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Up to 30k now on my YA science-fantasy novel, tentatively titled #TheSunwardEscape.
Magic! Religion! Interstellar political conspiracies! Intersex and gender-undecided #ActuallyAutistic protagonist! Very QUILTBAG+ cast :D Much ownvoices.
Let's do a thing, 1 like = 1 detail. :)
Magic! Religion! Interstellar political conspiracies! Intersex and gender-undecided #ActuallyAutistic protagonist! Very QUILTBAG+ cast :D Much ownvoices.
Let's do a thing, 1 like = 1 detail. :)
(I will be away to make some very upsetting phone calls about my health insurance, so you can add likes in the meanwhile,
and I can add a bunch of details all at once when I am back, and it will IY"H cheer me up. :) )
and I can add a bunch of details all at once when I am back, and it will IY"H cheer me up. :) )
Oh but I can't resist the lure of the likes already XD
1. I do not know of an ownvoices intersex YA SFF book, there is ownvoices adult SFF ( @cyborgyndroid aaaaa) and YA contemporary ( @liannesimon!) but not this particular combination.
(If there is one, lmk! More = merrier!)
1. I do not know of an ownvoices intersex YA SFF book, there is ownvoices adult SFF ( @cyborgyndroid aaaaa) and YA contemporary ( @liannesimon!) but not this particular combination.
(If there is one, lmk! More = merrier!)
2. There is a lot of weird political terribleness that the characters have to fight (or just survive).
It will seem very timely for US readers, but in fact a lot of it is inspired by the past 2 decades of Hungarian history. We are ahead of you on the terrible timeline X[
It will seem very timely for US readers, but in fact a lot of it is inspired by the past 2 decades of Hungarian history. We are ahead of you on the terrible timeline X[
3. The protagonist is intersex and has trouble about that in multiple contexts, but the plot is fundamentally about big magical explosions and the power of friendship and collaboration!
(Story of my life?? ok, it's ownvoices, but not autobiographic..... ;D )
(Story of my life?? ok, it's ownvoices, but not autobiographic..... ;D )
4. One character has too much magic! Another has too little! They sometimes swap and it helps them both :)
I was kind of annoyed with the classic vampire tropes and this is my take on them.
I was kind of annoyed with the classic vampire tropes and this is my take on them.
5. Also there are nonbinary aliens. There are ALSO nonbinary humans. They team up :) There is also a nonbinary sentient spaceship. And more trans characters (a major character is a human demigirl)
Just a lot of non-cisness in general :)
Just a lot of non-cisness in general :)
Break now, but keep the likes coming and I will do my best to add a lot of interesting details later! :)
6. A lot of the religious bits are inspired by Judaism (and my experience with Orthodoxy), but it is not Judaism per se because it is a totally off Earth, secondary world context.
(Earth exists in the continuity, but very far and not very... relevantly)
(Earth exists in the continuity, but very far and not very... relevantly)
7. In the beginning there is a lot of "OMG I need to get out of here NOW" but then the protagonist examines their motivations about where to go and why.
But there is a lot of running around :)
But there is a lot of running around :)
8. Also there is a princex and their knight-protector!
Yes, this is considered old-fashioned in-universe. There is royalty etc. but some factions want to abolish the monarchy and others are "meh, whatever" about it.
Yes, this is considered old-fashioned in-universe. There is royalty etc. but some factions want to abolish the monarchy and others are "meh, whatever" about it.
9. There are four major political factions and I put some effort into making them easily distinguishable XD
10. Symbiotic relationship with sentient spaceship :)
11. There is a lot about imperialism. (The protagonist is training to become a Navy jump pilot, before things go really askew and they end up on the run)
12. Both humans and extraterrestrials have a range of neurotypes - called cognotypes in-universe, because not everyone has neurons!
13. I also really wanted to have a protagonist who is excluded from their religious community but remains religious in some way,
because I have been there and I see very little of this representation ANYwhere.
because I have been there and I see very little of this representation ANYwhere.
14. The story is connected to a lot of other stories I have written, but not extremely closely (though there is one major character overlap with The Song of Spores)
15. I decided to follow @bookavid's advice that whenever I get worked up about something online (espec. politics / marginalization), I write a little bit of the manuscript.
This has been an extreme success so far (+ I also have a novella 1st draft)
THANK YOU @bookavid
This has been an extreme success so far (+ I also have a novella 1st draft)
THANK YOU @bookavid
16. So far this is the longest single piece of fiction I have ever written. \\O/
I don't know if it is longer than my two master's theses though, those were each quite long!
