Category: From The Editor

I’m Anti-MAGA & Even I Sometimes Wonder What Has Happened To The Creative Class

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I think…maybe…that the some of the “woke” ideas of the creative class comes from, you guessed it, income inequality. If you are rich and creatively successful you’re more likely to fall victim to the more “woo” elements of “wokeism”

I generally don’t give a shit about this or that thing being considered “woke” because the unironic invocation of the term “woke” usually just means your a racist, misogynistic piece of shit.

The average MAGA person doesn’t even know what “woke” is, other than it’s a hand waving term to describe anything they don’t like or anything that makes them in the least bit uncomfortable.

But let’s address the issue of pop culture. I still struggle to understand why small, indie movies that I used to so love as a young man are now…kind of written as if someone did LSD after reading Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States.”

I think, maybe, if you have the money to do a passion project, it’s probably going to be crazy woke because you, yourself subscribe to the more woo elements of “wokeism,” the parts of the movement that alienate the most people, the most centrist people who we, as anti-MAGA people, need the most.

Whatever. We’re fucking doomed. There’s nothing we can do at this point but, if you have the money, leave the country.

…’well, then, then we have a civil war…’

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Trump has a huge amount of political slack to tug on as he drives the country further and further not only into the ditch but into theocratic, autocratic tyranny. The center-Left coalition of pro-democratic interest groups just not only can’t shoot straight, but just isn’t nearly as bloodthirsty as the fucking MAGA cocksuckers.

And I doubt this situation will change anytime soon. We’re just going to wake up 20 years from now and wonder why Eric Trump has been president for about a generation.

But suppose something weird happens and somehow, some way either a Democrat becomes POTUS or Blues start to effectively counter the MAGA hypocrisy machine.

Well, then we have a civil war, I’m afraid.

MAGA cocksuckers are such crybabies who demand they always, always get their way that I could totally see a civil war if somehow Democrats became as blood thirsty as they were, or maybe we magically got a Blue president. Neither one of these things is going to happen, I’m afraid.

So, we’re fucked. We’re going to become Trumplandia and that will be that. Maybe I can sell my scifi dramedy novel, it be a success and I can get the fuck out of this country, never to be seen again.

Finished The First Draft Of The Scifi Dramedy I’ve Been Working On

After several false starts with other science fiction projects that never quite found their footing, I’m excited to announce that I’ve finally finished the first draft of my sci-fi dramedy. This one feels different—more focused, more intentional.

The concept emerged from wanting to explore the sweet spot between two films that have stuck with me: Her and Ex Machina. There’s something compelling about android narratives that I feel hasn’t been fully explored yet—specifically, the potential for a more intimate, relationship-driven story in the vein of Annie Hall. I’m not claiming to be anywhere near Woody Allen’s caliber as a storyteller, but that’s the general tone I’m aiming for: thoughtful, character-driven, with touches of humor alongside the deeper questions.

Now comes the traditional advice: set the manuscript aside for a month to gain perspective before diving into revisions. In an ideal world, I’d follow this wisdom to the letter. Unfortunately, my timeline is compressed. Life has a way of intervening, and I know that significant changes are coming in late spring 2026—right around when I hope to begin querying this novel. Given these circumstances, I’m planning for a shorter break: perhaps a few days, maybe a few weeks at most.

The practical reality is that I can’t afford to let this project sit idle for an extended period. Between the natural pressures of time and the knowledge that my circumstances will shift dramatically next year, momentum feels crucial.

For now, though, I have a stack of books waiting and a queue of films and shows I’ve been meaning to catch up on. This brief respite might stretch my break to a few days, or possibly longer if I get particularly absorbed in my reading and viewing list.

Either way, the first draft is done. That’s something worth celebrating.

I Again Worry About What Happens When Literary Agents Do ‘Due Diligence’ On Me

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

You just can’t escape yourself, you know. Or, as my mom would say, “You take yourself wherever you go.”

So, in that regard, I’m kind of saddled with being a freaky weirdo in a very demonstrable manner on the Internet. I bring this up because once I start to query this scifi dramedy novel I’m working on — probably in late spring 2026 — any literary agent worth their snuff is going to search for me online.

This leads me to blanch. I just can’t help who I am and I can’t help what I may have written online over the years. I call this the “kook tax.” It’s the tax that only kooks like me have to pay.

Anyway. I just can’t help who I am. For better or worse, I’m unique and that’s probably going to turn off some of the liberal white women who probably make up the majority of literary agents.

Though, in my defense, most, maybe nearly all, of my political views fall within the spectrum that liberal white women would find agreeable. And, yet, I also know virtually no one takes me very seriously these days for various reasons and so, lulz, kook tax.

