Not as daily as planned

It is fascinating how a big idea is rapidly forgotten. I haven't forgotten my blog although I haven't really known what to write next.

For example there is the development of the universe of Qan. I don't know if that is the name I want to give this heroine, it is actually a derivative of the name of my fantasy heroine, I just needed some name and used a familiar one. She already looks different to my fantasy heroine though - less proud and perfect, more real.

Everything about this story is going to be based on harsh reality. For example without faster than light travel, a galaxy as densely populated and technically advanced as Foundation would be a series of islands that are well-connected internally but social connections between islands would be few, far between and would involve long distance travel. Even the postulated "hub" would be several months' journey and expensive in fuel. I need a way for Forever to engage with the wider universe but I don't think setting it up as a trading station is necessarily the way. Certainly she could have a good understanding of physics and know that there are all sorts of other civilisations out there. Some would be happily drifting along but most would be pretty stable within a solar system, and most people would not really make the expensive journey to a different planetary body.

Instead it might be more interesting to give her a more stable environment and see how her culture reacts to intrusion by a world ship. This would be analogous to a viking or Pacific Island explorer and yet so much more - they would be looking for somewhere and yet self-sufficient to continue drifting for another generation if nothing suitable showed up. Would they even speak a similar language? Well with radio transmissions beaming far out into space there's no reason why they wouldn't have learned it but they would also have their own language.

I want to give my heroine some real human weaknesses too. Too many science fiction stories have perfect heroes going on amazing journeys and I want this to be more about an imperfect person driven from a stagnant environment and exploring the deeper structure of her social fabric but also learning and growing within herself.

It really helps to just sit, write this out and get my thoughts straight. More on the initial self-sufficiency and less on the space tourism centre. Maybe she's a secretary in a position to overhear some of the negotiations that are going on - the aliens could show up saying "look at our awesome ship, pay us tribute!" She might be excited by this power and wish to join them, only to find that her stagnant culture, while technically advanced, hasn't equipped her for useful work on the world-ship. I'd like her to think she's pretty prestigious and find she has no real skills but develop good cunning and shrewdness on the world ship. That would be a story!