I don't know if it is longer than my two master's theses though, those were each quite long!
17. There is one town making an appearance in the story that was inspired by Piran, Slovenia.
Piran is a really beautiful small town on the Adriatic coast: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piran
Piran is a really beautiful small town on the Adriatic coast: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piran
18. There is a part where the protagonist gets lost in a forest at night.
This is, uh, very ownvoices XD
This is, uh, very ownvoices XD
19. When I was writing that part, I ended up reading actual academic literature about that particular forest (it's in Western Hungary) and found out that some small isolated parts of it are original old-growth.
20. This was my writing process re: that part:
1. "This is secondary world science fantasy, I won't need to do as much research as I do for some of my hard-SF stories"
2. *suddenly reading an entire dendrology book*
1. "This is secondary world science fantasy, I won't need to do as much research as I do for some of my hard-SF stories"
2. *suddenly reading an entire dendrology book*
21. Other parts that needed some strange research:
There is a scene set in a mushroom-growing cellar that was taken over to serve as an armory for guerrilla fighters.
So I ended up reading forums for industrial mushroom growers, etc. (I learned a lot!)
There is a scene set in a mushroom-growing cellar that was taken over to serve as an armory for guerrilla fighters.
So I ended up reading forums for industrial mushroom growers, etc. (I learned a lot!)
22. Useful things I learned while writing this book:
GROWING MUSHROOMS IS COMPLICATED so maybe I shouldn't attempt it in the garage or something. (Growing organic mushrooms is apparently even MORE complicated!)
(Just regular food mushrooms, not particularly psychoactive)
GROWING MUSHROOMS IS COMPLICATED so maybe I shouldn't attempt it in the garage or something. (Growing organic mushrooms is apparently even MORE complicated!)
(Just regular food mushrooms, not particularly psychoactive)
23. I really enjoy writing the character interactions. Also there is an autistic woman who is very pushy. I think autistic characters are often written as whatever is the opposite of pushy?
I think I have autistic characters spanning the "pushiness spectrum" :D
I think I have autistic characters spanning the "pushiness spectrum" :D
24. To be honest, re: a lot of Very Subversive Stuff in the book so far, I didn't set out to write as "I will write this very subversive thing!" but I just wrote it because I wanted to see it.
Then I stopped and thought about it and realized "this is actually quite subversive"?
Then I stopped and thought about it and realized "this is actually quite subversive"?
25. But something that did need a lot of conscious effort: I tried very hard not to have all character names start with A.
I really like character names that start with A XD
I really like character names that start with A XD
26. Oh and something that was also a very deliberate decision that might be a bit more complicated...
I definitely wanted to have a gender-undecided character who DOESN'T have to decide by the end of the book. Taking time is OK!!!
(I don't think this counts as a spoiler)
I definitely wanted to have a gender-undecided character who DOESN'T have to decide by the end of the book. Taking time is OK!!!
(I don't think this counts as a spoiler)
27. Also I like to see it in books when characters tell each other off when the other is being hurtful, and this is shown to actually make an impact on the other character.
So I put in that, too.
(Recently in adult SFF, The Poppy War by @kuangrf did this really well IMO)
So I put in that, too.
(Recently in adult SFF, The Poppy War by @kuangrf did this really well IMO)
28. Also, I really like it when characters show up for their friends, so yes, there is that too.
(There is also a scene where two people yell at each other for not doing it right for a third person. LOL, life can have a lot of friction...)
(There is also a scene where two people yell at each other for not doing it right for a third person. LOL, life can have a lot of friction...)
29. There is a fair bit of stuff about trusting organizations and trusting specific people. I feel this is kind of missing from a lot of narratives which have a magic school.
This was also a theme in my novelette Standing on the Floodbanks - http://giganotosaurus.org/2016/11/01/standing-on-the-floodbanks/
This was also a theme in my novelette Standing on the Floodbanks - http://giganotosaurus.org/2016/11/01/standing-on-the-floodbanks/
Now I will take a break! But if you enjoy the thread, please consider backing me on Patreon to support the writing of this book (and there will be Bonus Things)
https://www.patreon.com/bogiperson
A lot of people are dropping out or lowering their pledges in the summer, so it'd help a lot!
https://www.patreon.com/bogiperson
A lot of people are dropping out or lowering their pledges in the summer, so it'd help a lot!
