Aspiring and experienced Writers' discussion thread

[Alex K]

I have eight  chapters of a story outlined that I would return to, but I would probably start over from scratch.  I'm hesitant to post all the details openly like this(not that I necessarily think someone would steal it), but suffice to say it's a sci-fi story about a timid guy that was aused by his mother but has completely repressed all of his emotions due to it.  He receives a futiristic treatment for his psychological issues, and there's an acciddent during one of these treatments that causes him to experience something "supernatural" that forces him to confront all of the anger and pain he has repressed.

I'm big on exploring phsychological themese with sci-fi, and I also try(emphasis on "try") to incoporate metaphorical layers into the plot.  The best sci-fi are the stories that use impossible scenarios to make statements about reality.  It's sad to see the genre so cluttered with shallow attempts to cash in on laser beams and exo-skeletons.

Are you familiar with the work of Fred Pohl. One of his favorite main characters has a computerized psychoanalyst that responds to his moods and conversation like a real human being.

I have a traumatic experience connected to the name. There is this novel "Last Theorem" written by Pohl and Arthur C. Clarke, no less. It is a horrible horrible hack job. A hot mess that doesn't seem to go anywhere and the most absurdly unreadable alien sub plot. Who let this get published, I wondered. I put it down after a few chapters and never touched anything by the guy again...