LegendaryLife Blog

I have discovered something while writing my next book, 2847AD… writing science fiction is really hard!

Imagining the uninvented

Creating a whole future civilization across multiple colonies is a challenge in itself, trying to imagine technology that doesn’t exist, hasn’t been seen or experienced first-hand is quite a task. Describing how things work, describing how one machine affects another or trying to keep things consistent “feel wise” is also a very tough challenge. When I first started writing 2847AD, my third book, I thought naively that it would go as smoothly as my first two books but saying you will do something and actually doing something are very different.

Creating merchandise

I am both writing this book and creating a merchandise line for it at the same time within my other company, WoodMarvels.com. This may seem like doing twice the work but it actually helps me to create visuals in order to establish the unique characteristics and hence, attitudes of the various civilizations involved in 2847AD. Here is an example of a Ruskian Fortress.

I like trying new things that I have never done before, creating a world is fun and associated physical items that fit within the storyline is also an enjoyable experience. Being able to multi-task is a great ability that I have been able to develop in strides and so far, it has become very handy on this project.

Time lines

Unlike my other books, this one deals with such fun tasks as character development, time lines and leaving small breadcrumbs that won’t be revealed until the very end of the book. I have so far about 20 pages down, which isn’t a lot but it has been re-writen so many times that things are starting to be in sharper focus. You can’t hope to start something that will be good based on a weak foundation, so it’s critical to get the first few chapters down and most of the stories dynamics realized before proceeding with the rest of the story. Science fiction, I don’t think, can be something you are in a rush to complete as the complexity involved can quickly become overwhelming.

My general goal is to have the first draft of my book done sometime in the summer, then let it get some dust before doing another review a few months later.

My second book, which is a motivational self-help book, is being reviewed now by editors, I hope to have it published in a month or so depending on how many changes are required.

The Bottom Line

Unlike a biography or other pieces of writen work, science fiction has a host of challenges that are only apparent once you begin working on it.