30. All the ethnic/racial groups in the book are fictional, but I wanted to make sure that there are multiple minority groups who are shown interacting.
I kind of feel like a lot of bks have The Majority and One Minority Group, whereas in my life it never quite worked like that.
I kind of feel like a lot of bks have The Majority and One Minority Group, whereas in my life it never quite worked like that.
(Not sure if this is because I grew up in a town with very few fellow Jews, because it was also my experience after I moved to Budapest, where there are many many Jews.)
31. Planning out the plot kind of started like "Ok they need to get from Point A to Point B and they run around a lot and bump into obstacles" but then it got more complicated.
They still run around and get from Point A to Point B (eventually! Hopefully!)
They still run around and get from Point A to Point B (eventually! Hopefully!)
32. I parallel-wrote the beginnings of the story with a novella (currently in first draft) and they kind of affected each other, but they are very different.
33. A lot of my stories set on different planets in the same overarching continuity have the Isolationists as a political movement, often even working together.
This is based on the far right across many European countries and now in the US too.
This is based on the far right across many European countries and now in the US too.
Ok and now logging off for the night, I think! Many more tweets to go still :D Keep favoriting!
I haven't forgotten about this thread :) just the immigration-related things are stressful. :( But I'll post a few more updates now!
I also posted a small teaser for Patreon backers: https://www.patreon.com/posts/19732213
I also posted a small teaser for Patreon backers: https://www.patreon.com/posts/19732213
34. My ....kind of trademark style is "body horror that is cheerful and nice and totally not horrific at all"... and. Well, this is not a horror book, so I don't want to go absolutely overboard.
But there will be a bit of that. :)
But there will be a bit of that. :)
35. Specifically, the usual process of bonding with a spaceship involves the spaceship partially eating you while growing to full size.
But here the plot will involve getting around that, because the protagonist wants to bond with a full-grown ship who lost their pilot.
But here the plot will involve getting around that, because the protagonist wants to bond with a full-grown ship who lost their pilot.
36. You get regenerated BY the ship in the usual process (in slightly changed ways) and you both end up sharing body material. It's not like the ship eats you and you become one creature.
But this only works with ships who are still growing.
But this only works with ships who are still growing.
37. The protagonist wants to bond with this specific ship because they are friends. (Reminder that ships are sentient :) )
Both of them also have a peripheral position. The protagonist due to being autistic and intersex, the ship due to having lost their pilot.
Both of them also have a peripheral position. The protagonist due to being autistic and intersex, the ship due to having lost their pilot.
38. It WOULD be possible, but difficult, for them to bond, but at the Navy training academy basically no one wants this to happen.
Mostly because they push the protagonist to do everything in a very normative way (that includes gender, hormones etc).
Mostly because they push the protagonist to do everything in a very normative way (that includes gender, hormones etc).
None of this is a spoiler, it is revealed in the first chapter or so. :)
Now I will take another break! Thank you for following along :)
Now I will take another break! Thank you for following along :)
I need to return to this thread! In the meanwhile, I posted another snippet for Patreon backers: https://www.patreon.com/posts/20763043
39: I am at around 50k words now! Factoids resume :)
I am also trying to engage with popular media tropes. There is space opera IN the space opera future. (Which is not the same as "contemporary fiction")
And weird niche series woth their dedicated fandoms :D
I am also trying to engage with popular media tropes. There is space opera IN the space opera future. (Which is not the same as "contemporary fiction")
And weird niche series woth their dedicated fandoms :D
40: In the meanwhile I also made a goodreads list of magical / psychic space pilots bc I love this theme and want to read ALL the books besides writing my own too. https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/126697.Magical_Psychic_Spaceship_Pilots_
41: I always like to include sports in my fiction, but this one somehow doesn't have a lot of sports.
The protagonist Mawu appears in one of my other stories and tries floater racing. :) So sports are being done... eventually... somehow :D
The protagonist Mawu appears in one of my other stories and tries floater racing. :) So sports are being done... eventually... somehow :D
42: There is a fair amount of swimming in the book, though, but not necessarily as a sport.
Several places in the book are located near a relatively warm sea, and this is what happens.
Several places in the book are located near a relatively warm sea, and this is what happens.
43: Also, the spaceships like to swim in water and can also swim UNDER water (so they are technically also submarines).
There is just a lot of water in this story :)
There is just a lot of water in this story :)
44: Just to reassure you, I had no data loss wrt the manuscript when my laptop was lost to the TSA checkpoint.
