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Blaze of Glory

edited December 2021 in Short Stories
My short story "Blaze of Glory" will be in the anthology Voices of Varuna, due out at the end of the month, approximately.

This has been an interesting experience -- I pitched a story proposal in response to their call. After it was accepted, I had to write the darned thing in a pre-existing "universe" for which we were provided a "bible" and a Discord channel where we could interrogate the owners of the intellectual property for details about this futuristic universe. It was a little like writing in a foreign language!


FlakeNoirGNTLGNT

Comments

  • This sounds very interesting.  You gave a quick looksee at the process, I'd like to hear more about it if you want to write more.  I love writers doing unexpected things.
    FlakeNoirGNTLGNT
  • The "world" is very detailed -- futuristic, 7500 years from now. The bible contains information about all the factions that exist and where they're located in the galaxy and who's on whose side, etc. What their armaments look like. What FTL travel is like, etc. Lots and lots of detail, and if a writer had a specific question (what does a so-and-so look like? how big is a grav tank? how long would it get from point A to point b? etc), the people behind this project would chime in with documents and illustrations and graphics in massive detail.

    I've written in licensed worlds before (Doctor Who, the X-files), but in those cases I was already very familiar with the backstory. Here, I had to catch up and learn a lot. It was a challenge to not get very bogged down in the details. At one point I thought I'd bitten off more than I could chew -- there was so much to learn. But I got through the first draft, which is very different from the finished story. Several people edited and annotated that draft, pointing out things that were out-of-spec and making suggestions for how I could change things to bring it more in-world. Very much a collaborative process.
    FlakeNoirHedda GablerNeesyGNTLGNT
  • Wow, that sounds challenging, but i love all the creative input to make it right.  
    BevVincentGNTLGNT
  • ...this sounds like I should pack for another trip to the future, and unpack my wallet :D...just hit me with a link please when it's available....
    Hedda Gabler
  • ...my mistake, is it going to come out in print?.....
    FlakeNoirHedda GablerNotaro
  • Print first; ebook a week later. 
    FlakeNoirKurbenGNTLGNTHedda GablerNotaro
  • Print first; ebook a week later. 
    ...link only takes me to an e-book order....
    FlakeNoirNotaro
  • Wow. That is very impressive marketing .  Definitely showcasing their authors!
    FlakeNoirGNTLGNTNotaro
  • This is a terrific team to work with. 
    Hedda GablerFlakeNoirGNTLGNTNotaro
  • edited June 2021
    This is a terrific team to work with. 
    I love to see a team of people commit. If they do it, i’m willing to do it.  If they have no faith in what they are putting out, why should I?

     This shows faith! This shows tremendous time and attention, huge applause to the team that put that particular visual together. It’s gorgeous and shows  passion. Well done. 
    FlakeNoirGNTLGNTNotaro
  • When the book ordering is sorted out, let us know. I’ll pick up a copy too. 
    FlakeNoirGNTLGNTNotaro
  • When the book ordering is sorted out, let us know. I’ll pick up a copy too. 
    ...I just did a general search on Amazon, and it still lists it as a Kindle only edition....
    Hedda GablerNotaro
  • Voices of Varuna: Author Panel (Ben, Bev & Carrie)



    NotaroGNTLGNTHedda GablerFlakeNoir
  • Voices of Varuna: Author Panel (Ben, Bev & Carrie)



    Okay.  Right out of the gate I want to say this is one of my favorite interviews you've done.  I loved the panel.  I loved listening to you talk about not only your own story, but you each talked about the other's story.  All of you threw out tidbits and really very complimentary and encouraging discussion to each other.  I don't hear author interviews where they discuss the other author's work quite so much.  And while it wasn't a lot, what was talked about was very supportive. Fun. Lots of laughs and back pats.  Sure, other interviews you might mention someone else's work, but this had a few more inner working details and fun little snippets of information.  I liked that.

    Ben seemed to be a super person to work with/for.  He seemed game for anything but kind and gentle about the things that didn't work.  I find that sort of mentoring teamwork applause worthy.  

