[PREV - FINISHED] [TOP]
June 2, 1992
Aka RAT3
In one of attempts at
writing a short story, (Back in 1985
I tried to use a or so.)
strategy based on
these ideas:
(1) Take no notes, except in the
form of story fragments.
(2) Avoid reading any other
fiction until the story
is finished.
(3) Avoid working on any other
stories until the current one
is finished.
This solved my typical
problem of procrastination,
But I didn't like the
finished product.
(Nov 26, 2006)
It was a nominally
hard SF story, where some of A funny bit: I wanted
the technical elements seemed to write a story about
like they belonged in different America over-reacting
eras. E.g. working laser to a catastrophe,
launchers long before working and I selected a
photonics had been developed. massive poison gas
release in New Jersey,
The secondary characters were caused by the crash of
okay, but the main character an attempted space launch
seemed dull and passive. (aiming for a polar orbit).
His "gradual transformation
of character" was much too When writing it, I was
gradual. afraid it would seem too
much like Bhopal.
Many of the background details
were more interesting than the Then the space shuttle
foreground, and the connection Challenger exploded,
between the two wasn't very and I was afraid it
strong. would seem too much
like that.
Bhopal = 1984
wrote story = 1985 If I wrote it now,
Challenger = 1986 I'd be afraid people
thought I was doing
another 9/11.
In general, the story was (I wish reality
ill-thought out, and it would stop
showed. I avoided I need more acting like
drowning in preparation, confidence in a cheap imitation
but boxed myself in with my fabrications. of a lame SF
something essentially story.)
unusable.
This approach might have
worked for a different
kind of story, but not
for hard SF.
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