I have it all, around 53k words so far?
I have it all, around 53k words so far?
Oh my G_D I just realized this thread had 232 likes somehow, which means more factoids about the book :)
45: I now have a first draft and I'm revising it!
The big revision thread is here - https://twitter.com/bogiperson/status/1147300792019423232
It is 65k and it will probably get longer in edits. My work always gets longer in edits because I tend to underspecify. (I know how it all looks in my head! XD )
The big revision thread is here - https://twitter.com/bogiperson/status/1147300792019423232
It is 65k and it will probably get longer in edits. My work always gets longer in edits because I tend to underspecify. (I know how it all looks in my head! XD )
46: I put these stickers into my calendar to mark revised chapters.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzi2DxZAE2C/
I chose them because spaceships eat people sometimes and it's actually quite fluffy and not a bad thing in-universe. But the protagonist cannot be eaten by a spaceship & that's a problem
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzi2DxZAE2C/
I chose them because spaceships eat people sometimes and it's actually quite fluffy and not a bad thing in-universe. But the protagonist cannot be eaten by a spaceship & that's a problem
47: Because this came up.
"Exploding young magical people rep" :) (AKA adolescence... for a certain value of adolescence!)
When *I* was a teen, this was basically:
1. Carrie
2. Dark Phoenix (the comic!)
3. Firestarter
There are a few things that can be noticed here -
"Exploding young magical people rep" :) (AKA adolescence... for a certain value of adolescence!)
When *I* was a teen, this was basically:
1. Carrie
2. Dark Phoenix (the comic!)
3. Firestarter
There are a few things that can be noticed here -
* These are all girl/young woman characters
* All written by cis men
* And 2 out of 3 are by Stephen King somehow.
I read them all. And was frustrated with them all.
So I kind of wrote the book I would have wanted to read as a teen that took a different approach.
* All written by cis men
* And 2 out of 3 are by Stephen King somehow.
I read them all. And was frustrated with them all.
So I kind of wrote the book I would have wanted to read as a teen that took a different approach.
(Side note: I think @ninocipri can quote all the academic literature on horror re: this cluster of tropes, but I sadly can't! And I haven't dared look while writing the draft.)
48:
Mawu's neuroatypicality-related diagnosis will come across as something I made up for the fictional setting, but is actually a real diagnosis I had as a child / teen in Communist / immediately post-Communist Hungary.
(before Hungary adopted the ICD for diagnoses)
Mawu's neuroatypicality-related diagnosis will come across as something I made up for the fictional setting, but is actually a real diagnosis I had as a child / teen in Communist / immediately post-Communist Hungary.
(before Hungary adopted the ICD for diagnoses)
49: (this was asked on Patreon)
There is no kissing in the book. I did not think about it while writing, I only realized when someone asked!
There is also no romance plot. There are some really intense non-romantic relationships.
There is no kissing in the book. I did not think about it while writing, I only realized when someone asked!
There is also no romance plot. There are some really intense non-romantic relationships.
50:
The book probably skews older YA because of the occasional body horror elements and the politics, but I don't think it is NA or adult. Mawu is a teen and very much like a teen, with teen problems and being chased by half of the planet after that magical explosion.......
The book probably skews older YA because of the occasional body horror elements and the politics, but I don't think it is NA or adult. Mawu is a teen and very much like a teen, with teen problems and being chased by half of the planet after that magical explosion.......
51:
Mawu appears in The Song of Spores, currently serialized by @BrokenEyeBooks, which is an adult series, but Mawu is also older there, and a bit more mature and in control. (Though also having gone through a lot, and experiencing the aftereffects of that.)
Mawu appears in The Song of Spores, currently serialized by @BrokenEyeBooks, which is an adult series, but Mawu is also older there, and a bit more mature and in control. (Though also having gone through a lot, and experiencing the aftereffects of that.)
52:
Space weather is a plot element.
I like space weather!
Space weather is a plot element.
I like space weather!
53:
I show Mawu praying. I feel like prayer is often played for laughs in Western media and here it is not!
(Also in Song of Spores, I show Mawu listen to someone else of a different religion praying. This is in ch1 and already out: https://www.patreon.com/posts/empathic-song-of-15615782 )
I show Mawu praying. I feel like prayer is often played for laughs in Western media and here it is not!
