The Human Wave, Sad Puppies, and SFF Monoculture, Part 3

[jeff_duntemann]

I was nostrils-deep writing Ten Gentle Opportunities and wasn't paying attention when Sarah Hoyt quietly posted a bombshell: The Human Wave Manifesto. It was actually a manifesto in two parts, probably because I don't think she intended it to be a manifesto at first. (Sabrina Chase had a part in it too.)

But boy, manifesto it is, bigtime.

I powerfully suggest that you read Sarah's manifesto (perhaps twice) but I'll summarize for those in a hurry:

The Human Wave is a resistance movement. It's a reminder that SFF is about unlimited possibility; i.e., there are unexplored universes lying right outside our own navels. So first of all, it's about throwing off a 30-year accumulation of Thou Shalt Nots and These Are Necessary Rules that the Insider Alphas of the SFF world have laid down. Back in the 60s we had whole posters printed with just two words: Question Authority. That's what the Human Wave is about: questioning authority. The Insider Alphas are not authorities. They're just writers and editors of a certain psychology that always makes a beeline for the levers of power. The Human Wave is under the floor right now, disconnecting all the levers. (If only we can keep them from hearing us giggle...)

Human Wave science fiction and fantasy (SFF) is fiction that deliberately subverts those supposed rules (fetishes, actually) and re-takes what was once commonplace in the SFF universe. The guiding principles of the Human Wave (as laid out by Sarah Hoyt) are in fact exhortations to freedom:

1. Write fiction that entertains; nay, fiction that makes us gasp.
2. Write fiction that celebrates rather than denigrates the human spirit.
3. Write fiction in which characters are characters, fully realized individuals and not primarily defined as members of groups.
4. Write fiction in which the message doesn't overpower the rest of the story.
5. Write fiction that isn't eaten by Grey Goo; i.e., fuzzy characters wandering around landscapes of indeterminate importance doing nothing coherent, learning nothing, and ultimately having nothing to say.
6. Write fiction that is upbeat; or if it must be downbeat, make sure it's at least meaningful and that its insights are worth the downer.
7. Write in a style that can be understood; i.e., don't let style overwhelm or obscure substance.
8. Write fiction that has internal logic and is faithful to that logic, especially your explorations of science and magic.
9. Write fiction that isn't boring, since ordinary life does not suffer a boredom shortage.
10. Write what you write best and make no apologies; i.e., just shut up and write!

That's the best synopsis I can provide. I've broadened the concept to include fantasy (the second "F" in SFF) but otherwise have tried to be faithful to Sarah's intent. I will also add an eleventh commandment:

11. If you have that skill, write fiction that makes us laugh.

What I found heartening about the Human Wave is that it's how I've always written, even if I take it farther than caution might suggest. I have a primal fear of not delivering enough value to my readers. That's why I throw in dump trucks full of ideas, lots of explosions and gunfights, a little humor even in serious stories, and end with a mayhem-filled action climax. Yeah, I'm an old guy. I learned this stuff basically by reading the best of the pulps. There's nothing shameful about the pulps, just as there was nothing shameful about 1958 De Sotos. Just as we can now make far better cars than 1958 De Sotos, we can write far better popular fiction than the Fifties pulps. We just have to ditch the shame.

I'll also add this: Literature is good, and literary techniques can be dazzling in the right hands. I've read my share, and in fact have a degree in it, for what that's worth. My two objections to literary SF are that not everyone has the skill to write it, and even when well-written, it doesn't work as a steady diet. Let those who can write it, write it. Let's just not insist it's the whole picture, or even the worthiest part of the picture. Yes, literary is good. Choice is even better.

So. Where do we go from here? I'd certainly like to see a list of authors who embrace the Human Wave, as well as stories that embrace it, whether their authors ever heard of it or not. Such a list has not been attempted, to my knowledge. Although I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do with it, I've already begun such a list. If you have authors or stories to nominate as part of the Human Wave, please send them along or share them in the comments.

Maybe it's finally time to bring hardsf.com to life.

Now, although I consider this entry the heart of the matter, I'm not done yet. I'm a little nervous about the last topic in the title. Give me a few days to figure things out, and we'll wrap this series up.