dydx

My upcoming fiction work

“What’s the maximum proportion of sociopaths in a society before sociopathy becomes the norm?”

Beginning next week, on September 6th, I will start serialising a work of fiction titled ‘dydx.’

In calculus, dydx (or dy/dx) represents the rate of change of y in response to changes in x. For example, if y stands for speed and x for time, then dydx represents acceleration.

Now, if we consider y to be society’s perception of reality and x as the objective reality itself, dydx illustrates how our perceptions shift as the real world changes.

An interesting aspect of dydx is that it gauges only an instantaneous rate of change at a specific point. The whole concept breaks down and becomes meaningless in the long run, when changes are of larger magnitude.

What happens, then, when our perception of reality — our abstracted mental models — begins to drift away significantly from the world around us?

Some will argue that we should rely only on our current perceptions as a reference then, deeming both objective reality and our old perceptions obsolete. Others might believe our perceptions have been corrupted and would prefer we revert to a time when they aligned with reality. Yet some might find themselves choosing the lesser of two evils, failing to realise that it’s not only the magnitude of the evil itself that matters but also its rate of growth.

Inevitably, it leaves us all viewing life through designer lenses, arguing with each other over intermediary, subjective states of nature. Sometimes, we view it as a utopia; other times, a dystopia, depending on who asks, or even when or how they ask.

While this drift into abstraction is the theme of dydx, the plot doesn’t directly revolve around it. It's a science fiction story set in a future that isn’t so distant as to be unrelatable, yet not so close as to be unfeasible.

In a way, reflecting on it, it reminds me of a zombie apocalypse story.

Why Writing Fiction?

First, I believe that if you’re going to write a story, your primary motivation should be to tell a story you believe is worth telling. You don’t need any other motivation, really. If telling the story isn’t your main motivation, then I’d be skeptical about the work’s honesty.

Second, I see this as an opportunity to leave a lasting memory for my children. It’s something we all should consider, frankly. I hope that ten years after I’m gone, when they might have their own children, they might feel like reading my work as a way to have a conversation that would be impossible otherwise.

Third, as I’ve relayed before, it’s up to conservatives to push back against the prevailing progressiveness in culture. I’m not advocating for fiction for conservatives so much as I’m advocating for fiction by conservatives. And we don’t need to grandstand or proselytise at every opportunity. I hope that by adding my little brick in the wall, I might have an opportunity to meet others doing the same.

Format & Schedule

The story is structured into 14 chapters. The first 4 set up the plot, the next 4 focus on the conflict building up, the following 4 resolve the conflicts, and the last 2 serve as the conclusion. I firmly believe that, even if you leave things open to interpretation or opt for a non-linear narrative, stories should have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

I plan to release a new chapter every Wednesday (with two breaks), as outlined below:

• Chapters 1 to 6: every week from September 6th to October 11th;

• Chapters 7 to 12: every week from October 25th to November 29th;

• Chapters 13 and 14: December 13th and December 20th.

The first four chapters will be available as free content, while the subsequent chapters will be reserved for paid subscribers. This approach serves two purposes: Firstly, I want to show appreciation to my paid subscribers by offering something valuable, even if it’s sentimentally so; and secondly, this allows me to gauge the level of interest in the work and decide how I might approach it in the future.

In any case, between the free initial chapters and the option of a free trial later on, I’m confident that anyone genuinely interested in reading the entire story will be able to do so.

Although the story is largely written already, I anticipate making changes as I release the chapters. I would greatly appreciate any feedback—good, bad, or otherwise.

Lessons Learnt (So Far)

Writing fiction is surprisingly (?) difficult. And I’m not referring to writing outstanding fiction or fiction that people will at least enjoy. Even if you set the success bar at the lowest acceptable level — just completing a story — it remains a tough feat.

To me, the most challenging aspects thus far have been: 1. writing with the knowledge that once published, you won’t be able to amend or clarify things in a future article; and 2. the realisation that after publishing it, I’ll most certainly desire to make changes or amendments.

It might stem from my lack of a background in creative writing, and the fact that this is my first attempt at fiction. To mitigate this, I began the book by writing the start of the story. Once I had the plot figured out, I wrote the conclusion. Only then, I went back and fleshed out the intermediate chapters.

Now, regarding the use of AI.

I’ve used ChatGPT-4 as a copy editor. Initially, I was optimistic, anticipating that it would simplify the process. Unfortunately, it hasn’t done much. In its current iteration, it provides bland, soulless, and repetitive feedback while butchering any attempts to develop a writing style.

It can’t ‘remember’ basic facts about the plot or characters for too long, limiting its ability to help in evaluating plot coherence, idea generation, or character development. Perhaps in the future, but not right now.

This actually made me more optimistic about writing, knowing AI won’t obliterate the craft completely anytime soon.

There are, however, two use cases I’ve found useful with ChatGPT: the first is correcting grammar and spelling, while the more interesting one involves suggestions to make the text more concise. For instance, input a 2,000-word text and request suggestions to reduce it to 800 words, then compare the results. This has been surprisingly helpful.

Next Steps

Going forward, I plan to publish regular articles on Saturdays and the fiction chapters on Wednesdays.

My intention is to further refine the story into a book and would greatly appreciate your feedback. If you’re interested in being a beta reader in the future or participating in the project in any capacity, please contact me at caufskiviers@gmail.com.

Thank you all for reading and for your support. I hope you enjoy the story.