First Post of the New Year

[marthawells]

Time to get back to work, though actually I got more done while I was supposed to be resting than I have in a while. Yesterday I finished a short story I've been struggling with for a while, so that was a huge relief.

I need to get moving on the book again and get some more done for the Patreon.

New Doctor Who tonight!

Oh, and tor.com reprinted this essay, which I'm not sure I ever linked here:

https://www.tor.com/2019/01/01/life-lessons-from-a-murderbot/
Life Lessons From a Murderbot by Anya Johanna DeNiro

I was tearing up at the end of All Systems Red, and I wasn’t sure why. Yes, it was sad that Murderbot was leaving its friends and colleagues, and a promised life of safety, behind. But there was something more, something to do with the entire arc of Murderbot’s journey from a SecUnit—seen more or less as a lethal appliance—to a trusted and capable member of a team of humans.

For me as a trans woman, All Systems Red’s concoction of heartbreak and ever-present anxiety felt achingly familiar to me (even as Murderbot’s narration and dry delivery cracked me up more often than not), as I looked back at various pressure points in my own transition. The novella has a lot to say about building a personal identity on the fly.

Comments

[dranon]

I found that essay, and the follow-up Exploring the Perils and Triumphs of Queer Friendship when You're a Murderbot to be thoughtful and thought-provoking. One of the things that I enjoy about the Murderbot stories in particular is the number of different ways that they can be read that you maybe didn't intend, but that still make lots of sense and only add to the experience.