The Reality of Writing

by Jonathan Lamb

With this October being the one year anniversary of the Penumbra eMag, it is a time to offer congratulations. It is also a time to reflect on the phenomenon that is speculative fiction and the appeal that it has for so many. In other words, what is the justification for the Penumbra eMag’s existence and why has it been a success?

Beside the obvious business acumen and drive to succeed, one small part in the reason behind this is simple human nature; from time immemorial we have sought out new experiences and explained the seemingly inexplicable with stories and tales of a speculative nature. In the past this may have been put down to a lack of education, a reason for stories of witches active in the night, casting spells on unsuspecting good natured people or strange unnatural beasts stalking in the darkness. And yet we still persist in telling these tales today and indeed, inventing new ones.

Rather than a demise in speculative fiction following an advance in scientific knowledge and education, it has expanded, taking on new forms and digressing into a multitude of different areas. As technology and humanity have advanced so to has the diversity and scope of this literature. This form is a result of mental alacrity, the diverse and far ranging themes being creations of an authors mind, yet intrinsically needful of a tether to our known reality. Put simply, as our knowledge increases so to does our ability, drive and scope to create.

There is an underlying core to speculative fiction that taps into the nature of humanity, this need and drive to create and explore. We see time and again allusions to fantastical worlds, sci-fi utopias and dystopias; steam-punk worlds and werewolf ridden realities. The magnitude is rather astounding and without the ability to explore such places and experience them in reality, literature is the next best thing. There will always be, lurking like a troll within the recesses of our minds, the need to write this fiction and to read it; a speculation on reality and the world we exist in seeps from our inquisitive and inventive nature.

Whilst we persist in writing our world speeds up, the freedom to sit and read a novel can be swamped with the bombardment of modern life and its 24 hour stream of information. So the short story, the flash fiction and the intrepid adventures of compact writing come to the fore in a new light. Bite-size chunks of fantastic fiction capable of capturing the reader and sending their mind hurtling someplace else, all within the merest tappings of a keyboard. They have found a new niche, a further place in our society. Like the penny dreadfuls of old, people seek out the stories for a quick fix of literary escapism and worldly wonder. Following these best traditions of writing, what better format to give to avid authors and readers than the marriage of the old and new; the format of the electronic magazine and the coupling of the short story.

So it is with feeling that we wish Penumbra Emag well on its continued success. One year in and it remains a provider and companion to the unending universe of short speculative fiction, feeding the needs and desires of both writers and readers alike and long may it continue.

Jonathan Lamb is an inquisitive and thoughtful young man who likes to think, read and write. Unfortunately this does have the cumulative result of people finding him sat in strange places and staring into space.

Jonathon keeps a blog, updated intermittently, so you can check out some of what he babbles about HERE. If not, keep an eye out for his name as he intends to keep writing whether you like it or not.