Finland; colonialism; time scale.

[mrissa]

How to tell that George Maude, author of Historical Dictionary of Finland, and I have different worldviews, the one-sentence version: "Without Russia on its border, it would be very difficult to justify the maintenance in the current form of the Finnish armed forces." So true, George. So true. And without the presence of water, it would be

Comments

[scottjames]

So, do you have to be definitively done with time x in order to move on to time x+300ish?

[mrissa]

Not at all. I don't write linearly anyway. So if I can write nonlinearly on the scale of a year, why not on a scale of centuries? is what my brain seems to say.

[scottjames]

I was just wondering if you were concerned that you'd write a story that would change the history of your other story in such a way that things would have had to go differently. "Kill your own grandfather" kind of stuff.

[mrissa]

Things that are already written have already happened. They send out ripples in the fabric of spacetime. This is actually more of a problem on the scale of a single novel than on a scale of 400 years.

[callunav]

I, personally, am very keen on subversion in plot points related to colonialism, and I'm not just saying that.

I'm even more keen on colonialism (in SF, I mean) which is well integrated with a society's history, geography, economy, trade, and technology. I do loathe huge social innovations/institutions which exist in SFF novels because an author felt like sticking them in there, without their being an organic part. That is another rant, and shall be ranted at another time, especially because I'm quite sure I'm ranting to the ranters, or something like that - that is, that you already write in the way I prefer, without my needing to comment on it. Really all I wanted to say is that this post focused my interest in reading this story from, "I like her writing and she's cool, of course I'd like to see it" to "Oh, hey. Cool. Lemme see that."

[mrissa]

Good!

[mamapduck]

If it's any help, I LOVE books that are about the same place but centuries apart. Pern, for example. I adored all the background stuff that came out in Dragonsdawn. But the other direction is equally good.

[careswen]

Is it time for me to cry, "Up the rebels!" yet?

[mrissa]

Any time you like! I write out of sequence, so the Ostos coming howling down out of the mountains in revolt was part of today.

[careswen]

Considering geography, perhaps it should be, "Up Down the rebels!"

[mrissa]

"Down and sort of sidewaysish the rebels!"