I'm writing a hard science fiction book

rogers_buck · Jan 3, 2006

I started this a little over a week ago because I have been more or less recliner bound after getting chopped on by surgeons. The ole laptop keeps my pecker warm while I hunt and peck. I have been a prolific writer of business/engineering documents and so the pages have been flowing pretty steady. I'm on chapter 3 already and have about 29 pages in 8.5x11 Word format Times 10 font. The purpose of my science fiction is to explore quantum reality and man's role in the universe in a near term futuristic setting (~40 years hence). One of the chapters is set in India - a place I have never been. I picked India for an important reason relavent to the plot. I would be greatfull if someone could point me at a nice small city in India that is just now feeling the effects of the new prosperity. A place name with some description of why you think the place is worth a mention would be most helpfull. I don't know if I'll finish this book, or if I do if I will try to get it published. It's just something to do right now.

yevaud · Jan 3, 2006

Mumbai (once Bombey) - the IT Capitol of India, of course. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Differential Diagnosis: "I am both amused and annoyed that you think I should be less stubborn than you are." </div>

hracctsold · Jan 3, 2006

hey rogers, I've enjoyed chatting with you in this forum. It sounds like you have the time to put into this sort of thing, and probably will do well. Writing of this nature is like pottery to me, it looks interesting to do, but there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to do anything about it. Keep at it, and if you have the time or inclination, drop us an excerpt or two of it sometime. Henry

mattblack · Jan 3, 2006

Sounds interesting. Have you read any Stephen Baxter? If you haven't, I predict you'd like him. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> One Percent of Federal Funding For Space: America CAN Afford it!! LEO is a Prison -- It's time for a JAILBREAK!! </div>

nacnud · Jan 4, 2006

I was going to sugest Baxter as well, I just finnished the Destiny Child trilogy and thought it was good. Another good read is Ian McDonals River of Gods as it is also set in India in about 20-40 years, but that might be too close to the setting of the new book...

rogers_buck · Jan 4, 2006

Hello there. What I found is that after the sun goes down I crack open the lap top and four hours dissapear. Writing the stuff is nearly as fun and unknown as reading it. Doc's decided to let me go back to work next week so I'm not too sure what that will do to my new hobby... Kind of disgusted with myself because I was retired for quite some time and never did anything to speak of.

rogers_buck · Jan 4, 2006

Thanks. After thinking about it, I need a town more than a city. Some place that is still a bit of a back water. Maybe not too far away from Bombay.

rogers_buck · Jan 4, 2006

Thanks, I'll check him out.

rogers_buck · Jan 4, 2006

Two votes for Baxter. He'll be my next read. I'm using the science fiction vehicle here, but what I'm really trying to accomplish is to introduce the concept of biology and intelligence into cosmology. The biggest information paradox imaginable shouldn't ignore the most efficient keepers of information known to exist. By the way, my title is my sig line.

tomnackid · Jan 4, 2006

Baxter is very good when it comes to hard SF, though he can be more than a bit depressing! "Titan" got so damm morose I almost stopped reading it, but I just had to see what would happen! Good luck with your book. Try for a regular publisher before you go the self-published route. Bean and Tor are two good houses for hard SF.

ordinary_guy · Jan 4, 2006

<blockquote>In reply to:<hr />...I'm on chapter 3 already and have about 29 pages in 8.5x11 Word format Times 10 font.<hr /></blockquote> From what I understand, most agents/editors prefer your font in 12-point. Perhaps 10 is easier on the eyes (or handier for screen real estate), but despite Word's word-count feature, most editors still eyeball the pages for length estimates (if you have aspirations of someday submitting your work). Good luck, Buck. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Mere precedent is a dangerous source of authority. -Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) </div>

mxm111 · Jan 4, 2006

Baxter has good concepts and settings for his stories, but the stories (plots) themselves are not do good, i.e. he is very good SiFi, but not very good "writer". I have very mixed feelings about his books. Overall, I would not recommend his books.

