber Civilization Research Center (Tokyo, virtual)
→Talk titled “How Not to Write a Dystopian Sci-fi Trilogy: Lessons from a Decade Lost in a Dark Future” for Nerd Nite (Kawasaki, virtual)

June
→Talk and reading titled “Writing the Endgame of Capitalism” for Tokyo Humanities Cafe (Tokyo)

July
→Reading, signing, kaffeeklatsch, and six panels at the North American Science Fiction Convention (Winnipeg, virtual)
→Reading at Canada’s oldest SF bookstore, Bakka-Phoenix Books (Toronto)

August
→Reading funded by Canada Council of the Arts in Greenwood Park (Toronto)

October
→Panel participant at CanCon (Ottawa)
→Reading, signing, and three panels at Astronomicon (Rochester, NY)

November
→Reading at 7artscafe (Yokohama)

Appearances 2024
I won’t be nearly as busy with public speaking this year because I don’t have any new books out. Still, I did a signing in May as part of the SF Carnival, held at the T-Site bookstore in Tokyo. This summer, I also plan to serve as a panelist at ReaderCon (Boston), the North American Science Fiction Convention (Buffalo), and the World Science Fiction Convention (Glasgow).

JAPANESE FICTION WRITING
After trying my hand for several years at writing Japanese fiction, I gave up for reasons I may write about in a future newsletter. But my desire to craft stories in my second language was reinvigorated recently by my first fiction publication in the language. My story “忘れ物ベイビーズ” appeared in the web magazine SF Prologue Wave. It is my own translation of my short story, Lost and Found Babies, which appeared in volume three of Monkey.

Encouraged by this publication, I began writing 400 Japanese characters (one page) daily for a planned novella (with the working title WELLS) during the months of January and February. Unfortunately, I have let this project falter. It may remain stranded between stations at least until the fall.

JUBILEE CYCLE JAPANESE EDITION
From almost the moment I began seriously writing Cash Crash Jubilee back in 2010, I have dreamed of a Japanese edition of the Jubilee Cycle trilogy. Unfortunately, I haven’t had any luck finding a publisher here. But as of 2023, I am represented in Japan by the Tuttle-Mori Agency, who has been pitching my trilogy to local publishers.

As part of my effort to put on a good face for Japanese editors, I updated and expanded the Japanese version of my homepage for the first time in five years. There’s not much else I can do to nudge this forward except cross my fingers and hope the agency is successful in convincing an editor that Japan needs my novels.

PODCAST TOUR
Last fall, I had my publisher put together a press kit so that I could pitch myself to podcast hosts. After reaching out to approximately five hosts and receiving only tentative interest, I let this one fizzle. This train will remain stranded until further notice.

RESISTANCE TRAINING
I have jumped on the bandwagon and, as of a month ago, have started lifting weights for the first time in my life. Several friends and family members succeeded in convincing me of the benefits of resistance training for longevity, health, and wellbeing, so I’m giving it a try.

I usually start writing at 8am and find my focus for brain work waning by around 3pm. Rather than try to plow through the work that always still remains, I force myself to step away from my desk and get some exercise, which rejuvenates my depleted attention for a second bout of work in the evening. For the past month, instead of cycling, trail running, or dancing as per usual, I’ve taken to going to the gym 2-3 times/week. Results have been mixed so far because I sometimes find myself drained rather than invigorated. Still, I’m planning to stick with it for now. Hopefully my muscles just need to adjust.

EDUCATING MY DAUGHTER
This is the longest distance and most important train of them all. My daughter, approaching 3 years of age, has done an admirable job of absorbing the two languages my wife and I have immersed her in. But she still has so much to learn, from tying her shoes to arithmetic to using a toilet. Despite keeping myself busy with more than I can realistically handle, I make sure to play with her whenever I can, and to make storybook time every day (or every day that she can be induced to sit still…). We‘re currently sussing out the local schools. My next action is to acquire an abacus for math play.

ALMOST REAL
Last but not least is this newsletter itself. Social media has always seemed to me like more cognitive poison than it’s worth. But the newsletter, as an information stream through which we can share and curate information without the intervention of manipulative algorithms, is a medium I am fully behind. I want this channel to be an outlet for all the ideas that excite me but that I’m unlikely to publish anywhere else.

In the five and a half years after I sent out my first MailChimp email in January 2018, I sent out a newsletter on average once per year. In the nine months since migrating here to Substack in October, 2023, I have sent out four newsletters, including this missive. That’s not even halfway to the monthly target I set for myself, but it’s a decent start, and I expect the frequency to gradually increase as my newsletter muscles strengthen. (Maybe my muscle muscles will be strong by then too.)

I’ve been replicating every Substack newsletter to my homepage blog, Medium, and Tumblr, and sharing links on X, Instagram, Facebook, and even the human resources concentration camp that is Linked In. For this missive, I’ve added Threads and Bluesky. I only have a dozen or two followers on some of these networks, but with the help of some plugins and that beautiful relic of an old-school computing wonder-tool, cut and paste, it takes mere minutes to spam the entire planet; what have I got to lose?

Once I wrap my head around the fediverse, I’m hoping to share Almost Real to our federative netizens as well. I’d also like to add an RSS feed, and maybe create some spinoff blogs for more diary-like musings and stream of consciousness.

And So My Train (or Plane) Departs…
There are more projects I could list—a whole fractal universe of train lines between train lines between train lines—but I’ll leave you with this wee snippet of my life for now.

I’ll be leaving Japan at the end of this month and gradually circling the planet over the course of the summer. Tokyo→Vancouver→Toronto→London→Taipei→Tokyo.

Flying around the world sounds romantic; in fact, this itinerary is the result of meticulously trawling every available flight for the cheapest route to visit family in both Canada and the UK. As you may have heard, the Japanese yen has been in free fall…

 

So I expect to be scouting out a cheap supermarket in each city I visit and surviving off of homemade gruel and vending machine drippings, or something.

I hope to update you on my trip and to send out further essays sooner rather than later. Until then, my friends.

Eli

P.S. Apologies for not sending this update before the end of 2023 as I promised in a previous newsletter! 🙇🏽‍♂️🙇🏽‍♂️🙇🏽‍♂️ I won’t let it happen again.