Bruce Sterling is one of the famous writers of different science fiction stories, i.e. “Crystal Express”. And now it is time to say something about his work – “Swarm”. That very part, presented for analysis, gives us the opportunity to see the main theme of the story, and to find the real meaning of the title.

The main idea of the story is life – its beings, looking for something new, thought about universe, fights for better future and so on. Life is a kind of treasure thing, which was given by greatest powers in order to do something useful not just for yourself, but for others. All this we can observe through the actions of Capitan-Doctor, who worked for his government, party and race. It is clear that race plays not the last role in our life, but sometimes, the rules, settled by the leaders are not necessary. As the result, we can see that the actions took place in far future, with new inventions and priorities. But the major morals stay the same. The new information is useless.

But also, comparing present and future, we can observe that the technologies rest same. And the author made Capitan-Doctor choose between his life and his devotions.

The author didn’t join either the side of arm race or the side of information. Wars, aggression, and injustice – all this made a terrible impact on life caused by the actions of race leaders. People try to reach their goals by loosing their own priority. They changed their genes in order to become better, but it didn’t help. The result was just to transformation into a kind of mechanism of one large machine. And we can observe that Captain – Doctor is a wonderful model for such transformation. His genes were modified, but his wouldn’t become better or prettier.

There is a little conclusion that our actions shouldn’t be under one’s guidelines. We have the right to choose but not to be chosen. And if you accept the second side – you are weak person and this very life you just lose time and occupy one’s place. Please, don’t waste your time.

All writers communicate with an audience, even diary writers, who start as their own audience of one. A letter writer may write for an audience of one, a business writer may write of an audience of thousands or more, if they are fortunate, and the Stephen Kings of the world write for millions and millions of readers. Audience size aside, writers want readers to read what they have written.

If you want to write, you need to read books on writing; you need to surf the web to see what other writers are doing; you need to look at articles and other resources. In addition to reading on the craft of writing, you need to read. Stephen King’s quote captures the importance of reading in four sentences:

It’s hard for me to believe that people who read very little – or not at all in some cases – should presume to write and expect people to like what they have written. Can I be blunt on this subject? If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time – or the tools – to write. Simple as that.

Reading is the foundation that all writing is built on. When we read, from cereal boxes to Shakespeare, with Stephen King in between, we absorb the examples that we will later use to write. Read quantity; read quality; read obsessively. Turn your TV off. Read while you eat breakfast and brush your teeth; read during your lunch break and while you exercise; read after dinner and read in bed. Reading leads to writing.

If you like romances, science fiction, and westerns, read them. If not, read at least one of each. Read the Great Books. For more information on the Great Books, read about them at Wikipedia. Read the great authors of the world. If you are not sure who the great authors are, google and find out. Read magazines and newspapers. Read what you like and read at least a small amount of what you don’t like. Just read.

When you read, a number of things happen. On the micro level, your ability to play with words grows. You meet words hanging around with other words that you would not have considered for your own writing. You begin to appreciate the elasticity of words. Still on the micro level, you develop a keener sense of linking one sentence to another.

At the macro level, you begin to see writers responding to each other. You’ll find ideas that you want to explore and built upon. You’ll develop your own database of ideas.

Between the micro and the macro levels, you may want to consider, if you’re not already doing so, keeping a journal. Journals are ideal for developing a database of ideas and experiences that can be incorporated into your writing. Ideas can sometimes be quite slippery, but writing these ideas down makes them clearer. Having ideas in a place where you can regularly visit them means that you have a foundation upon which to build.

In addition to reading and writing, you may want to look for other writers to talk to and read with. As writers and as readers, community can be a significant addition to helping us produce new work and get input.

Still, you’re the writer and you have the ultimate say in what works and what doesn’t work for you. That goes without saying.

After you have read and read and read, read books on writing. Read “The Elements of Style” by Strunk and White. Find all the books on writing in your local and not so local libraries. Read them. Borrow writing books from friends and acquaintances. Read them. Google and see what other books on writing look good to read. Ask your library to get you copies. Read.

As you read, you may begin to look at words in a new light. You may begin to see how words are bits and pieces of meaning that writers string together to create an entire world. Words become tools for developing and shaping a slice of the world. You might want to think about diaries and how they are written. What is important in one entry has been forgotten three entries later. Now becomes the most important element in the diary. This may be true of the news. Novels are at the other end of the writing spectrum. Although novels do have a now, novels focus on plots that develop over time.

As you read books on writing, continue to read other books. You will begin to be more conscious of the technical aspects of writing including vocabulary use, punctuation variety, and strong nouns and verbs. Congratulations! You have become a reader. Now, you can think about becoming a writer.