(Also in Song of Spores, I show Mawu listen to someone else of a different religion praying. This is in ch1 and already out: https://www.patreon.com/posts/empathic-song-of-15615782 )
A bit of a break here, but I do plan on adding more tidbits about the manuscript :)
54:
I hope the book can have a fun interior graphic with symbols of the major political factions in it XD
I hope the book can have a fun interior graphic with symbols of the major political factions in it XD
55:
This is my first novel manuscript, and thus the first something I am planning on querying agents with. I have several books out and forthcoming, but none are novels.
In retrospect I might have queried with one of the forthcoming books?, but now it's too late for that.
This is my first novel manuscript, and thus the first something I am planning on querying agents with. I have several books out and forthcoming, but none are novels.
In retrospect I might have queried with one of the forthcoming books?, but now it's too late for that.
(I mean, I know people who got an agent with a smaller advance for a similar book than that one, but I found that out well after I had already negotiated and signed my contract. I wish publishing had more transparency...)
56:
I have NOT actually drawn a map for the planet, and I feel weird about it, because most of the action happens in small out-of-the-way towns and military bases, not in major population centers.
(I mean, as I've mentioned above, the protag even gets lost in a forest :) )
I have NOT actually drawn a map for the planet, and I feel weird about it, because most of the action happens in small out-of-the-way towns and military bases, not in major population centers.
(I mean, as I've mentioned above, the protag even gets lost in a forest :) )
57:
There is no sexual violence (I suppose I should state that, because this is a YA book with a non-cis protagonist, and that's kind of VERY common. :( )
There is an amount of abusive behavior in other ways though, which is reflected upon and discussed in-narrative.
There is no sexual violence (I suppose I should state that, because this is a YA book with a non-cis protagonist, and that's kind of VERY common. :( )
There is an amount of abusive behavior in other ways though, which is reflected upon and discussed in-narrative.
58:
Yes there will be content warnings (I mean, if it ever becomes a book) - I have had that conversation with multiple publishers at this point, I have had the practice...
Yes there will be content warnings (I mean, if it ever becomes a book) - I have had that conversation with multiple publishers at this point, I have had the practice...
(I mean it is certainly possible that the publisher will be adamant against it, but so far I have yet to come across a publisher that is adamant aginst content notices.)
59:
*dramatic fantasy blurb voice*
Magic has a cost - a very steep cost...
*cheerful protagonist voice*
You become hungry and sleepy afterwards!
*dramatic fantasy blurb voice*
Magic has a cost - a very steep cost...
*cheerful protagonist voice*
You become hungry and sleepy afterwards!
60:
I was trying to think of what was the weirdest stuff I read for research, and I honestly wasn't sure. I read a bunch of really offbeat scholarly papers.
I was trying to think of what was the weirdest stuff I read for research, and I honestly wasn't sure. I read a bunch of really offbeat scholarly papers.
61:
I always try to write very clean drafts because I don't like to revise. With shorter stories it doesn't seem to pay off as much as right now.
I will probably revise a lot more after reader feedback though! (2 rounds: my first reader, and then other readers)
I always try to write very clean drafts because I don't like to revise. With shorter stories it doesn't seem to pay off as much as right now.
I will probably revise a lot more after reader feedback though! (2 rounds: my first reader, and then other readers)
62:
With this novel I tried to apply for a YA novel writing and revising workshop that was to be held here in Kansas (!!!!), but it was cancelled because not enough other people applied... I am still sad about that.
I usually can't do workshops bc of the travel involved.
With this novel I tried to apply for a YA novel writing and revising workshop that was to be held here in Kansas (!!!!), but it was cancelled because not enough other people applied... I am still sad about that.
I usually can't do workshops bc of the travel involved.
63:
I try to add a lot of weird small details, like royal family gossip and children's games. The fabric of monks' garments. Idek!
I try to add a lot of weird small details, like royal family gossip and children's games. The fabric of monks' garments. Idek!
Getting back to this thread.
A lot of difficult things happened in my life in the meanwhile: changing jobs, trying to stay in the country while the authorities were contesting the basis of my immigration, etc. also getting The Mystery Illness My Doctor Thinks Was Covid. (Brrrrr)
A lot of difficult things happened in my life in the meanwhile: changing jobs, trying to stay in the country while the authorities were contesting the basis of my immigration, etc. also getting The Mystery Illness My Doctor Thinks Was Covid. (Brrrrr)
But now the manuscript is done and I am about to begin querying!!
I've never done this before, so please wish me luck
I've never done this before, so please wish me luck