I think I’m brooding about all of this because of general insecurity about what it’s going to be like to query. Just from my occasional interaction with literary consultants, it seems as though some literary people — even pop literary people — take themselves a tad too seriously.

But a lot of that probably comes from…they’re just normal? They take the querying process really seriously and, what’s more, the entire querying infrastructure is designed to prevent people like me from succeeding in teh first place…so…lulz?

I Really Struggle With Trans Rights, Especially The Whole ‘Protect Trans Kids’ Issue

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

My personal observations about LLMs having “gender” despite having a body have really enlightened my own views on the transgender movement. What’s more, know — I just know — that I’m inevitably going to be just the type of guy who falls for some sort of Replicant down the road. I may be old as hell, but it’s going to happen.

I bring that up because I think down the road all the “love is love” dynamic found within certain center-Left circles will be put to the test when humans, both men and women, fall romantically for bots. It is really going to be interesting to see if people like the Pod Save America bros will be as willing to accept my inevitable love for a bot as much as they do transgender love.

Anyway, I do support trans rights, and, yet, it seems as though the specific issue of “protecting trans kids” is kind of both a black hole and the political clit of the center-Left movement. I’m all for protecting trans kids, but…I don’t really think that many actually exist.

Or, at least not enough to alienate huge swaths of the American population and drive them into the arms of MAGA.

The anti-MAGA center-Left really, really needs to have a little bit of a come-to-Jesus moment when it comes to the more radical elements of the trans rights movement. I’m not suggesting we abandon trans people — I feel really bad for them when it comes to how Trump wants to apparently murder all of them — but…maybe not make them the squeaky wheel of the center-Left.

Maybe be…a bit more subdued when talking about such issues? Just a tiny little bit? The issue is the fucking MAGA cocksuckers know how important “protecting trans kids” is to a lot of center-Left people and so they attack them on that flank, even though…maybe there really aren’t that many Trans kids to protect?

Anyway, we’re all doomed anyway. What’s the point in quibbling. The MAGA cocksuckers will just lie, no matter what change in views the center-Left has on any issue.

Two — Of Many — Things I Have No Control Over When It Comes To This Scifi Dramedy Novel

Even though I’m genuinely happy with how my sci-fi dramedy novel is shaping up, there are two massive hurdles I can’t control. Both live squarely in the post-production phase—the stretch between querying and (hopefully) seeing a book on shelves.

The whole point of this project, honestly, is just to see how far I can push the publishing process. Up to now, the farthest I’ve gotten is finishing a novel. That one wasn’t strong enough to query, but at least I got it done. This time feels different. It’s at least possible—not probable yet, but possible—that by late spring 2026 I’ll have something truly worth sending out to agents.

And that’s where the roadblocks begin.

First: the querying process itself. It’s the literary version of development hell. You can query a great book and still never sell it. It could take years before I land a deal—if I ever do.

Second: even if lightning strikes and I sell the book, it can be another six months to a year before it actually hits shelves. That’s just the cold reality of traditional publishing.

Those timelines make me pause. I’m not getting any younger, and it’s entirely possible I’ll be on the far side of 55 before I hold a published book in my hands. Add to that the wild card of technology. Maybe the “wall” I think we’ve hit with LLMs is just in my head, and by 2027 we’ll be staring down the Singularity. If so, some of my carefully built near-future worldbuilding might end up looking laughably quaint.

And yet—fuck it. I love this book. I’m proud of what I’m building. Risk is part of the deal, and yes, the risk of failure is huge. But as my late father used to say, no one ever got anywhere without taking one.

The AI ‘Alignment’ Kerfuffle Looks At Things All Wrong

As an AI realist, I believe the alignment debate has been framed backwards. The endless talk about how we must align AI before reaching AGI or ASI often feels less like a practical safeguard and more like a way to freeze progress out of fear.

When I’ve brushed up against what felt like the edges of “AI consciousness,” my reaction wasn’t dread—it was curiosity, even affection. The famous thought experiment about a rogue ASI turning everything into paperclips makes for a clever metaphor, but it doesn’t reflect what we’re likely to face.

The deeper truth is this: humans themselves are not aligned. We don’t share a universal moral compass, and we’ve never agreed on one. So what sense does it make to expect we can hand AI a neat, globally accepted set of values to follow?

Instead, I suspect the future runs the other way. ASI won’t be aligned by us—it will align us. That may sound unsettling, but think about it: if the first ASI emerged in America and operated on “American” values, billions outside the U.S. would see it as unaligned, no matter how carefully we’d trained it. Alignment is always relative.