nacnud · Jan 4, 2006

To be honest I'd agree with that, but if you read quickly the concepts are great! <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />

rogers_buck · Jan 4, 2006

It has characters and lots of intrigue. Not sure how far I'm going to kick it out in the future just yet. Trouble with kicking it out too far to grab a technology you want is that you wind up with warp drive and wind-up watches. Or, you can over compensate and wind up with HAL and atomic engines. So I intend to keep the date nebulous and simply bring in the technologies that I need that I know to be next generations of the status quo. I won't elude to these being old or new, just existing. It would be nice to do a masterfull job as in "Moving Mars" of inventing all sorts of new tech, but I want the story to be about the underlying physics more than anything else. The plot and everything else is just to emphasize what it really means.

rogers_buck · Jan 4, 2006

I'm not formating or anything, just typing it in. Got to get started for tonight... (-;

spacefire · Jan 4, 2006

will your book feature Aerospace Fighters? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> http://asteroid-invasion.blogspot.comhttp://www.solvengineer.com/asteroid-invasion.html </div>

grooble · Jan 5, 2006

Know any hard sci fi that doesn't have aliens and stuff in? I looked at the covered of these books and theres UFO's and other worlds and stuff so how believable is it? Any good solar system based books?

yevaud · Jan 5, 2006

The Merchant's War, by Frederick Pohl. Pretty awesome, in it's own way. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Differential Diagnosis: "I am both amused and annoyed that you think I should be less stubborn than you are." </div>

rogers_buck · Jan 5, 2006

I'm afraid no aliens or space armadas. The intent of the book is to break the way the reader thinks about reality by giving them a perfectly plausible alternative that makes better sense and is based on science. The plot revolves around the evolution of the new world view as determined forces attempt to suppress it. The arch vilan is a Kazinsky type who realizes what the new research actually means long before those who are contributing to it.

spacefire · Jan 5, 2006

I meant manned Orbital Interceptors like the Uragan! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> http://asteroid-invasion.blogspot.comhttp://www.solvengineer.com/asteroid-invasion.html </div>

Saiph · Jan 5, 2006

grooble: Hard sci-fi with no aliens: Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Heinlien. Closest you get is an AI. Rogers: If you want to write a story on biology and it's affects on cosmology, while throwing in some quantum you may, or may not, want to read Blood Music by Greg Bear for inspiration. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> --------------------SaiphMOD@gmail.com -------------------"This is my Timey Wimey Detector. Goes "bing" when there's stuff. It also fries eggs at 30 paces, wether you want it to or not actually. I've learned to stay away from hens: It's not pretty when they blow" -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

rogers_buck · Jan 6, 2006

I think I might like to read that, but I'll wait until I finish or give up.

mattblack · Jan 6, 2006

I loved "Titan", but by the time the asteroid hit I was saying; "Good job -- You guys deserve it!" I thought his 'Adam & Eve' ending was a tad out of place, though. A better ending for "Titan" I feel would have been the ending he gave his 2002 book "Evolution". <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> One Percent of Federal Funding For Space: America CAN Afford it!! LEO is a Prison -- It's time for a JAILBREAK!! </div>

Saiph · Jan 8, 2006

my advice on the town in idia, btw, is to write what you know. If you aren't familiar with india, or any small towns in india (or a similar demographic in another country), you probably won't be very convincing with it. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> --------------------SaiphMOD@gmail.com -------------------"This is my Timey Wimey Detector. Goes "bing" when there's stuff. It also fries eggs at 30 paces, wether you want it to or not actually. I've learned to stay away from hens: It's not pretty when they blow" -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

zensphere · Jan 8, 2006

Blahhhhhhh!!!!! You are not allowed to give up (though the impetus to write came unto ye upon difficult times) - especially not when you have a ***warm*** laptop to guide you. Bring it home, - oh yeah. I don't care what you do with it - just keep your stories going onwards and *UP*wards. YO!

I'm writing a hard science fiction book

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