Ironies about "real" science fiction
>> Friday, April 9, 2010
Two days just on the one novel, but real progress. I'm making good progress so I won't worry about what I'm not doing on the other. Straight science fiction, it's kind of fun because this bit is all about the technical details of orbital mechanics.
Not for the non-SF freaks, more than likely, but those that are will love it. It's kind of interesting that, as a rocket scientist, I so rarely actually do the hard science fiction, because it's interesting and, of course, I have a real feel for the physics.
I also have countless hours of console work in NASA to draw from. (I had a scene where I followed protocols and command team patterns in Beast Within during a spacecraft crash, but many complained about the technical dialog. Lee loved it but it wasn't in keeping with the rest of the novel so I took it out. Strangely, someone who'd read just that bit complained that "real spacefarers" would never talk that way. *Sigh*)
Ironically, unlike the other scene, this isn't how astronauts and ground control talk at all, so, of course, I suspect people will like it just fine.
Keep it up; I hope your good progress continues.
I am having no luck on mine; I hit a dead end with desire and finding any time to work on it. I know what I want to say, it just feels wrong somehow.
The hard Science Fiction is fun, at least I think so. The treading the line between informing and the famous info-dump is though and a great challenge. I'm "lucky" as my wife who's my involuntary reader hates both the info-dump and not having a science concept fully explained. So when I write and it so she likes it, I know I've hit that balance.
Too much technical language makes Jack a dull character. Even if it is accurate.
I've had those complaints about the medical conversations I've written. Doctors, apparently, don't talk like that. Huh. Coulda fooled me.