Saturday, February 11, 2012

Haunted By The Past And The Future

I LIVE WITH GHOSTS

I'm constantly thinking about periods in history I'd like to write about. But it means a lot of research, trying to get the culture right, figuring out how the people lived and thought, and finding all those little things that makes the time come alive in the pages of a novel. No matter how hard you try to get it right, you always miss something. I've found this in reading novels set in historical times I know something about, invariably something's not right.

Writing about the future has another set of problems. Science Fiction needs science that is feasible. At one time I knew more about science than I do now. Things change so quickly, what was thought to be fact quite often is disproved, and what was thought impossible is discovered to be fact.... at least for a while.

So I write Fantasy.
I can make up my own rules.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

While this is true, you could try Paranormal. Reality with something unnatural. LOL, sorry I just posted a blog entry on exploring other genres! =D

Anonymous said...

I love fantasy. Not just because of the rules but because of the feeling. It's a great place. =]

Anonymous said...

I can totally relate to this post. I'm in the process of starting a novel set in historical times, and I'm just beginning to grasp the work I have ahead of me. It's intimidating, to say the least. Fantasy it sounding more tempting... :)

Unknown said...

This is so true. In fantasy you get to make up your own rules and be the ultimate overlord. *cue evil laugh*

Rick said...

You could always make up your own science. Most people find science so over their heads these days, they prefer magic. So maybe you could do a blend of both?