tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828517374142265050.post7496657543320358151..comments2024-03-16T07:55:54.153-07:00Comments on Views From the Bald Patch: Sci-fi worldbuildingBotanisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098709722475364465noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828517374142265050.post-83415375591232865352014-08-17T09:11:59.325-07:002014-08-17T09:11:59.325-07:00Mynx, exactly! I think this is one of the things t...Mynx, exactly! I think this is one of the things that distinguishes sci-fi from fantasy.Botanisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12098709722475364465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828517374142265050.post-81530057462455156012014-08-17T04:22:52.972-07:002014-08-17T04:22:52.972-07:00This sounds like pretty good advice to me. You ar...This sounds like pretty good advice to me. You are always going to be more convincing to the reader if you know a little truth before you stretch itnot displayedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11637174135437423585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828517374142265050.post-41987905419320170492014-08-16T09:12:00.000-07:002014-08-16T09:12:00.000-07:00Alex, sounds like you have human stories in a futu...Alex, sounds like you have human stories in a futuristic setting, and for you the people are more important than the technology. I was like that with <i>Ghosts</i>.<br /><br />Hilary, I think you've captured my sentiments very well.<br /><br />David, I'm not a scientist either. I think the literacy matters, plus the willingness to apply some critical thinking to what's going on in your world. But that's what's called "research" and it applies in all genres. Suppose a writer set a detective thriller in New York, and described a view of the Statue of Liberty from an apartment window in the Bronx, you'd know straight off whether or not that made sense.Botanisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12098709722475364465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828517374142265050.post-74088356864223559922014-08-15T06:47:24.007-07:002014-08-15T06:47:24.007-07:00Since I'm not a scientist, I'll probably n...Since I'm not a scientist, I'll probably never write a hard sci-fi novel. My writing as it is now does tend more toward the "soft," space-operatic side of things. Although I do consider myself scientifically literate and knowledgeable beyond the layman. Just slightly beyond, mind you. Still, I approach my writing more from the humanistic angle. That is: I'm more interested in sci-fi stories that are mostly focused on human emotion and interaction, and less on the science, per se.<br /><br />Like you I do agree that the science has to make sense and be grounded in the facts as we know them today, but for me it will always take a back seat to the actual act of writing about humans and their triumphs and foibles.David Batistahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16447011239238933425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828517374142265050.post-70669867485919503722014-08-15T02:29:49.486-07:002014-08-15T02:29:49.486-07:00Hi Ian - I do dislike something that is patently w...Hi Ian - I do dislike something that is patently wrong - but if it's like the Bloater Drive .. I can have a laugh at the idea and carry on reading the story ... <br /><br />All concepts deserve some degree of research and thought before just writing a scene or character or device down ... otherwise authors will lose credibility with the reader ... <br /><br />Good thoughts - cheers HilaryHilary Melton-Butcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17596532480645510678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828517374142265050.post-33689382689771313182014-08-14T09:47:04.101-07:002014-08-14T09:47:04.101-07:00I guess that's why I write at the space opera ...I guess that's why I write at the space opera end of the spectrum.Alex J. Cavanaughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09770065693345181702noreply@blogger.com