If ever there was a must read, hard science book for a science fiction author Michio Kaku's "Physics of the Impossible" is it. In an easy to understand style Kaku walks the reader through three basic levels of impossible science: that which is only one genius or a decade away, that which is a good hundred or so years out and will depend on several different branches of science advancing considerably, and that which is for all intents and purposes magic. From classic lines of "Shields up!" to the concepts of time travel and rewriting history Kaku invites the reader to step into the world of the impossible.
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When a photographer is trying to capture a particular emotion or sensation there are many aspects to consider. The light must be at the proper angle. A specific item must be in focus. An author must do much the same thing but they have to do it entirely through words. Word choice is vitally important. Two words which are technically synonyms can have vastly different connotations. This is where it is critical for the author to know their audience. The cultural can seize on a concept and change its meaning from one year to the next. For works already in existence this can change meanings of entire passages. Unfortunately such shifts can't be guarded against and an author must simply make sure to give the story as a whole enough heart that it can withstand the vagrancies of cultural change.
So here is a worldbuilding question for all the authors out there. You are building a civilization with a highly advanced technological level. They almost worship science and the scientific method. Their culture is based on empirical evidence. Would you dare give this culture a massive national holiday that revolves around making prognostications on the behavior of some random rodent?
When an author wants to instill a sense of fear there is nothing like the known. A good old terror can connect to the audience. Spiders are are very reliable source of fear.
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AuthorBetty Adams is an up and coming author with a bent for science and Sci-fi. Archives
March 2024
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