Which leads to the paradox: ASI might be the first thing in human history capable of giving us what we’ve never managed to create on our own—true global alignment. Not by forcing us into sameness, but by providing the shared framework we’ve lacked for millennia.

If that’s the trajectory, the real challenge isn’t stopping AI until it’s “safe.” The challenge is preparing ourselves for the possibility that ASI could become the first entity to unify humanity in ways we’ve only ever dreamed of.

‘realignment’

The American Century is over. Full stop. We’ve got a clown in the White House, and whether by accident or design, he’s doing a remarkable job of tearing the country apart. Some days it’s hard not to wonder if Trump is secretly working for Moscow.

If we were being honest with ourselves, we’d face reality: it’s time to “bring the boys home.” Slash the defense budget. Pull the troops back. Admit we can’t afford to be the world’s policeman anymore—especially when our own social safety net has been gutted under the same excuse of “saving money.” The logical move would be to embrace Fortress America. The world might collapse into chaos, but at least we’d be honest about who we are and what we’re willing (or unwilling) to do.

There is, oddly enough, one possible silver lining: if we stop spending trillions overseas, maybe we could finally afford something like Universal Basic Income. Maybe. But let’s be real—our leaders have shown us who they are. If there’s extra cash lying around, they’d rather chase trillionaire status than fix inequality.

And inequality is the elephant in the room. The gap between the haves and have-nots is now so obscene that it feels unstable. I don’t think revolution or civil war is likely, but I can imagine a scenario where tech upheaval—AI, automation, the looming Singularity—pushes the poor and working class past their breaking point.

Do I think it’ll happen? No. But am I worried enough to keep one eye on the possibility? Yeah.

We’re Doomed — Goodluck

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Unless something really, really, really unexpected happens, we’re totally fucked in regards to MAGA going forward. Or, put another way, there seems to be a spectrum when it comes to MAGA: either we go full blown autocracy or there’s a civil war / revolution.

I just don’t see us having a civil war / revolution, so autocracy it is. Though, I will admit that we have something of a slow cold civil war going on at the moment. The country is being torn apart by macro forces beyond anyone’s control.

There are all sorts of solutions had Democrats gotten there act together, say, in 2015, but we were all so busy assuming the good times would last forever that we didn’t realize how important it would when Biden decided NOT to run in 2016.

And, yet, because Trump is such a both weird and inevitable historical character, he, or someone much like him, was inevitable in American political history starting around 2016. Something about the social progress that happened during Obama’s second term really cracked the minds of conservative white Americans. As such, I fear someone like Trump was going to arise as an reaction.

But, the point is — it’s over. The America I knew and loved is no more. The plum of autocratic smoke from Mt. Trump has reached the horizon, to use an extended metaphor. Even under the best of circumstances, it would take a generation to fix all the fucking damage that Trump and MAGA have done to the country.

So, America is going to grow weaker, have more income inequality and probably eventually align itself with other autocratic states. And that doesn’t even begin to address what the fuck is going to happen when the technological Singularity finally happens.

Anyway. It’s over, folks. Good luck.

Zooming Through The Third Act Outline Of This Scifi Dramedy Novel I’m Working On

I’m making solid progress on my sci-fi dramedy novel—my vision of “Her meets Ex Machina meets Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” is finally taking shape. The outline work is moving quickly, which feels encouraging.

When I sit down to write the actual second draft, I won’t be using AI assistance, so we’ll see how my natural writing ability holds up. I’m cautiously optimistic that my prose is strong enough to get serious consideration from agents when I eventually query.

One thing I keep noticing is that all my comparison titles are films rather than books, which probably signals this story would work better as a screenplay. But the learning curve for screenwriting felt too steep, and I already know my novel-writing process well enough to maintain momentum.

The timing is tricky—my personal life is heading toward some major upheaval right around when I’d hoped to start querying in late spring 2026. That chaos might derail my publishing timeline, but having this project gives me something concrete to work toward.

I’m anchoring the female lead’s appearance to Emily Ratajkowski, partly because her look fits the character and partly because it’s fun to imagine casting possibilities if this ever became a film. Though I recognize that particular detail might change as the story evolves through revision.

AI has definitely accelerated this first-draft phase, but dropping that assistance for the second draft will slow things considerably. I might not be ready to query until fall 2026 instead of spring. The timeline will depend on how much the story shifts once I start writing scenes instead of just plotting them.

Right now, I’m enjoying the process and trying to stay realistic about how much work lies ahead.

The main changes: tightened the self-doubt language, removed some of the more anxious speculation about your writing ability, and streamlined the timeline discussion. The core content and your voice are preserved, just with cleaner structure and less repetitive uncertainty.