    I'm so totally blown away that not only was this based on an existing videogame world, but it also is based on real NASA data.  Holy crap! 

    So Bev, first question:  This seemed like very shackled writing.  It seems like so much world building has been done, does that really leave everyone a creative voice?  I would say some, but difficult. 

    Do you like writing for a world that is already created, e.g. Dr. Who, X Files, Sherlock Holmes, this game series better than creating your own stuff from scratch?  If I could guess, I would say you find creating in an existing world challenging, but more satisfying???  You have that big analytical brain, and especially, this science field -- while you say you were overwhelmed, I think these existing people and stories are something you would like to do more of.   

    And, saying that, is there an existing world out there that you would really like to write for and you haven't?

    I also found it really fun that they loved an element you inserted into the world and the developers were thinking, "why didn't we do that?"  Big kudos for such high praise.  He said they were using it "as we speak."  And, because it was your idea, do you now get paid for that element in the games and will you be added to the gaming team credits at the end of the game?

    I honest to god don't know how you fit everything into a day.  Your day job, your writing job, your wife, your TV and movie watching.  Then you tweet and take a peek at the message board.  I'm sure your correspondence is loaded in the queue.  Maintaining these business contacts and personal friendships --  I think I need a nap.


    NotaroGNTLGNTFlakeNoir
  • This was the first time I "saw" Ben. I worked with him and the other authors and the other members of the team on a platform called Discord, where it was all done via text messages, images and file transfers.

    I didn't feel shackled, but I did feel daunted in the beginning. There was so much information to onboard. We were all asking the developers questions about this tech or that planet or these aliens. Eventually it got to the point where they said: just go write your story and we'll address things later. That helped a lot. We were given absolute free reign in terms of genre and story.

    My story ended up significantly different from what I originally pitched -- the ideas developed through some of the constraints of the universe. Things I wanted to include couldn't happen where I wanted them to because they didn't want to introduce certain concepts yet. So there was quite a bit of back-and-forth.

    As far as credit goes, when you work in someone else's IP (intellectual property), they own everything so, no, I don't get any additional pay for coming up with an idea that they might incorporate into their universe. My "credit" is the short story where it originates and that's pretty much where it ends. This is a tabletop game with miniature pieces, by the way, not a video game, so there isn't exactly a "credits roll"!

    It was easier working in worlds I was already familiar with, but even then I had to do a lot of research. I read every Sherlock Holmes novel and story before writing "Bloody Sunday," I watched the entire run of the fifth Doctor before writing "Leap Second," and I watched all of The X-files before writing "Phase Shift."

    I'm always open to dabbling in an existing world -- it's a fun writing challenge. I can't think of anything right now that I crave to write for, though. I just wait for the opportunities to come along.

    FlakeNoirNotaroHedda GablerGNTLGNT
  • edited June 2021
    So, as soon as you said board game i was off to see if Wil Wheaton had played any of them on Tabletop — i don’t think he has. 
    FlakeNoirGNTLGNTNotaro
  •  Thanks for the answers — i’ll stop talking now (as they say at The Clubhouse). 
    FlakeNoirGNTLGNTNotaro
  • …on the buying block for me…
    FlakeNoirHedda GablerBevVincentNotaro
  • ...my copy arrived today and I'll be nosing my way into it as I wind down to sleep mode....
    FlakeNoirBevVincentHedda GablerNotaro
  • ...damn Bev!!....that was some departure for you....you really got into the universe...I know nothing of the board game, so it was a bit of an initial struggle to understand the world view... I can't imagine the discipline it took to keep yourself true to the "experiment"....
    Hedda GablerKurbenFlakeNoirNotaro
  • We had some terrific coaches keeping us between the lines.
    Hedda GablerGNTLGNTKurbenFlakeNoirNotaro
  • A Renegade Transmissions podcast discussing the Voices of Varuna anthology.
    Hedda GablerFlakeNoirNotaroGNTLGNT
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