The Logic of Spock

A few days ago I received word from an editor in London that he was "fast-tracking" one of my science fiction stories for his next edition.  This works for me.  I like the idea of breaking into publication so I can quickly submit another story for consideration.  (Sorry, my mind just works that way . . . and I've got dozens of these science fiction stories gathering dust.)

But I know many people don't see the logic of writing science fiction.  It is, after all, a speculative breed.  Not only is it fiction--but it's fiction born of the wildest flights of imagination.  

But Mr. Spock was logical.  (He also plays the guitar, as you can see.)

And since I've been writing science fiction stories since I was eleven years old (no joking, Einstein!) I find that science fiction is, actually, the most logical of genres.  

Science fiction (and fantasy) expands my mind . . . it allows me to imagine pure fancies of what could be, while also warping into a myriad of new questions raised about human relationships and the human condition.  Questions like: How would a person react, or live, if he had foreknowledge of the day and hour of his own death? or What would a kid do with a pair of X-ray spectacles if those things really worked? or In a future world of pure isolation and individuality, would people walk the streets and pay for conversation instead of sex? or If the death of God is real . . . how would a person go about killing God?

Yes, these are just some of the stories that have kept me up nights and compel me to write.  I write a great deal in other genres, of course . . . but science fiction, I find, is where I explore some of the deeper human questions.

This all seems logical to me.  But then, I also play the guitar.